Kitchen Reviews

I bought a set for my girlfriend and she LOVES IT! The pieces keep their mirror finish even after repeated dishwasher cycles and daily use!

Rvery piece feels natural, comfortable, and perfectly suited to its purpose and guests often remark at its beauty.

This is the perfect silverware for us.

I agree with all the other reviews and recommend this set of silverware highly. I'm looking to add to my set and am thrilled to find that it has not been discontinued after all these years. I can attest to the sturdiness of this silverware as all my pieces have been through all different uses such as a screwdriver, ice cream scooper, scuff mark scraper, staple remover, etc. not to mention for eating with!

A really lovely set of silverware. The design is simple and would look nice with any dishes, and is not too flowery for any men in your household. The pieces are heavy and rounded in feel. The sizing is "continental," i.e., larger place spoons and forks. The larger spoons are useful for soup.

There's not that much to say, is there? This dough blender works perfectly. It's much faster and more comfortable than the old "two knives" method. And it's sure easier to clean than a food processor. For making biscuits, pie or tart crust, or any other kind of baked pastry product, it's a great tool to have. It costs less than $10, so if you're thinking about getting it, stop thinking and do it.
A tip: if you're good at planning ahead (I'm not, unfortunately), you might want to try putting it in the refrigerator an hour or so before using it, which will help to ensure that the butter doesn't melt excessively before you can finish cutting it into the dough.

This tool makes it so much easier to make dough for biscuits, no more cramped hands! You'll never go back to the "two knives" method again! It's also incredibly easy to clean, I just stick it in the dishwasher. So far, so good! Highly recommend!

If you make biscuits by hand (no Bisquick!) or make a pastry dough now and then, this is a useful device. I used to just cut in the dough by rubbing the shortning in with cool hands or with a fork, but this is so much faster. Unlike a food processor (which I no longer have) it doesn't heat the dough. The thin tines don't clog the way a fork does.

Best charcoal grill I ever used. I've used this grill all summer and just cooked some ribs tonight during a snow storm....because it is that good! I like the fact that the grate is hinged for easy lifting. I also love the storage space underneath. And since it is cast aluminum, it will never rust. The large cooking surface is very nice for large cook outs. For the money, this is undoubtedly the best grill you can buy.

The Portable Kitchen is simply the best and most versatile charcoal grill ever built. It is a great smoker; it is great for steaks, chops, burgers, dogs, etc. You can cook anything on it you can cook in the kitchen. It will even bake breads and pizza. I inherited mine from my dad, who bought it when I was in my teens (I am now in my 50's). I have burned up the grill and the charcoal grate, but the PK is still in use and doing well. It is at least 40 years old and going strong. I was not able to find replacements for the grill and grate so I repaired mine using expanded metal from the hardware store. For a while the PK was not available. It is grand to see that it is back in production and readily available. The grill and grate are also available for those of you who have burned up yours.

I inherited the original from my grandfather and it is STILL going strong. It holds heat beautifully for slow smoking - just put the fire & wood chips at one end of the grill & the food (over a disposable pan) on the opposite end. It's easy to roll from place to place (great if it starts raining & you have to move to the garage to finish!). This grill is the envy of my friends & family - I never thought to see this level of quality reproduced.

The Tex-Mex grill is one of my favorite ways of cooking. It worked great in our apartment this summer. It is great for one or two people. I cooked fish, Veggie burgers, omelets, french toast, eggs and the list goes on and on. It cooks fast when closed on both sides. It even does biscuits and cookies without heating up the big oven. Great for cooking just a few cookies. Great for grilling buns. Very easy to clean and attractive on your cabinet.

This is a great product at a great price!! It makes wonderful omelettes in minutes. Just whip up two cups (I used 5 eggs, a bunch of low fat ham, onions, peppers and low fat cheese) & pour. I just sprayed both surfaces with PAM. In a few minutes you will have yourself a piping hot breakfast (for 2!!). It would be great for a college student or anyone, like myself, who has a teeny tiny kitchen. It's also very attractive. I'm fixing brownies now!!! Gotta go!

I love omelettes, but never made them at home because I hated to deal with the dirty pan. With this little gem I can put my egg mixture in and in about 3 minutes have a perfectly cooked (no runny stuff) and attractive looking omelette. It's so quick I can even have breakfast before leaving for work. Now, on to the best part... it wipes clean in an instant!

For me, opening old vintage wine was not just a source of excitement, but also a bit of a pain in the you-know-where. The fear of breaking the cork or dropping crumbs of cork into the wine was pretty much real, until I got the Screwpull Elegance. With this magical piece of machinery, I can uncork just about anything with confidence. It showed me that you don't necessarily have to be an experienced sommlier to be able to open old vintage wine. As long as you've got the right tools, anybody can!

I bought this corkscrew for my husband two years ago and I'd be hard pressed to count (or admit) how many bottles of wine we have opened with it! Unfortunately, this past weekend we had a "Sullivan Reunion" and suffice it to say the opener was working non-stop. However, someone dropped it and the little top piece (like a small screw cap) that is directly below the upper handle snapped off and was lost. I have taken the screwpull to the hardware store to try and fit something else for that piece but to no avail. There are no replacement parts I've seen on line and until I can find one, the thing is useless. I'm open for suggestions! I just need that tiny piece that screws on top which allows the screw part to move up and down. We are disappointed...welcoming any input! We have all this wine and no "fun" opener...imagine our horror.

My sister bought one for me as a Christmas gift...I thought she was crazy spending so much on a "corkscrew." However, after using the Screwpull, I soon knew it was well worth the cost. The opener runs very smooth and easy...never a damaged cork! It's also very sturdy yet light and feels great in your hands. I used to buy a new wine opener every year-- no longer! This is a must for wine lovers! Consider this an investment and buy it!

I remember looking at can openers in a store about 5 years ago and an old man handed me a swing away. It didn't look fancy like all the others I was weeding through, but he said "This one is the only one NASA trusts and the one I use at home is probably older than you!". He showed me the gears and how it's pretty much impossible to wear them out. It was cheaper than the fancy ones, and only a little bit more than the low-end ones in the mall shop I was at.

It worked great, but was 'borrowed' permanently by an ex-girlfriend (she did leave her fancy one...which would butcher any can you attempted to open with it)...

I finally talked my wife into trashing the dollar store one she picked up a couple years ago....she thought all can openers were the same.

My wife is happy we got it, especially the fact that it has more leverage to open the tough cans she used to struggle with.

We been looking for a can opener for 10 years that was easy to use. This is the one. I ordered 3 more for gifts, don't need an electric one, this one is just as easy to use. A Plus item.

bought one for my first apartment (in college!) it's been almost a decade and this can opener is worth every penny. it's sturdy and easy to turn. even my mother, who has arthritis in her fingers, can manage it! i paid full price for this can opener at the time ... and i'd spend that much again if i had to -- but i don't have to!

My neighbor borrowed it when her electric one stopped working. She now owns one too! This is a fantastic kitchen tool!

I've had one of these for a little less than a year now. I'm responsible for the tech support of a huge division in a major college in the New York City area, and this is the only tool I bring with me. I've used it fro everything from fixing computers, to repairing typewriters. It has paid for itself a hundred times over. Highly recommended!!!

Okay, I'm not the geek, my husband is, but I bought this knife for him months ago and he's not been to work without it yet. He is a software developer and does a bit of work with hardware as well. He says it's a great tool for anyone doing detail work with computers, eyeglasses or musical instruments. It has come in handy with (his glasses, obviously) and my flute. We've also found uses for it with kid's toys (getting those damned battery compartments open), cell phones, aquariums, baby monitors, stereo equipment, and as a handy-dandy package and letter opener. You don't need to be a geek to apprecaite all that!

Everyone should have a Swiss Army knife, as they come in so useful, especially on the move. The question usually is: which one? Well, for me it was the Cybertool, mainly because it has all the features of the standard Swiss Army knife, but incorporates some precision tools, which comes in great for me at work, I just keep it in my case with my Laptop. One of the best Swiss Army Knives on offer.

I love to marinade almost every meat I cook. I used to put my meat in a container far too large for a 2 person serving in a bowl or casserole dish and cover it in saran wrap to open my refrigerator the next day to the scent of marinade all over the place. Also that was pretty darn messy and a waste of good marinade!
Well what took me 10 hours before now takes 1 hour in this food saver. I was skeptical that the marinade wouldnt permiate the meat thoroughly enough. Boy was I wrong. My meat was never more tender in 10 hours than just 1 hour in this foodsaver container! And I dont lose any of the flavour of my marinade that happened sometimes with the cover and overnight method.
This container is mega durable, easy to open after sealing closed. I'm going to purchase more of these, they're so wonderful!

In addition to its excellent use for marinading meats, I find the square canister to be far more practical than the round containers for storage in the fridge because the shorter height can more easily fit on any shelf and can be stacked. It just makes a lot more sense than trying to fit round containers into a square hole.

It's perfect for square or flat foods like sliced cold cuts, whole sandwiches, square cut cheese, hor d'oeuvres, leftover slices of pie, garlic bread, and pizza slices!

According to Tilia, the square base is the only container that is microwave safe for heating food (not for cooking), so it can be directly used for reheating soups, casseroles, leftovers, etc. without having to transfer to another dish that will need to be cleaned later.

Tossed salads can be prepared in advance, vacuum sealed to maintain freshness, and then conveniently eaten directly out of the container, unlike the round containers that are too deep to use in this way. With a small insulated cooler and a refreezable gel pack, you can easily take a fresh and healthy salad to work without finding a soggy wilted mess by lunch time.

Over the long term, a reusable container is more cost effective than the resealable bags.

As far as a vaccum canister it is far superior to round containers that are availible. The nice part being that it is a better shape for leaving in the fridge and stacking things on top of it.

The tray iself is made of some pretty thick plastic, its not a wimpy thing. Two parts, there is a lid with a silicone gasket around the edge and then the bowl of the tray. The bowl can be machine washed. There is a valve on the top with 3 settings. Open/Vaccum/Close. To use hook the accessory hose up to the valve in Vaccum mode and engage the pump. My 550 takes about 20+ seconds to evacuate the air out with about a pound of meat in the tray.

Its kind of weird but the top is held on by vaccum pressure so if the tray is emty and you grab the top only the lid comes off. But once the vaccum is pulled they are very well held together.
The tray can hold a good amount of food. I like the dimensions.

It is said that using vaccum makes things marinate faster. I'm not sure how true this is as I have never done a side by side comparison. But I have observed one thing. I was making some Jerky and I put one batch in the tray and vaccumed it and put the other batch in a non-vaccum container of similar dimensions. Left both overnight. In the morning when I went mix the meats up so it would marinate evenly all of the marinate in the vaccum tray was gone, it had been sucked up by the mean. The regular tray still had marinade in it. Same meat, same basic marinate (one had chili pepper for some extra heat). The strength of the marinade seem stronger in the finished product as well. So I guess there is something to it.

Either way when I marinate something for a short time I always use the vaccum (if for no other reason than to justify all the money I spent on it).

This is great...I would heat the milk in the microwave to about 160F in order to avoid scaulding it on the stove. I usually pump about 50 times...the more the better:)

It froths even fat-free milk! Have not tried to froth cold milk. I find that it takes more than the 20 recomended pumps to get it frothy like I like.

I love this little gadget! First, I love the results. Pour milk into the pitcher -- heat on the stove -- (unless you want cold froth--and I often do) -- pump the handle up and down 20-25 times -- wait a minute -- and lift out the thick and fluffy frothed milk. Second, I love the fact that there's no electricity involved. With my little Bialetti Moka Express and this gem, I could make cappuccino on a campfire! AND, as living overseas has meant that all of my electrical gadgets have to be run through a transformer, I really appreciate the fact that there's no plug! Also, considering that the price of this milk frother is what you'd spend in less than 2weeks with a Starbuck's habit, it's a great value!

A nice first step toward seriously enjoying wine. The technical part of the Riedel design has merit, I'm sure, but like the right new suit, a classy wine glass adds another dimension to fine living.

We were first introduced to Riedel by a cousin of mine. He and his wife were here for his mother's funeral. Ann wife and I had done considerable leg work for the funeral since my cousins live in New Mexico and a long way from Central Texas. They took us out to eat one night and we were discussing wines when he made the statement that wines were fantastically enhanced when using Riedel crystal wine glasses. This led to a lengthy discussion, the upshot of which was that Ann and I had never used anything from Riedel. About two weeks later we received a package from my cousin and his wife that contained 4 Riedel Magnum glasses. We put them "in service" that evening. Drinking red wine from these wonderful glasses is a very rewarding experience-----as my cousin said, there is nothing like Riedel! Since that day, we have purchased more Magnums as well as some Riedel White Wine glasses.

Wine drinkers owe it to themselves to try Riedel. You don't have to be a connoisseur to immediately notice the difference between Riedel and other wine glasses.

Great size glass to use for water or soda which adds
beauty to a table instead of a heavy glass.