Housewares Reviews

My husband bought these for me for Christmas last year because I love to bake and I'd bought some "non-stick" baking sheets from Wal-Mart that were a real disappointment, but according to the reviews of this item, these were supposed to be fabulous.

Not so, I have had them for about 11 months now, I still use them because we're trying to save up money for our first house so I don't want to spend the money to buy MORE baking pans. I end up spraying of non-stick cooking spray on these pans just so I can still use them. After the first 2 or 3 uses, these pans were fine, they didn't distribute heat evenly, so some areas would be burned and others would be under-cooked, but they WERE non-stick. After using them for a few times though, it was IMPOSSIBLE to get ANYTHING off of them!!! "Non-stick"?!! What a JOKE!!! One of the cookie baking sheets I soaked for a day, scrubbed with soap, hot water, AND the scrubby side of a Scotch brand sponge. Nothing came off. Soaked for ANOTHER day, scrubbed, nothing. After the third day, I just gave up and now there is stuff permanently STUCK to these so-called "NON-STICK" pans!

I am VERY unsatisfied with these items and if I could, I'd rate the set at ZERO STARS! THE WORST! Do yourself a favor, invest a little more money in a baking set and avoid the frustration, because you get what you pay for, and these pans are crap!

These items are not as large as I thought. They are cake pans and just small. I thought they were cookie sheets and pizza pans from the picture.

I mean, they're definitely holding up better than my LAST bakeware. That's not really saying too much, though. I baked lemon bars and then a cobbler a couple weeks later in the brownie pan and the nonstick coating is already wearing off. I am really disappointed, but I guess I shouldn't expect too much of nonstick bakeware. From now on I'm buying glass.
If you're a college student, or grad student, who'll share these with roommates who can't treat things how they should be treated, buy these. If you're a poor person living by yourself or with a significant other, invest in glass. It'll last much much longer. I'm quite poor, actually, and thought I'd save money buying these. It was definitely a mistake I've learned from.

Unhappy Buyer. My Home has all hard wood floors but of course the new puppy aims for the Area Rugs. I was excited seeing this product advertised because I thought it was just what I needed. Took the light out of the box, put batteries in it, and it did absolutely nothing to help me find the spots on my rugs. It did find soils on lighter material such as blankets, sheets, etc. But not on the Rugs--which was the whole point of me spending the money.

Not only did the light find the exact spot my cat was spraying but the cleaner removed all traces of the urine and my cat has not gone there since. My only regret is that I did not find this product sooner

Was delivered two days before expected. Looks as advertised and works great.

Bought this for special occasions and love it! Melts nice and is easy to clean. Well worth the price even though the molds and bowls will not be used. Not for a large party as it is small. Great for having fun with the kids.

Door BLEW OPEN on my Panasonic microwave while using it to boil water for coffee in a cup I've been using for months! Called Panasonic and right away they had me talk to their lawyer. All he cared about was getting the microwave in their possession (maybe getting rid of evidence?). When I asked about getting it replaced, they said after they had it and checked it out, they would let me know. How do they expect me to be without a microwave oven for 2 weeks? 4 weeks? When I said I couldn't wait that long, since I have to feed my family, the lawyer said that is the legal agreement I consented to by buying the oven. My only solution is to buy a another microwave. I feel like a fool for buying a Panasonic. Never again.

I have only owned this oven for a few days so it is probably too early to give a definitive review, especially since reviews of other Panasonic microwaves have indicated problems with some of them after a few weeks or months. Nonetheless, I am very pleased with my purchase so far, including the speed with which I received it (within a week of ordering). It is a big oven and does require more counter space but it is attractive-looking and the extra space is in the interior where you can cook almost anything of any size. It is not heavy and I can move it easily if necessary; it has great features--the sensor heating, the various options which let the machine do the thinking or let you do it if you prefer. It defrosts perfectly and cooks evenly; it is easy to use. I have not tried the popcorn option yet but expect it to be excellent. Because it is a big oven, it would probably be best to have it on it's own electric circuit, especially if you are likely to be using other appliances at the same time. I do not have a separate circuit and have had no problems so far, but I generally use it alone or with things like can openers that are not heavy electric drains. Overall, I am very happy with my choice.

its a great microwave , i use it every day , its a nice large microwave oven, it fits every thing you put in it . it heats evenly unlike other microwaves, great defrosting feature very fast , its makes the best popcorn, it makes a full bag automaticaly, unlike other microwaves that dont pop all of the corn, all in all its the best out there,

I bought this and tried to use it. My evaluation is as follows:

- The product manual says "Big enough to wash a shirt, slacks, shorts and a pair of socks in one load". Please be aware that the motor is not powerful enough, and adults' jeans, trousers may NOT be washed. (Try to visualize by the example of a cheapo mixer-grinder, whose motor is trying to overcome the drag of the large pieces of fruit/vegetable!) Although the bucket was NOT overloaded, the motor could not rotate these clothes, and was whining unsuccessfully. The load just reamined soaked for 15 minutes.

- It works satisfactorily for lighter and/or much smaller pieces of clothes. e.g. undergarments, socks, etc. I think, it would be good for baby/child clothes. It is not that suitable for adult's clothes.

- This portable washer will take roughly one-fifth to one-fourth (and that using smaller pieces of clothes) of the load used in regular top-load washers to "wash" your clothes satisfactorily.

- It may be used as a supplement to the full-size washers. It should not be expected to serve as a replacement for the fullsize washers, even for usual weekly washing needs for adults' garments.

- Given the above limitations, will it be good for your need? You decide. It did not fit well for my need. Thanks.

i love my cyclone washing machine. i do not have a washer and dryer in my apt, so this machine is very helpful for small loads and delicates that i would not take to the laundromat anyways.

now i just wish i had a portable dryer!

I just really wanted to believe in a myth: that KitchenAid is all about sensible, durable, dependable appliances. Or that KitchenAid is serious about its "hassle-free" policy. Because "hassle-full" seems to describe my experience with the brand much more accurately.

I originally purchased a 300-Watt tilt-head mixer, but after about three minutes mixing a small batch of bread dough for the very first time, its dough hook snapped broken. Customer service wasn't very good, so a few months and several complaints later, I received this larger unit as a replacement.

Unfortunately, this supposedly sturdier unit hasn't held its own either. The dough hook is still in one piece, but the mixer itself (the motor) has broken down three times already, despite my best care. I never mix for more than five or six minutes at a time, and only use speed 1 to mix bread dough. Moreover, I never exceed the maximum load of approximately 14 cups; in fact, all the bread recipes I make total no more than about 8 cups of wet mixture -- less than 12 cups of ingredients, wet and dry. (My recipes come from either The Bread Baker's Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart, or Bread - A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, by Jeffrey Hamelman, both well-known books with very carefully tested recipes.)

The first time I took the mixer to the repair centre, it took them a month to return it to me. The second time, it was returned after 10 days, but worked for all of 40 seconds before breaking down again. And the third time I only got it back after 41 days. Mind you, those repairs were all covered by the warranty, performed at an authorized repair centre. I got a six-month warranty extension, but imagine what it'll be like when the
warranty has expired...

So, just to recapitulate, in one year I was unable to use the mixer for more than two months, time during which I had to put up with a lot of hassle in what seemed to be a futile attempt to get it properly fixed -- to say nothing of my disappointment with the fact that a KitchenAid mixer has broken down three times already with small batches of bread dough during its first year of use.

I bought the high priced, high power 600 a little over a year ago. I use it less than once a week to mix relativel soft dough (6 cups of flour) I just took it back for repairs for the third time, always the same thing, the plastic gear housing splits open and all of the gears have to be replaced.
This mixer is a bad news item.

I grew up learning how to bake with my mother's KitchenAid tilt-head 5 qt mixer from around 1982. When I got married, my parents gave me this 6 qt model and I absolutely adore it. I tend to make heavy breads at least 2 or three times a week in this mixer without any signs of problems. The only complaint I have is that the attachments are not dishwasher safe. Take it from me, it was not a pretty sight when I realized my husband had put the dough hook through the dishwasher! (Although I guess I should be thankful he loads the dishwasher at all. hehe)

Overall, I feel the quality of the machine is not as high as my mother's old machine. The knobs feel a little more flimsy, and some of the attachments (like the flour shield) are definately not as sturdy-feeling. And if we're going to shell out hundreds of dollars for this thing, I really think KitchenAid could go the extra mile and make the attchments dishwasher safe. On the other hand, I definately feel that the KitchenAid is the highest quality home-use mixer on the market today. I've taken other brands for a "test drive" at various stores and friends' homes, and you could definately feel the difference between the KA and others.

Plus, it's rather comforting to see that familiar white hunk of metal sitting on the countertop. It almost makes me feel like a kid again, waiting at the kitchen table for my mom to finish the brownies so I could lick the bowl. :)