Saturday, July 5, 2014
GrillScrubber , the barbecue grill scrub brush with replaceable stainless steel scouring pads.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Le Creuset Silicone Pastry Brush
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Smaller than I expected (knowing the length in inches doesn't tell you how it will look/feel in your hand), but it's a good tool for close-up basting, such as brushing melted butter on bread. It's nice that the brush head can be pulled off and put in the dishwasher.Read Best Reviews of Le Creuset Silicone Pastry Brush Here
Brush is much smaller than expected. Unlike a regular pastry brush, bristles are soft which makes it hard to work with butter that is cold or at room temperature. Does work well with melted butter.Want Le Creuset Silicone Pastry Brush Discount?
Wow, I guess I should have read more. Bought this as a filler item but still something I needed. Didn't realize the picture on my monitor was actually bigger than the brush.Whatever, it works, and the description is correct, so my fault. I just think they should rename it "Le Creuset Super Tiny Silicone Pastry Brush"
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Presto 09020 Cool Touch Electric Indoor Grill
I came across this one on Amazon and, after much searching and reading, decided I'd go ahead and give it a try. This is a single sided grill with no lid that comes down on top of it so you have to cook one side of your food at a time. Different from what I've been used to.
So far, so good. I haven't had time to use it a whole lot yet but what I've cooked on it so far has been good. Chicken and steaks. I love using these tabletop grills versus the oven or broiler or outdoor BBQ grill so I'm sure I'll use it for everything. Burgers, fish, chops, chicken, steak, vegetables, etc.
It is super simple to use. Plug in the cord to the grill (like an electric skillet) and plug the cord into an outlet and there you go. It heats up quickly to 400 degrees (or less) and is ready to go in no time. It is lightweight and super, super easy to clean! Thank goodness because that was my main reason for buying a new tabletop grill in the first place. It is totally dishwasher safe but I just rinse mine off in the sink. It has a non stick coating which is fine so far. I did wonder if heating up only to 400 degrees was going to be hot enough to cook steaks but it is just fine. I made them last night and they were great. Because you have to cook each side of the meat, it does take longer than the Foreman type grills but I don't mind that at all. Gives me time to be making the side dishes. The sides are made of plastic. Not sure if they'll hold up well over time or not.
For the price (around $35) I am pleased with this purchase so far. As long as it holds up for a reasonable period of time that is! We'll see as time goes by. If I have any problems with it, I'll come back and amend this rating.
Buy Presto 09020 Cool Touch Electric Indoor Grill Now
I use this for making burgers frying bacon and grilling steaks. comes out perfect and the fat drains away, easy to clean and store. very easy to use and makes perfect grill marks on steaks and burgers.Read Best Reviews of Presto 09020 Cool Touch Electric Indoor Grill Here
Everyone has reasons for their purchases but for me it was about time and convenience. Although we love it, there isn't always time for the charcoal grill. What I can't get in flavor from charcoal, I make up for in great seasonings!This grill is a nice alternative, no matter what the weather. Rain, heat or limited time can keep me indoors sometimes and I grew tired of not having the ability to grill when I wanted to. This grill fit the bill perfectly for 2 people and performs well. Haven't noticed any cold spots.
Great for chicken, burgers, steak, practically anything you would do on an outdoor grill. Veggies come out fantastic. Have grilled squash, zucchini and onions so far brushed with a little olive oil. The secret is letting it get hot before use.
My preference is to heat the grill to 350, not 400 as the booklet suggests. With chicken breasts, I heat it up and brush a little olive oil directly on the grill. I put on the marinated chicken, place a little foil tent over the meat and cook until the breasts internal temp reaches 165, turning once. YUM! Juicy and not burnt. And I get those nice grill marks! (Be aware dark meat requires a higher internal temp of 180 degrees for safe consumption.) You don't have to foil it, but I think the foil enhances how juicy the chicken ends up...
Clean up is simple...I wish everything were as easy to clean as this little grill and my Nesco electric pressure cooker!
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What could be more simple than selecting a temperature, heating up the grill and start cooking. It is a small grill that can hold 3 new yorkPresto Indoor Grill steaks.Grilling inside is easy for summer or winter, plus it is great to hear the steaks sizzle.
Can go in dishwasher, but is very easy to wash.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
West Bend 72215 Electric Extra-Deep Oblong 12-by-15-Inch Nonstick Skillet
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This skillet has some major shortcomings. It has VERY thin sidewalls which results in a significant uneven distribution of heat. One has to consistently move food to get it to cook evenly. The thin sidewalls also do not hold the heat. While cooking, the skillet cycles through getting extremely hot then shuts off and stops cooking. It seems unable to even remotely hold a constant temperature. I use a skillet for a lot of my cooking but this one is literally unusable.Read Best Reviews of West Bend 72215 Electric Extra-Deep Oblong 12-by-15-Inch Nonstick Skillet Here
I have to really wonder about any good reviews on this product. We were "gifted" this skillet for a 10 year employment anniversary gift where my husband works. I researched the gift options and chose this in spite of poor reviews. I lowered my expectations and hoped for the best. I guess I didn't lower them enough.I used it for the first time today frying up some chicken tenders. I figured that would give an an idea about the heating, seeing how each piece turned out. The only good thing about this skillet is it's size (I was able to lay out 10 tenders at once), but that falls way short as it just means more food to cook unevenly or burn. The heating in this skillet is anything but even. Very hot at the source and cooler on the other end and all kinds of temp differences in between. One of the last pieces to go in was starting to burn before it was time to turn the first piece which never really got a good brown on it at all. (it was right next to the other piece) Some were crispy and most weren't. That's not counting the overcooked ones.
As far as the structure, it does as other reviewers say, have very thin walls around it. As I was cleaning it and handling it I could feel a slight give in the side wall. The ends are so close to the handles that you can't get anything in between to clean there if you get something spilled over the edge. And as for the tilt leg... What tilt leg? I never could find it after seriously trying to figure that out. The legs are part of the one solid piece of plastic on each end that is the handle. Nothing moves to tilt anything. Of course that could just be me. I mean this thing being so high tech it was probably over my head to figure it out.
Don't waste your time on this skillet... it's NOT worth the money.
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Love this skillet. I was looking for a good electric skillet/frying pan. This one is perfect. It is extra large sized so I can fix everything I need for the family in one pan. Has nice glass cover soyou can see your food as you cook. Also is non-stick for easy cleanup.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Air King 9018 Commercial Grade Oscillating Wall Mount Fan, 18-Inch
The Air King brand used to mean quality. No longer.I usually read a few of the best ratings but ALL the worst ratings before buying a product. I did so when purchasing this fan. So when I read about the poor quality and/or noise level issues in some ratings, I thought hard before purchasing anyway. But since there didn't seem to be a good alternative for my need, I went ahead with the purchase.
My experience, however is 5*. The fan is quiet, smooth, and moves a LOT of air. It's as if I got a different model than the 1* rating customers received. We use ours for our garage. Mounting was a breeze ... 2 holes mounts a simple bracket on which the fan hooks/hangs. The fan oscillates with the push of a button on the motor housing (typical functionality) and also tilts down if you remove a quarter-sized plastic screw cover to expose a phillips adjustment screw. But best of all, there is a pull cord that hangs down from the fan which allows you to cycle through High-Medium-Low-OFF settings without climbing on a stool or jumping up to reach the controls (yes, we have ours mounted near the ceiling and we are not blessed with natural born height).
Bottom line: a great fan for mounting on a wall, especially up high ... quiet, smooth, adjustable, and MOVES air.
Buy Air King 9018 Commercial Grade Oscillating Wall Mount Fan, 18-Inch Now
This Fan shakes and vibrates on the high speed extremely violent. Using it on "Low to Med Speeds" are somewhat acceptable with less shake and vibration. I should of returned it when I read another reviewers mention the same issue on the Air King Site Reviews. Be advised the fan blades are 16 inches the only thing that's 18" is the Flimsy Air Plastic Fan Guard....which is the source of the vibration and problem. I am not a Fan Manufacturing Designer, but wouldn't it make more sense to do the the inner fan guard in metal then in flimsy plastic if your trying to fool the buying public? And not to try to pass on a smaller Fan as a 18" buy employing a bigger Fan Guard?? Air King really," What Were You Thinking" when you manufactured this fan for the American market passing it of as an 18" Fan when in all actuality its a 16' fan with an over size guard? Maybe the excessive shaking serves a purpose....Like a visually larger fan with NOISE due to the big Grill!!! Don't buy this worthless junk. I'll never use mine past the Medium Setting, which is still bad, but I can always use it to advise my visitors and friends what a the Great "Air King" is doing to the view of the America Production/Design! A Smaller Fan blade unit with a smaller motor and an over size Rear Plastic Fan Guard with a Metal Front Grill to add to the illusion. .....Damn Shame.Read Best Reviews of Air King 9018 Commercial Grade Oscillating Wall Mount Fan, 18-Inch Here
Was looking for a wall mount fan to go in bedroom, looked at the lasko brand and reviews weren't all that good. Read reviews on Air King, they were ok, so decided to give this fan a try. I did receive box in a timely manner 2 day prime, box appeared to be used not sealed 100%, started taking parts out of box and they were dirty with dust & grim, the plastic components appeared cheap, were not all the same color, and the main plastic part that had the speed setting had some sort of manufacture defect with a residual effect on it, I did go back after I purchased it and see that another customer had this same issue.Want Air King 9018 Commercial Grade Oscillating Wall Mount Fan, 18-Inch Discount?
I needed to buy 2 fans to replace the fans that were working but no longer oscillating at my gym. This is the exact same fan that I was replacing so I didn't need to install the wall mounts -it was plug-and-play. They work fine and the price was reasonable.Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Nuwave PIC - Precision Induction Cooktop with Grill
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I purchased my Newave Induction Cook Top thru Amazon. The Nuwave is everything the commercials say it is. It is a fast and very precise way to cook. I use 9inch induction skillet, put a little bit of grape seed 0il in it, set the temperature to 375 degrees and in less than two minutes I'm cooking french fries. Omelets are a breeze. I use the 10.5inch induction skillet to cook the bacon. Along with the Nuwave I purchased the porcelain coated cast iron grill for cooking steaks, hamburgers and pork chops. I set the Newave on sear and all three of the meats come out beautifully cooked. The shipping was faster that stated. It is a new way for me to cook and I enjoy it.Read Best Reviews of Nuwave PIC - Precision Induction Cooktop with Grill Here
No splattering or burning when frying chicken.... not heavy, easy for a 72 year old to use, clean and etc....Want Nuwave PIC - Precision Induction Cooktop with Grill Discount?
I didn't get the "free" cookware option. Simply because I dislike deceptive advertising. I bought the cooktop with the grill from Amazon where the shipping and handling was included in the price. The cost was the same, but, without the deception. I only had one skillet in the house that would work with the cooktop. It works exactly as advertised. So does the grill. If I buy another one with the cookware, I'll buy it from Amazon also just to eliminate the "shipping and handling" fees mentioned on the TV ads.Monday, October 7, 2013
Zojirushi BBCC-V20 Home Bakery Traditional Breadmaker
Features I like: Double paddles. This is absolutely the way to go if you want a horizontal loaf, otherwise some of the flour can get stuck in a corner and not get mixed up. You can solve this by scraping the sides during mixing, but having to do that sort of defeats the purpose of a breadmaker.
Another thing I like is the "Homemade" setting, which allows you to customize the cycle times. The default is for French Bread, which, incidentally, comes out very well. One caution, their recipe calls for 3 teaspoons of yeast, which caused it to overrise. I now use 2 teaspoons and get great results. Also, the "default" setting for Homemade/French Bread wasn't set correctly on mine at first, but the instruction manual listed the correct settings and it was easy to reprogram. Good instruction manual, by the way.
One other nice feature is the preheat cycle. The trickiest part with bread machines is getting the right amount of yeast for the machine's timed rise cycles. Cold liqueds slow down yeast action, warm ones speed it up. I've found that the preheat cycle helps give more uniform results. (Age and amount of yeast affects it too, but the breadmachine can't compensate for that.)
Most of the other features, like jam and cake settings, I never use.
Disappointments: The window gets steamed up during processing and opening the cover causes it to pause so you can't really watch what it is doing. Also, the delay timer only works with the "Basic" bread setting. I wanted to set it to have French bread ready when I came home, and couldn't.
The thing I use most: The "Dough" setting. I prefer to let the breadmaker mix everything up for me and do all the initial risings, and then throw it in a pan for the last rising and bake it myself. This way the paddles don't get baked into the bottom of the loaf, and I don't have to worry about over or under rising. Honestly, it is the yeast that causes most problems people have with breadmakers. Old yeast, or not enough, and your bread comes out like a brick. Too much and it either overrises and sticks to the top, as it did the first time I made French bread with 3 tsp. of yeast, or it caves in during baking and you have a U-shaped top. (If it rises but the top is flat, rather than rounded, it's not the yeast. You probably have too much liqued or too little flour adjust accordingly.)
I don't use mixes, so I can't comment on that, but I have an electric wheat grinder and often use fresh ground whole wheat (which they don't recommend), and this breadmachine handles it beautifully. I like being able to use all healthy ingredients, like whole wheat instead of white flour, and honey instead of refined sugar. In this case though it does need extra yeast, since the whole wheat flour is heavier.
I recommended this breadmaker to both my step-mother and my best friend, so I guess that's a pretty high recommendation. (My mother still does it by hand. Maybe someday I'll get her to try a machine.)Let me save you the time of reading all prior reviews to this date, as I have gone through them all and can sum them up for you. In fact, I was one of the consumers who raved about this machine after receiving it last Christmas, giving it 5 stars...
Of course, I had only owned it for two months at the time. It IS a fantastic machine at first, producing perfect results every time. It does have some unbeatable features, but it seems that other companies are catching up and now incorporate the same ones. (Such as the horizontal loaf style, automatic preheat cycle, warming cycle, add ingredients cycle, various crust settings, viewing window, etc.) The problem is not with its features, but in lasting quality.
After making an average of a loaf per week for the last year, this machine DOES start to wear rapidly. Generally speaking, Amazon consumer reviews indicate that people begin experiencing trouble anywhere between 6 and 18 months of use. The problems are all the same: Rusting/chipping paddles, rusting/warping pan, and unevenly shaped loaves.
This didn't happen at first. The loaves never stuck, and the ingredients mixed well. The bread had the proper shape and baked evenly. The results were perfect and consistent every time... in the beginning. I assumed there were just a couple of lemons out there, since the majority of reviews were glowing. But if you take the time to go through all of them, you'll notice that most of the glowing reviews are from consumers who haven't had the machine very long. At that time, being so thrilled and impressed, I enthusiastically recommended it to everyone as well.
Now the bread won't release from the pan as easily as it once did. When it was new, it only took one or two shakes. Now it becomes a battle, whether you remove the bread immediately after the cycle is done or once it has warmed and cooled. Also, the paddles stick in the bread every single time, no matter what kind of bread you make. It's impossible not to tear the bread in order to remove them.
None of this is a major a problem, but add to that uneven browning and an unevenly shaped loaf... I have to admit I'm disappointed. It seems that one of my paddles must not be working properly, because one end of the loaf is considerably smaller than the other. If I don't catch it at the end of the kneading cycle and correct the shape before the rising/baking cycle, the result is a VERY misshapen loaf that is burned on one end.
I'm also noticing that it doesn't mix the ingredients as well as it once did, leaving raw flour on the bottom/sides of the loaf, and in different parts of the machine. Again: must be a paddle problem. Like several others' experience, my bread pan is starting to rust on the underside, too. To replace the bread pan plus two paddles will cost over $110, so why bother? If my bread pan starts to warp like others' have (which makes the paddles scrape the pan during kneading), I will try a different brand rather than replace its parts. If the Zo parts were less expensive, I might show a bit more loyalty.
Although I have no experience with other brands and am unaware if these are universal problems, it sounds like the Panasonic has been highly rated, even above the Breadman. I would check consumer reports next time to be certain, though.
I am giving the Zojirushi 3 1/2 to 4 stars now, but I'm afraid I'll end up rating it 3 stars or less if it continues to decline. It's still better than baking bread by hand in any case... Nothing beats how easy it is to simply throw the ingredients in a machine, turn it on, and have freshly baked bread in 3 1/2 hours. However, you may want to research another brand.
Buy Zojirushi BBCC-V20 Home Bakery Traditional Breadmaker Now
After major research of available breadmakers, I chose the Zo a couple of years ago and have never been disappointed. It was my first breadmaker. My final choice was based on features, reviews, and support from both manufacturer and the breadmachine community (web forums, etc.).In my mind the important features are the size and shape of the loaf, the ability of the machine to produce a properly kneaded loaf, the flexibility to create your own bread making process flow (knead, rise, bake, etc.), and the durability to make any kind of bread (white or whole multi grain). The Zo was the only one that combined all of these in one machine in a way that suited my needs.
The folks who have had problems with this machine either received a bad machine (and should return it) or can't follow directions. There is no margin for error when using a breadmachine. You must follow the recipe EXACTLY (unless you are at higher elevations).
If this is your first breadmachine I also highly recommend the books Bread Machine Magic and More Bread Machine Magic. These are well written books with a nice variety of recipes that always worked the first time for me. The machine comes with a good manual with a few recipes that are also good but is a little short on bread making theory (which is nice to have when things go wrong).
Is it perfect? Nearly, but my wish list includes more flexibility with some of the settings (sometimes there is no need for the preheat cycle) and more programs (create your own bradmaking process). The window leaves a lot to be desired as well, but that applies to almost all of the machines. Don't expect those little windows to work like they do in a regular oven!
At our house this machine gets used not only to make bread, but for bread dough for baking in the oven and fresh made pizza dough (one of life's important little treats).
All of our recipes are made from scratch, but in the beginning I also used mixes from King Arthur Flour---highly recommended! The premade mixes are great in the beginning of your breadmachine adventures as they eliminate one source of error (measuring ingredients).
All things considered, when the time comes, my next machine will be a Zo 20 as well.
Read Best Reviews of Zojirushi BBCC-V20 Home Bakery Traditional Breadmaker Here
I have been using a National bread machine for about 7 years making a loaf a week on the average. Last year I bought the Zojirushi to have another machine. What an improvement in bread quality! The twin blades make a huge difference. French bread is much less time. clean up is much easierCWant Zojirushi BBCC-V20 Home Bakery Traditional Breadmaker Discount?
I've had my machine for a little over one year, my fourth one in an assortment of brands and price ranges during my 12 years of bread machine experiences. First time I tried to use the crust control in the whole weat setting, it didn't work. Okay, okay, I should have sent it back right then and there, but life got in the way and I "forgave" that little glitch. I also tried to overlook the paleness of the loaves. And when my husband complained that the darn loaf won't come out of the pan without prying it out with a plastic spatula and tearing the loaf apart, I blamed it on whatever, just so I wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of customer service and returns and such because I was not feeling well.Then we noticed rust "growing" underneath the pan where the plate is attached, and I noticed oil leaks from the paddle clips. I called the nearest Zojirushi dealership in New York and asked about a replacement pan. The dealer told me I should wash that stuff off, he immerses his pan into water all the time. I tried that, but the problem merely got worse. Also, the flaking paddles and scorched sides of the pan were unwelcome signs of poor craftsmanship as far as I'm concerned since I had not seen this before, not even in less expensive brands.
A week ago suddenly the bottom bent up around one of the blades, which now scrapes down to the bare metal during kneading and makes a horrendous noise. The idea of eating metal flakes is not becoming, so I hopped online to get a replacement pan and new paddles. The pan costs $88.95, each paddle $12.95, for a lovely total of $114.85 plus shipping.
That's when I logged on to Amazon.com, to see what other owners of this machine had to say. And I've decided to look for another brand instead of investing any more money into this disappointing machine.
I've owned a Zojirushi electronic rice cooker for 13 years.That machine still performs outstanding, which was my main reason for choosing Zojirushi's breadmaker. I thought I was getting the same high quality. What a let-down! And I thank all you reviewers who shared their problems with this brand!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Char-Broil 4278185 16-Ounce Eco-Safe Stainless Steel Spray Cleaner
2 Stars.
I believe there are better products fordegreasing stainless, Char-Broil has another degreaser/polisher that may be better.

