Showing posts with label bbq grill reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bbq grill reviews. Show all posts

Monday, June 2, 2014

Pizzacraft PC0304 Grilled Pizza Cone Set, 6-Piece

Pizzacraft PC0304 Grilled Pizza Cone Set, 6-PieceI saw this on a different website and thought it would be fun to try so my wife got it for my birthday as a surprise. In theory it should all work fine, but we used good quality dough and followed the instructions with terrible results. After just a minute in the oven the dough fell off the cones. We tried a couple times with the same result. So now this product sits in a cabinet with other useless cooking items that look good in pictures but don't perform as they should.

Also, the silly "slicer" that comes with it is cheap and the metal actually flaked off on the dough as it rolled. I would never use the slicer again.

Please vote for my review if you found it helpful. I like to write reviews and your feedback let's me know how I'm doing.

Really cheaply made, pizza dough stuck to the cone really bad. Tried oiling cone, tried flouring cone, tries preheating cone, still stuck. When I pulled the dough off it pulled all the black coating off with it

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I made these with my three kids (two young teens and an eight year-old). They were great to eat! Everyone enjoyed them. But it does take some time to construct and bake the cones before filling. But if you have the time and like cooking/eating projects with your family, this will be great for you. Be careful not to tip the pan when putting them in the oven to bake because they can fall over.

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This was really my first foray into making my own pizza dough. If you've never made your own dough before, you may have some minor issues like I did. I didn't let my dough rest enough, so the dough kept thickening and wouldn't maintain it's shape. Then my dough was too tacky, but I added too much flour and it was overly "floury". None of this really has to do with the pizza cone set.

Once you get your dough issues worked out, the pizza cones work fantastic and easy. Cut the dough, fold in over and run the crimp tool to seal. Then, slide the cone inside the dough pocket you just made and bake it. Once it's done, you use the holders to prop up the dough "cone" and fill with your "toppings". Be warned that if you use a pizza sauce that gravity will do it's work and the bottom will be real saucy. Try to coat the dough as lite as possible.

Other than my minor issues, the set worked great. The pizza cones were fun and yummy. It's just a shame you can only make 2 at a time.

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We have served all sorts of food in these edible cones! Pizza, Chile, Tacos,made it like garlic bread and filled it with Spaghetti,Curry. Lets not forget all the desserts you can serve this way. Used a pasty dough and filled it with vanilla yogurt and fruit. Options are limetless Great for small children and adults

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Sunday, May 18, 2014

Telescopic Marshmallow / BBQ Fork - Set of 4 - Assorted Colors

Telescopic Marshmallow / BBQ Fork - Set of 4 - Assorted Colors
  • Set of 4 Telescopic Marshmallow / BBQ Forks
  • Colors on handles will vary

We go camping a lot and making smores and toasted marshmallows is always part of our ritual and was delighted find to buy these. We go all out camping with too many luxuries (movie projector and screen, inflatable couch -not really roughing it) so between a family 5 and camping and food our car is packed!! What we do is put all of our camping gear in a large cooler and then empty the cooler and the put drinks/food and ice in it. We had the long Coleman forks but they didn't fit in the cooler == other BBQ forks on Amazon were more for hot dogs only and too wide to ensure that two prongs would pierce marshmallows. These Cooking Concepts seemed to be an ideal item for an unmet need. We go ours from joe or john bargains on Amazon and they arrived quickly and seem to fit the bill -the ones I got are about 10 or so inches collapsed as the picture shows and about 24-28 inches extended which is safe and longer than our old forks for the kids. The spacing between prongs were great for marshmallows and therefor would be good for hot dogs too. The different color collar also made it easy for everyone to know which was their fork. We've used them three times last summer and so far have held up pretty well. I read another reviewers' comment before buying and have to keep in mind these are like antennas with forks at the end of them and like extendable radio antennas you do have to handle with some care remind the kids! I also like that we can collapse them and keep them on the picnic table without worrying that someone will walk into them or poke their eyes out. Cleaning sticky marshmallows off them was a snap as we usually put the forks in a paper or plastic cup with 2-2 1/2 inches of water after use and let them sit overnight and they easily wipe clean with a paper towel the following morning. For the price of 4 sticks and convenience this was a nice find and at less $25 for four of these I feel I got my monies worth already. Others I've seen were almost the same price for just 2 forks. I see Amazon is sold out of these and will likely get more for next summer since my kids now bring their friends camping.

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These sticks are horrible. They are cheap. Two of them broke the very first time we tried to use them. I only bought them a few weeks ago. I scrubbed and scrubbed the other two to get them clean. Nope. I actually scrubbed off the coating, they are so cheap. Going in the trash. I wish I could rate them no stars.

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I like the color coding. As a vegetarian, I don't like my campsticks to get mixed up with a meat eater's stick.

Aside from the colors, it's an ordinary telescoping campstick fork. I like them, they're a lot easier than searching the woods for a good roasting stick.

These were a little flimsy, but work just fine.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Chef'n Mini Burger Machine Mini Burger Press

Chef'n Mini Burger Machine Mini Burger PressI wasn't sure how it was going to be able to clean properly, considering it's used for raw meat. I was pleased that it came apart so that it could be cleaned properly. However, I didn't end up using it for the party I bought it for, so I returned it. It's a great little item for the price though.

was a christmas present and the presentation, weight and feel for it is cheap, i would love to know how long it lasts

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I love this! It works great and is super easy to clean. It defently helps with portioning and calorie intake control.

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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Electric Japanese Takoyaki Pan - Medium Sized (18 molds) - Made in Japan

Electric Japanese Takoyaki Pan - Medium Sized - Made in JapanFirst and foremost, the molds are actually small despite the description saying "medium". The pan itself is great and works as advertised. I was afraid the power plug would be different, but it plugs into any US 120V outlet. One other thing i've noticed is that the surface scratches easily and reveals the underlying chrome. This worries me somewhat, as it is important that the balls dont stick to the pan. Like I said already, i'm satisfied with the product, my only gripe is the size of the molds.

It says "For Japan Use Only" on the package, and I can understand why. The voltage here is probably different than Japan's. First trial use, it shut off at some point and it makes crackling sounds all the time. But if I just unplugged and plugged it back in a occasionally, then it ensures the power will stay on to cook the takoyaki. But be careful with burning though. Took like 2-3 trial batches to make something resembling takoyaki

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I have never made takoyaki before, so it will take some time for me to learn to do it properly, but the pan works as described and is very easy to clean.

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Works exactly as described. I recommend using an online tutorial on youtube or on a blog on how to make takoyaki. This machine is perfect and cooks out the best octopus dumplings. You can probably use this machine to make pancake puffs as well and pipe them with cream or jam.

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I bought this at donki hote. It only cost 15 dollar. It's cheap but it's not a good pan. Heat is not evenly distributed. One side will be cooked before another one done.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

PRIDEAUX'S Family Name Bar & Grill Coasters

PRIDEAUX'S Family Name Bar & Grill CoastersThese coasters were a gift and a great surprise! Perfect for all occassions and a nice coaster for drinks! Love the art work and the style of the coasters! Great colors and made well!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Breville EW30XL Electric Gourmet Wok

Breville EW30XL Electric Gourmet WokI've done a fair amount of stirfry over the years, and for a long time had a professional level one similar to this Breville. Once it died, I did not get another, and anytime I tried to do stirfry on the oven it was a disaster. Even a new pretty powerful $800 gas oven did NOT get the on-the-stove pan hot enough. I would end up 'stewing' the food, and it bore little resemblance to my stirfry's of the past.

I was VERY impressed with the excellent instructions that are provided in the book this comes with. I studied all their tips for an hour, and was amazed at the things I did NOT know, or had forgotten. Someone who never stirfried before could get first rate results by studying just a few pages. Little things are important I used to just turn it on, and throw in the oil and wait for it to get hot. WRONG! You are supposed to turn it on EMPTY, let it get VERY hot, and only then put in the oil. And I realized I had started to get lazy, and was not doing smaller batches of items at a time, which does end up with better results.

If I need to get things out of the pan, I just hold a big bowl or plastic container next to it, and slide stuff up the side and out or I just tip it up and dump it on a plate. Although it is good to know that once every few months I could actually take it apart for an old-fashioned cleaning, all you really need to do is wipe it out with a sponge. The non-stick surface is fantastic. The temperature dial is excellent, and it comes with the most heavy duty cord you ever saw!

Stir-fry is my teenaged son's favorite meal, and without a good wok, I hardly ever cooked it for him. Now when I tell him we're having stir-fry, he's thrilled. Remember this thing would be good for a lot more than just stirfry too. I was amazed that it could slow cook as well. I can make beef stew a one pot dish. Can't wait to try it out on tempura, which it will also be great for! There are also a lot of great recipes in the book.

I bought this wok based on the reviews posted here. I have to say that I agree that it gets really hot and I am amazed at how well it performs. That being said, I have noticed that the non-stick surface has a lot of surface scratches and I use a plastic spatula. Yesterday, I made Beef Lo Mein and the pan was just as great as beforehand. However, upon washing it up in the sink, I noticed that a piece of the non-stick had peeled off. My experience with that coating suggests that this will continue to occur as I use the appliance more often. This is very disappointing as this is the best performing wok that I have ever used. I'm crossing my fingers hoping that the non-stick won't continue to peel. That would certainly betray the overall performance of an otherwise excellent appliance

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Solid, heavy gage construction cooks evenly. See-through lid is equally thick, which is good because it retains heat and doesn't cause steam condensation as as most others do.

It appears non-stick coating will last -again, because heavier construction dissipates heat and won't sear the surface. Time will tell.

Would be great if base could be removed without turning over. Removing contents to a bowl for serving can be a trick. Removal for cleaning is good.

Size is smaller than Maxim? that I had previously. Not that the larger size is needed for large amounts (wok cooking tends to boil or steam large amounts instead of searing the food; rather, a larger size would make stirring easier.

Would have gotten 5 stars if larger and base were removable while cooking.

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This electric wok is fantastic. Just disregard all you've heard about how electric woks don't match up. The Breville EW30XL is different and it rates 5 stars by many people for good reasons. This wok is extremely well made and should last a lifetime. It gets so hot on the highest setting, that it melted the end of a plastic wok turner I purchased to use with it (use good quality hardwood and toss quickly). It's non-stick coating is there to stay and because of it, you use less or even no oil (be sure to use appropriate oils). Peanut oil is a perfect choice. This is a high quality wok that you will enjoy for years to come.

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I had originally purchased a Rival stainless W73 wok about 11 months ago. The legs loosened and the plastic BB bumps that sit in holes broke off. Those plastic bumps prevent the legs from turning. My wife was last stir frying with it sitting on a measuring cup. I love strir fry and knew that if that continued she would not want to use it so I called the company and their customer service responded by emailing me only one sentence. We have no more legs. To simply state that I was ticked is an understatement. I then read the above reviews on the Breville so I ordered one. I was impressed by the weight and the well thought about design and quality. It is not a light weight by no means. I used the Braise setting tonight and it seared the chicken immediately. I like the selector on the lid for the vent so I can steam vegetables and then after serving I can open the vent and put the lid back on to keep them warm and prevent further steaming. I liked the temp selector how it locks in when you plug it into the wok and then you grasp the side lever on the selector when you go to pull it out and it releases. The big knob on the bottom turns to remove the fry bowl to wash it. To put it back you simply set the temp plug housing into a cradle and then reach underneath to lock it. I also noted that because of the bowl shape I can put my serving plate against the outside of the wok and then drag the stir fry up the inside until it lands on the server plate. No spills and no picking up and tipping. I used very little peanut oil and it cleaned up great with a sponge. I'm already planning the next dish from my Madame Wong's Long-Life cookbook.

Monday, September 16, 2013

CobraCo FB8008 Diamond Mesh Fire Pit with Screen and Cover

CobraCo FB8008 Diamond Mesh Fire Pit with Screen and CoverThis is my first fire pit. I bought this particular model after reviewing more than 100 others for a handful of reasons listed under PRO below, and the product delivered well on every expectation.

PRO:

====

1. It's a large diameter model. I need it big enough to hold whatever firewood I can buy locally, and this model handles it all well. I don't have to chop normal firewood into littler pieces.

2. It's a deep model. Those little pan models are out of the question. This model holds several pieces of wood and all the newspaper I care to ball up underneath. When I'm ready to light it, a single match takes care of everything for the first couple hours. Instead of giving the fire my constant attention, I can enjoy my family and guests.

3. There's a wonderful flat surface ringing the pit, and it's tall enough to be useful. The ring stays cool, perfect for plates and drinks. We particularly like keeping mugs of hot chocolate on the ring as we settle around the fire after dark, having eaten dinner there when it was light out. We also bought marshmallow roasting sticks that work beautifully with this fire pit.

4. The diamond mesh allows superior air flow. A fire cannot thrive without air, and this pit provides far more than other models. I could wish that the pan's bottom allowed air also, but that would allow debris (and hot coals) to fall through.

5. The mesh lid is solid and effective. I have no worries about safety when the lid is in place.

6. The entire unit is solid. Some friends have a more rickety model. This fire pit's legs are sturdily attached, but their real stability comes from their wide base.

7. Absolutely zero maintenance is required after initial assumbly. Just park this fire pit in your back yard and pull up a few of those soccer-mom sideline chairs. The firewood itself requires a bit of attention of course, but there's nothing to turn or tighten on the fire pit itself.

8. It comes with a cover! That's something you definitely want, and this model saves you that expense. My cover lasted until the lawnmowing service started a few months later, but I expect that any cover of any quality would not have survived that weed-eater treatment. Shame on me for leaving the fire pit in my suburban backyard grass instead of building a patio or laying out some bricks.

CON:

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1. Assembly was a bit more difficult than I expected, but not bad really. All the parts are black, so it's hard even to see the holes and alignments. The metal edges aren't sharp exactly, but neither are they smooth and comfortable like rolled edges. The instructinos are clearly written in real English. But legs were attachable curving inward instead of outward, and the big ring was attachable upside-down. I could imagine v2.0 of this model ensuring that parts can only be assembled correctly. This one minor point almost gave this product less than a perfect score, but ultimately the finished product is what I rated not the assembly.

2. After six months of occasional use, the wire mesh lid looks a little burned in one place. I expect that the fire got too hot once, and that a steel wire brush would make it look new again. But I'm still in zero-maintenance mode, and I care far more about the function than continuing the like-new look.

Overall Summary: It's bigger than it looks, and quite solid. The size allows pre-building a long-lasting fire, and the mesh allows air to feed that fire so you don't need to tend it constantly. The wide, flat ring surface makes the whole unit more functional.

The product itself is actually really nice. Pretty much it's the main bowl that sits in the frame with the legs so that when you have the firepit going the main bowl is hot but the outer metal stay cool.

The problem I had with the product was that one of the legs was broken out of the box and the mesh cover was dented. I guess thankfully I have a lot of patients and am in no hurry; I called the company to request replacement for these parts under warranty. Now some may go crazy considering how long it's taking for these parts to arrive. (Around a month) but that's because they need to ship the part from China to their HQ in the US and then ship it to you. Best part is the request stays in the their records, I've dealt with so many other companies and half the time the ticket number would just magically disappear *cough HTC cough*. They even personally called me up to give me the status of the part and to give me the situation of the part.

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Be aware that if any parts are missing you will be asked to ship the whole fire pit to Woodstream for replacement. I was missing the screen handle and bolt and they told me to ship the whole fire pit back to them for replacement. Sorry, I did not stay on the call long enough to find out if the shipping would be at my cost or theirs.

In my opinion this is pretty poor customer service for a minor part. There are a lot of other choices, I plan to avoid this company in the future.

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Whoever said "she" assembled this in 15 minutes, must have had extra hands helping or assembled it in a black hole time warp! Took me a solid hour. The tools provided are adequate but not "hand-friendly" and a philips-head screw driver is needed but not provided (no big deal). Whoever is counting bolts, nuts, and screws miscounted on my order, apparently just as with other orders. I had one less screw than necessary and two extra bolts than needed; so I improvised and used a nut where there was to be a screw. When your unit comes with insufficuent nuts, bolts, and screws, either improvise as I did or take one of whatever you are missing down to Lowes/Home Depot and pay the 32cents per nut/bolt/screw rather than returning the entire fire pit. Also, instructions neglect to tell you to be certain that the "ring" is below the upper lip of the fire canister and not above it during assembly. After assembly (1 hour), loved it! Whoever said "her" kids sat their hot cocoa on the ring must not have had a robust fire going at the time; the heat generated will melt or super-heat anything left on the useful decorative ring. Be careful what you put on the ring ... it gets really hot! All-in-all I really like the unit, but the pit fits too tightly to remove from the ring (at first) when dumping ashes out .... so you have to lift pit, ring, and all to dump, but its doable. After a fire or two the pit lifted from the ring for easier dumping. The actual pit is a really wide diameter, which I love for burning broken/fallen branches and split logs in ... you can easily sit 6 around this pit or 8-10 at a farther distance from the pit. Enjoy it... I am!

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Just got it. Quite fast...2 days free shipping, Sat. delivery. Assembled in less than an hour. All parts needed where there, with the exception of washers (it lost a star for this). I highly recommend using stainless steel lock washers on all the "ring" assembley screws (8) and under the mesh lid cover for it's handle, and star lock washers on the (4) feet screws. That's what I did anyway. The included tiny open-end wrench will drive you crazy (another reason for the lost star) so be sure to have a 10mm open-end/box wrench and a 10mm speed nut driver if you can. The rest are Allen nuts (8) which I personally hate, but they include an Allen nut driver in a good size. You also need a #2 or #3 Phillips driver. The assembly went easily with the right tools. Everything fit well and looked great after assembly. The paint/coating was not scratched anywhere. The welds seem ok. Seems quite sturdy.

We looked at a lot of fire pits before choosing this one. We like the all black coating....it goes with everything, and and black residue from smoke etc. will merely blend in. One of the main reasons we chose this one is it's height. It's only 14" high, and we happen to have 2 Eddie Bauer folding camping chairs that are 12" high. Others we considered are 23" high or so, and would be too high for our EB chairs and even regular chairs (typically 17-18"). In any event, we wanted a low profile pit, not something that dominated our new natural stone patio, but merely enhanced it. We also feel that the low profile is safer....less top heavy with a lower flame/spark profile. Be sure to put at least 1" of sand or DG (decomposed granite) in the bottom before using.

Have not lit a fire yet, but don't need to in order to review it. The fire part is easy. We will simply use Duraflame logs to start it and throw in firewood as needed.

Hope this review helps someone.

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Friday, September 6, 2013

Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Aluminum Charcoal and Ash Scoop

Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Aluminum Charcoal and Ash ScoopI buy 50 pound bags of dog food and have been using plastic bowls to scoop out the chow into a bucket to carry into the dog pen to fill poochie's dish. After going through several bowls which tend to crack and break, I purchased this aluminum scoop.

Hot dog, does it work so much better than a bowl!! It's strong and durable and will last no doubt for many years. I didn't measure how much, but the scoop holds a lot, and I can fill a bucket in no time.

What else can I say about a scoop? It's strong, has a nice finish to it, it's easy to use, and holds a lot. In fact it's so nice, I'll probably have to hide it from the Grill King so he doesn't scarf it to use for the charcoal.

Before I bought this for moving charcoal the three feet from the container to the grill, I tried using tongs. The little bits always slipped out, particularly when using lump charcoal instead of briquettes. Took forever, too. Then I tried using a plastic mixing bowl. I couldn't get the charcoal to scoop well because the lip was too thick and the bowl wasn't the right shape. Plus, the plastic is now scratched and seems to be permanently black at the top from the charcoal. Clearly not the best idea I've had lately.

This scoop solved all that. It is large, and seems like it would stop a bullet. It has a nice polish that looks nice, while not collecting charcoal dust. All aluminum means it won't rust when left outside (as mine is).

Surprisingly good quality -it looks like it cost a hundred dollars at a specialty store. Would make a good gift, especially if you notice that the griller in your life has been scratching up the mixing bowls.

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You wouldn't think you could love a scoop but I love this one. Hard to find a super large sized one. Smooth as silk. Lovely robust handle. Sure to last several lifetimes if you can keep up with it as folks keep grabbing it for all sorts of tasks. Have one for clean kitchen duty and another for the yard. Never mind that's its called, "Charcoal and Ash", its fine for soil, rice, flour, fillings, anything you want to dip a gulp of and not have to keep going back over and over for lesser amounts.

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This is a fine little scoop. I use mine for scooping charcoal into my chimney starter, and it's big enough, strong enough, good enough, and darn it, people like it. While I wouldn't go quite so far as one reviewer in saying that it looks like a $100 item from a specialty store (wish I owned a specialty store in his/her neighborhood lol), it does look well made, the finish is decent, and it is sturdy enough to lift a lot more of whatever you're lifting than will fit into the scoop.

That's the scoop as I see it, hope some of you find my review helpful!

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I purchased this scoop to scoop fuel Pellets out of the bag and then into my Pellet Stove Insert. If works perfectly and stops me from lifting the bag and spilling Pellets all over the Living Room. It is a larger Scoop that is made out of heavy Aluminum. Great quality for the price. Recommended.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Porcelain Wire Cooking Grid

Porcelain Wire Cooking GridThis had to be cut down to fit the bbq so there went the ceramic coating This was supposed to fit my grill....

Item as described, fit right into my grill with no issues. Seems to be of good quality, have had for several months now and no issues.

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