Appliance Reviews

Absolutely the worst knife I have ever used. By FAR. Ergo, as in ergonomic??? NOT. Can't even hold the on-switch on for a full minute, it keeps turning off. What a HUGE PAIN. AVOID.

I bought this knife to avoid tragic turkey incidents. You see, I used to try to carve my Thanksgiving Turkey by hand with poor results (as in, "Gee Tom would you rather have a 1 inch slab of Turkey or a wafer thin piece?") I bought the knife as it was in the perfect middle area between the cheapie knives and the $50 models.

After cutting my first turkey with this knife, I wished I had bought one years ago. This knife is just great--the rubber handle lets you keep the knife firmly in hand even when you get turkey grease on your hand. Also, there is a handle over the trigger so you cannot turn the knife on when changing the blade. And the bottom line is that this cuts like a dream. I've used it on everything from turkey to roasts with great results--it allows me to easily cut nice uniform slices. No more tragic turkey incidents!!!!

The only reason I am here today writing a review is because I wanted to order another knife as a Christmas gift and saw that this knife received a poor review which I just don't understand. My knife is probably about 4 years old and I still love it.

I have always wanted an electric knife that didn't leave a small wedge that wasn't sliced through. Now I have one. It does a wonderful job on meats and breads. On cheese it does a satisfactory job, although I prefer a plain, old serated knife. The safety lock which prevents the blade from moving while inserting or removing it is also a worthwhile feature.

I was given this item as a gift. I have a Bosch compact kitchen center that starts with MUM 4, so it should have been just fine. But it didn't fit the machine and it didn't come with the disc holder either. It was quite a disappointment for both me and the giver. Cindi

I have the Bosch Compact Mixer. I had trouble getting this to connect to the mixer. I called Bosch customer service in CA and discovered how to attach this. You must put the cover on the processor and snap it in place just as if you were going to process food. This moves the plastic tab on the bottom out of the way so it will attach. Works great once you know the secret!

I just bought the food processor attachment last Christmas for my Bosch compact mixer and have had no problems attaching it to the machine and it works great, just like all the attachments for this machine.

Machine works great but the metalic covering on the plastic paddle is comming off. Logically, this covering goes into our bread (we do not tast it but it cannot be good for us). A new paddle ought to be the logical solution. It is afterall, a very small part. But, we can not locate the manufacturer to order a new part. If we cannot find a replace paddle, we shall have to dump the machine for a new machine (Panisonic?). Manufaturer address not on instructions, not on machine itself nor available on internet. For want of a paddle, the machine is lost!

I've been using this machine for about three years. The breads are really good, but I have some issues: if for any reason do you want to stop the machine, you have to re-start the whole process again; the kneading process is too strong and takes too long. I also don't like the big hole in the breads. I take care of my kitchen appliances very well, but the chrome is starting to show some brown spots. If you don't have another option, this is a good machine.

Having made my bread from scratch for many years, I resisted even thinking about a bread machine. I only purchased it because of the terrific price deal. Two days after receiving the machine & the 'Bread Machine Cookbook V' by German, (which I highly recommend also) I chose three recipes: Onion Cheese, Pumpernickel, & Stollen - Each loaf turned out perfect. Absolutely no problems of any kind! I had read opinions from buyers for other bread machines, which bothered me, but none of their complaints interfered with my bread results. It preformed exactly as promised, was easy to clean, & the bread was delicious even though I altered the recipes to suit my tastes (daring for a first time user). I set the machine on my washer, in my laundry room, out of any drafts, watched the mixing & kneading periods (as the book recommended) & left it to finish. The only disappointment to me, is the lack of the traditional loaf shape, & I will use my machine's 'stop after mixing' mode & shape my own for oven baking, when I have time. I hate to admit the machine is as good as I am at bread making. Onita

This is not my first processor nor will it be my last, in fact I am writing this review while looking for a better machine. It works and if it is your first processor it is prbably fine. It is unfortunately underpowered for real work and I just burned mine out making a few cups of hummus. This is an adequate beginner machine but strains a lot.

I'm a owner of this processor. I'm happy with it so far. It has performed well, I do find it prety powerfull unlike others, what I mean is: it scherds just fine, carrots, cheese no problem. Slices potatoes, peppers and onions just fine. So unless you're cooking with bones or stones there should be no problem.

I bought this machine about a year ago as my first food processor. The price was certainly a plus, and since I am not one of those Emeril-types who turns every meal into a production, I thought it would suit my purposes even if it didn't perform like one of the more expensive professional food processors.

What I found is that it made me cook MORE! It has performed like a workhorse for all my recipes, with a variety of blades to handle every chopping/shredding/slicing chore I have encountered. It has been so easy and reliable, I use it more than I ever thought I would.

The noise level is much less than I would have expected -- even less than my blender that cost twice as much. It's also fairly lightweight and easy to move around in case you need to store it in a cabinet when not in use.

I use it about three times a week and it has held up very well.

The knife is very difficult to hold on to and press the button, it doesn't fit the hand very well at all. The knives are very sharp, but not long enough to slice through a small roast. Should be ok for bread.

This is the first electric knife I've ever used, so I can't compare it to any others, and not sure I'll ever try one again.

After having had a CORDLESS electric knife that finally bit the dust, this was very unwieldy. The worst part of this knife was that the blades were too short, as I've notice on most electric knives.

I just purchased this and fell in love! A lot of knife for a little cash!

This toaster has a wonderful toasting slot, large and easy to use. The bread storage area is kept cool with a fan that comes on each time you toast something. This keeps the insulating air space between toaster and the bread storage area cool, which in turn helps to keep the bread storage area cool also. The fan you can't miss, it sounds like a computer fan. There's a bread crum slot in the storage area that empties into the same tray the toaster uses keeping everything nice and crum free. It toasts both sides of the bread evenly, and you can toast all sizes of bread! It not only a cool toaster... it's cool looking.

After reading Amazon.com's review and the two others listed, I took a chance and purchased this toaster because it is a cool idea. It works fine including the way it keeps the bread box cool, ( I know the guy complaining about stored bread getting warm doesn't own one and has never seen this toaster ). To my surprise it has a fan blowing cool air between the toaster and bread box, creating a very cool insulating air gap! It does make a noise similar to a computer fan only while it's toasting though...This is a cool toaster...excuse the pun.

This is the first toaster I have ever had that both sides of the bread came out perfect. The breadbox part is a wonderful addition. Wish someone had thought of this years ago.

If you are serious about making tortillas and flatbread at home, pass right on by the Santa Fe Wrap Master Tortilla Maker.

I purchased one none months ago and it is now trashed - the plastic handle used to raise the top heating surface cracked in half. The leverage-force placed on this heat-resistant plastic handle could not not withstand repeated use. I don't think this was considered in it's design. I used it about a dozen times in nine months to make between 16 & 32 tortillas per batch.

The press does not evenly cook the tortilla. The hinged side of the iron was always underdone while the handle side got hard and crisp.

The quality of the press was poor - producing an uneven thickness in the tortilla. Typically, the hinged side produced a thinner bread than the handle side.

I ended up using the maker as a press/steamer, finishing each tortilla off in a hot cast iron skillet.

The warranty was only 90 days, so dealing with the manufacturer was not worth the effort - and at the price, having it repaired wasn't worth it either.

I like everything about this except that the hinge does not allow for much thickness and the quesadilla will be thicker and more cooked at the back than at the front. I does brown the tortilla to a nice crispness and cooks in 4 minutes as advertised. We have used it a lot as a great way to use leftovers.

Help! I just love my Tortilla Maker by Santa Fe, however, I don't seem to have any instructions or booklet that may have been with the Tortilla Maker. Could you possibly send me what came with the Tortilla Maker. I purchased it at a Base Exchange and they don't h ave anymore and someone must have removed the instructions. It's useless without instructions. I'm anxious to use it. I need a receipe to make the Tortillas. Thank You, Tricia

I received this gift as a shower present and a month later, it no longer works properly. The teflon is completely gone and it no longer heats up at all! I would suggest buying a higher quality griddle. I plan to return my to Target and upgrade it.

I am a college student and everything has to have more than one use. I really like this item because you can use it to cook an entire breakfast (eggs, pancakes, ham, bacon, etc.) and you can also use it for lunch and dinner, too. I use mine for grilled sandwiches (cheese toasties, hot ham and cheese).

It is possible to make an entire dinner on this thing. I like sliced squash and spirally sliced honey ham. The only drawback is that you have to have everything sliced.

If you are just starting out or really don't have the money for the Rival one, this is the way to go. I don't regret buying mine.

This is great for cooking pancakes and bacon and eggs. I just love how it cleans up quickly and has enough space for cooking safely and neatly. i recommend this product.

The mixer is designed to be ergonomic, but I found that it was so heavy that my hand and wrist got sore after only a few minutes. Also, the 5 speeds are fast, faster, really fast, speed of light, and warp speed. In fact, I didn't even test the highest speed because I thought the mixer would take off! The lack of a low or medium speed presented a problem when mixing dry ingredients into wet.

I wouldn't buy this mixer again or recommend it to anyone.

Good mixer, the lowest speed is pretty fast so I find most of the mixing I do is on speeds 1 and 2. Ergonomically pleasing to the hand. A bit hard to rest on the counter top, the small stand area of the mixer takes a few tries to find when putting the mixer down.

I own this mixer and LOVE it. I use it for making very stiff biscotti dough, a task that is beyond all the other more expensive mixers I have now put away in my cupboard! I rarely use my expensive stand mixer anymore, since this works just as well, and requires a lot less cleaning. There are just two drawbacks. It's top-heavy, so be careful when you put it down, since it tips over easily. I have knocked it over numerous times, and it still works fine. The beaters are not very sturdy, so if you plan to use it a lot buy a few extra. I wish I bought this one before I wasted my money on those more expensive hand mixers. No, I don't work for Black & Decker. I just love their mixer.

Admittedly, when I got this item, I used it every day. I chopped nuts, onion, garlic, carrots, etc. Its great for making a little pesto, dressing, etc. But after six months part of the bowl cracked off, then another part, and now the blades are dull and it jams more than it chops. All in all the item lasted about a year with no problems, and its limped along for another six months. Its not very expensive, so it wasn't a terrible investment-- still, I thought the Black and Decker name would mean it was more durable.

I bought this an year ago and it worked perfectly for few months. I've been mainly using it for onions, green leaves etc. After few months, the blades were sharp enough and it couldn't make onion paste of it. The jar also started showing small crack lining from the friction between blades, onions/tomatos and the jar plastic. It seems like the materil used is very soft and gets scratched easily. After few months, the lid also becomes loose and if you try to put tomatoes in it, they'll start leaking the juice from the top when the mixer is on.

It's definitely convenient, but not dependable for long time.

This is such a little time saver in my household. We use lots of onion, garlic and nuts in our meals and this little processor is perfect. You don't have to waste time lugging out and setting up a big food processor. We keep this one ready to go in our cabinet. Takes just seconds to process and all you have to do is rinse clean. For projects like chopping this is perfect. Keep in mind it is really small but it saves so much time from having to dice and chop green onions, garlic etc. If you are looking for convienience in a small package this is the processor that is good to have. If you need to do large or even medium size meals I would get a bigger processor.