Irons Reviews

I bought T-fal's top of the line Avantis iron even though I only have light ironing to do. It broke in less than a year - losing heat completely. T-fal would not stand behind it. I wrote to them several times. They insisted on the original sales receipt despite the fact I had the charge on my American Express bill. They had no technical advise either. Read other Amazon reviews on their products breakdowns! I've paid half as much for irons that lasted for years. Avoid this turkey and this company. I'll never buy another T-fal product and neither should you!

Great toaster for the short time it worked. Now, half of one side doesn't work.

A well made unit that simply does not toast very well. The problem is that the slots are so wide, anything narrow, such as waffles ends up too far away from the heating elements. I had to set it on maximum to brown frozen waffles. Even then the results were uneven. Each of the four slots has a grid style heating element on one side and a single horizontal bar element on the other. This must have done for a reason. Maybe it's designed for warming units on the top rack. The effect though, is uneven toasting. Disappointing.

The photo just doesn't do justice to the sheer monsterous size of the unit. It's got the proportions of a microwave oven and dominates my kitchen counter. Fortunately, it is a Good Toaster, so I overlook its aprawling presence. The toaster works like a champ, but for the price, it had damn well better be capable of simple tasks like browning two sides of bread at the same time. Gee, if you choose, it will only brown one side of the bread. So far so good, but if anything goes worng with it you will hear from me again.

The only reason why this doesn't get the last star, in my book, is because of its somewhat limited usefulness. However, if you live in an apartment or otherwise anywhere where grilling is impossible, this is the next best thing....like all other Le Creuset products this heats evenly and wonderfully and takes abuse. I got mine as part of a 6-piece set (along with a Dutch Oven, Baking Pan, and Casserole) and sorta at first saw this as a "filler" piece. However, to it's credit, this pan can do even easilly-burned items like tofu dogs and fake bacon WONDERFULLY, which shocked me--I was convinced that nothing could give a "grilled" effect to those items. I even got adventerous the first time I used it and grilled some apple rings. I panicked when some sugar seemed to be burnt on for good despite a good soaking, but after the pot had been dried and put away for 48 hours it flaked right off. Forget what you know about nonstick surfaces, btw, and banish those bad memories of cruddy, flaking Teflon from the 70's. Just treat this well (I only use wooden utensils on it) and it will treat you well. Follow the instructions and enjoy! Just be sure to use a potholder and realize that once this thing gets hot it STAYS hot for a LONG time.

Don't let the high price tag and the cast iron thing scare you away from this great product. It's not your mother's cast iron of stuck-on messes and rust in your food. It's very easy to season, and from there it works great. We've been able to cook everything from salmon, to buffalo, to pineapples with no sticking.
Unlike it's predecessor, the George Foreman grill, it cooks many kind of foods beautifully without drying it out or sticking. The key...temperature control. Since it works with your stove, you can control the amout of heat you need.
Also, having a wee kitchen, it's nice not to have another appliance taking up valuable counter space.
One of the best features is the lifetime warranty. And they mean it too. My friend had a Le Creuset teapot that rusted out and they sent her a replacement for free.
Sure it's pricey, but you get what you pay for with this pan.

Wow, I love this pan! I also live in an apartment, so this is a great substitute for outdoor grilling when you want a quick dinner. It's not as good as the outdoor charcoal grill, but this has some advantages. It's super easy. I use this pan several times a week. I pre-heat the pan, brush a little canola oil to the ribs, and while it warms up to the right temperature, I prepare the food. I cut some veggies (can use zucchini, squash, small eggplant, onions, bell pepper, etc), on the bias, so there's more surface area, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper, and grill. You may have to do several rounds of it if you have lots of veggies. After cooking until just tender, toss with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil. DELICIOUS!! Also, we've been grilling some great local wild salmon on this pan. It is unbelievable. It is very quick, so don't overcook. Season with salt and pepper, and anything you like. Just practice a couple times, experiment with the temperature and your technique, and you'll see how easy and tasty it is. If you can get some homegrown or organic produce, it's so much more tasty. Simple grilling complements good ingredients.