Maxi-Matic Elite Cuisine Single Flat Burner Hot Plate

This hotplate is compact, affordable and a good value, and offers great control over heat. I bought it for its solid, flat plate, which is much easier to clean and much more stable than exposed-coil heating elements, which tend to rattle around in their drip pan. I bought this not for cooking purposes, but for arts and crafts -I use it in my studio for steam-setting dyed wool in a canning pot, and also for heating wax and encaustic paints. The "warm" setting and exceptional control over temperature is especially helpful for heating wax and encaustic, which have very low meltingand flash points. While an electric griddle might be a better option for precise temperature control, this hotplate is generally pretty well-made for its price and has a good, multipurpose heating element.

I recommend this good burner. This stuff is small --doesn't take much space -and easy to carry. By my experience, when I turn it "High" (4 degrees: Warm, Low, Medium, High), it takes less than 10 minutes to boil 1 liter water (the time spent may not be the same depending on several factors). I think it should be suitable for people who don't have a kitchen or want to travel with a portable electric burner.

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We thankfully tested this unit out before using it in our camper. I wanted to ensure that it would work well for cooking simple meals and heating up canned goods. I also wanted to make sure it wouldn't get too hot underneath the unit and damage our new laminate countertops.

The unit wasn't level when sitting on our granite kitchen counters. It was about 1/4" too high on one leg. We removed a rubber cushion, and that solved the problem (though we shouldn't have had to remove a protective cushion in the first place). Strike ONE.

After 30 minutes on the HIGH setting, a pot of water (about 1 1/2 quarts) was 190 degrees. The unit would cycle on and off (the light would be on, then turn off) without reaching the boiling point. STRIKE TWO.

The other HUGE problem with this unit is that there is no heat shield to prevent the heat from reaching the countertop. We used a thermometer to check how hot the granite countertop became and were shocked that it was 140 degrees underneath the unit!! STRIKE THREE.

I sent it back to Amazon today. I have no doubt that Amazon will continue to send out these units, so buyer beware. Aside from not being able to cook a meal, they are also a fire hazard. At the very least, they aren't safe to use on most surfaces. Stay away from this one.

We purchased two Sylvania electric single hotplates today from a drugstore chain. They have the coil type of burner, but are fast to heat (less than 8" to boil water) and only reached 87 degrees under the unit after a half hour.

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I love my single burner, if I had the space I would have bought two. It heats up quick and evenly. Small and yet big enough to cook in a pot or frying pan. It's great that it has a "warm" option too.

Very satisfied.

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I almost didn't order one of these because of so many negative reviews. But I have to tell you, it works wonderfully and I am extremely happy with it after 3 weeks of use. I use it nearly every day, at least once a day.

Packaging is solid.

The unit boils water with no problems whatsoever. Just to give readers an idea how I tend to use this hot plate, I mainly use it to boil water for making soups and ramen, or to boil rice and beans. Being single, I only need to cook for one person, so the amount of water I need to boil never exceeds 3 cups at a time. This unit provides plenty of power to do this (can't remember for sure, but I believe this hot plate is 1000 watts).

I never need to use it for more than 12 minutes or so at a time. It boils 2 1/2 cups of water in about 7 minutes (very respectable in my opinion). When I'm making just rice or rice and beans, I bring it to a boil for 5 minutes, then I turn the unit off because I place the pot I'm using into an insulated pot cozy for 20 minutes more to finish cooking without the need to use more energy.

Some reviewers reported the power indicator light goes out. And yes, sometimes it does. This is because once the iron plate heats up to temperature, the heat element turns itself on and off to maintain the temperature you have selected, not because it's shorting out.

The first 2 or 3 times I used the hot plate, there was a faint smell from the hot plate. Most likely it was from a factory coating placed on the heating element when it was manufactured to protect it from corrosion during shipping/storage. After using it a couple of times, I smell nothing but good food cooking. I was never concerned about it catching fire, like other reviewers have reported.

I don't know how long some reviewers who left negative opinions were using this hot plate, and maybe they really did have major issues with this particular model of hot plate. But no one with problems mentions how long they had the unit on before experiencing their issues. Since I don't plan on making seven course meals on this single burner hot plate, and don't need to have it on more than 15 minutes at a time, I don't expect to ever have a problem with this product. Even if this hot plate conks out on me right now, I feel it was well worth the twenty bucks. I suspect it will last a very long time because the build quality is very simple but durable, maybe with the excemption of the temperature selection knob which feels a little flimsy (though it is not wobbly or jiggly, just a little too easy to turn in my opinion). But I'm only planning on using that to dial to the temperature I need, not swing on it. It turns on, it turns off. When you're done with it, unplug it like you should unplug every other appliance that's not being used.

Extremely pleased with this product. In fact, in the time it took to boot up my computer and write this review, my rice was finishing cooking in it's pot cozy. And now it's done.

I have no complaints whatsoever, and I would highly recommend this hot plate for someone like myself who wishes to make very simple meals.

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Pizzacraft PC0201 24" x 14" Large Hardwood Pizza Peel

Works great for placing and removing artisan breads from the oven. A sprinkle of corn meal and you're all set. Because of the size have yet to find the right place to store between uses.

I actually did not purchase this for pizza. I purchased it to use when baking bread according to the method in "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day." The peel arrived today and I tried it out this evening....worked like a charm!! And it's lightweight and looks nice too!

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Other than the fact that this is made in China, it's a nice large pizza peel. We haven't used it yet, so I don't know how to hold up, but I will update my review once we have a chance to use it.

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Arrived damaged. The front edge was chipped and although not really damaged the underside was not sanded. I can not say that it mentioned that this was MADE IN CHINA? The peel size is good but the handle was a little too short. Not well balanced. The wood did not look oiled or stained. Doubt that wooden dowels are used to join the pieces. They are probably just glued but maybe they all are?

Unfortunately I also ordered a Pizzacraft Pizza stone and had it gift wrapped. It is for my Cousins birthday. If he likes it great, if not I guess that will be returned too?

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This paddle is perfect for a large-size pizza. Nice finish and great weight. The handle is just perfect for putting the pizza in the oven.

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Mr Bar B Q 06039X Stainless Steel Dual Sided Reusable BBQ Sheet

I've been looking for more of these BBQ Sheets everywhere and I finally found them on your site. These BBQ sheets make grilling effortless and sanitary.

We have used these a few times and they are okay. If you spray them with Pam or any other cooking spray, the spray will pretty much bake on and be almost impossible to scrub off. The grates on our grill are starting to rust a bit and these do keep the food from coming in contact with it. One good thing about them is that you can soak them in hot soapy water in your sink to clean. They can go in the dishwasher but I haven't tried that yet because they need a fair amount of scrubbing after they are used.

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We really need to break down and get a new grill, but haven't yet, and we have already replaced the grates once in ours, so the burners in ours are more the problem then the grates. Being that our burners like to flare up and burn our meat. Have been using these kind of as a shield in the meantime, to protect our food from being scorched. They are very thin, but thicker and more reuseable then say aluminum foil. I haven't tried to wash them yet, but I will say, I'm going to do it outside, they aren't exactly fitable in a two sided sink *and would probably make a mess. But they are holding up fine, and so far when we have used them, even from the beginning we haven't had any problems with food sticking to them, although we have only done hamburgers and steaks, so not sure how chicken or fish would do. Picked these up locally at Target, price was about the same. Good product, would recommend to friends who are looking into getting something similar. One side is flat with holes (probably the side you would use for fish or veggies, and the other is raised with valleys, so you wwill get some grill type marks on your stakes and burgers.

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Bought this for the husband. We like to cook fish on the grill; this works pretty well. It is a little cheap, but you can't beat the price.

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I bought a new grill and felt the need to buy this for some reason. I was wrongly under the assumption that it might keep my grill a little bit cleaner. I grill every night and hate dealing with the mess. It turned out to be really flimsy. The wholes don't help at all with cleanliness and the food doesn't cook evenly when using this product. What's the point? I went back to using aluminum foil on the grill and avoid the mess all together. I am stuck with a flimsy sheet of metal and still can't figure out what the point of this product is. This was an unnecessary impulse buy. Get tin foil instead.

NuWave PIC - Precision Induction Cooktop

I purchased mine from the Nuwave website. It was the BoGo offer with the cookware. As written in many other places the S&H for the cookware and second cook top negate any "get one free" benefit. That should be a considration of "how/where" you purchase.

I immediately unpacked my 2 PIC to test boiling water. First thing I found out was my Calphalon cookware from Target is annodized aluminum...not magnetic and not induction compatible. That should be a considration about buying the PIC if you want to use current metal cookware...BE SURE IT'S Magnetic.

Ok, now for the review of actual functionality. I used both the "free" stainless steel cookpot and a castiron fry pan. Both PIC's that I received only had a functioning induction coil in the very center of the cooktop. If you see a picture without the pot or pan on the PIC it's the size of the center red circle that is intersected by the NuWave logo. This will affect the eveness of heat distribution and cooking...especially frying.

The button for "Med" indicates a temperature of 275. I just wanted to boil water for my first use(that's 212 degrees farenheight, actually slightly less here in Colorado Springs). After 5 minutes there were bubbles forming on the bottom of the pan in a 3-4 inch circle in the center. This is the location of the inner induction coil. According to the NuWave response on their facebook page the induction coils are supposed to be out to the OUTER red cirlce on the PIC cooktop so this indicated to me that the coils were not working properly.

To get the water to actually boil, and this is on the included DvD also, you need to select the SEAR/HIGH button and adjust down once you get to a boil.

I don't see this product being nearly as "precise" as the NuWave website indicates. There is definitely as much lag in heating pots as with a standard electric range. It may truly be more efficient overall because the heat is generated within the cooking pot by exciting the atoms and not transferred from the heating element to the pot...but speedwise I definitly saw zero improvment over conventional electric or gas. I have a GE Profile gas range and the small burner did a better/faster job boiling water, again probaly not as efficient since the flames must heat the pot.

Safety-wise there are indeed no open flames or electric burners but the glass cooktop does absorb heat from the cookware so there is a chance to burn yourself after extended cooking times with the PIC.

I think this may work fine as a hotplate for parties or for serving fondues...but for active cooking I feel it's quite a let down from what is shown on their site or in the informercials.

*** Updating to a 3 star rating after testing the green pans that came with the product. The heat convection in the "Perfect Green" 9" Duralon pan is very good and the non-stick surface is excellent(not sure about durability as this is day two with the product). I'm not sure why the sauce/steamer/fondue pan seems to work poorly but the Perfect Green fry pans work very well. I can't push this beyond 3 stars as it still seems as slow when using anything other than the fry pans. I bought this with the idea of having solid, precise control for frying chicken I will be trying that this weekend and hopefully reporting back here afterward.

### For those of you who wondered about chicken frying, it seems to hold temperature(once you get there !!!) much better than a standard electric skillet, and since it seems to cycle off when it reaches temp...unlike standard cooktops that keep adding heat unless you adjust them...it was a better final product. I was able to fry 12 chicken thighs in 3 batches of 4 without stopping or messing with the controls.

Still only a 3 because it definitly doesn't live up to the infomercials.

MARCH 10, 2013.

Our review from December published below originally gave this PIC a five star review. I have changed to only ONE star now. SO, if you happen to read any comments by other folks which might not make sence, that is why...

I also have added at the bottom of this review an email from The Induction Cooking website expert, addressing small induction burner elements and the cooking powers of these smaller Induction cooktops.

The Induction cooking method is a good choice.

THIS product has a defect which makes it cook at much higher temperature than the temperature you set.

I used a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of water and soup. THe temperature/thermostat was defective.

When the unit was set and 160, the thermometer measured 200 and a rolling boil occurred.

I returned the unit, exchanging it for another PIC.

THe same defect occurred.

I will be returning the second one now, and get my money back.

I hope that this update will serve to protect others from putting their money into a product which does not function properly.

ALSo, for reader's information. THe induction burner within this unit only measures 5 1/2 inches, so can't be used with larger pots.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My question to Eric:

I've been looking at the listings on your site.What I am looking for is the

> ACTUAL size of the burner element in each of the countertop cooktops.

>

> I thought that the individual companies would have this information readily

> available, yet cannot seem to find it on amazon and your site. Do I need to

> call or write the individual companies to get this information.

Eric's answer to my question:

You could, but the answer will be pretty much the same (if you can get an

answer at al)--around the 5" to 6" that you have discovered by yourself. The

only exceptions would be in some units expressly designed for commercial use

(and priced accordingly).

One must remember that countertop units were not and are not intended as the

main station for cooking--they are improvements on the old "hot plate", which

is for lightweight supplementary cooking, from heating up a small pot of some

canned goods in a college dorm to at-the-table cooking of those few dishes

that need to go from pan to plate in a blink. They were never meant for 12"

skillets or huge, many-quart pots of soup or the like.

If one has to cook on them with anything much larger than 6" to 8" in

diameter, the material of the cookware and the natire of what's being cooked

come into play. Cast iron is a poor heat conductor, and so is quite slow to

carry heat from the center to its periphery; on the other hand, given enough

pre-heat, it will eventually get at least moderattely hot at the perimeter and

will tend to hold that heta. "Clad" stainless steel, on the other hand, is

designed to conduct heat well, and so will heat up more quickly; but it will

also cool down more quickly. Neither material on a small, countertop unit

will be really satisfactory in heating the outer annular area of any pot or

skillet, but whether that is critical depends on what one is cooking: if one

is making pancakes, or cooking anything that needs even heat throughout, it

will never be a real success; on the other hand, something like heating a

liquid will work tolerably well because the liquid itself will very rapidly

even out the temperatures.

There is always, though, the power limitation: 13,000 BTU/hour, which is the

equivalent of what a 1.8-kW tabletop can deliver, is a lof heat energy, and

will do well for most household tasks. But even that cannot boil several

quart of water in a flash. In a build-in unit, a 1.8-kW element would be one

of the small ones.

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I purchased through the TV Add BOGO. I couldn't wait to get my new induction cooktops because I want to replace my regular smooth cooktop with induction. Felt this would be an excellent way to try it out. Since I have ALL CLAD stainless steel cookware, I knew my cookware would not be a problem.

When the units showed up, I opened the first unit, filled up one of my All Clad pots with about 3 inches of water and put it to the test! Unfortunately, only the very center of my pan tried to boil. I NEVER got a full boil going with the unit. It didn't even get the center of the pot of water boiling. Since that didn't work, I pulled out a smaller pot and tried again. Same result. To top off the poor performance, the fan is incredibily loud.

I emailed with customer service (Hearthware.Com) and their answer was "sorry". I was told if I wanted to send it back, I had to pay the shipping and handling. Now, that means I have to pay shipping and handling both ways for a poor product. So, I figured it was just the one unit so I opened up the 2nd unit and tried the same thing. This unit was worse than the first one since after 10 minutes I couldn't get anything to boil. Temperature of the "boiling" water never got over 140 degrees. Fan was just as loud on this unit as the first unit.

So, back to customer service (email) I went. Again, no assistance in saying "let's replace that for you". Same answer send them back at MY cost.

Needless to say, I will never purchase a product through HEARTHWARE again. I will NEVER purchase a NU WAVE product again. It cost me over $75 for shipping and handling for a product that did not work and I don't have. MAJOR disappointment.

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I purchased the NuWave cooktop and the "free" induction compatible cookware. Per the instructions I seasoned the smaller, 9" fry pan; "...using vegetable oil and allow to heat on MED for 1-3 minutes". Ok, set temp to MED, place oiled pan on cooktop, set timer for three minutes. Before the three minutes was up I began to smell hot oil. I went to the kitchen and the oil had turned black, BURNT! I used my infrared thermometer and the fry pan surface was 515 degrees at it's coolest point, almost 550 in two other spots! My thought was how can indicated 275 degrees produce 550 degrees! By the way, I have been unable to remove the burned on oil from the pan, without using some sort of scouring steel wool, which I have NOT done. So, the pan is no longer non-stick. I used another induction compatible small sauce pot to make a gravy; once again, the temperature with an indicated 275 degrees was hot enough to burn the flour to the bottom of the sauce pot, the drippings I was using were that hot and nothing short of a steel wool soap pad would clean the sauce pot after that. Needless to say, the gravy was ruined. I did manage to steam some fresh vegetables without incident using the cooktop. I have put the cooktop away and I do not know when I will use it again. I have better temperature control with an electric range than I do with the NuWave cooktop.

In my opinion induction cooktops may be overrated. They don't heat up the kitchen like conventional appliances and they may save on energy costs; but, to give up the quality of my cooking does not justify the savings. I would rather pay more in energy costs than have my cooking suffer.

There are many induction cooktops on the market ranging from stand alone "hot plates" such as this, to full major appliance induction cooktop surfaces. I was considering the purchase of an induction/infrared/convection cooker of the same or like manufacture; but, since I am not fully satisfied with this "hot plate" I think I will stick to my microwave and standard electric oven, I know these two work as advertised.

I did not purchase this through Amazon but I did follow the link and subsequently went directly to nuwave.com to make the purchase.

I thought I would give my NuWave PIC one more try. I attempted to make fish and chips. The oil needs to be 370 to 380 degrees and I set the unit to "SEAR" to get the oil hot. Using a cast iron dutch oven, which is what I typically use when frying fish, I used two thermometers in the oil. When they reached 400 degrees I put the fish pieces in the oil and set the unit to 375 degrees, only to watch the temperature begin to drop before finally bottoming out at around 290 degrees; WITH THE UNIT TEMPERATURE CONTROL DISPLAYING 375 DEGREES, this "cooling off" took less than five minutes. Needless to say the fish was underdone and the breading soaked up so much oil I almost had to toss the whole mess! (A good Malt Vinegar does wonders!)

As I stated previously I firmly believe this product is far over "hyped". I have watched the infomercials since my purchase of this PIC and I focused on the two major selling points: 1) The kitchen does not heat up and, 2) The only part of the induction cooker that gets hot is directly under the cookware being used. This latter point seems to be repeated more than anything else, thus driving home the safety of the surface temperature, a major point particularly if there are children in the home.

I have, for the last time, put my NuWave PIC back in its box and have put it in a closet. It just does not seem to work as advertised for me; at least, mine doesn't! It will make a nice birthday or Christmas present I suppose.

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I ordered on the internet assuming I would also get pans and the BOGO...beware buyers. You do not get any pans on the tv offer and the extra cooktop is $30. for shipping. If you want the pans, the shipping is almost $80. Buy through Amazon. They are honest and you can get two cooktops for less.

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Electric Takoyaki Pan Pancake Puffs - 24 molds

We were a little nervous using this item in the United States since the voltage is different here, but we haven't had any problems. My husband grew up in Japan, and LOVES being able to make takoyaki right here in Kansas! Great product and easy to clean.

Great for making takoyaki, or even for making pancakes. I have brought it to work and made pancakes filled with bacon or chocolate chips or bananas or blueberries... Always a hit. Just make sue to use wooden or silicon instruments to turn the takoyaki so you don't scratch the nonstick coating.

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I would be giving a 5 star rating but i did notice that there was a hot spot on 2 or 3 of the cups.

as long as you know where the hot spot in the pan is you can still produce great Takoyaki.

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I received this as a gift from hubby (included in my wish list) last Christmas, and today (a snow day) if the first time I and my sons have used it (we had fun!). It really is a good family bonding time as teamwork is quite necessary to grease, fill these with the batter and filling, and flip (using chopsticks). We were like an assembly line. We made Æbleskiver, actually, as we don't have the ingredients for takoyaki, and we are not sure we will like them. We used different jams as fillings. Perfect bite-sized pieces. I did have to turn off the gadget at some point because we were too slow and some of the pancakes were burning. The pan is removable, and can be cleaned by wiping with damp washcloth.

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Its was a great gift for a friend how wanted to learn how to make some ebelskivers the easy way :p

excellent quality, still being used like new 2 years later, i would recommened this product

thanks

Swissmar 8-Person Eiger Raclette with Reversible Cast Iron Grill Plate

I'm rather new to raclette. The stone grill tops of other models intimidated me. And I'm not that into having everything "non-stick" being a long-time cast iron pan lover. A well-seasoned cast iron pan is worth 20 teflon pans...anyway...

I'm glad I decided on "middle ground" and purchased the cast-iron grilltop raclette. It does a lovely job on veggies and meat...and the grill actually puts some pretty nice searmarks on the food as it cooks...which is an attractive touch. It's also heavy enough to REALLY hold heat well. We like to sear cubes of marinated beef on top...while our cheese is melting underneath. Mmmmm.

The raclette pans are non-stick...and pretty much the same Swissmar pans they sell with all of their raclette grills. (Nice if you need a replacement.) And this version does come with the pan spatulas...as shown in the picture.

It cleans up very well...but I do recommend doing a traditional cast iron pan seasoning on it first. Wipe oil on the grilltop...pop the grilltop in your oven at 300 degrees...and leave it in there until it gets a little stinky. Turn off the oven...let it cool...wipe...and then re-oil for the first use. Natural non-stick surface...and will also add a little iron to your diet to boot!

The grill is reversable...and has two indentations for crepes on the reverse side that work really well for making quesodillas. (If you're wondering how "multi-purpose" a raclette is...you can adapt any hibachi, fajita, tabletop BBQ sort of recipe...and you can use it to host a DIY omlette brunch...grill mini-burgers...or make pizza. Ours pretty much lives on the dining room table now...it's that much fun.)

If for some reason you decide later you want the stone grilltop...or even the non-stick one...Swissmar grills are pretty much as standard size...and you can order a "replacement" top in later in a different material.

We researched raclette ovens & got this one for Christmas. Understand, my boyfriend is Swiss, so he knows these things.... The cast iron grill plate conducts heat wonderfully & is much simpler than the stone tops that should be pre-heated in a real oven to prevent cracking. Its 2 cooking surfaces (one for grilling & the other for cooking pancakes or tortillas) are handy. The cheese trays & spatulas work great--no sticking. The raclette experience is so fun & social--a unique dining experience that is fabulous for the holidays. Swissmar is the expert in raclette ovens, & this particular oven is a winner!

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Just received this cast iron grill today. Still seasoning the cast iron grill. The whole unit is very handsome, and heat very well, the rack is stable. Cannot wait to use it when the seasoning process is done. The non-stick trays looks very good quality, but I am trying to eliminate non-stick cookware. I bought two 4" x 4" with 1" height cast iron skillets from Home Goods to replace the non-stick trays. They fit under the grill well. I had been looking for a indoor electric grill for weeks, and finally decided to get this one. The size is just right for 2 -4 people. I also bought a 1 qt stainless pot to plan to put some soup in it, then place on top of the grill to keep the soup warm.

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I've used the raclette twice since buying it about 3 weeks ago. I bought it after an appetizer use of it at a friend's house. Theirs was one with the non-stick top which seemed a bit flimsy. So, I selected the one with the cast iron top and it seems to heat better and more evenly. My participating guests are already asking for more!

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Love this Grill. We've only had it for about 6 weeks and already used it 3 times. We've used it with 3 people or with 7. Everybody can reach OK, but our table isn't huge. Start on hot then turn down heat quickly this is the kind of meal that's supposed to take a lot of time. You can sit for a few hours slowly eating and talking and having a good time.

Things we ate with it: Boiled potatoes, tiny French pickles, white asparagus (a Swiss must have for Raclette), tomatoes, peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant, bacon, cut up chicken breast, hot peppers (cut small, sprinkle them on the cheese before melting it), and probably other things I can't think of right now! Use your imagination, there are so many options!

Marukyo Stone Stove Top In/Outdoor Grill (Stove Not Include)

I have one of these stone-topped grills, but I didn't get it from Amazon. None the less, I will review this product for the sake of others considering it.

Does it brown meat? Hell yes. If you try to brown meat and fail, it's because the stone wasn't hot enough when you put the meat on. The stone has a very high heat capacity and takes a while to get searing hot, but once it's hot, it will brown if not blacken meat easily. The stone takes a minute or two to pre-heat. Make sure you thoroughly oil the stone when you pre-heat the stone. Failure to oil the stone will make food stick to it. The stone may actually have to be seasoned before use. I don't know; mine came in a box covered in Japanese text, which I can't read.

Is it easy to clean? Absolutely not. I used mine for korean barbecue. Korean marinades tend to contain sugar, fruit juices, or malt syrup. All of these ingredients will char and leave your grill topper caked with carbon. Do not wash the grill with soap; the stone is porous and is meant to be scraped clean. Soap will get into the pores and ruin the flavor of subsequent meals cooked on it. Repeated use will season the stone until it's blackened like an old cast iron pan. Rinse the cooking surface under hot water and scrub with a coarse stiff brush a few times to get the loose stuff off, then and scrape any charred junk off using either a razor blade topped scraper or a utility blade. The one biggest drawback of this thing is the difficulty of cleaning it.

If the difficulty of cleaning is not worth the extra heat retention of the stone, this product is not going to be worth it for you. If you absolutely must have convenience, get one of those nonstick coated grill toppers.

Now, I must add that if you heat your stone too quickly, it might develop cracks, so pre-heat on medium or medium-low rather than blasting it on high. Mine still works, but it had visible cracks going through it after the first use, where I foolishly heated it on full blast. The outer metal portion holds it together such that the cracks aren't really a big deal, but I imagine that after repeated use, a cracked stone might fall apart eventually.

One more thing: this device is not meant to be used on the stove top. The stoves I've tried it on don't fit well; if it doesn't fit well, it can shift around. It fits best on one of those portable butane canister fueled burners commonly sold in Asian markets. The idea is that you have this thing going at the table, and you cook your meats at the table Korean Barbecue style.

I saw the first review of this item. It was said that the plate does not brown meat and it was evaluated for 1 star. I think it is unfair as meats for Korean BBQ are not meant to be brown. If this grill is used correctly for the purpose of Korean BBQ, bith indoor and outdoor, it is really a nice product for the occasion.

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This is a smokeless grill should not brown meat on it. The only draw back is that I wish they provide the best cleaning instruction. ~^_^~

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Works well with our stove and have some great meals with the family. Product arrived on time which was remarkable for the holiday rush.

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I bought this in my local-ish Korean market. Sadly the people in the housewares section seem disinclined to speak English and couldn't or wouldn't translate this for me, so I didn't know I should use a low flame and not wash it with soap. Thankfully I seem to have soaked the soap taste out if the stone. The grill worked well enough, but didn't fit my square stove top burner properly. The box does show it used on one of those portable burners, pay attention to pictures! I cooked over medium heat on a gas stove. My LA Kalbi came out good but I had to keep turning and flipping it to cook it evenly. Samgyeopsal ended up deep frying in its own fat, quite delicious but not right. Meat does not cook well over the vented section, but vegetables do all right. I had lots of smoke!!! Had to open windows even with exhaust fan on because it got so bad my upstairs filled with smoke. Again, I cannot read the instructions, so perhaps when properly used on a small propane burner this grill functions much better.

EDIT: I have thrown this out because on its second use the stone cracked all the way across and grease leaked onto my stove creating a fire hazard. Good thing I have a fire extinguisher or I wouldn't be able to edit this!

No Leak Lids 6-Pc Storage Set

Like many people these days I was looking to replace my old, barely-functioning plastic storage containers and upgrade to glass for health reasons. In my quest for the best product I bought and ultimately returned Snapware Glasslock, Kinetic Glasslock, and Anchor Hocking TrueSeal. The Anchor Hocking TrueSeal leaked like a sieve so that was an immediate no. The Snapware Glasslock and Kinetic Glasslock both were leakproof, but I decided against them because I like the look of Pyrex No Leak better, and it has additional benefits such as a microwaveable lid and oven proof glass.

What I love about Pyrex No Leak: First and foremost it is 100% leakproof. I was a little worried about buying Pyrex because their Basic Glass Containers (blue lids) and Glass Lids Containers (red lids) are definitely not leakproof. I tested the Pyrex No Leak out of the box by filling them with water and shaking them upside down, not one drop came out. Yesterday, I packed soup for lunch and my lunch bag turned upside down in the car. The No Leak performed great and not a drop was spilled. The round and rectangular shapes are equally waterproof.

Next I feel that Pyrex No Leak has the best overall features of any glass containers on the market. The lids are BPA-free, and the containers are freezer, microwave, and dishwasher (top rack) safe. While these features are pretty standard, Pyrex No Leak containers are also oven-safe (glass containers only) and the lids are microwaveable. All the competing lids must be removed for microwave use, and while I am trying to get away from using plastic, the reality is there are times when I don't have or don't want to use a paper towel and isn't it nice that I can simply use the lid if I want? Also the clean up is easy. To wash in the dishwasher I remove the inner rubber seal from the lid and place the seal, lid, and container in the top rack. I haven't had any issues with the lid warping or the glass containers breaking or anything like that. I've also washed the containers by hand and that is quick and easy as well.

Finally, the Pyrex No Leak containers look fantastic. The grey lids are a nice neutral color that will go with any decor. At first I was looking for clear lids. I have a few Rubbermaid Stainshield containers and I love being able to see the food through the top of the container. So I thought I would love the locking lids from Snapware and Kinetic. My personal feeling is that, sitting atop a clear glass container, the clear plastic lids look cloudy by comparison. Also I really like that the No Leak lids are traditionally styled (no lock down tabs on the sides). It looks very streamlined and modern.

Overall I am very happy with my Pyrex No Leak containers and I've ordered a bunch more. My only complaints are the following: The glass containers are hot to the touch after microwaving. This will of course be true of any glass containers, not just these. Pyrex, if you are listening I would love to see you offer a removable rubber sleeve that can go over the glass containers for microwave use (much like the cardboard sleeves that coffee shops use). Of course if I'm at home I can just use an oven mitt to remove the container, but the rubber sleeve would be great for work and travel. Another disappointment was actually the microwave vent in the lid. With my old plastic containers I would just loosen the lid and place it on top to microwave. Pyrex No Leak has a specially designed vent, and I excited to try this new feature. I reheated split pea soup in the microwave with the lid on and the microwave vent opened and after 1:30 I had split pea explosion all over the microwave. I reheated the same soup, but this time left the microwave vent closed and placed the lid loosely on top, and it heated beautifully, no mess. So I'm still giving the product five stars because it works great using the alternate method. As a side note, I was initially worried that Pyrex No Leak containers do not nest. You must put the lids on and stack them for storage. I have a LOT of containers, but this has not been an issue for me. Glass containers are going to take up more space than plastic anyway so I don't think you save too much room by having containers that nest.

I currently own the 2-cup round, 4-cup round, 3-cup rectangular, and 6-cup rectangular containers. I have since ordered more of these plus the 7-cup round and 11-cup rectangular. I wish they offered a 1 cup size, but they do not. The 2, 3, and 4-cup sizes are great for lunches. I'm looking forward to getting the 7-cup and 11-cup for large batches of leftovers.

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Jokari Burger Maker Slider Maker

The only slider maker I have used that works like white castle.

Poking the holes is a little tedious but they are the perfect size with Martin's potatoe rolls or

Pepperidge Farms small dinner rolls as buns.

So yea... I kept seeing those infomercials for the slider maker on tv and decided I wanted one. This was a reasonably priced alternative. And I am not disappointed. I've made several batches now and want to pass along some wisdom.

Keep the burgers on the thin side. They cook better. After you've pressed a batch, use a drinking straw to punch 3 holes in each patty. You can squeeze the excess meat out of the straw so it doesn't get wasted. You can freeze the tray of patties and then remove and snap apart each individual patty. And then store these frozen sliders in a freezer bag or container. It's nice to have a bunch on hand for quick easy snacks... When you grill them up, throw some onions on your pan and then the frozen patty. No need to flip them, as the steam vent holes you created with the straw eliminate the need for flipping. As for the buns, I've tried using hotdog buns cut in half but they are too small. I've found both of my regular grocery stores stock mini burger buns in the deli department.

I disagree with the reviewer who thought this wouldn't last. While it's not made of a space age bionic polymer, there's no reason this product won't last for years and years with normal use and care.

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I found this product very convenient. You just press the ground meat into the plastic container, and use the divider to create 9 sliders. I bought a large package of meat, and froze the other set of sliders for later. Everyone enjoyed the ones I prepared, and the containers cleaned up well in the dishwasher. Also, it does not take up too much storage room, a real plus in my kitchen.

Read Best Reviews of Jokari Burger Maker Slider Maker Here

I bought two sets, and used three trays tonight to make slider burgers. The product description says: "It makes and stores eighteen (18) mini patties while keeping your hands super clean." LOL...the only way you are able to keep your hands super clean, is to use rubber gloves. You have to weigh out 1 pound of burger meat, and put it in the tray. I suppose you could use a spoon, or scoop, but that would not be very efficient. Then you have to press the meat down flat. I used my hands to do that. If you were to invert the insert that cuts the burgers into 9 squares, then you'd end up touching the meat anyway, which would be in contact with the insert. Jokari Burger Maker Slider Maker

So, working with 3 pounds of ground beef, I weighed out 3 portions of 1 pound each, and put them in each of three trays. I then flattened the meat with my hands, and use a small stainless steel turner to level off the meat in the tray, and along the edges. I then inverted the insert and pushed it down on the meat. I pulled on the little handle, praying that it would remove cleanly, and neatly. And it did. I then used the turner to remove 4 patties for our supper. They came out fairly easily, but there was the tiniest connection of meat to each other patty in the tray. I suspect when they are frozen, it would pull apart quite easily. So what I did, was to take the turner, and slide it up and down each indentation, or cut, to ensure total separation.

In conclusion, I am totally 5 star happy with this item. It was fast, easy, and beat the heck out of doing the same number of patties (27) one at a time, using a round mini-burger press. The slider rolls that I got were also square, so things worked out well all around. I have one of those big city slider stations (As Seen on TV), but the wells fill up quickly with the melted fat, and make quite a mess. I just put the 4 square patties in an 8 inch frying pan, and they cooked up very quickly.

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I've been looking for a good burger patty press and i purchased 2 of these. they are not presses and are a little flimsy but work great.. The instructions say 1 lb per press but the second time I added 1.5 lbs for thicker burgers.. 97% fat free.. once you freeze them they snap apart easily and can be moved to a freezer bag.. I am going to buy a few more..

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Air King 9119 Commercial Grade Height Adjustable Oscillating Pedestal Fan, 18-Inch

I purchased this item from Amazon several weeks ago for $69.00. It is a very nice fan and performs just as advertised. Today I was in Lowe's and the very same fan was on display except it had the Lasko name on it. The shocker was the price....it was $22.97, $47.00 less than the price at Amazon.com. I bought three of them at Lowe's for $74.42, tax included. Plus, being retired military, I got my 10% discount, making my total cost for the fans,$66.98. Three fans at Lowe's for less than the price of one at Amazon.com. When I got home, I unpacked one of them to make a comparison. I was shocked to find that it was the exact same fan. The only difference was the Air King had a metal front grill and the Lasko was plastic....so what? I don't think the metal grill is worth $47.00. It is the exact same motor (identical to the Air King), it extends the same 54 1/2 inches, the same 18" blade, same cord with the blue plug and the same 20" base. Folks if you are considering one of these, save some money and head for Lowe's. You'll get the same fan for a whole lot less money. BTW, it was not on sale at Lowe's...that was their normal everyday price. Right now, I'm packing the one from Amazon back up to send it back to them...What a rip!

I don't know why anybody hasn't commented on this fan because it is absolutely the best by far. I have owned every brand of fan and this one takes the cake. On low setting it is whisper quiet and blows the perfect amount of air to sleep to. Its even quieter than my 16 in holms fan that I threw in the garbage. On high setting its like sitting in a wind tunnel :-) perfect when you get out of the shower and need to cool off and dry. I saw this same fan at Sears for $110._

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Had 2 of these go on me now. They're cheaply made. One had an electrical problem. The other had the plastic piece break that turns the fans sideways. The price is some of the highest that I have seen out of all oscillating fans. I thought I was paying for quality. I was wrong. I'm tempted to just throw my 3rd one in the garbage before it goes too.

Read Best Reviews of Air King 9119 Commercial Grade Height Adjustable Oscillating Pedestal Fan, 18-Inch Here

It is a fan, it moves air, it is reasonably quiet. There is nothing commercial grade about it. It is also not worth the $70.00 price I paid. This fan makes me feel like a sucker. It is my fault for not reading the the reviews. I assumed 5 stars meant everything was perfect. When something isn't as advertised, it shouldn't be given 5 stars. this fan is 90% plastic. Hopefully it is the motor that is what I paid for. This fan appears to be more of a $20-$30 fan.

I would pick a different fan for less money. It works, but it's not commercial grade. I'm going to try it for a few days, but I will probably return it for a fan of the same quality, but for $40 dollars less.

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Great fan. Works really well. Stays in place and works really well. Could use a remote but aside from that I am quite happy and I would buy it again.

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NEW Oster 3-in-1 Sandwich Maker, Waffle Maker and Cooking Grill Cg120

I've had the Oster Waffle & Pancake Grill for years, But after the Kids grew up & moved out, It seldom gets used. It comes with 2-2Sided Plates, One side for Grilling or Pancakes, The other side for Waffles. The unit does expand upwards to accommodate taller foods. We have grilled some Fish Fillets & Bacon, Eggs ( Both Flat-Sunny side up & Omelets. The plates & unit gets extremely hot on the outside but it cooks wonderfully. The Newer ones have a Non-Stick surface, But even those have their own faults, Fore example; Waffle Grills clean up easy when HOT but let the plate get cold & your going to have problems cleaning them. These Grills are Extremely sensitive to Rough Handling, DO NOT Drop the unit at any high, The Heating Element will Break, Very Easily. Do Not Place Grill Plates in water If Hot, They will Warp.

Keep them Clean, Use Pam or equivalent when in Doubt, Use Common scene & it will last you for years.

Note; Try this for a treat; Make Waffles or Pancakes, Pour the batter & just before you close the lid, add 1 Egg to the center of the batter & or some bacon strips & Close the lid. Yum, Yum.

We had an old one that was 20 years old and it finally failed. This was the only one we could find that wasn't very expensive. This product is poorly built. The trays don't fit properly and can fall out. It burns the middle and the outsides are not cooked. We returned it.

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Waffles don't brown enough it's just a waste of money ... Truly awful . I don't think I'll ever get another product from this company

Read Best Reviews of NEW Oster 3-in-1 Sandwich Maker, Waffle Maker and Cooking Grill Cg120 Here

Weber Genesis E-330 637-Square-Inch Grill

This is an excellent grill. Good, old-fashioned, solid quality and design. I'll try to cover some things that haven't been mentioned already.

If you want more info before you buy, download the assembly instructions and owner manual at the Weber site, under Gas Grills, Genesis 2011 series. Don't bother printing the instructions, as they will be too small to be useful. The included instructions are on both sides of a 22" by 17" (56 x 43 cm) sheet.

From arrival of the box to first flame was about two hours. None of the assembly steps are difficult, there are just a lot of them. There were some trivial things about assembly that could be improved.

Lift properly while unpacking: Most everything is heavy, and packed-in tight, and you have to lean over the large box to get them out.

The included wrench isn't that useful, so I used a socket wrench. All the parts were SAE instead of metric.

The doors are very simple to install. Set the door on a pin in the front of the frame, use your finger to push down on a retracting pin on top of the door, and move it into place. That's it. The instructions say to use a screwdriver in a slot in the back of the door to pull down on the spring under the pin. This is actually what you would do to remove the door.

The side tables are stainless, and they were covered by a sheet of sticky protective material. Although it pulls off cleanly, it is a little hard to pull out of seams and corners. I would guess the stainless model of the grill would have a lot more.

There are two locking nuts that are used when attaching the cookbox to the frame. The instructions show a flat nut. Putting the smaller, locking part of the nut facing into the cookbox seemed to be the correct way to do it.

The grease tray slides into position on two rails, and securely drops into place. The instructions show some kind of spring clip that isn't there on this model. It's definitely not needed.

Left over parts? Two. The grill is shipped with the lid attached to the cookbox using the same pins that are in a bag. I can't imagine those ever being lost or worn out, but you will have spares if they do!

You'll forget all that when you start to use it.

First, the casters work extraordinarily well. I literally rolled it across my wooden deck with one finger. It's a good thing the front two lock, because I think it could move on a high wind day.

Ignition is instant. With the first click of the igniter I had fire on any burner.

The instructions say 10-15 minutes to get to 500 degrees. On a 78 degree (26 C) day, with a good breeze blowing, and in the shade, it took 10 and 1/2 minutes to get there using the three main burners. There were a few, small wisps of smoke that smelled like hot paint.

Other reviewers have said it cooks really well, and I agree, so I won't bore you with how delicious that chicken was....

If you're looking for a top quality grill that cooks great, I'd recommend this one.

Far from being wowed by anything you can pick up at Home Depot or Lowes I did a ton of research on grills. Not willing to accept my stepfathers warning that they are all the same and all go bad in a couple years even if they are 400 dollars, I started to find that the construction of better made and more expensive grills keeps them around for a long time. Price does not equal quality mind you but there is a difference, you just have to know what to look for. Better steel to keep from rusting, cast components to make it more sturdy so it doesn't flex like a branch in the wind, insulated hoods, cast parts instead of stamped, etc. Things like burner construction, heat distribution and heat up time can vary wildly between different grills. I'll compare this to a 450 dollar grill my parents picked up from The Great Indoors / Sears (maybe Grill Master or something) It made it about 3 years and started rusting through in Michigan and blew over in a bad storm. Basically it's trashed and they already bought a new one. (cheaper this time thinking that was always going to happen)

Construction:

Theirs : stainless steel hood and shelves painted panels, nut and bolts through flimsy painted black steel panels of the cabinet. Joints were folded ends of the panel. Burners were standard tube style with a 90'd piece of aluminium or the same flimsy steel as the sides. Cast iron grates, what you would expect to find on everyday grills.

The E330: First of all the box and grill weigh 190 pounds. I'll let that sink in for a second. 190 pounds.... The panels are thicker than you would expect. Framing the panels....welded square tube stock. Now THAT is how you make a durable piece of equipment. All through the process you will find welded support pieces attachment points, cast pieces, etc. Very impressed. Just a handful of nuts and bolts and the rest are machine screws into tapped holes. That's right the steel is thick enough to run a tap through and thread the holes for the screws! All my experience with cheap grills over the years, who knew?! Anyway back to assembly. Everything fit VERY well. No bending, forcing, cussing. Follow the instructions and this thing goes together like a precision machine. Burner and hood construction? This impressed me before I even turned it on. Sure the typical tube burners are present but then you also have porcelain coated iron plates that go underneath the burners to reflect the heat up (wow that's new), porcelain coated iron heat distributors or flavor bars I think they call them to go over the burners. Basically just 90 degree folded strips that that run front to back over the burners and even the space where there are no burners. Really? Between the burners? Weird but ok, probably for good reason. The grates, I opted for cast iron. And these suckers are about twice as thick as what you see in other grills. Great for retaining heat and searing food, which I had yet to do on any gas grill to this point. The hood is nice and durable and insulated on the inside very well. When you're done it effortlessly glides around the patio on its castors but if you lock it into place it's solid as a rock. Go ahead try to make it flex, I dare you. Oh yeah and it looks like a million bucks. chrome and stainless trim powder coated panels. My wife who was an extremely hard sell on spending $700 on a grill walked out and said "Wow, that's a NICE grill."

OK on to the good part...cooking: I won't even go into the part about how my parents grill cooks food. If this isn't your first grill you already know how much it's not what it's cracked up to be. Go get a Weber charcoal and spend the extra time to get superb results with cooking steak. By the way my wife told me she wouldn't be upset if I got rid of mine (a gift from her) to which I replied HELL NO I'm not getting rid of that!

So I read somewhere that BTU's don't mean squat. And that makes sense to me now after assembling this sucker. If you don't have correct heat distribution and insulation, the cold air hitting that hood, etc will make it take forever to heat up. Keep in mind this only has 3 burners (left middle and right) and they sneak in one more between the left and middle and call it the "searing burner" or "searing station" and you'll see why in a minute. I haven't officially clocked it but if you turn on the main 3 burners on high this thing is at 500 degrees in the blink of an eye. Which for the purpose of this review we'll concentrate on how well this thing cooks steak since you can technically cook hamburgers and hotdogs on any grill. 500 degrees is roughly where you want to be for the baking part of the process. First you sear then you move to indirect heat and let it cook for a few. OK so back on track...500 degrees in a flash, we're talking 5-7 minutes. Parents grill 20..at LEAST and I have yet to leave sear marks on a steak over there, even letting theirs get up to 800 degrees. (This is where the heat distribution, flavor bars, whatever they call them, come into play. The WHOLE grill is hot, not just over the burners.) With the Weber you now fire up the searing burner on high, turn the right burner to low (equivalent to indirect heat on a charcoal) and slap your steaks on. Listen to them crack and sizzle. Go ahead, spin em at a minute and a half you will already have sear marks, might as well make some more! Flip em after 3 minutes (this is where other grills fail big time) and what do you know they are STILL sizzling on the hot grates! I still think charcoal cooked steak tastes better but I was seriously impressed by this point. I totally expected this thing to run out of steam and the grill to cool down too much to leave any marks on the 2nd side of the steak. And because of the thick cast iron grates you've got some big time sear action on those puppies. Exactly what the mission is with steak. Seal it up so the juices stay inside. So now you turn off the searing burner and throw the steaks off to the right, close the lid and let em cook for just a few minutes at about 500 degrees. I don't even need to tell you how they tasted because you've had a beautifully cooked steak before and you just did it on a gas grill for 700 bucks and 18 minutes of your time from start to finish. Now I'll tell you a funny story about hot dogs. After heating the grill up I put this on medium heat on 2 burners and threw some hot dogs on there. I left expecting to come back in a few minutes to flip them. I came back MAYBE 10 minutes later (rule number 1 don't get distracted from cooking) The hot dogs were beyond done. And I'm not talking about burnt on the bottom. They looked like they survived Hiroshima blast and were equally burnt ALL THE WAY AROUND THEM! You couldn't tell which part was facing own. Anyway funny story but it shows you how fast this cooks and how well it uses that heat under the hood. I screwed up my lunch and was still impressed. Now that's a grill. And burgers a few nights later. Nice thick black sear marks and juicy as all getup, enough said.

Obviously I'm very excited about this purchase because I never write reviews and this is a bit long. haha I found one article that gave this grill a stellar review for its price point and it has not disappointed me yet. I would be weary that other models might have different construction and all Weber grills might not be built the same (they need to have something different among their price ranges) but I can tell you first hand that this Genesis E-330 grill is the real deal and it won't break the bank to do it. I know 700 is 300 more than a sears Kenmore special but I'll happily go up against their $1000+ stainless model too. And I'll be happy to come back in 10 years and tell you how great it still is because there is no doubt in my mind it is built to last and is an impressive piece of cooking appliance. If you need/want a grill and can afford around $700 (Notice I didn't ask if you WANTED to spend $700 because I was skeptical at first too, I asked if you could "afford" it) pull the trigger on this thing. If the cooking space is what you need you will be as ecstatic about the results as I am.

Buy Weber Genesis E-330 637-Square-Inch Grill Now

Through a confluence of circumstance I was in a hurry to get this grill in and installed right when this new model came out. Other than the pain suffered through paying full retail (ouch), it has been a great experience.

Assembly:

Everything fit together as it should. Get an 11mm socket on a real wrench though the 'tool' that comes with the set is great for adjusting the doors, but don't count on using it for primary assembly unless you have a few days to spare. Hint: Use the 3 silver headed screws for the drip tray the black headed screws are for the side burner.

NG vs Propane:

If you're going to grill year around in a climate that can get cold and can get the hook up done go NG. Seriously. I'm loving it.

Pre-heat:

40* ambient to 600* in 9 minutes (NG version). I took it up to 650* (13 min) just to clear any remaining mfg oils on it. This is WAY hotter than any reasonable use would entail. All 4 burners running full out.

Cooking:

Food has come off the grill outstanding. Set the three main knobs to the same position and the entire grill cooks at the same rate. I have not found any cold or hot spots food has cooked evenly anywhere I put it on the grill. It has all come off with great flavor. Frankly, after cooking on several other grills over the years, this one makes it too easy.

Searing:

The addition of the 4th burner creates a large HOT zone on the left side of the grill. It's kind of this grills hidden weapon. You can grill 'normal' on the entire surface. Then, if you want, you can crank up the left burner, sear burner and center burner and turn the left half of the grill into a searing wonder. When you're done, turn off the 4th (sear) burner and you're back to 'normal' pretty quick.

Side burner:

Pretty straight forward turn the knob, push the igniter, put stuff on to heat it up. Works just like it should.

Burners run NS instead of EW:

Pre 2011 Genesis models had EW burners. The 2011 model has NS burners. So far, from what I can tell, the difference is moot. I have not done rotisserie on it yet though, and apparently that is where the EW burners shine. I don't think it will be an issue though. This grill cooks so evenly that I don't think it's going to matter a bit.

Community Support:

Check out the forums at:

www (dot) bbqsource-forums (dot) com

They have a great bunch of people in the Weber forums there, and I put up a pile of pictures of this grill right after I assembled it.

Amazon's Service:

Ordered it with Prime shipping and it arrived 7 days later in a REAL big 200lb box. The delivery guy put it in my garage without any fuss.

Amazon's Photos Error:

At the time of this writing 12/2/2010 the pictures that Amazon has of this grill are not accurate. It looks like they are using stock photos of a 2011 Weber Genesis EP-330 instead of a 2011 Weber Genesis E-330. The difference? The pictures show a stainless grill rack and stainless flavorizers. The E-330 has cast iron cook grates. If you enjoy great grill marks, cast iron grates is a GOOD thing. Amazon's description is correct but the photos need fixed.

Drawback:

This grill makes great results too easy. It really feels like less work than it should be to get such great results.

Read Best Reviews of Weber Genesis E-330 637-Square-Inch Grill Here

The price online was the same as our local Home Depot and Lowe's. They, however assembled it for free. But, I would still have to rent a trailer and get it home myself. This would cost me about $40. In addition, I would have to pay the local sales tax, approximately $80. Getting it online I saved about $120. Amazon included free delivery, but I would have to assemble it myself. Since I am 75 and have a little difficulty getting up and down, I was a little anxious about putting it together.

The shipper Amazon used was ABF Freight Systems, Inc. They called me when that had it at the local delivery point and made an appointment to deliver it. They were very cordial and flexible in setting up a time for delivery. I would not be home on the day the said they could delivery it, so they changed it to a later date. Amazon had per-approved basic inside delivery so I wouldn't have to worry about getting the box from the curb to the garage. Since the box weighted 190 lbs this was a concern I had had. When the deliver time approached, the deliveryman called and said he would be running late. He gave me an estimate of the time he would be there and was there shortly afterwards. When he showed up with the grill, he asked where I would like it. Since I would be assembling it on my back patio, I ask if he could take it back there, and he said sure, no problem.

The following morning I went out to my patio and unpacked and started to assemble the grill.

Prior to ordering the grill I found a YouTube video that shows how to unpack and assemble this same grill. It is:

This was a great video and very helpful in unpacking and assembling the grill.

The pictorial instruction sheet can be a little confusing at first. But having seen the video, it seemed to make sense.

I seem to have read that the assembly time is about 1 to 2 hours. In my case, due I'm sure to my age, It took me about 6 hours spread out over a couple of days. Everything went smoothly with the exception of the "wind deflector", the sheet metal part that goes under the control knobs. The next part to be installed after that was the doors. I found that they could not be installed, and finally figured out that I had installed the "wind deflector" upside down. Removing 2 screws and reversing it solved the problem.

The rest of the assembly went smoothly and later that evening I was trying out my first steak.

If you like to do steaks, you'll love the searing burner. Per the instructions, I turned on all the burners to high, let the grill warm up for 10 minutes, then turned the right burner down to medium. Put the steaks over the searing burner, rotated them 45 degrees after 1 minute, flipped them over after another minute, then rotated them again after another minute. This gave me those perfect steak house grill marks on each side. After searing I moved the steaks to the burner on medium and cooked them an additional 4 minutes per side. The were perfectly seared and cooked to a medium, which I like.

I've cooked a few hamburgers as well and they came out great.

Keep in mind, there are 3 different "models" of the New Genesis grills. There is the E, the S and the EP. The E series, comes with porcelain enamel grates. The EP and the S come with the stainless steel grates.

I was initially confused about which grate I was to get, contacting customer support cleared that up.

Bottom line, I like this grill, the third Weber I have owned. They are well built and while a little more expensive, last. You do have to assemble it yourself, but that is not to complicated.

Want Weber Genesis E-330 637-Square-Inch Grill Discount?

I have had quite a few grills including a $2k grand turbo elite and this was just amazing. I had debated on the summit 420 with the extra burners and size, but this grill works for everything. I have had it 2 months and cooked ribs, t-bones, rib-eyes, and beer can chicken. Completely thrilled with grill. No flare ups, great temp holding. I was grilling in 20 degree weather and no issue with holding temp. The sear burner works great and the side burner is wonderful. No regrets at all with this grill. Definitely a quality weber product especially with the change on the burner controls and burner routing (E-w vs. N-S).

I opted for the e-330 vs the s-330 based on the price. You can go and buy the grills and and the warmer rack on Amazon for less than the price difference with the s-330, plus the swill start to brown after a few years.

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Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves

Had this grill for a year so far and I wanna address some points people brought up:

"Cleaning it is a pain" Not really. In fact, it's pretty easy since the grates come off and the infrared panels come out too. I clean it after every use and is very easy. I could see it becoming a pain if you: use lots of sweet/syrupy sauces and NEVER clean it. Then yes, things could get crusty. If you don't have time to clean it after EVERY use, just leave it on high heat for about 10 min after cooking and all the crud brushes off pretty easily.

"It Rusts" Still no problem here. If you don't clean it, let it sit in the rain, and never treat the grates, yes, you will get rust just like every grill. If you take care of the grates by wiping them/spraying them with vegetable oil after every other use, they will hold up just fine. Same with the infrared panels. If you keep your grill outside...clean it, oil it, COVER IT.

"Flair-ups still happen" No. They don't. This is one thing that I really like about this grill. No matter how many greasy burgers you have going, you don't have to worry about opening the lid and being surprised with a huge bon fire. This grill doesn't "catch on fire" like others.

My Thoughts: The only reason I'm not giving this a full five stars is because of two things:

First: it takes about 10-15min to get it hot enough to start cooking...which is pretty standard for most grills. However, Some people say that it can't produce a good sear. If you want something seared, best to wait over 20min...it works, you just have to be patient.

Second: The heat is a little uneven. Granted, it only takes one or two uses to grasp the heat distribution, it can be a tricky at first. The back edge gets hotter than the front but the center is very even. If you're cooking something, just keep an eye on what's happening in back...you'll probably have to swap the front meat with the rear stuff half way through cooking. If you wanna visually see how the heat is distributed, go out an buy a cheap loaf of white bread. Turn on the grill and then line the entire grill surface with the bread. Give it a few minutes then turn it off and flip over your now toasty bread. Now you can see where the heat is.

I am a grill fanatic so when it was time to pick out a new one, research was a borderline obsession of mine. I settled on this IR grill from Char-Broil.

The major, most important thing to consider about this grill is that it cooks much more quickly than your standard LP grills and is a lot more like charcoal in that sense. You need to "relearn" grilling times to an extent but once you do, you'll have the best grilled foods you could possibly imagine! Here are the things I love most about it and really helped make my mind up about this one over its competitors.

Best Features:

-Temp gauges at the grilling surface: I've never seen this on any other grills before and helps to keep an eye on the temperature where it matters: at the surface. You don't measure your stove top temps at the hood, do you? Exactly.

-Folding shelves: this allows the grill to become extremely compact and makes for easy storage out on the porch. It also makes it an ideal choice for people in smaller residences like apartments, condos, townhomes, etc.

-Infrared: By far, the most important thing! It's not all "marketing hype", it truly makes a huge difference! IR will sear the outside of the food and "trap" the juices inside, making EVERYTHING more juicy than you can even imagine! Plus, it makes really cool sear marks. Like I said, pay attention to cook times, though, as stuff cooks extremely quick on this. If you don't have one, I'd suggest an instant read thermometer as well.

There simply isn't a better grill in this size or price range. Period, bar none. And if you need a bigger grill, I'd look at Char Broil's Quantum grills that are bigger instead of straying. One of the best purchases I've made in a LONG time!

Buy Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves Now

Pros: Very well designed and manufactured~ Good fit and finish~ Sturdy, solid grill~ The infrared is a completely unique cooking technique that works and works well~ The top, front door, grates, burners and infrared emmiters and hardware are all stainless steel~ Seems to use less propane than conventional gas grill~ Temp gauges seem to be accurate and solid~ Allows you to burn woodchips or natural wood charcoal directly on the grates its amazing and soo easy to do!!~ The best grill I have ever owned....or used for that matter!!~ If your in the market for a $300 grill, buy this thing!

Cons: Not too sure about the Surefire start system as of yet. The button has to be pushed just right but once it is... click click boom its lit!~ Ikea has nothing on Char-Broil in the "Uhhh I have to put ALL OF THIS together?" catagory~ If your not a handy person with a good set of basic tools, you better hope your friend or neighbor is!~ I am a handy person and this was a pretty long build to do by my self(3+ Hours). I don't know if this is really such a con, but for some it may be so i figured I would mention it. One reason it takes so long is because it is a well built grill with a lot of heavy duty hardware and support brackets ~ LOTS OF PARTS TO ASSEMBLE!

Read Best Reviews of Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves Here

This grill isn't going to cook 30 steaks at once, but if your space and/or budget is limited it really is a good option. Electronic ignition works like a charm, grill heats fast, easy to use, easy to clean. Very sturdy and good looking.

Another reviewer has noted the assembly required. The cover of the instructions says 30 minutes. I doubt it!! The two of us accomplished it in 2 hours 15 minutes. That included unpacking and inventorying the parts. The grill parts are well packaged and arrived in perfect condition.

The instructions could be improved, but we were able to figure it out. A couple of places are very difficult to get the screws into--especially at the top of the fascias. The caster wrench provided doesn't really do the trick.

We needed 3 sizes of Phillips screwdrivers, one right angle screwdriver, pipe pliers (to attach the casters), small crescent wrench and a pocket knife.

Great grill for the money, though. The burners heat hot and fast and you may find grilling times shorter depending on what you were using before. We are very happy with our purchase and highly recommend this grill.

Want Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves Discount?

How can I begin explaining how awesome this grill is! After a couple years of having rust as a condiment I began the search for a new grill. I was intrigued by this "Infrared" stuff and decided this was the way to go. I decided on this one because of its size; after all, it's just me and my wife. We were hesitant at first because we've always owned the larger grills but we went ahead with the purchase. All I can say is WOW!

Assembly: A little more involved than other grills but not complicated. I'm not a rocket scientist and did well. However, if you buy it somewhere that will assemble it for you, it's worth a couple extra bucks.

Cooking: MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS AND SEASON THE COOKING SURFACES! This is the first time I've ever done that and it truly makes a difference (more on this later). It is true that if you're used to cooking on an open flame grill you'll have to re-learn your cooking times. The first thing I cooked on it was steaks and I swear. . .they were better than any I've had before. Ruth's Criss has nothin' on me! I cook my steak medium and usually this means warm pink in the CENTER. My steaks were warm and pink THROUGHOUT! The searing capability of this grill is phenomenal! Nothing but a good, melt in your mouth, juicy steak! No flare ups meant no charred corners or fat. When we were done there were no little burnt pieces pushed to the side.

Clean up: Another huge plus! This is where seasoning the cooking surface comes in. While cooking, nothing sticks turning your food does not mean tearing your meat apart. We all have cranked our grills on high in the hopes of burning off the crud. Well with this grill, it truly turns everything to ash! Clean up is quick and simple!

So if you value your grilling get this one. Infrared will help make you a true master! Infrared cooking is simple and almost worry free. If this size is too small for you they do make larger ones.

My hat's off to you Charbroil!

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Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel Gas Grill V-Shape Smoker Box, Long

This "long" model is a perfect fit for my new model Weber Genesis (with front controls and burners running front-to-back.) Sits flush with the top of the flavorizer bars.

I was fortunate to have chosen the E330 model grill with the "Sear Station" burner. We bought two of theses smoker boxes and place one on each side of the sear burner. Using the sear burner only, set on low the grill maintains perfect barbeque temperature and the boxes provide smoke for a good amount of time.

As a true barbeque fanatic it's hard to admit that we achieved real slow-smoked barbeque from a gas grill!

I've always used charcoal, just recently purchased my dream gas grill. Honestly, I missed the smokey flavor, so I purchased this unit quite a bit less than the one that Weber offers. Used it for the first time last night. I now LOVE my gas grill, I get that great smokey flavor with this unit. It did catch fire, but that was my fault for not soaking my chips long enough but I poured a little water in the top and all was good. Highly recommend this for the price and the performance. I'll try and post back after I've had it for a year, to update it longevity. The only thing I would change would be to by the shorter version, on my Weber I have to lift both grates to open the smoker box. I should have purchased two shorter versions and then I would only have to lift one grate to refill.

Buy Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel Gas Grill V-Shape Smoker Box, Long Now

I've been looking to buy a smoker box for years but they were always a little too pricey. This one was at such a reasonable price that I was concerned that it would be flimsy. But it's not. It's sturdy and fits my grill perfectly.

I live in an area where charcoal grills are prohibited, so I'm stuck with a gas grill. Finally I can get grilled food that tastes like what I remember from when I was a kid.

Read Best Reviews of Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel Gas Grill V-Shape Smoker Box, Long Here

Load it up with chips, and you can get 30 minutes or better of heavy smoke. I use it on a Weber Silver Genesis A. The V shape lets it sink in between flavorizor bars. Great design, well made.

Want Charcoal Companion Stainless Steel Gas Grill V-Shape Smoker Box, Long Discount?

My old rectangular box smoker (from K-mart) finally rusted through after two years of use. I got this model for three particular reasons: a) It is stainless steel construction (hope this lasts longer); b) The top is hinged for easy load and cleaning; and c) As the previous reviewer stated the price was right.

I bought two since I do a dry rub and slow smoke (3+hrs) pork ribs placing one smoker on each end of the BBQer. The bigger model (there are two sizes) is too long to drop the smoker in-between the two end burners, but this turned out fine since it lays on top and in-between the two end burners at an angle with the top holes pointing toward the center directing the smoke to the meat from two directions.

The result so far is some fine slow smoked ribs and chicken.

Time will tell how long these will last so far so good eats.

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