Buy Small Kitchen Appliances

Review by A. Boston:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1JXCYOSD4HLJ4 This is my first video review, so here goes nothing! A couple of notes: I repeatedly said Ninja Master Pro, it's Ninja Master Prep. I love it!! Something I did wrong in my video review that I just learned. When making ice based drinks, do the ice on it's own first, then add your other ingredients. It makes the ice more like snow then baby ice chunks. As far as gadgets, this might intrique a non-cook into cooking.

So far, I've made hummus, chicken salad, cheese dip, ice cream, italian breadcrumbs and a few various drinks. I hate processed breadcrumbs in the little cardboard cartons. I tossed those and now we make our own breadcrumbs in about 1 minute. So really no extra effort and it tastes so much better, plus I know exactly whats in it(herbs, bread, garlic, cheese)with no added chemicals or preservatives.

For those people who rely on a food processor as their main go-to item when cooking, this might not be your thing. But for people like me, who tend to chop by hand while cooking for two and pull it out about twice a year, it's perfect. I also am not a huge blender user, though this will get me to try new things, since it's got 400 watts of power and seems like it can make just about anything. Lastly, dishwasher safe is a huge plus as well.

On those two sites amazon and the ninja official site specifically, I've seen it for sale with the ninja pod unit, a blender accessory and a 2 cup processor accessory. Some other places(wholesale clubs and a few tv shopping networks) have it with 2 more added accessories, for the same price(or less!). It's definitely worth poking around and finding the one that comes with 4 accessories total.

Be kind to the ninja pod. Always use it in bursts and don't hold it down. I've heard of other ninja owners stripping the gears by holding it down trying to use it like a traditional blender. It's not meant to be used that way.

ICE CREAM:

No lie, I just made ice cream in about 2 minutes. I am shocked and amazed. I used 1/2 and 1/2, white chocolate pudding mix(for flavor) and frozen strawberries with a few semi-sweet chocolate chips thrown in, which it totally shredded and integrated into it. If you have a sweet tooth, add a little powdered sugar. Seriously, it's like bought ice cream, but better. A-mazing.

Review by Nicola S. Pioppi:

I purchased this item at Bed Bath and Beyond instead of the Cuisinart blender I had intended to buy. This blender is less expensive, but the next time I am in the market for a blender or a food processor I think I would pick a different item. This seems to be one step up from those terrible Magic Bullets.

PRO: It comes with two different containers, one for "blending" and one for "processing". You can blend two different things without needing to clean the pitcher in between.

CON: there isn't much difference between the food processor part and the blender part, other than in size.

PRO: The blades detach for safe cleaning.

CON: The blades themselves are difficult to clean, and I have found that the plastic part stains easily.

PRO: The motor part is light and and the whole thing stores easily. I keep the blades in a shallow drawer with my cookie cutters, the pitchers and lids with my tupperware, and the motor attachments lives inside my large stock pot.

CON: The motor is not very powerful. It blends things well enough if there is plenty of liquid, but even after several blends our smoothies end up with large ice chunks. You also are not supposed to run the motor for more than two minutes straight, but even after about thirty seconds the motor is very warm.

Review by Miss C:

My husband said he needed a toaster oven for his work so I told him to take ours and I'd buy a new one. (yay!) I went shopping all around town looking at different models... wasn't too impressed with what I saw. The few I DID like I came home to read horror reviews about on amazon. I finally found this one and I believe all the possitive reviews are right. This warms up quickly and toasts perfectly. It looks very nice and seems to be excellent quality. Its very easy to use and I LOVE the touch buttons and digital display. Within minutes of plugging it in I successfully toasted half a frozen bagel as an experiment/snack and it was toasted perfection!! The options are very handy and work great. For the Bagel I just pressed toast-defrost-bagel and selected the darkness setting. I realize now that my old toaster oven was drying food out and heated unevenly. I have also cooked a pizza in it and it was done quickly and evenly also. The only complaint is what was mentioned about having to be careful not to touch it when it's hot. The handle doesn't seem to get hot but just behind it on the metal it does. It is possible you could be burned that way, I did jerk my hand back once on casually opening the door(and I have small hands). That doesn't deter me from loving this toaster oven but I will be careful when it gets very hot. My husband wants to take this one to his work... I said no way! With Amazons good price and free shipping its well worth it!

Review by A. Talbot:

Toasting

It toasts evenly, and there are 7 levels of done-ness to choose from. But it doesn't toast dark brown without putting the bread in twice.

~edit 5/22/2009

If you hit the 4-6 slice button you can get darker toast on the first try. ~

Baking

The TOB 155 cooks pretty evenly for a toaster oven. Mine seems to run hot, baked goods finish a few minutes sooner than in my regular oven. I've baked biscuits, banana bread, chicken, frozen fries, frozen fried chicken, baked potatoes and corn bread in it. They all came out very nicely.

Broiling

I broiled chicken, and it came out very nicely. The broiling pan that comes with it is very sturdy. And the door props open part way.

Other Features

* Crumb catcher... I like it. No more dodging the heating element when cleaning up cooked on spills.

* It has handles on the outside at the base which are handy for turning the unit around when you want to empty the crumb tray.

* Two positions for the rack. And the rack itself is designed to sit higher or lower on each position if you flip it one way or the other.

* The manual. It has tips for optimal toasting, rack positioning etc.

* Construction. This unit seems pretty sturdy.

Disadvantages

* The cord. At 30" long, it scarcely reaches to the other side of the unit. I bought a heavier household extension cord which works fine. At first I used an ordinary cord, but when I used the oven just for toast it became almost too hot to touch.

* The price. Surely someone can make as good an oven for less!

* Footprint. My breadmaker takes up less counter space. Currently the oven sits on top of my microwave.

* The timer ... its piercing. On the other hand, its hard to miss.

Bottom line

I like my new toaster oven, and have recommended it to friends who bought one for themselves. As many reviewers of toaster ovens have said, they don't make 'em like they used to. I'd say this one is the way they used to make them, but you sure pay a premium for it.

Review by :

Every kitchen needs a Cuisinart, and after the work bowl of my former much loved 14-cup Cuisinart Food Processor of 20+ years finally gave out, I opted to purchase the new Cuisinart 14-cup brushed chrome model DFP-14BC. First the aesthetics, this model compliments all my other stainless steel appliances, including my double oven, toaster and microwave, etc. It looks very sleek compared to my former white model. In other words, I'm very pleased with the way it looks. I use my food processor quite often and shopped around before deciding to choose this particular model. I picked this square-shaped model, similar to my older replaced DLC-7 model, with the two rectangular buttons that `click'. Since my former Cuisinart of like design served me well 20+ years, this design appeared more durable and was less expensive than another Cuisinart rounded model with oval buttons that looked less heavy-duty. Other than a few modifications to the food pusher assembly, this new DFP-14BC model is virtually identical to my older processor, and just as easy to use. Even better is the fact that my older DLC-7 discs (with detachable stems) also fit this new processor. So far, I've used the metal blade, which worked like a dream, and the shredding and slicing discs that again work with ease and provide excellent results. Additionally, the motor on this new processor is more powerful than my original model and I can't wait to try it on making bread or pizza dough. For first time food processor users, a demonstration video accompanies this machine and walks you through everything you'll need to know. You'll never make a pie crust again without it!

Review by :

I just received my DFP-14 and love it. I used to have a hand-me-down no-name food processor that died last year. I had been wanting a new processor, but didn't want to spend the money for the new model Cuisinart. When I saw the price on this, I ordered it immediately. I've already used it 4 times this week, from hummus to pizza to a huge batch of homemade bread. Unbelievable. And dishwasher safe. This huge workbowl can handle anything. Several family members have different brands of food processors, but I've noticed that the ones with Cuisinarts still use them years later, and they work as well as they did on day one. I'd never use another brand. An incredible bargain on one of the best products on the market.

Review by Mitzi Lou:

The first one arrived somewhat loose in a box, must have rolled around because the shinny finish was marred and couldn't be corrected. I sent it back and had a replacement sent. Much better care was taken with second shipment and it arrived nice and shinny. This is an outstanding carafe that seals really tight at the top to keep the coffee hot. Superior to the Thermos brand carafes. For serious coffee drinkers it's much better drinking coffee from a carafe than coffee that's been cooking on the coffee maker burner a couple hours.

Review by Guaira:

I have no clue what the other reviewers are talking about when they state that this carafe does not keep their water/coffee hot! They must've not read the instructions, and are not "pumping" the little lever two or three times after closing the lid. A vacuum is created when you do that, and next time you press the lever (e.g. to pour the liquid out) you actually hear a PFFFFT! My water, which I pour into a cup for tea, is kept VERY hot for several hours. I mean 5-6 hours, being hot enough to brew tea (luke-warm water would not work!) Yes, not for 13 hours as stated in the description, but I am not using boiling water, just hot water that comes from a normal office cooler (around 180 degrees Farenheit... water boils at 312 degrees!)

Regarding the capacity: exactly 4 metric cups. Basically: 1 liter, or around 1/4 of a gallon. I guess that could be translated into "8 cups" of coffee or tea, if each cup does not hold 1 metric cup... but, I agree that the description is misleading because I was thinking at first that it will have a capacity of 2 liters (8 metric cups). With that said, 1 liter is plenty of water/tea for me in a regular day.

Regarding the color: yes, it is not as glossy as in the picture, but it is not too far from it. WAY better than one of those ugly aluminum or steel carafes with black plastic on the top and bottom!!!

All in all, this is a fantastic product, for an excellent price. Just don't forget to pump!!

Review by Gaylin Walli:

I've used this attachment more times than I ever thought I would. I've used it to prepare food items for my family as well as food items for crowds as large as 200 and regardless of what it is I've been making, this attachment has rolled through it without complaint. In combination with other pieces such as the sausage stuffer or the fruit attachments, you may well find that this single attachment stays on your machine the longest. I am absoultely stunned at how easy it is to put together and how simple it is to get wonderfully ground items out of it. I've had no trouble grinding any cut of meat (marbled or lean), type of meat (venison, beef, pork, chicken), or state of meat (cooked or raw). Things like chickpeas also get ground just the way I like them. The two, differently sized grinding plates give you just what you need in texture. My biggest pleasure in using this attachment is during hunting season when my husband brings home more than one deer. Venison burger meat and sausage processing never went faster. No more late nights with a hand-crank grinder!When you're done, there's nothing simpler in the cleanup. Nothing seems to stick to the plastic (plus, it's dishwasher safe!) and the metal pieces wash up quickly by hand. Even the little wooden stomper cleans well (and I've felt lost without it when I couldn't find it during sausage making). I think this attachment is the easiest to use of all of the ones I've tried.I'll never regret the purchase of this attachment.

Review by ringo:

Given all the concerns about e-coli and mad cow, we decided last year to start grinding our own beef and lamb. This grinder does the job perfectly. We grind right into the short round Ziplock boxes (about a hamburger's worth), which go into the basement freezer, and then we turn out the frozen "hockey pucks" onto a plate to defrost in the microwave, or right into the pot for bolognese sauce or sloppy joes. ("Honey, would you bring me up a couple of hockey pucks for dinner?)Assembly is easy and cleanup is easy (put a slice of bread through after the meat to make it even easier, or grind up an onion if you're making meatloaf anyway). The knife and both plates store inside the screw cap, so I don't worry about losing them (though KitchenAid sells replacements, as does goodmans-dot-net). The grinder even comes with a handy wrench-thingy to help take it apart if it tightens up.The knife and plates are not stainless (which wouldn't hold an edge), so you do have to dry them off right after washing, but I put everything, including the wooden stomper, right in the dishwasher, and after more than a year nothing has had a problem.[...] - this isn't an industrial tool! You can't set the mixer speed above three or four when grinding (less if the meat is gristly), and you've got to cut up the meat small enough to fit in the feed tube (the instructions say one-inch cubes, but long strips work too). Treat this right and it will return the favor.About the only thing that would make this more perfect is a cylindrical brush to clean out the horizontal and vertical shafts, since the dishwasher spray can't really completely reach both, and the horizontal shaft has a screw thread that tends to catch crud (Right now I'm using a folded sponge, and the abovementioned bread slice).