Texas Irons Double-Barrel Chicken Cooker

This cooker works great! Easy to use and clean up is not to bad, either. I like that I can pour the liquid right into the cups instead of putting a can under the chicken.

I put this inside of a larger pan so the juices don't leak (had to bend the handles to make it fit). 400'F gas oven for 2 2 1/2 hours (depending on the chicken sizes). I fill up the "cups" with beer & citrus or cran juice & citrus and put the chickens over it, season the chicken skins, dump 2 bags of baby carrots in water in the pan and leave it be. Then we have a delicious, juicy chicken and carrot dinner. I hope to make some other variations later. Right now, I use it once a week. It's a little difficult to clean, and you definitely have to put it in a pan so it doesn't leak while cooking. Also, the 4 stars I gave it was because after pulling it out of the box (from TX, supposedly made in USA), I found a sticker saying "made in Taiwan" stuck to the stainless steel. Now, I don't know if it means the steel if from Taiwan or maybe the steel is American but the pan is made in Taiwan??? Anyway, it is great to be able to put a fulfilling dinner in the oven, go outside and work in the yard for a couple hours, and come back in to a delicious cooked dinner.

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Sportula Products Ohio State Buckeyes Grilling Spatula

An annual Christmas gift for our sons is their OSU Alumni membership, I always include something OSU with the gift certificate. This was the perfect gift for this year.

I bought this item for my son who is a huge Buckeye fan. He loved it. And I was impressed with the sturdiness of the item. A good value and a good novelty item for a fan.

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Haven't used it yet, but appears to be excellent quality. The stainless steel portion of it is large and it has a really nice look to it. I'd definitely buy it again!

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This is great for any sports fan that enjoys grilling out!!! My co-worker is now also buying one for his brother!

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Fireplace Hearth 3/4" Square Steel Grate Grill - 27"

Just built a 30" outdoor fireplace and purchased this grate. The 27" size fits perfect. The construction is very strong and it looks as if it will last a very long time. I'm sure archaeologists will dig this thing up in 1000 years and learn about our fire burning ways.

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French Bread Basket

I am amazed at the price to quality ratio for baskets made from wood or other natural product. The Longeberger baskets especially seem especially high priced, but if you look at this basket at a relatively reasonable price, it seems the price scale is uniform across the market. While this costs about 3/5 to 1/3 of a small Longaberger basket, it is also made of thinner stock, and it seems to be fastened with somewhat less robust fasteners. That does not mean this will not do the job. It will, as long as it is treated carefully, and perhaps brought out on special occasions. I fear it would not survive in a communal setting such as a church, where people will not look closely at how an item is constructed before loading stuff on top of it.

The basket's decorative value is top notch. It is obvious that it is made of natural wood, which is why I got it. I might even be reluctant to use it to serve. Rather, I might use it as part of a centerpiece. If you want something which will survive the joustling of a busy kitchen and pantry, check out Longaberger. Note that unlike some bread baskets, this does not come with a warming tile. Given the odd shape, I wish it did. (Longaberger doesn't either.)

Camp Chef Wireless Thermometer

We got this for Christmas two years ago and it has given us many a good meal. We've had one problem, the batteries are on the bottom and tend to eventually drop out of their placement which cuts power to the base. I just push them back in again and I'm in business. Otherwise, everything has worked fine.

I have had two of these they both have broken. The thermometer probe can't handle the temp of normal grilling even on my grill's lowest setting. The temps ruin the probe.

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I did not buy mine on Amazon... I purchased it at a grocery store for $17.

I have seen people say it worked once, then stopped working. This was my experience too... But being an engineer, I want to fix things rather than give up. Turns out that there is a slight flaw in the design in that the unit requires fresh batteries in the hand-held unit after about 1 to 2 cooks. I use mine for monitoring the air temp inside my smoker, rather than inserting it into the meat.

Since I don't use it the exact way it was meant to be used, I don't use all of the features. I don't like the way it works 100%, but that is mostly because I am using it in a way other than what it was intended. I cook things like brisket, and I may have the smoker going for as long as 24 hours, so for me it is about keeping the smoker at a low temperature... And I'm not cooking till the meat is done, I'm cooking till the meat is ready to fall apart, which is more about a long an low cook than it is about the internal temperature of the meat (the meat temp counts too, but the cooking temp is important to keep controlled).

The beeping alarm is too high-pitched for me to hear, so my wife has to tell me when it is going off... But for the most part the purpose is so that I can keep an eye on the temperature, without running outside every half hour.

As for the "it worked once then nothing" problem, what I notice is that the hand-held unit needs fresh batteries to work... I mean really fresh. When it stops working, it can't pick up the transmitted signal. The batteries are still good, just not "good enough". It probably won't work on rechargable batteries, as rechargables run at a lower voltage. I checked the voltage drop of the batteries when it is running, and it didn't seem to be drawing too much current, seemed like it should be good for months. The problem is that as soon as the voltage of the batteries drop below the "brand-new" state even a little, the unit looses it's range. This kind of sucks, but once I understood the cost of using it is that I must use fresh batteries each time, I decided I could live with that... I spend $60 on meat, $20 on various other things like spices, veggies and charcoal... I can live with spending another dollar on batteries.

the current consumption is low enough that if you could figure out how to add another half-volt to the voltage of the battery, you could probably only change batteries every few months.

It has a flashlight built into the hand-held unit... Don't use it if you want your battery to last.

I can see this being a 2 star unit for most people...if they know it just needs batteries... One star for those that think it is dead when it really just needs new batteries. I bought this to replace a $40 unit I bought at the same store that worked fine, but I didn't like it at all (the remote displayed the cook timer, but not the temperature, only the base had the temp, the remote had an alarm and a timer... LAME). So I'm really happy with this unit despite the weakness of needing fresh batteries with each use, thus the 4 stars.

The base unit seems to not need fresh batteries constantly, but your experience may vary.

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Bought this present for my father for Christmas. We cannot get it to work at all. Doesn't read the temperature. Pretty unsatisfying.

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I didn't buy Camp Chef LTRM Wireless Thermometer with Probe last fall because of some of the reviews I read here. Instead, I bought the maverick thermometerMaverick Remote Smoker Dual Probe Wireless Thermometer ET-73, which is a disaster. The maverick probes are unbelievably very poor quality. I had 6 fail in 2 months (and I was babying them because I had been warned of their poor quality shame on me). The Maverick was a total waste of money.

I met the Camp Chef product manager at the national hardware show a few weeks ago. I told him about some of the issues I had seen written up. He told me they have made some modifications to improve the battery issue and more importantly, to change their probe design by giving it extra "armor" (much heavier mesh and insulation around the probe wires) to make the probes more durable. I talked him into giving my partner and me each one of the new models. I have used it about 8 times already and my partner has use his about 20 times (he is a true smoker fanatic) with zero issues, so it seems they have beaten most of the quality challenges mentioned by others.

The only minor issue I still note is that the alarm tone is at such a high pitch that I can't hear it (nor can my partner), but my wife and children can. I don't care, but it drives my kids crazy (not necessarily a bad thing...)

I will continue to monitor performance and I will post an update if I have issues.

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Breville RM-BSG520XL Certified Remanufactured Panini Duo 1500-Watt Nonstick Panini Press

I ordered and received the Breville Certified Remanufactured Panini Duo exactly the product I wanted makes two large or three to four smaller panini, very hot 1500w, flat bottom plate, ridged top plate (not removeable). It is not large enough to make a standard size quesadilla. Bottom grill plate measures approx 11" x 7 1/2". The amazon webpage states this has a one-year limited warranty which is why I was willing to order the remanufactured product at about 20% less than new. Unfortunately, when I opened the box a flyer came out that clearly states there is only a 90 day limited warranty so I am returning.

This is the 2nd pannin press we have owned and with out a doubt this is the bestBeat Kitchenaid

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I really wanted one of these Breville Panini presses but I gave up after the sent me 2 different models that were not refurbished. 1 had the lights broken off and some of the plastic started to burn inside the grill, not very appetizing to smell.

The other one they sent me had the handle broken so it was a huge pain to use.

I wanted one that worked, seemed nice, it heated up quick, from the one with the broken handle it cooked great despite burning myself opening it up. The flat bottom is nice for cleaning.

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i love my panini maker. i read so many reviews on differant brands and and compared the prices on each. i finally decided to get the refurbished breville panini maker for $44.00. i figured if anything went wrong with it i wasn't out to much money. i can say with all honesty that i love this machine. it makes 2 sandwiches at a time in 3 minutes. they look beautiful when they come out and taste even better. i use this at least 3 times a week. i have tried differant breads and lunch meats and veggies on my sandwiches. everything has come out great. for a refurbished unit it looks brand new. i would recommend this product to everyone who likes a good panini.Breville RM-BSG520XL Certified Remanufactured Panini Duo Sandwich Maker

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I have a grandaughter who has one of these Breville panini maker and they served us beautiful grilled sandwiches when we visited them.I immediatly started reviewing them on line and decided to get the same one that we saw at our relatives which was a Breville RM-BSG520xl..We have been very happy with it even though it is a remanufactured one..I would recommend it to anyone . I purchased it from Amazon and it came with the shipping free.

Cuisinart Stainless Steel Grilling Platter

Cuisinart Stainless Steel Grilling Platter

I bought this to go with the Cuisinart CGG-200 All Foods Grill. One came with the grill, but this allows me to cover nearly all the grilling surface so I can grill seafood and vegetables at the same time. It works just like it's supposed to.....nothing magical, and no issues.

The first time I used this it warped as soon as I put cold veggies on it. I had it preheating on medium heat and put cold veggies that had been marinating in the fridge. One corner popped up and flipped off a few pieces. It did return to normal after a while on the grill, but has done the warping/popping things 2 of the 3 times I've used it. It is a little small, but allows for about 3 servings of veggies to be cooked at a time and leaves the grill open for cooking meat.

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ThermoWorks The Original Cooking Thermometer/Timer

I read the Cook's Illustrated magazine review. They rated this number 1. I called Thermoworks to ask about the probes. They said they are NOT "sometimes defective". But, over time heat and moisture can damage them. Or, if you let the cable rest against a heating element it will burn through the cable. So I got an extra probe. The price is fair. But still haven't needed it. I also asked about Polder. They said it is actually the same thermometer internally and made by the same factory in China. But they said they are not associated in any way with Polder. I've had mine since last Thanksgiving and I use it at least once a week in the oven or on the BBQ. It's easy to set and at this price I figured it was such a low risk. Since then I've decided its one of the best values in my kitchen. I also have the Thermapen much higher price. Both work great. -By the way, don't use the polder replacement probes. The one I tried was not accurate with this unit. Get the correct thermoworks one TW362XX.

I've been using this product for over 2 years and love it. I give it as wedding shower gifts, because it's one of my most useful kitchen tools. (Mine was marketed under the Sunbeam name, but it's absolutely IDENTICAL to this model TW362B, except mine has white buttons.) I've been researching these thermometers again, because I'm getting ready to buy a second one as a backup: I don't want to be without this item for even one day.

Before buying this model, I went through 2 other brands / models, and this one is best. I generally use it several times a week. For example, I insert it in my whole-wheat bread loaves after they've baked for 15 minutes; the alarm enables me to remove them from my baking stone at the perfect time, when the interior temp is 194. Keeping the probe in the loaf for a few minutes after removing the latter from the oven has enabled me to determine that residual heat causes the interior temp to rise to the desired 200 degrees. People compliment me on these loaves all the time, and I've never had a failure since I started using this tool.

My probe has been dropped numerous times, but I've never had to replace any parts and it's still working great.

I suspect the negative reviews are due to one of the following:

1) Some people appear to have been writing about the OLDER model, not the new and improved Model TW362B.

2) Maybe people have been using it at temps that are too high. Like ALL other probe-and-cable type thermometers that I've seen, this one can't be used in ovens that have been heated to high temps, and I wouldn't think it could tolerate the high heat of a grill, for instance. That may explain many of the failures people have written about!

The instructions say not to put it inside an oven that is hotter than 392 degrees (presumably because the oven heat would damage the cable and/or sensor). For a while, I was setting my oven to that temp. Then I learned elsewhere that when you set your oven to 350, it can actually spike up to 400 while it's heating. So now I try to avoid using this thermometer in any oven hotter than about 360, which is the temp I use for my bread. (I leave the probe sticking in the bread for 20 minutes at a time in a 360 oven, and so far it's worked fine.)

Having said that, I must admit that several times I've forgotten and put it in a 375 to 400-degree oven for maybe 10 minutes at a time, and no harm has come of it. Now that I've heard you can risk higher temps if you wrap the probe cord in foil, I may go up to 400 deliberately, but only after I get my back-up.

Thermoworks, are you listening? How about upgrading this model so that it can tolerate higher temps? Except for that detail, it's just about perfect, and I hope you keep carrying it!

3) Maybe people have been getting sensitive parts WET. Somewhere I read that for probe-and-cable thermometers of this type, the place where the cable attaches to the curved steel of the probe can't be made truly waterproof, so it shouldn't be submerged. I hand-wash my probe, of course, and I've been careful to keep that spot dry (as well as the other end--the part that inserts into the main body of the thermometer).

If I need to soak my probe (which rarely happens, but sometimes I leave it overnight and bread crumbs are stuck to it the next day), I stand it in a small glass of soapy warm water, which makes it easy to keep the cable-joining part high and dry. That works well; the stuck-on stuff then wipes off very easily and quickly.

4) Regarding alarms that don't go off: at one point I thought my unit had gone bad because its alarm inexplicably stopped working. Then when I finally looked at it carefully, I discovered that my daughter had turned the alarm OFF without telling me! A simple flip of the switch cured that problem. (My previous models had lacked that switch, so I hadn't paid any attention to the switch.)

I haven't ever used the magnet, because magnets on ANY product never seem to hold as they claim.

In summary, I've found this to be a great product with MANY uses.

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I use the Thermapen thermometer made by this same company and I wanted another one that I could set to beep at a certain temperature in the oven when it hits a certain degree. I even used it on the grill to cook steaks. I just closed the lid on the wire and found that lots easier than just probing the meat all the time. It works fine and I'm very happy with it.I will be buying another one for a friend.

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I brought one of these oven thermometers/timers with me when I spent a year at the South African research station in Antarctica (SANAE IV). Although designed to be inserted into a piece of meat that is cooking in the oven, we have used it for many other things as well, namely: making yoghurt, baking bread and deep frying (though it's maximum temperature is only 200°C/392°F). My 9 team mates were so impressed by it, they each ended up buying (at least) one for themselves.

I would recommend buying a replacement probe as well. For under $10 it is your best insurance against an inaccurate probe especially when you're stuck at the bottom of the planet. My probe was spot on for both the ice water and boiling water (corrected for altitude) tests.

One thing which the thermometer does not have (and would have been nice for our purposes) is the ability to sound the alarm when the temperature drops to a certain set temperature. The alarm only sounds when the temperature rises to a specific temperature from below (i.e. heats up). A cool down alarm would be especially nice to warn us when our warm milk had cooled to the correct temperature to add the yoghurt starter. Though I can understand that this is missing, as this is not the intended use for the thermometer.

All in all, I am very happy with this thermometer and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

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I really am quite careful with my kitchen equipment so when this unit stopped working after a couple of uses, I assumed I had a defective unit, I returned it for another one. This one too died after a few uses. I read more about it on line, bought new one, and an extra probe because the manufacturer suggested it. I treated it with the most tender kid gloves and again I found after only two or three uses, it did not work. So I have given up, it is going to the electronic recycling. My last probe broke after one use. I am posting this only to help others not waste money!

Then I heard from ThermoWorks!

After posting the review above, I received an email, followed by a phone call from the company. The person who contacted me was very sincere and seemed to really believe in his product and wanted to help me figure out what I was doing to cause it to fail. He offered me a new unit for free if I would give it another try. I said no, I didn't have time to be testing it.

But he asked me some questions about how I used it and suggested what might be the problem. It seems that you have to be careful not to let the wire from the probe to the unit touch the oven rack or the roasting pan. He asked me if I had been careful to keep the wire taught to avoid this contact. I had to admit I had not, I do not remember this being part of the written instructions that came with the unit I bought, because as I said in my original post, I read and follow instructions carefully. (I wonder if such instructions now come with the unit!)

So I agreed to try again and he quickly sent me another unit with an extra probe. It was months before I finally tested it. I kept expecting a phone call to ask if I had tried it (and to ask me to revise my criticism of it) but I never heard from the company again, which really impressed me.

I have used it, about five times now, and following the new precautions about the wire, I have been successful. I still double check the temp with a second thermometer because I'm still nervous from all my previous raw roasts, but the unit does work as stated.

I have changed my rating to 4 stars. I can't give 5 since it is too touchy and it is expensive to replace the probe. But I would give the company 5 stars for their honest concern about their product and customer satisfaction.

Weber Wood Chunks

I used the Cherry Chunks on a ECB for a boston butt yesterday. The wood smelled great as soon as I opened the package. The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 was because this is not actually a 5 pound bag. Its 3.75 pounds. Once I noticed that, I felt I had overpaid. While this wood is nice, I'm not convinced I need to shell out more for this than 10 pounds of charcoal.

Very disappointed in this product. I had ordered 2 bags and both of them were more like chips. It was a good thing that I had ordered 2 bags because of the size I had to use much more to get that good thick smoke going. I expected much more from something that Weber puts their name on. I have been looking around and seen that others have had similar issues. It was very good, clean wood, don't get me wrong, but if you think that you are getting chunks don't plan on it. You may get 3 good 3 inch chunks.

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I was very excited to get this, since it was to complement my WSM. I love pecan wood, but the wood I received is not of great quality. There are maybe 2-3 large chunks and the rest are chips. Also, the large chunks have bark on them, so that will have to be taken off before they go into my WSM. Also, the bag weighs 4 lbs 7 oz, NOT 5 lbs! I purchased some apple wood from Home Depot made by Charbroil. The price is around $6-7 and actually weighs 5 lbs. There are more chunks that are larger, though they still have bark on them. But they are cheaper and you get more. I strongly, strongly recommend to get your wood elsewhere and try to avoid Weber's wood. I can't believe this Weber product. I usually have great experience with Weber and love their products. Come to think of it, I have never had a problem with a Weber product until now. Again, I strongly recommend going elsewhere for your wood needs! Stay away from this Weber product!

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I used these chunks last weekend for both baby back ribs and pulled pork. It works well and the chunks were large. I only needed 2 chunks; they were soaked one hour & gave an hours worth of smoke. Not too much smoke and flavored the meat well. I'm ordering more.

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The Amazon description states weight is 5 lbs. Actual weight is much less. I am disappointed. I can't give a rating on the actual product performance yet.

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