Kitchen Reviews

I was extremely skeptical about whether this thing would work. But I was tired of waking up stuffed up every morning and I had to believe I'd sleep better if I wasn't so stuffy. I have a cat who sleeps at the foot of my bed, and I figured he was a big part of the problem, so I bought it.

I saw drastic improvement after two nights. I was barely stuffed up at all. I set it up to circulate clean air over to me and suck in near the cat, and it worked well. Consumer reports says that you can get a lot of the same benefit from cleaning well and opening the windows, so I tried that the next night. I washed the bedspread, vacuumed, dusted, and opened the windows. I woke up completely cleared up. Better than with this unit.

Now, do I have the time to do all that cleaning every weekend? Nope. So I'm keeping the Hamilton Beach.

People complain about the noise, and it is loud. The "whisper quiet" setting is about as loud as a 19" box fan on medium, so it isn't at all silent. But the noise is pleasantly soothing and I got right to sleep the very first night and it never bothered me. I even thought the cat would be afraid of it, but the first night I set it up on medium and ran it for an hour before bedtime and when I went to look for the cat, he was sleeping in front of it.

I thought I needed the automatic model 4162, and if I was home all day, that's the one I'd get. I live alone and you'd be nuts to leave any appliance on all day unattended, so this one is off when I'm not here. I blast it on high for an hour before bedtime and then run it on low all night. I don't want to be woken by the speed change, so the automatic feature that turns up the fan when the air quality drops wouldn't ever get used around here.

Consumer Reports says the $600 models are great, but for this price point, it really does everything I want it to do, and the anti-mold UV light is just what us foggy San Franciscans need.

For the best information on air filters go to allergybuyersclubshopping.com

For the best price stick with Amazon.

This series of filters by HamiltonBeach is very good for the price. in fact the only other filter that I was seriously considering was the BlueAir, which is about twice the price. I believe the BlueAir to be the better buy if you want to spend the money. I backed away from it based on a government research that stated that filters that give an electrical charge to dust particles can increase health problems. The reason being if there is no medium for collecting the charged dust, the dust uses that electrical charge to attach itsself more securely inside ones lungs. The BlueAir does have a collection medium, but still I bought the Hamilton Beach mostly due to price.

good things about the Hamilton Beach series.
very light weight
very low price
automatic air sensor really works - I keep it on auto all the time.
low fan setting reportedly uses very little electricity
UV germicidal lamp was a nice extra feature (be careful this bulb cost (costly) to replace from the manufactor. But I know it is available somewhere for (less).)
filters were highly rated by Allergy Buyers Club

bad things about the Hamilton Beach series
even on low setting this thing is slightly louder than your computer. It makes a high pitched cycling sound.

Easy to put together. Easy to move in room. Can be placed flush against wall with out restricting air flow. Has been helpful with allergies.

With over 26 years of practical experience in professional kitchens, as an Executive Chef, and Corporate Chef, I have used many knives. About four years ago I purchased this knife, and it instantly became my favorite. From its balance, to it's high quality edge holding Solingen German steel blade, I always find myself picking this little sweetie over my former favorite, Wusthof 8 inch Chef knife. Don't get me wrong I still love my Wusthof, but the santoku has become a part of my hand. If this knife lacks anything, it could be stamped from a thicker piece of steel, for more heft, but then it would no longer be a true Santoku. Two small calouses on my hand attest to how much I use this, my most valuable tool! Chef Eddie Ray Chapter

I read the review from above and it helped me decide to purchase this knife. The knife is SOLID, much beefier and heavier than I expected. No need to worry about the blade flexing on you as you cut or chop or dice or cleaver. I have a Henkels set, but not the 5 star and I have to sharpen the knives more often than I expected, so far this knife has held a better edge. Forget the mezzaluna do it with the Santoku!

My brother made a salsa with this knife while I was visiting and I asked about the knife. He let me try it and I fell in love. Every member of my family now owns this knife and is it the favorite among all the henckels I own. The heft, balance, edge and handle are perfect. It moves like part of your hand. This knife is worth 120 dollars at least. Buy it and never look back.

I love this machine. My relatives had the version made my krups for awhile in Europe. Now it's finally here and the coffee it makes is awesome. You order the capsules online ($.45 a piece) and they are delivered second business day. It also makes a great cappuccino and it's very easy to operate.

Now, if you want hot espresso, you'll have to wait until the display says 'ready' when you turn it on, and then you'll have to run it once without a capsule in it, preferrably in the cup you're going to use for drinking the espresso (toss out the water and make your espresso). Also, put the espresso cups you're going to use on top of the machine, because it will warm them up. As with any espresso, you can't have the coffee sit around for ten minutes and then expect it to still be hot, due to the small amount of liquid (simple laws of physics).

I enjoy my espresso in the morning and at night!

When I set out looking for an espresso machine, I was confronted by a lot of choices. But for what I wanted - something clean, quick and simple, something that made great espresso, something relatively inexpensive - the Nespresso D300 quickly became the obvious choice.

The capsules seem to be a sticking point for some of the other reviewers. For me, it's one of the major reasons to buy this unit. You pop in a capsule and hit a button. Boom - you have a great, hot cup of espresso. Afterwards, you tip the used capsule into the trash. It's really that simple. There's a wide variety of choice in capsule blends - including pure Arabica - and I haven't had a bad espresso yet. As for expense, I was spending about $10 a week at Whole Foods for good beans for my coffee maker. At 45 cents per capsule - shipped to my home with no delivery charge - my coffee bill for the Nespresso should be similar, if not less.

In the sub-$500 range, the D300 is the only machine I've come across with an on-timer: great espresso with no waiting on those groggy mornings. At 19 bars, its pump's pressure rating is higher than most in this price category, which are typically rated at 17 bars. The espresso always comes out hot and delicious.

All in all, for a $400 espresso machine, the Nespresso D300 is very hard - if not impossible - to beat.

I bought this machine about a month ago and have made at least one espresso every day. I don't drink straight espress so I can't provide a quality comparison--I typically drink lattes and that tends to mask the finer points a bit.

I tried crema coffee for the first time this weekend. I prefer weaker coffee so I pushed the "large" button twice, which almost fills a 12 ounce coffee mug. My friends and I were thrilled with the result--the coffee tastes rich and smooth, just like a cup of coffee from a coffee shop.

If you are looking for a quick, easy way to make quality coffee in your home then this would be a great machine for you. The only consideration for some people will be the cost of the pods versus the convenience that it provides; to me this solution is well worth it.

i'm disappointed in this over-the-sink colander. several of the little rubber coverings over the feet fell off right away, leaving sharp little feet that can scratch up my kitchen. equally irritating, the silver band at the top of the colander can trap small items, such as rice i've been rinsing. this not only makes it a pain to clean, but forces me to scoop some contents out with a spoon, rather than simply pour them out. i wouldn't repurchase and am tempted to toss mine and find one with a more sensible design.
on the plus side, i like the relatively fine mesh and the shape. the large area lets me spread items across the bottom, simplifying rinsing and inspecting them.

This product has been a real lifesaver for me. Trying to juggle a heavy pan and a colander while cooking was very frustating. Often, you can't set the colander down in the sink because you have other things in the sink. With this colander, it is SO easy to drain pasta, ground meat, vegetables, etc. as it rests on the edges of the sink. It is also wonderful for washing fruits and vegetables. It actually is a fine mesh sieve, so I also use it to rinse ground beef after browning--to remove all the extra fat.

It is very sturdy and holds a LOT. I use mine daily and it has stood up to lots of use. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the little rubber feet kept coming off. It wasn't a big deal, but they should've been secured better. This product is a must-have for anyone who cooks.

This is a neat tool.

What makes it nice is that when you drain your pasta, it holds the pasta up above the surface of the sink without using a second hand. If you use a large pasta pan this can avoid burns and pulled back muscles.

If you have used other colanders that have feet to do this, they don't have them high enough to keep the drained pasta water from backwashing over the pasta again before it goes down the drain... Yuck.

The only negative, is that it is a pain to store, due to it's shape and size. However, if you are like me, it goes from use to dishwasher to use again, so it's official storage place never gets used.

This is my first juicer so I'm no expert. I've also only just started using it, so maybe I'll come up with problems and downgrade later, but as yet, I'm completely satisfied, and even better, delighted. The juicer has capably and smoothly (hehehe) handled every fruit or vegetable I've had the inclination to throw at it.

the only (very small) complaint is that if you add more fruit or vegetable while the juicer is running, it tends to spit a bit. Basically, you have to wait until it's completely finished juicing what you gave it and be prepared to fit the pusher in very quickly when you add more. It's not a big problem.

Aside from that, the juice was foamy (which I like) and not too pulpy (which I also like).

It's also relatively easy to clean. I was a bit nervous since almost every set of reviews for every juicer has at least one whining about how difficult they are to clean, but this was no harder to clean than a food processor (and easier in at least one way - no huge, slashy, curvey, very sharp, knife-like gizmo to wash).

When I was young and before I moved to the United States, I owned an National juicer (known as Panasonic here). When I purchased it, it cost us about $300 US dollars (and that was 20 years ago)! But it was able to juice anything we threw at it. Back in my time, everyone wanted (and still) go to America. Since I had heard so many good things about this country, I moved when I had to chance and left my great juicer, thinking this country probably had something better. Now that another 15 years have passed, I have purchased an Oster (don't try it, it isn't worth your time), Braun (hard to clean and open) and the Waring PJE401 (shakes alot when pressed too hard), but none was able to juice like my old National juicer. So one day, I went to my mother's house and dug through her attic and found my beloved juicer. When I plugged it in and turned it on, a lot of dust flew off the machine. It still worked after 35 years! But since it was so old and dirty, I decided to check if I could buy a similar machine. And low and behold, the Panasonic MJ-66PR! I knew I had to have it. And it extracts more juice from the fruit than any other machine I have tried or owned, and it is cheaper too. It spins at 13,000 RPMs rather than the 3,000 RPMs of my Waring. No wonder it extracts things so clean. This is a must for any kitchen. The only reason that I took one star off was because it is not very visually appealing... so I still keep my Waring in the kitchen, I just don't use it.

I had this juicer for about month now, so far I liked it. I only use it to juice carrot, apple and celery. I will expand my choices on the way. But I know it will not be good for oranges and grapefuites because of the working mechanism. A fun machine to work with. Give four star because I have no idea how long will this machine lasts.

This shaker looks very attractive and works well, EXCEPT that the removable top invariably fails to be removable. Once the shaker gets cold, the metal contracts and the pieces stick together, making it a real pain to get the two pieces back apart for washing or for "martinis, round 2"...and the problem doesn't abate once the shaker warms up---once it's stuck, it's stuck. It's true that if you take it apart IMMEDIATELY it doesn't stick, but I forget to do so at least 50% of the time (usually when there are guests present and I have other things to think about). I have had this shaker for about 3 months and make martinis pretty regularly, but I'm tired of messing with it: I've decided to buy another shaker and give this one to GoodWill!

I am giving this 4 stars rather than 5 simply because I do not like the way this just pulls on and off. I've never purchased a shaker before though, but I would appreciate one the screws off and on so the top is certain to be on every time! Other than that..it's very sleek and the strainer in the top is a plus!

I purchased this shaker a few months ago, and we use it quite regularly. I will disagree with another reviewer and say that I don't find the top impossible to get off, but sometimes you do have to work it back and forth. But, when you look at the prices of other cocktail shakers, and factor in the quality of this one, I think having to work the top back and forth is worth the money you'll save. I'd much rather have a tight fitting lid than my drink all over my hands.

One feature I like is that the strainer/lid is deep enough that when you remove the lid, your drink isn't still spilling over the sides.

If you are shopping for a cocktail shaker, then you know how ridiculously priced they can be. Don't think that because this one is less expensive that it is of less quality. This is a sturdy, well-made product.

Our last shaker was plastic and broke after a few short months of regular use. This stainless steel shaker certainly won't have that problem. It is sturdy and attractive at the same time. We use it for much more than martinis, and have certainly not been dissapointed.

In general, I like this corer. It pushes easily through apples and cuts them neatly. However, I usually then have to go over all the pieces and remove the small amount of residual core left on the slices. I guess this is common with most corers? I don't know, since this is the only one I've ever owned.

Another feature which turns out to be very annoying is that it cuts the apples into extremely thick slices. Most recipes I've used call for slices about half the thickness, so I have to re-slice everything.

Despite all this, I still like the corer because I hate coring apples by hand and this does do the initial task very quickly and painlessly. Also, an apple halfway sliced is still better than one not sliced at all.

This makes coring and slicing apples a piece of cake, but if your apples are too small, the core hole will take out a lot of good apple. If your apple is too big, it won't cut it. If it's just right, this is the best way to get apple slices.

It is very sturdy and the blades are sharp. I used to have an all-metal one (not OXO), but it would bend when I pushed down on it. The OXO slices through the apple quickly and easily, and the rubber grips are easy on the hands.

People think Henckels are the greatest knives out there. WHY?? Because every store sells them. Well thats not true. Their blades are very thin, and the tips break off very easily. Do not ever drop one or you will be sorry.

I was in a kitchen store and overheard the Henckel sales rep training some employees and he said that most of the different Henckel knife lines are ALL THE SAME KNIFE! just have different Handles! And they can charge more or less money for the same knife by a different handle design, but the blade is the important part.

Most typical kitchen stores will not sell TOP QUALITY knives because they are to pricey. They sell low quality knives. Shop around. Just because you see the same item in every kitchen supply store, does not mean its good and will last. Just means you know where to get more when yours breaks. You get what you pay for when it comes to kitchen knives and kitchen cookware. You want good quality knives that will last you for a very very long time, invest in Global Knives and also get a good oil sharpening stone, and your set for life.

The short story:
Pay a little more money and buy Wusthof cutlery,
and get a lot more bang for the buck.

The long story:
J. A. Henckles make different lines of cutlery. Their
"International" line is lower quality and less expensive
than their top lines "Pro S" and "Five Star."

(The only difference between the "Pro S" and "Five Star"
is the handle. The "Pro S" has a full-tang riveted handle,
and the "Five Star" has a bigger, synthetic handle. Some
people claim the full-tang riveted handles have better
balance.)

Though, Henckels name is more well known than Wusthof
and they sell more knives to the general public, people
who have used the two brands, for the most part, agree
that Wusthof is the better knife. Also, Wusthof seems
to employ much better quality control than Henckels.

Henckels cuts corners when it comes to their sets.

Henckels supplies a relatively small, low grade
sharpening steel with their top line "Pro S" and
"Five Star" sets.

In their top line 18 piece sets, their steak
knives come from a lower line.

Henckels has a recommended retail price and a sale
price on their cutlery. Just about all vendors,
sell Henckels knives at the "sale" price. Henckels'
warranty department will only give you credit for
the sale price of their product, even if you pay
more, and have a receipt to prove it.

On the other, hand, Henckels warranty department is

generous when it comes to replacing old Henckels knives
damaged due to consumer misuse. I thought knives
completely submerged in salt-free water would
not corrode. I thought corrosion needed salt or
air. Wrong. My Henckels knives corroded even
though I just left them submerged in soapy water.

The most popular knife today is the Wusthof
Grand Prix, Santaku knife with a granton
edge. This is the knife used by Rachel Ray
and other chefs on the Food Network. "Granton"

means the knife has semi hollowed-out ovals on
its sides. Granton edges may provide a smoother
cut, with less drag. Vegetables may stick to
their sides less. But knives with granton
edges are not supposed to be sharpened at home.
Moreover, they have very little edge to sharpen
and so have much less life expectancy than an
Identical knife without a granton edge.

If you buy expensive knives with a fine edge,
I recommend buying a RA-03, John Boos,
24" x 18" x 2" cutting board, and a bottle
of John Boos mystery oil for reconditioning
the board every month.

I was very surprised at how nice these knives really are! The 8 piece steak knives DID match the rest of the knives, same handle and all, an earlier post stated they were a lesser quality knife, very wrong! Every knife is beautiful down to the smallest detail, they are super sharp and very well made. I give this set 5 stars for a beautiful Five Star set!!!!!

The machine is very light, easy to set up and use, but the waxing, buffing and polishing that I wanted to do on my kitchen floors can ONLY BE DONE ON WOOD FLOORS, which I don't have. The instructions say it CANNOT be used on 'no wax floors"!(I tried it-took the shine off) The ads state you can wax and polish 'hard floors', which I took to mean non carpeted areas, so I probably would not have purchased it if I had known. There is no water extractor, so it's not good for large carpet areas. It will stay wet a LONG time. For just floor scrubbing, it's great! Light, easy, etc as above. Couldn't ask for an easier, lighter machine -- if only I could use it for more tasks!!!

This machine is great. A child can use it. It was very easy to put together. Less then 5 minutes. I have 3 cats, a dog and 3 teenage girls that have friends over all the time. They all spill on my carpets and forget to clean up. My carpets had so many stains. I used this machine with the stiffest brushes and man did it get the stains out. I was amazed. I had a hoover once before and it did a great job. I was concerned this time because the unit was smaller. But it did the job just as well. I am very happy with this unit and would advise anyone to use it.

My mother bought one of these way back in the 70s! It performed flawlessly for over 20 years and let me tell you, it's been through some pretty rough times. It's been knocked down a flight of stairs, accidently stepped on and tripped over, banged into walls and radiators, flipped over a banister and fell about 15 feet to the floor, and the worst time, my mother literally strangled my sister after she borrowed it for her apartment. It was 1984 and she had just moved into the apartment. She said she needed it to shampoo the carpets real bad cause' they were filthy. But apparently after she shampooed them she decided she didn't like the color of the carpets. So she filled up the tank with navy blue dye and turned it on. She was successful at dying all of the carpets navy blue but the entire base/bottom, scrub brushes, and the tank were permanently stained blue. My mother pulled up in the driveway one day to find the thing sitting on the porch. After seeing the condition it was in she had a nervos breakdown and brought it inside. She immediatly called my sister and caused one of the worst fights between them ever. Saying that she must "have a screw loose", she's "off her rocker", etc. etc. My sister didn't talk to her for weeks and in the meantime my mother was nagging constantly and telling the whole town about what her daughter had done to her Hoover Carpet Shampooer Machine. The day that it happened, my Aunt was visiting and they tried to clean it and removed massive amounts of dirt clumps and cat hair from the scrubber area. For weeks I never heard the end of her nagging and swearing over the whole ordeal. But it still worked perfectly for many years to come! The blue stains faded over time and my mother and sister are close again. But my mother hesitates whenever she asks to borrow anything! Sadly, the mighty maching performed it's last shampoo job the other day straining to finish the job so it could finally rest in peace after it's long, hard knock life. It was a good carpet machine and will be greatly missed.

...so I don't have a true basis of comparison against other machines. However, I did my homework and bought a machine with the features I wanted in the price range I could afford. I've had the machine about 3 weeks, and have made about 15 loaves of bread. So far I have had fairly good outcomes, however, most loaves collapse. I have tried adjusting the ingredients as I have read in the book that came with the machine and on several websites, but there seems no rhyme or reason as to why the tops to cave in. Raisin bread came out great twice, and I made a loaf of Country White that didn't collapse. Other than that, every loaf sank, but I must say that even though they weren't exactly attractive, they tasted good. They weren't "bricks," they were just flat on top. I am not going to give up; I enjoy using the machine, I am an experienced breadmaker, and I know how to find and use resources. I believe I will be successful.

As for the machine itself, I find it easy to use and to clean. So far I have had no problems with the machine itself, only the recipes. (That's what I believe, anyway... I don't think it's the machine causing the tops to cave in, but the ratio of ingredients.) I could recommend it for anyone who has the time to stay with the machine and adjust the ingredients while the dough kneads. I haven't tried the delay timer or the ExpressBake features, as I thought it best to keep an eye on things while I'm still a breadmachine beginner.

By the way, this model appears to be exactly the same as the Oster 5838, but they call it Inspire and only sell it through Target stores.

We have been using this gem for many, many loaves of bread. It far surpasses our first "Welbilt" brand breadmaker we used to its 'bitter end'.

I have this machine for one month and have used it four times and it works well. English is not my primary language so I am very careful when measuring the ingredients and I am also using a digital scale... so far no problems, the bread tastes good and I am happy with it.