Cooking Brands Reviews

When I first bought this, I thought this was a 'mini' version of the big brother. (Now I own power prep 11 plus, as well as the belnder from cuisinart). And this is where most of the angry customers come from. If you want to 'slice', this thing isn't it. Nor is it for grinding coffee beans or anything heavy like that. In fact, I own a grinder for that exact purpose. But as one equipment review show stated (America's test *******), it's better to use the knife then any of these units or even gadgets for chopping/mincing. And they recommend coffee grandinger for grinding and I have to agree. I just never found better way to mince then a my favorite Wustof classic chef knife. Even with the dish washer, it takes too long to clean (for daily use when I run a dish washer 2x a week), and it just isn't as fine and even as a good knife.

But if you do buy a 'chopper', this is probably the best stand unit for 2 reasons. From actually using several models (in store and friends' house), you won't find anything that's more then this. And on top, if the plastic pieces on top shatter due to accidents (which I recently had), you'd soon realize that you can go to cuisinart's site and get replacement part for the bowl and cover. You know that it was meant to be used on regular basis.

As for the motor burning out. A lot of people complain about this and it all depends on how people use these device(S). Granted there is always a percentage of defects, some people will use this thing for things it wasn't meant for such as blending or grinding on regular basis. This unit is more meant for short pulse work and not a 2 minute blend/grind cycle. Just remember to buy the right equipment for the job. If you want an optimal equipment go for the big brother (11 cup model) or equivalent from kitchenaid, and buy yourself a nice knife. I use my 11 cup cuisinart of puree, dough, and slicing large quantities of food.

This thing will make great smoothies - exactly one cup :) We ordered it for making our own baby food, but now we always throw some frozen berries with yoghurt in. Easy to clean.

I always wanted to chop like Rachael Ray! Watching her show inspired me to go out and buy a fantastic Santoku knife and get chopping! Well, I've been chopping, but I still have a far ways to go. Sometimes it takes longer for me to chop everything than it does to prepare the actual meal. I make meals for 2 people, so when I saw this Mini-Prep, I thought I would give it a try and I am sure glad I did! It has cut my cooking time in half...less than half! But beware, this thing is small, which is one reason why I was attracted to it. But, if you are feeding more than two mouths, this may not be big enough.
The first time I used it, I got onion puree like most reviewers have stated. I played around with it the next time I cooked and did far fewer "chops" and got perfect onions, garlic, peppers, and herbs.
For times when I don't feel like chopping things myself, I pull this out and let it do the work. It saves time, but no worries, I will keep practicing my hand chopping!
I absolutely love this thing! My boyfriend likes to use it too, so what a shocker, he helps in the kitchen!! Looks like I got far more for what I paid! ha!

I have been searching for a good ice cream maker for a while. The self compressor model was interesting and saved me from freezer bowl hell or salt and ice struggles. On the whole I am extremely satisifed with the Cuisinart. I have been able to make wonderful sorbet, terrific ice cream and delicious mixed drinks. The only negative is the noise. It is the loudest appliance I have in the kitchen. It can become extremely annoying. Hopefully the engineers at Cuisinart will fix this problem in future models. Despite this drawback I would purchse it again.

My only problem with this appliance is that it is so noisy. I am enjoying making "healthy" frozen delights that I will especially enjoy this summer. The quality of this product stands out and I keep it on my counter.

I bought this machine after my Lello Gelato Junior quit working after a year. I had only made about 12 batches of ice cream with the Lello when it quit. After trying to get the Lello fixed and discovering that I would have to ship it back to New York from California, the shipping costs alone made fixing it out of the question. I bought the Cuisinart because it has a 3 year warranty and I can get it fixed locally or return it to the store if it breaks. It is lighter than the Lello and the paddle motor is very light. I don't know if that is good or bad. The machine is very loud, much louder than the Lello. It can be annoying so I solved the problem by placing the entire unit in one of my lower kitchen cupboards that is fitted with one of those pull out shelves. I can pull out the shelf with the unit on it, pour in my mix, attach an extension cord to the plug and turn it on. I can then shut the cupboard door to muffle the noise. I also don't have to pick it up to use it. The ice cream produced is as good as the Lello's. Your ice cream will only be as good as your mix so it may take many attempts to find the right recipe. Cooked recipes are the best textured. Some recipes have too much cream and are greasy on the tongue, so it is really a matter of personal taste. Remember your ice cream will never be like store bought. it will be a soft serve consistency and if put in the freezer can get rock hard after a long time. Ice cream is best if eaten a couple of hours after it has been in the freezer. Be sure the container is absolutely dry before placing it in the freezer unit because it will freeze to the unit and will have to wait untill it defrosts before removing the container. I gave it 4 stars only because of the noise factor.

Love the red color, matches my other appliances. Toasts very well. easy settings.
Couldn't ask for more. Great price for this excellent little toaster.

Easy to clean, perfect toast every time (as opposed to my last toaster that either burned or shot the toast up to the ceiling), lightweight, nice wide slots for various types of bread, and of course for the kitchen maven, very attractive!

Nice toaster. It replaced my old Tefal, which on completion of a toasting cycle, would send vibrations over entire house. Could also blow a fuse once in a while.
This one operates smoothly, toasts well, is easy to clean, and has been very reliable so far.
Single caveat: the common logic dictates that one should make a selection first, and then push the lever. With this toaster, it is the other way around. Probably, the present solution was cheaper to implement, and for $30 one can live with it.

This is a fantastic pressure cooker for the price. There are definitly new pressure cookers out that look fancier and have slightly better safety features (steam release valves instead of having to hyper cool the pan) but for what you're paying, this is a great pan. If you want to release the pressure but don't want to do an icebath, I've found it easier to just use tongs to tilt the release a little to the side to let out steam until the valves go down enough to open it. Perfect for 9 minute risotto!

This is the best appliance I have ever purchased. Highly recommend to precook spare ribs and then throw on grill with sauce for a few minutes. The meat falls off the bone when you eat.

I love this pressure cooker. I adore a good soup. Chicken soup, Pasta Fagiole soup( made with dry beans) , Spit Pea soup,in minutes! It has two pressure valves unlike old ones that only had one. It's stainless steel not aluminum so healthier to cook in . Who has time to stand over stove for 2 hours! Who would want to! Don't be afraid of pressure cookers. Just learn how to use them. All you have to do is make sure valve is open and not clogged before using by looking through the hole. And don't open lid until pressure is released. YOU can easily see if pressure is in pot by the 2 valves on pot. That's it so ENJOY this great pot!

I was absolutely amazed at how HUGE this canner was. I bought it to can soups, stews, veggies, and any other sort of things that a waterbath canning wouldn't work for.

The first thing I set about canning (and yes, this was the very first time I was using my pressure cooker/canner) was 3 quarts of green beans and a quart of carrots. These required the same pressure .... and the same processing time, according to the recipe I was using.

I followed the recipe to a 'T' .... followed all instructions ....

And the pressure cooker LITERALLY exploded. And only seconds after I had my face near it to check how the pressure was doing. Thankfully, no one (my husband was nearby too) was hurt!


Please, please, PLEASE be careful .... I'm NOT the first this has happened to. No matter WHAT the USDA says, using pressure cookers CAN be dangerous ..... EVEN when you're following the instructions perfectly, as I was.

This is a great product, and you can get it, along with any other products on Amazon up to $500 Free! Participate in this special promotion and get a free $500 Amazon Gift Card at this web site: stuffnocost.com/amazon

I decided to purchase this pressure canner after an exhaustive search online. This was the best price of any of the other sites I checked. I'll admit that the review from the woman whose canner "LITERALLY exploded" had me a little concerned, but since it was the only negative review, I decided to chance it since the price was so good ($79.97 and Free Super Saver shipping)! Best of all, it arrived in TWO DAYS!!!

The first thing I did was take the pressure gauge to my local county extension office (as recommended by the manufacturer) where they tested it and found it to be working perfectly. After getting their "OK", I hit the produce sales at my local market.

Even if you don't have a garden, you can still can fresh fruits and vegetables. I've already made 8 jars of strawberry jam using the hot water method, and canned enough tomato sauce to get me through until my own tomatoes are ripe and ready for the canner later this Summer. Unlike commercially canned or frozen produce, I can control what ingredients go into my food!

The instruction book that comes with this pressure canner gives different ways to can most foods depending on if you want to can them (1)"cooked" so you can warm them up when you're ready to use them or (2)just safely preserved to be cooked right before serving or using in recipes.

Overall, an excellent pressure canner at a great price! Just follow the manufacturer's instructions - including having the pressure gauge checked by your county extension office - and you should have no problems preserving fresh, healthy foods for yourself, your family, and your loved ones.

Nice strong base - does not feel like it can easily bend as some other springform pans I have used in the past.

arrived within a few days, item was exactly as pictured. great price.

I live in the middle of Africa and the only ice cream here isn't safe to eat. I had a friend bring this machine over and it has worked like a champ from day one! It is extremely easy to use and to clean. The electricity often cuts out here, but the machine works so fast that I've not had a problem with that. Today I made some chocolate ice cream with four African friends who'd never tasted it before. It was simple and delicious, even with powdered milk, sterilized cream, and Cadbury's drinking cocoa. This machine rocks!

I'm a big fan of ice cream, but due to dietary restrictions can eat it only rarely. So I bought this with the intention of making frozen yogurt with it. And it works great!! I use non-fat yogurt, and mush up some fruit (usually strawberries, bananas, or blueberries). Sometimes I add unsweetened cocoa for that chocolate kick. The natural sweetness of the fruit negates any need for added sugar (although I confess to adding chocolate or caramel toppings from time to time!) So now I have a fat-free, sugar-free, healthful freezer full of this stuff, and am always making more!

I found that by draining the yogurt beforehand and making a sort of yogurt cheese makes for a creamier result. Simply set the yogurt in a cheesecloth and strainer in a bowl overnight.

Most ice cream beside Bryers contains High fructose corn syrup a genetically altered product the goes the serial sets with acids enzymes and bacteria to create this very unnatural product and while its in alot of adult food suprising it never in baby food maybe that can be expalned as baby rats die in 5 weeks when feed it while normal rats lives an avarage of 2 years unlees there feed a high copper diet

so making you own ice cream is much better for you the genetically altered [...]
and all those who had one die with in a month or two get over it as you got a defective one so return it. my recomendations is to use it a lot in the first month even if you got to give it to friends to make sure you got a good one. so if it dies you can get contact amazon and get it replaced

in general i love Cuisinart products, so despite a really bad experince with their toaster/broiler/convection oven we decided to try this then when we got tired of our toast only toasing on one side. it's a great toaster! we use it daily and have no issues with it. it even toasts the underside of the bread--imagine that!

in shopping around, i found that there are 2 things other toasters do that i wish this one did:

1. it has tephlon walls and floor inside, but the tray is not--which seems silly to me.

2. i wish the oven wrack came out when you open the door as others do. it makes it so you don't have to reach in and grab it (and get burned like i often do because i am in a hurry) and rather the action of opening the door brings the wrack with a little.

it's a great buy, though.

This is the first time I have had anything but positive words for Amazon's shipping. Amazon will ship this product to you in a box barely bigger than the Cuisinart box, with insufficient padding to protect it in transit. I had one and then a second arrive with the plastic housing cracked at the upper front edges. Amazon would not ship a third oven. Apparently they start to consider you an "unsatifiable customer" after two tries and will only offer a refund. I had to strike a deal to accept the cracked toaster at a reduced price. The toaster itself, is highly recommended. It works well and is shiny and beautiful sitting on my counter, though CRACKED! I recommend the product- but go pick it up at a store.

My new wife and I snagged one of these with some wedding returns. At first I was put off by $99 price tag. Then I saw what else was out there: clunky doors. Busy lettering messing up designs. Bad quality. Cuisnart gets it right. There's three knobs, just how God meant them -- one for temperature, one of function, one for toasting -- simple. Classy. No-nonsense. I even broiled left-over steak in it, me, the kitchen nuisance. The door is sturdy. The design will never go out of style. And I have a feeling I'll be doing pizza's from Trader Joe's in it when I'm an old man. Buy it.

I love these pods for my Senseo coffee machine. One grocery store near me sells these (the others do not) and they only have two choices of flavors, so I was really happy to see all the options here. I love the Paris (vanilla) and the Vienna (Hazelnut). The Vienna is a little stronger coffee flavor, which I like, but some may not. My husband prefers the Paris, and we buy the mild roast for every day. The medium is too dark for my husband, and the mild is very smooth and just right. The price on Amazon is much, much better than buying them in the grocery store as well.

I can't live without my Senseo, but you can get the pods much cheaper at Target.

I wasn't a coffee drinker until I found Senseo! I love it! I have one pod worth of coffee (4 oz) and 16 oz of milk every morning, and I think it's better than Starbucks!!

I couldn't believe it even cooks some traditional asian meal in less than 35 minutes (10 min heating + 15 minutes cooking + 10 minutes cooling) which normally takes me 2-3 hours and tastes so fantastic.

I never know pressure cooking could be so easy, quick and so much fun. I am experimenting with different recipes almost every day.

Definitely recommend to anyone who is thinking of trying it.

For all those intending to use a pressure cooker, this is a very good choice. I am a first time buyer of this cooker.

Regards,
Kumar.

We have used this for about 2 months and are perfectly satisfied with this pressure cooker. It is an ideal accessory in any home. It is big enough to cook meals for upto 6 people.