Appliance Reviews

This looks like a blender I would like to use,but it was damaged in shipping and I have yet to receive a return label.DB

The quality of the Hamilton Beach 56406 BlendSmart 18-Speed Blender is excellent. This is a POWERFUL blender. It comes with 550 watts of power. The glass jar is thick and has a very wide bottom. The jar locks into place when used so you don't need to worry about the jar shaking off the base. The base of the unit allows you to wrap the cord around it to neatly put away the cord or to shorten the cord so that you don't have a cord dangling around your countertop. This is a nice feature that is not present on most blenders. Another nice feature present on this blender is the speed dial. This is far more convenient to use than a bunch of separate speed buttons. The unit also comes with a special ice crushing blade. The big question is: can this blender crush ice well? With most other blenders, in order to crush ice, you have to baby-sit the blender, manually pressing the pulse button several times, stopping once in a while to shake the jar or stir the ingredients with a spoon to loosen up the ice that's stuck in the bottom on the jar. With this blender all you have to do is press the BlendSmart button! The BlendSmart feature starts out by automatically pulsing the motor to crush the ice for you, and then it starts blending at a low speed, slowly increasing in speed until it completes the process, and then it shuts itself off. This means you can press the BlendSmart button, leave, come back in less than a minute and it's done. You don't need to baby-sit this blender. To test the blender I made a very thick banana smoothie with a dozen large ice cubes and very little milk, by simply pressing the BlendSmart button once. The smoothie came out perfect. I was amazed at how well the ice was crushed, and very pleased that I didn't have to baby-sit the blender to make the smoothie. Being a 550 watt blender, the noise level is not as high as you might expect. At lower speeds the noise is less than most other blenders. This is by far the best blender I have ever used. I highly recommend this blender. It's a quality machine.

I love this blender, super action and easily used to mix everything with ice, etc. I have recommended it to friends and family.

This ice shaver went above and beyond my expectations for a manual low priced shaver! The ice, whether from the included tubs or ice cubes, is shaved very fine - more like a soft snow (although, being ice, it hardens after a few minutes). It is fairly easy to clean - the ice holder and blade can be rinsed off, but the top part (which pushes the ice down) has to be unscrewed so as to not damage the motor (but if you're using regular and not flavored ice you can just leave it to dry). It is not dishwasher safe.

I recommend that you freeze flavored water versus pouring the syrup on after the ice has been shaved - since the ice is shaved very finely, it tends to melt pretty quickly whenever something else is added to it. The added couple of tubs, although small, provide the best mold for ice shaving, and one can fill a regular-size bowl full of shavings (about 2-3 sno cones, depending on the size). You can create a little stockpile of ice molds from the tubs, and make quite a few snow cones for a weekend treat!

Overall, this is an awesome little home shaver, a great value for the price. If you're looking for a small ice shaver to satisfy a snow cone craving that makes excellent ice shavings for a small price, this is your product!

We got the Hamilton Ice Shaver for my parents for Christmas! They loved it! The motor is powerful yet quiet, and it sure beats the hand crank model my parents had before. It is easy to operate, just drop the ice block in the top, close the lid and push the button. It makes great, finely shaved ice with no mess and hardly any work at all. It could not be easier!

I loved it and you should try it cause i got one ice crusher one time it was called hawii something , but do not get it cause it do not work if rick E. hall, bay kelley, kristy vantleven here tell them i said hello and tell rick E. hall he have pretty eyes and a excellent personality , and last but not lease tell him that is why i am so in love with science its not boring tell them to try this machine and tell rick i now understand the frequency and wavelength tell bay kelley and kristy vantleven i promise to be good in class bye-bye

If you want to take the time to grind twice just for one loaf that's okay,BUT, if you are interested in grinding 5 or more pounds at once this is not the mill you want. Try the Grainmaster with the lifetime warranty.

Generally I've been satisfied with all Kitchen Aid attachments, but this one is a little different. For the price I could buy myself a stand alone grain mill with more features and save the load on my beloved workhorse.

I have had the pleasure of milling all the wheat we use for bread with this mill for almost 5 years. It does a terrific job. I have never double milled and do not find that step necessary. The resulting flour makes the greatest bread.

I got this cover for my new Kitchen Aid and was pleased with it the first few weeks. Until, that is, I got it a little dirty and needed to run some cold water on a small portion of it to remove a tomatoe sauce splatter. The dark dye started running *immediately* onto the white and I was madly trying to stop it before it got too bad. I fixed it as best as I could but about an inch all around one side on the trim is a light blue from the dye. I now have to remove it whenever I cook anything that may get on it and it's very impractical. Being in a kitchen, this cover is extremely likely to need washing from time to time and I found it just ridiculous that this is basically impossible to do without ruining it.

Being a bachelor, I know I needed a little look of the home comfort, and this quilted cover gives the kitchen a warm cozy feel. I like the idea of preventing splashes of food not being able to get on the mixer. I like to give the mixing bowl and utensils a quick rinse before I use them. What the cover prevents is the need to do a prolonged soak and scrub to get dried food off of it. The cover fits well. I haven't really bothered to put a cookbook in the pocket. I like the look with the pocket the way it comes.
I like the fact that I know my stand mixer will remain scratch free, and keep that new look for a lot of years because of the cover.

This is no cover up , it is a lovely addition to ones counter. It keeps your mixer clean, has a nice pocket on one side to store your mixer book and is made of a nice quilted fabric.
At first I thought it was a bit pricey but it is well made and will last forever!!

This unit may work fine but it arrived in non-working condition. It had no power when plugged in. Haier was called and service person came out but could not get response from Haier. No call backs, no nothing. Haier parts and repair service is not satifactory. Unit is still unrepaired and will be returned after a month of trying to get part and response.

... this is the cellar! Especially if you are looking for a basic model to hold your growing wine collection. This model has standard features, nothing fancy: double-lined plastic? door (outer convex door is plastic, not sure about the inside door); basic shelves (I wouldn't slide them out, though); adjustable temperature (mine seems to run 2-3 degrees cooler than it's programmed for) that is easy to read. And it works just fine.

If you are on a budget, have limited space or are just looking for a basic temp-controlled, convenient place to keep your best wines, you can't go wrong with this. I haven't seen other 60-btl. chillers in this price range.

If you're thinking about getting a smaller model, consider upgrading to this 60-bottle unit. Your wines will add up quickly and, for the slightly extra cost and height, you'll be glad you have the storage available. My friends thought it was too much for me to get a 60-btl chiller (and I live in FL where temp control IS NEEDED), but they've come around as the cooler's become fuller. And a couple of wine novices are now interested in getting a cellar for their homes.

It should be said -- as one of the reviewers below noted -- the compressor is not silent. You'll hear it kicking in. So don't get this one if you are looking for a quiet deluxe chiller.

Last note: kudos to Amazon for including this item with my Free SuperSavers shipping options! Not having to schlep the big box home from the store and up the stairs was worth it!!

Good Luck !

I bought this item after researching several other more well known brands. The price was hard to beat compared to competing products in the 60 bottle range.

Free shipping on a product of this size is great. Storing wine without refrigeration in Florida is not wise. Now we have an excuse to stock up.

The cellar looks very sleek in our kitchen. It sits right next to our refrigerator. I agree with other reviewers that the unit may be a little loud when the cooler cycles on, and that 60 bottles is more of a theoretical capacity.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this product.

I've never used a slow-cooker before, but it made me an expert after the first time. I cooked a delicious pot-roast one afternoon and it cleaned up very nicely, too. The removeable crock is very convenient and cooled down relatively quickly after turning it off and removing the food. No scrubbing was necessary and that was what I was most impressed with. Nice clean look and I'm sure I'll make use of the two smaller "dip" trays that were included. Package included a few recipes which is great for a beginner like me!

While this crock pot isn't as "set and forget" as regular crock pots while using the inserts, the convenience of being able to do two things at once is great. (Consider the spiced / spiked cider combination for a simple example - 2 drinks, 1 pot.)

The regular crock, though, is as simple to use as any crock pot - and your recipe will often determine your results.

Overall - a fine addition to my kitchen.

Just wanted to say I finished making a delicious beef stew with my new slow cooker. It is wonderful. Came in excellent condition all the temperature settings definitely are very different. Our stew was cooked on high for 4 hours and now its on keep warm. I absolutely love the new appliance. Its wonderful to be able to throw a meal together in the morning/afternoon and evening time its done. I don't have to stand over it and watch it. I am making a chili for my dog tomorrow. I love it! I recommend it to everyone.

I pulled it out the box and thought it felt to much like a toy, so back in the box it went. Wife hated the plastic jar ( my fault ).

I have had this blender for about a week and use it mainly for
blending flaxseed oil and cottage cheese with fruit on a daily
basis. Also made breadcrumbs tonight in a few minutes. It is
light and easy to handle. Just be warned that the container is
PLASTIC and YOU CAN'T PUT IT IN THE DISHWASHER...but I find it
pretty painless to soak it in soapy water. It dries quickly.
I like it very much and it works beautifully.

So I'm reviewing a blender, and as a previous reviewer noted, one should refrain from too much excitement. That said, if you're going to buy a high-quality blender, don't want to spend much, and want one that will look on the kitchen counter, this is it. For under $... this is a bargain. I've had no problems crushing ice or doing anything you'd normally want your blender to do. And it does it FAST. It doesn't labor much and before you know it, you're done. It's an easy decision to drop this baby into your shopping cart.

Did anyone use this before reviewing it? It is fairly good for doing onions, tomatoes, celery and such. For meats, cheese, nuts and other stuff, it stinks! Clean up involves messing with difficult to reach places (like the hopper). I prefer something to be much simpler, I want to save time not waste more. I'd rather use a chopping knife than this thing. For my money, the Black & Decker mini is much better for the same price, or even less.

This micro food processor looks a bit like the big ones, but its always a kitchen event to break out a processor. You know its time to prepare a big meal, or some special dish. For that you need a big food processor. Choppers are something you want to use, rinse off and put back on the shelf. When it works, the direct to the bowl feature is nice, but you still have to clean up after.

This is a good little food processor and I was very pleased with the shortcut attachment. Unfortunately, one trip to the dishwasher warped the plastic and now it is unusable. I would recommend this product if you don't mind washing it by hand, which I would have been willing to do if only I'd known.

This is my best kitchen appliance. I'm now cooking things that I avoided because they called for too much chopping, slicing, and dicing. I don't understand the one person's negative review. Hello! It only costs 19.99, what did you expect? Plus, everything can go into the dishwasher! Love it, and you will too.

Juicers are cool, untill you have to clean them. but I didn't know that before I wasted 80 bucks. that's why I'm telling you this right now. Like you, I was all excited about getting a juicer. I ran home and started making juice. And everything was good...until I had to clean it. Now, I don't have a dish washer, so I do things by hand. And cleaning this by hand is a pain!

Also, an other good thing to know about juicers and the juice they make, is that in order for the juice that you made to be healty, you MUST drink it right when you make it. Also, you have to drink VERY slowly. This is because the saliva in your mouth help break down the food before it gets into your stomach. And in order for you to get all the vitamins you juiced, you have to drink slowly.

All this stuff makes my juicer more of a pain then a salvation. If you want to drink healthy, I recommend you go to your local store, spend 2 bucks and buy a bottle of V-8

Because juice should be consumed shortly after preparation, for the best nutrient benefit, I like that this unit puts the juice directly into a drinking glass. Our Juicelady Jr. Electric Juicer JL210A has provided numerous glasses of juice and continues to perform well. I am impressed with its functionality and the juice extracted via it.

I also like that the pulp is expelled into an detached basket, allowing it to be easily disposed of. This is especially beneficial when juicing concord grapes with the skin and stems on them. The juice goes into the glass and the rubbish is expelled out the other side/end. I have found that I like to put a small bag in the basket, this makes clean up super easy.

The small recipe book - Fresh Juice Recipes & Menu Planner - included with purchase provides a brief synopsis regarding the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables. We read ways to improve our overall diet, how to prepare produce for juicing, and we are provided with approximately 83 recipes.

It is my opinion that the Juicelady Jr. is easy to use, quick to clean, and durable. The preferred method for washing is via warm sudsy water, clear rinse, and air-dried. The juice bowl, cover, blade basket, and plunger are top rack dishwasher safe, but it is recommended that this be an occasional option - not the normal method. Occasionally it takes a little extra time to clean the blade basket.

I recommend this juicer for those who desire a glass of fresh juice in the morning or at other prompted times. In conclusion, assembly and operation is easy, clean-up takes little time, and the juice extracted tastes great.

We were pleansantly surprised by this little juice extractor. Seems to have excellent power; considerably quieter than some other juicers and quite easy to clean and for us....the price was right! We love it and hope to use it most every day.

The first machine only toasted the bottom and not the top but customer service said they had their "own" instructions for toasting. Their way led to the edges burning. Then they said that I had to pre-heat the toaster and use the baking pan. I explained to her that toasting a bagel has traditionally been a lot easier. They sent a new model that did not work correctly either. Hamilton Beach said they would refund me up to $38 (I paid $60) but if I sent the receipt they would refer it to a manager to try and get full reimbursement.

Get something else if all you want to do is toast and maybe heat something up once in a while.

I have had many toaster ovens and this by far is the best. I bought it because I have many Hamilton Beach products and have never had any problems. It toasts evenly and it is even great for brownies, cookies even pizza. Money well spent!

I am very pleased with this oven. heats evenly and the temperture controls are excellent. Also is very spacious, will hold a good amount of food. The only thing I wish it had was an extra rack. A large oven like this can handle two racks. The oven itself is very attractive, and looks nice on the counter. The large window is a plus, no need to open the door to check on food. I would highly recommened this oven . For the price you cannot beat it.