Showing posts with label wood burning grill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wood burning grill. Show all posts

Monday, July 28, 2014

Swissmar Raclette Dish Holders, Set of 4

Swissmar Raclette Dish Holders, Set of 4I am regularly complaining about the cheap construction of new purchases but NOT on these raclette holders. They are built with excellent quality and a nice durable grade of metal. The raclette dishes fit perfectly with these very stable bases. Exceeded all of my expectations.

We have been hosting a big annual Raclette dinner at our house for years and it is always a lot of fun. However, toward the end of the feast there is always the question of what to do with the hot Raclette pans. Some guests put it on their plates, some on top of the grill, and some are absent-minded and actually place it next to their plates onto the tablecloth which I admit it does not make me happy.

When I saw these dish holders, I had to have them. These are well made, sturdy and fit our Swissmar Raclette pans perfectly. The only reason I am not giving them 5 stars is because I don't like the 4 visible screws at the bottom of the holder. They make the holders look too utilitarian and since I usually decorate my table nicely when I host a dinner, this is a bit of a letdown in the design department. But they do the job and that is the most important thing anyway. If you like Raclette, you will find these holders to be indispensable. 4.5 stars if that were possible.

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We love to use the Raclette, but the problem is where to put the utinsils when not in use the plate or the table? If you set them on the table you risk getting the tablecloth or placemat dirty. If you set them on your plate you can run out of room on the plate. This is the perfect answer.

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Our Raclette arrived quickly, was well packaged and easy to open. This is a great addition to our kitchen and we look forward to enjoying many meals with friends.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

Napoleon 62018 Ultra Chef 18-Inch Plastic Grill Brush with Brass Bristles

Napoleon 62018 Ultra Chef 18-Inch Plastic Grill Brush with Brass BristlesServes its purpose very well.

I like that it has brass bristles, no rust and easy on grill surface.

Caution: do not use on very hot grill, the plastic will melt (I wish it would be with wooden handle).

Scraper was worn out after 1st use. Would not recomend. Not what I expected from Napoleon. Would not purchase again.

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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Sportula Products 7010755 Camo Buck Sportula

Sportula Products 7010755 Camo Buck SportulaThis is a great gift for any friends that hunt and also have a grill. It's very high quality and nice looking.

While the sportula looked like I wanted the quality wasn't up to my standards or expectation. Before I even had a chance to wrap it as a gift one of the screws in the handle fell out. I put it back in but it wasn't as tight as it should be. Hoping it doesn't fall apart when my brother in law uses it grilling!!

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Bought this for older guys in my family who like to cook and hunt. Received it quickly and they all loved it!!! Nice quality... they love the bottle opener too. Great bonus!

Read Best Reviews of Sportula Products 7010755 Camo Buck Sportula Here

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Rome Wilderness Hamburger Griller

Rome's #1505 Wilderness Griller with Steel and Wood HandlesThis definitely makes it easy to cook a hamburger over a wood fire well made too. Burgers turned out great. The circumference is a bit small compared to some preformed hamburger patties, but if you're making your own patties you wouldn't encounter that.

Compared to other grillers, this one seems to over-enclose the meat. It is certainly well made. But the result is a sort of half-way point between roasting and grilling with very little of the meat exposed to the flame. For a guy with a preference for char-broiled burgers, I found the results less than terrific. I also found it awkward to work with compared to my other grillers. Even with the little hook to hold the handles together, turning the meat over often ended with the two handles separating. While that's not the worst thing in the world, it's not the best, either, especially around hot parts where sudden moves might not turn out so well. The result was that I tried it for a few times and then it sat, unused, for awhile, and now it's gone.

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Monday, March 31, 2014

Lorell 44551 12" Oscillating Fan, 3 Speeds, 13-15/16"x11-1/2"x19-1/2", Light Gray

Lorell 44551 12' Oscillating Fan, 3 Speeds, 13-15/16'x11-1/2'x19-1/2', Light Gray
  • Sold individually as 1 Each
  • Fan features high, medium and low settings and on/off oscillation control.
  • Tabletop fan is made of high-impact plastic with metal safety grill.
  • 12" Blade Span offers Quiet Operation
  • Cord has a two-prong grounded plug.

We had a few simple requirements for our new fan:

Must sit on deskso it needs to be small

must function as a fan, have enough blade size and power to actually stir the air

must be affordable

fairly quiet when oscillating or not, this is for a home office so it rattling like a bucket of bolts was out

attractive, or at least not butt-ugly would be nice

The Lorell desk fan fulfills all our musts. It sits on the desk, is quiet but powerful, and looks nice. The control buttons being in front are very nice as it can be controlled while sitting down instead of having to get up to get to the back of the fan.

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I have a very small bedroom, and needed a fan mostly for circulation. I keep it on the lowest of 3 speeds and it's perfect. You could easily cool and circulate air in a large room with this fan. Love it!

Read Best Reviews of Lorell 44551 12" Oscillating Fan, 3 Speeds, 13-15/16"x11-1/2"x19-1/2", Light Gray Here

Pros: Quiet, portable, easy to put together

Cons: Cheap build, not durable, makes annoying clicking sounds after one day of use.

Update: I ended up returning this product after 3 days of use.

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It is actually the nicest fan I have bought yet. Easy to assemble. Love the stand which is better than the fans sold in stores.

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The fan broke within 3 months. The oscillating feature just stopped working. It works well as a fan, but now it stays in one position.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

GE JGB810SETSS 30" Stainless Steel Gas Sealed Burner Range - Convection

GE JGB810SETSS 30' Stainless Steel Gas Sealed Burner Range - ConvectionBought this range to replace a 30+ year old with a failed electronic oven control. Was looking for: Gas, Durable, Stainless Steel, Easy cleaning. None of the burners on my previous range were able to go very low, for simmering, or very high, for boiling large pots of water. I was interested in a range which had a variety of burner capacities, and had a convection oven. I was able to get a built in cast iron griddle, which was a bonus. I use it more than I thought I would.

This range meets the specs, but is not great. My complaints about the range revolve mostly around the layout.

The burners can not be moved around, the largest is in the front right corner, the smallest is behind it in the right rear. These are the burners I use 95% of the time, and it is unpleasant to have to reach over or around a large stock-pot of boiling water to stir a much smaller simmering saucepan. It is also a safety issue. The two largest burners are in the front, which means I frequently have large pots on the front edge of the stove, the center of largest burner is only 5-1/2" from the front edge of the burner grate, less than 7" from front of range. I have children, and this is dangerous. My last cooktop issue is that the range burners were designed for a restaurant, not for a family of 4. Even the smallest burner sends the gas flames out around all but the widest pots and pans. The large burner is ridiculously sized, even with my 16 qt stock pot the handles get heated by the flames coming out and wrapping up the sides. (The water is still cool, so it isn't from the contents.) I would like the larger burners in the back, and the size of the flame pattern to be much smaller. Ideally, the burners would be interchangeable, so the owner could decide how they preferred them. The griddle is nice, although, with a 30" range, it can't possibly be wide enough. It would be nice if the edge was about twice as tall, to prevent small food items from being inadvertently pushed off the griddle.

The only issues I have with the oven revolve around the control. The only time the temperature is accurate is when the oven is heating up. Once it reaches the set temperature, the displayed temperature never changes, even if I leave the door open. That's just lying. It's accurate to 1 degree, so tell it like it is.

My last gripe is with the kitchen timer. It is very user unfriendly. It only displays minutes until you have less than 60 seconds to go. Then it counts down the seconds. It works, but it is counter-intuitive. I have to think when switching between the microwave and the range, since I am used to entering and seeing the seconds. It is also annoying, looking at 2 minutes, and not knowing if that is 2:59 or 2:01. I will accept that this is a minor complaint, but it is indicative of the engineering of this range. Good ideas, unwieldy execution.

The surface is not as easy to clean as one would think, but it is far easier than my previous range. One has to remove the griddle (quite heavy, and frequently still hot) before one can remove either the left or right burner grates. The burner tops tend to get stained and are not dishwasher safe, and the stainless surface gets burned-on food stains quite easily, which are very difficult to remove. Even with the burners and grates completely removed, the surface is not flat, and the igniters poke up, so you can't just wipe it clean, but instead have to work around the obstacles.

So, with all these gripes, you would think I hate it, but I don't. I like it a lot. It makes cooking much easier than with my old 1980's range, and quicker. The oven cooks evenly and consistently. I use the griddle constantly (if it was wider and had more of a lip, I'd use it instead of my frying pan.) I wouldn't buy this model again, but I would look for something very similar. This design is 85% of perfect for the price range. The last 15% is fine-tuning the layout, controls, and materials.

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Saturday, February 1, 2014

Grill Daddy GB91061 Grill Cleaning Tool

Grill Daddy GB91061 Grill Cleaning ToolI am knocking off one star simply because there is a design flaw, but it is easily overcome.

When you close tight the fill cap, there is no where for air to enter the handle to allow the water to flow out.

If you remove the cap, it works great, tho I may simply drill a small air hole into the handle somewhere. I am afraid of just loosening it as it may fall into the hot grill during use.

It is better than spashing water with a cup because it releases a small amount of water at the exact moment of the brush's contact with the grill. You may get similar effect by dipping a SS brush into water each and every stroke, but that sounds like a lot of work as well.

I simply clean the grill while it is still hot just after cooking and even between batches if I see a need. It only take a few seconds and is much easier than turning it on later just to clean it or leaving all that gunk on there until you next want to grill something (and then waiting for it to re-heat again). The added bonus is that it cools down the grill that much faster so I can put the top on again that much sooner.

I have tried many different methods and before this, I had settled on one of those grill cleaning bricks (which, in turn, I had to clean every month or so with a SS scrubber and soapy hot water)

One reviewer of the pro suggested it melted onto the grill. Since SS does not melt, I suspect he was pushing so hard the grill bars went past the bristles and touched the base. There is no need to push that hard at all. Either that or he cleans it with the high flames still on and they reach the plastic. Turn down/off the flames just before using it.

I like that the removeable brush is held into place with a wingnut because other removable heads I have had, had problems with the brush slideing out of the handle while I was using it.

The pro gets better reviews and may be a better design, but this was an impulse buy for me at BBB with one of their 20% off coupons.

Grill Daddy GD12952S Grill Daddy Pro Grill Brush

But then again, the Pro seems like a two handed device, while this only requires one handed use, which I think I prefer.

My wife is always looking for ways to make me more helpful around the house. She knows I hate to clean the grill even though I use it a lot. I got tired of buying steel brushes to clean the grill and have them all gummed up in a few weeks. She bought me the Grill Daddy and I finally got around to trying it and it works pretty good. You have to turn the grill on high and you load the Grill Daddy with about a cup of water and you go to work. The water on the hot grill turns to steam and it got my grill looking like new. Now, it didn't help me with all the other cleaning that I had to do on my Webber gas grill. I still have to spend a Saturday afternoon taking care of all that is below the grill. However, I know I can get the grill clean in a relatively short period of time. I only used it once and I know it came with an extra set of brushes but I don't think that these brushes will gum up all that soon. (Especially since I don't clean the grill that often). However, I couldn't help but see all the gunk on the grill fall away into the drop pan rather than sticking to the brush.

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I won this product at my Company's secret Santa Christmas party. I was hesitant on how well it would work given it's an "as seen on TV" product. However, it works better than any grill brush I've ever used. The brush has 3 small holes located where the bristles are, so as you brush your grill, the movement of the brush causes water to leak out the holes onto the grill. The water helps to steam away cooked on food, and then the brushes scrap it off. It works wonderfully and gets my grill perfectly clean for the next meal. Just make sure you let your grill pre-heat to about 400 degrees, then in about 15 seconds of scrubbing with this brush, it's perfectly clean and ready to use. I would highly recommend this product.

Read Best Reviews of Grill Daddy GB91061 Grill Cleaning Tool Here

Doesn't operate as advertised! Water did not flow freely out of it and it had little more effect on my grill than a normal grill brush. Would not recommend to anyone.

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Ordered this a while ago and just used it. I have a weber grill and have had it for years. I have used heavy duty brushes to clean the grill but nothing has done the job this one does. Get the grill nice and hot, fill it up with water and start scraping. The water comes out at a nice pace and along with the brush which is quality it cleans it extremely well. I was impressed how nice a job it does without the heavy or hard scraping. Worth the price.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Harold Import 43202 "CAST IRON" BACON PRESS

Harold Import 43202 'CAST IRON' BACON PRESSNot really rocket science, its a bacon press. The design on the bottom really makes it stand out from all the other ones but they really all so work the same. I wish it was a little bit bigger longer though.

Great for Bacon, Burgers, or steak. I haven't tried using it as a pannini press yet but the pig design would look neat in bread.

I don't even think we've used it for bacon yet, but it's GREAT for grilled cheese, hot dogs, sandwiches that need a little weight, etc.

Cleans up quickly, great price, arrived promptly, can't miss with this one!

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Had aslways wanted one and found this one online. Works very well but it would be better if it were larger. it doesn't even cover two full size strips of bacon until they have been cooking for awhile.

Read Best Reviews of Harold Import 43202 "CAST IRON" BACON PRESS Here

I have been meaning to get s bacon press for some time. then I saw a story somewhere how cooking is so much better with a press, that I had to get one. Love it and also use it when I make grilled cheese sandwiches. Good product. Not made of anything that will brake. Very good

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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Presto 07045 Family-Size Cool-Touch Tilt'N Drain Electric Griddle

Presto 07045 Family-Size Cool-Touch Tilt'N Drain Electric GriddleI purchased this griddle intending to use it to cook pancakes, bacon, and to heat torillas.

First of all, the aluminum surface of the griddle is not as thick as I was expecting. I haven't measured it, but I'd estimate it's between 1/8" and 3/16" thick across most of the surface. As such, it does warp under high heat. It was set on top of my smooth top range (range was off and cold, of course!) and when I turned it past 450 degrees, I found that one of the 4 legs would be off the surface. There is a raised lip around the outer edge which would prevent liquids (pancake batter, beaten egg, etc) from spilling off. This is useful and well executed.

Previous reviews noted that your pancakes can come out "striped" due to the heating element. I underestimated this. Though made of aluminum, there definitely are vast differences in heat from one area of the griddle to another. I think this griddle would perform much better if the heating element covered more of the surface of the griddle, kind of like the design of an electric oven's broiler element.

For heating tortillas, I've got no complaints. And this griddle can get hot, as I've done chicken stir-fry and fajitas all on the surface of the griddle.

Overall, I think I paid a fair price for it, but I'd look for a more expensive, higher quality model next time around.

Having gone through several electric griddles over the years this one is the pick of the litter. The tilt feature is nice to keep your bacon from deep frying in its own grease and makes clean up easier. The size is great since you can actually feed a crowd (thats why you bought it right?). There are some hot spots as usual with this type of item but nothing real serious. I would recommend this item if you want to cook up a pound of bacon at a time, a mess of pancakes or 6 grilled cheese sandwiches.

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I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS GRIDDLE. We bought oversize to make more pancakes and thought the cool-touch edge was a great idea. The Tilt'N Drain sounds great, but a mere bump of the cool-touch edge and the griddle falls into the drain position. Not what you're looking for when pouring pancakes. First of all, it still only accommodates five normal size pancakes (four corners and one in the middle). The surface is not level, and all the pancakes run towards the center giving them a distinctive oval shape. The biggest disappointment is the heating element. I purposely pour the center one first, and the one closest to the heating source last. Despite my efforts the one closest to the heating element source turns dark brown in no time flat, and the one in the center is barely ready to flip. End result...I'm shopping for a new griddle.

Read Best Reviews of Presto 07045 Family-Size Cool-Touch Tilt'N Drain Electric Griddle Here

Purchased this last Christmas. Our previous attempts to do pancakes for our family of 4 children were OK, but the small griddles and frying pans just didn't get the job done quickly enough. Most we could cook at a time were 5 in the circular Circulon electric frying pan. So we got this and it does the job. We're able to cook 8 to 12 pancakes at a time, so are able to cook the entire breakfast with just two batches.

I like the drain feature for bacon, but as other reviewers have indicated it slides into the drain position much too easily. It has never done so during cooking, so our pancakes have always turned out great. But while getting it out of the cupboard and cleaning it, those handles just pop out. Would be nice if they had provide some sort of lock or quick-release mechanism.

Also, as indicated by others, the heat is a little uneven. Pour batter in the top right corner last (next to where the heating element connects).

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This griddle is BIG, which is what I wanted. If you want a big griddle, this is it. Keep in mind, the size makes it difficult to clean. It does not fit in my sink, so water often drips on the floor (without me knowing) when I clean it. However, this is not a problem with the griddle, just something to be aware of.

Unfortunately, the surface does not heat evenly, nor does the thermostat appear to be accurate. The middle of the griddle is about 15 F warmer than the setting on the thermostat while the sides were 50 F warmer, as measured with an IR thermometer. This is the only design flaw.

The griddle is level! Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and any other items that flow will stay where you put them. Other griddles are permanently tilted to allow grease to drain. This unit will tilt when you need it to drain (when cooking bacon for example), but stay level when you want it level.

The size is great, and I have not found anything that comes close to this. Without a doubt, I would purchase this again.

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Thursday, October 17, 2013

Fireplace Hearth 3/4" Square Steel Grate Grill - 30"

Fireplace Hearth 3/4' Square Steel Grate Grill - 30'Have had multiple fires on this over the past winter. This grate is nice, solid, and not flimsy like so many out there. I don't think this one will end up breaking down over time like thinner ones have in the past.

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Thursday, July 11, 2013

(Set of 2) Counter Height Bar Stools in Dark Cherry with Vinyl Seat

(Set of 2) Counter Height Bar Stools in Dark Cherry with Vinyl SeatI found these stools on Overstock for $249.99 and Furniture on the Web for 234.99...could not believe the AMAZING price through Amazon. I initially thought they might be diffeent based on photos, but once I received them I recognized the detail, they were the same as the other places except I paid only $109.00 plus $28.49 for shipping...and yes there were two stools as advertised. I figured for that price there would only be one stool and the price was advertised incorrectly.They match my deep cherry cabinets perfectly, the seats are nice and big (unlike stools I've seen in retail stores),the wood appears to be good quality, and the seat is even nicer than I thought (I was hoping there would be no shine and there wasn't). My husband did have to put them together, but if you have the proper tools it's a quick job. They look high end, but in actuality cost me less than $70 each with shipping costs. I couldn't get this price anywhere. Shipping was as promised...quick...I am very satisfied with this purchase for quality with a very small pricetag!

These barstools look great and are very comfortable. The black vinyl seat is perfect for the kitchen since I won't have to worry about my boys staining any fabric with grape juice. The directions were poor (as are most directions for "some assembly required" products these days), but between me and husband we put them together easily. Didn't give 5 stars because there were some minor cosmetic defects on the wood (little dings/scratches that are really not that noticeable). Delivered on time. Overall, great value for the money. I'm very happy with the purchase and have no complaints.

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These chairs were even nicer than advertised. While I thought vinyl might be cheaply done, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. They are well made and just look so rich for the price. These were really a bargain.

Read Best Reviews of (Set of 2) Counter Height Bar Stools in Dark Cherry with Vinyl Seat Here

Chairs are nice. Bought 4 of them all together. The directions are horrible. Hint: Don't tighten the bolts until the end when everything is assembled or the cross bars won't fit. Anyone who has done IKEA furniture can handle these. For stuff made in China these are not bad. They wobble a little bit, but for the most part are the same height and color. Materials are not bad.

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I ordered two sets of this chair,one set was the wrong item and came as standard height. The correct set looks really nice when it is set up but there is one leg 1/2 inch shorter than the others so it wobbles really bad. All 4 chairs are being returned.

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