Appliance Reviews

This is a beautiful product in every way, The price is a problem. Just surf Europe and Asia and it averages about 200.00 USD Converted. Why is Bosch charging us in the US 100.00 to 150.00 more? It sours the whole experience! Elsewhere it is distributed BY Siemens.

I purchased this blender for my husband, along with the coffee maker, because I thought he'd appreciate the Porsche design and he does. We actually needed a new blender, so I didn't just buy the Bosch for its looks. This blender does a fine job of crushing ice for margaritas. The dark purple pouring spout looks a little bluish, but the brushed stainless truly stays free of fingerprints (unlike my larger stainless appliances). If you want a powerful motor and you really appreciate the look of this blender, then its worth the money.

This is a real beauty of a blender with its sleek, cutting edge design by Porsche. Its streamlined shape and brushed aluminum exterior reduce other blenders to over-the-hill divas.

However, the familiar saw, "looks aren't everything" aptly applies to this Bosch product because it's not only handsome but powerful and reliable. It crushes ice before you can reach for the glasses, and purees in a wink.

Stainless steel blades afford fine and uniform chopping (superb for salsa), and the 6-cup capacity is generous yet convenient. It comes equipped with a 450 watt motor and a full one-year warranty. We like the cord can be wound up and disappear beneath the base, and the nifty control buttons that pop out with a push and retract with a gentle fingertip nudge.
Yes, a Bosch blender is an investment but a wise one for not only gourmet cooks but also for those who appreciate quality and serviceability, as it is unique in both design and performance.

- Gail Cooke

I bought this hoping to use it to prepare Matchstick-size vegetables. The julienne disc included in this set does nothing different than the shredding disc which comes standard with the machine.It works fine on harder foods like potatoes and carrots(rendering a "julienne" very similar to a shred.) It absolutely pulverizes any water-based vegetables like peppers & squash. I experimented extensively with different foods and I only got the perfect julienne on very hard foods.

The blades are also difficult to clean.

For my money, I prefer the "french fry disc". But, if you like shoestring fries, this is the disc for you.

The Cruisnart Specialty Disc Set is a great value. You save money over the cost of ordering each blade seperately. I find these blades save much time in the kitchen, especially when canning pickels etc.

The standard set is invaluable, but there are still many things I couldn't do. With this 3-piece set, I now have almost every blade needed to gourmet my way to food heaven. The julienne disk lets me do things I lack the patience for, while the thick blade lets me slice things like lettuce and tomatoes at a decent thickness, rather than the skimpy 4mm standard blade.

The fine grater is a good touch for finesse. Try doing a whole tangerine or orange by hand without scraping your fingertips and cursing the night. Blood orange never was a good color anyway.

Seriously, the set is a nice addition to the standard set of Cuisinart blades.

Becoming interested in wine ? Have some better bottles that need to last through 90 degree plus summers ? This may be the product for you. It's inexpensive compared to many similar products and nice-looking. However if you are approaching "wine geek" status this may not be for you. First of all, when we assembled the door there was a 1/8 inch gap between the door and the unit leaving just enough air space to let summer humidity in. Fortunately we were able to adjust the door, but no thanks to the instruction manual.

Also, the temperature setting fluctuates on a daily basis probably too much for someone who is very concerned about a constant and exact temperature. There is also no humidity setting.

One other caution: to actually hold 24 bottles, you'll have to do some creative bottle arranging. Many wine experts say one should buy the largest capacity one should afford. With that said, you might want to spring for at least a 30 bottle capacity if you think you'll be collecting in the future.

For us, the unit is fine. If this model at this price had been unavailable, I probably would not have bought one at all. So, as an entry level wine cellar it is OK.

Well after looking and looking at all the different brands of wine coolers I decided on Haier. This 24 bottle wince cooler is the perfect size for the average wine drinker. It looks great in your kitchen and dosn't take up a lot of room and holds 24 bottles. The digital temp controls are very accurate and easy to use. I even store my cigars on the top shelf to keep them from drying out. Best of all every once in a while amazon.com will put this one on sale.

Maybe the best looking Wine Cellar/Refrigerator on the market...certainly for the price. No assembly except to put on the door handle. Auto settings for either white or red wine. It was such a good deal, we bought TWO!!!

Yup, it's real pretty and takes up very little counter space, but we're big consumers of English muffins, and this applinace just can't handle them--they come out squished on the bottom and don't pop out high enough to remove without sticking a fork into the toaster, which of course requires any sane person to unplug the toaster first. The "not popping high enough" problem occurs with other items as well, and yes, I used the doohickey that pushes the toast up higher and that still wasn't enough. All told, pretty average performance for a very high-priced product, unless you're in it for the looks alone.

We have used this toaster (white version) daily for more than one year for everything from frozen whole grain bread to supermarket bread to baguettes to bagels. If I were improving it, I would have the top setting toast a little "hotter" or longer; dense whole grain breads need to be toasted twice, once at ten and again at three or four to get to the degree of doneness we like.

I received this item as a incentive from my company and LOVE it! Even if I had to pay full price for it now after having it a week I would shell out every last penny! I am a dedicated consumer of Kitchen Aid anyway...and they do not disappoint with this awesome product.

I love grilled cheese and mini taco's of leftovers inside corn tortillas. But now, I use my George Foreman grill instead because:

1. Steam gets trapped and makes some sandwiches soggy.

2. I like the grill marks better on the GF grill.

3. Cleanup is a disaster if the filling spills over.

4. The non stick coating is fragile.

This product was a perfect gift for my sister. Once she opened it she automatically loved it. She hasn't stopped using it since I gave to her.

I recieved this item as a gift from my neighbors. It was a true gift because I would not have purchased something like this for myself. I eventually found many uses for this little electric grill. As mentioned in the editorial review above, this grill is useful for batter based foods as well as for making sandwiches. Because we prefer hot cake, I have found it very useful for making small snack cakes. Using a standard cake mix with ordinary preparation, the bottom half of the griddle can be filled with batter. The batter will expand to fill the top as it cooks. The additional batter can be refrigerated for use the next day. The same is true of corn bread, pancake mix, browny mix, etc. The best part is the fact that the cakes will cook in just a few minutes. Pre-heating takes only 3-5 mins, and cooking about 4-8 depending on what you are working with, considerable less than the time to bake in a full size oven. This unit is also a welcome addition to the arsenal when battling toddler pickyness. Small portions of various items can be quickly prepared with out heating a full size oven. The way that it seals the bread at the seems when making sandwiches makes it useful for making healthy homemade "hot pockets" for lunches, as you control the ingredients and leave the preservatives at the store. Cresent roll dough can be stretched, doubled-over and filled. Although they are somewhat atypically shaped you get perfect omlets every time, without flipping. Simply chop/shread cheese or vegies add to scrambled eggs and fill the bottom. Although this grill has an easy to clean non-stick surface, I found it useful to wipe with an oiled cloth prior to cooking, PAM or a similar product would also work well. The effort I save putting together quick healthy lunches and snacks using this device, I have transfered to planning and preparing more elaborate meals in the evening, or entertaining.

...Now, I don't know, maybe it was just the particular one that I bought but the waffles were coming out perfect on the bottom but on the top, it was as if the iron wasn't even on. When I went to return it at the store, I saw another 3 people in line to do the same thing, so I'm thinking someone forgot to plug something into the right spot on this waffle maker while it was going through the assembly line.

Hope you all have better luck than me with this!

Afraid of getting another small appliance that you never use? If so, this waffle baker is for you! The waffle baker stores easily (either flat or on its side), sets up in seconds, and takes only a brief wipe with a paper towel to clean. When you plug it in, it takes several minutes to heat up, with an indicator light that goes out when the unit is ready. The light comes back on when you pour in the batter and similarly goes out when the waffle is done, making for perfect waffles that are completely non-stick every time. It takes a bit of practice to learn exactly how much batter to pour in, but once you figure it out, you'll never have any leakage and all of your waffles will be uniform. I've used the iron with both homemade batter and batter from a mix, and it works very well with either type. The only downside I've found is that once the waffles are made, it's best to eat them immediately, as the bottoms start to get soggy the longer they sit. Luckily, this is rarely a problem, because we always DO eat them right away! This is a great, inexpensive, easy-to-use product that I recommend highly.

This Waffle Maker is WONDERFUL. Makes large Belgian Waffles that hold lots of any kind of topping even fruit like strawberries, because they are nice and deep. It has a light is great so you don't have to guess if it is hot enough. Easy to clean and wipe up because of it being non stick it is hassel free. One of my favorite and most used small appliances. Experiment with many toppings and waffle recipes...my family loves them for even dinner!

A nice item, the back wall is a great feature for a variety of reasons....big & bulky to store...could have been more durable for as heavy as it is....Not fully functional after being dropped once...

We like this griddle, have no complaints, it certainly gets the job done.

I bought this griddle after my first one lost its non-stick surface within a year under normal use. I also noticed that the cord on that first griddle would get abnormally hot during use...I began to worry about the safety. That company would do nothing to replace what I felt was a faulty part...that's when I chose to switch brands and bought my Toastmaster 869 Griddle. I have had this griddle for almost three years now and love it! The non-stick surface has lasted...I still need no oil or cooking spray to turn a perfect pancake. The large spatula is wonderful and the backsplash really comes in handy when cooking fatty foods that splatter. When making pancakes, I can make a large batch, turn off the griddle, and the extras stay warm in the warming drawer (I can warm at least half-a-dozen at a time, maybe more). Clean-up is a breeze with the non-stick surface and fully immersibe parts (except, of course for the temperature probe!) The drip tray and backsplash keep countertops grease-free as well! This is a high-quality, durable griddle that will last and last.

There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof. Those who have used both usually have a preference. My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.

The Wusthof Culinar line is an all stainless steel look, rather than a black handle. Although the picture and some descriptions want you to think this is a single piece knife, be advised that the hand is a separate piece of stainless steel molded onto the tang. I personally prefer the handle of the Grand Prix and Classic, because the grip is surer for me, but this is, to some extent, a matter of personal preference. This series "looks" more professional to some (like a Viking stove).

This particular model is the 5 inch tomato knife. Most cooks believe the tomato is the most difficult food to slice cleanly (thus its appearance in Ginsu commercials). I think this knife is overkill for most cooks. I happen to think the 4 ½ inch utility knife will do the trick for the mainstream cook. This knife, while a good knife, is used so rarely in my kitchen it is usually relegated to a storage location, rather than the countertop.

If you slice a lot of tomatoes, be my guest and buy this knife, it is very high quality. But, for most cooks, this knife is overkill.

this knife is billed as a tomato knife and while it does the job effortlessly, if you own a good quality chef knife that you keep sharp this knife is not needed.

We bought the 10 piece Culinar set and this knife is my favorite!!! I have never used a knife that cuts a tomato so perfectly. I highly recommend it if you love to cook and like perfection with what you prepare.

I purchased this grill because I wanted a grill to use inside and also wanted a grill with a thermostat. The cooking grid area is very small and the grill is hard to clean since the heating coils are part of the grid and you cannot immerse it in water. If you have it turned up past medium it burns everything.

My bf loves my mother's Korean bbq and she likes to use indoor grill to cook right at the table. When he decided he needed his own electric grill we decided to get Zojirushi EB-CC15 because compared to others it looked better, had more cooking space (same size unit), and non-stick coating. Since the purchase, we've used it many times and it cooks wonderfully and cleans with incredible ease. We definitely recommend this item!

We continue to be pleased with this grill and we have noticed one additional benefit over the built in grill we had used previously: there is almost no smoke at all when we grill on the Zoji.
No matter how well we cleaned our previous grill, cooking 4 steaks would leave a lingering odor in the kitchen for a day. We had even looked into a roof-mounted extractor fan to assist the hood-mounted unit. Happily, we have no smoke problem anymore!

It's inexpensive, doesn't have to be plugged in and doesn't need ice or salt--three things plenty of folks are looking for in an ice-cream maker!

The ice cream turns out pretty good (if you use a good recipe!), and it is just the right amount of ice cream for 2-4 people after dinner--just start it about 4 hours before! Also, since it's such a small amount of ice cream, you don't have to worry about hard-to-find additives that will make it still "scoopable" the next day--it will be eaten by then!

It cleans up easily, as long as you don't overfill the cups and rubberband the top on so it doesn't slip.

IT'S STILL CHEAP, THOUGH. I use mine a couple of times a week, and it definitely shows some wear (gears slip occaisionally). In my case, having this machine for a few months has convinced me that I WILL make ice cream often, and therefore a heavy-duty machine will be cost-effective for me.

But for people who will only use the machine a few times a month and are on a budget, this ice-cream maker is ideal!

This ice cream maker takes AA batteries and your refrigerator's freezer to work. It takes 4-5 hours for it to complete the ice cream. The results? Two scoops of creamy tasty ice cream. If you are willing to wait so long for so little reward, this ice cream maker is well worth it.