Housewares Reviews

This is easy!! The price and automatic features came together in a serenditous combination! Great machine, and a good move up for me. I replaced an older, manual model. This has the features that matched the way I work, without giving me built-in features I have no need for.
My one complaint is that it did not come with a set of jar sealers, which I use to store grated cheese or cut onions.
Bill

This is a wonderful product. We have only had it for a short time, however; we have already seen a savings in our food bill. That is something I think everyone can relate too. I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

This machine is wonderful. We have food in our freezer that is so fresh it looks fresh in the bag. I love using this with the canisters also it keeps leftovers fresh a lot longer than regular storage containers. The Foodsaver is exactly what they presented. We love it!

Worked fine for a while but didn't crush can as much as I'd like.

The bottom piece started to deform and bend down. Then the cans would pop out as you tried to crush them.

I tried to reinforce it with a block of wood and even with some metal L brackets. Didn't hold.

I've given up and step on them on the concrete floor with better luck.

Wish there were a decent crusher at less than $10!

the product works. since this product is hard to find, I am grateful to have it.

The metal construction of this item should out last the plastic one I boutght from Wal-Mart five years ago. It just arrived today, so I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but it looks like it is very well constructed, with smooth easy operation, and should provide many years of reliable service.

I've been looking for a replacement for the one that finally broke for over a month. I don't know why I never thought to search on Amazon.com for one. I guess recycling just isn't as popular as it used to be. Thankfully, enough of us still believe in recycling to make it profitable for some companies to continue making items such as this - even if they are a little hard to find.

this microwave cooks food very evenly-no need to stir. i think it is the best looking black one out right now.

I bought this for the simple design, ability to store upright to save counter space, and the ease of switching between oz. and grams with a button on the front (unlike the Soehlne that was rated best by Cooks Illustrated). That said, the scale is so small that it's sometimes difficult to read the display. Also, it's not terribly accurate. If you want to test it, try weighing 10 quarters. They should total 2 oz. Mine read 1 3/4 oz. If you need super precision, this is not for you. I especially like the conversion between grams and oz. I use a lot of international recipes that use the metric system.

The Salter 1004 11-Pound Square Stainless-Steel Digital Kitchen Scale is one of those appliances that you are delighted to leave out on the counter. The scale has a small footprint, stylish design and cool stainless steel construction. Functionally it is simple to use with a push of a button (or two if you want to switch between grams and ounces) with a clearly visable LCD display. Make sure you have some stainless steel cleaner to make clean up of spills a breeze. This scale is a form and function dream over the clunky mechanical scales. Well worth the premium.

I chose this Salter scale because the smooth surface allows for more room to weigh food. Also, there are no edges to impede the use of a bowl. I haven't been disappointed!! It is superslim, lightweight, and easy to clean. You can choose between grams and ounces, zero out when you are using a container, and it turns off automatically. My favorite feature is the ability to add or subtract food while weighing - perfect for ensuring that my portions are the right size!

This is my Third Foodsaver unit. First one was purchased over 15 years ago, and it still works. I gave it to my daughter when I bought my Foodsaver Professional II model. Through my own fault ( NOT THE MACHINES ) I managed to damage the strip of tape covering the heating element. Well, now it burns holes in the middle of the bags, and I lose the vacuum. Talia doesnt repair or replace the tape ( no one repairs anything anymore...silly me), but Talia offered to send me a refurbished Pro II for $50.00, and I didnt have to mail in my old one.....well.....before I called Talia, I bought their new Professional III unit. Anyway, the representative said she would keep my name on file, and I can get that refurbished unit at any time. The reason I bought the Pro III, was the fact I didnt want to be without a vacuum sealer in my kitchen...........period.
I use mine 2-3-4 times a day.....every day. Mine really gets a workout. I like the Pro II and Pro III because I can do 10-12 bags without the machine having to cool down. I own Peach and Sour Cherry trees, and vacuum seal the fruit every season. Fresh Peaches or a Cherry Pie in January??? Yes you can. Buy bulk nuts, raisins, soft candies, herbs, spices, and vacuum them. I have all sizes of Mason jars just for that purpose.
Keep the fizz in your pop, or freshness in your wine by removing the air with the attachment that comes with the Pro III
Keep your "SILVER JEWELRY" from tarnishing..just vacuum pack it.
We go fishing & camping and I vacuum pack bandages, matches, iodine & gauze to keep dry in the tackle box or in our back packs. Old family Photos wont yellow. Keep your spare printer Ink cartridges fresh from drying out. Poupouri keeps fresh after opening the package. Lace and linen's wont deteriorate or yellow. Scented candles remain "scented" if bought in bulk.
The vacuum sealer isnt just for Kitchen uses. You'll look for things to shrink wrap.
But, in the kitchen, this is a must have. Put lettuce in one of the hard containers, and it will stay crisp and fresh for WEEKS. Coffee and loose Tea stay fresh, as does cereals, crackers, bread flour, etc. Use the hard container to Marinate a pork loin roast in, or chicken wings. You can flip, twist and turn the container on it's side in the fridge, and the marinate stays air tight. Put in soup, vacuum out the air, and it's sealed for that trip to work in your car without spilling.
I buy Steaks on sale....maybe 8-10 at a time. Shrink wrap and they'll last 18 months without freezer burn. Fish filets, hanburger, pork chops.... all plainly visible through the package. You can even "boil in the bag". Need a ice pack? Seal ice cubes.
This unit really has 1001 uses. Hobbies, Crafts, Tools, Fishing, Hunting, Boating, Camping, Gardening (seeds) Keepsakes, Household items, Jewelry and finally....in your Kitchen.
Like I said, This is my third machine and I just wont have a kitchen without one. It's that good.

My husband purchased the original food saver 18 years ago from a TV ad. I thought he was nuts to spend that kind of money but he convinced me to keep it. We used it without problems for all these years. When the unit would not heat up anymore we called Tilia to get a replacement part but were told our unit was too old for parts. With trepidation I replaced it with this model as it seemed to be the closest thing to what we already had and the price was actually cheaper than lower cost models in the store. All I can say is Bravo. This unit performs as well or better than the original model that we purchased. It just doesn't make sense to buy anything else.

I purchased my Pro III, based partally on the reviews here, about 8 months ago. This is my first vacuume sealer. One of the main reasons for the purchase is cheese. We eat a lot of cheese, but it doesn't seem to last very long in the fridge. Shortly after buying the Pro III, we had a bar-b-queue for about 40 people. My wife over bought the cheese for the event and I also over bought the cheese for the event! Needless to say, without the FoodSaver Pro III, we would have lost quite a few pounds of cheese. We finally used up all that cheese and thanks to the FoodSaver Pro III not an ounce was lost!

A fabulous product.

This blender looks great on the counter and functions well; we use it daily to make smoothies and it chops ice easily.

However, I've owned six blenders and this is by far the loudest. I expect a blender to be very loud, but this is truly ear-splitting. My last blender was also an Osterizer and the noise level was much better.

We've lived with this one for about four months and have finally had enough and are going to buy a different blender. (I'm going to look at Consumer Reports and see if their reviews cover noise level!)

Perhaps I just got a bad one and most are fine, but I'd stay away from this model.

I got a blender about 3 months ago that just stopped working right. I never liked it anyway because I could never chop ice.

After I searched for almost 2 hours on the net trying to find a $40~ blender that works and works well; mainly lasting more then 3 months and chop cubed ice, I finally decided on this one because the only drawback was noise. (This is an $80 blender but if you search you can get it for $46)

Today I put it to the test and I'm so glad I got this excellent blender. I don't think I could get another one that would make me happier. The noise isn't anymore loud then the other one I had, and it chops ice very fine with absolutely no chunks or chips left over.

One of the difficulties I had when choosing a blender was how Oster has several beehive blenders. I found that the only difference was that the controls or jug would be different.

This particular one has 2 speeds and a glass jug. The way you pulse is by switching from speed one to off repeatedly. I love this jug because it's glass and keeps food flavor from transferring, and I love this one because of the way the handle is mounted on the "edge" of the square opening so that your pouring on the other "edge". It pours so much better then the ones that pour out of a side and has too wide an opening to fill a cup without spilling.

One tip for crushing ice is to put all your ingredients in, blend together, and then, one by one, put the ice in the blender. You can do it while it's blending if it's not to full.

The smoothie was great today, and tomorrow will be the beginning of margarita Monday's!

Ordering was easy, product arrived in a timely fashion and it actually works as advertised, chops ice to make smoothies. Bonus, in chrome it goes great in our granite and stainless kitchen so it stays on the counter.

What I like about it -
1. The remote is a great feature - sometimes I get hot in the middle of the night and it's great to just grab the remote from my nightstand rather than have to get up.
2. The handle on the back makes it easy to move from room to room.

What I don't like about it -
1. It was wobbly when I first assembled it and there is no way to tighten it to make it not wobble.
2. I have no idea what the "night breeze" function is all about - it just seems to switch on and off intermittently - not sure what it is supposed to be simulating.

Overall, it works pretty well, but as I said in the headline, you get what you pay for - it is an inexpensive fan, so don't expect the quality of anything more.

The fan is pretty good. Not too noisy, and puts out good quantities of air. The only reason I rank it 4 instead of 5 is because the 1st fan didn't work...which I wouldn't have minded, except I had sent it as a gift. Oops. 2nd one works perfectly though.

I've used this fan for a couple of years and have had no problems with it. The design saves space. It is quieter than most fans. It features 3 speeds, a timer and can swing or not. I do not use the "night" or "natural" feature which turns the fan on and off every few seconds - it seems more distracting than natural. It comes with a remote control though the same buttons are on the fan itself. A final consideration - if you are looking for a fan with a high-power breeze this is not it, though I have been satisfied with the air flow.

I bought this pasta machine 6 months ago, and I've used it at least once or twice a month ever since. I also bought one for my mother and taught her how to use it. This machine really just replaces a rolling pin and a big knife for cutting noodles (how my mom has been making hers).

A lot of people think fresh pasta is better than dried pasta... I disagree. They are just different types of pasta. Dried pasta give you a firmer bite, while fresh pastas are softer. Keep that in mind when you cook. Also, don't be limited to pasta making. I think of it as a better rolling pin, so I also use it to crank out wonton skins.

You should dry your pasta sheet a little before attempting to cut it, especially if you are going to cut them thin (like angel hair), so they don't stick to each other and form a lump. I usually catch the cut noodles in a bowl and mix more flour in to keep them from sticking to each other. You should let the noodles dry out a little bit more before cooking it.

A few words about making the dough: it will take you a while to get a feel of how firm your dough needs to be, to go through the machine smoothly. If the dough is too wet, it will stick to the machine; if it's too dry, your pasta sheet will break. But once you got it down, you can crank out noodles pretty fast. The key is you need to let the dough rest for about 30 minutes, so the flour can fully absorb the moisture.

I took the tip from Alton Brown (Good Eats), and set it up on a ironing board for my mother. This is genius! It's so much easier using an ironing board than trying to do this on a kitchen counter! And you can move it to other places if your kitchen is small.

Many people may complain about the inconvenience of the machine, because it really is easier to have two people working on it (one feeds pasta sheet in, one cranks the handle and guides the sheet coming out). But I make it into a fun little social event, my wife and I have a lot of fun making noodles together, and we have friends over to make noodles together too. It makes eating them later a lot more enjoyable too.

This machine is a little tricky to clean, I usually let it dry out a little, then use a brush (I use an old pastry brush) to clean it. There are lot of places where pasta pieces could get stuck, makes you wonder why they didn't improve the design. I also use a toothpick to clean the noodle cutting attachment. Don't bother with water, it only makes it harder to clean (flour + water = sticky goo on your pasta machine).

Pros:
=====
- Cheap
- Many attachments available (I like the angel hair one, makes great Asian noodles)
- A lot of fun to use (great to get family and friends involved)
- Much easier than rolling pin
- Stainless steel is nearly indestructable
- Fresh noodles taste great!

Cons:
=====
- Heavy, might be a problem to some people (like my mom)
- Requires minimal assembly. Again, it's very easy, but my mother and my aunt both have problems getting it right.
(The above two issues are solved by permanetly mounting the machine to an old ironing board)
- Can be tricky to clean
- Not as easy to operate with one person
- Even the thickest setting is still kind of thin, so you may need to press on your dough a little before running it through. I usually use a rolling pint (or empty wine bottle) to roughly roll the dough just so it's thin enough to be fed to the machine. This is troublesome... I wish they made the openings thicker.
- Takes a while to get the right dough consistency to put through the machine

Watch outs:
===========
- Make sure you clean it thoroughly the first time! Make a test dough, and run it through the machine multiple times. You will get little shreds of metal (I think they are metal), but according to the manual, this is normal. In fact, I had to run two doughs through to really clean it.
- Don't wash it! Other than that it might rust (I don't know because I haven't actually seen it rust), it just makes it harder to clean. Drying it out completely then brush off the pieces is probably the best way to go.

Tips:
=====
- Try open ravioli, it's very simple with this machine
- If you made thin angel hair-type noodles, and you are planning to serve it in hot soup (like some Asian noodle soup), I found out that I don't even need to cook the noodles. I just pour the piping hot soup over the thin angel hair noodles, and they are cooked to perfection! I made a ginger-chicken noodle soup, and placed a small bunch of fresh noodles in each bowl, and pour the boiling hot soup over the noodles in front of the guests, it's a great WOW factor.
- I was hoping to get a fettucini attachment, but for some reason I was unable to get it from Amazon (they told me the part is no longer available). After looking at the width (6.5mm), I decided that I can just use a knife to cut it into the width I want.
- Use a toothpick to clean the hard-to-reach parts
- If your surface is too thin (as in an ironing board), you might need something to "pad" it. I used a stack of old business cards.
- I use the rack from my oven to dry pasta, although I am thinking about getting a Norpro drying rack.

We've enjoyed this pasta machine for several months. It's hard to imagine that we ever enjoyed boxed pasta from the supermarket, since it's so easy to make your own, and the taste and texture of your own made pasta is out of this world. This is a great starter machine, simple to use, easy to clean, and one that is built like a Sherman Tank, and can easily be passed on to the next generation. The only reason it is not getting 5 stars from us is the thickness selection knob. Oh how very frustrating it is trying to turn it when your hands are coated with flour, as they would be when making pasta! The know is stainless steel smooth, and virtually impossible to turn without deliverate and hard pressure. It's hard to imagine why by now the manufacturer hasn't put some cross-checkering design to allow to have some traction. Other than that, we highly recommend it.

This machine is great. I use it all the time to make homemade noodles for soup and peorogies for my family. My grandmother used this same kind of machine all my life to make her peorogies, it brings back alot of memories.
I strongly recommend this machine !!

We've used a foodsaver device for several years. This is our 2nd device, and I am very pleased with the improvements. The flexibility of adjusting motor speed, internal roll storage and cutter, and the "flip up" design to minimze counter space while making the device always available are great. This device was well priced on Amazon, and delivery was prompt.