Best Quesadilla & Tortilla Makers
Make perfectly natural, flat and consistently thin tortillas with the internationally known Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla Press. Heavy-duty cast iron for easy and even pressing, New & improved base & handle for resistance. Tortilladora casted in Colombia since 1986, Authentic by Victoria, don't trust imitators!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Also, let the weight of the cast iron flatten the dough, not much strength needed to get the job done."
"Took a few tries to get it just right, but if you place the ball of dough slightly off-center, closer to the hinge, it comes out thin like it should."
"Makes really good roti!"
"Very sturdy and very easy to use."
"Slit the sides of a gallon ziplock bag and press tortilla between the layers. Google "tacos al pastor j kenji lopez-alt". If you don't have a tostonera, this works really well as a tostone (fried plantain) press, too."
"Very well made and heavy duty."
"If you place the ball of Masa a little above the center between either waxed paper or plastic wrap, they come out perfectly round and thin."
"The handle snapped off the second time we tried to use it."
The Hamilton Beach Quesadilla Maker is hot and read Love Mexican restaurants but don't want to wait? Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"5 STARS - The price fit my budget and my sister said it looks beautiful, functions well, and very pleased with her gift."
"We have been testing one over the holidays and it makes a nice, sectioned quesadilla without taking up a lot of space."
"Does what I expected."
"This product truly worked out great and the Quesadilla really honestly tasted good, after they came out of this product."
"Works nice, cooks evenly."
"I wish the plate size was bigger."
"My daughter loved this for her dorm room!"
"The sauce runs out a lot because there's no guard and it's made of cheap plastic so the clip that holds it down brakes."
Do you like quesadillas? Nonstick Cooking Surface - “Gooey” is good for quesadillas, but bad for cleanup; not here, though—the nonstick cooking surface wipes clean after every use, leaving no gooey goodness behind.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My only issue with this particular quesadilla maker is that, with regular use, the "George Tough Nonstick Coating for easy cleanup" starts to bubble up and flake off."
"I looked at all of the models on Amazon and decided to get the George Foreman based on the brand and the fact that I hoped it would look fancier."
"Dose the intended job very well."
"Excellent, even cooking."
"Bought this for my son for Xmas."
"I ordered this for a Christmas gift for my daughter's boyfriend."
"have no problems with it does what it's supposed to."
"Doesnt really brown or crusp he tortilla, just kinda melts the cheese and warms the quesdilla."
Best Quesadilla & Tortilla Makers
Make perfectly natural, flat and consistently thin tortillas with the internationally known Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla Press. Heavy-duty cast iron for easy and even pressing, New & improved base & handle for resistance. Tortilladora casted in Colombia since 1986, Authentic by Victoria, don't trust imitators!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Also, let the weight of the cast iron flatten the dough, not much strength needed to get the job done."
"Took a few tries to get it just right, but if you place the ball of dough slightly off-center, closer to the hinge, it comes out thin like it should."
"Makes really good roti!"
"Very sturdy and very easy to use."
"Slit the sides of a gallon ziplock bag and press tortilla between the layers. Google "tacos al pastor j kenji lopez-alt". If you don't have a tostonera, this works really well as a tostone (fried plantain) press, too."
"Very well made and heavy duty."
"If you place the ball of Masa a little above the center between either waxed paper or plastic wrap, they come out perfectly round and thin."
"The handle snapped off the second time we tried to use it."
Best Yogurt Makers
The yogurt maker includes seven 6-ounce glass jars with lids so you can make a different flavor in each. Timer on the side marks time when yogurt will be finished cooking.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Disclaimer – I never made yogurt before owning this yogurt maker so I can not compare it to other yogurt makers or making it in a oven or crock pot. I find that whether or not homemade yogurt is cheaper than store bought depends on your ingredients that you are using ie: organic milk vs. regular store brand milk. Example - Softer yogurt without boiling times: 8 hours for whole milk, 10 hours for 2%, and up to 12 hours for skim milk. Then under instructions it states: set time for yogurt – 8 hours for whole milk, etc. I have been making yogurt with a 6 oz container of plain yogurt from the store. I came up with a recipe that has consistently delivered great results. Coconut yogurt. • 1 13.5 ounce can of Coconut Milk (I have used Goya). • Whole milk or 2% milk ( 4 cup measuring cup filled with contents of coconut milk – add the milk so that it comes up to the 4 cup point). • 1 scoop (1/3 cup) of dried instant non-fat milk (I have used Carnation milk). • 6 oz container of plain yogurt or yogurt starter. • ½ teaspoon of coconut extract. • 8 packets of Stevia in the Raw (or sugar). Add coconut milk, regular milk and dried milk to the saucepan and heat till the milk starts boiling and climbing up the pot. Incubation times depend on milk used – Whole milk is 8 hours and 2% is 9 hours."
"The most important thing to note is that only function of the yogurt maker is to retain the temperature and humidity which is required for the yogurt to set. Boil the milk around 220 F degrees, cool it down till 110-115 F degrees add yogurt and put it in yogurt maker and cover it with the lid."
"I've had the machine for 3-4 days and the third batch of yogurt is sitting in the machine right now. I also made one batch with prepared powdered milk (used a little extra powdered milk to create a thicker liquid)."
"For each batch, it takes about 25 minutes to heat and cool the milk, mix in the yogurt starter, and set it to incubate. The yogurt maker's plastic lid fogs up in a symmetrical pattern and that tells you the interior is evenly heated. I had read that the lids don't form a tight seal, and that was my biggest hesitation in choosing this model. When I want to bring a jar to work, I keep it upright by nestling it between other items in my lunch bag."
Best Pizzelle Makers
Pizzelle (pronounced with ts sound, like "pizza") (singular pizzella) are traditional Italian waffle cookies made from flour, eggs, sugar, butter or vegetable oil, and flavoring (often vanilla, anise, or lemon zest). The iron stamps a snowflake pattern onto both sides of the thin golden-brown cookie, which has a crisp texture once it is cooled. It is also common for two pizzelle to be sandwiched with cannoli cream (ricotta blended with sugar) or hazelnut spread. Cookies measure at 5 inch, the perfect bite size for cones.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have always liked pizzelles at weddings and other functions, and bought an iron a few years ago to make my own. I remember eating around the flower shape when I was little and THAT was the texture I wanted! I was actually scared to open that lid the first time fearing bits of cookie stuck in all those grooves!! There is a little light under the handles that has an audible click and changes from yellow to green when it is ready to go. It does cycle on and off during baking to maintain the temperature, but I didn't use it as a "ready" light for each batch...it doesn't seem to be exact. Some people just watch for the steam to stop, but I like mine to have a tinge of toasty color, not just pale. vanilla extract. 3.5 cups of flour (minus one Tablespoon...see below). 4 tsp. 1 Tablespoon cornstarch. 1/4 cup water...more or less as needed (see below). Beat the eggs and gradually add sugar until they it light and fluffy-ish (I used a kitchen aid stand mixer because I am lazy!). Slowly add melted/cooled butter (you don't want to cook your eggs!). You don't HAVE to if you're eating yours right away, but needed mine for close to a week for holiday visitors, so I used it. It depends on lots of things (humidity, subtle variations in egg size, etc.). I used a level scoop this OXO small one, so mine would be consistent in size and so I wouldn't have to use two spoons (or fingers.). You do have to squeeze the handles a little further-closed to latch and unlatch it, but it isn't strenuous or hard at all (and my fingers are tired from baking all week!). I used a silicone spatula to lift them to a rack too cool (this is when you need to shape them if you are making cones, bowls or tubes.). Even a shirt size gift box lined with waxed paper would work or a tin (if you have one.). I know people have favorite recipes for these, but I wasn't blessed with a mom or grandma who ever made these!!! Please feel free to ask me any questions or post YOUR recipe if you think I could make these cookies even better than they are now!!!"
"This iron is easy to clean and raise the door to cool the plates and turn off the machine and unplug it."
"I saw a pizelle maker in Crate and Barrell and the associate convinced me how delicious they were, and that they were an italian tradition. My husband has italian heritage so I was easily convinced to get one."
"I also got a #50 (1 1/2 TBS) scoop which is the perfect size for making pizzelles."
"I love the steel vs non stick material, after applying cooking spray to the grids, cookies slide off effortlessly and the iron is easily wiped clean."
"Great pizzelle iron."
"My husband was shocked when he opened the gift, knowing from his own searching how hard it is to find a Bratzeli maker."
"Returned but I know they work great, received same one as a gift."
Best Crepe Makers
Simply plug the crepe maker in to let it heat up, spread a thin layer of batter and watch it cooks in seconds. The aluminum plate is also ideal for using as a griddle, perfect for making stacks of pancakes, bacon and other breakfast favorites.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I love thin lacey french crepes and they turn out perfect everytime on this."
"After 5 weeks in France, my husband and I were highly interested in continuing our access to warm, fresh crepes. It's easy, heats evenly, and makes consistently great crepes. Below, you will find some advice I have to offer, based on our experience; I believe the suggestions may also answer some questions you have about the griddle itself. In her cook book, Martha Holmberg explains that this allows the flour to fully hydrate. I DO use a blender as Holmberg suggests, and this works well, though I believe letting the batter then "rest" in the fridge, is essential. It was the perfect match for the ham and cheese (we used her optional suggestion of Smoked Gouda) crepes. I substituted sour cream for creme fraiche, and stayed with the Dijon mustard. I also added a bit more sour cream than called for (to taste), so the mustard did not take over. Calories - Think about this: Each crepe, which is quite large, uses only 1/3 cup batter, and 50% of that is milk and eggs. Each guest ate two crepes - one sweet and one savory, with filling, and we were stuffed!"
"My only complaint is that the recipe for crepe batter that comes with the crepe maker has the crepes coming out rather thick. I recommend Julia Child's crepe batter recipe which can be found on the internet."
"So much easier than a crepe pan."
"We followed the instructions of the booklet and the how to make crepes tutorial and we made crepes like the ones we buy!!!"
"Would definitely recommend as a fun and versatile way of making new and different meals."
"Works really well for pancakes."
"This one works really good, I don't make crepes everyday but overtime I use this crepe maker, I enjoy it."
Best Cotton Candy Makers
Bring the carnival right into your kitchen by creating fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth cotton candy. Works with hard candy, sugar-free hard candy or flossing sugar.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What finally gave us a real stick of cotton candy was laying the stick against the edge of the top of the machine, holding it perpendicular (like across it level to the base) and turning it as if we were roasting a chicken or something! We found that one scoop of sugar gave us 1 stick of cotton candy."
"First off, here is what WON'T work with this machine: * Skittles, Lemonheads or Boston Baked Beans. * Hot Tamales or Ike & Mikes. * Gummy Bears or Worms. * Gumballs or Round Candy. * Citrus Slices or Starburst. * Anything chewy, gummy or with too much cream. For best results, use no more than two pieces of candy (so it spins faster), but you can also cut/break candy into halves. Good candy choices include Lifesavers (fruit, Hawaiian Fruit, Fruiteria, butter rum) but not their Mints (won't fluff), Werther's Original & Chocolate Hard Candies, Butterscotch, Cinnamon Discs, Peppermints, and Coffee (but not Nips). * Cherry Garcia: 1 Cherry LS + 1/2 Werthers Choc + 1/2 Vanilla. * Candy Apple: 1 Green Apple + 1 Cinnamon Disc. Your cotton candy will be fluffier with sugar-based candy, though sugar-free still works fine."
"Used it 2 times so far got 2 really good sticks of cotton candy."
"I find that if you let it heat up for at least 15 to 20 minutes before putting the sugar or candy it it work much faster and better."
"Also, I am unable to lift and remove the sugar dish from the heating element in order to wash it, so I just wipe it down with a wet paper towel instead."
"We just finished a batch using dum dum lollipops (watermelon, orange, cream soda, not a pleasant combo, but the kids liked it), it's not as fluffy as the flossing sugar, but still an impressive amount and the combinations are endless when you use hard candy."
"The second one arrived and worked very well."
Best Sandwich Makers & Panini Presses
With the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker, you can enjoy a hot, homemade breakfast sandwich in under 5 minutes. Cook delicious breakfast sandwiches in the comfort of your own home. Cook delicious breakfast sandwiches in the comfort of your own home.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I purchased the Hamilton Beach Dual Breakfast Sandwich Maker in hopes that my kids would get a healthier fix of that popular fast food sandwich! Is it easier to just toss an egg in a frying pan and cook it and toast the muffin? My husband is old school and happy to just dirty yet another frying pan, spatula, use butter, etc. Roast beef from the deli and some sharp provolone and you have an awesome lunchtime/dinnertime sandwich! The picture that I have selected is the very first sandwich made by the young teen - without reading directions. We have since perfected it and will be uploading more photos of our expanding menu of grilled sandwiches!"
"So easy to use; simply just plug it in and wait for the preheat light to turn green; which doesn't take long. Once the light is green you simply place the bottom portion of your English muffin with a slice of cheese and bacon into the lower portion of the sandwich ring then put egg and the rest of the muffin on the top. Once you have all your ingredients placed you shut the lid and set the timer for 5 minutes."
"I layered the items as necessary, and used one single whole egg on one side, and then two egg whites in the other (It *does* fit two egg whites, albeit it will be slight more full than intended....but it will not leak out the top.). Also, the small muffin top sort of sunk some into the egg, pushing the egg out to be thicker around the edges and thin in the center. This time I used the larger half of the muffin on the top, so as to not smoosh the eggs out to the sides. That worked somewhat, but still I noticed the egg was thinner in the center because the weight of the muffin top presses in before cooking. My next trial is going to be to let the egg cook for a minute before adding the top muffin, to see if that helps the egg cook evenly. Then I closed it without the top muffin and timed two minutes to give the egg time to set. After two minutes, I opened it and gently set the top (smaller) muffin on top of the partially set egg whites and closed it, timing it for another two minutes. The two egg whites were completely cooked, the cheese was melted beautifully, the ham was hot, and the sandwich was all stuck together pretty nicely and easy to hold. If you make all the elements separately, then you have to microwave the ham, cook the egg in a ring, toast the muffins in the toaster, and then melt the cheese somehow on everything. I put 4 minutes for my egg whites, since those take longer to cook, but a single egg takes less time, and can probably cook in about 2.5 minutes or maybe 3. I don't know what kind of sticky tack they used to make the muffins stick to the top of the machine, and I'm not sure why the egg yolks are completely whole after the instructions say you need to break the yolk first....but I guess it's all in the name of artistic license."
"My favorite is a Tex-Mex sandwich. Bottom: English muffin bottom, cilantro, 3 slices of jalapeño bacon (cooked and halved), and Jack cheese. Slide in under the eggs when it's done: tomato and avocado. The kids love using this, so I precook bacon, and leave it in a ziplock in the fridge door."
Best Food Grinders & Mills
This Meat Grinder is intended to Grind Meat - This Grinder Will NOT Grind Bones.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The first conclusion: the most important feature of a meat grinder is the motor power. This STX has a powerful 1,800 watts motor, more than enough to do all of the duties of a home kitchen (and maybe even of a small restaurant). The ground meat texture results very similar to that from a supermarket grinder. We didn't notice that, and what went to the dishwasher was damaged: the shining was gone and those parts became some rough to touch. So, I contacted the seller (The Mercantile Station) and asked them the price of the replacing parts, since I would buy them. What a pleasant surprise: they promptly sent me an email asking for my address, and they kindly offered to send the parts for free (despite, I must stress, the damage was caused by me). IMPORTANT NOTE: a few months after we bought our STX, the motor was improved to 2,000 watts, i.e, an increase of about 11%."
"The 3 grinder plates turned black on the first use."
"First time use was for grinding London Broil at $1.99 a pound rather than buy 80% hamburg at $3.99 a pound. Ground a bunch of chicken and it made delicious burgers, @.99 lb."
"We had 50 pounds of elk meat to grind up and didn't want to pay $1.29 pound to have it ground and wrapped. In less than one hour we had ground our elk twice with the outcome meat as pretty as store ground meat."
"That helps keep everything running smooth and gives the meat a proper texture as its ground."
"I FOLLOWED THEIR INSTRUCTIONS and the 3rd time it failed on me."
"Soon the batch was taking four hours to grind and I had to take the grinder apart three times during the grinding process to clean out jams. This grinder is probably fine if you're going to use it for making small batches of sausage as a hobby, or if you just want to grind your own burger - but it is definitely not a good grinder for making cat or dog food. I am now making 72 lb batches of cat food and with my Weston grinder it takes just under 10 minutes to grind that amount of meat."
Best Sous Vide Machines
The Anova Precision Cooker connects to your phone, so you can cook amazing meals by the touch of a button -- spend less time tied to the kitchen by relying on the app to notify you when your food is ready to eat. The Anova Precision Cooker brings sous vide to your home, so you can enjoy a cooking technique made famous by professional chefs for its incredible results.To help get connected through WI-FI, checkout our WI-FI Connectivity Troubleshooting steps in Specification Sheet [pdf ]. Sous vide cooking produces restaurant quality results that are impossible to achieve through any other cooking method.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"(Think of it like cooking with a crock pot... low temperature cooking over long periods of time ... slow and steady) . As you may know, one of claims of sous vide cooking is it can make the toughest cut of meat tender. Be aware that tough meats need to cook for a much longer period of time. Following the instructions for cooking a tough cut of beef to medium rare... we cooked ours at 149 degrees for 19 hours ( recommended time is 16 to 24 hours) . We then have a supply of ready to cook meals waiting for our Anova Culinary Bluetooth Precision Cooker, Black And "Yes" you can cook frozen food right from the freezer by just adding two hours on to the recommend cooking time. Just be aware when cooking for long periods (like cooking a tough cut of meat for 24 hours) water will evaporate so you want to make sure the water is always covering the food being cooked and to add more water if necessary. Anyway, by using a cooler... the water heated by the Precision Cooler is insulated from outside air so the cooker doesn't have to work as hard to keep the water hot thus saving on electricity, and with the lid closed the water that evaporates, condenses on the underside of the lid and drops back into the cooler."
"Once it got to 160+/- the temperature began to fluctuate again like the original unit did. After some testing I discovered that when the hot steam is allowed to enter into the vents on the rear of the unit, the fluctuations of the temperature began."
"How could Anova design a 200 hundred dollar cooking unit, that can heat water to 210 degrees, and then sits on top of that steaming water, but is susceptible/prone to malfunction because of inevitable steam intrusion into the control head??? Check the 1 star reviews - this is not a fluke, and is so common that ANOVA addresses it in the customer support section - their solution - put your unit in a bag of rice for 24 hours to dry it out and hopefully that will fix it, but if it doesn't "you have a problem"????"
"Then Anova pushed an update to their app that requires you to pair your kitchen appliance with your facebook profile. I mean, i'm looking at my blender and my pressure cooker and they seem to work fine without needing access to my social network."
"I returned the item because Anova updated the phone app to force you to buy Wifi access."
"Anova changed the app to require a login just to cook a meal."
Best Electric Knives & Slicers
The unit's blade, food carriage, food pusher, food deflector, and thickness guide all remove for easy cleaning, while, for added security, the food carriage locks into position limiting access to the blade when the unit is not in use. Easy clean design - blade, food carriage, food pusher, food deflector and thickness guide plate all remove easily for cleaning.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"then you can skip the horrible old meat from china town and go with some better quality Costco lamp and beef."
"What I did find was the Chef's Choice offered almost 'frictionless' operation of the slider that carries the meat across the blade. The Chef's Choice Model 615 (unavailable locally) also features a little heavier motor than the Model 610, and most other brands in the same price range. I finally settled on the Chef's Choice Model 615, mainly based on the larger motor and the quality of the Chef's Choice brand overall. I sliced the ham at the 1mm setting (deli sliced) and got a whole plate of uniformly sliced ham, with very little effort and little motor slow-down."
"First off the base of the "sled" or food carriage is only 7" long (parallel to the blade) so the bacon hangs off the end of the sled and is floating unsupported when it hits the blade, which can be problematic. Secondly from the stop of the sled to the blade is only 9 1/2" long. And, thirdly the hand/finger gaurd to pressure the meat to blade is only 5" long (3 1/2" tall) so to get good even slices on bacon I have been using a fork to guide and add pressure."
"): I just unpacked it and read the instructions, which had typos (not a good start). Plastic square plate not listed in booklet (Guess what it's used for?). Manual mentioned that foods with "uneven textures" should be "partially frozen" before cutting. Which leads me to question: Can I use it successfully to cut cooked meats i.e. roast beef, turkey, ham. I bought the non-serrated edge slicer blade (purchased separately) after reading the on-line reviews/recommendations. The blades need lubrication every time you replace them, i.e. after washing or when changing serrated to non-serrated, etc. You need to purchase "mineral based food grade Vaseline" from a restaurant type supplier. I hazard to say that this lubricant is necessary no matter which food slicer you choose. "Partial freezing" means "chilled" for best results, though you CAN cut freshly cooked meat after allowing it to sit for "20 minutes or so for an average sized roast." Hope this helps others, with questions like mine, to make their decisions about which slicer to buy. I DID find Petro Gel Sanitary Lubricant, 4 oz. The fuse is included for people who don't read the manual and try to cut bones, frozen meats, etc. I took a plastic zip bag, put the manual (such as it is) and the fuse inside, and taped it to the bottom of the unit. Update: If you expect your thin slices to be as perfect as from the deli, I think you'll be disappointed. You may find a better solution to that issue, but flipping occasionally seems to work for me. Update: I have used it, with the serrated blade, for cutting pot roast. I left the roast in the refrigerator over night, so it WAS chilled when I sliced it."
Best Bagel Slicers
The Bagel Guillotine has a cradle that holds the bagel while two clear acrylic safety shields keep fingers away from the patented bagel piercing blade.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is kind of hard to clean if something got stuck onto the blade, but a quick soak in some warm soapy water does the trick. As for some of the smaller bagels from grocery store, I kind of have to angle the blade slightly while cutting down so as to not end up with unequal size/thickness top/bottom."
"It truly solves that problem of slicing your hand and bleeding all over the crumbs that were once an English muffin in your hand.. I don't know if it's supposed to go in the dishwasher, but I have put mine in a few times without any problems."
"My bagels tremble in fear."
"I want to give this 5 stars, the only problem is there is no crumb catcher."
"We bought this so our daughter can slice the bagels we buy at Costco that aren't already pre-sliced."
"He purchases about 4 dozen bagels from NJ and then takes out a bag of 4-6."
"A couple of local establishments provide their day-old bagels; only problem is they are uncut!"
"Was supposed to be able to handle "bagel shop" sized bagels."
Best Egg Cookers
How do you like your eggs? Make 6 hard, medium, and soft boiled eggs, individual omelettes, 2 poached eggs and scrambled eggs.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I toss six eggs in with less than a 1/4 cup of water and 14 minutes later the unit shuts off by itself and I come back and easily peel the eggs. And I'm guessing if I forget or run behind I could have these ready while he get dressed for school in the morning!"
"But, since there's no on/off, just plugged in and unplugged, it makes sense they put on something to make sure it can't be left in after the water's steamed out. I followed the direction to the letter, placed the tray squarely in the middle, and got one hard boiled egg and one under done egg. I actually did it twice, and got nowhere. Disappointed at the false advertising (just make it a good egg boiler and don't try to sell us with features that don't work!"
"or "suggest" that we prick each egg with a needle prior to cooking to avoid explosion, all units except for the Chef's Choice Egg Cooker. This unit is marketed with the claim that you should prick or pierce the egg and I decided to test that claim for this and two other machines. While the Cuisinart could do more eggs at once, it didn't cook them as well when we did more so we found that six or seven was as many as we would do in that machine so we were back to each machine cooking the same number of eggs and, once again, that issue of pricking the eggs was our greatest concern. We then pricked the eggs, using a sewing needle (because the little needle cups they send out with some units get lost so easily that they may as well not even send them) and, low and behold, all batches in each machine came out perfect, that is to say, un-cracked and cooked identically. The eggs never seem to come out exactly as the label would suggest and, at least on the machine we tested, the unit had to be set higher in order to cook to the lower level."
"The cooker works fantastically, I make fresh hard "boiled" eggs every single morning during the week and often will do poached eggs or omelets in it on the weekend. If you dont have super fresh eggs and you pierce the top sometimes you get egg white that bubbles out the hole and makes a mess in the cooker."
Best Electric Wine Bottle Openers
Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener Celebrate the Moment in Sophisticated Style There's just something about opening a bottle of wine. Effortlessly Opens a Wine Bottle in Seconds Designed to fit all traditional wine bottles, the electric wine bottle opener offers the same portable, cordless convenience as other wine bottle openers, but with the added benefit of sleek presentation and fast, effortless performance, opening a bottle in a matter of seconds. To use the electric wine bottle opener, place it on top of a wine bottle, making sure it remains in an upright position and not at an angle to the bottle. Opens up to 30 Bottles on a Full Charge Measuring 2-1/4 inches in diameter by 10-3/4 inches tall, the electric wine bottle opener provides an ergonomically designed, soft-grip handle that fits in the palm of your hand for a firm grip. Available in a Silver, Merlot or Champagne finish, the electric wine bottle opener makes a great gift idea for that wine lover on your list. Cordless electric bottle opener removes the cork in seconds.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I ordered this for my smokin' hot GF back in 2012... fast forward 3 years later -- this $20 wine opener is still with me and my smokin' hot GF is now my smokin' hot wife."
"I really liked this opener. You'll very likely get between 1-2 years out of this guy (hopefully) and you won't regret your purchase once you use it... until you need to open wine and don't have an opener.. The saving grace for the Ozeri is that the charge is a cable that attaches to the outside and it doesn't rely on a base to do this, so even if it does with a cork in it we can still charge the opener and eject the cork."
"I do not do pictures or videos as I have a job and this does not pay my bills, it is just a way to help the regular Joe like me make an informed decision."
"The device stops when the cork is off."
"I provided that information promptly, and received another email requesting yet additional information. I was especially disappointed to receive such a response after having been sent on a wild-goose chase for the various information they had requested from me."
"I absolutely did not like it at all and it's headed for a yard sale since it's too much trouble to send it back!"
"I have to press the button with a lot of pressure for it to begin reversing the cork out."
"However, it might have missed the part in the description with regards to the packaging because it came in a nondescript box with the label attached to it and the item right inside."
Best Vacuum Sealers
Starter Kit includes: (1) 11"x10' Roll, (3) Qt Heat-Seal Bags, (2) Gal Heat-Seal Bags, (3) Qt Zipper Bags, (2) Gal Zipper Bags.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Below is a picture of the older came show model with a separate vacuum bag roll storage and cutter. One problem with the older unit was that it would not allow you to heat seal the bags closed until it achieved a very thorough removal of all of the air. Again the newer model allows me to seal the bags to achieve a tight shrink wrap but without making a mess. I recycled some plastic take-out Chinese containers, filled them with some delicious bean and bacon soup that my wife made today. I bagged several helpings of soup and with the concavity achieved by the plastic containers they stack perfectly in my freezer."
"I thought having the control panel on top would be a good thing (in use it doesn't really make a difference), and I found the brushed stainless steel chassis wrap attractive... neither affects the function of the sealer, and a buyer can get the same functionality and save $30 by purchasing the 4440. Automated sealing works well, and the amount of vacuum can be controlled from the panel for fragile items or partial vacuum sealing. The attached hose unit is used for sealing vacuum zipper bags or vacuum sealing jars or drawing a vacuum in a marinating dish. I found that 2 1/2 inches from the edge to the contents in the bag results in a reliable seal. After 10 or so days, I have used the first beans, and replenish the containers from the freezer, maintaining FRESH ground coffee for a couple of months."
Best Shaved Ice Machines
Bring Hawaii to your house with this Shaved Ice Party Package by Hawaiian Shaved Ice. This kit features all the essentials including a S900 electric shaved ice machine, 25 snow cone cups, 25 spoon straws, 3 black bottle pourers, 2 round ice molds and 3 ready-to-use pints featuring Cherry, Grape, and Blue Raspberry. For additional flavors, try the 10 flavor package of pints featuring the top 10 snow cone flavors! SNOW ZONE: Shave fluffy snow in your kitchen with the S900 Electric Shaved Ice Machine.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"No worries, flip the ice cube over and try again, try lighter pressure and shorter spurts while pressing the button. The bad, a normal glass will not fit under the device, I have an urge to take a hole-saw and make a hole in the base so that I can elevate it. So after a handful of your own shaved ice treats you will have recouped what it would have cost to take it to someone with a more perfessional machine."
"He's a big kid, and he wanted to make shaved ice at home. They sent along two plastic bowls that are good for making the right amount of ice, if you could actually stick them into the freezer...but they don't have lids. I liked having the option of getting the accessories and flavorings so we could have our own Hawaiian Shaved Ice and Snow Cone Machine Party at home. What the heck, sometimes you just gotta go wild and have a snow cone party, even if you're a senior citizen."
"But for $44, which includes the machine, pucks, straws, syrup, and cups, you're doing pretty dang well. For extra goodness, put a scoop of vanilla ice cream (macadamia if you've got it), mango sherbet, or pineapple sherbet, then drizzle some sweet condensed milk on top."
"I practiced making them for the family in the weeks leading up to a party. It also works with cubed ice but that comes out more like a traditional snow cone. Never needed the second machine so we gave it to a family friend after the part."
"Got this for my kids not much assembly everything came in the box the flavors tasted good."
"Super easy to make the ice pucks ahead of time, and keep them in a plastic baggie in the freezer, for an instant treat anytime."
"Awesome purchase for me."
Best Dehydrators
It's top-mounted fan eliminates the worry of liquids dripping into the heater chamber, and an opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful lights in order to retain more of the food's nutrients and vitamins during the drying process. Accessories include two fruit roll sheets, perfect for drying semi-liquids like soups, sauces, and fruit rolls; two Clean-A-Screen flexible screens, which allow for easy drying of small items such as herbs, spices and potpourri; and three original jerky spice packets for making jerky. Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful light which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated. The hot air is forced horizontally across each individual tray, converging on the core for fast, even and nutritious drying.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought this dehydrator sort of like many people did: after reading the things you can do with it, I got all excited, thinking, "I'm going to dehydrate EVERYTHING and it's going to be amazing!!!" So far, I've used the dehydrator to make a couple of batches of each of: - Apple chips (thin apple slices soaked for a few hours in a combo of lemon juice and cranberry juice, then dried). - beef jerky (this dehydrator comes with a starter park for jerky, plus I made my own marinade the next time). - chicken jerky. - bacon bits (the ends and "bad cuts" of my own home-cured, smoked bacon, finely chopped, cooked, and then dehydrated. The temperature can be dialed in from 95ºF to 160ºF as printed on the top (remember that problem I mentioned? Well, I have tested the actual running temperature of the dehydrator against the printed values on the dial, and they're not even close. I used several methods to determine the temperature: 1) A Mastercool Digital Infrared Thermometer pointed directly into an exhaust vent (see photo) with the dial set to the maximum 160ºF. 4) A digital metal probe thermometer (Lavatools Thermowand) inserted into both the upper and lower exhaust ports. In all cases (except #3, which responded too slowly) I was able to see the lower temperature at which the heater kicked on, as well as the upper temperature at which the heater turned off (in theory, this would be right around the number printed on the dial). - At the 135ºF setting on the dehydrator, the actual temperature maxed out at around 120ºF, at which point the heater turned off and the temperature dropped slowly until the heater came back on. - At the 160ºF setting (maximum), it was the same story but with an actual temperature topping out at around 135ºF. What concerns me is this unit's suitability for jerky -- the minimum recommended temperature for any meat is 160ºF when making jerky. I'm not too terribly concerned about the beef jerky because I routinely eat beef at a much lower temperature than that (though it does make a good case for refrigerating the jerky in this case), but the chicken jerky could have gone pretty badly!"
"The 3rd reason I love this dehydrator is simple, it produces the best tasting dehydrated foods I've ever had, I'm and avid outdoorsman and have dehydrated everything from deer to turkey, family friends insist I start selling the jerky made with this product. With all that being said, if you have a dehydrator that is getting old/malfunctioning or just want to start making your own dehydrated foods, this product is for you, don't pass this one up, you will not be dissatisfied with your purchase."
"First, lets talk about performance: Only in a few ocasions I could dry something with less than 12 hours using a moderate temperature and thin slices. But a 4,5 or 4,7 stars would be more fair, since this dehydrator has a lot of good points and we live in a very humid area, in the sea coast. I think if you are willing to put some peppers in a dehydrator, you should use very low temperatures, those used to dry herbs and other fragile stuff. I can not believe some people say this dehydrator makes some undesirable noise to the point that they need to put them in a room far from their bedroom otherwise they couldn't sleep! The gray and white marble finish fits incredibly well in any room, like it's camouflaged, hard to explain. Dehydrated fruits leave virtually no residue, they stick very lightly to the trays and can be easily pulled out. Not a single banana or any other fruit like apples got stuck in the trays to the point that they couldnt be removed easily with the fingers, and entire, not in fragments. (Room temperature: 28 Celsius) With 9 trays full of fruits: 1st hour: 650 Watts (average). Explanation: the first hours take more power because the machine is heating the trays so the thermostat rarely turns off. After a few hours, the thermostat only activates ocasionally to refresh the temperature, since the trays are already heated and only need a maintenance to keep the warm air flow. When the electric resistance turns off, the measure of wattage reads 28 watts, that's the power consumption of the fan (negligible). I will update this review if anything unexpected occurs, or if I have any important thing to add, like new food experiences, et cetera. To finish this review, I'd like to apologize for my awful English, I had a hard time writting this because I am not a native speaker, so tell me if something sounds odd or particularly unusual, I can clarify your questions in the comments section."
Best Popcorn Poppers
The popcorn popper may be warm when you remove it from the microwave, so we have added two handles, on the sides of your popcorn popper, for your safety and convenience. Because space is so valuable, your Salbree popcorn popper collapses for easy and convenient storage. Convenient Easy-Grab Handles - The Salbree popcorn maker has built in handles that make it easy to remove from the microwave.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I usually pop around 1/4 cup (40 - 50g) of popcorn kernels using absolutely no oil. You lightly spray the popcorn and then I use some of the "Kernel Season's Popcorn Seasoning" ($1.99 per bottle at Walmart)."
"The quality of popcorn is just as great as we've always been accustomed to, and the amount of unpopped (waste) corn is similar to bagged microwave popcorn - in other words, minimal. My personal favorite preparation is to drizzle a mixture of canola oil with just a little bit of sesame oil over the popped corn, toss with a large spoon, then salt with extra fine popcorn salt."
"However, you have to put that popcorn in something, because otherwise, those tiny exploding kernels will absolutely DESTROY your microwave. The grotesque amorphous blob of liquified polymer and charred starch I retrieved from its chamber of death resembled something from the final scenes of Akira more than a tasty snack. Glass and crockery exhibit the same impressive heat-absorption properties as plastic, only they just stay hot. The result is that I can pop a quarter cup of popcorn in under two minutes in this thing without a single un-popped kernel. The popcorn is nice and fluffy, I don't need to use oil, and there's no papery taste like what you get from an air popper."
"I love that this frees me from using microwave bagged popcorn that contains dangerous chemicals and preservatives."
"This product did not pass the pinch test for food grade silicone."
Best Chocolate Fountains
The Chocolate Pro Fountain makes it easy to enjoy delicious hand- dipped desserts anytime!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"So all you do is preheat the melting bowl for 10 mins before adding the chocolate, then melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave for a minute, then pour into the preheating bowl for several more minutes, finally turn on the upper fountains and you're done."
"Next time I will spend more time on set up trying to make sure unit is level by leg adjustment to see if that solves the flow issue."
"I bought it as a gift for friend, it sounds great although I didn't get to test the product ... My friend is very happy about it though !!"
"I have only used it once, but it was a hit at my friend's baby shower!"
"This chocolate fountain is amazing !!!"
"Cleanup is a pain as it must be done before all the residue chocolate hardens."
"Bought this fountain for my mom after years of her using a Nostaligia brand one without fail. Tonight we eagerly set up her new Wilton one, excited to finally have one that was a bit bigger for the whole family. Wrecked part of our evening because we had to spend 20 minutes very quickly removing it from the floor before the dogs could get to it."
"Doesn't work right got it for valentine's to have for the kids very disappointed."