Best Bread Machines
A revolutionary heating element built into our Home Bakery Virtuoso Breadmaker changes the way you can bake bread at home. For a basic bread recipe, simply add in measured ingredients, close the lid, make a selection from the user-friendly LCD control panel, and the Home Bakery Supreme takes care of the rest--baking up a rectangular-shaped 2-pound loaf of bread to perfection. Choose from three crust shades--light, medium, or dark--and from 10 pre-programmed settings that consist of Basic, Basic Wheat, Basic Dough, Quick, Quick Wheat, Quick Dough, Jam, Cake, Sour Dough Starter, and Home Made. Best of all, the machine's timer can be set to delay the end of the baking cycle by up to 13 hours, which makes it possible to wake up to the smell of freshly baked, homemade bread in the morning or to come home to a warm loaf at the end of a long day at the office. Bake a Variety of Recipes From cinnamon-raisin bread for breakfast to buttery dinner rolls or garlic bread sticks to serve with dinner, this counter top appliance makes it easy to create delicious bakery-style artisan bread right at home. Cake No need to get out the whisk or mixers; the Home Bakery will mix the ingredients AND automatically bake the cake for you. Home Made The Home Made cycle allows you to program the knead, rise and bake times to create your own menu setting. Bake Bread with Ease Use Fresh Ingredients First, prepare fresh ingredients. loaf Exclusive Home Made Menu function includes 3 memory settings Additional heater on lid for even baking Quick baking cycle prepares bread in a little over 2 hours 13-hour delay timer LCD clock makes it easy to check the completion time and set up the Timer Includes as easy-to-follow instructional DVD, manual and recipe booklet Menu settings include: basic bread, wheat bread, gluten free bread, sourdough starter, dough, jam, cake, quick bread and 3 home made menus. Bakes a large traditional rectangular shaped 2-pound loaf; Gluten Free and Custom Menu settings will accommodate gluten free and organic baking ingredients.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"For us, it ultimately boiled down to these key features: Zojirishi: +Longer loaf tub (makes a more normal sized loaf like you'd buy at the store. +Heating element in the lid for consistent and even browning all around. Breville: +4 loaf sizes. +Nut dispenser. PICTURE DESCRIPTIONS: First loaf we baked was white bread (regular speed, medium crust). Also compare it to a mostly eaten white bread made from the Breville. Second bread we made was olive bread from an online recipe. Again I compared it to the size of a regular bread from the grocery store (half the bread is missing from the plastic bag). +Zojirushi allows you to create 3 custom profiles in which you can adjust the timings for each phase (Rest->Knead->Shape->Rise1->Rise2-Rise3->Bake->Keep Warm) whereas the Breville allows you to create 9 custom profiles and adjust the timings AND temperature for each phase (Knead 1->Knead 2->Rise 1->Rise 2->Rise 3->Keep Warm). +The Zojirushi has a "Shape" option where it will beep before the first rise phase and give you an hour to open the lid, take the dough out and shape it with your hands so it looks nice and even, put it back and then close the machine. +The Zojirushi has 2 paddles and the Breville has one. Don't really care, because we remove the paddles before the final rise even on the Zojirushi, so the holes are super small (1 centimeter diameter). +The Zojirushi has much sturdier build quality, whereas the Breville is made of thin, unpolished brushed aluminum. +Zojirushi says it can be used for meatloaf and sourdough starter, Breville has a yeast free option or something...personally I don't care, plus you can probably customize settings on the Breville to make those work. I use my phone's flashlight when using the Zojirushi (though you can kinda see what's going on without it). +The nut dispenser was a pretty awesome get sure in favor of the Breville, but I want to point out that the Zojirushi will beep when it's time to add those ingredients. But check out the olive bread we made on the second try...compared to a regular loaf you'd buy at a store, the size is spot on. However, the white bread was our absolute first loaf we tried, and we could've done one or two things to make it as perfectly formed as the olive bread (see below). With the Breville, you might be able to achieve these sizes by using a lower bread loaf setting and adjusting the amount of ingredients. While we really liked the ability to choose multiple bread sizes with the Breville, we liked that the Zojirushi makes a standard looking loaf right out of the box. For the white bread regular setting, this should be 55 minutes after the Knead phase ends. The second recipe we used is some southern olive bread recipe I googled in which they happened to use a Zojirushi as well! Here's the "Kalamata Olive Bread Recipe from Southernfood/Aboutfood : http://southernfood.about.com/od/breadmachine/r/r70412a.htm. Don't forget to let your bread sit for 30 minutes before slicing! Bottom line: The Zojirushi's even browning and standard loaf size make me feel it makes an overall better bread loaf."
"Surprisingly, this machine actually has exceeded our expectations; even 100% whole wheat bread, which in the ancestor Zo could be iffy, is perfect. A "Shape" stage can be used to remove the dough to specially form it or remove the paddles before baking (the splines will remain, but the resulting holes will be much smaller without the paddles), and raising the lid will stop the machine temporarily without interfering with the program. for whole-grain breads w/nuts/fruit/seeds, banana bread, cakes, and pizza dough so far, and hopefully noodles soon), we're delighted with our new Zo and recommend it without reservation; we also appreciate Amazon's free shipping and right-on-time arrival before Christmas. Just an added note if you're new to bread makers (and to set straight some previous detractors' comments) - for best results with any machine, take the time to measure ingredients by weight rather than volume and add them in the order recommended in your machine's manual, since order can vary by manufacturer and doesn't necessarily match that listed in cookbook recipes."
"Usually after about 100 cycles everyone will hit the same issue of wearing out the blades' notches and they will need to buy replacement."
Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme 2-Pound-Loaf Breadmaker Simplify Baking with the BB-CEC20 Zojirushi makes baking easy, quick and foolproof with our versatile Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker in two stunning styles. From cinnamon-raisin bread for breakfast to buttery dinner rolls or garlic bread sticks to serve with dinner, this countertop appliance makes it easy to create delicious bakery-style artisan bread right at home. Easy to Use Choose from three crust shades -- light, medium, or dark -- and from 10 pre-programmed settings that consist of Basic, Basic Wheat, Basic Dough, Quick, Quick Wheat, Quick Dough, Jam, Cake, Sour Dough Starter, and Home Made. Best of all, the machine's timer can be set to delay the end of the baking cycle by up to 13 hours, which makes it possible to wake up to the smell of freshly baked, homemade bread in the morning or to come home to a warm loaf at the end of a long day at the office. For a basic bread recipe, simply add in measured ingredients, close the lid, make a selection from the user-friendly LCD control panel, and the Home Bakery Supreme takes care of the rest--baking up a rectangular-shaped 2-pound loaf of bread to perfection. Home Made The Home Made cycle allows you to program the knead, rise and bake times to create your own menu setting. Zojirushi's Home Bakery Supreme Features Inner Cooking Pan The bread maker provides two blades for thorough dough kneading and a higher rise that bakes a large traditional rectangular shaped 2 lb. Other Features Nonstick coated baking pan for easy cleaning Sour Dough Starter function prepares a light sourdough starter in a little over 2 hours Quick baking cycle prepares breads in about 2 hours 13 hour delay timer Auto shut-off system for added safety Includes an easy-to-follow instruction DVD, manual and recipe booklet Menu settings include: Basic, Quick, Wheat, Dough, Jam, Cake, Sourdough Starter, 3 Home Made Menus 10-minute power failure back-up Bakes a large traditional rectangular shaped 2-lb. Large viewing window; removable nonstick bread pan for easy cleaning.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was fortunate to have my parents decide upon a bread maker as a gift to me and allow me to pick the model I wanted...knowing I'd spent the last year actually studying the art of bread making by hand from some pros and cookbooks. Here are some highlights of why I chose this machine initially then I'll get down to what I know about it now having used it non-stop: STAINLESS: I had no intention of pulling a bread machine in and out of the cabinet each week so I knew for sure, if it was going to sit countertop, it needed to be stainless. Most turn out looking like an odd rocket with the top of the loaf on one of the small sides of the rectangle which screams "odd bread machine loaf" and every slice except the first few is all square edges. This machine actually bakes a loaf that makes it look like it came from a real bread pan. Not only do I prefer the soft top and crusty edges on each slice more, but it looks beautiful if you are entertaining and serve it or offer to bring bread at a potluck. I can make it prepare a warm dessert while I am busy with guests and the house smells amazing! I can put my ingredients in in the morning and have it set to greet me with a warm loaf as I walk in the door from work in the evening. PAYS FOR ITSELF OVER TIME: We no longer buy hamburger and hotdog buns either. Plus, we have friends who trade us stuff like eggplant or super sweet tomatoes they grew for a loaf of bread after I got them hooked. We cook bread of some kind 2 times per week and I haven't had a bad loaf yet. VARIATION: The great thing is that there are so many bread machine cookbooks that you don't have to bake the same loaf twice. NEGATIVES: Like my old machine, you need to be sure to pull off the two kneading paddles if any remnants of the loaf remained under them after baking, also the paddle can come off in the loaf like any machine...same old negatives I had before which aren't a big deal, but just be sure you don't do what I did once and bake a loaf for someone who was sick and I delivered it to them with the paddle still protruding from the botoom. Note: if your dough didn't rise or there were flour crumbs the following can cause that in any bread maker. Not adding ingredients in the order told to (if water touches yeast it will kill it). 5. Cutting back on the amount of sugar or salt in the recipe so the yeast can't rise. 6. Old flour. Any other old ingredients in recipes calling for something like baking powder or baking soda. Substituting type of yeast (quick rise and regular require measuring adjustments."
"My son has so many food allergies that he can't have normal store bread."
"You simply need to stick around long enough to check that the balance of liquid and solid in the dough ball are correct. I keep the lid open as its mixing, scrape any errant ingredients from the sides of the pan with a spatula, and finally poke it with my finger. My recipe for a very yummy oat loaf: 1 Tablespoon regular dry yeast. 1 3/4 cup white bread flour. 1 1/2 cup quick oats. 2 Tablespoons molasses (3 if you like it sweet). 1 Teaspoon salt. 1 Tablespoon softened or melted butter. 1 egg + enough warm water to make 1 cup. Oats make the dough more mucilagenous, so the dough will be a little sticky."
"The problem is that I used to experiment with various ingredients, and the instructions are VERY clear that you must follow EXACTLY amounts, etc, when it used to be that the barometer determined how much flour you could push into a french loaf!"
"Phenomenal Bread Machine!"
"You have to replace the baking pan which is about 1/4 of the price of the machine... Update after a couple of months. Would they have put earring in there or slightly changed the design we could have used it for another couple of years or replace the bearings four a couple of dollars."
Ideal for large families, this bread maker can make up to a 2 pound loaf of bread. 12 bread settings and 3 crust settings for variety of breads, dough and jams.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Today I got the new BB-PAC20 and my initial impression compare to Oster: • Zoj is heavier then Oster. • Zoj is twice and take twice the counter space as Oster. • Due to size of Zoj it is there to say where Oster can be stored and be used when and as needed. • Zoj stops when lid is opened, which can be bothersome (my kid like to watch the bread getting mixed). • Zoj seems to be better constructed. • Zoj does not shift on counter when mixing due to its weight (My Oster already crushed to the floor once which required me to take it apart and put all the buttons and display back where they should be). • Zoj have much better handles the Oster ( I removed the handle from my Oster , as in some cases high raise breads will “stick” to the handle and will challenge the loaf removal as the bread will stick to handle ). • Zoj looks “better” as its stainless and black finish vs white (which look dated). ** See pictures for difference between Zoj and Oster during mixing and baking, as well for product produced **. This test is for BASIC functionality and used basic cycle with medium crust settings. Zoj crust is more consistent where Oster has lighter top then its sides. My $0.02 : If you children like bread with no crust Oster might be better, where if you like thicker crust with more crunch Zoj would be better. If you intend to keep the bread machine on your counter Zoj will be more appealing due to design and color."
"Bought: March 3, 2013 @ 59.99. Date of this Review: November 12, 2015. Status of this breadmaker: Showing its age but still chugging! We moved to New Jersey around Nov, 2012 and we have been buying loaves of bread from our nearby supermarket daily @ $2.50 a pop 5 times a week. So, trying to be "healthy" we started reading the labels of each food we buy and noticed a LOOOOT of ingredients that looked like from a science fiction/medical drama series (see attached photo). So we thought of making our own bread from scratch but didn't want to spend a lot of time kneading and rising the dough everyday. Even our dog likes our freshly baked bread - note that she NEVER EVER touched the ones we bought from the store. Pros: * Durable. * Can make a variety of loaves with your desired setting. * It takes only around 5 minutes to dump in the ingredients then it mixes and bakes. * Never failed to make the perfect loaf (only if you put in the correct ingredients in the correct order). Cons: * As it ages (more than 2 years old now), the non-stick coating is fading but that's to be expected. * It doesn't do laundry. Bottomline: If this breaks - I'm buying it again and hopefully the same quality as before."
"Set the machine and stood there watching it, starring through the window the whole time, LOL! Just like a little kid amazed :-) The machine mixed quietly, kneeded, rose then baked, out popped this perfect colored loaf! During mixing I had to add a little flour because the dough was too wet, no big emergency...To think I almost spent $250 for a bread maker makes me sick to my stomach after using this! Parts of it were hot, but, if I had to move it I could, and the bottom where the handles are stays completely cool. The toast went down with grape jelly and a cup of hot Earl Grey tea, heaven."
Best Soda Makers
Contents include; (1) Jet Sparkling Water Maker, (1) Mini CO2 Carbonator (makes up to 9L of sparkling water), (1) 1L BPA-Free Reusable Carbonating Bottle, and a 60 Liter CO2 Carbonator mail-in rebate. This kit includes: (1) Jet Sparkling Water Maker, (1) Mini CO2 Carbonator (makes up to 9L of sparkling water), (1) 1 Liter BPA-Free Reusable Jet Carbonating Bottle, (1) 60 Liter mail-in rebate.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"About 30 minutes makes enough of a difference so that you can conduct an impressive chug and belch session, should you desire. I've also read comments from several cheapskates and pennypinchers contending that they get more thrifty results from refilling paintball cartridges at Dicks, The Paintball Palace or somesuch sporting goods outlets. While cheap may be the name of the game, those of you dreading GMO's, artificial sweeteners, nasty chemicals leaching from old soda bottles, global warming and other horrors, Take Note: CO2 made for paintball guns needs to be only pure enough to launch a paintball downrange. so why drink trace amounts of some potentially nasty lube not intended for consumption?"
"If it filled 60 liters, each liter of soda water would cost 16 (the cost of the canister refill) divided by 60, or 27 cents a liter. :) in fact, we've gotten an average of about 40 liters per canister refill, or about 40 cents a liter of soda water."
"The only thing is that our doesn't make the same buzzing noise that has been advertised."
"I use it all the time (and it's great to be able to have fresh ginger ale in the middle of the night when you're sick), and the canister lasts a long time."
"I bought this because they were promising a mail in rebate and then a rebate on the first CO2 refill. It's a garbage way to run a business to offer rebates and look for technicalities to deny them. If they don't want to honor rebates then don't offer them, its a good enough product that people will likely buy them anyway."
"there is no way to know how long to hold button down for proper carbonation."
Best Household Mixers
Easily make your favorite cakes and multiple batches of cookie dough with the 5-quart stainless steel mixing bowl with comfortable handle. Important safeguard: Remove Flat Beater, Wire Whip or Dough Hook from Stand Mixer before washing. Includes coated flat beater, coated dough hook, 6-wire whip and 1-piece pouring shield. Includes flat beater, dough hook, and wire whip.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Most of us have seen these mixers everywhere for what seems to be decades, but it was probably just me that didn't realize all kitchenmaid stand mixers aren't created equal. There is room for improvement though, the rubber spatula sided mixer attachment is sold separately which is what can scrape down the sides of your bowl without you having to angle a separate spatula into the mixer, I would have been open to forgoing some of the other attachments in order to have this one right off the bat, but they are cheaper and easy to find at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc.. Also, the swing back mechanism for the top of the mixer via the hinge at the neck has no protection against it flipping up and down hard. Half star loss for the lack of slow-down mechanism for the head and the lack of spatula on the mixer attachment leaving you to clean up the walls of the bowl pretty frequently, but apart from that this machine is fantastic. CONS: No Cushion For Mixer Head When Lifting up/Down To Prevent Hard Slam, Spatula Mixer Attachment Not Included Requiring You to Scrape Down The Bowl Pretty Often, Expensive (but again, it's not bad for an investment piece-I can't see this thing breaking any time soon or ever maybe). TIPS: TJ Maxx and Marshalls have attachment for these mixers on sale regularly for 60% off the selling price so if you have one nearby go and check for that spatula attachment or even a pasta maker or meat grinder I've seen them all there!, If you are working with dough (or especially if a young one is learning) watch out for it coiling up your dough hook and into the gears-it can happen quickly if you're not careful. Last, I've found that a metal blemish extractor (bought and dedicated for mixer cleaning) is the best tool to get into the attachment holder and metal pieces in the head of the mixer in case they get dirty (or gunked up with aforementioned dough... )."
"The fact that there have been many posts in the past several years about grey residue does not speak well of KitchenAid's ability to resolve issues of quality control. I purchased this model KitchenAid (Aqua Sky) in the past week (in March 2016) and had the problem many have reported of grey residue around the bowl. After throwing away my ingredients, I re-washed twice with a Scotch-Brite scrubby sponge and hot water and detergent, and then twice more scrubbing extremely vigorously with Comet cleanser, then rinsing thoroughly."
"The purpose of this review is more to help with the color selection, in case anyone out there was like me and struggling to differentiate between Ice Blue and Aqua Sky. But I could not find Aqua Sky in person, and struggled with trying to figure out which online pictures were accurate. (for reference I have included a picture of it beside an actual Ball jar lol). In the other photo I have placed a baby blue cup and a light mint green plate, so you can see how the shade of Aqua Sky kind of falls in between the two."
Best Juicers
BJE200XL: Juice Fountain Compact Key Feature. Die-cast juicer with soft fruit attachment and variable speed capability. 'Rolls Royce' of Juicers: die-cast metal matched wtih power. Variable speeds maximize yield across variety of fruits. Makes thicker juices and yields more juice for leafy greens and wheatgrass than non-masticating juicers. Great entry price point for Breville juicers. Compact design takes up less space, with all of the juicing capabilities of the other juicers. Type of Juicer. Centrifugal. Centrifugal. Centrifugal. Masticating/slow juicer. Centrifugal. Centrifugal. Motor. 1200 watt. 1000 watt. 900 watt. 240 watt. 850 watt. 700 watt. Speed. 5 speeds ranging from 6,500rpm to 13,000rpm. Low speed of 6,500rpm, high speed of 13,000rpm. 5 speeds ranging from 6,500rpm to 12,500rpm. 80rpm. Low speed of 6,500rpm, high speed of 12,000rpm. 14,000rpm. Materials Heavy grade die-cast metal body Titanium cutting disc Stainless steel micromesh filter Stainless steel puree disc. 3" circular feed tube processes whole fruit Centered dual knife blade asssembly Stabilizing knife Dual high/low speed switch for hard or softer fruits and vegetables. 3" circular feed tube processes whole fruit Centered dual knife blade asssembly Stabilizing knife Dual high/low speed switch for hard or softer fruits and vegetables. 700-watt motor operates at 14,000 RPM for maximum extraction ; Safety Locking Arm: Juicer will not operate without juicer cover in place and safely locking arm in place in the vertical operating position.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One thing I would recommend is to spray all the parts out and spray/scrub the fine strainer IMMEDIATELY after use. Half the time I don't even use soap, just spray it all out over the sink (scoop the big chunks in the trash obviously), and then I just spray it all down with some food grade sanitizer. OH, also, if you want to, you can use all of the fibrous stuff that the juicer spits into the main compartment for healthy muffins!"
"Stack spinach leaves about 2-3" tall and place on a large kale leaf. Small spinach leaves won't fly out the food chute or end up whole in the pulp collection bin. The shredding disc and steel mesh were showing signs of staining and minor clogging. All the residue came off easily, opening all the clogged mesh holes and rejuvenating the shredding disc. Update Dec 2012 - The Breville Compact Juice Fountain works like new after 11 months of daily use! As with any centrifugal juicer, the pulp may not be "bone dry" due to the nature of the juicing process. The toughest veggie I've juiced is a quarter head of purple cabbage, no problem. Whole kale leaves, celery, carrots, broccoli, beets...juiced regularly without any trouble. *Quick and easy to clean because there are only 4 parts: the food pusher, feed chute / pulp collection lid, pulp collection container and steel micro mesh filter. * Compact size makes it easy to leave on the counter to encourage frequent, if not daily, use. * Juicer cover, pulp container, filter basket and pitcher are listed as dishwasher safe. Note that the inside of the juice collector (under the mesh filter basket) needs to be scrubbed well to prevent build-up. CONS of this unit. * One speed means you cannot slow the shredder basket down for tough or leafy greens. to the food chute while there is still some spinach at the bottom...no more broccoli florets all over the kitchen =). * Nest and roll big leaves like kale and collards."
"I did some pretty good research and though this may not be considered the best juicer, it did seem to have very good reviews. Basically, spinach, celery, apples, oranges, limes, beets, cucumbers, pears, ginger and anything else that's laying around."
"What wasn't mentioned is that the reason it does that is because the motor is so beefy that stuff will shoot straight up. When juicing soft stuff I immediately cover the top with my hand. Breville uses a combo of ingenious design and magnets to hold it in place! Carrot juice would make a great dye :-). The pulp on this juicer is a bit wetter than the Jack LaLanne. This juicer makes much smaller pieces of pulp though - and my experience so far has been that it gets just as much juice from a pound of carrots."
Best Wine Cellars
Koldfront's 7 Series: As a part of Koldfront's 7 Series, this wine cooler is designed to be as stylish as it is efficient, boasting both an even cooling and sleek presentation of your wine Dual Zone Design: This freestanding wine cooler has two temperature zones, allowing you to store both red and white wine simultaneously at their optimum temperatures. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The only downside is that there is no way to turn off the bright LED numbers on the front, so we have a piece of fabric draped over the front of our cooler to allow us to sleep at night (we keep our wine close to our bed :) Also worth mentioning is the fact that larger (longer or wider ones) may take some moving around to find a spot that fits best."
"Works great and is quit!"
"I keeps red & white wines at their optimal temperature."
"this was given as a gift and they received it quickly and love it."
"After reading the reviews posted; shopping many sites and local retailers, I decided to purchase this unit."
"Also, I can't seem to get the top compartment to reach the temperature I want, but it's getting close after several days."
"Great product just as advertised."
Best Beverage Refrigerators
With a 120 can storage capacity you will be sure to never be short on ice cold beverages. ft. beverage center;manual;warranty;Tempered glass door with stainless steel trim;Recessed side mount door handle;Integrated lock with key; Interior light illuminates compartment when door is opened; Color - Black with Stainless Steel; Height 33.70, Width 17.87, Depth 19.75, Weight 68.90. With a 120 can storage capacity you will be sure to never be short on ice cold beverages. Tempered glass door with stainless steel trim and black body.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The other two shelves we arranged to allow for one shelf of bottles and one more shelf for cans. Our setup can hold 30 bottles (but more like 25 comfortably) on the bottle shelf, 15 cans on the top shelf, 30 cans (but more like 25 comfortably) on the other can shelf, and on the bottom shelf, since it is about half-size, can fit about 18 Bud Light Lime cans total. Per some of the other very helpful reviews and customer photos on Amazon I did purchase a couple of add-on products for about $30 total: --> This end table, so that my tall husband didn't have to squat all the way to the floor for something on the bottom shelf: DHP Parsons Modern End Table, Black Wood Grain. --> These flexible chopping mats so that the cans & bottles don't "tip" on the grill. The battery pack in this product happens to fit perfectly in a unusable notch area on the bottom/second shelving area, if the door opens on the left (since that is where the notch in the shelf is) Rtgs Micro LED 20 Super Bright Cold White Color Lights Battery Operated on 7.5 Ft Long Silver Color Ultra Thin String Wire [NEWEST VERSION] + 100% RTGS Products Satisfaction Guarantee. So ultimately, it would be fantastic if this fridge utilized glass shelves or smaller grates, and had LED door lighting, but the mods were cheap and easy enough to do on our own."
"I don't collect the best craft beers in the northeast, I drink them. Next day, I was saddened to notice my delicious beers weren't as cold as I would prefer. Out of nothing more than laziness, and maybe the inconvenience, I opted not to send this fridge back. We'll anyhow, there is a small Phillips head screw that adjusts the tension on the release of the thermostat."
"I began researching a variety of cooling devices to store my ever-growing collection of beers and was frustrated by the dearth of information readily available for such storage. I wound up setting it up last night and discovered a few things that I thought would be of interest to anyone else in search of something to use as a beer cellar. Many of the thermoelectric coolers feature extremely narrow ranges with the LOWER end being closer to the low 50s (which means that it would have to work essentially at max capacity at all times just to maintain the temperature). The 43-57 degree range of the Danby is great because it affords more leeway, particularly if you live in an area that gets particularly warm in the summer thereby creating a substantial temperature differential between the interior and exterior of the refrigerator. The problem with this is the fact that most corked bottles tend to be of the larger variety (750ml) and thus take up much more space than their twelve ounce counterparts. Now, you won't be able to take advantage of the full space on the lowest level because there is a small portion that juts out to allow water to drain towards the compressor during the automatic defrosting cycle. You lose a little bit of space at the very top so that you can keep the fan clear (the shelf is designed specifically for this purpose) so you can't make use of the ENTIRE interior."
Best Waffle Irons
The Cuisinart Double Belgian Waffle Maker expertly bakes two 1-inch extra-deep, restaurant-style waffles at the same time. 6-setting browning control knob ensures each waffle is cooked to order.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My 40-year quest to find the perfect waffle maker ended when I purchased this double flip model. All suffered from the same problem of requiring more precise filling than I was capable of -- too much batter and it oozed out the sides and made a big mess, but too little and the waffles ended up with bald spots. And the thermometer/timer works very well -- I set it around 4 and when the beeper sounds I have perfectly golden brown waffles every time."
"The waffle maker has arrows to tell you which direction to turn it after pouring the batter which is very helpful. We use a family recipe for the batter, so I can not comment on how it works with pre-mixed options like Bisquick. 3 - The included measuring cup make it simple to pour consistent waffles. 4 - Cooking is even and quick. 5 - Waffles lift right out with no sticking. Cons: 1- None so far. Waffle recipe -. 2 eggs (separated). 1/2 cup vegetable oil. 2 cups milk. 2 cups flower. 4 teaspoons baking powder. 1 teaspoons salt. 2 tablespoons sugar. 1 - Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form."
"We keep batter in the fridge and just make a quick breakfast of fresh waffles each morning."
"The chicken and waffles photo is from a cooking class I took with a pretty sad waffle iron."
"Shipped well."
"In the meantime, changing the rating from 5 to 2 'cause it does make great waffles but this exploding hinge thing....... 5/31/17 Got the replacement waffle maker today. In order to get it I had to: 1- Pay Cuisinart $10 to ship the replacement. 2- Send the broken one back which at the USPS cheapest rate was $30.68. Will have to think about it before I purchase another Cuisinart product (we have several)."
Best Microwave Ovens
The consistent delivery of microwave energy means delicate foods can simmer without the edges and surfaces overcooking. Inverter Technology for even cooking and delivering delicious flavor and Inverter Turbo Defrost for quick defrosting. 1200 Watts of High Power; One-Touch Genius Sensor Cook and Reheat for automatic cooking settings and even Keep Warm feature.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Put in a plate of cold food, press Sensor Reheat, and no matter the quantity of food it will heat it up the right amount of time to get the right temperature. Some other microwaves have a Reheat button, without a sensor, but just gives a set amount o time, which is useless. Reheat used to mean it had a sensor, but apparently now you have to look for the word Sensor. You have to press a number 1 through 12 after pressing the Sensor Cook button, for different kinds of food, as listed in the manual. I have gotten used over the years to press 11, 22, 33 seconds and so on, fine tuning the amount of time while minimizing the button presses."
"This microwave works fine, and is faster than most others I've used. Several people commented negatively that the coating on the number pad started bubbling right away. Overall, while it's not perfect it works well and is a good value."
"It was also well packaged and arrived pretty quickly. I also like that you can just press the buttons for the time that you want instead of having to hit a specific input time button or turn a dial or do some other form of annoying time wasting step."
"This is our first inverter microwave oven."
Best Food Steamers
Let Aroma do the Cooking for You Enjoy easy home cooking with the Aroma 8-Cup Digital Rice Cooker & Food Steamer. Digital Convenience This convenient cooker's compact capacity perfectly cooks 2 to 8 cups of any variety of rice with specialized functions for both white and brown rice. The Steam Tray allows for healthy steaming of meats and vegetables, even as rice cooks below. Place rice in the cooker in the morning, set the Delay Timer to have rice ready when it's needed and come back to perfect rice ready to serve. Easy-to-use, programmable digital controls with automatic Keep-Warm and White Rice and Brown Rice functions. Includes steam tray, rice measuring cup, serving spatula, and exclusive recipes and coupons for Mahatma and Carolina Rice.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There are many cheaper alternatives with a single switch that can cook or keep warm, but this rice cooker can delay up to 15 hours, which is perfect to get it ready for coming home after work. You can open the lid of the rice cooker by pressing the button attached on the handle, and there’s more parts like the white plastic tray with holes that you can use to steam vegetables and a measuring cup to scoop out the right amount of rice. This feature was handy when I set it in the morning, went to work, and came back to find this cooker finishing up cooking my rice. You scoop rice, pour into the bowl, rinse, add enough water, press the button, wait, and eat. Pros. + So easy and can’t go wrong. + Can also steam and cook food other than rice. + Stylish. + Lid stays closed, no water splashes. + Delay timer up to 15 hours. + Stays on “Keep Warm” mode automatically after finishing. Cons. – Beeps are a bit loud for my little apartment but it may be good for you. Wishlist. – Having an actual clock like many microwaves would be nice. Check out the full review on Normal Consumer."
"The water level marks inside (none too easy to see, are calibrated for the number of these little cups of grain you use. Just use one measure of water to one measure of rice. And some rice is drier than other rices, and need more water. Rice cookers work because, so long as there is free water in the pot, the temperature cannot rise above 212F (at sea level). And that means the cooker doesn't really know when the rice is done, only when the water is gone. Now, you will see all sorts of different ratios recommended by rice cooker recipes and for different cookers. Anything reasonably close will work, so long as you use enough water for the grain to be fully cooked when the water is gone."
"i put rice in. i put water in. i turn on. rice cooks. i eat. i happy. i satisfied. end."
"It would switch off automatically when cooking was done. The first one I ordered from Amazon arrived with a big dent left of the panel, but Amazon has a good exchange policy for this item, so the replacement arrived within a few days. The warranty on the cooker is a 1 year warranty, but it's also annoying because you have to pay to ship it both ways (you have to prepay Aroma $14 to ship it back to you."
Best Electric Woks
Size: 17 IN |. Color: None. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We had replaced all of our old Teflon non stick cookware awhile back for health reasons but not our Wok. But we weren't sure if we should do a ceramic one (which doesn't work well with high heat), a PFOE free non stick(which who knows how safe that is long term), or a stainless one. We use plenty of healthy fats when cooking in the Wok, so we haven't had sticking issues."
"As a side note, I'll just add that I broke the cardinal rule of buying this kitchen appliance for my wife for her birthday... And instead of being upset about that, she frequently says how much she loves it and it's one of her favorite things that I have bought her- so that should tell you something!"
"Description exactly as written!!!"
"Just great!"
"best purchase I've made in years."
"Large wok with plenty of room to stir fry a full quart of good without steaming in."
"Because it has stainless steel interior and not the non-stick coating, I don't have to be extra cautious to use metal cooking utensil. The base of the pot will have coating of over cooked sauce or starch residue, but after some soaking with water, it is easy to remove the solidly "caked up" sauce/food with Scote-brite sponge."
"The thermostat is sensitive...meaning that a small turn on the wheel means a jump of tens of degrees. This is an advantage in that when things are done the wok can be turned off and cooking stops."
Best Beer Keg Refrigerators
NSF Approved Beer Line 6 5 ft. of 5/16 in. Temp Range: Low 30's to Mid 40's; Easy conversion to a refrigerator; 5 lbs CO2 cylinder included (supplied empty).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Easy to put together although I did watch the youtube video because the CO2 stuff a bit confusing."
"My only complaint so far is the rack on top pops out all the time & the little rubber things it sits on are pretty much useless."
"We have had it working for over a full day now, but the entire thing was easy to set up and we got our first pony keg of blue moon!"
""Santa" bought this for my fiancès basement theater man-cave - and I kid you not, I swear I saw a tear (he'll deny it)."
"First of all, it came the next day!"
"My mother in law got this for her birthday and she is a craft beer guru."
"Only problem was that one of the shelves had a crack in it but still 5 stars because it's pretty amazing."
"My husband said this is “the best gift ever!” He said it’s a great product."
Best Food Processors
The Ninja Master Prep Professional handles all of your chopping, food processing, and blending needs in 3 conveniently sized jars great for personal servings or for entertaining. Put the power in the palm of your hand with the versatile Master Prep Professional, which crushes ice into snow in seconds, blends frozen fruits into creamy smoothies, and chops fresh ingredients evenly. Chopper Bowl, Chopper Splash Guard, 1 Chopper Storage Lid, 40 oz. Pitcher, Pitcher Splash Guard, Stacked 6 Blade Assembly, 1 Storage Lid for the 48/40 oz.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"You can definitely get food in the small hole on the motor where the blade snaps in, which seems weird and hard to clean if that happens."
"The blades are powerful and chop easily through frozen and fresh fruit, ice, and spinach."
"The 48 oz has replaced my Hamilton 6 speed blender. obviously, the blades are really sharp, so you have to be careful washing it."
"So while fully suitable for regular food prep, this set is also handy for those people preparing meals after weight loss surgery."
"I researched several blenders and all of the customer and professional ratings kept pointing to the Ninja and it is Consumer Reports top rated blender."
"My KitchenAid blender finally died and so I went on a search to find a blender that can make smoothies and do some light chopping. My old blender it made hard to get everything out of the bottom of the pitcher because the blades were still connected. My old blender would crush everything at the bottom of the pitcher, but leave the stuff above completely untouched. I couldn't put the blades from my old blender in water, let alone a dishwasher."
"This will be my first and last Ninja product."
"I've had this just under a year."
Best Countertop Burners
The energy produced by the Duxtop is directly supplied to the cooking vessel by a magnetic field. Duxtop detects the size of the cookware base and automatically adjust so that very little energy is wasted. This versatile cooktop is great for entertaining; use it as a stylish, elegant centerpiece on the table, for outdoor parties and in the kitchen as an extra cooking zone. 7) Compatible with Duxtop and other induction ready cookware such as stainless steel with a magnetic bottom, or cast iron. Requires induction compatible cookware.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is in "power" mode, wherein you select an output wattage divided into 10 increments. There is also a "temp" mode, wherein you select a cooking temperature and the stove constantly modifies its output to approximate that temperature in your pan, but I haven't experimented with that way of cooking yet. True that some heat conducts down into it from the hot pan on top, but not enough to burn food onto the surface and create a difficult mess for later scrubbing."
"The only reason I bought an induction cooktop was because I wore out both sides of the inserts on my [brand name] gas cooktop (they rusted to bits from constant use) and since I wanted time before I decided what my replacement would be, I ordered one of these to tide us over. Stir fry is SUPPOSED to be hot and quick (that's how you get cooked through veggies that maintain their color). I spent $25 on an all steel Wok at the cooking store with the initials W&S, and I've been making the best stir fry to ever come out of my kitchen. This is where it has been best to stir fry, near the sink (as I don't have a pot filler tap next to my stove), and having water close to a steel wok for quick rinsing between dishes is a good idea. Maybe I don't need to do anything other than buy a replacement drop-in for the exact same cooktop I already have, and continue using the Duxtop Cooktops, as I'm using them now. Why not multiple cooktops, in different cooking zones? I can't scramble eggs with it without burning them or overcooking (or anything that requires medium or subtle heat, or with copper bottom pans--which is unfortunate), but induction cooking does bring something to the party that ordinary electric cooking never had: Higher, quicker heat. Electric cooking is always going to have the same problem of hot zones that it always had, and these are not going to solve that problem. With gas heat (especially with copper bottom pans) the heat spread is even, and spreads evenly up the sides of the pan, covering the bottom. I'm sure that people who have more experience with electric cooking burn food on gas stoves, so it is what you are used to--so this isn't a magic bullet, but it is certainly better than the old-fashioned coils. I set to 10 when I want to bring water to boil, but then quickly change the setting to about 3 to keep things boiling, and 2 to maintain a simmer (for things like sauces), or 1 to keep things warm. They're handy for parties (when you need an extra burner), for emergengies (if the gas stove breaks), they'll be great for the summer for boiling corn (take it outside and put near the grill), and there is no way to get this kind of high heat for stir fry or quick boiling without upgrading your gas pipe to 3/4". The advice above, to allow the pan to warm up a bit (to setting 5) before blasting it (at setting 10) has prevented other non-stick pans from losing their non-stick coating, and having it flake off on the food."
"So far so good."
"I'm including a photo of banana pancakes I made for breakfast."
"In terms of the noise level, it's quite normal for such kind of induction cooktop to make a humming sound, which goes louder with higher power setup."
Best Small-Appliance Sets
The KitchenAid Artisan Design Series Stand Mixer adds radiance to any kitchen with a premium metallic finish and elegant 5-Quart glass mixing bowl. Metal Construction - Rugged, durable, metal construction ensures years of reliable mixing; helps reduce mixer walk on your counter as well. Powers over 12 Optional Accessories - Turn your KitchenAid Stand Mixer into a culinary center with KitchenAid Stand Mixer Accessories.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Do you need a stand mixer? If you're set on a stand mixer, should you buy this one? What you do get for the extra cost of the Pro series is a better dough hook, a metal gearbox, more power, and a slightly larger bowl. If you go the other direction with the cheaper Classic Plus, you lose 1/2 QT of bowl capacity, a handle on the bowl, the splash guard, and color choices besides white. This particular model has a glass bowl relative to the more popular metal style. Likewise, for measuring, I have my metal bowl on top of a kitchen scale because doughs turn out more consistent if I go by ounces instead of volume. My take is that if you can find an old Hobart (e.g., K4SS, K5-A, K5SS with a metal 'Hobart' placard) and it runs well, it's likely to keep running well no matter what you throw at it. Here's the full list of KA mixers (updated December 2016): KSM3311X - Artisan Mini. * Tilt-head, 250W, 3.5QT metal, soft-start. K45SS - Classic. * Tilt-head, 250W, 4.5QT metal. KSM75 - Classic Plus. * Tilt-head, 275W, 4.5QT metal. KSM95 - Ultra Power. * Tilt-head, 300W, 4.5QT metal. KSM96 - Ultra Power Plus. * Tilt-head, 300W, 4.5QT metal handle, pouring shield. KSM150 - Artisan / Architect. * Tilt-head, 325W, 5QT metal handle, pouring shield. KSM153 - Artistan Flex. * Tilt-head, 325W, 5QT metal handle, pouring shield, flex beater. KSM155 - Artisan Design. * Tilt-head, 325W, 5QT glass handle. KSM160PS - Ultra Power. * Tilt-head, 325W, 5QT glass handle, 3QT metal, pouring shield. KSM160APS - Architect. * Tilt-head, 325W, 5QT metal handle, 3QT metal, pouring shield. KSM500 - Pro 500. * Bowl-lift, 325W, 5QT metal handle, pouring shield, metal gears, soft-start/auto shutoff. RKG25H0X - Heavy Duty. * Bowl-lift, 450W, 5QT metal handle, pouring shield, spiral hook, metal gears, soft-start/auto shutoff. KV25G0X - Pro 5. * Bowl-life, 450W, 5QT metal handle, pouring shield, spiral hook, metal gears, soft-start/auto shutoff. KP26M1X - Pro 600. * Bowl-lift, 575W, 6QT metal handle, pouring shield, spiral hook, metal gears, soft-start/auto shutoff. KF2622 - Pro 600 Design. * Bowl-lift, 575W, 6QT glass handle, spiral hook, metal gears, soft-start/auto shutoff. KSM6521X - Pro 6500. * Bowl-lift, 750W, 6QT glass handle, spiral hook, metal gears, soft-start/auto-shutoff. KSM7586P - Pro Line. * Bowl-lift, 975W, 7QT metal handle, pouring shield, spiral hook, metal gears, soft-start/auto-shutoff. KSM8990 - NSF Certified. * Bowl-lift, 975W, 8QT metal handle, spiral hook, metal gears, soft-start/auto-shutoff. KSMC895 - NSF Certified. * Bowl-lift, 975W, 8QT metal handle, bowl guard, spiral hook, metal gears, soft-start/auto-shutoff. If you'd rather have a more powerful bowl lift mixer, KitchenAid's refurbished store often has the Heavy Duty Series for as little as $175 (if you Google a coupon code). It's a doppelganger for the Pro 5 and includes the superior spiral dough hook."
"Got this mixer for Christmas after wanting one for many years, but just couldn’t bring myself to spend that much for something I anticipated a few times a year, and had a lack of counter space."
"The KitchenAid 5-Qt. My Candy Apple Red KitchenAid Artisan mixer is gorgeous to look at yet it allows me to cook delicious, memorable food for my family. I am very happy with my KitchenAid mixer!"
"After receiving two KA in antique copper here is why I think this: 1. The replacement is a completely different color antique gold than the first one I received. The replacement is also lacking the cool texture the first one I received had. Amazon is sending a third replacement. UPDATE: The third KA mixer I received made a horrible clicking noise as if something in the inside of the machine is loose!!!"
Best Compact Refrigerators
Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"You are going to give it twenty minutes, get impatient as it drips and you think of wasting a Saturday on this and then you get the butter knife. You are thrilled with the great big chunks of ice coming out, that you will NOT have to wait on and the Saturday afternoon that seems wide open with possibilities. But... give it an inch of clearance on all side, wind tunnel style, and DIY it up with a fan (computer fans work well, are quiet and low energy). I received not a penny's discount in exchange for my fair and honest review, so how about a helpful clicky click?"
"More importantly, at its lowest (least cool) setting, the fridge maintains a perfect temperature of 45-50 degrees throughout, without the use of any external regulators."
"To do a more complete temperature test I left small bowls of water on each shelf overnight, and then tested the temperature of each with a Thermapen. Lower shelf was 32 (ice formed on the water near the back of this shelf). Drawer was 40. Middle of door was 41. It also seems to be pretty inconsistent. Edit: I rigged up a small fan (https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-MULTIFAN-Receiver-Playstation/dp/B00G05A2MU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467222711&sr=8-1&keywords=ac+infinity) at the back of the bottom shelf to circulate the air."
"The compartments are great, it has curves on the door shelfs so you can stick things in like cartons of milk or juice containers."
Best Coffee, Tea & Espresso Appliances
WHAT'S IN THE BOX: The Keurig K55 K-Cup Single Serve Coffee Maker includes 4 K-Cup pods and a water filter handle + 2 water filters to help your beverages taste their best. This process helps to remove calcium deposits, or scale, that can build up inside a coffee maker over time. AUTO-OFF: An auto-off feature is easily programmed to turn off your coffee maker after it has been idle for two hours, helping to save energy.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We already had a standard coffee maker but I didn't want to brew a whole pot of coffee at once and single-serve coffee makers seem to be very popular so I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try. I had seen several different Keurigs from the basic ones to very fancy ones but wanted to purchase one that both fulfilled my needs to brew a single cup of coffee and wasn't too expensive so I opted to buy the Keurig K55 Coffee Maker in black. Brewing: To brew a cup of coffee is very simple. When the three cup sizes illuminate in blue, you know it's time to brew your coffee. If someone else wants to brew a cup of coffee right after yours is done, all they have to do is remove your K-cup pod since they are single-use pods, add theirs and repeat the process. Water Reservoir: The reservoir holds 48 ounces of water so you don't have to fill it up every time you want to brew a new cup of coffee, which is one of the reasons I selected this model. ): The Keurig K55 Coffee Maker uses the K-cup pods, which you can purchase nearly everywhere and there are many brands and flavors to choose from. For instance, my mom and I have brewed cups of coffee one right after the other (different flavors) and neither of us have noticed the other flavor in our respective cups. I've only brewed one cup of apple cider with this and haven't noticed the previous coffee flavor in the apple cider or the apple cider in my next cup of coffee. It's not too loud when it's brewing the cup of coffee. It's a great model that is nice on your wallet and will brew a great cup of coffee as often as you'd like! I typically brew four cups of coffee a day now to keep up with my kids and I've had no trouble with using this Keurig."
"This is what made me a fan of coffee."
"However, we feel that the Keurig K55 coffee maker has proved superior to any of our previous coffee brewers. I like strong coffee, or sometimes I like to have flavored coffee, and my sister-in-law likes the same coffee that I do. Aside from the 5 press buttons to regulate the Keurig coffee maker, there are 3 other LED light indicators. Add Water – a Blue LED will light up. If there is not enough water, the coffee maker will not work, therefore I consider this indicator as a safety feature, as well as a resolution to a possible ‘user error’. WATER RESERVOIR: Included with the Keurig K55 is a Charcoal Water filter Cartridge Kit with 2 charcoal filters. This will eliminate the unwanted chemical taste that is in some water systems, and good tasting water is essential for a delicious cup of coffee. In addition, this coffee maker will accommodate my 7 ¼” coffee thermos by sliding the drip tray out from bottom base, and I can have my thermos filled when placed on the bottom flat tray base. THE KEURIG K55 ACCOMMODATES REUSABLE COFFEE FILTERS: My favorite coffee is from fresh beans that I grind myself, and therefore it’s important to me that a coffee maker will accommodate a reusable filter. The reusable coffer pod filter that I use is the Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter (Single) – and this is compatible with the Keurig K55 model. This machine comes with a ‘Charcoal Water Filter Cartridge Kit and 2 charcoal pod filters, which guarantees excellent coffee, even though we have ‘hard water’ (which tastes awful) in our water system."
"The first one lasted many years and finally died (after very hard daily use)."