Appliance Reviews

This ice cream maker was an impulse buy - I found it for half of the retail price - and I should have known that it was too good to be true. I kept the base in the freezer for a week before use, got all the ingredients mixed up and ready beforehand, and followed the instructions to the letter. The ice cream maker shut off automatically 40 minutes in, leaving me with ice cream not even close to being frozen - ice cream soup, pretty much. I put the base in the freezer to keep it cold (stirring the ice cream frequently), then tried running it again in an hour - only to have it shut off again in 40 more minutes, leaving the ice cream only a little further along. I was only able to finish the ice cream by sticking it in the freezer for a couple of hours and stirring it fairly frequently. The ice cream which was supposed to be ready in 40 minutes ended up taking 6 hours to make (not including the ingredient preperation time). Good thing I tried it on a Saturday... That said, the Rival's recipe for Old-Fashioned Vanilla (which I added strawberries to) is pretty good.

Needless to say, this unit is going back. I suggest anyone looking for a good, fuss-free ice-cream maker save their money for a better model - I plan to.

Despite other reviews....this was my first experience with an ice cream maker, and I also bought the Ben & Jerry's ice cream book. The ice cream was excellent!! I've never tasted anything better. As long as you follow the directions carefully, the ice cream comes out so creamy, just like Ben & Jerry's!!! I will never buy store ice cream again. The unit is small, but you have to be careful NOT to overload it, and follow the directions, otherwise the ice cream does not get stiff. Its very easy and simple and doesn't require salt to run it. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!

I always wanted an ice-cream maker and this was on sale so I purchased it. You need to keep it in the freezer for at least 24 hrs. I followed the directions very carefully and made some chocolate ice cream. This came out so very yummmmmy! Ice cream with half and half will come out softer. I also made the strawberry sorbet and after it was complete it had a very nice texture until I froze it and it turned rock hard. But if you stick your ice cream in the micro for about 15 secs then it is just fine. Make sure that you make you mixure ahead of time and put it in the fridge untill it is cold. My machine stopped at exactly 25 minutes and it was perfect.

This attachment is a great place to begin if you want to expand the uses for your KitchenAid mixer. Although it grinds meat (great for making chicken or turkey sausage if you can't stand the idea of feeding venison through it!), for me it's primary use is the driving of other attachments. You need the grinder if you want to use the fruit/vegetable strainer or the pasta attachment.

I took away one star only because the feeding "worm" can be difficult to clean. Otherwise, this is a high-quality product, a must-have for people who want to utilize the strength of their machines. If you know someone who has a mixer, this would make an excellent gift.

I've used this attachment more times than I ever thought I would. I've used it to prepare food items for my family as well as food items for crowds as large as 200 and regardless of what it is I've been making, this attachment has rolled through it without complaint. In combination with other pieces such as the sausage stuffer or the fruit attachments, you may well find that this single attachment stays on your machine the longest.

I am absoultely stunned at how easy it is to put together and how simple it is to get wonderfully ground items out of it. I've had no trouble grinding any cut of meat (marbled or lean), type of meat (venison, beef, pork, chicken), or state of meat (cooked or raw). Things like chickpeas also get ground just the way I like them. The two, differently sized grinding plates give you just what you need in texture. My biggest pleasure in using this attachment is during hunting season when my husband brings home more than one deer. Venison burger meat and sausage processing never went faster. No more late nights with a hand-crank grinder!

When you're done, there's nothing simpler in the cleanup. Nothing seems to stick to the plastic (plus, it's dishwasher safe!) and the metal pieces wash up quickly by hand. Even the little wooden stomper cleans well (and I've felt lost without it when I couldn't find it during sausage making). I think this attachment is the easiest to use of all of the ones I've tried.

I'll never regret the purchase of this attachment.

I bought this attachment at the same time I bought two or three other attachments, and this is the one I use all of the time. I found that grinding meats to be very useful. I have a mother who is 88 and she prefers everything tender and juicy. So unless it is cooked until it is super tender, she doesn't eat it. With the Kitchen Aid FGA that is all solved. For example I buy chicken in large quantities when it is on sale, and grind it up. Adding shredded rye bread, some Italian seasoned bread crumbs , rosemary, and oregano in the mix, and I make a hamburger(chicken)-meat loaf, or meat balls that are tender. Without the food grinder, I would have to buy preground meat.
Their are those who find that the best way to buy chicken is whole, that way you can inspect the whole bird. By buying parts, they are able to cut out the unsightlies, and sell the parts. With preground meat that is even more of a concern. With the Food Grinder attachment, you have the option of handling that item whichever way you may choose.
Clean up is a snap. It almost falls apart, disassembly is that easy. Cleans up easily with some soap and warm water, or by putting it into the dishwasher. The cutting blades are handwashed. They appear to be high strength steel, and I am concerned about them getting lost in the wash, and degrading the finish. They clean up in only a minute. The rest of it goes into the dishwasher.
Even though the FGA is made out of plastic on the outside, the internal components are metal. It is very durable, and works without a snag. No jams, no problems. It attaches easily to the front of your Kitchen Aid stand mixer, and sits very securely. I expect it will last for a very long period of time.

I thought the idea of the food not staying in the oil for the entire cooking time was a good idea; and maybe it is. However, our deep frying is mainly batter fried foods like coconut shrimp, fried oysters, etc. With this unit the batter will flow through the wire basket and stick to the basket. This makes it impossible to remove the food without practically destroying the food in the process. It seems to me a nonstick basket would be an excellent idea; I guess the DeLonghi engineers never thought of that. It may work just fine for french fries or breaded food; I don't know. If batter fried foods are your preference, stay away from this unit.

I purchased the DeLonghi Rotating Deep Fryer F-895 after reading the excellent reviews in magazines and on line and liked the fact that you didn't have to use as much oil as the traditional fryers. I don't tolerate reheated oil very well so I only use the oil 2/3 times before dumping. There is NO ODOR while the food is cooking which was a plus since I don't like to smell food odors after I've eaten. I intended to only use the fryer once a week, but found myself using it 2/3 times a week - LOVE THOSE FRENCH FRIES!

The only problem I had with it was size. I have a family of 4 and found that I could only cook small portions of food at one frying. By the time I had dinner ready, I would end of cooking about 3/4 portions which took me 35/45 minutes to complete. If I cooked chicken legs, they had to be small. If they were on the large side, it took longer and sometimes the chicken would toughen in the process. Overall, this is an excellent fryer if you keep to small boneless pieces. French Fries were delicious as well as fried vegetables.

The DeLonghi Rotating Deep Fryer makes an excellent wedding gift for couples; however, I would not recommend it for families larger than 3.

After watching a QVC advertisement, I ordered a cook's essentials 3.5qt cool wall stainless steel deep fryer and am anxious to see how well it fries food. This is a large fryer and hopefully I will be able to deep fry everything in 1 or 2 fryings. As far as odors are concerned, I'll cook outside.

I will do a review on this fryer in about 3-4 weeks.

For home use, this fryer simply cannot be beat. We're on our second, after my mother-in-law convinced us to give her our old one. The first roto-fryer we picked up, some 10 years ago, is still in operation at the in-laws house. Of course we're even more pleased with the newer fryer as they added teflon to the interior for easy cleanup and a drain tube, which makes cleanup a cinch.

This will cook about the healthiest deep fry around. We have had several deep fryers over the years, and none are as crisp and grease free as the roto fryers. It is no gimmick; it really works.

Some here have complained it is too small. It doesn't take that long to cook items in there, so if huge portions are your thing it won't take that much longer. It is average size and will easily cook servings for 4...or should I say recommended serving sizes. Some have complained about liquid batters getting stuck in the basket. As a fast food worker in my teens, this will be true of any backet I've ever seen. Easiest way around this is to pick up a piece of stainless steel screen from your local hardware store to place in the basket, and any basket will cook all the tempura you can throw at it. Or you can pull the basket, although the whole purpose of this fryer is to move items in and out of the oil and it doesn't really contain that much oil.

So if plugging up your heart and huge portions are your thing, I'd look elsewhere. If you want a healthier choice in deep frying, easy cleanup, save on your oil use, etc., give this one a try. You will not be disappointed in the final product.

My wife cooks the traditional Mexican food she grew up with at least 5 times a week. We purchased this machine so that she could make tortillas quickly. Unfortunately, the unit does not get hot enough to cook the tortillas properly. The resulting flat bread is rubbery and lacks the proper consistency. By following some of the additional recipes, we made bread suitable for roll-ups or desert wrappings, but it was *impossible* to reproduce traditional tortillas cooked on a hot gridle.

If you are attempting to make a real Mexican tortilla, this is not a substitute for a cast iron gridle.

I really love this new toy my husband found here on amazon. Making the dough is so easy and its great to have freshly made tortillas for fajitas & borritos! The trick is knowing how to make dough from scratch and thoseinstructions are included int he little recipe book. I've made tortillas & foccasia and they came out wonderfully. I found that I like to make 1-2 more dough balls then the respie says so I can fletten them out better. The press makes the funniest noise but I don't mind. Takes a little longer to brown then the directions state, as well the grittle can be a but challenging to clean considering the weight of the appliance -- but well worth the additional effort! The machine is a bit bulkly but I have a large kitchen so its not really a problem for me -- have fun, be creative!

I absolutely LOVE this Hamilton Beach product! I have had it for about 3 months now and make tortillas in it every week. My family loves mexican food! This product comes with a cookbook along with great instructions. The kids even love to join in and help press the tortillas. Another great feature on it is the top part, we use it to saute our fajita meats and onions, or we have even used it to keep the tortillas warm. We live in the country far from town so its press our own tortillas as we need them. Enjoy!

I received my rice cooker today, it was packaged terribly, (I think Amazon skimps on packaging when you go with free shipping)manufactures box was open, foam was all broken and item was dirty. I thought at first it must of been a return or used. I suspect this item will be discontinued soon because of the drop in price and also I saw a similar item with more features and a Krupp name badge that looked like it was made by panasonic that Amazon was taking pre-orders on.

I am not a rice professional, this is my first rice cooker and cant judge it against others.

Rice cooker is not stainless steel but a grey metal and black parts are plastic. The spoon holder doesnt do anything for me and it looks like it would easily break. Not sure how long automatic cord rewind will last either, didnt work that great and not that handy in my opinon. The instructions are ok I didnt have any trouble with them and everything was addressed. Rice cooker will make more rice than our family will ever eat at one time, (could of used a smaller one as this unit is about the size of a small crock pot)
I cooked brown rice $1.15 bag, made 3 cups which our family of three couldnt eat all. Rice was a little burnt on bottom but overall was very tasty and didnt effect taste just texture. Clean up was easy, but had to do more than just rinse as other reviewers claim, sponge with soapy water but no big deal, also had to clean inner lid and I suspect you will have to clean it everytime. At $59.00 (the price I paid) I would have given it 3 stars because I dont think it is that great, its not high tech and its kind of chintsey. At the current price ($39.99) I would be happier with it.

This is the third or fourth rice cooker I hava purchased in the last year.So far it has been the best!It is very easy to use and the rice comes out perfectly each time.It has a retractable cord.Unlike other rice cookers the rice does not brown when you leave the cooker in the keep position.Rice remains hot without browning for five hours.Clean up is a breeze!Get this one!

Having worn out many rice cookers in my lifetime, it was time to buy a new one. So what makes this one so different and better than the others I've had?

- This one has a gasket that completely seals the cooking pot. The steam is allowed to escape in only one place. This makes for very fluffy rice! All of my others did not have this feature, and the ones that did were much more expensive than this one.

- Other conveniences include the cover drip catcher - to relieve wet countertops when the lid is opened....

- The locking cover helps to - to keep people from opening up the unit and release all of the steam.

- Add to this the non-stick coated pot inside, and clean up is a snap - just a rinse will do.

This is a professional rice maker, at a fair price! Beware - for those of you who like the bottom rice browned and crispy - this is not the one to get - it's fluffy all the way to the bottom.

This is a great little fridge for an office or dorm room. I have had no trouble with the unit freezing food as noted in earlier reviews, so I suspect this is a problem that Haier has addressed in newer models. In fact, unlike other mini fridges I have owned, the fridge part keeps things nice and cold, and the freezer part actually keeps things frozen. If you need a great little fridge for not a lot of money, this is it! (you may want to check out this same fridge at Best Buy though: www.bestbuy.com. They offer free shipping, which can save you a lot of money.)

I just had to submit a review for this item. Despite some of the dismal reviews of this frige, the $ price was too good to pass up. I purchased it from [retail seller] with an ad from [second seller], which [first seller] matched. I bought it to put under my desk at work (4'x 4' cube) so I only sit about 6 inches from it. It is so quiet that I hardly know it's there. It makes a tiny static noise on my computer speakers when the compressor kicks on and off.
As far as freezing everything, I have not had that problem. I put a 'refrigerator' thermometer in and from day one it kept the refrigerator part in the range recommended on the thermometer with it set on 3 to 4. I have kept two frozen dinners in the freezer part and they are frozen solid.
Just like anything else, sometimes you just get a 'bad' one.
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i had read all the reviews and decided on this one. its fantastic. i got it at best buy for $65, and it has worked perfectly. it is larger than i thought,i could probably fit more than 50 sodas in it. i highly reccomend this.

I have had my dehydrator for almost as long as I've had my 16 year old son. I read a review where the trays melted; however, on mine, the unit's bottom is a little warped, and looks funny, but it still works great. I've never made the yogurt or fruite roll ups, but I've made jerky in all flavors, and many kinds of dried fruit. My favorite is fresh pineapple dunked in a water/honey mixture, then dried. It's just as good as Trader Joes.
It doesn't seem to matter that the drippings land on the heating element, and I wash it as well.
I was hoping to order extra trays with a Christmas gift cert. via Amazon. Oh well.

I have used my Ronco Dehydrator for quite some time now. I honestly love the beef jerky that you can create. You can spice to your personal preference. This dehydrators like many others has trays that you need to manually rotate. So plan to do this when you are going to be around the house to rotate your trays. The heating element like another suggested isn't protected, so you want to be sure to keep that extra clean, especially when working with herbs that may tend to crackle apart. The trays can be a little tough to clean, but generally nothing that your average dishwasher can't handle.
I have also used my dehydrator to dry vegetables, and banana chips. All in all I think its a great price to see if you enjoy making dehydrated foods. I have not used this machine to make yogurt, but I think it would be a bit cumbersome to make yogurt in this. But a couple of round of beef jerky and you have more than paid for this machine!

Got this for my wife and we have used to to dry mainly herbs and flowers and things for decorations. It puts off a lot of heat but the lack of a fan makes it uneven. I added a computer case fan to the bottom and that helps a lot. Point is, you shouldn't have to do that.

Excellent little appliance for the price. In an office with no coffee bar you have to either get water and heat it in the microwave or use someones coffee maker and heat the water. In my office the only good place to get water is a water fountain that is refrigerated water and it takes 3 - 4 minutes in the microwave to heat it. This little pot takes 27 ounces of chilled water and heats it to a boil in less time that the microwave takes to heat one small cup. It's sturdy construction and small foot print are great for my small cubical. The pour spout pours a concentrated stream without splashing. The lid locks on good, but removes easily. It is easy to clean. The only way it could be improved would be to have a warmer mode that keeps the water warm, but it reheats the water so quick that the potential safety concerns with having it on constantly are outweighed by the few seconds you would save by not having to reheat. All around I think it is well worth the price.

This will be the second Mini Ibis I have purchased. The first is still going strong and I would like one in the office. Although a few of the other reviewers seem to have had some problems with this item my experience has been only good. The Mini Ibis heats quickly, shuts off reliably and has a somewhat longer cord than many of the other electric kettles on the market (much easier to reach existing outlets without an extension cord). As an added bonus its relatively small "foot-print" makes it easy to fit into limited spaces such as are found in many offices and apartments. Had my experience with my first Mini Ibis not been good I certainly wouldn't be buying a second one. Given the proper care needed by any electrical appliance used with water this unit has proven reliable and convenient. I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking for a very reasonably priced and functional little electric kettle.

This kettle is IDEAL and a part of my daily a.m. rountine. I rinse out the grounds from the Chambord French Press as the tap water gets hot and then fill the Ibis 1.3 or so inches from the top and start her up. After grinding the beans and putting them into the clean Press the Ibis is boiling and I turn it off and pour it into the Bodum press. The mini Ibis holds exactly the right amount of water for the regular (medium?) sized Presses- 27 oz. I use the Ibis for tea, cocoa, anything. But coffee mostly. Found mine at a clearance section of a gourmet shoppe at an outlet center for like 5 bucks and used it daily (usually at least 2x) for...8 years and 3 months.
Oh, and Bodum rocks. I bought a "cheaper brand" French Press and the top kept loosening and wobbling and there were grounds in the coffee. Also check out the Bodum latte foamer (hand press; can you say 3 minutes?) and tea brewers. I would work for Bodum if they wanted me!!

I'm starting to wonder if this thing really exists! I ordered mine in early November - and it still has not arrived. The Skybox customer support (aka Maytag) is non-responsive and a waste of time. Amazon has no idea when these things ship - my estimated ship date is still 2/6 on my order, so that should tell you something. I have received my stand, and agree with everyone that you need to carve out an afternoon to get it together. The assembly instructions are not much help - the leveling system on the front of the stand was not even represented in the instructions. Maytag promotes this as every football fanatic's dream accessory for the "man-cave", but I just recently discovered the unit only comes with soda/water beverage cards for the button inserts - you've got to be kidding me!!!! My biggest concern is the cooling temps that people who have actually received this thing have commented on - if this thing doesn't get my beer ice cold - then it's going back to Maytag asap!!! For those of you who have recieved your Skybox, please keep all of us on the wait list posted on your experiences!

I JUST RECEIVED MY SKYBOX IN THE MAIL, AND THE MACHINE ITSELF IS GREAT, BUT VERY HEAVY. IF YOU'RE THINKING IT'S THE WEIGHT OF A MINI-FRIDGE...THINK AGAIN!! I RECOMMEND TO PEOPLE TO SAVE THE $69 ON THE STAND, AND PUT IT ON A COUNTER OR TABLE. THE STAND TOOK ME 2 HOURS TO ASSEMBLE, AND TWO OF THE HOLES TO ATTACH THE MACHINE TO THE STAND, DIDN'T LINE UP. THE HOLES WERE DRILLED INCORRECTLY. THE MACHINE ON THE OTHER HAND IS EASY TO USE, AND THE DIRECTIONS FOR LOADING BOTTLES AND CANS ARE VERY USEFUL. I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT HOW TO GET REPLACEMENT CARDS FOR THE BUTTONS. THEY GIVE YOU 18 SODAS AND 2 WATER CHOICES FOR THE CARDS. BUT THE OPERATION OF THE MACHINE, SO FAR IS FINE AND I RECOMMEND IT TO ALL...THE STAND ON THE OTHER HAND, USE THE $69 TO PURCHASE YOUR DRINKS!!

Me again. Got my skybox in and I love it. It is cold too, I have it on max, but it's cold. I am glad that I did not cancel my order, some reviews scared me. The best part is that at www.skyboxcards.com they have the beer cards, not generic ones.
($2.50 a pop) I think maytag should have supplied us with them though, but I am just happy to see the corona cards coming in.
Hopefully they will be getting more college panels in too!
Here's a tip, try ebay for some panels and beverage cards.
My friends love it, now all i need is a jukebox!

I loved the look and the profile suited my counter space well. I also liked the controls and digital setting display. But what I did not like, he-l-l-o, two slices of supermarket type bread did not fit in the single slot. When I turned them on their side they stuck out of the top. What is that about, not much use to me.

The toaster looks great and has easy to use features. The "frozen" button is the greatest addition. The setting has to be rather high to toast properly, but that doesn't bother me. At least this way, the toast is less likely to burn. You can always toast longer if it's not done, but you can't undo a burnt piece of toast. The digital reading for the darkness setting is hokey and perhaps even a little distracting, but I can live with it. Best of all is the design; beyond that, it works fine, but is no marvel.

I have been using this toaster for 3 months now and I have been favorably impressed with its performance. I bought this to replace a 34 year old temperamental toaster that I had grown tired of hassling with -- I decided on this KitchenAid model since it matched my mixer and could accommodate a whole slice from a sourdough artisan loaf as well as regular size bagels. I especially liked the fact that the bagel setting toasts only one side, so you don't end up with charred crusts. The controls are clean and simple and all buttons, dials, and levers have worked as expected. Toast comes out evenly browned on both sides and the frozen button is great for using bread directly from the freezer. I have found that toasting English muffins or bagels does require a higher setting like 7 - 8 to get the job done, especially if you are beginning with the frozen setting. Overall, I have been very pleased with my purchase and would recommend this toaster.