Showing posts with label outdoor charcoal grills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outdoor charcoal grills. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Weight Watchers WWA22-30SG Divided Skillet and Grill, 12-Inch

Weight Watchers WWA22-30SG Divided Skillet and Grill, 12-InchI am a vegetarian and my hubby eats meat so I can prepare my veggie burger, chik, etc. and his choice in the other side. Easy to clean nonstick. Great for preparing 2 or 3 items at once. Medium weight.

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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

3M Scotch-Brite Griddle Screen 200CC, 4" x 5.5" (10 Packs of 20)

3M Scotch-Brite Griddle Screen 200CC, 4' x 5.5'
  • The heat-resistant griddle screen scours cooking surfaces at operating temps up to 350°F.
  • A heavy-duty abrasive surface tackles baked-on food and grease
  • Used with a griddle pad holder, helps protect hands from burns, grease and soil
  • Can be used with cooking oil to clean and polish grills and griddles
  • Durable, open-fiber construction resists clogging and is washable and reusable

This 3M Scotch-Brite even cleans toilet bowls with no residue. I was unsuccessful with Bleach cleaners and Ajax. This was the only thing that would actually clean the most stubborn stains for hard water etc and do it very well. I highly recommend Scotch Brite Griddle Screens to clean almost anything. It is also environmentally safe. Pots and Pans come out looking like Brass and Chrome again with a fresh new look.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Extra Large IRON SCROLL Wall Plaque Grille Overdoor Metal

Extra Large IRON SCROLL Wall Plaque Grille Overdoor MetalI love this iron scroll. The price of beauty is affordable! I highly recommend this plaque to anybody looking for a vintage look. The artistry involved is well worth the minimal cost. I will cherish this piece.

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Sunday, March 2, 2014

KitchenAid Gourmet Digital Probe Thermometer

KitchenAid Gourmet Digital Probe ThermometerI bought this off the reviews, wanting a decent temperature probe to do some hobby studies about heat in boxes for shipping animals, using heat packs. It is perfect and a very nice unit. This unit reads in F or C degrees to the whole number degree. I set the temp alarm one degree above the current temp, and then I know exactly when the next degree is reached. You can set the temp alarm for any temp above which the probe currently reads, not just cooking temperatures. You can reset the alarm on the fly. You can use the temp alarm and the other functions at the same time (it also has timer functions), so you can use the unit as a timer, with the temperature probe monitoring in the background. The probe reads quickly and appears to be fairly sensitive. The metal part of the probe is about 4-5 inches long and the shaft is about an eighth of an inch in diameter. I like that the unit uses two AAA batteries, so I can use rechargeable ones and not have to buy button batteries. Also, with two AAA it will run quite a bit longer before needing new batteries. (You can turn it off in between uses, but I am doing continuous monitoring in my use.) I really like the adjustable screen for tilt didn't realize what a boon that was until I started using it, and it's quite handy and convenient, and also the display numbers are nice and large, easy to see even from 6 feet away or so the smallest numbers on the bottom are about 3/8 inch high. The screen is NOT backlit. The controls are intuitive and the buttons are large and feel good quality. The probe is a bit delicate scale, being thin, but it is good quality. The probe cord is fairly long, a tad longer than 4 feet. Very happy with this product.

This was to be a Christmas gift for my husband who has had several similar thermometers in the past. He was pleased with the last model and I was going to get another one but then I saw this model and read the reviews. It really does deserve the 5 star rating. My husband had been pleased with the others but this one is 'just better', easier to use, read, etc. He's been using it steadily since Christmas and it is working well. Good value. The store was helpful and I will go back to them in the future.

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I bought this as a cheaper option after my All Clad thermometer broke. It's definitely not as nice, but gets the job done... or, at least, it did before it stopped working. After about three uses, the temperature would only read "Lo," regardless of how hot the food I tried to measure was. I even left it in a meatloaf for the last 10 minutes of baking to see if it would ever warm up and give me a read on the temp, but no dice. Luckily, since I bought it from Amazon, I let them know about the problem and they promptly sent me a replacement. Fingers crossed the new one works.

Read Best Reviews of KitchenAid Gourmet Digital Probe Thermometer Here

Worked very well. Had all the features we wanted. Our meat was coming out perfect each time.

The flaw...The probe is not secured to the silicon casing. Because of this, when you pull the probe out of the meat, the metal probe slowly pulls out of the silicon. When this happened, we easily shoved the metal piece back in, but the wiring was damaged, and we can no longer use our thermometer without ordering a new probe. I am hesitant to do so considering it will likely have the same problem.

We only had the thermometer for less than 6 months before it broke.

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The probe on this blew out after three months. I use it for cheesemaking, and I really like the unit, but it doesn't work with a bum probe.

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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Nuwave 20322 Pro Digital-Controlled Infrared Tabletop Oven, Black

Nuwave 20322 Pro Digital-Controlled Infrared Tabletop Oven, BlackThis is my second Nuwave. I use it constantly. It is especially good for preparing meals for one to two people. It does everything a conventional oven will do, only better, faster, and with substantially less electricity. Items I would once use a microwave to prepare because of the time savings, I now regularly prepare in the Nuwave Oven.

However, it is too air tight. NO moisture escapes. That has its advantages and disadvantages. Items are moist and delicious, but if you like the crispiness a standard oven creates, expect less crispiness with the Nuwave. That, though, is a minor, almost insignificant tradeoff, compared with the valuable features. (One comment to the manufacuturer: What numbskull decided to put the allegedly "peel-off" sticker on the see-through ring? It does not peel off easily at all. There are a dozen glues you could have used that would cause it to peel off entirely, instantly. Instead, you went with some cheap, nearly permanent sticker that takes forever to get off. I have ALWAYS said engineers and manufacturers should be "sentenced" to use the appliances they create and produce for at least ten years.)

We are redoing our kitchen floor and had to remove the oven to make room for a new built in type that is taking forever. So, I purchased this oven to allow me to prepare meals in the meantime. It really is wonderful. I was very skeptical. It cooks really fast on high so I tend to cook longer on a lower temperature you can always cook more than less. It's great for heating up stuff too stuff that is usually trashed e.g. leftover eggrolls or pizza. It does take up a fair amount of space on the kitchen counter but it's well worth it this unit is something I should have bought a long time ago. It makes a GREAT 2nd oven for holidays like keeping things hot or even cooking the turkey so to free up the regular oven. It's definitely well worth the money I look at it and wonder how I was able to cook without it so well before. It does clean up nice too just warm soapy water for the drip pan (don't scour) and wipe down the rest with a damp soapy cloth and it's good to go meal after meal. I wash the dome lid weekly just in case the smell of BBQ chicken and chocolate cake don't go well. If you have the extra money definitely buy it and if you need a good wedding shower gift this would be good for that too. It's also good for a college kid or a single person.

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I thought about buying a NuWave or Flavorwave for THREE years before I did it...wasn't sure it was really going to do what they said. The day it came I couldn't resist I pulled a frozen solid tri-tip from our chest freezer and threw it in. It was DONE and fabulous in ONE HOUR! Last night I tried another tri-tip, but this time a fresh one. Again, done in record time and so juicy and wonderful my family raved. My husband HATES that I buy "gadgets", but THIS one he loves! We're ready to expand our repertoire now, and move on to mixed food preparation. I can't see how ANYONE would regret buying this little oven. A huge meal will easily fit inside it it doesn't heat up the house (but you can smell the wonderful food cooking) and it is FAST and the meats stay very juicy. I'm hooked!

Read Best Reviews of Nuwave 20322 Pro Digital-Controlled Infrared Tabletop Oven, Black Here

I have had the NuWave Pro Digital Oven for three weeks now. I have cooked the items listed below using cooking times on the Quick and Easy Cooking Guide for temperature setting on High.

COOKING (no oil needed)

Cornish Hen (fresh & frozen)

Steak (frozen)

Lamb Chops (fresh)

Fish Opah, Haddock (fresh)

BBQ Chicken Thighs (fresh)

Chicken Wings (fresh)

Ribs (fresh)

Roast Potatoes

Roast Veggies Broccoli, Snap Peas, Carrots, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Brussel Sprouts, Asparagus

The meat and fish came out moist. The veggies cook better on the 2 inch rack than the 4 inch rack. While the NuWave cooks frozen food well, I still prefer to plan ahead and marinate my meat in advance, but having the ability to cook from frozen is a nice bonus.

CLEANING

Easy to clean if you soak the racks in water right away. Grease drips into the liner pan. Food does not splatter much so the transparent dome can be wiped clean. Power head does not seem to get dirty from the cooking.

NOISE LEVEL

The NuWave Oven is very very quiet when cooking.

SMELL

Food smell is self contained. Does not create much odor at all during cooking, although it does depend on what you cook. For example, you will smell roasting garlic.

CAUTION

Sometimes a lot of hot steam comes out when lifting the dome. Make sure you use oven gloves and keep your face and arms away when opening the dome.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

Very pleased that the NuWave Pro Digital Oven performs as advertised. Even my infomercial skeptic husband is impressed with the food quality. Love that I can cook a complete meal for two. No more pots and pans to clean. No more preheating and it uses less energy. For $125.95 delivered with extender ring it is a sound investment for my kitchen.

NEGATIVE

Hearthware company charges too much for shipping the add on accessories so I recommend purchasing the package that includes the extender ring kit which comes with the 2" rack. Also, I bought another NuWave Oven as a gift for my brother. The documentation was missing from the box. Called NuWave customer service who told me that I would need to order the missing documentation from the website and pay for them which I thought was ridiculous considering they were missing. I hope I never need to use the warranty on my NuWave Oven as I would not expect good customer service from this company.

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I'm skeptical of all informercials because I've been burned by some bogus and crappy products in the past. I know they rig the audience with extras and paid positive responses.

So before deciding to buy this, I read as many reader reviews as possible. So after reading mostly all positive reviews, I got one 2 months later. The first night I used it, I put a completely rock hard frozen steak in there. As shown in the infomercial, I put some salt and pepper and some other seasonings on it. Put 8 min, beeped, turned over the meat, put another 8 min. Beeped. It was done. Externally, the meat looked great, very presentable and looked like something a restaurant would serve me. So for the all important test, the taste. Cut it in half, inside was about med done. Tasted it. It was DELICIOUS. I was completely surprised. So much I text my gf and said the "oven is awesome"!

So excited, I put another frozen item in it. This time salmon. Put in 6 min. Flipped it. Put in another 6 min cook time. Done. Tasted, it was good too. Imagine that, not having to defrost or pre-heat anymore. My cooking routine has been so much easier now.

Pros:

Cooks as well, maybe better than advertised.

Big dome allows full size turkey to be cooked.

Multiple height trays allow different food to be cooked at same time.

No preheat needed.

No defrost needed.

No added heat to the kitchen from using large stove.

Browns and sears, (require flipping of food to avoid over browning).

Easy clean up, wipe inside dome and put bottom tray in dwasher.

Cons:

Too bulky for 1-2 person family or small kitchen.

Personally, I dont like how it looks but it works well.

In summary, this thing does what it says on TV. It has saved me time, money, and gets me more excited about cooking, believe it or not. I'm a guy too. Would recommend it to my family and friends.

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Emile Henry 12-Inch Pizza Stone, Noir

Emile Henry 12-Inch Pizza Stone, NoirLove buying a cheap pizza and adding to it then on to the stone and into the grill....Easy pizzy......a real top quality piece to add to your kitchen cooking ware....

Perfect size for med-large pizzas.

Great product

Hand wash only and be aware that this item can break if not handled carefully.

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Sunday, February 2, 2014

Pizzacraft PC0204 3" Stainless Steel Rolling Pizza Cutter with Soft Grip Handle

Pizzacraft PC0204 3' Stainless Steel Rolling Pizza Cutter with Soft Grip HandleThis is a fantastic pizza cutter. It is good and sharp thus it cuts the pizza without tearing it up. It is well worth the price.

I bought this hoping it would be good, because I make homemade pizzas all the time and this is great. It cuts so well and fairly sharp, but not to sharp, which is especially good when you have little ones who want to help.

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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Grill Grid Lifter with Black Wood Handle

Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Grill Grid Lifter with Black Wood HandleIt broke the very first time I used it. The spot welding is incredibly poor quality. I returned it and got a refund that's the good news. It is great in concept, but the quality is horrid.

The spot welding sucks. On two separate occasions, the welding failed and key pieces fell off the lifter. All within one year. Will try a different product.

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when I rec'd this product, it looked like a fairly well made product. However; the FIRST TIME I used it, it broke ... it would not pick up the grate even once. This is not a large grill . . .it's a fairly small kettle grill like a Weber, but it's STOK brand.

I've returned the broken one to Amazon for credit.

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First time that I used the product the metal piece that goes through the grate and actually lifts the grate broke off. Unfortunately the first time that I used the product was AFTER the date for no-cost return of the product (by two days). It will be cheaper to look for other alternatives than pay for shipping back and forth.

Would not have expected such low quality from a Steven Raichlen product.

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It worked fine for handling my 18" cast iron grate while it lasted.

The black parts of the handles were painted wood, not bakelite as the product page states; the paint is flaking off pretty badly after only about 6 months. Granted, it has been stored mostly in an outdoor storage bin, seeing the elements for a night or so every once in a while, but I'm still not impressed with how the paint failed to hold up.

The real problem is the spot welds at the base; of the two holding it to the vertical tube, one is burned through the material pretty badly, and the other left hardly more than 3/32" of material connecting the two pieces the latter weld is what broke, but the other one is not far behind. In any case, it's now useless after just one grilling season.

If you're going to buy one, take a look and sanity check all the spot welds while it's still within the amazon return window or buy something else that will hold up.

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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Emson Electric 5Qt Smoker- The Only Indoor Pressure Smoker-Cook Your BBQ Brisket, Pressure Smoke Co

Emson Electric 5Qt Smoker- The Only Indoor Pressure Smoker-Cook Your BBQ Brisket, Pressure Smoke Cold Cheese Or FishThe Emson Electric 5Qt Smoker is a unique and impressive concept. Read on to see how that concept translates to actual use.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

The seller claims it is the only combination pressure cooker and indoor smoker. Beyond those two functions it is claimed to both hot and cold smoke, steam and brown.

HOW IS IT BUILT?

First impressions are that all of the materials used in construction are rather light duty. It does not look like a product that will last for years. At the 250 USD retail price it just doesn't seem to be worth the money. The outer shell has a brushed stainless steel appearance, the cover feels like aluminum, the stacking tray is very thin lightweight chrome wire and the internal cooking pot is non-stick metal. The controls are a membrane panel with status lights for each function.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The design leans toward the product being used primarily as a pressure cooker with or without smoke. As that it is easy to use and does the job (at a cost far above what a standard pressure cooker would cost). The smoke comes from a few small wood chips of your choice inserted into a small cup which is mounted on the heating electrode. The chips burn and fill the device with smoke which is pressure cooked into the food. As pressure cooking is a sealed process, very little of the smoke smell escapes into the room, until you release the pressure, that is. For those who do not want to fill their house with smoke smells it may be wise to have your kitchen exhaust fan turned on high to help vent the smell. The instructions make a big point that the electrode should not get wet when cleaning, so it appears that the internal pot is not intended to be filled with food, leaving the available 3 metal racks the only place to actually put foods. The maximum capacity is about 4 pounds.

HOW WELL DOES IT COOK?

My first experience was cooking a couple of small game hens. I chose mesquite chips and the hens came out very smoky, too much for my taste. It takes practice to know how many small wood chips to use and I clearly used too many. The birds were done in 40 minutes and the meat was moist and falling off the bone. Note that pressure cooking does not brown meat like when it is roasted. When cooking poultry a few minutes under the broiler makes a much better looking final product. My second experience was pressure cooking (no smoke) a very cheap piece of beef to be used in stew. After 50 minutes the beef was so tender it almost melted in my mouth. The third meal was a 4 pound turkey breast, which I hot smoked using hickory chips. The hickory flavor was much more subtle than the mesquite and I learned to only use 4 small chips. After browning the bird under the broiler for a few minutes I judged it as the best turkey breast ever, and it only took 45 minutes to cook.

WHO STANDS BEHIND IT?

As others have pointed out, this seems to be one of those Chinese made products that several distributors private label and sell "as is" through late-night commercials, and places like Amazon. I also saw it in one of those expensive high-end gadget catalogs. I don't believe there really is any product support, these companies just import the box and ship it to their customers. In a few months it will probably be gone as well as any hope of getting it repaired if it breaks.

WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVES?

1. We all know there are dangers concerning cooking with a pressure cooker. With no real engineering, quality control or product support I have some fear each time I use it that something will go wrong. I would never leave the cooker unattended while in use. That's not a major concern since it cooks so quickly and I am likely to be in the kitchen anyway preparing the rest of the meal.

2. The cooking racks are ridiculously thin and lightweight. If something like a chicken or turkey is placed on the bottom rack it comes in direct contact with the heating electrode/smoker cup which will singe the meat and probably give an unpleasant taste. The racks have unfinished sharp tips that have already scratched the "non stick" finish of the inner bowl. Additionally, the smoker cup has a thin metal support leg that has already gouged away the non-stick finish. Things like this indicate there was very little actual design/engineering thought put into this product.

3. Be prepared for an unpleasant clean up task. The metal racks are poorly soldered and difficult to clean the food residue off. After the first use the smoker cup will be crusted with impossible to remove smoke residue (the instruction manual points this out as normal). The internal pot must be hand swabbed by a moist sponge because the electrode can't get wet. This is not an easy task.

4. After the first use as a smoker the entire interior will have a strong smoke odor to it. I have resigned myself to only using it as a hot smoker from now on.

5. The lack of recipes was disappointing for the unit I received. Some of the ones in the instruction manual were laughable. It would have really helped to have a cooking time chart for various types of meats, fish, etc. To their credit, Emson completely revamped their website a few months after I wrote the original review and they now offer many more recipies, and even a full cookbook that you can purchase online.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you are okay with the cost, like the idea of not spending hours cooking foods that only take minutes with this cooker, and are comfortable with the reality that the day will come that you will have to throw it away because there is no major manufacturer that stands behind it ... then I would say the Emson Electric 5Qt Smoker delivers everything it promises. My 3 star review takes into account some great positives as well as a few negatives. Overall I have not been disappointed with this product.

This is a great item for those of us living in apartments or condos where you can't have open flames and BBQ or grill the way it's supposed to be done. This pressure smoker will allow you to smoke meat inside your home. The hot smoke setting does not release smoke into the home, but you do smell a bit of smokiness while it's working. The cold smoke setting does release more of the smokiness into your cooking area. It has a limit of about 2 lbs of pork loin or about 20 chicken wings, so the capacity is good for a family but not for inviting a bunch of friends over.

You use three or four small wood chips in a specially designed container that you slide onto a heating element in the bottom. Then there is the main rack with three add-on racks to hold your food. Without the racks you can smoke a medium sized whole chicken. With the racks you can smoke chicken wings, pork, salmon, etc. I'll be smoking tomatoes soon to try a smoked tomato soup recipe that I have.

It's not inexpensive, however, I'm in Miami now where restaurants think BBQ is cooking food in an oven and putting some sauce on it. Having moved from Kansas City where there are dozens and dozens of great BBQ restaurants, this is giving me a touch of what I've missed in Florida. I will definitely get my money's worth from this pressure smoker.

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I love pressure cookers and have used them in cooking for about 40 years; I also formerly demonstrated several different brands in department and specialty cookware shops, so I was very eager to give the Emson pressure smoker a trial run. In the hot smoke function, which cooks and smokes food at the same time probably the most-used function simply put a few smoking chips into a cup, cover the cup, pour in 1/2 cup water, layer the seasoned food onto the stacking racks, seal the cooker, set the time, and press "Start." It really is that simple. So far, I've cooked pork tenderloin, chicken drumsticks, and, using the cold smoke function, a salmon fillet. To my knowledge, this is the only stovetop appliance that will cold smoke food. All the results were perfectly satisfactory. This could be fun, so my next projects will be smoked hardboiled eggs, and smoked cheese.

Details: I didn't have any chips, so I've used the finely chopped wood chips I purchased for a Cameron stovetop smoker. These worked fine, using about 1 tablespoon each time. I followed the suggested times in the instruction booklet, except for the salmon. I wanted smoked, lightly cooked salmon to place on a salad platter, and the instructed time would have produced a flakey fish suitable for mixing into pates.

Reality checks: While the pressure smoker does smoke food much faster than traditional outdoor smoking, the process is not nearly as fast as pressure cooking in a traditional pressure cooker. The Emson instructions say to cook chicken pieces for 30 minutes, which produced a slightly overcooked, but tasty dinner. A traditional pressure cooker takes ten minutes to cook chicken parts. It may be possible to match the faster results by a traditional cooking method in the Emson smoker, omitting the chips, but the residual smoke odor would discourage me from cooking any recipe other than smoked food.

More reality: The capacity of the cooker is limited to approximately the amount of food for three or four people even with the layering of the racks. But, the process is quick, so one could repeat the process for a bigger crowd. The smoke odor fills the room; it remained for over a day, even though I am able to leave a door open to outside and ran the kitchen exhaust fan directly above the cooker while I was using it. I washed the cooker and am storing it in the garage, but I still smell the smoke when I pass it, several days later. The safety instructions do not spell out clearly enough the risk of burning oneself. The user must pull off the pressure regulator to release the steam. This sends steam shooting out. I tried it first with a thick hot pad to protect my hand and quickly pulled back as the pad became saturated with steam. I used a silicone mitt to remove the regulator with good results. I still came away with my hair and clothes smelling like smoke.

All in all, it's a well-made product that delivers as promised.

Read Best Reviews of Emson Electric 5Qt Smoker- The Only Indoor Pressure Smoker-Cook Your BBQ Brisket, Pressure Smoke Co Here

The Emson Electric 5Qt SmokerThe Only Indoor Pressure Smoker-Cook Your BBQ Brisket, Pressure Smoke Cold Cheese Or Fish is a rather unique appliance. It's a combination pressure cooker and smoker which can be used in a number of ways: to cook and hot smoke food, cook without smoke (like a regular pressure cooker), as a steamer, to cold smoke food like cheese or fish, or to sear or brown prior to steaming or pressure cooking.

It is easy to use, self contained (eliminates the mess & ash from charcoal and burned wood), keeps the smoke out of the air, and even collects condensation! and, perhaps most significantly, is relatively fool-proof! Just put the food to be cooked in the basket, add half a cup of water, add wood chips to the little box (if you will be smoking,) choose the cooking method (hot or cold smoke, pressure or steam, or brown, set the timer, push a button and walk away. It turns on, comes up to pressure for the specified amount of time and turns itself off. In many ways it is as easy and care-free as a slow cooker.... but is much much faster! *and* can add another dimension to your cooking (adding natural smoke flavor to things which are tricky to grill and at times of the year when you would not otherwise be able to bar-be-que). For many (I suspect most) it enables you to do things you would not otherwise have considered or had the means to do, like cold smoking cheeses and fish.

Mine arrived the day after I made braised ribs, which took *hours* and, ultimately, were not as tender as I would have liked. (I will have to give them another go now that I have this! I took this for a "test drive" with some tandori chicken (something I never would have considered making in a pressure cooker! In the past I have prepared it in the oven (both in a clay cooker and glass pan), on the stove top (searing and slow cooking) and on the bar-be-que. I would not have believed it, but it came out better in the smoker than any of the other methods! The chicken was moist and cooked evenly, evenly saturated with spice and smoke flavor. Some of the other methods worked pretty well (the clay cooker being the best of the lot), but cooking it on a bar-be-que meant the outside usually burned before the inside was cooked and the spice did not penetrate well. The other methods produced most, flavorful chicken, but not smoky. I was pretty impressed with its performance. It took only a couple of minutes to come up to temperature, and produced just a little bit of smoky steam. It took less tinkering than my stove-top pressure cooker, which I generally start at a high temperature to bring up to pressure and then turn down to maintain the boil (checking periodically to make sure that the liquid has not boiled off producing a potentially dangerous situation (you do not want to let a pressure cooker boil dry!). I also like that it has a condensation collector. No more drips on the stove top! I am now thinking of all the things which had been something of a challenge to cook properly before, and am looking forward to making things like shish kebob. (always a challenge to cook on the grill, as they are difficult to turn, and pieces frequently wind up among the coals.... and looking a the trimmings from a spice tree (nutmeg or clove?) we have in the yard, wondering what it would do in the smoker.

My only complaints about this unit are :

1. The wire rack (for smoking) is not as sturdy as it could be. It does the job and looks like it will hold up (is not exposed to elements like an outdoor grill, does not come in contact with the heating element) but can not hold a lot of weight (it is, however, 3 tiered, so you can distribute the weight some if you are making a rack of ribs, chicken parts...)

2. It is very large (as "small appliances" go) and presents something of a challenge to store. (A bit larger than a slow cooker, roughly the size of a bread machine). We all live with limited cabinet space (though, obviously what that means is different for different people) and so consider whether you will be using this enough to devote the better part of a cabinet to. I am going to have to seriously think about whether I need both my pressure cooker and the pressure smoker (as this unit can replace the other, and, because of the digital programming is somewhat easier, more predictable. Hmmm, I'd hate to say good-bye to an old friend (I've had that pressure cooker a good long time and heretofore considered it indispensable). It may be more a question of which gets the preferred, close-at-hand spot, and which gets shuffled to the rear. I guess time will tell whether I need them both. As of now, the only thing I know this can not do is make beans & legumes (that is specified in the manual). So, which one is the specialty appliance?

___________________________________________________________________________

Editing to note that after a month I am finding that use this more than Ii would have thought, generally opt for it over my old stove-top even when I am not using the smoker componant and the other would be adequate. This is just easier (and safer). I like being able to set the time & temperature, push a button and walk away.

I also want to mention something which I have discovered with use. 1: you almost always need less wood chip than you think you do. At this point we are using 3-4 chips (about 1" long, from a pre-packed bag of orange or hickory wood)

2: There is some residual smoke flavor in the cooker which will show up the next time you use it. We do clen it well (but can not really scrub without damaging the non-stick surface)

Thus far it has not been much of an issue. The flavor is mild, but there. It does lessen over the course of several uses (and is certainly not a dominant flavor if you are not using the smoking basket), but I thought it was worth mentioning.

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This smoker cost around two hundred dollars plus shipping. I uses it a couple of times and it worked OK if you like cigarette smoke flavored meat. When I used it in the brown or warm mode, the thing stopped working. I took it apart and the components are melted together. There is no insulation at all in or around the circut board. I hoped I could find a parts vendor to fix it myself,or send it in for repair, but I and unable to. Do not waste your money on this item. Two hundred plus will go a long way at Rib Crib, and you dont have to clean up the mess.

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Thursday, August 8, 2013

LG 26 In. Wall Sleeve and Stamped Aluminum Rear Grille for Through-the-Wall Air Conditioners - AXSV

LG 26 In. Wall Sleeve and Stamped Aluminum Rear Grille for Through-the-Wall Air Conditioners - AXSVA4I had a small a/c wall unit and could not find any suitable wall sleeve. This is the most reasonable one I could find, so I took a chance. Fortunately it worked out nicely. You could not tell the actual a/c unit itself was a lot smaller than the sleeve. But it worked nicely and the price for a wall sleeve is on of the best. I would definitely recommend.

It works great, it fits perfect and does what it needs to do. It was easy to install with the air conditioner.

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Saturday, July 6, 2013

CobraCo FB6540 Round Bravo Fire Pit with Screen and Cover

CobraCo FB6540 Round Bravo Fire Pit with Screen and CoverWe bought this firepit from Plow and Hearth (same exact model, etc.) The very first time we used it, the spark screen caved in and nearly melted from the heat, and it was only a small fire! The cover that comes with it is flimsy, and tore within a few weeks. I think we used the firepit 2 or 3 times (only once with the screen, obviously), and it's ready for the trash. Don't waste your money!

The fire pit arrived with 2 dents. The unit scratches and dents from normal handling. After 1 week stored in a garage the screws are rusting. The lid doesn't fit snugly keeps falling into the fire. After 1 use, I donated to Goodwill for the tax writeoff not worth anymore of my time. Don't buy it!

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We love our fire pit, but the cover that comes with it useless. I contacted amazon and they contacted "The Sportsmans Guide" that I got it from through amazon, but so far nothing has been done about the fact that it had holes in it when I got it. Twice they have told me that a new one would be sent, but it has not happened.

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i was afraid that when i bought a firepit the inside would not be wide enough for large logs but this firepit is perfect for whatever sized logs u want to put in. overall im very satisfied and would recommend in buying this firepit.

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I can't believe this was so cheaply made. NOT made to last more than one season, plus the lid doesn't fit right. We are returning it. DON'T waste your money!!!

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Air King 9145 6-Inch 2-Speed Clip-On Fan

Air King 9145 6-Inch 2-Speed Clip-On FanI purchased this fan for my daughter because her west-facing room gets especially hot in the evenings, even with A/C on. We had another fan that was too loud for her and that vibrated terribly when we placed it up high enough so she could feel the wind from it. This fan was the perfect solution! We clipped it on her bed and she can adjust it herself from off to high or low. It is the quietest fan in our house by far and she can still hear her Mozart good night music, which we play quietly, over the fan. The fan is easy to angle or adjust as well and the clip is strong once you've placed it so it stays in place. We are really happy with this purchase and my husband who can't stand to hear a pin drop is considering getting one for himself.

Update: We ordered a second one in 2011 and it is not identical to the one we ordered in 2008, but it is still effective, though somewhat less quiet.

In my search for a fan for my tiny room, I had specific criteria:

1) Relatively inexpensive

2) Quality parts

3) Quiet/silent (most important)

4) Low wattage

Misc criteria:

*)Free shipping

*)Service, 30-day $ back guarantee if I'm not satisfied

The Air King 9145 on Amazon matched my criteria precisely. I got it for $25, shipped & no tax. I received it fairly promptly (could care less; shipping was free).

Anyways, the box is pretty no-thrills and that's the way it should be. It comes with:

1) Box

2) Paper manual (note: you can download the manual online by searching "air king 9145 user manual" and go paperless :)

3) Fan main assembly

4) Clip.

The fan can be mounted by using either the clip seen in the picture, or using a screw. The screw-mount is on the back of the fan clip. I personally mounted it using the clip. I found that hanging the fan upside down on a thin piece of wood doesn't really work well. You need a "chunky" place for the clip to get a good grip and hold it. I found best of both worlds with the top of my desk. A pole could work also.

The fan has 0-1-2 settings. The manual advertises the fan uses 9 watts on setting "1" and 13 watts on setting "2". I can confirm this is 100% correct using my killawatt(TM) device.

-Noise-

I personally don't like a lot of air blowing on my face, so I used setting "1" and I like it. It blows enough air to keep me/my laptop cool without drying my eyes. On setting 1, the fan is pretty quiet, even for very-very-noise sensitive people like. It is not "dead silent", but "quiet". Setting 2 is a bit louder and I don't like putting it on setting 2 for that reason.

The fan setting is adjusted on the back of the fan head. I find myself baffled as to why the company decided to do a "0-2-1" setting instead of "0-1-2" which is more logical. Now it takes me twice as many "clicks" to get to my setting. Not a big deal (for me especially, since I use a remote control to turn that outlet on).

The wiring feels nice and thick and the build quality feels solid. I wish the plug didn't use a "three prong", since I have to get a special extension cord for it. :-(

Other than that, what can I say? It performs very well. I am very pleased with this purchase and would do it again!

Pros:

1) Reasonably priced

2) Free shipping, no tax if fulfilled from Amazon

3) Fan is quiet on setting 1

4) Fan wiring is thick and solid! Fan feels high quality

Negatives:

1) Could be cheaper? ($25 shipped, no tax is reasonable IMO, but for a 6" fan still pricey for some)

2) Only comes in white. This is my biggest complaint. I guess I could use a primer/black spray paint, but it would be great if it came in black :)

3) Clip spring could be a bit stronger.

4) Plug is three pronged (sucks for getting an extension cord)

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I use this fan at work, it clips on almost anywhere. It is very quiet and has 2 speeds. Done me well so far and at $15 bucks a great value.

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Quiet and easy to use. I use it to keep my electronics cool. It's not noisy

and easy to place to keep my stereo components cool.

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The clamp is of poor design and quality compared to other brands I have owned. I am hoping the quality and lifespan of the motor is better, because that is always the weak link of these little fans.

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