Kitchen Reviews

The works great! We have used it for a couple of weeks now and we haven't had any trouble. Our old one that was made by a different company wasn't very durable and was pain to deal with. However this is very easy to setup. Just plug it in and start mixing the batter. Then spoon about 1/2 to 3/4 a tablespoon onto the iron and lightly press down. After about 35-45 seconds, lift the iron and pullout the pizzelles. It takes a little time to get good at it, but once you get good, they'll become your favorite snack! It comes with a recipe book too!

I recently got married, and my sisters purchased this for my shower. Our mother's family is Italian, and pizzelles were always a treat when we were growing up. As I got older, I made them myself using my mother's old iron, and as a bride, I wanted to have my own. This iron is very easy to use and makes perfect pizzelles. After the iron heats up (about 7-8 minutes), it makes two cookies in about 30 seconds. You may have to adjust the amount of batter used as well as the cooking time in order to get the perfect shape and doneness, but the results of this trial and error are well worth it. The pizzelles remove from the iron easily with a spatula; I experienced no sticking, and clean up was a breeze. Highly recommended!

i have this pizzelle maker. for years, my daughter has asked to borrow it to make these wonderfultreats, actually a family tradition. now she has her own!a very easy, quick machine to operate. the pizzelles can be decorated to match any event...even rolled for ice cream cones!clean up is a snap and the machine stores easily. great gift for even the novice baker.

I bought these knives and I love them. They are a joy to use. Top quality. Check the model #8243 on the Wusthof web site and you'll see they are the real deal. I got them on Amazon when the price was at $239.99. What a steal!

I read once that the best is the cheapest and I find that to be certainly true. These are the best knives ever! They will last a lifetime and save you a lifetime's worth of constantly buying one 20 dollar knife after another. The knives I use time and time again are probably the chef's knife (which I used to find intimidating but no longer) and the 5.5 inch sandwich knife. I love the sharpness, the feel and the weight. It makes cooking and prepping so much faster and easier. I chose the GrandPrix over the traditional styled Classic because of the way the rounded handles felt in my hands and the textured grip makes for never having to stop to dry my hands in between kitchen prep duties. After you have been dicing and slicing for more than 15 minutes, the GP handle doesn't give me the cramped hand feeling that the traditional handles give me. Some people say that the handles easily get scratches but I have had mine for 3 years and don't notice any but I always handwash mine (wonder if that makes a difference) and besides, I consider them tools and workhorses not decoration. I think they say you're supposed to sharpen high quality knives each time before you use them. Yeah right! I never sharpen my knives because they can keep the edge sharp for so long plus I'm plain lazy. My husband does that for me once every 3 months and I notice the difference. But even "dulled" after 3 months with no sharpening, I haven't met a slab of meat or veggie my knives couldn't make quick work out of.

I own the 8 piece classic set; which came with the following: an 8"Chefs,Carving,& Bread knife; 4 1/2" utility, 3 1/2 inch paring, sharpening steel, take apart shears, a well made deluxe oak block which also has room for 6 steak knifes. I also purchased 4 Classic Mignon steak knifes, a Santoku knife, a serrated tomato knife & that still left room for 2 extra knifes.
These are the best investment I ever made in a set of kitchen knifes. They are very well balanced and cut like a dream & hold an extremely sharp edge! I put most of my other kitchen knifes into retirement except for an electric knife on holidays when visiting, and a few special ones. A lifetime guarantee comes with each Wusthof plus I consider it a lifetime investment unless you happen to lose one.
Once you use a Wusthof for a short while, you will appreciate what a well made knife is! (Rated #1 by Consumer Reports magazine.)

This steam free frother works great.

I bought my Aerolatte 2/12 yrs ago and it still works perfectly, although it is a battery hog. (Do try rechargeable) I hardly ever have coffee drinks out, I can make the best drinks at home now with the Aerolatte. I do not recommend using this for anything but milk or hot chocolate, because you cannot dishwash it. I have found that cold milk works the best, but it will do fine with warm. I have given this for gifts many times, everyone seems to love it. I have the aerolatte without the shaker, so I don't know if the shaker is useful, but if you can find the stand that goes with the Aerolatte buy it

I love my Aerolatte. I found some good coffee recipes on the Aerolatte website for all kinds of different coffee drinks from mochchitos to cappuccinos. I have to say that the cappuccino I made was just as good as the ones I've had at Starbucks and that the Chai was pretty close. For the coffee drinks, the Aerolatte website suggests that you use a strong coffee like espresso to make most of the coffee drinks, I used Starbucks Espresso and it worked out great.

As a low-fat treat try blending up ice-cold milk, it becomes very stiff foam and is a good treat!! So far I have made several of the coffee recipes on ther website and they were all very good. I also love the shaker that comes with the kit; it sprinkles the cinnamon perfectly. Also, the Aerolatte is so easy to use and to clean. You just run it under water for a sec when you are finished.

This pan gets a frequent morning workout at our house; it's perfect for making (for example) eggs with a side of tofu sausage. Probably one of the most useful pans, you'll find many other uses for it. I've been very pleased by the sturdy construction and the appropriately heavy weight that distributes heat evenly. The long handle stays cool to the touch. In addition, the pan cleans exceptionally easily, saving time and energy.

After hearing a lot of bad things about non-stick cookware, I decided that it was time to change my cookware. After extensive research on the internet, I went with All-Clad stainless. This is my first All-Clad pan. I love it. The quality is excellent. The food browns evenly. It is easy to clean. I am adding more All-Clad to my collection.

There's nothing much negative to say about All Clad in my view. I've upgraded almost all my stove-top pots and pans over the last year, and can't say enough good about them. New Year's Eve, I did fettucini Alfredo, and this pan held the butter, cream, cheese mix at a perfect temperature until the fettucini was ready. So much of a "perfect" dish is in the timing, and All-Clad lets you do that.

For anyone looking for an easier way to do things, here's a good one. I purchased this based on the product reviews (especially the one with the Starbuck's reference) but, instead of coffee, I grind spices. I got the idea from Alton Brown on the Food Network. The unit is great because the blades sit in an angled metal bowl, which means the items inside get pulverized very quickly. The lid fits well, and the motor is much quieter than other coffee grinders I've found. At the price, I'll get another one for coffee. No more mortar and pestle for me!

After my wife and I were introduced to Kona coffee in Hawaii, we were hooked! So now we have to grind our own coffee every day, and we had to get a coffee grinder. After reading the reviews, we settled on this little Bosch grinder. Since we only drink a cup apiece each day (that Kona coffee is sure expensive!) we only wanted a small one. It only takes five seconds to grind the coffee for each pot, and it works great every time. Quiet, reliable, and at a great price, it's hard to beat!

I went with a Bosch grinder based on my experience with Bosch products in the automotive industry. Their magnetic drive electric water pumps are one of the best auxiliary pumps you can find and in general their products that rely on motors/electronics are dependable.

This grinder has a slanted reservoir plate so that the beans rattle around as they get hit by the grinder blades. What this means is that 3 oz of hard beans become pulverized into dust within a few seconds.

What makes this grinder better than the rest is the fact it's QUIET. The only thing making more noise than the motor is the sound of the beans rattling around right before they're ground.

The safety mechanism is quite reliable. In order to activate the grinder, you hold down the black button built into the lid. If the lid isn't on the machine, the chances of you accidentally turning it on and cutting off a finger or two are significantly reduced, if not eliminated.

Overall I give this grinder 5 stars and I highly recommend going with this unit if you do not have a grinder already, OR if you wish to upgrade to a better unit.

This is a very fast and powerful juicer. It has two speeds which is great for soft and hard veggies and fruits.
Juices hard pears, for example, in a flash and gets ALL the juice. Only hard pulp remains. I've used others in the same class and price range but this is head and shoulders above them. And, easy to assemble and clean. Wonderful.

OK I got this juicer just as soon as it came out. I read all the reviews of all the juicers I could find, and it was clear that Breville was the best way to go. And the raves were all about the previous model which had less power and only one speed. I love the juicer but I guess I was expecting a divine product by the review I read. I'll just say it is good quality without drooling all over about it...

PRO'S:
~Great Power
~easy to clean, (do it sooner rather than let stuff dry on)

~smartly designed electrical plug
~motor cannot run if parts are not locked together (for safety reasons)
~product has few angles and many curves, which makes cleaning easier since pulp/juice can be hard to reach where there are corners
~two speeds: fast for power, slow for soft items
~it really can make 8oz juice in 5 seconds!
~huge food chute can accomodate an entire apple... you save time not needing to cut many things pre-juicing.

CON'S:
~tomatoes - even on slow setting, the juicer doesn't effeciently grab all the juice of a tomato. perhaps do tomatoes first, then recycle the 'pulp' back through juicer to get more juice
~even though the plastic is durable and dark colored (to distract against discoloration) carrots do tend to stain it immediately.

The con's are really quite trivial but I thought I should mention them since I was expecting pure perfection based on the reviews I read. I love the product and I would not swap it for anything. Besides, it is extremely affordable for what you get out of it!

This is a great juicer. My last juicer, a warning juicer, was a piece of junk. This this was very well thought out and well designed. Easy to throw pulp away, easy to clean, easy to juice with big shoot. Don't waste your money on cheap juicers, they don't work well, get this one!

This pan gets a real workout at our house. A bargain at twice the price!

I have this pan and it is the best and my favorite. I would like to purchase more for gifts.

I've had this piece for three years, and it still looks NEW! This is perfect for stews, chile, pot roasts, soups, sausage/potato/sauerkraut dinner, and a wonderful corned beef/cabbage/'tater/carrot meal. With the even-cooking-all round capabilities, you find each meal tasty and tender. So to save yourself time, dirty pots, easy cooking - I highly recommend this piece; you won't be sorry for the investment...gollleeee...the price is soooo *right*!!!

We have had our Vornado for over 15 years and LOVE it! It never makes too much noise, always gives the proper amount of air circulation in the room and it has performed flawlessly.

Our daughter just moved out, and one of the first presents I gave her was her very own Vornado. She loves it!

Get one today, you will NOT regret it.

We bought two of these fans two years ago and absolutely love them. We run them every night and they are perfect. Cleaning is easy by removing the grill and simply wiping blades. The air force is powerful and you can aim it to an exact spot due to the vortex airflow it creates. With the adjustable dial models, you can actually have it on low which keeps air flow moving but it is absolutely silent! In short, we love these fans and would recommend them to everyone. We like them so much that we have since bought - and equally love - the Vornado humidifier.

I purchased this model in 1988, and it has run flawlessly since. Like any fan you have to pull off the grill and clean the blades (we have hardwood floors, so "bunnies" do go through the fan) and than it is restored to new. It's been running EVERY NIGHT - seven days a week for 15 YEARS ! We even take it to the beach every Summer. I can't sleep without hearing that familar hum. And the air flow through the room has no equal. Worth every penny. And as good as any ceiling fan and it's mobile. I even paid $ 40. more for it back than, so it's definitely a bargin. I really can't say enough about it.

I purchased this non-stick griddle with hesitation. The other 15 pieces in my calphalon collection are commercial hard anodized as I prefer the browning ability of that line and I don't particulary care for having to baby my cookware surfaces.

This non-stick variety is easier to clean however, and considering that i'll primarily be using it for the usual breakfast fare and the ocassional sandwich I decided to give it a try.

I prepared bacon and eggs on it and was satisfied with the results as the food browned nicely and tasted great. I really appreciated the fact that I was able to cook everything at once without creating a sinkful of dirty pans and cleanup was close to effortless.

Something I frowned on however, was the tendency of eggs to slide towards the grease channel while frying. Hopefully, this won't be an issue with pancakes. The jury is still out as to how well it browns bread for sandwiches or hashbrowns but I anticipate it will perform well here also.

I store my griddle upside down resting on the sturdy handles to protect the non-stick surface from scratches.

I cook for a family of five and just love this product. I thought I would use it for breakfast foods but find I use it in preparing dinners the most. It spans two burners, heats evenly and cooks just as you would expect a Calphalon product to. It is wonderful for fajitas, burgers, grilled sandwiches, meats, veggies, etc. I like it better than using the outdoor grill.

I love the fact that any fats/juices drain in the ridge around the perimiter of the pan. The non-stick surface cleans very easily. The only drawback is given the height of the handles it can be hard to find a convenient place to store it. Also make sure you have at least one calphalon heat resistant spatula - they are perfect for their pans as you don't have to worry about their warping due to heat. A bonus is I feel like a "chef" when I'm cooking with this.

I am so happy that I ordered this griddle! It now has a permanent place on my stovetop. With three kids (four if you include my husband) it's perfect for bacon, pancakes, hot sandwiches....you name it!!! How did I ever live without it? Turn both burners on your stovetop and viola....even heat! I highly recommend this griddle.

If your looking for a high quality wok, this is it. There is one draw back. No long handle for tossing food, and the two metal handles get extremely hot. But if you're a true stir fry enthusiast, you won't settle for a flat bottom wok, or a non stick wok. The great thing about this anodized wok is how it holds the heat. It seasoned fairly easily which was a concern for me since I was used to the old sytle steel woks. This 14" wok can take care of just about any dish. One problem with the steel woks is that when you steam a dish, there's a good chance the wok will rust, no problem with this one. Well worth the price.

Among the many Calphalon pieces in the kitchen, this is one of my favorite. Its versatility (size!) and efficiency in heating makes it indespensable in Asian cooking, which requires space and maintaining high heat; from steaming to stir frying. And the size! Its large enough to cater to cooking for a large dinner party, yet elegant enough for displaying your culinary prowess at dinner for two. The cooking qualities of the hard anodized surface are numerous, most importantly, even heating, non scratching, durability, and easy clean up. To top it off, the lid and ring are a bonus to set that is sure to be an important cooking utensil in my kitchen for years to come.

I've had many woks, the regular steel type that is high maint., and usually rusts on you, to stainless steel that everything sticks to. I've even had the calphalon 12" wok. The problem with that one was the knob to the lid was attached by a piece of rubber that once it strips always falls off. The handle also wasn't like it should be for the price you pay for it. This one, however is worth the money. The lid has a sturdy riveted handle, and the the size of it keeps it from moving while your cooking. The food doesn't stick like you might expect, but seasons well.