Kitchen Reviews

please tell me the price of this Zojirushi CD-EPC22 Micom 2.2-Liter Electric Dispensing Pot

Who doesn't love coffee? While there are the few 'anti-caffienators' out there that snub this rejuvenating brew, even THEY admit that coffee smells wonderful. Enlightened, Bach wrote the Coffee Cantata in celebration of the liquid inspiration that kept him composing. My point? Coffee is good.

Naturally, with a beverage of this importance, quality transportation is a must. Enter the Zojirushi Tuff Road Commuter Mug. I've admired this mug and similar sturdy containers for the last year, wanting one but unwilling to shell out $30 or more on a coffee cup. I could buy over two pounds of my favorite beans for that price! Fortunately, I was blessed to find this mug during a Friday Sale for a huge savings and one of my little dreams could come true.

The Zojirushi is the Cadillac coffee cup for the commuter set. Hot coffee stays piping, the flavor intact (after the cup has been used a few times to get the manufactured taste out...) and it looks nice too. I have heard complaints that the base is too small and the cup tips easily, but my cup holders are adjustable and I haven't had any problems with it. In all, this Commuter Mug enhances my traveling java drinking experience quite a lot. I recommend it highly, and am buying extras for birthday and Christmas gifts.

The illustration of this item in no way does it justice. When I opened the package I was very pleased at the futuristic look to this spinner, but how well did it work? Salad was on the menu for lunch so...in went the wet lettuce for the first use of this spinner. WOW! It was like no other spinner I had ever used. You simply pulled on the handle attached to a white rope spinning the lettuce at a high speed. Once the rope was fully extended the momentum of the spinner pulled the rope back in. Another pull REVERSED the direction of the spin and the cycle started again. The bi-direcitonal action cleaned the lettuce of water in very short order. And it is great FUN. If you have kids who are not thrilled about helping in the kitchen this is something that they can do and have fun doing it (you may even be able to get them to wash the lettuce as well).

There was no bruising or other damage to the red leaf lettuce I was having in my salad that day nor have I had any damage to the lettuce (red leaf, green leaf) in subsequent uses. The spinner has a much larger capacity than my previous two spinners and the stainless steel bowl can be used for a multitude of other kitchen chores. The only negative has to do with the price, which, once you actually use this spinner and feel the quality, is well justified.

Finally, the spinner includes a strange looking plastic lettuce knife that prevents browning (as some metal knives are prone to do) when cutting the lettuce. I prefer to tear my lettuce but if you are preparing salads for a large dinner party this knife will come in handy. It works quite well and is also fun to use.

I love this thing! I have friends who've had KitchenAid mixers for years and they've always raved about their quality and durability. Well, I finally went for it and I have absolutely no regrets. You want to talk about a solid piece of kitchen machinery? This is the epitome of what "Made in America" used to mean! Unlike all the cheapo mixers out there, I'm completely confident that this thing will even outlast ME! The only problem is now I'm wondering why I waited so long!

-----> This may help some of you - I read a review somewhere in which the reviewer gave this mixer a poor rating because it left dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl - read the instruction booklet, people. It clearly states that if this occurs (or if the attachments scrape the bowl), there is an adjustment screw that raises or lowers the mixing assembly. I had to slightly lower mine and it now incorporates everything into the mix. The KitchenAid mixers are well worth the money....or you can keep buying junk mixers every couple years...the choice is yours.

I got this mixer for Christmas last year, and I absolutely love it!

The first thing that's great about it is how stylish it is, and how great it looks on my counter. Everyone who comes to my apartment always comments on how beautiful it is, and I've found myself buying other kitchen gadgets to match it.

The second thing that's really great is how solid, heavy, and well made this thing is. It sits firmly on the counter and tears through most things I've mixed in it easily. It does tend to "walk" around a bit when kneading bread dough, but that just requires keeping an eye on it. Even the bowl, paddle, whisk and dough hook are heavy and solid. I was also impressed with the KitchenAid warranty and reputation.

Now, the really important thing - the exceptionally great job this thing does mixing. So far I've used it to make many batches of cookies, and loaves of bread (it's got the capacity for two sandwich sized loaves at a time - any more than that and I think it would splash flour around), twice backed potatoes, and muffins, and I've used the whisk to make meringue and angel food cake. I've used it for just about everything I bake, and not only does it do a better job than either hand stirring, a hand beater, or my old stand mixer, it's faster and easier to boot. I think where this baby really shines is the bread. The powerful motor can handle kneading the sticky bread dough for 8 minutes at a time, and the dough comes out perfect. One thing I especially like is the fact that Rose Levy Berenbaum's "The Bread Bible" gives mixing times and speed setting for KitchenAid mixers specifically. That book was probably the deciding factor in my desire for this mixer.

If I could give this mixer 10/5 stars, I would. It really is an outstanding peice of kitchen hardware.

I inherited my Kitchen Aid mixer from my parents, and it's still going strong after living almost as long as I have (only 30 years, which for people isn't much, but for an appliance is a lifetime). Between my mother, father, and I, I think we've made thousands of cakes, pastas, cookies, sausages, souffles and other wonderful things and this mixer shows absolutely no signs of giving up. It has 5 speeds, is plenty powerful for mixing even the biggest batch of tough dough, and comes with attachments that let you grind meat, make pasta, and a whole slew of other things. It even has a splash guard for big batches, so you can keep your kitchen clean.

Compared to hand mixers or almost any other brand of mixer, the Kitchen Aid is superior. You can feel the quality in every part, from the heft of the mixer itself, to the fabulous joint that connects the top to the bottom stand, to the switch that turns it on and off: everything about it is made with care and attention to detail.

Even if all you do is make cookies, it's worth it to get this mixer. It cleans up easily, and is a cinch to use. You'll pass it on to your kids. I know I will.

This was an impulse buy - after reading all of the positive reviews here I decided to give it a try. When it arrived I was surprised at how small the bread pan was and was considering sending it back. But then I did 2 things - I looked at other larger breadmakers and realized they take anywhere from 3-5 hours to make a loaf of bread (this one takes 45 minutes total, including the knead cycle) and I made a loaf of bread and discovered it actually can serve 2-4 people with a total of around 6 decent size slices. My first loaf came out a little small and dense so I read the troubleshooting guide and decided it was too little water, so next time during the mix cycle i knew what the dough looked like when it was too dry, added 1 tablespoon of water and the bread came out perfect. This breadmaker doesnt have a timer feature but since it is done in 45 minutes, you dont need one! Other things I like: prep is easy - about 5 minutes (basic bread requires bread flour, salt, sugar, milk or water, butter or oil and yeast), the pan is non stick and very easy to clean and since the loaf is not big you don't end up pigging out on bread. My only 2 very minor complaints: the bread gets cooked around the kneading blade and can get stuck to the bread making it a little hard to remove the bread from the pan and if you lose power, accidentally unplug it or shut it off during the rise or bake cycle the bread machine has no memory so it starts over from the knead cycle (the book does tell you how to finish baking in a regular oven though and this shouldnt happen too often). Overall, I'm very satisfied.

I bought this breadmachine from Amazon last October. Since then, it has already baked about 75 breads and used 6.5 bags of 5-lb all purpose flours for me. I decided to write a review after I really tried this machine long enough. That's why I wrote this review now.

Usually I put brown sugar, olive oil, sesame seeds, wheat germs, raisins, hot-cocoa powder with all-purpose flour. Without a measuring cup, I never measured the ingredients precisely. So, sometimes the loaf will turn out to be huge. But unless I put too much water, otherwise, most breads turned out pretty reasonably tasted. If I used too much water, the center of the baked loaf will remain sticky (just like dough).

Recently, I also discovered a way to guarantee making perfect loaves. It is simple. During the first 3 minutes of the 10 minutes' kneading time, I open the cover and use a spatula to help the kneading bar to knead the dough really hard. My conlusion is, the success in mixing the ingredients throughly with as little water as possible is the key to a successful bread.

Pros: small size breadmachine, only 45 minutes to make a bread, easy to operate, bread size is ideal for my lunch, extremely easy to clean the kneading bowl, printed manual is very helpful, mechanism seems very reliable, fresh breads made within two hours have very tasty brownish outer crust.

Cons: the signaling beep is too loud for me, only two differnt bread settings so I cannot extend kneading time, cannot pause after I start to make bread, no time display of how long it has been started, the kneading bowl is not high enough so sometimes ingredients will overflow out of the bowl when I put too much ingredients.

Also, I am glad that I bought bulk quick-rise yeast from King Arthur's flour online. It makes the basic cost of making a bread less than USD 10 cents (flour + yeast).

Anyway, in conclusion, I like this breadmachine very much...
And, thank you Amazon for the great deal and great selections.

I know it shouldn't, but I am still surprised when a product performs better than I expect. We ordered this little bread machine when our old Hitachi started making bricks instead of bread. We looked at several models and of course read the reviews on them. We liked the idea of a smaller loaf and the short (45 min) cycle time, so we decided to give this machine a try. Yep, it's a little loaf, but it's perfect every time and in the time advertised. It will make 3-4 sandwich's, or enough toast for two or three. It took a day or so to get use to the small size of the bread but now that we have used it for a couple days we can't imagine going back to a full size machine.
We have been using the basic bread recipe that came with the machine and it has come out perfect everytime. The manual is very good and the directions are simple and easy to understand. We were eating the first loaf of bread within an hour and a half of opening the package. We made two more loaves that evening for lunch's the next day. Now we are getting in the habit of fresh hot bread with dinner every evening. No more 41/2 hours for a loaf of bread. Can't say enough good things about this machine. West Bend hit a home run with this little jewel. We are going to get a couple more for gifts. This is the perfect machine for those of us who no longer have a house full of kids.

Okay, so I waited a whole year to part with the $400 to buy a Dyson. I was so excited when I finally got I home I had to try it right away. So I vacuumed the berber in my family room, which hadn't been done in 5 Days, looked in the canister after I was done and was not impressed: not much in there. Looked down at the vacuum and realized, Whoops, hadn't turned on the brush. So I did that, went over the rug again and there was a lot more fuzz in the canister. But... here's the thing, that fluff comes at a price, because when I turned the vacuum over and looked at the brush I saw the hardest stiffest bristles I have ever seen in my life. And that can not be good for a rug over time. If you ever look at the bristles on other vacuums they feel soft, so they won't tear up the fibers on the rug.
According to the manuel; you should turn the brush off when doing delicate carpets. Well, aren't most carpets a bit delicate.
Also, I compared the suction on the Dyson hose with the suction coming out of the hose of my 9 year old Kenmore canister. The old Kenmore had superior suction. The Dyson can also be a bit hard to push on plush carpet.
So after 2 days, I returned my Dyson. The only reason I gave it 2 stars, was that it is very good on hard floors ,but I don't have enough of those in my house to justify keeping a $400 vacuum.

This is one powerful vacuum. I researched it on the internet (Dyson has a great web site) and read about it in a couple of magazines. I was impressed and decided to try it. After using it in my country home I can say it's close to, but not, alas, perfect for my needs. I have a mixture of floor surfaces; hard wood, linoleum, tile, wall to wall carpet and LOTS of area rugs. And I have plenty of dirt, pets and people running through the house in all seasons. The Dyson is great on everything EXCEPT the area rugs, which it has a tendency to try to gobble up... The suction power is irrefutable and I will never look at my (or anyone else's) carpets the same way again. I pulled 3 cannisters of dirt, hair and sand out of my 8' x 11' area rug with the first use of the Dyson after a recent run over the same rug with my old vacuum! Unfortunately, the Dyson also tried to eat the area rug and made a horrible sound while doing so. After a toll free call to Dyson's service center (at 5:30 pm on a Sunday evening) I was instructed to turn off the "beater brushes" and use the mode for bare floors. The horrendous sound and the "gobbling" stopped, but unfortunately without the beater brush, the machine did not do an adequate cleaning job on the area rug.

PROS: quiet operation, very powerful, easy to clean dirt cannister, super long cord, super long "expanding" hose with attachments makes cleaning stairs, crevices and window sills easy, great on wall to wall carpet and hard wood, tile and linoleum floors, carries tools on board, light weight and easy to manuever without self-propulsion, lifetime air filters and bagless design saves money and the environment, GREAT phone based customer support.

CONS: pricey, encounters problems with area rugs, difficult to assemble out of box (required a call to toll free customer service to solve an assembly problem), instruction booklet a little sparse, mostly plastic parts raise some concern with a new product, at [this price] all the accessories (floor tool and pet hair tool) should be standard -- NOT "extras", poor response from e-mail customer service on their web site, unable to purchase "accessories" right now and not able to find out from company when these will be available.

RECOMMENDED? Yes BUT with some reservations - if you have hard floor and/or wall to wall carpet surfaces and are willing to pay for good design and power with convenience, this might be the right vacuum for you. If you have lots of large, area rugs, you might want to consider something else

THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST AWESOME VACUUM I'VE EVER SEEN! I'VE EVEN NOTICED A REDUCTION IN DUST ON MY FURNITURE! WE HAVE ALWAYS VACUUMED AT LEAST 2-3 WEEK AND THOUGHT OUR CARPETS WERE FAIRLY CLEAN-WELL THEY WEREN'T! EACH & EVERY TIME WE VAC NOW, WE ARE STILL AMAZED. I EVEN APPROACHED A LADY LOOKING AT OTHER BRANDS AT SEARS THE OTHER DAY AND POINTED HER TO THE DYSON AND GAVE THE BEST SALES PITCH YOU EVER HEARD! HOPE SHE BOUGHT THE DYSON-TWO PEOPLE I'VE TOLD ABOUT IT SAID THEY WERE LOOKING AT ORECK'S-PLEASE DON'T-GIVE DYSON A CHANCE. BUY DYSON AND YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!
YOU CAN EVEN SEE THE VERY FINE, MINUTE DUST PARTICLES IN THE CLEAR CANISTER-IT'S JUST THE MOST AMAZING THING I'VE EVER SEEN-
I'LL SHUT NOW-BUT YOU BETTER GET YOU ONE OF THESE VACS (ESPECIALLY IF YOU SUFFER FROM ALLERGIES, TOO.)

I bought this ice cream maker after seeing one like it on the food channel. I have one of those Rival brand ice cream makers that requires the salt and ice. What a mess! and loud!! This Cuisinart ice cream maker is wonderful! It is quiet compared to my old Rival and very easy to use. You keep the bowl in the freezer at all times, and when you make up a batch of ice cream, you just pour the cream in the frozen bowl and turn the button to ON. In 20 minutes or less, you have ice cream. I am very glad I bought this. I also purchased Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream & Dessert book and a Farberware Millennium ice cream scoop along with this maker and I would highly recommend those also!

I asked my husband to buy this machine for me for Christmas instead of jewelry, and have no regrets! I love all the sorbets, ice milks and ice creams that we can make. It is simple to use, and the results taste great!

My only complaint is how loud the machine is. I can't really let the machine run while we are having dinner unless I put the ice cream maker far away from the kitchen and dining room. But other than that inconvenience, I can't complain.

I would agree with the other reviewers -- use cold ingredients, and start your ice cream as soon as you take the bowl out of the freezer. I let my bowl freeze for at least two days before using it. I put it in a plastic bag, and then put a zip-loc bag of ice in the container just to be sure.

I have a hard time using all of the egg yolks and heavy cream to make true "ice cream" (although a splurge once in awhile isn't a bad thing!). I try to stick to the lower fat recipes. You can find endless recipes and ideas on the internet. I must admit that when in a hurry I just throw together some milk, half and half, real mexican vanilla, sugar, and a pinch of salt (no recipe here, just taste it to your own creaminess and sweetness level) to make ice cream for dessert. It's like having fresh soft serve. Yum!

If you would like your own ice cream maker, you can't go wrong with this machine!

I finally ordered this and so glad I did. What a great little machine! Knock on wood no problems yet. I also purchased the Ben & Jerry's cookbook per other reviews! So far the Sweet Cream Base and the Choc. ice cream have been big hits here. The choc. ice cream I made this evening. I only used 3 - 1 oz. choc. squares vs 4 per the recipe. Also, have used egg beaters in both recipes. Next on my list is the Williams Sonoma Ice Cream book. Thanks for all the reviews.

If you take the time to check (for what it is worth) you'll notice I only review things I really, really respect and like.

Well, I LOVE this vacuum.

Please allow me to tell you why:

In the past (2) years I have purchased two--count them-- TWO Dirt Devil Swivel Glide vacuums. The first one did a really good job-- then fritzed. I somehow convinced myself it was my fault. (I'm a guy. I'm hard on shoes, prescription glasses and I fling vacuums around like sledgehammers... to name a few faults.)

So after a year-- with the first machine dying a slow devilish death-- I bought another Dirt Devil. 9 months pass and the second one starts wheezing and emitting a very uncomfortable burning smell. It was a different, yet still ignoble, death.

I was about to go out and buy another one when Common Sense decided to make a rare visit: I vacuum a 1100 sq. ft. space once --and no more than twice-- a week. At (2) times a week that means I only vacuum this relatively small space (that is mostly covered by furniture) no more than 104 times a year... But yet I'm replacing these vacuums like I own Dirt Devil stock.

So I go on Amazon.com. I read and read all these different reviews and I find out about the Eureka Litespeed. I'm impressed. A few reviews are negative-- but negative in a way that I felt I had to totally discount their views on the machine.

One reviewer said something like, "I had to empty the dustcup twice before I even finished vacuuming the first time!" Gee, the dust cup on this vacuum is REALLY BIG. Did it ever strike you that it pulled so much CRUD out of your carpet that having to empty the cup--even twice-- was a GOOD THING?!?

Another person wrote that the vacuum started getting louder as time went on. Well, I've had this vacuum for (4) months and it is a little louder than when I first got it. But guess what-- I didn't buy the thing to lull myself to sleep. I bought it to VACUUM my carpet and the ever so slightest change in volume doesn't faze me at all.

Here's my experiences with the Eureka, bottom line:

1) The first time I vacuumed, I had to empty the cup twice too. The second time I vacuumed, I had to empty the cup twice. Now, some four months later-- I have to empty the cup every other time I vacuum. (Not because the cup is completely full... Just because I prefer to do it that way.)

I was one of those people who could NOT conceive of buying a BAGLESS vacuum. Too messy, too cumbersome, too whatever.

Is the large refuse cup hard to empty? No. It's EASY. Frankly, most bottles of wine take longer to open... and NOT having to buy BAGS is extra special charming.

2) This vacuum has been performing FAR beyond even my highest expectations. NO performance drop off at all and it still LOOKS almost exactly the same as the day I bought it.

3) It is effortless to push (the old Devils and their long forgotten ilk where much harder to maneuver).

4) I started using this machine on apartment carpet that was at least (3) years old. [And please remember, I had been using "top of the line" Dirt Devils on the SAME carpet for almost (2) years.]

The very first day, the very first use-- the Eureka LIFTED the nap and fluffed up my carpet and made it look BRAND NEW! Think of the first time you've ever walked into a newly carpeted room or apartment... That's what this vacuum makes your carpet look like EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU USE IT... And the Eureka has been making my carpet look brand new EVERY use since.

5) And finally-- I almost hate to make this embarassing admission-- but this is how much I love this machine:

I was standing in Target the other day and I saw this complete stranger staring at all the vacuums lined against the wall. I watched her for a while until she picked up a Bissel (that had been very poorly reviewed on this site) and started putting it into her cart.

Trying not to act like a complete nutjob-- I walked up to her and asked why she picked that vacuum. She said she had been looking at all of them for 30 minutes and had just decided for some inexplicable reason to buy the Bissel.

I told her if she was just looking at boxes and pictures that-- based on my experiences-- she had to get this Eureka Litespeed. I then showed her the vacuum's more than adequate features, etc... Basically, I turned into instant Super Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Salesman.

Much to my surprise-- the young lady didn't actually slink away from me in horror... She actually THANKED me for all my help and said she couldn't believe a complete stranger would actually stop to help her with something like this-- especially in this day and age.

Then she bought the Eureka vacuum!

I walked out of the store, still red in the face... realizing that I needed to get over this obsession with my Eureka vacuum and get a real life.

So that's why I decided to write this review.

I figured if I could help people find a SUPERB low cost vacuum on such a huge site like Amazon.com then maybe I could also rid myself of the need to walk up to complete strangers in Target stores and sell them this vacuum. (Especially since I get no payment from Eureka for my efforts.)

The first lady was nice. I might not be so lucky the second time. :-)

After reading Consumer Reports and reviews, I decided this vacuum was exactly what I needed for our household and I am amazed at its capabilities.

We own one very hairy dog and a cat. The dog is a sweetie, but the amount of fur she leaves behind is enough to make an entire new floor covering. I was in desperate need of a machine that would pick up ALL the hair. I went over our carpet ONE time with this Eureka and then I got down on my hands and knees and couldn't find a single hair in sight! We even took a dark colored sweatshirt and rubbed it on the floor and it came up clean! I ran the vacuum in front of the litter box and after one sweep all the scattered litter was gone! (YAY!)

I also found that this vacuum cleans up to the edges of the walls very nicely and has all the major attachments I personally need. It is EXTREMELY easy to empty the container and the filter will need replacement fairly often after cleaning my carpets but there are several ways to keep the filter clean without a lot of elbow-grease. Just tap it out and/or run it under water.

There are only two things I liked about my old vacuum better. This vacuum does tilt back to reach hard to get to areas, but the base is thick so it doesn't get very far under beds. Also, the cord has to be wound up by hand, but that is a very minor complaint. Mostly I'm just spoiled to the old one's retracting cord feature. No worries though.

I've only just purchased this vacuum, so I can't yet comment on durability, but for the low price I definitely feel like I'm going to get my money's worth even if it only lasts five years. I hope it will last longer with good care. (If you have a [place] near you, you may consider going to the store to pick it up and save on shipping costs!)

I'm very satisfied with our purchase. I recommend this vacuum to anyone that needs extra help with pet hair or anything else that is difficult to clean.

Yes, after vacuuming my entire house with what could be the best reasonably priced vacuum, the dust cup is full of it! Dust, pet hair, my hair, and dirt, everything! I am just so confused as to why such an awesome vacuum can be so cheap! This is my second Eureka after my first one finally started to spark (after months of reeking of burnt rubber). So, in search of my next vacuum, I began to browse Amazon and all the reviews. After reading ashman2003's review, I just knew I had to buy this vacuum. It's everything that ashman2003 says.

The vacuum is the most quiet vacuum I have ever known (my parents also had a Filter Queen or something). Now, it's definitely not silent, but it's not a roaring lion either. It does fluff up the carpet and by looking in the dust cup, I know the fluff is also clean. It's easy to assemble (as long as you have a Phillips screwdriver). It's even very easy to roll across my carpet and is surprising light in weight.

There really isn't anything wrong to say about the vacuum, but you won't believe me, so I guess I can find one. It doesn't fit completely under my sofa, which is about a 7". But that's just me being lazy.

If you're looking for a reasonably priced vacuum, this is very much worth the money. It costs the same as my Eureka Boss, but I prefer this vacuum hands down.

Happy Vacuuming!

Purchased the Ronco unit from Amazon after a couple late night informercials 'primed the pump'. Absolutely no problems with my reconditioned machine - arrived as advertised - in perfect condition.

I've had the machine for six months now & still use it frequently. My favorites? Pork loin roast & roast chicken. My local Costco sells a pre-marinated pork loin that rotisseries perfectly. Sliced thick, my now-famous roast pork has been the favourite of many events this summer.

Chicken: No marinade is needed; simply salt & pepper (or season with your favourite rub), skewer on the rotisserie wheel, set and forget. Chicken is cooked to perfection, tender & truly falls off the bone.

Finally, I'd suggest trying the following:

Halve and boil red potatoes - cooking until tender. Drain and place potatoes in the wire basket. Brush with butter & sprinkle with salt and pepper (I add a little cayenne and minced garlic to the butter to 'kick it up a notch'). Rotisserie until browned & serve hot. Scrumptious.

I sincerely hope you find as much enjoyment from your machine as I have.

Many gadgets for the kitchen are less than essential. Some are pretty foolish. But the Showtime Indoor Rotisserie & BBQ from Ronco is a machine that our family uses, I would guess, about three times a week. Not only does it do a real job, it performs tasks that we can't otherwise accomplish in our kitchen. For example, a bread machine is a convenience, but not essential for baking a loaf of bread. The rotisserie grill, however, turns out food that I could not produce any other way.

Although we've mostly done chickens, we have also cooked chicken pieces, bratwurst, beef roasts, pork roasts and a leg of lamb. We successfuly roasted a 13 lb turkey. We even cooked frozen salmon filets in the basket after a quick basting with herbed mayonnaise and it came out delicious.

The food quality is, simply put, fantastic. The whole chickens are far superior to even the most conscientiously roasted poultry. The dark meat is tender and fully cooked, the white meat moist and savory, and the seasoned, crisped skin is a nutritionist's worst nightmare. A cheap, rather fatty pork shoulder roast came out with much of the fat rendered away and an even doneness that made for delicious eating.

Speaking of fat, Ron Popiel markets this machine on his informercials as causing the "fat to run off," thereby delivering some kind of health advantage. Well, the fat does drip continuously, but the poultry and meats cooked in the rotisserie are plenty greasy. Please be aware that this is certainly part of the reason the chicken is so good! I don't think there is any more or less fat in a rotisseried chicken than in a roast bird.

If you don't want to use the skewers or rods, you can cook foods in an adjustable basket. For example, we put in several bratwurst, set the top of basket down so that the links are tightly in place, set the timer for 20 minutes, and come back to sausages that are fully cooked, lighly crisped on the skin, and bursting with juices.

I really like the engineering on this machine. The controls are very simple. The setup is uncomplicated and intuitive. You have only one heat setting, and adjust the time to control doneness. A single timer dial works both to set time and turn the machine on and off. In an age where a TV remote comes with four dozen buttons, this kind of plain, understable usability is, I think, a real blessing.

I bought the reconditioned model from Amazon and haven't had any trouble so far. Hey, if a machine comes out of the factory with a defect (and some are going to), why not get one that has been diagnosed and repaired? At the price savings it's really hard to go wrong. I'd recommend the Showtime Rotisserie to anyone.

I want to assure you, that this machine is phenomenal. I was very interested in this product as soon as I saw it on TV, but I felt really stupid for even considering purchasing an infomercial product. I had serious doubts, particularly in its ability to perform "as advertised", as well as the durability and quality of the machine's construction.

I did extensive research via consumer reports and user feedback (such as here on Amazon.com). While these sourced did much to assuage my fears, what finally convinced me to make my purchase was a friend whom I knew in real life who had actually used the machine (her roommate owned one) and assurred me the machine was as good as was advertised. With that final assurance, I purchased my Rotisserie and I have NOT been disappointed.

The food tastes *great*, is always tender and juicy, cleanup is (relatively) easy, and it cooks your food *fast*. The price is a bit steep, but it is worth it (if you have the cash). I just wanted to write this review to help others feel a little more confident about their purchases, since reading reviews such as these were so important to me in my final decision to purchase. Happy buying everyone!

i heard so many people say good things about this grill that i decided to get one for myself. it definitely makes grilling easy and fun at the same time. since purchasing the grill, i've cooked bacon, hamburgers and steaks. you can cook a pretty good sized steak but it can't be too big. the grill's big enough to cook 2 hamburgers at a time though. it works really great on bacon, though because all of the fat drips off and then it's easy to dispense with because it runs into the little plastic container that comes with the grill. you have to cut bacon slices in half for it to fit but it's not a big deal.

basically, i would recommend this grill to anyone looking for a fun and easy grilling solution. if you need to cook for large groups of people (4 or more) you'll definitely want a bigger size but it's perfect for cooking for one or two people. it grills foods fast because you don't have to cook one side and then turn it over. both sides grill at the same time and they cook pretty evenly. you have to get this grill!

This little appliance is the greatest invention since the toaster! I received one for my 45th birthday. I was VERY skeptical. Oh gosh, "another appliance to stick in the cabinet." It sat on the counter and I stared at it for three weeks. Then I tried it. I now use it, at minimum, 4-5 times a week. It cooks any type of meat or poultry in 8-12 minutes; fish takes even less time. Chicken breasts, steaks, sliced pork loin, sausage patties, hamburgs, sliced veggies, salmon steaks -- you name it. Everything cooks to perfection. I don't understand the other reviewers who have said the meat is undercooked on the inside and black on the outside. Can't they read the timing chart in the Instruction Book? One tip: don't try to cook anything TOO thick: 1-2" works best. It's great with marinated meats and poultry. And try "rubs" as well. Barbeque sauce is okay, but a bit of a clean-up. However, cleaning this machine is a snap. Use a dry paper towel first, then a wet sponge (no soap!) -- keep the drip pan in place, then another paper towel. Takes about 3 mins. When you pre-heat it again for the next use, it's going to kill off any germs/bacteria that might remain. It gets easier to clean the more you use it. No, it doesn't make stuff taste like it came off a charcoal grill outside. But the meat has a great flavor, stays juicy, and no oven to bother with (not to mention pans). For a single person, this appliance is a must! I can cook a really healthy meal now in less than 15 mins.

There are too many great things to say about this little device: It's affordable to anybody, even if you are a student stuck living at school. It's compact, you can store it anywhere--a closet, your car, your office, the kitchen cabinet. It's powerful--I have plugged it in and in just minutes began working on an entire three course meal for six people with only this unit to work with. It's easy to clean--this is one of the few products out there that is every bit as easy to clean as the commercials show it to be on TV. It's is economical, using very little electricity to do a just that would waste electricity in a conventional oven or even an older model microwave oven. It's versatile--I have cooked everything from thin pieces of tempeh strips to thick steaks and it cooks both to perfection. You never would have been able to convince me to buy anything on TV before (and most certainly not from a former boxing champion...) but since a friend both this grill for me I have thanked them time and again (and in turn bought the same gift for many a friend of my own).