GrillPro 40259 Stainless Steel Tong

I bought these to use as a pair of cheap campfire tongs. I like that they are long, good for grabbing coals out of the campfire to place on the dutch oven!

Just receive this item. It's well made of stainless steel and feel solid and good quality. For $6 something, it a great buy.

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Strong, well-built tongs that should serve me well over the barbecue or campfire. They are a nice length for my needs

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George Foreman GRB48B G-Broil Electric Grill with 48-Square-Inch Cooking Surface

I've used a different sized foreman grill in the past (I believe the GR10ABWI which was more square shaped) this grill is really quite rectangular, so it seems like its width is too short. However, in most cases you aren't cooking large, square pieces of food. This gets the job done and has a nice feature of being able to suspend the top part over the food (without touching it) which is good for melting cheese. What George Foreman lacks in creativity for naming his offspring, he surely makes up for by inventing such a great grill!

The G-Broil is just like the other George Foreman Grills except it has the ability to lock the top hot plate 3inches or so from the bottom. This will allow you to broil smaller stuff. I would highly recommend you get a George Foreman with removable hot plates for easy washing. Putting the entire grill in the sink (cord and all) is very awkward.

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Its was on sale for a really good price and I picked it up. Wish it was more sturdy but it is not. So I just gifted it to some one else and will be buying another one

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Im very happy with my new grill. It comes in so handy especially for my sons who need to cook something quickly.

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Bought this thing for $50 at Walmart.

Pros:

Easy to use.

Adjustable heat settings.

Big surface area for grilling for the whole family.

Cons:

Timer broke down on me after 3 months of use. I looked at the owner's manual and I guess I committed the cardinal sin of forcing the timer dial off. It's kind of like resetting the trip odometer in a '73 Volkswagon while the car is moving--you'll break the odometer every time. Guess what, George, there's a reason they don't make 1973 VWs anymore. The grill (and the car) have to be smarter than the idiots like me who use them.

Conclusion:

Who knew that buying a fat reducing grill from an overweight boxer could be such a mistake? Like Mike Tyson said, "Yes, time flies. And where does it leave you? Old too soon. Smart too late."

Earth Friendly Products Orange Plus Complete Oven & Grill Cleaner, 16 Ounces (Pack of 3)

It didn't work very well on my oven, but it sure works great everywhere else! It leaves a nice orange scent behind and a shiny surface. I love that I don't have to worry about negative effects from any of the ingredients.

I use this cleaner for EVERYTHING. You're getting so much cleaner for an amazing price since each container makes 10 gallons of cleaner. This stuff smells amazing and even kills ants!. You can clean any surface, even children's plastic toys without discoloration or warping. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this product. Buy it, you won't be sorry!!!

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We love this solution but do NOT use it on floors, leaves them very sticky. My housekeeper likes it so much she is using it at other houses, too.

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Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder with Chamber Maid Cleaning System

This coffee grinder was an impulse purchase and I was fully prepared to return it because I didn't expect it to work as advertised. To my astonishment, the darned thing actually does a pretty good job. I have tried several coffee grinders over the years and have ended up giving all of them away to friends and family. I gave up on burr grinders because they are messy, hard to clean, produce a bitter powder, and are so noisy you almost need earplugs to use them. The blade grinders I have tried produced an inconsistent grind size and you have to experiment with the number of seconds it takes to get the grind right for the quantity of coffee you want to make. If you want to make more cups or less, you have to experiment all over again with the number of seconds you need to grind the beans. I ended up just having the coffee shop grind my Kenya AA beans for me and I buy smaller amounts so the coffee won't go stale before I can use it all.

This Mr.Coffee grinder is the only one I've ever tried that I think I can live with. First of all, this is a $19.95 grinder and not a $300 precision instrument designed to produce a perfect cup of expresso. Within those parameters, it does a really good job. The electronic grind and cup quantity settings take all of the guess work out of using a blade grinder. With this grinder, you use the guide on the side of the unit to measure your beans, choose a grind setting and the number of cups of coffee you want to make and a processor apparently calculates everything for you. You just hold the grind button down and the machine turns itself off after the correct number of seconds. No grind time experimentation is needed and the machine seems to get the grind just right all by itself. Cleanup is a snap, just remove the bowl from the base unit and put it on the top rack of your dishwasher. The ground coffee is actually easier to empty from the bowl than with most blade grinders. Rather than having to turn the entire unit upside down and shaking the grounds into your coffeemaker, you just remove the grinder bowl, turn it upside down in a small plastic bowl, and tap it against the counter to get the coffee out.

The reviewer who complained about the short cord length apparently did not realize there is 3 feet of hidden cord wrapped around the inside of the base of the unit. All you have to do is pull it out.

While durability must be proven over time, I'm most impressed with this $19.95 grinder. Even if it only lasts for 2 years, you could afford to buy 30 of them for what a small professional grade burr grinder would cost and it's actually easier to live with than the pro grade grinder would be.

This review refers to Mr. Coffee Coffee Grinder With Chamber Maid Cleaning System"

I received this coffee grinder this past Christmas, and have been using it everyday since. Sometimes, depending on how many people are drinking coffee, twice or more a day. I loved it so much from the start and wanted to review it right away, but managed to restrain myself, and after three months of everyday use, I think I can safely say, this grinder is great!

It's nice to have freshly ground coffee at a moment's notice. Even the smell is enticing. It allows you to measure just the amount of beans you need from 4 to 12 cups, and then you set the grinder to the amount and the grind fine, medium, or coarse depending on how strong you like it. This may take some experimenting to see get it exactly to your taste. For example I have found that 4 cups for me is actually closer to 2(or less), as I drink from a large mug and not a 6oz cup. There are recommendations in the instruction book and on the grinder as well for how many tablespoons of beans per cup. I find I need a little more then suggested. There are indicator lights to help you choose the setting you want. Although you have to hold a button down, during the grinding process, it will automatically turn off when it is done according to your setting. If you lift your finger, it will also turn off. Occasionally there are a couple of beans not grinded, so shake it around and press for another second or two. The actually grinding process takes maybe 15 seconds for a full 12 cups. another nice thing, is that you can have a few different flavors on hand, and freshly grind, whatever you are in the mood for..Forget Starbucks!

The grinder has some very nice features. Inside the bean chamber, which also has a fill line, there is a cleaning system that scrapes the coffee of the sides and the bottom. Sometimes, there is even enough scraped off to make an extra cup. The pieces fit together easily, and come apart easily for washing.At first, I thought the cord was very short, and for weeks had to keep the grinder very close to to the electric outlet, but then I discovered(DUH!), the cord lifts out of it's holder and around the bottom edge, giving it quite a bit of length. Then is easy to recoil to keep the grinder wherever you want. It's slim and nice looking and doesn't take up much space at all. My only little complaint, and reason for four stars instead of 5, is that it is very loud. The first few times, it startled me with the racket. I'm not sure if much can be done about that, but I try to remember to grind my beans the night before, as I am an early riser and don't want to wake the rest of the house, or for that matter, my neighbors! The lid on top stays tightly closed for freshness.

Read the instruction book for use and care. It has French as well as English directions, a one year limited warranty, troubleshooting advice, and phone numbers for questions.

All in all a great little item that works great for a fresh tasting and smelling cup of coffee anytime.

Enjoy....Laurie

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When I look for a coffee grinder, I look for 4 things:

1) Noise: This grinder is fairly noisy, but then again, so are most grinders. On a scale of 1-10 as far as noisyness goes compared to other grinders, I'd give it a 7.

2) Consistency: I like to grind my coffee coarse for french press; this grinder isn't very good at making a consistent coarse grind. However, if you want a regular grind for drip coffee or a fine grind for expresso, it does a really good job at that.

3) Static: I hate it whenever you pull the top off of a grinder to get the coffee out and tiny grind go flying everywhere--I've never had a problem with this grinder. You can open the top and pour the grinds out (which is difficult to do if you're trying to get it into a small container because the spout itself is not much different from the lip of a cup) or you can scoop the grinds out, which I preferto do anyway to double measure stuff (old habit).

4) Cleaning: This grinder has a removable top that you can take apart, which makes cleaning very easy. It also says it has a "Chaimber Maid" system...all that is is three thin plastic "claws" that hug the inside of the grinding chamber which you rotate awkwardly so that they scrape the sides of the chamber. It's neat, but unnecessary.

Other features:

There is a "cord storage" system that is a bit of a hassle to use because it requires you to coil the cord into a groove under the grinder (when you get the grinder only a short bit of the cord is shown, and the rest is coiled. It doesn't look like you can uncoil the cord from down there, and unless you're crazy enough to pull the cord out of your brand new grinder you'll have no clue that the thing is actually 37 inches long)

It has an "auto off" feature...I've never used it because my grindes always reach the coarsness I like before the timer shuts off the grinder.

The measuring system that the grinder uses is marked on the sid of the grinder which is very helpful (you don't have to pull out the manual every time you want to know how many Tbsp of coffee you need to make # cups of coffee)

It's about 8 in. tall with the diameter at the top being 4 in. (it's wider at the top).

Overall:

I like the grinder. I'd rather have a pull-cord-storage and a quieter grinder, but for the price that I paid, I'm a happy customer.

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My husband purchased this product for my birthday a couple of years ago. I always grind my own coffee for breakfast and sometimes grind it for lunch. After a year I noticed the plastic arms (or scrapers) were getting very thin and one of them had even broken. I emailed customer service about the problem and they sent me a new grinding bowl. I looked at the new bowl, saw the arms were thick and thought the company had realized there was a design flaw and changed it. I began using the new grinding bowl and now it is a year later. I just noticed that the plastic arms are getting thin again. This could only mean that this grinder slowly grinds the plastic arms. And that you are drinking very finely ground plastic every time you drink a cup of coffee made from the beans you have freshly ground. Is this healthy? I think not!

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First off, I have to say that many of the people who have complaints about this grinder may not have actually taken the extra few seconds to read the manual and understand how the device works. The grinder does a great job and my coffee is always perfect.

to address some issues that others had:

1. The plastic cleaning blade inside the grinding bowl needs to be manually spun (with your finger) to loosen the packed coffee grounds. Usually a single revolution will accomplish this task, then you can put this coffee in the maker!

2. This grinder makes it easy to get the coffee into your coffee maker -someone was complaining that it was more difficult to clean or use because it comes apart -this makes it really easy! Detach the bowl from the motor assembly with a short, counter clockwise turn of the wrist, and do the same with the lid (extremely easy, I assure you) -then dump the coffee from the grinding bowl into your filter, use your finger to agitate the plastic cleaning blade for a second or two to get as much usable coffee out of the bowl as possible, then wash out the bowl with a little water, and dry it with a towel (it is important to dry it immediately to avoid any chance for oxidation) and you're done! I am not sure why a previous reviewer was using a spoon or scoop to get the coffee out of the bowl -that's why it detaches from the base! The bowl is marked on the side so you will know what amount of beans to use -after a few experiments, it is very easy to judge how high to fill it. I just can't understand how it could be more difficult to clean the bowl when it is separate from the base than to clean a grinder that does not detach from the electrical portion...

2.1. if you need to grind your coffee coarsely for a percolator, you should not be buying whole beans buy your coffee from in large cans from companies that have television commercials and easy-listening jingles, as the end result is going to end up tasting awful, no matter what, if you put it in a percolator.

3. The power cord other people have addressed this -the cord is tucked up inside the bottom of the grinder -simply pull it out, and it is plenty long.

4. Another reviewer said he preferred a different grinder that shuts off automatically -this grinder does that as well -put in the beans, choose your settings with the buttons on the side of the unit, and then hold down the grinding button -continue to hold the button down until the grinder automatically stops -it will stop when it has achieved the level of grinding that you selected with the buttons.

5. Lights wasting electricity the reviewer who wrote that the grinder's lights are just wasting electricity is just a sillypants and wants to nitpick. The reality is this: the 2 LEDs that would be lit up while this device is plugged in would draw an almost nominal level of current. At 3.3vac a 100 Watt light bulb uses 30.3 Amps (30,300mA). At 3.3vac each LED would use 20mA -so, both LEDs would use, at most, 40mA which is less than 1/750th the amount the 100W bulb would use. You would have to leave the grinder plugged in and turned on for over a full month for the LED lights inside to use the same amount of current (electricity) used by turning on that 100 watt bulb for a single hour.

I have been using this grinder every day for 3 years along with a swissgold coffee filter (if you are still using paper filters you are just wasting trees and missing out on better tasting coffee...) and I have not had a single problem with it -it grinds the beans consistently to the settings I punch in, and my yield is a delicious pot every morning.

If you couldn't tell, I am quite happy with this grinder. So buy one already!

Washington Redskins NFL Grilling Apron Set

Was getting this for a friend as a gift since she cooks a lot and loves the RedSkins. Thought it'd be a thick heavy duty apron since it say's "grilling" but it's real light just like any other apron so that was a plus. Makes a great gift!

THIS IS A REALLY WELL MADE MATERIAL AND ITS THICK ENOUGH TO HANDLE A ROUGH WASHING MACHINE CYCLE FOR THOSE BUSY BBQs THAT CAN GET A LITTLE MESSY. HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR ANY REAL REDSKINS FAN! BY NO MEANS IS THIS SOME CHEAPLY MADE KNOCK OFF. IT CAME WITH THE OFFICIAL NFL HOLOGRAM STICKER AND WARRANTY. GRTEAT BUY, MY FRIENDS AND FANS!

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Chef Buddy 82-BC1004 4-Person Raclette Grill

we used it in the last days 2 times. The size is very convenient for 2 persons. It's a small footprint. I love making raclette a lot, but because I had before only a 8 pans size we didn't used it very often. The cleanup is also very easy.

Did not keep either of these units myself, but rather gave as gifts owing to the price point. Recipients both liked the units particularly the hot stone. Good for small families.

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This unit works very well, but pretty much only for two. The cooking area is really too small for more than two. I was worried that the cheese would be too far from the heat source to melt, but it worked just great. I'm very pleased with the unit.

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George Foreman GLP80V 80-Square-Inch Nonstick Grill with Variable Temperature Control

I bought this grill several weeks ago after remembering how much I enjoyed cooking when I had the old style George Foreman grill in the past. This one was better than I had expected. The grill itself is 12" x 10" and the grilling service is exactly 10" x 8". Now the older model I had did not heat evenly, the top plate was not nearly as hot as the bottom, forcing me to flip things over half way through, but this one grills each side exactly the same and cuts down on overall cooking time. It also looks very nice sitting on the counter with the silver and black design. The surface is non stick and works great. I know a lot of people complain about the ease of cleaning it so below is the way I keep it spotless day after day and it only takes a few seconds

This is how I keep it shining like new after using it almost daily:

First I want to say that this is the way I clean it and if not done properly or if you're not paying attention you can burn yourself. If you let the grill cool down and the grease and grime is still on it, it will be a chore to get it out if not impossible. The way to keep you grill spotless is,

-Right after you take your food off and the grill is still hot,

-Take a wad of paper towels (about 3 2-ply or quilted should be fine, more if they are economy or 1-ply)

-Fold in half several times until you have a thick square that is about the size of a quarter of a sheet

-Wet the entire thing, then ring it out

-While the grill is still hot CAREFULLY wipe the grill surfaces (There is not need to apply a lot of force and any grease or burnt pieces should slide right off) Just be careful not to let any part of your hand/arm to touch the hot surface.

-The turn off your clean grill

I have found that this is the only way to keep the grill completely clean without much hassle, because once the grill cools anything that is stuck on will be very hard to clean off later, so do yourself a favor and just wipe it away with a thick wad of WET paper towels. The fact that they are wet will prevent any heat from getting to your hands and will work like a steam vac on your carpet. IT works great and takes seconds, but just be careful.

Now back to the grill, the on/off switch is very useful as the old grills didn't have this and you had to unplug it to turn it off, leaving a dangling cord that is a hassle to hide and an electricity risk since you have to unplug something that is one which gives off sparks. The temperature control on this unit is also great, since now it accommodates a lot of different foods without burning anything.

The surface heats up within a few minutes and everything comes out wonderful. Usually thinner cuts of meats, hamburgers, hot dogs, and anything that isn't really thick will take 5 minutes to cook. Large and thick cuts will take a bit longer, but I would suggest checking on anything you put in after 5 minutes and then going from there. Overall most of the stuff I cook on it is a flat 4-5 minutes without any hassle.

My final verdict on this grill is that it is AWESOME The surface is big enough to cook for at least 3 people at once, temperature control is spot on, easy cooking, and easy cleaning if done as described above (just use a bit of caution and it will take you only seconds to keep it clean) I am extremely happy with my purchase and I hope this feedback helps for anyone considering buying it. Also, as far as comparisons with other George Foreman Grills, I did a lot of research and found that this is the perfect one to have if you cook for 2-3 people and cook a variety of foods. It's big enough for everything me and my wife need, looks great sitting on the counter top (black and silver), and is the easiest appliance I have ever used and I do a lot of cooking.

This is my first GF grill and I considered all kind of different models, but the once with removable plates and switches are almost $100. I saw this one at Target for $39.99 with on/off switch and temperature control. For that price who needs removable plates. I find it very easy to clean when the plates are hot with some wet paper towels. Everything slides right off! Everything comes out just perfect. Meats and fish come out moist and juicy.

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My wife and I have used this grill now for about a month and we're very happy with it. We've used it for full chicken breasts, pork chops, steaks, hamburgers and much more.

I have to say, that this grill has made cooking easy and quick. The larger surface area is great, for preparing four meals at a time. Cleaning is not too easy but it brings two plastic spatulas that help a lot. I will have preferred that you could remove the grill plates but for the price a paid "$28" I won't mind.

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I've always wanted one of these and when I got one for Christmas I was very happy. It does cook very well and it takes less time than conventional methods to cook food, however, it is very hard to clean. It also gets extremely hot around the edges and after burning yourself a few times you learn to be very careful when using it.

Cleaning it would be easier if it had some sort of non-skid footing as when you're wiping it down it slides all over the place. It is easier to clean when it's still hot, but you have to be careful not to burn yourself.

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When we ordered this, I was expecting a fairly "cheap" grill, but when we got it, it definitely seemed much higher quality than we were expected. Our previous grill was one of the original few models of the Forman with only on and off (and off was only if you unplugged it). This was a dream!

We love:

The easy to reach on/off switch on the side of the grill

The variable heat control on the top

The size, which is perfect for 4-6 burgers (depending on the size of your burgers)

Ease of cleaning (I've known people with removable plates and they've got nothing buy complaints in the long run. This just takes a wet paper towel placed inside while it's cooling off and everything cleans off easily)

We used to have one with a bun warmer, but we started putting the buns right inside this one (while it's heating up) and they come out nicely toasted.

I'd recommend this grill to anyone on any budget!

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Mr. Bar-B-Q Insulated Barbecue Gloves

These gloves are worth having for grilling or rotisserie use. They do have their limitations. Originally, my gloves came with a rotisserie oven I received as a gift. The instructions show using them to handle food hot out of the oven. I used them that way successfully. Later I used them when taking the rotisserie off the gas grill. The bar is extremely hot and although I took it off the grill easily, I noticed that the heat seemed to wear or melt the coating. The next time I used them, I noticed the coating melting more and I figured they wouldn't last much longer if I continued to use them that way so I bought the more recent pair with the intention of using a silicone potholder with the gloves to remove the rotisserie bar.

These aren't good enough to last a long time. What is disappointing is that most of the other products which are similar in price range probably are not going to meet expectations as well.

This is disappointing, since I consider these extremely valuable when trying to flip or remove large pieces of meat (like pork shoulder) on a smoker.

My issue is that the heat tolerance is very low. I cook no higher than 250 degrees on my smoker, and one of the fingers already looks a little melted from when I was handling the meat. I have only had mine for a month and a half or so. It also has orange stains everywhere (probably from the paprika I put on the meat)which will never come off. And it has some deep melt lines from when I tried to close the bottom vents near the charcoal (my mistake, I knew better). These aren't going to last me very long. They are inexpensive tho.

I read on a bbq forum that one guy uses cotton gloves covered by disposable food handling gloves. That may be the road I go down in the future when these are toast. There are also much more expensive insulated gloves ($30 range) on food service websites which are black in color and look pretty tough. You get what you pay for.

Not a recommended purchase.

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I have had these gloves for a little over 2 years now. They are holding up well after probably close to 150 racks of ribs, 60 or so briskets, and countless chickens.

As noted in another review, the gloves do stain. White was probably not the best choice for BBQ gloves. The same reviewer also pointed out that the gloves melted when he touched hot metal. That is not what these gloves are for. They are designed to handle food. If you want to handle the pit, get some cheap welding gloves. You shouldn't be contaminating your food handling gloves, anyway.

These gloves clean easily (except for the aforementioned staining). Put on the gloves, turn on the hot water, and wash you gloves with dish detergent as if you were washing your hands.

If my current gloves ever wear out, I will be buying another pair. I can't imagine cooking BBQ without them.

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I bought these gloves because they were priced well and had pretty positive feedback. HOWEVER,I did find these gloves to be a bit hard to handle meat. Big pieces of meat slip right out of your hands with these gloves on. I also find it hard to keep these looking clean because of the light color. Some might not care about that but I thought I would add that to this review.

I have found a black pair of BBQ gloves sold by Texas BBQ Rub(cheaper)that always looks clean and are better than the 5 previous brands I have tried.

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Adding to the other negative reviews, these glossy rubber gloves get very slippery when handling greasy meats like ribs and pork butt.

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Meco Double-Grid Electric Water Smoker

First off, I bought my Meco 5029 from another vendor, but because I'm an Amazon Prime customer, I wanted to relay my experience here.

This is my 4th water smoker. The previous three were the painted variety and rusted apart. That was my justification for spending three times as much on this stainless model.

I received the unit yesterday. It arrived in perfect shape no dents or scratches.

If you like an installation challenge; like drilling-out misplaced rivets, adding screws where rivets should have been, and trying to locate part #23 when they really meant part #18, then you'll love this chore.

Also, the instructions say to install the handles with the Meco logo up, but no logo was found. (Not really a big deal, just humorous.)

Here's an interesting manufacturing technique used.....the sliding front door is held in place by loose rivets an interesting technique that does not provide a tight seal. I estimate there are 3/16" gaps in four places where the sliding door should be tight. I haven't used the smoker yet, but I'm going to lose a lot of heat and smoke through those gaps. And unfortunately I can't press the metal door into place, it just springs back.

Also, the cooking grates have nice handles on them, but getting the bottom grate in place requires some maneuvering, because the screws provided to attach the grate support brackets extend about 1/2" over the grate. Installing or removing the grate requires some twisting and adjusting. I cannot imagine trying to remove the grate with a pork shoulder on top. (Next time I have the unit apart I'll cut-off those long screw ends.)

Based on the design and manufacturing missteps, I rate this unit 3 stars. (And like I said, I haven't even used it yet.)

I love this smoker as it's very easy to use and homemade brisket beats the local bbq joint offerings (in the pacific northwest).

The best feature, and the main reason I bought the MECO, is its side doors which allow you to add water/wood, without having to take the lid off and the meat out.

What I'd like to see better is a real temperature gauge. All it does now is show you Warm/Medium/High. And if you cook a 12 hour brisket (the best way of course!), you'll need to turn it on medium/high to get the smoke going for a while before turning it down low for the long haul as the heating element won't make the smoke happen when on Low. So a side chamber would be the next step up to make this a perfect solution.

Regardless, it works wonderfully as a starter and barbecue is now a staple in my house. Yummmmmmm!

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This pulls some serious electricity -it runs off a 1000-plus-watt element -and in my house, it causes breakers to switch off. I eventually converted this to a charcoal smoker (Meco sells a kit to do this). This really shouldn't be a problem in newer houses.

At this price, though, I'd have to look hard at a Weber Smoky Mountain cooker. It's not stainless but it is enameled steel and it comes with a cover -it should last for years and years, if not decades and decades. It also has superior heat control (this Meco unit, like many water smokers, has no controllable vents). I've made some very good BBQ with this Meco but it does require a lot more attention than my Smoky Mountain. I use this at big BBQs when I often will fire up this, plus a Weber, plus a big barrel grill.

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The replacement coil and controller for this unit is MECO part number 1521.9.001. When searching for a replacement on-line it's apparent that these units fail frequently and always in the same spot; where the controller attaches to the coil. The failure mode is a fried contact and it results in melted plastic of the controller. In two years of infrequent smoking, mine failed in the same location as everyone else has reported and although I'm not pleased, I to am happy that at least it didn't catch on fire. Much to my surprise, Meco's price on the spare at $36 is less than from other on-line companies that specialize in grill replacement parts. However, their price to ship it is $17.00 for UPS ground which is ridiculous.

I agree with other reviewers that the lid doesn't fit very well allowing a lot of smoke to escape, the lower rack is difficult to remove because it catches on the hooks that the upper rack rest on and the thermometer in the lid is close to worthless. Other than that, i've been relatively happy with it until now because the last smokers i have owned have been painted and charcoal fired. Others have complained that it doesn't get very hot; i'm not sure what they are talking about. I prefer to smoke over low heat for a longer amount of time; something i was never able to do with my old charcoal smokers.

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The smoker was delivered as promised. It took around an hour to assemble it while I was having my morning coffee. If you are in a hurry, just buy your meats from the market already smoked.

So far I have smoked beef tri-tip with apple wood, and king salmon with cherry wood. Both turned out fantastic.

Beef takes a few hours and the fish takes around one hour; of course it depends on size and temperature, etc. It is nice that I only need to add wood chips and turn the electric thermostat on without the need for charcoal.

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Lodge A5-1 Charcoal Chimney Starter

My old chimney, same style, lasted for twenty years. I'm glad they haven't changed the style. It works.

The other reviewer pointed out some safety issues. These are valid for any chimney starter and are best solved by keeping in mind that there's a fire going in the chimney.

There are a few things I really like about this model. 1) Lots of ventilation to get oxygen to all of the coals, even when totally full. 2) You can easily lift it up and put new paper under it if your paper fizzles out (happened to me) and you need to restart. The small holes in the side also help you see what's going on as the heat rises. 3) Most important, it gets charcoal good and hot good and quick.

Now for what I don't like. 1) Lodge coated all of the metal surfaces, including the grill inside, with some kind of coating. I guess it's supposed to make it look like "nice" unfinished metal. Problem is, this coating isn't very heat resistant and quickly melts/evaporates, leaving odd streaks of exposed metal after just a couple uses. A better approach would have been to leave the metal alone. 2) Even a large charcoal briquette can slip through the grill in the bottom. Not sure how I'd fix this and keep the system well ventilated. 3) It only holds enough to cook a crowded meal for 2 on charcoal. Easiest way to solve this is buy 2 or more, depending on how much you plan to cook at a time. This seems to be the case for every starter I've seen. They're all basically the same size.

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This charcoal chimney starter is effective and performs as described in the product description.

There are two flaws in the design that relate to safety:

1. The metal handle is exposed in the separation on the sides of the 2-piece wooden insulators. Conceivably, a bare hand could be burned when grasping the handle to dump out the prepared coals. Be sure to use an insulated glove or potholder.

2. The spacing of the outermost ring in the bottom grate sometimes allows a briquette to fall through and out of the chimney. This can occur when a briquette is oriented edge-wise down. A user typically has his/her attention on the open end of the chimney when pouring hot charcoal. A hot briquette could fall out unnoticed from the other end when tipping the unit. My personal experience is that a briquette fell out of the bottom when I dumped the coals into my grill. It landed on the plastic top of a patio table. I did not discover this until the table top had been partially melted and deformed.

Use with caution. Supervise youngsters.

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This would be 5 stars if Lodge could have made a grate that didn't allow charcoal to fall through. I used a current name brand charcoal and tried to light three chimney's worth this weekend. About 10% of the bricks will fall through during the pouring in (annoying) or pouring out (dangerous). Why in the world would you not make the grate smaller? Unless I modify it myself, it is too annoying to use. Thanks, Lodge.

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Wow, talk about an item that does exactly what it is supposed to do!

12 minutes for 30 regular Kingsford charcoals to be fully ready to cook. This is with three newspaper sheets, one match and NO FUEL.

The only negative thought is the top rim is extremely sharp and could pose a cutting danger to the user. The bottom rim seems to be better rounded and does not pose this hazard.

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