Appliance Reviews

We used this mixer once. A plastic piece broke off when we pressed on it. We called the service center. They never heard of the model. We called Customer Service, they couldn't help, but promised to forward our request. We sent an e-mail, but it hasn't been answered. We tried the website -- this model isn't on it.

I got this wonderful mixer as a wedding gift in September and I love it! I am an avid baker who had used various mixers, but none compare to this one. I love the feature that moves the bowl while mixing, the side spatula that scrapes the sides, when you remove the beaters they come out clean, leaving more batter in the bowl. I have never used a more efficient product. It is a joy to use.

This mixer is perfect for my needs. I use a mixer a few times a month and didn't want to spend $300 - $800 for a stand alone mixer. I can easily use it in the stand as well as a regular hand mixer. The stand lets my 5 year help. European design is nice as well.

Just purchased this oval slow cooker to make soup. Even with the dial turned to "high" after several hours, it didn't even reach a simmering point. The recipe calls for the soup to cook all day on low heat and there may not be enough hours in a day for this. What if I wanted to saute something first?

I used my oval slow cooker for the first time today and made an incredible pot roast. Using a recipe from Rosanne Gold's Recipe's 123 cookbook, I modified it for the slow cooker. The 3 ingredients, rump roast, white wine vinegar and coffee were intriguing. It came out incredibly tender and flavorful.

The slow cooker oval shape is practical and my roast fit nicely in it. It looks like a whole chicken would also fit nicely. The size is perfect for everyday use but is big enough for entertaining too. Other crock pots that I looked at were quite large and would not work as well for me for smaller meals(i.e. a 2-4 lb roast or chicken)

The only negative would be that it sits on 3 legs not 4, which seems odd given the oval shape. Overall I would buy it again and am already plotting and planning my next slow cooked meal.

Purchased this for my mother for Christmas, and she loved it. Her favorite feature was the "Keep Warm" setting, which is great for serving during parties, and not overcooking your food. We had no problems with it. The removable crock is great for serving and cleaning, and the vegetable emblem on the outside is very attractive. Would purchase again!

Please do not even consider getting this rice-cooker. It is a waste of money. Brand new, we used it for a week and became defective after then. The cooker would not go into the 'keep warm' function automatically and would continue to 'cook' and therefore burns the rice. We tried this unknown brand since it was one of the few that had a glass lid but unfortunately it just was not worth it (I am from Asia so it is not like it is my first time preparing rice; done it all my life).

This cooker is good. It cooks rice perfectly, and does NOT stick at all. I tend to unplug the cooker once it is done cooking, rather than keep it on the warm cycle. The Keep Warm cycle if kept for a long time would dry the rice a little since it has no source of additional moisture. It's stainless steel exterior also looks sleek and very nice on the countertop.

I would recommend that you adjust water levels to suit the rice you are using. Water levels required depend on the consistency you desire and the age and type of rice. This is not for just this rice cooker but for most brands and types under $100.

This rice cooker is very good for it's price. It is easy to maintain and looks neat. However, the cord is a little too short. But for the price it is minor. The steaming tray that comes with it is also very neat. I would recommend this rice-cooker to anyone who is looking for price, looks and a good capacity.

If you're interested in poached eggs, don't buy this one. The egg wells are not deep enough to hold a decent size egg. I can't comment on soft boiled or hard boiled, I sent it back.

The 86628 works just fine BUT I bought it based on West Bend's advertized wattage rating of 600W--thinking more is better. In actuality the unit is only rated at 350W. West Bend claims they're changing the misinformation on their site today.
My previous Egg Cooker was an Oster and it was OK.
I prefer my new 86628 because: It's all plastic so the egg holder won't discolor as did the Oster. The water measuring cup allows exact measures not like some others where you add water to the base. The egg holder allows you to remove all the eggs at once and imerse in cooling water so you don't have to handle each egg separately. The 'done' signal is LOUD. I like the positive Off/On switch. Others shut off the unit when cooking is finished. In my opinion that kind of temperature sensitive switching is a weakness. Which is what happened to my Oster. Although the water measuring instructions don't make sence to me, ie: more eggs need less water, I followed the instructions for soft boiling 4 and the eggs were perfect. And AMAZON.com is an excellent way to buy merchandise.

Easy to use and very dependable! We love our egg cooker, if you've never had one, this is a small appliance you will really use.

After reading the reviews, I was excited about finally finding a good microwave small enough to put on my counter. I had the microwave for one week and used it only a few times. It seemed to heat and defrost fine, however, the button to open the door broke. My food was trapped in the microwave. I wouldn't buy this brand of microwave again.

The biggest drawback of this microwave oven is its small size (only 4.6 cubic feet--most in the depth from front to back of the oven is where it comes up short for me), but this is plenty for the most important purposes of a microwave--quickly cooking frozen dinners and reheating leftovers!

The biggest advantage I have found in all of the Westinghouse ovens I have used is that it cooks extremely quickly and surprisingly evenly for a microwave oven that is this small and this cheap.

Honestly, most microwaves don't cook very evenly, but this one does every time for me no matter what I cook--and I never have to cook food for as long as the directions say before its done.

This works especially great in an office where lots of people are tryng to heat their lunches at the same time (lunch time) because the line moves much quicker and it doesn't take up much space in the break room.

This microwave is part of the wave of cheaper basic appliances being shipped from newer, cheaper factories in Asia. It does everything you would expect from a small microwave today -- digital controls, turntable, acceptable power, one-touch popcorn.

It doesn't have a sensor.

I bought one of these for the office and it has gotten a workout over the past several months. It frequently can be had on special for under thirty smackers, which make it essentially the same price as a good quality toaster, and an absolute bargain.

Enjoy!

I got this as a holiday gift and was excited to have a larger processor (we've had a small Cuisinart chopper and love it). Used it once to make a bean dip and was disappointed because it didn't seem to move the ingredients around very well. The blade spun and chopped what was in its path, but it wasn't able to keep everything moving to really smooth things out. I ended up transferring my mix into the chopper, but my mix was so dried out from the Oster, it wasn't really edible.

The second time I went to try it, it wouldn't work. My husband said he got it to work but had to press a button in using a the end of a chopstick.

I'm either getting a KitchenAid or Cuisinart. I won't be able to buy as big of a processor, but at least I know it'll work. Buy what you know!

This food processor looks great and handles a lot of food. The 10 cup capacity is great. It has a powerful motor and easliy grates a lot of cheese very quickly. I would highly recommend it.

This is a cool and large capacity machine. It looks great and has bigger size than other models I looked at.

NOT GOOD!

First of all, the packaging is way to unprotective for such a heavy unit. Only four pieces of very thin padding inside, making the box only slightly larger than the microwave itself, and the unit more vulnerable to damage during shipping or transport.

Secondly, the craftsmanship is very disappointing, unqualified I would say - it is Made in China, you figure.

Inside, right out of the box, there are major, very visible and deep scratches on the LCD screen. It won't matter to your cooking, but who wants such blemishes on a brand-new unit?

The door was assembled very badly that you have to slam to close. Or rather, even you try close it as gentle and softly as you can, you still cannot avoid the slamming sound.

At last but certainly not the least, if you place this unit on an extremely shining and flat surface, it will slide when you push it with a baby's grip. Same thing happens also when you close the overtight door - the unit just goes backward as you are pushing the door close - very bad weight balance.

I bought this unit because my old Panasonic was so used up. I don't think there's any difference with actual cooking because all microwares basically do the same thing, otherwise, if you trust all the features advertised, who needs to cook or go to the restaurant. It is the assembly craftsmanship and quality of made that matter the most, at least to me.

Panasonic had some golden years in the United States, but I really doubt they are still as good as before. The quality of many Panasonic products are in a very down cycle - especially the ones made in China - because of both the embedded sluggish work style and less quality control in its newly found factories.

Overall, I gave this product one star out of five. Please feedback my review by clicking the Yes or No button below.

This oven's Inverter system and its smooth operation made it the best microwave oven (probably the 10th one we've owned) to grace our kitchen counter. Large items warmed at lower power settings are heated uniformly; and the sensor system, with its plus/minus adjustment, makes for effortlessly satisfactory results.
HOWEVER: The cabinet might have been built by Yugo, and the light was unstable from day one - finally dying completely after only three weeks. Since the bulb is not owner-replaceable Panasonic requires the unit be taken to a service center. For us that would be two 65 mile round trips. We gave the oven to a local charity and replaced it with the more sturdily built - but otherwise identical - stainless steel model, which has the added advantage of seeming less massive in our somewhat cramped kitchen.
Go directly to the stainless model, NN-T990SA. We think it earns a fifth star.

Just bought this a few nights ago and it's just great. It replaces a midget Kenmore unit that was very underpowered. This unit has tons of power and many features.

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I have my unit on a formica kitchen counter and it won't budge. The door opens and closes like any other microwave. I have zero complaints.

I've not been pleased with this toaster. I usually have to send the bread through again, even at the darkest setting, before it looks remotely toasted.

This classic and humble-looking toaster appealed to me for several reasons. Its price is right. It doesn't take up a lot of space. We had one almost just like it when I was a kid. It's made in the U.S.A. and Toastmaster is a trusty name.

Unfortunately, for my purposes it had several distinct drawbacks. The slots are not long enough to accomodate conventional packaged rye bread slices. Just one more inch would have been enough. When toasting, you will hear a humming, zinging sort of sound, probably the timer - and the toaster vibrates ever so slightly. This didn't seem like a good sign. The nice-looking chrome gets very hot. My first piece of toast popped up energetically, but that slice of rye bread was unevenly toasted - that aside from the inch and a half that was completely uninfluenced by the heat of this toaster. So I would not recommend this toaster to anyone who objects to any or all of the above problems.

If you're looking for a 4-slice toaster, with extra wide slots that doesn't use up all your counter space, then this is the one. Your bagels and enlgish muffins won't get stuck in the toaster, and with the 5 control settings, you'll be able to toast them just the way you like them.

...Aestherically, the skillet is beautiful and certainly looks and feels sturdy; the problem is, it OVERheats! At 200-250 degrees (which is just one notch above the "keep warm" control, a full boil occurs--essentially overheating. For instance, when doing a pot roast which requires about 2" of water, at 200 degrees, the water boils away within twenty minutes. To add to this, when the "beautiful" glass lid is in place, too much steam not only escapes from the built-in vent hole, but the lid actually bounces enough to allow liquids to spurt and bubble out--all this at just 200 degrees. One month ago I contacted the manufacturer, asking them how I could correct the problem willing to take whatever measures necessary myself--they have not responded to my letter which gives me cause for concern about the company.

My wife uses this Skillet everyday. We like the quality, size and the clear glass cover. I have only two small issues, one the temperature control is not easy to read as it is positioned under one of the handles, and as the skillet is going through its heat up and down cycles, it makes a sort of a clicking sound. This is cause by the expansion of the skillet to the base.
Although it's a bit pricey, it is a nice skillet.

I have used this skillet almost every day since I received it. I find that it cooks more evenly than any other I have had. I certainly would recomend it.

We looked forward to our 1st (and only) wafflemaker in our 39 year marriage.......The 1st waffle, as expected, was "so-so," but the next 2 were great! That's Saturday breakfast #1. Next "special weekend breakfast," I added 1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar & 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans to the 2 cup (+ other stuff) waffle mix, BUT no extra oil in mix. All 3 waffles "split" into top& bottom halves, regardless of baking time. But starting out this "fun" waffle-making session, the little "tinny" prongs that hold up the lid in vertical position "sprang," so it could be opened ONLY full-flat....... which taught the neighbors new words, as I managed to burn 4 fingers trying to wrestle the waffle maker from falling to the floor; quality of this Villaware is underwhelming. One needs discipline in such matters! I promise to NEVER buy online again.

Although the surface is "non-stick," my waffles always stick. Imagine scraping semi-baked dough out of the myriad crevices. Perhaps I need to find a recipie with the right balance of moisture and oil.

It does take a long time to warm up, and it seems that only the Hi setting reaches an adequate setting for most cooking.

had fun making grilled cheese and panini.

I purchased this product for my wife at Christams with reservations because of the review I read before the purchase. A person had purchased this product and had trouble with the springs locking up after pouring in the mix and not being able to open the lid and burning his fingers in the process. This individual rated it low because of his experience. My wife and I have made four sessions of perfect American waffles with this product, using a pre mix and also from scratch from the receipe book provided. I have not been able to figure out even closely how this individual manged to jam the lid but I would have to call it "operator error." I have rated this product as five stars because the waffles we've made have only been getting better and better with each use.