Appliance Reviews

This grill (I actually own the larger size of the same), is a poor cooker. Heat off the bottom half is too cool to char (think black lines, not tan lines), and heat off the top and bottom halves helps cook your food through.

Imagine cooking a slice of bell pepper, or for that matter, a hamburger patty, on the grill. When you're done, you have light or no searing on the bottom, but your bell pepper's soft, and the hamburger patty is cooked through. You might have light searing on the top, if whatever you're cooking was thick enough to touch the top. But whether or not your food is thick enough, radiant heat from the top will cook it.

Overall, this grill is a poor choice. If you want to drain fat from your food, consider pouring the fat out of the frypan when you're done on the stove. Don't waste your money on this grill or any other. On the other hand, if you want to cook a pancake, you could probably use this grill to good effect.

What I really love about this grill is that it sears and cooks burgers, chicken cutlets, steaks, etc. evenly and within a short period of time. The lid automatically allows for thicker cuts of meat (I think up to 1" thickness) and is variable in its height adjustment, which is an excellent and useful feature.
The lid prevents any spattering of liquids or fats which are directed to empty into the plastic fat rendering container provided. Since there is a small output of smoke during grilling, I just place the grill on a thick wooden cutting board, on the stovetop (obviously with the burners in the off position) and with the stovetop hood on to remove smoke and odors; it's pretty effective.
Cleanup is relatively simple due to the grill's nonstick surface and takes just a few minutes. This model is quite small, compact and lightweight, making it easy to store. The surface area is large enough to grill two burgers at a time. I use it often and highly recommend it.

I love my George Foreman grill!! I received it for a Christmas present two years ago and recommended to everyone I know to get one. It's fast, easy to clean, and the food's delicious!
I am currently stationed in S Korea and it was a must to bring!
I would recommend everyone get one! Well worth the price.

I've been using this blender for a few weeks now. It is a solid and steady performer. It is a large blender, which I like because I like to make smoothies for my family without having to go through the process twice. The design is great - no twist lock - just lift the jar once you are done blending. The base is heavy and stable and the controls are very easy to use - no pondering over a multitude of options that really aren't very different from each other. The chrome looks great in the kitchen too. The only thing I wish this blender had is a retractable cord but it DOES have a unique design for the plug (I'm always hesitant to pull plugs out of sockets for some reason). I'm very satisfied with this blender. Good product for the price!

I tried the same thing with other blenders and water and ice does about the same thing. Ice gets pushed up and forms a solid mass and doesn't come down and the blades wind up spinning in water.

Just opened. Added Ice and water, in proportions one would use to make a margaretta. Here's what it does. It tosses the ice upward and the blades spin in the water. This is unbelievable but even after stopping and knocking the ice down MANY MANY MANY times here is what you get.
Layer #1: by the blades: Water (increasing each time)
Layer #2: above the blades: A 1-2 inch gap of AIR!!!
Layer #3: Ice, and after 10 minutes of stopping and knocking the ice back down, it is mostly complete ice cubes.

These were ice cubes from a automatic ice maker--nothing substantial--those half-moon units.

Add more water? Sorry, after 10 minutes it was half water/half ice--no dice. The more water the more it was inclined to eject the ice into that solid layer that NEVER CAME DOWN unless you knocked it down.

Again, any blender I've tried with just some water and ice, does the same thing. I have no real judgement about this blender.

I should deduct 1 star since I paid 99.00 for mine but I like
this blender.
Easy to clean. Easy to use.
It is so powerful it will toss food all over your kitchen
even with the main lid on. It creates a vacuum. The blades
are supoer sharp.
I make a lot of smoothies. This blender does it very well.
I tried unpeeled apples and pears and voila!....you can't tell
the peels are in the smoothie.
I also used it for making super fine suger using regular
granulated sugar. If we did not turn it off it would have made
confection sugar. I also used it for grinding grahmam crackers
for a crust....it did it too well....I ended up with graham
cracker flour.
It gets all the nooks a cranies and leaves nothing behind. My
oster blender always needed some help.

At 79.99 this is a good deal and a great blender....I paid more
and I recommend it!

for $20 how can you possibly beat this ice cream maker? its price alone should sell it, never mind the fact that it works flawlessly. i never made ice cream before i purchased this, and was very sceptical about spending nearly $200 for the really good makers, so i decided to go with this as a starter to see how it all went. it just doesnt get any easier than this! as far as some people saying that it doesnt stop automatically, it stops by itself just fine, as long as the ice cream is hard enough to slow down the dasher. and as a tip: if the ice cream never gets hard enough, simply add more rocksalt and pack down the ice with a knife a bit. the only gripe i have, is that maybe the motor could have been stronger or the dasher made of a stronger material, but for the price you do get what you pay for. i also purchased the ben & jerrys recipe book and highly recommend it as well. do yourself a favor and dont think twice and buy this great machine. you wont be dissapointed

I received the Rival ice cream maker as a special gift for X-mas from my son. He and everyone else knows that I am a complete ice cream fanatic. However, I either misplaced or did not receive instructions with this product. Feeling guilty, as he splurged on this gift and I still have been unable to try it out. He is 18 years old but was financially "strapped" at the time. Also, I would love to try it out as I am at my wits end when I run out of ice cream and all the rave reviews I have read here are making me even more curious about this delicious-sounding ice cream! Mmmmmm, Mmmmmmm good is what I am sure I will be saying if someone would be kind enough to send me the complete instructions so that I can (finally) begin to use my ice cream maker! My son purchased the rock salt and ice cream mix and I have a bag of ice (im)patiently waiting for just this purpose in my freezer. So..any and all help would be greatly appreciated. And as I ALWAYS say...I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM....we ALL scream

I have never made ice cream before, nor did I know much about it. My first batch (I did not use the pre-bagged stuff) was awesome, although it did take longer than the directions said. A bit of freezing and the taste couldn't be beat - and I used skim milk, evap skim-whole milk rather than cream, etc! Once you get the hang of adding enough rock salt and ice, and as long as you ignore noise, this machine is great! I've used it about 5 times and each recipe I've used (I found them on the web, and one on the box) turned out great! YUMMY and delicious and cheap, too! ENJOY! Lisa

After years as a Dualit owner, I still get a certain pleasure from using its sensible, rugged controls, raising and lowering the toast myself, hearing the friendly ticking of its timer...
It's only a toaster I know, but there's just something about it that gives you a sense of satisfaction. And it makes any kitchen look cool, just siting there. I also know it's expensive, but I've known people buy several new, lesser toasters in the time I've had my Dualit, so who's saving? If something does go wrong, I can get new bits so I won't have to throw it away, ever perhaps.

By the way, it makes good toast too. The best thing is that the toast doesn't pop up, and toast is much crisper if you leave it down (keeping warm) inside the toaster for a minute or two. You can't usually do this with regular toasters.

If you are resistant of the price, think again, it's well worth the investment!

After years as a Dualit owner, I still get a certain pleasure from using its sensible, rugged controls, raising and lowering the toast myself, hearing the friendly ticking of its timer...
It's only a toaster I know, but there's just something about it that gives you a sense of satisfaction. And it makes any kitchen look cool, just siting there. I also know it's expensive, but I've known people buy several new, lesser toasters in the time I've had my Dualit, so who's saving? If something does go wrong, I can get new bits so I won't have to throw it away, ever perhaps.

By the way, it makes good toast too. The best thing is that the toast doesn't pop up, and toast is much crisper if you leave it down (keeping warm) inside the toaster for a minute or two. You can't usually do this with regular toasters.

If you are resistant of the price, think again, it's well worth the investment!

I have wanted a Dualit Toaster for a long time. When Amazon had a great deal a few weeks ago, I got one. I toast some sort of bread almost every day of the week. I had never had an English muffin exactly the way I wanted it until I got my Dualit. Yes, there is a little learning period, but, be patient and it will be really worth the time. It is an excellent appliance.

Yes, it is expensive, but, you do get what you pay for and this toaster is definitely worth it.

I just received two of the sandwich cages. I have not used them yet but will be happy to review those when I do.

I had a well equipped kitchen before and now it's pretty much complete.

The picture is of the 3.2 cubic foot model

I just bought this fridge at the local Target because shipping off the website was ridiculous ($50). The one at Target was cheaper too, only $140 instead of $150 (or $200 with s/h). It's really good and really roomy. If you turn the temperature all the way down, you can practically turn the whole fridge into a freezer, it's that cold. It's a really good fridge for a really good price. The rental fridge which you have to return here at UCI is like $178. I got this fridge for only $150 with tax, and I won't have to return it at the end of the year. It's a good investment.

I bought this attractive little appliance for use in an airplane hangar where the occasional consumption of perishable food and cold drink storage is desirable. This quiet running compact fit the bill perfectly. Some designs in this class of refrigerator are barely capable of holding 2 six-packs of canned beverage. Why bother? This fridge with 4.3 cubic feet of internal space is generous enough to store a reasonable amount of perishable food stuffs. Just don't expect too much utility of the freezer though, as its capacity is quite small. The internal layout of the Danby is well thought out and the vertical beverage stack on the door is a welcomed plus. The upper portion of the door also includes a special clear plastic insert to accomodate up to 9 eggs, but is an easily removed option. You can even change the direction of the door swing by swapping out the reversible hinges. Sized at a reasonable 20" across, the top of my Danby refrigerator perfectly accomodates a small microwave oven and the combination of the two is hard to beat when eating a casual meal miles away from the full sized comforts of the home kitchen!

If Amazon[.com] had a zero star rating, that's what I would give this product. I have had my machine for about three months and enjoyed it while it worked. I have meticulously maintained and cleaned it after each use. I recently detected a burning odor from the machine and it got really loud. I realized what was going on when I closely examined the parts. The blade basket is really cheap (gotta cut cost somewhere). The teeth on the blade that are used to grind and liquify eventually start to bend upward and actually start eating into the plastic food chute. Perhaps I just have a defective blade, but I doubt it since it worked fine when I got it. In any event, unbeknownst to me, I probably ingested small particles of plastic with my yummy fruit drink. Needless to say, I am extremely unhappy with this product. Perhaps they just want you to buy a new basket every three months. My advice, save your money and get one of the heavy duty machines, or you can find mine on ebay!...;-)

I've experienced several juicers over the past 10 years, and have come to realize that the motor represents its most vital part. Moreover, the 1/4 hp motor used in the Juiceman Jr. Elite Pro JM211 makes it a superior product that should last one for many years. I estimate that I've made over 500 gallons of juice with mine in its lifetime and the motor does not seem to be showing any signs of let down.

A few tips:
1) Always clean the basket with a brush so that fibers will not dry and clog the meshing.
2) Rinse with hot water daily and thoroughly clean weekly. Better to clean less frequently than to have another excuse for not making the juice!
3) Avoid things like cantaloupe rinds and parsley when the blade begins to dull. Although buying a new blade is usually not necessary, it will help to do so every year if you plan to juice things with tough fibers.
4) Always unplug the juicer before taking it apart for cleaning.

I bought this juicer because I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome; I also do not eat a healthy diet (lots of coffee and fast foods). This juicer is reasonably priced and very easy to use. It is also easy to clean as long as you use a vegetable brush to brush the strainer clean. The best part, however, is that this is such an easy way to get nutrients into your system. Better than trying to take lots of supplements several times a day, and much easier than trying to "cook healthy" (I hate to cook). Juice is the ultimate fast food. Since getting this machine I have had more energy and have felt more optimistic. My body is also starting to "crave" a glass of fresh juice rather than coffee and a candy bar. The recipes that are included get you off to a good start in making juice drinks that are very tasty. All in all, a good deal for the price - 5 out of 5 - highly recommended.

The service was pathetic and I will not be back. Seconds after I placed the order and caught wind of the shipping cost I decided to use the 'cancel order' option online. For half an hour I went in circles on their disfunctional web site trying to get this done with no results. I then contacted Target.direct by email to cancel the order. They informed me even though it had not been shipped yet they could not cancel the order. I personally called FedEx six hours later after it had just been shipped and halted the order to save me more aggravation at having to refuse the item (microwave oven)and ship it back. The FedEx rep I talked to also thought it was pretty tacky the way these people do business.

You do not think much to it, the design is beautiful and different from the conventional microwaves, if you like modern this one is the appropriate one works very well, and the price value is excellent.

I recently purchased this Microwave from a dept. store in CT. I got it on sale for 89.99, which I was rather leary about in the beginning.

I brought the microwave home, and took it out of the box. It fit perfectly on the corner of my counter where I had originally planned to place it. It was a rather pain removing the plastic, protective covering ...but from there it was smooth sailing.

It is rather quiet microwaving, which is a definate plus, and it heats things up rather quickly. I popped a bag of popcorn the other night, and only had 4 actual popcorn kernels in the bag.

I'd recommend this microwave for anyone ....!

This waffle iron should be renamed "waffle stickys." I have this for a few months. At first, it worked great---no problems. Then, like another review stated, it did nothing but made a big sticky or burnt mess!! I really liked this just fine during the first few months of use (I make waffles about 6+ times a week). However, the "stix" are not so easily broken apart---they are rather necessarily cut apart. All of the sudden, one day, my waffles did nothing but stick. Part of the waffles would be stuck to the top part of the iron, and the other part would be stuck to the bottom part of the iron. I tried to clean it (as stated in the manual), re-season it, and (when this failed) spray or oil it each time I made waffles, all to no avail. I would NOT purchase this waffle iron if I had known this would happen---it's quite frustrating!

Whenever I make waffles with my traditional iron, it takes forever to make enough to serve a family of 4. So, I decided to look for a second waffle iron. After seeing commercials for frozen waffle sticks, I decided to look for a waffle iron to make these. I have been searching in many stores and on many web sites for the past few months. Finally, I found this item on Target's web site. Of course, I ordered it without hesitation. It arrived yesterday and I made up the first batch this morning. My kids loved them! My daughter who "doesn't like waffles" ate them and enjoyed them. They were really fun, easy and cooked up nicely. Since two waffles (or 6 sticks) cook up on this iron, it is easy for me to feed both of my children quickly. I cooked up the rest of the batter and stuck the "sticks" in the freezer. The kids really liked being able to dip their waffles in syrup. Next time, they would like to try icing as a dip. I think I will throw some cinnamin in that batch. All in all, a very fun but useful gadget.

I could not wait to buy this after I first heard of it and I have not been disappointed. It works exactly as stated in the instructions and my kids love the waffle sticks! I make a large batch and freeze them so that they can have waffles anytime. I've also found that the stick form is better to use even when the kids want to cut them and eat them like normal. Most of them time when I'd make them a whole waffle, I'd be throwing away a few bites and wasting food. Now I can just heat up the perfect number of sticks and we hardly waste anything now. It's just great and I couldn't be happier with this product!

I too bought a roaster, purchasing on 11/14/903. When we unpacked it today we also discovered we had no lids. Before lugging it back to the store I deceide to see if we could just write to Rival about the missing part (since this was really their error and not Target's). To my surprise their is a special icon on the Rival website's home page to deal with ordering the replacement lids. Simply click on the IMPORTANT area (has a picture of the roster) and fill out the order form (1 per household). They're free, including shipping! Obviously Rival is aware of the problem because the PURCHASED FROselection is limited to Target and the purchase date defaults to 11/10/03, the day after the sale started. This should be much faster and more convenient than dealing with Target but I do agree that there should be something on the Target website and a notice posted at Target stores that there is a problem with the lids and how to get them.

Missing three lids for buffet server ? Please advise about missing lids for R0162BR roaster oven?? RSVP rperry14@cfl.rr.com . Bought at Super Target , at Waterford Lakes , Orlando , Fl. Thanks Rich Perry

I have had the same incident occur as Rich Perry from FL who just previously wrote a review. I had just purchased the same product but located in the Target in Dickson City, PA. The 3 storage lids are missing from my R0162BR as well.

My husband and I chose this breadmaker as a 10 yr. anniversary gift from his employer. I have used it only 2 days and I have two main complaints about it. One, I don't like that this is a vertical machine, I like the top of the bread to be like the bread found in grocery stores. Two, on the basic medium cycle, the bread got way too dark and I had to turn off the machine even though it had 32 minutes left to bake the bread. My son said the bread was burning. Who knows what the bread would have looked like if I had left it in the machine until the end of the cycle!

The recipe book is easy to understand and has a lot of information; I suggest that you read it a few times all the way through before you start to make bread. I have not used any of the cycles except Basic Medium and French. My husband and I feel that we will only use the 1 lb. and 1.5 lb. setting, because when I made the French Bread on the 2 lb. setting, the bread was not dense like normal french bread--it had a lot of holes due to the need to expand the dough to make a bigger loaf. I made the second loaf of bread--the one I had to remove early--on the 1.5 lb. setting, and it was fine, nice and dense. The machine is noisy when mixing the bread, but that doesn't bother me. The inner pan is very easy to clean, though it cannot be immersed in water/dishwasher. Bread is very easy to remove from the pan.

Lastly, I found that as soon as I start the machine, it mixes, but I have to open the lid and give the machine a little help by scraping the flour from the corners and bottom with a rubber spatula. The blade does not get all the flour from the corners and the bottom. The flour will lay there even after the machine starts mixing the dough ball back and forth. This doesn't bother me either, I don't mind scraping the flour; I'd rather do that than have lumps of flour in the bread or flour on the outside of the loaf.

Since we didn't have to pay for this, this breadmaker is an ok machine. It does what it is supposed to do. My husband is a fresh bread lover, so he is pleased with the bread. However, if you are paying $100 and up for a breadmaker, look at other models first.

If you don't mind the horizonal shape, this machine does it all. It's very simple to use. Regardless of the type of bread you are making, there are only 2 buttons to push to start the process, 3 if you want to delay the start time. The only drawback is the cooldown time between loafs. I have found you can make 2 loafs back-to-back, but it needs to rest (about 30 minutes) before making a 3rd. It's the next best tasting to the honest labor of love effort.

I used to have really expensive Panasonic bread maker(model SD_-YD 250), but after 1 year of use it stopped working completely Soo.. I bought this toastmaster breadmaker almost 1 year ago. I didn't expect this less expensive breadmaker was going to be my favorite kitchen machine. The best thing of this machine is definetely 3 things. 1. price 2. durability 3. simplicity. Since I bought this machine I am using everyday for my 3 kids and bread loving husband. Last week we decided to buy the same machine as 2nd bread maker( I have 2 of this breadmaker now!) since I can't keep up with my family guys' eating bread speed. Almost everyday I make 2 kinds of bread!
This machine is defenetely worth your money.