Kitchen Reviews

I love my Flip 'n' Fluff! I've had 4 or 5 waffle bakers over the years and this is by far the best. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that the platens are not removeable for easy dishwasher cleaning. If they were I would have no quibbles whatsoever. As it is, as long as you give it a couple of quick spritz's of PAM and, this is important, DON'T overfill, you should have no problems with sticking. I've also found, as have some other reviewers, that letting the waffles cook a little longer than the light indicates will help with potential sticking. I've tried a couple of the recipes in the HB "cookbook" that comes with the baker as well as some of my own and they've all resulted in excellent waffles. Get this baker, you won't regret it!

Please take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. It's obvious that some of them are from people who don't like to read instructions. First, the indicator lights are NOT supposed to tell you when the waffle is finished. One light simply tells you the unit is receiving power (i.e., it's plugged in). The other light tells you when the iron is hot enough to pour in the batter. The waffle is done in five minutes or when steam stops. All of that is in the instructions that come with the waffle maker. My waffles always come out golden brown.

You will have no problem with the batter sticking if you use the recipes for waffles, not pancakes. Waffle recipes include a small amount of cooking oil, which is needed to keep the waffles from sticking. Every box of mix I've ever purchased has alternate instructions for mixing waffle batter vs. pancake batter. Again, it's just a matter of reading the instructions. My waffles are easily removed from the waffle maker and NEVER stick.

I read the instructions and I get PERFECT waffles every time! I am DELIGHTED with my purchase!

I got tired of paying $8-10 for waffles in New York City restaurants, so I decided to look for a good waffle iron that would satisfy my frequent cravings. I am a big fan of Villaware, which inspired me to first look for their products. I was, however, suprised to learn that the best rated and selling waffle maker on the Amazon was Hamilton Beach Flip 'n Fluff. After reading the reviews, I was persuaded that this was the product I wanted (plus it was a half price of the Villaware equvialent).

I got my waffle maker a week ago and I made waffles several times. They were truly big and fluffy, crispy outside and moist inside. The cooking time is only about 3 minutes. I would, however, like to suggest to use cooking spray the first time you use this product. My first two waffles sticked, but after that initial failure, I had no problems. The cleaning is a breeze. This product deserves the highest marks!

This is our first Bunn and we love the coffee. What we don't love is the way the pour-spout on the pot is made. We can NEVER get a cup of coffee into our mugs without it dribbling down the side of the pot. With the great technology available today it looks like Bunn could have designed a better pot. "~"

The very first pot was INCREDIBLE. It made me REALLY happy that I passed the other coffee makers on post holiday sale for 1/5 the price. If you LOVE coffee and have a pot on all the time - this is the machine for you. I also have the Rancilio Silvia Espresso maker, so this is a higher end coffee consumer review. In fact,my coffee corner is probably worth more than my whole kitchen, but I am finally happy.

What's great: EASY to set up, despite scary warning all over the place about DO NOT PLUG IN UNTIL. They just want the warming tank totally filled. An entire 8 cups of cold water will pour out. They mention "some" - I'm here to tell ya, it's 8 cups!

As soon as the unit is ready for the very first time - give yourself a good half hour to read the directions, cleaning info, etc.. and then execute the instructions - after that you will have a PERFECT pot of coffee.

I used 5/8 of a cup of grinds, set on 40 of the Rocky grinder, some nice Brazilian Award winning beans, roasted very dark and it was the BEST coffee I've ever had.

If you LOVE your beans, then you will not regret spending the bucks on this machine. Actually, order this machine and then get over to wholelattelove.com and get yourself a proper espresso machine, I highly recommend the Rancilio Silvia and Rocky grinder!

This thing is faster than you will believe. It is faster than the 3 minutes the directions say. I have timed it at 2minutes 30 seconds for the full pot! I purchased this machine after reading all the wonderful reviews and was still shocked at how fast the coffee came out! You will never need a timer, which was a concern of mine, being that other brands at this price come with a fancy timer. The temperature of the coffee is nice and hot. We had a Melita for two days since the coffee came out luke warm.YUCK! So we immediately returned it and purchased the BUNN. Please do not make the same mistake we did. Not only is it dissapointing to purchase an inferior product but a hassle! I PROMISE you will love this coffee maker! BUNN rules!!! Thanks :)

As an avid cook and bread baker I was especially excited to get a KitchenAid Professional model mixer. The brand had such an excellent reputation for quality and durability. After replacing the mixer 3 times for reasons from motor burnout to a badly wobbling head I finally gave up and asked for my money back which I then invested in a really fine piece of kitchen equipment, the Electrolux Kitchen Assistent (spelling is Swedish as that's where it's made). It is far more powerful, durable, sturdy and versatile. Would never go back to KitchenAid!

I was fortunate enough to receive this as a wedding present 5 years ago, and I've been a thrilled and happy KitchenAid customer ever since. If you've never used a KitchenAid mixer, you should find a friend who owns one and try it. Each KitchenAid comes with three mixing attachements (a wire whisk, a dough hook, and flat mixer), as well as a pouring shield. The top of your KitchenAid is equipped for the added bonus (and added price- the extra attachements are sold separately)of using a pasta maker or a food grinder. The model itself is pretty heavy (I have the Imperial Gray model), so you should probably find a permanent space on your counter top to keep it. They are so professional and cool looking, though, you'll want to keep it as a showpiece to let your guests think you are a SERIOUS chef! I find the best thing about these mixers is that you can adjust the mixing speed and walk away to do other items (mash your potatoes while you prepare the gravy, etc.), rather than stand over it as you would with a hand held model. Makes superb mashed potatoes (I use the flat mixer), and the dough hook is a great experience if you've never attempted to bake your own bread. A must-have and a solid investment for cooks of any level- mine still looks like new.

My Epicurean 6 quart mixer is a SERIOUS piece of kitchen equipment. I chose this model because of the all metal gears (thanks to Amazon reviewers I sent a note to KA and the smaller models do have nylon gears). It is heavy and beautiful and definitely parked forever on my kitchen counter, where it does NOT fit beneath the cabinets - I knew this when I bought it, but do think some of you will want to measure before buying. The cookbook should be read (I was surprised that mashing potatoes required first the flat beater, then the whip) but personally found most of the recipes kind of hokey. The bowl on this model is serious and heavy and I haven't found a recipe it won't hold, it is dishwasher safe as are all the pieces except the wire whip. The bread hook and flat beater are some kind of vinyl clad metal, and heavy as well. My first (and only) attempt at bread was a little on the heavy side, but I fear my bread machine has spoiled me and that the timing was off. It did handle the dough beautifully and will be perfect for pizza dough.

I have had mine less than a month, so feel free and contact me years from now for an update. Truly an impressive machine, probably more powerful than my car.

After burning up a mixer that was rated for bread dough I decided I really needed a heavy duty machine and I got it!!! As a gift from my husband for our 33rd anniversary/Mothers Day. I make our bread and need a machine that can handle the dough.
I also make cheese cakes and the Kitchen Aid mixer was absolutely wonderful. I was afraid that the ingriedients would not get mixed well without scraping the bowl sides , not so. It not only mixed everything throughly it did it quickly. This refurbished mixer arrived in excellent condition, one could not tell it is refurbished. I really feel I got an excellent deal, a super mixer at a super price. My husband was really pleased too when I phoned him at work to tell him how much I loved the Kitchen Aid Mixer

I received my KitchenAid 5 quart stand mixer a little over a week ago, since it's refurbished I hadn't expected it to be in LIKE-NEW condition, but it is! It's a beauty! I've been looking for recipes to include in my daily mealplans that allow me to use my mixer. I also bought the roto slicer/shredder and love it too! The ease of use and clean up for the mixer and attachment is wonderful! It did take awhile to receive since I used the free shipping, but was within the time frame given to me at purchase and well worth the wait. If your thinking of purchasing a KitchenAid stand mixer go for it, you won't be sorry. It truely is the BEST MIXER EVER!!

If you can tell that this is refurbished, then please let me know how! I've had this mixer for about 3 years, it sits on my counter and just about everyone who comes to my house is jealous. It is a bowl-lift type like seen on cooking shows. It is so powerful that I can leave it running to knead bread dough for about 15 minutes without any problem in having to move the dough around in the bowl. It's like the mixer has some kind of way of knowing what to do. It will also whip up whipped cream in no time flat, and if it keeps whipping, will make butter.
The mixer also came with a recipe guide and the pie crust recipe with the apple pie recipe puts my mom's apple pie to shame. Every recipe I've tried is flawless and easy. I also purchased the slicer/shredder and when large amounts of grated cheese are needed, this attachment makes it a very easy task. When people say they don't know how they lived without a Kitchen Aid mixer, they're not kidding. It is a beautiful machine that my daughter is already hoping to inherit.

2 kids a dog and "oatmeal" carpet, this purchase was long overdue. Not only does it get out everyday dust and dirt, it works on juice spills, dog tracks, and red GA clay. The upholstery/stair attachment works great on the upholstery, stairs. I have used this on the car interior and it works perfectly! I highly recommend this model: it is affordable and will pay for itself the second time you use it. The only draw back is that the cord is a bit short, and the hose attachment is too short to reach my stairs: probably a sacrifice to the amount of suction the attachment provides.

I researched carpet shampooers on the Internet and asked friends what they thought about theirs. After eliminating the shampooers that had more features than I needed, the shampooers that looked too complicated, and those that were too small, I decided on the Hoover Steam Vac Deluxe Carpet Cleaner. Shopping for the best price, I found mine at Target on cleanance for $139. Because the floor model was the only one left, I got an additional 10% off that price! Plus, the shampooer was already put together! Even though it didn't come with a manual, I easily down-loaded it off the Hoover website.

I took my shampooer home and immediately cleaned my formerly light beige berber carpet. With two small children and a husband, there are coffee and chocolate milk stains all over the floor. I used the cleaning solution at double strength and followed the directions. The next morning, I could tell the stains were much lighter than they had been! So, two days later, I cleaned the carpet again. My carpet is now the light beige it was when it was new five years ago! There was even a rather large spot where someone had left their sippy cup filled with chocolate milk in the floor and all the milk had drained into a puddle. That stain was lifted with relative ease!

My Hoover Steam Vac Deluxe Carpet Cleaner has changed the life of my floor. Now I am no longer embarrassed to have friends over for dinner!

I'm single, w/minimal mechanical ability, and was able to assemble this cleaner quickly because of the user-friendly directions. With free shipping, it made sense to me to have it delivered to my front door, rather than my putting it in a shopping cart, then taking it out of my car. It was very easy to use and did as good of a job as "the professionals" who I used to call, so this machine will pay for itself for me. I shampoooed my living room, 2 hallways, my bedroom and the bedroom I am using as a home office. My rugs are fresh, clean and look new. Next I will clean my daughter's room and our guest bedroom. The 2 tanks are easy to take off: one for putting in the cleaner solution and hot water, and the second for pouring out the dirty water from the carpet. They are easy to put back on too. Because of that, I'm not dreading cleaning the rugs anymore, and have the satisfaction of knowing that my rugs will always stay clean now, especially since I have 2 dogs. Buy extra cleaner at the drug store before you start, because this comes with just one little bottle. This is a very good product - easy to use and does an outstanding job. I recommend it highly.

I am writing this after 6 months of owning the product. While I like it, I don't think it delivers on the expectations set by reading some reviews and product features. This product has several really good features (one-touch buttons for toast from frozen bread and for frozen pizza) and one odd one (frozen hash browns. Is that such a common food in the U.S.). Overall, however, the high-performance claims seem to come up short. In 90% of cases, the oven is no faster than any other toaster oven I've owned, except on frozen 12-inch pizzas. Most of the time, I have to add extra time after pressing the frozen pizza button. The good news is the one-button cycle is never going to burn the pizza. The bad news is you can't be certain how much extra time you have to add, though you'll always finish faster than 20 minutes as listed on the DiGiorno box. Frozen bread also is an inexact setting. If I have to set the darkness setting to the extreme side to get toast, it's not really much better than my old toaster. And it doesn't broil - as you will read and I knew going in. So, overall, it is an okay machine, but I might wait until the next generation before buying it.

My only complaint is that the toasting rack inside this toaster doesn't attach well. It hooks onto a sliding bar at the back of the toaster that isn't securely attached to the unit and always falls out unless you open the door VERY CAREFULLY. This can be frustrating before coffee. Especially if the rack is already hot, but you want to close the door again.

First I must say that this toaster oven makes better toast than any other toaster oven I have used. That said, there are a few things that disappointed me.
1. There is an on/off button. It would be better if using the other buttons turned it on automatically and it should turn off automatically when the cycle ends.
2. That light is bright! Very strange to have space-alien lighting emanating from the toaster over. A tinted door would be nice.
3. Not good for baking. This oven does a great job of heating the surface, but not so great heating the center of things. Even cookies did not fare well.
4. The oven is hotter in back and cooler in front. It even mentions this in the instructions. Large items such as pizza need to be rotated partway through heating.
5. The temperature increments are weird and won't match most recipes.

It does, however, make great toast. Even Pepperidge Farm's Texas Toast worked well. Any other toaster oven I have used has always toasted the top and bottom unevenly, leaving a crunchy top and soggy bottom. Grilled cheese sandwiches work great too. I love the Frozen Toast button - the button I use most. Hopefully Panasonic will correct the annoyances with the next model, but I'm still keeping this one.

Ever wish for the perfect size pan for vegies, soup, sauce or gravy? Are you cooking for one or two, or need a small pan for a side dish? Ever wish you could thoroughly heat clam chowder without scorching it? Wish you could save energy by being able to cook at a lower temperature? Wishing for a pan that takes little room in the cupboard or dishwasher? One that heats from the sides as well as the bottom for even heat distribution without hot spots? A pan that is so substantial and sturdy that it may last a lifetime? If so, this may be the perfect pan for you. I am so pleased with this pan that I bought two, and a six inch lid to go with them. Some people avoid stainless because food might stick, but I have absolutely no problem with this pan. I have a small kitchen and am delighted that this pan actually fits sideways in the dishwasher between rows of posts, and because it is wider than it is tall I can stack several on one shelf. It is 3 ply, with aluminum for superior heat conduction sandwiched between layers of top quality stainless steel. Stainless doesn't react with any foods, and this pan is oven safe up to 500 degrees. I can start cooking in the pan and finish cooking or keep it warm in the oven, even use it to serve from, and store leftovers in the fridge. The double riveted handle can't fall off like a welded handle could, and there are no screws to tighten or lose. If you've ever thrown away a pan because the nonstick was scratched or peeling or the pan was warped, or thrown away food because a warped or thin pan caused it to scorch or because aluminum reacted with and discolored the food or caused it to taste metallic, then you know what a poor value in cookware can do. This pan is top of the line at a great price. Over half a century I have used many brands of cookware and none have completely pleased me until now.

For Christmas, I received a gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma. While shopping there, I saw they had a table set-up with All-Clad cookware. I had never used the brand before (well, in all honesty, all we've had is cheapie cookware that falls apart within a year). The 1 qt sauce pan was on sale, so I thought, what the heck. We need new pots and pans, why not start little by little with this? I picked up 2 of them and am ever SO glad I did!

This pan is a great size for gravy, sauces, etc. You pick it up and can feel how durable it is (very heavy in contrast to the cheapie pots). The handle stays wonderfully cool and is solidly attached to the pot (unlike cheapies, I highly doubt the handle on this pot will ever come loose!) The ease of cooking with this (such even heat distribution!) is a joy. Clean up? Piece of cake! All I've ever needed to do is use soap, water and a cloth-covered sponge.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend the All-Clad brand to anyone who needs new cookware. I am completely sold and cannot wait to buy our next piece! Thumbs up from this extremely, deliriously happy customer.

OK, that may sound a bit juvenile, but how else do you communicate to the world when you find a product that actually gets you EXCITED about pots and pans?

The look and feel of this item (and others in a larger set I purchased separately) is heavy and high quality. This particular sauce pan is perfect for cooking dinner for one (i.e. soups) and making small quantities of sauces, etc. Amazon routinely has great pricing on All Clad items, so while it's a bit much to buy lots of it at once, you can continue to add smaller items like this to your collection over time. A wonderful value!

I have used two Hamilton Beach grills of this type and three Geroge Foreman Jumbo grills over many years.

The cleaning problems and stupid drip tray design of the Foreman led me to the Hamilton Beach.

The fixed hinge design and LOW HEAT of the Hamilton Beach led me back to the Foreman.

I have decided that good food is better than dishwasher convenience, and have stuck with a recent Foreman model.

PS

Will some manufactuer make a contact grill that is very hot on one half and less hot in the other half?...you do not cook often by grilling all at the same temperature. Sear then grill. So far, no one has a clue, and this would be simple to do. Include the appropriate timers etc....

Unfortunately, most people want a grill to work like a microwave. Because of heat retention on the plates, I think this is unlikely...but multistate cooking would be a big plus for these grills! Surely the engineering expertise of the industry can improve on this.

We subscribe to Consumer Reports and read all about these types of grills. The George Foreman and the Hamilton Beach MealMaker Express Grill seam to be the most popular but the HB beats ALL the competition hands down!
Many people who already have the George Foreman grill all have told us they hate it because it's so difficult to clean. With the removable grills on the HB model, this problem simply does not exist. We love how fast this grill cooks chicken and steak. The best part is that the meats are so juicy and delicious.
I highly recommend the Hamilton Beach MealMaker Express Grill.

I purchased a Foreman grill and was very unhappy with it. The surface plates are not removeable and the teflon finish was rather porous and very difficult to clean. A friend of mine purchased a Foreman grill and had the same results. These grills are now stored in the same place-the garage. This Hamilton Beach model rocks. Removeable plates that can go in the dishwasher or be cleaned by hand very easily and the cooking time is half that of the Foreman grill. Buy this productt and dont waste your money on the Foreman grills. I just bought another as a birthday gift for my friend that had purchased the Foreman Grill

Originally I saw my mother's George Forman grill (smaller indoor one with lid). Then I saw my brother's Party Size grill. Both of them love their grill. I was able to taste the food from both and found it very tasty and easy to use. I decided to do some investigating on my own intending to purchase the party size grill, when I saw the indoor/outdoor grill. I was impressed with the fact that it appeared to be a bigger cooking surface and the price I found was within reason. I purchased it for the purpose of using it as an extra grill for a cookout I was having. No one used the gas grill at all. I have since used it indoors without the stand, making it convient on rainy days. It is the easiest grill to use and clean that we have ever owned. You can cook everything evenly, because there are no coals to level out. It can easily hold 4 to 5 steaks, 10 big hamburgers, and the list goes one. I am sure there are some drawbacks to those that swear by gas/charcoal grills, but my gas grill has found a permanent residence in our shed, while George sits ready to use at any time indoors or out on our back porch. I am so impressed, that I am purchasing one for my parents for Christmas, to replace the charcoal grill that takes for ever to heat up and messy to clean. I'm sure they'll love it too!

I bought this grill 4 months ago and have used it several times per week ever since. I am a very lazy cook with 3 hungry teens and a hubby who eats like he's a heavyweight boxer. So, I needed something that would cook and clean-up as easily as possible. I can turn on the grill (it has an adjustable thermostat), take out a package of frozen chicken, hamburger patties, whatever, prepare it as usual, and the grill is ready to go to work. Dinner is on the table in no time. Its non-stick surface is just that, making clean-up simple and quick.
I am quite happy with the surface area, as I can easily fit 8 large burgers on at once. I live in the frozen north, so the fact that this grill will also work indoors is plus.
It's portable, reliable, easy to use and clean, and a bargain compared to other outdoor grills.
George put his name on a very good product.

I've been wanting to buy a George Foreman grill for a few years now. I'm so glad I waited & discovered this model instead of settling for the smaller indoor only one. I was estatic when it came in the mail & couldn't wait to use it that first night. I'm happy to say, this grill DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Took all of 5-10 minutes to assemble & start grilling. It comes with 2 plastic utensils that are safe for the non-stick surface. The lid keeps the meat tender & juicy. It has a fairly large cooking surface, so I was able to cook for 4-5 people, yet the compact design doesn't take up much room on my balcony. On top of all this, it's such a breeze to clean. I just detach the grill from the base & give it a quick rinse in my sink. So far I've grilled steaks, chicken, veggies...everything turned out delicious! I still can't believe I only paid $50 for it.

Our beloved DeLonghi toaster oven cratered after 18 years of heavy use, so we replaced it with this attractive Cuisinart unit. The Cuisinart doesn't heat up as fast, but otherwise it is much more versatile. We particularly like the many different tray heights available (at least eight, counting all the permutations of tray height and broiler pan position).

The one shortcoming of the Cuisinart and almost all other new toasters is, as others have pointed out, the lack of an interior light. We solved this problem neatly by attaching a clip-on booklight to the front door handle. Not only is the light thus out of the line of fire, so to speak, but one can focus it on the part of the food due to brown first, and, of course, turn the light off when it isn't needed.

We found we love this convection oven. It is well made and does everything well. We are just two people, and find that the toaster oven makes two servings of baked fish, chicken, pork chops or steak perfectly. I also bake 6 muffins, biscuits, cookies or a small cake, custard or pizza in it - the convection feature makes them brown perfectly. It also makes good toast and perfect English muffins. I especially like the fact that preheating takes only 3 minutes or so. I have found that I need to reduce the temperature on my recipes about 25 degrees to keep them from getting overdone and often the cooking time is less as well - less time to preheat and less time to cook at a lower temperature - great! I purchased some nonstick Nordicware sheets to use - better than the pan that came with it but not as large. I warm my plates on top while I'm baking or toasting. I would have to buy another one right away if something happened to this one, but if it is like all my other Cuisinart products, that shouldn't have to be soon.

I really enjoy this product. We were looking to replace a basic GE toaster oven we have had for years. The Cuisinart toaster/oven is large enough to do a casserole, and as I am typing this review have a 3# pork loin roast baking in it.(That is a real plus here where it is hot and we don't want to heat up the whole house by turning on the oven). The toaster/bagel feature is great and the claims made by the company regarding even cooking are true. We have not had an opportunity to use the convection feature, but when we do I am sure that it will work just as reliably. I also like the wipe clean front surface with no knobs to break or be difficult to clean around. While it is a bit more expensive than I was planning on spending, I feel that the extra cost is worth it.I highly recommend this model to anyone looking to purchase a new toaster oven combo or replace an old standby.