Kitchen Reviews

This is a delightful piece of cookware. The ability to span two burners allows for making enough pancakes to feed a family or to cook and keep warm at the same time! The heat is spread very evenly without any hot spots. There is absolutely no need for oil or butter (I use butter/olive oil for flavor!) as the nonstick works wonderfully. The two corners at one end are "crimped" which allow for the easy pouring off of bacon grease without it running to the underside of the griddle (a really nice touch). Overall, this griddle is as good as I have ever used (in my 40+ years of cooking). This griddle is a real pleasure to use .

I have a ceramic cooktop with a bridge element. The cast iron double griddle/grills made sold at Williams Sonoma / Crate & Barrel are not supposed to be used on this surface. Additionally, a 20" griddle is 1/4" too long for the glass top cooktop.
The 11x18 Calphalon fixes both problems. It is a great size and does not harm the ceramic top.

I knew that with the bridge element, that the griddle would provide even heat across the length, but I was surpised at how well the griddle provided heat in the areas that were beyond the elements. I can cook up a half pound of bacon all at one time perfectly, and the corners are crimped to allow for easy grease pouring.

I highly recommend this pan.

The griddle is perfect for cooking multiple items simultaneously. It fits snug over two burners. Brings me back to the days of when I used to work at McDonalds working both pancakes and eggs at the same time.

Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the spots and pressed wrinkles of a pro, or by taking up this iron, oppose them!

Alas, this poor iron, I did know you well. You did make it easy, gliding hither and yon across high-thread count cotton. Spouting steam and never sticking. Then did some midnight feline pull you from the board and break your resevoir.

Cry "Havoc" and let loose the dogs...

My previous iron was an old one that didn't have any auto shut-off features. I got burned by that (no pun intended!) when last year there was an incident where we left it on for 2 whole days!
After that, I promised myself I'd buy a new iron with auto shut-off features and in my search, I decided to buy this one.
Of course, the first things I tested were the 30 second and the 8 minute shut-off features and they both work perfectly! Ironing is also a breeze. At first I thought it wasn't heavy enough, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. Even the toughest wrinkles are very easy to deal with - I highly recommend this iron.

I really like this iron. I've had an old black & decker for years, & the steam never worked on it. I've always had to use a spray bottle to get the wrinkles off the clothes, & it would take several hours just to iron 5 shirts. My husband is thrilled that I've not skipped on ironing his shirts. Since I've bought this iron, I actually enjoy this mundane task. I also like the price, & the free shipping from Amazon.com.

Global knives are the only knives I would have in my kitchen. In terms of comfort, durability, and performance, Global makes the best knives I have ever used.

The light weight of the knife allows for easy chopping without the wrist strain that heavier chef's knives tend to give. The grip is comfortable, making the knife easy to grasp without slipping, and the blade only needs the occasional sharpening. I use mine for all sorts of duties, like chopping veggies, crushing garlic, and even slicing through tough meats. This particular knife has never let me down, and it could cut through a shoe and still slice a tomato paper thin. And with the aformentioned qualities, it makes any novice slice like a pro.

The price might seem a bit high, but when you think about the durability of this particular knife when compared to less expensive, lesser quality knives, you can see why it is worth the extra money. A cheaper quality knife will dull, ship, or even break over time, meaning that it will need to be replaced more often. You might as well get a better knife. This is the one I would recommend, and myself and my friends use it, and we have no complaints.

As a professional cook, I don't like to waste time with gadgets or gimmicks at work. I was tired of the the dull, poor quality knives that my company supplies. I had the opportunity to try a Wusthoff knife during a busy shift. While it was better than the company knives,the weight made delicate tasks difficult. I held the Global at a cutlery shop and immediately noticed the balance and light weight it possesed. I purchased it on the spot. The knife is the best I have ever used. Global was able to produce a superior knife and it has proven itself day in and day out by handling everything from cutting frozen beef to slicing through tomatoes with ease. I will never go back to another brand, the knife is THAT good.

A knife is a knife is knife right? No not really. I had a friend who was a sushi chef, who the majority of his coworkers had these crazy custom made knives from japan that were imported (i dont even think they had a brand to them) but he was too cheap to pay and got a set of these. i tried his out right before i was ready to purchase some expensive henckles and found the balance and shape of the knife to be much more... well how can you describe a cutting expierience? i guess it was more cutt-arific...like i said i was ready to buy some henckles (spelling?) and he suggested to spend a few extra bucks and grab these... After forking over the dough, I have to say that I am huge huge fan of the global brand in general now and i bought one more knife and when i get the chance I am going to get more. i am excited to have some steak knives soon.

like others mentioned, these are lightweight, which some chef's and wannabe chefs probably would discredit or not like. Also the handles are smaller than other knives... but it doesn't seem to matter... i have big hands and i still love em'. they just feel good and they make me want to cut things for the sake of cutting... i guess i'm insane. call the mental institution

I have had mine for about 2 years now and still haven't sharpenend it yet (i use it a lot, i have yet to cut a tin can with it like Popeil would, but maybe some rainy day i'll try it)... anyway i'm not saying you don't need to sharpen them because it is probably a good idea... but i have yet to after two years of abuse and they seem to be about as sharp as when i first got them.

i would recommend this brand over others such as henckles or weisterholdodsodaidfpdslfj (or however you spell it). in fact i was so picky about making sure i found the knife that defined me as a person, that i forced the kids at the store up the street (williams sonoma) to let me play with a few different brands one evening after a cooking class and i have to say hands down this is my choice for knivery.

i'm sure there are others out there that might argue not having the weight on the knife is bad, but this damn thing is so sharp you don't need the weight. the only thing missing is a dragon in the blade (that was a joke referring to the QVC channel)

what else to say? the design is pretty damn contemporary and i have had several girls compliment me on them saying they look hip. in fact they did go well with the chicken, and i think they may have even raised brownie points!

maybe cooking utensils can define you as a person?

GO GLOBAL and HAPPY CUTTING!

Let me start by saying that I am pleased with this rice cooker. We purchased this thinking it would cook rice much faster than other methods. Technically, the machine does cook the rice in less than 20 minutes - HOWEVER - the machine takes about 30 minutes to warm up before it starts cooking the rice. So, total time is around 45-50 minutes. We are pleased with the quality of the rice. It turns out consistently good rice. Be advised, the scoop that comes with this is marked at 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 measurements. We logically thought that these measurements referred to a cup. However, if you check you will see that the measurements are smaller than a cup. We had to experiment with the water to rice ratio, but now that we have that down, the rice turns out great. It also keeps the rice warm for a long time, which is nice. Overall, I would recommend this machine to people who are serious rice eaters.

I recently purchased this rice cooker and couldn't be more impressed. I'd formerly used a cheap (under $20) rice cooker and had been less than thrilled with the amount of time and effort needed to create rice that only turned out so-so. Unhappy, I reverted to my handy microwave rice cooker which didn't produce perfect rice but was at least fast and easy to use. I resisted getting another electric rice cooker for years until finally a friend persuaded me that the Zojirushi "fuzzy logic" model was different.

Not only does this machine make absolutely perfect rice every time but it's incredibly easy to use, clean up and store. The bowl is removable and dishwasher safe for easy clean up. You can program the machine to cook rice and have it ready for you at dinner time. It will even turn itself off automatically and go to the "keep warm" feature if you accidentally leave your rice in too long. It makes every kind of rice from plain white steamed, to Thai sticky or old fashioned wild rice and, like I said before, I've yet to have a batch that wasn't light, fluffy and restaurant perfect!

And, best of all for those of us with crowded kitchens, storage is a cinch. The machine is VERY lightweight and even has a handle so that it can be put away easily (no valuable counter space wasted) when not in use. Another handy stoarage feature is a cord spool (like on old vacuum cleaners) that keeps the plug tucked away tightly (under the machine) when not in use. You'll wish every appliance you owned was so well designed!

Since getting this cooker, I've suddenly been preparing rice over potatoes at meal after meal. Yes, this machine is expensive (shop around though, you can find it for a bit less elsewhere), but it's worth every penny!

If you look around you can find this great product at steep discounts. The 10 cup cooker is a time saver because one or two day old rice tastes just fine. My big surprise was how much I enjoy eating steel cut oatmeal. Much different then the quick Quaker oats. I followed one reviewer's suggestion and tried Stensels rice out of Louisana. The white popcorn rice is delightful. You can set the unit up to make your oatmeal the night before. The oatmeal will boil over [through the top vent] unless stirred during cooking, but it is easy to clean up. You will eat healthier food with this appliance.

I have three of these that I picked up in Germany last year, where they're only slightly cheaper at about 15 Euro apiece.

The ceramic mechanism makes for a very adjustable, very consistent grind and you never have to worry about the burrs rusting. One tip for anyone wanting to change spices is to grind some rock salt through the mechanism. That seems to do a pretty good job of cleaning out residue. However, I'd caution against trying to use the same grinder both for normal spices/herbs and wildly aromatic or spicy things like dried chilis--you'll be hard-pressed to get the strong smell out 100%.

However, I have to knock a star from the WMF version due to some excellent competition from IKEA. They sell a ceramic spice mill for less than half the price which appears to have an almost identical ceramic mechanism. Better yet, IKEA sells a cheap 3-pack of glass spice jars that are identical twins to the one that comes with their ceramic spice mill, letting you easily remove the grinding mechanism and screw it onto your different spice jars as needed.

I really like this spice mill. I bought it to use for a variety of Indian spices, but have used it exclusively for pepper. I don't often measure pepper, but the cover comes in handy for that purpose; just grind with the cover on, then measure what falls into it. I have another similar spice grinder which was less expensive. It doesn't work as well, but I discovered that McCormick spice jars fit it. When I checked the WMF for a similar fit I was disappointed, just a little too large.

I bought my first ceramic spice mill in Germany 5 years ago. I now have a small collection of these handy grinders. They are completely adjustable from a very fine grind to extremely coarse, no matter the spice you have in it.

I highly recommend these mills to any cook and for nearly any spice. I have a bunch for various salts and justa as many for my peppercorns. I also use them for grinding dried chilis, herbs, etc...

I love this skillet - it could be slightly better, but overall it is fantastic.

I bought this because it was such a great deal - it was a no-lose situation. It is just big enough to fit four pieces of bread on the bottom - making it great for french toast and grilled sandwiches. It is deep enough that it is a great pan for anything that spatters - although my wife seems to stick to the other pans we have for some reason, and we get spatter everywhere. But when I've used it with oil, it works great.

The only issue with it is that it is deep enough that it can be tough when trying to get the spatula into it. But if you're using it with the right purpose in mind, it works really well. Just tough when I've tried to use it for eggs - can't really get in and flip them well. But great for grilled sandwiches, french toast, etc... - where you need more surface area.

I purchased this pan a year ago on a whim, largely because Amazon was practically giving it away. I figured that if the pan turned out to be a dud, I wouldn't have lost much money.

The pan is thick (and thus heats evenly), but is still easy to manipulate. The handle (nylon?) stays cool to the touch. The nonstick coating has held up beautifully--food just slides right out of it. Just remember to NEVER USE METAL UTENSILS! (I put a very small scratch in mine by grabbing a metal spatula once without thinking. Fortunately, the scratch didn't penetrate through the nonstick coating, but I should have known better.)

The only reason I'm giving this pan 4 stars instead of 5 is because it doesn't come with a lid, which is necessary for some cooking tasks. (When I need a lid, I just grab the lid from my wok; it looks ugly, but it mostly works.)

Note that this pan comes in two versions: the Classic version (this version), and the Professional version. The only real difference is the handle: the Professional version has a metal handle and is oven-safe up to 500 degrees F; the Classic version is limited to 350 degrees F. Choose whichever one makes more sense for you.

This is my favorite pan. I am now hooked on non-stick Anolon cookware. This fry pan is a great size with deep sides with plenty of room for a whole fried chicken, for cooking up pasta dishes, just right for bacon slices, and cooks 4 supersized burgers at a time. I use a steel mesh splatter lid to contain the grease splatters during fying which works fine because this pan does not come with a lid.

Clean-up is sooo easy. I have yet to find anything, melted cheeses, eggs, sauces, that will stick to this pan. Just a little dish detergent and a few swipes of a wet wash cloth cleans it beautifully. I have not put the pan in my dishwasher but this has been my policy with all non-stick pans since I started buying them, so I'm not sure how it would fair being washed that way.

As far as construction, the pan is made well. The handle is securely rooted to the pan with no hint of ever coming loose. It's easy to grip and lift and stays cool during cooking. The pan itself is heavy and the surface promotes very even cooking.
The pan resists stains, as well.

When considering all of the above, the price is so reasonable, almost a steal. I highly recommend you buy this pan.

I gotta be honest, I bought this as a Mother's Day gift for my wife. She's probably thinking it's the greatest gift she's ever gotten because now I'm constantly asking her if she wants me to whip her up a batch of waffles! It stores easily and clean-up has not been an issue. There is a small rim to catch overfilling accidents and so far it's kept the spills to a minimum. Learning curve is very gentle. The "Waffle Tone" actually does a very nice job of telling you when it's done. The waffles themselves are very good and I was extremely pleased with how evenly it cooks both sides. You cannot tell the top from the bottom. One recommendation is to go easy on the spray/oil/grease. The non-stick surface works very well so too much additive causes the waffle to not brown/cook quite as evenly. Very little practice required to get it right.

Instruction book has a few recipes which are pretty good. Standard pancake mixes have a waffle option on them that works really well and takes half the time to prepare (just add egg and oil to the regular mix). I added a little vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar and..........well, I'm getting hungry again.

Very good choice.
<><

It's been absolutely amazing to me how every waffle I make with this waffle maker comes out perfect! I've had mine about 6 months now & maybe 100 waffles now have been produced with this magic machine! It beeps to let you know when ready to pour your batter, beeps when the waffle is ready & each and every time I open it I have an amazing perfect waffle waiting!

I found the recipe in the booklet to make too "egg-y" of a belgium waffle so I modified the recipe some & here's how I make my waffle batter the way I like it (the person who reported the bad review I see for this item probably had a batter mixture failure).

Here ya go (for 2 waffles): * 2 eggs separated * 2 cups flour * 1 cup milk * 1/2 teaspoon baking powder * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine * 1 teaspoon sugar * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Melt butter on low in microwave & set aside to cool a few minutes. 2) Separate your eggs. Whip the egg whites with wisk until a little fluffy. If you use EggBeaters (which are just egg whites anyway, you can use 2 tablespoons whipped & 2 tablespoons unwhipped). 3) Using a wooden spoon, mix all ingredients together except for egg whites & butter. 4) Fold in the whipped egg whites. 5) Pour in the melted butter (make sure cooled to a cloudy appearance & not clear or could cook your eggs in the batter). 6) Mix again & then if too thick, add additional milk until pourable consistency. 7) Use Pam Canola spray on waffle surfaces before pouring in the waffle maker. 8) Fully fill the waffle pan bottom (don't be sparing). 9) Voila, after your next beep & the green light after a few minutes, you should have a perfect waffle. Just lift out with a fork. Nothing should stick on the waffler except a little left over canola oil.

Serve with fresh strawberries, sliced, sugared (mixed with a little water) or with blueberries if you prefer. Always use 100% Canadian (not Vermont) Maple syrup.

Also, easy to clean & perfect for the micro-kitchen since it stands up on its side for storage. Since it looks so nice, chrome & all, mine stays out on display on my counter in my retro art deco styled & tiny kitchen.

Yummy! I've gained a few pounds because of this kitchen appliance. Good luck!

This waffler makes perfect belgians every time and I don't think I can live without it.

Let me get two small complaints out of the way. The dial has numbers from 1-6 on 1/4 of the dial, but the dial turns entirely, so it is a little confusing. Just make sure you line it up with one of the numbers. Secondly, it has a loud beep that dies off at the end. It sounds very odd and I don't know if it is defective, or if that is the intended "waffle tone". But despite these complaints, I highly recommend this model.

Once hot, on setting 4 it takes about 2-3 minutes to cook each waffle. And it doesn't take long to get hot.

A few tips:
* Buy Krusteas Belgian waffle mix
* Buy one of those plastic handled scrub brushes for two dollars at walmart and give it a quick brush after using it. I find that using it dry cleans it up nicely and gets in the crevices. It also gets rid of some of the old brown oil that can build.
* Definitely use pam or some spray. You don't necessarily need to put it on before every single waffle, but definitely before the first one. I forgot to do this one time and i had to chisel the pieces out.
* Strawberries and whipped cream. The frozen stawberries are good enough. Pecans and syrup. Blueberries... Endless possibilities.
* Try adding chocolate chips right on top of the batter after you pour it on the iron.

Use it for dinner and invite some friends, they won't be disappointed!

I bought the George Foreman for its lean cooking quality. It is the best thing! Not only can I grill chicken, but I found myself grilling veggies I would not eat before such as asparagus and eggplant. It's also great for all sorts of seafood; I now have catfish at least once a week without frying it. The extra large description of it is not very accurate. If I am cooking for two people, I usually do the veggies first and then grill the fish or meat since it does not all fit at once. Next time I will probably get a bigger one.

I am a thirtysomething woman with the cooking skills of a teenage boy, and the GF Grill was "prescribed" to me by some friends and family who sympathized with my ongoing struggles...and I must say that it has proved to be excellent "treatment plan!" I LOVE IT! I have grilled chicken breasts to mind-blowing juicy perfection, portabella mushrooms, turkey, tofu dogs, and many assorted vegetables -- even such tricky ones as okra -- on this grill. I've found no need to thaw anything or use cooking spray. I admit that I haven't even read the directions that came with it. And it really did clean up beautifully with nothing but wet paper towels. I recommend the "family" size even if you live alone, so that you can grill your entree and side items all at once. This delightful thing now has a permanent home on the counter, and my take-out bills and waistline are sure to improve dramatically. Warmly recommended to all...and remember, friends don't let friends eat fast food!

I am seriously cooking challenged, perhaps the biggest moron from any kitchen in North America. In my early 40's, I can barely boil water and have never made a hot meal for myself. I rely on fast food and my dinner generally consisted of Cheerios (literally). Everyone at work have urged me for over a year to get the George Foreman grill. I warily watched George's infomercials and grudgingly resisted taking the plunge to buy this grill. I thought there was no way it could possibly be as easy as Foreman made it seem. Boy, was I wrong.

I have had this grill for over a year and can honestly attest this is the best fifty bucks I have ever plucked down. Already I have made hamburgers in a jiffy, grilled salmon, shrimp and boneless chicken breasts. This may seem like nothing to you, but for someone who regarded Shredded Wheat as a gourmet meal, this grill has put a huge smile on my face, not to mention my husband, who is dancing a jig whenever the cooking aroma wafts his way.

Using the grill really is as easy as the infomercials claim. Grab your hamburger patties, sprinkle on some seasoning, pluck them down on the grill, close the lid and six minutes later you have a perfectly cooked burger. I was in ecstasy the first time I tasted one of my creations. No longer am I the most cooking challenged human being on the planet, I am giving Julia Childs a run for her money. God bless George Foreman, this product is fantastic. If you're a novice cook or a pro, you can't go wrong with this product.