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Cuisinart Chefs Classic Nonstick Hard Anodized 12 Inch Skillet with Helper Handle

From eggs for a crowd at breakfast to fish, chicken, or steak at dinnertime, this roomy 12-inch open skillet is a great all-round performer. The advanced Quantanium nonstick coating is designed for healthy low-fat cooking, and titanium reinforcement makes it tough enough for use with metal utensils Even the most delicate foods can be cooked without sticking, and cleanup is quick and easy. An additional helper handle makes it easy to maneuver this large pan on the stovetop.

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic cookware is constructed from durable 3mm hard-anodized aluminum, providing superb heat transfer without hot spots. The securely riveted stay-cool steel handles are oven-safe to 500 degrees F, so food can be browned on the stovetop then transferred to the oven to finish cooking. This pan should be hand-washed with a mild detergent, and it carries a limited lifetime warranty against defects. –Simon Leake

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars omelet pan, saute pan, grill, roasting pan in one
It’s perfect for just about every use, holds heat level beautifully, perfect for crepes or omelets…just about anything. I use it every day. It has replaced at least 3 pans and almost cleans itself.

2 Stars Eggs and pancakes will stick
This should be a $19.99 pan sold at Target to college kids. I was not able to cook an over-medium egg on it without using oil. I was not able to cook a pancake on it. The pan I received was not a non-stick pan. It was more like “stick resistant”.

For the same money, I purchased the Calphalon 10 and 12 inch pan combo set. The construction was similar although the non stick coating was different. I was able to cook an egg and a pancake on the Calphalons with no issues. So, 2 pans instead of 1 for the same money, and they have a better coating? No brainer.

The quality was mediocre. I was replacing a 9 year old Calphalon which had 3 rivets on handle, this had 2. It was thin and too light. I could not rate how evenly the heat was distributed because I couldn’t get the egg off the bottom of the pan.

5 Stars Great product
I am more than pleased with my purchase. Quality of the product is excellent and the price is right!

4 Stars Great skillet – very pleased but not perfect
This non-stick skillet makes it easy to get between the food and the surface. I’ve noticed that these Cuisinart products typically work well for a long period of time, but they lose that nearly perfect non-stick factor pretty quickly. Essentially, on a scale of 1-10, if the non-stick factor were a 10 when you buy it, it becomes a 7 to 7.5 on a non-stick factor scale within 4 to 5 uses, but it retains that mild level of non-stick factor for a minimum of 8 months to 2 years of regular use (2-3 times per week). From time to time, I use extra virgin olive oil or butter to aid it from not having food stick to the surfaces when I am cooking something that I am especially don’t want sticking to the skillet.

I have had this particular skillet for 6 months, and it still looks great and provides of enough non-stick to cook everything that I want. Although it probably doesn’t matter to most, I find it nice that this skillet doesn’t show signs of being used after 6 months. I realize that its purpose is for cooking and not a show piece, but there’s something more inviting about using a piece of cookware that still looks new (or relatively new). Because of how good it still looks, I don’t even consider replacing it (in addition to the fact that its non-stick qualities are still good enough).

The handles are very sturdy which is nice. My previous skillet (non-Cuisinart) had a flimsy handle, and the handle broke within a couple months. It’s nice to have the second handle on the opposite side of the skillet from the main handle. This can be very handy if needed, but I don’t use it often.

This skillet is relatively easy to clean, but be sure not to use any plastic or metal scrapers on it. Always use a sponge or a sponge brush.

Overall, I am very pleased with this purchase. It’s not a perfect skillet, but it’s the closest thing that I have found to it. If all you want is perfect non-stick from a pan all of the time, the best bet is to buy a cheap brand’s non-stick skillet and replace every 10-15 uses, but that’s pretty wasteful and will cost you much more over time. If you want a great non-stick skillet which will last you a long time and be a great bang for your buck, this is probably it.

5 Stars Very happy
Very happy with the skillet cheaper price fast shipping everything they said it was going to be for less.

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Topics: Kitchen Gadgets Bestsellers |
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Bodum Brazil 8 Cup 34 Ounce Coffee Press

The Brazil French Press coffee maker, designed in the early 80’s, quickly became a symbol of what Bodum stands for. Attractive and functional design at an affordable price!The Brazil has a heat resistant, borosilicate glass beaker (the standard for all Bodum French press plungers) and a polypropylene handle and base, which make the Brazil easy to use and easy to clean. The domed lid is made of a smooth matte black polypropylene and has the special Bodum safety and aroma seal to keep your coffee warm for a longer time.Brewing coffee in the Brazil is one of life’s great pleasures.32 oz. French pressPlease Note: French Presses are measured in 2-3 oz demi-tasse cups. A three cup model makes about one standard mug’s worth. An eight cup model (our most popular) makes about three standard mug’s worth.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars First cup
I am completely new to grinding fresh bean and using a french press. It’s almost like a whole new beverage. I don’t think i could ever go back to the prepackaged automatic drip stuff at work. I tried it black, usually I use a little milk, and saw no need to add anything to it. I’m definitely going to buy a second press for loose tea. Clean up is a breeze. I’ve fallen in love with coffee again.

5 Stars Fantastic Little Brewer…you can’t beat the function for the price
This coffee press helped me discover how great coffee can be. If you want great coffee, but have a small budget, buy this item and also the Krups grinder…Krups 203-42 Fast Touch Coffee Grinder, Black

Every morning has been fantastic since I got these. No more having to add 3 splendas and a pinch of salt to fight the bitterness of bad coffee.

As for function, this works great. Easy to use…just add ground coffee and hot water, stew for 3 minutes, press, and pour. Also cleans well. Usually I just rinse it off with water until I run the dishwasher. Then pop it in and it comes out great.

Yes, the black parts are plastic, but I don’t find it unappealing, and it appears very sturdy. Unless the filter breaks off or something (which seems doubtful) I don’t expect it to have any issues any time soon.

It also makes great tea, by the way….use it exactly the same way. I haven’t used my tea ball at all since I bought this.

Really cool way to add spice to coffee too since you can just add it to the grounds in the bottom and it does a better job of incorporating your cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, chili or whatever else you might want a touch of if you like it flavored.

5 Stars Coffee Press
This coffee press is made of quality materials. I am pleased with it. It functions well.

5 Stars New to French Press
After hearing two of my sons rave about how good coffee prepared in a French Press is I decided to give it a shot. This 34 ounce size Bodum was just right for my wife and me along with our Brazilian exchange student. A friend had given me a coffee grinder as a Christmas present and I had experimented with grinding beans for a drip coffee maker. It was good and certainly convenient to set the timer and have the coffee ready when I woke. I have now traded in that convenience for a much better cup of coffee. There is something special about my morning ritual as I grind beans and boil water. I am thinking I may need a 12 cup press for entertaining.

5 Stars There’s coffee, then there’s French Press coffee…
I am honestly amazed at how this product has revolutionized the way I think about drinking coffee. And it’s such a simple concept too! Like many people, I used a small automatic drip machine for years to brew my coffee. Yet, it never tasted as good as what I could get from walking over to Starbucks, or the local coffee houses. Eventually I just gave up on making my own coffee. To me, coffee has always been about carving out a few minutes of my day to slow down and enjoy the sight, smell, and taste of this drink. Drip coffee? Not cutting it.

After doing some financial research and discovering how much I was spending at the local Starbucks each month, I thought that there had to be a way to make my daily brew at home and have it taste good too. My first inkling was to purchase one of those Keurig single-cup machines with the pre-measured coffee inserts. However, the environmentalist in me cringed at the prospect of all that individual packaging. The coffee purist in me wavered at the thought of using pre-packaged, pre-ground coffee. So, after walking through Target during one of those “spending way more money than I should because everything here is awesome” trips, I opted to try out this Bodum 8-”cup” (cup, being 4 oz in Bodum Land) French Press.

Following the instructions, I made my first brew of coffee that next morning and, honestly, it was the best home made coffee I have ever tasted. It is so good, and so far superior to drip coffee in quality, taste, texture, and aroma, that I wouldn’t hesitate to say that pressed coffee is an entire genre unto itself. I probably lack the coffee vocabulary to explain how it tastes. It’s just better, plain and simple. It’s smooth, complex, and very tasty.

Wonderful product. Easy to clean, easy to use, and it produces a cup of coffee superior to all others. Plus it looks neat.

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Topics: Kitchen Gadgets Bestsellers |
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Capresso Cool Grind Coffee Grinders

Capresso 501 Cool Grind Blade Grinder

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Capresso 501 Grinder
I was gifted a Capresso grinder over 8 years ago and to this day it grinds perfectly. So, when it came time to give one I wanted the best and the 501

is it. There aren’t any locking or alignment issues and you don’t have to twist the top to get it open. Have been through several different makes at work and this is by far the best.

1 Star Capresso Coffee Grinder
It is less than 3 months old and wasn’t used for two weeks over the holidays. The blades have quit working so you cannot grind coffee.

4 Stars Lid hard to open w/ dry fingers
Used for flax seed. Fast, but left partial seeds at the bottom. Had to use a fine-mesh strainer. The lid is too smooth for me to flip open with dry fingers.

4 Stars Works well for the price.
I didn’t have an issue with the grind time like some other reviewers did. And some other reviewers didn’t like that it left grounds at the bottom–my solution to this to hold the grinder upside down and run the machine a few seconds.

Pro: Lid is easy to get off, doesn’t stick

Con: Noisier than my old $8 Sunbeam

4 Stars Good product
I am very happy with this coffee grinder. It is small so it fits easily inside a cabinet, and grinds almost all of the coffee beans and still maintains a fairly even grind without heating the ground beans. For a small inexpensive grinder, this is a good product. I bought this grinder to replace one I had for more than five years and just wore out.

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Topics: Kitchen Gadgets Bestsellers |
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Bodum Chambord 8 Cup Coffee Press

All in good taste. Bodum’s coffee press is recognized worldwide as one the best ways to brew coffee. Imagine a cup, made to your liking in just 4 minutes! Expertly crafted with a stainless steel filter system, heat-resistant borosilicate glass beaker and stay cool handle and knob. Makes 8 cups. Two-year limited warranty.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Nice press, until it breaks
The press works well and filters most of the grounds out. As others have mentioned, a coarse grind works best. I love having a french press for the quality of the coffee and convenience. This one is made from some seriously shoddy glass, though. I’ve had IKEA glasses that are tougher than this. I replaced the beaker after the first break, assuming it was just a defective unit. But the second time it broke while just sitting in the top rack of the dishwasher. Must’ve been the temperature changes.

If you buy this, expect to shell out money for new beakers in the future. And take a look at the replacement prices on Amazon – they aren’t cheap.

4 Stars French press
Good for what it does,make coffee French press style.

If you need more than a USA-size cup order the next larger size.

1 Star Broke on first use. Terrible Customer Service!!!
I requested this product as a gift; my Mom complied. She ordered online and then packaged it and sent it to me. I’m an overseas servicemember, and the gift took over 30 days to arrive to my APO address (from the time it was originally ordered).

Of course the glass broke on the very first use, so I never got a cup of coffee from it. I wrote an email to Bodum explaining the time-of-delivery situation, and the product quality issue.

Bodum didn’t respond within three weeks, so I forwarded the same email from my “sent” file. They got back to me within a few days stating “sorry, no exchanges after 30 days”. If I remember correctly, even within that 30 day period they keep a 15% convenience charge on returned items.

The market is too saturated with quality products to suffer this unreliable press. The customer service is the icing on the cake. I urge you to avoid this company.

5 Stars LOVE THIS COFFEE MAKER !!!!!!!
This coffee maker is a proven winner. I have used press pots for years and this Bodum is still my favorite. The design is great, no corks coasters needed or plastic bottoms, you can put this coffee maker on the finest table tops without a worry and it makes great coffee too !!!!!!

5 Stars I’ll never go back to “regular” coffee makers
This Bodum Coffee Press (12 cup) is the best investment I’ve ever made in my pursuit of a great cup of coffee.

Once you’ve tasted coffee through a press, you’ll never go back to the “automatic drip” style coffee makers. These things make even mediocre grocery store brands of coffee taste good. Seriously, it does. I’ve done it.

Best way to use it, though, is to get yourself some of your favorite coffee in whole bean style, then a coffee grinder (preferably a burr grinder), grind the beans up on the chunkiest setting you have (large grinds). Pour the appropriate amount of grinds into the press, add a little pinch (TINY pinch) of salt to counteract the acidity, then add the hot water, just below boiling. Stir the grinds into the hot water until they’re incorporated, and then put the plunger on top of the carafe. Let it brew for at least 4 minutes, and push the plunger down slowly and gently so you don’t wear hot coffee. Pour and enjoy… best coffee you’ve ever tasted.

And you’ll be in love…

The only con to this press, and all presses, is the skanky left over grinds. You can add them to your compost pile if you have one, or pour some water into the carafe and swirl it around, then dump it into your sink disposal (while it’s running).

Get one!

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Topics: Kitchen Gadgets Bestsellers |
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Cuisinart CBM 18 Programmable Conical Burr Mill

Get your grounds fresh from the kitchen every morning. Cuisinart’s conical burr grinder is fully programmable, so you just set the time and wait for the grind. Simply choose the fineness and number of cups, then come back when you’re ready to brew! Three-year limited warranty. Model CBM-18.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars It’s nice having the display
Cone shaped holder is good, although it still is a bit messy. I couldn’t help but what wonder if the grinds wouldn’t stick” as much if they used glass, but then again, it would break easily. All in all though, a good grinder. The grind selection is simple, and the grinds are even.

5 Stars coffee grinder
I gave this to my boyfriend as a gift and he loves it. You can pick how fine or not fine you want the coffee beens gounded up. Example auto drip, expreso.

You also can pick how much you want to grind, so you don’t have to grind alot at once if you don’t want too. My boyfriend said works well, makes good coffee, and looks great with matching coffee maker.

4 Stars Cuisinart Coffee Grinder
Great machine, a bit messy in regards to fine coffee escaping and it appears to have a static electricity problem, in the plastic ground coffee container, making pouring the coffee grounds out real messy. So use a spoon instead. Otherwise very convenient. Grind as you need instead of pre-grinding.

5 Stars Convenient and effective
This review will be simple because the grinder is simple. It is easy to take apart and clean, easy to program, and easy to make great coffee. The machine comes with a scoop/brush combo, but it is really only needed for cleaning. No scooping necessary. This is because the CBM-18 makes it so easy. If I know that I have to make 6 cups of coffee, I just program the CBM-18 for 6 cups, remove the collecting bin after it automatically grinds that amount and pour the fresh grounds into my coffee maker… simple. The bottom line is that this grinder makes uniform grounds, it is simple to use and provides for great tasting coffee.

4 Stars Easy to use, nice grounds
I’ve used my new Cuisinart conical burr grinder only twice, but so far I’m very happy with the size and consistency of the grounds, and it’s much quieter than other grinders I’ve had. It’s also good looking and easily slides under my relatively low upper cabinets.

The grind settings are very easy to figure out without even referring to the manual. The feature that automatically turns the grinder off after a certain number of “cups” worth of beans have been ground is fine — although I’ll probably use the manual button most of the time since the machine can grind what I need for one pot in just a few seconds, so it’s hard to imagine being so busy in the morning that I’d need to go off and leave the thing running. Also, the big bean hopper is so clear, it’s easy to see when the beans have run out (plus you can hear the difference in the motor). I like that the chamber the grounds fall into is wide enough to dip my 2 tbsp (30 ml) coffee scoop into with no trouble.

I rated it 4 stars out of 5 because I haven’t yet been able to figure out how to take this machine fully apart for cleaning (even after reading the instructions), and if a brush came with my model I didn’t find it.

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Topics: Kitchen Gadgets Bestsellers |
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KitchenAid Artisan 5 Quart Stand Mixers

Retro styled and easy to use, the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer is the perfect kitchen companion. Employing a unique tilting head to facilitate bowl and content removal, this mixer is undeniably handy. Hassle-free total replacement warranty and one-year full warranty. Model KSM150PS.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars LOVE this thing, it’s life changing.
This mixer is so much better than my previous stand mixer – I love it. It’s definitely worth the money!

5 Stars Kitchenaid stand mixer
I am very pleased with this standmixer, not the least by the price I got from Amazon. My old one, slightly smaller, had worn out, and I was pleased to find this bigger one at not much more than I paid for the old one years ago, when the rebate was taken into account.

4 Stars great kitchen addition
I have not had a lot of time to use this product and all the attachments (dough hook)so it may well be a 5-star rating. To date, i have no complaints (other than it is a bit heavy for me as i do not have counter space to store it). Being heavy is not a bad thing…it is stable and doesn’t fly or flop around on the counter. This product delivers. I like the fact that there is a grinding attachment which i will consider in future.

5 Stars A fabulous mixer!
I have been cooking for 35 years and never owned a standing mixer. I recently began looking for a standing mixer and after considering a number of brands, I went and looked at a Sunbeam. It sounded good and the price was certainly right. As soon as I saw it in the store, I knew that the plastic base would never hold up. I decided it was worth the extra money to buy a Kitchen Aide and I have not been disappointed. I have used the dough hook, mixed heavy cookie doughs, and whipped egg whites. The mixer sits proudly on my counter ready for use. I should have bought one years ago!

5 Stars The wife’s power tool
All I can say is wow!! My wife has carpo tunnel syndrome and this device has been a blessing. She loves to bake and I agree with her that every person who likes to bake should have one. Bread, cookies, pies are now so much easier to make and take no time at all to do. It has increased the time to multi task in the kitchen. Since I have got one we have been the envy of family and friends who do not have one.

I got one with a rebate in March. It was the white Kitchenaid artisian 325 watt device which amazon sells at a lower price.

Even without the rebate it was a bargain.

We definitely like it and this will definitely last a long, long time.

Thank you Amazon.

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Topics: Kitchen Gadgets Bestsellers |
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8 000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Koldfront

The Koldfront 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner (model PAC8000S) is an ultra compact portable air conditioner that delivers a frigid blast of cold air and fits in almost any space. This compact portable air conditioner is capable of cooling up to a 225 square foot room and offers a three speed fan function and a dehumidifying function. The PAC8000S Portable Air Conditioner is our value choice pick – For those that are looking for a great price but don’t want to sacrifice quality or features in their purchasing decision. This portable air conditioner also has an adjustable 24 hour timer, so you can set it and forget it. This is a great unit for situations in which you need a stylish unit that provides powerful cooling and versatile operation.

Another great feature of this portable air conditioner is that it is an environmental friendly unit – It meets new RoHS standards. RoHS, also known as the lead-free directive, stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. The goal of RoHS is to restrict the amount of certain toxins in electronic and electrical equipment such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. This restriction lessens the harmful impact these toxins can have on the environment and allows for the safer disposal and recycling of electronics and electrical equipment.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Absolute Garbage
I’ve had this AC for about one year and I hardly use it. It’s much better to wait until the outside cools down and open all the windows. Like many one-hose portable AC units, the Koldfront draws air into the room from the outside or the rest of the house, which effectively creates a negative pressure into the room. The end result is that you bring as much warn air into your space as you cool down. My room is 144 square feet with 8 ft cielings, so it is not a particularly large space. According to my digital thermometer, my room cooled down by one degree after 5 hours of running. It went from 79 to 78 degrees F. After 5 hours, the unit stopped working and just blew warm air. I live in Southern California, which is not a particulalrly humid environment, and outside was only 85 degrees. If you do buy a portable AC unit, MAKE SURE IT IS A 2 HOSE UNIT.

2 Stars What you need to know about Portable Air Conditioners before you buy
Hello everyone!

Portable air conditioners work by taking the air from your room, cooling it, and blowing the hot air out through an exhaust hose attached to your window.

But blowing hot air to the outside creates negative pressure inside your room which, in turn, pulls in more hot air from the outside (the amount of air blown out is equal to the amount of air pulled in). It is kind of self defeating.

The portable air conditioner is able to cool your room as long as the air it exhausts is hotter than the hot air pulled in, then there is an overall cooling effect. But as the temperature outside increas, a small A/C unit may not have enough BTU to to cool the air enough to compensate the hot air being sucked in.

I made the mistake of using a traditional web based cooling calculator to estimate the amount of BTU’s needed for a portable A/C. If I had read the web page more carefully I would have noticed that these BTU calculators are for window/wall mounted air conditioners. The major difference between a window A/C and a portable A/C is that the window unit has its heat exchange coils outside and does not create negative pressure in your room (in other words, the cold air in the room is not directly diluted by warm air being sucked in from the outside). Without the negative pressure, there is no hot air being pulled in, so the amount of BTUs needed to cool the room is much less. Of course, even with a window A/C, warm air still seeps into the room but at a lower rate.

I estimate that I would need at least 50% more BTU in a portable air conditioner than that shown in web based BTU calculator for my needs. So instead of the 8,000 BTU Koldfront unit, I should have gotten a 12,000 BTU portable air conditioner.

Note: some portables A/C have two hoses, one for the exhaust and one for the intake so they do not create negative pressure. These units are more effecient and the web based BTU calculator should apply.

Here are the key takeaways:

1. Unless you have a two hose model (which maintains neutral pressure in your room), these portable A/C units are inefficient and are more costly to operate than a conventional through the wall/window air conditioner.

2. If you can, try to get a two hose portable A/C unit. But if not, then you will probably need to increase the portable’s BTUs by 50% (or 1.5x) when using a conventional web based BTU calculator. CompactAppliance tried to warn me but I didn’t listen. What did you expect from a 13yr old? .

3. Do buy from a reputable dealer, such as CompactAppliance. They graciously accepted my return without any hassles. Be sure you always read the vendor’s return policy (some have reasonable restocking fees but some won’t take it back at all!)

I hope this was helpful.

4 Stars Only option that would fit – and it works
PROS

about as small and light (50lbs) as they get

comes with remote

comes with window kit

powerful fan

thermostat

very little assembly/packaging

CONS

no accessible drain pan

machine itself only had power button (no controls)

loud

OVERVIEW

I live in a 300sq foot studio with a 15 foot ceiling and a south-facing bay window. My apartment gets hot when it’s sunny and is almost always damp/humid. I got the Koldfront because it was the only unit that would fit in my available surface area: on top of my kitchen cabinets. I already had ducting running through my cabinets to vent my over-range microwave, so I popped the Koldfront on top of my cabinet and tied the exhaust into my existing duct work.

It takes the Koldfront about 5-7 minutes to cool my apartment down to habitable from digustingly hot. Technically, I think my space is supposed to be a little too big for this machine, but having it blow cold air across my ceiling seems to do a good job of displacing all the hot air, and since it’s located high up, it should be sucking warm air out as it cools the condensers.

I ran this machine for a couple of days at ground level and was less than excited about it’s potential, I could actually feel a temperature differential about two feet off the ground between cold and hot air. But moving it closer to my ceiling made all the difference. When it was on the floor, all it did was move air and maybe cool a little bit. Now that it’s at ceiling height I’m actually getting chilly.

FAN SPEED

There are three fan speeds: high is pretty loud, and low is still relatively loud. I’ve gotten used to it pretty quickly though, it pretty much acts as white noise, dampening external sounds.

MODES

AC, Dehumidifier, and Fan are the available mode settings for this machine. I’m happy about these options since you won’t always need/want the condensers coming on and off, and you can dehumidify when it’s cold out without turning on the AC.

WATER RESERVOIR

The koldfront is supposed to vent humidity out through the ducting, but has a water resevoir for high humidity situations. Unlike some machines, the reservoir isn’t a bucket that you can remove from the machine. To drain the reservoir, you have to pull out a little plug at the bottom of the AC, which is about two inches off the ground. That doesn’t give you much room to maneuver a drain pan. Fortunately, at 50LBS, it’s not too heavy to put in the bathtub and let drain there. The lack of an accessible reservoir is a definite con though. Apparently the Koldfront is made to be able to hard-wire a drain, so that may be an option for some. I ran my machine on and off for a couple of days in San Francisco and it drained something like a cup of water. I don’t know the total size of the reservoir, but the drain indicator lite hadn’t turned on yet before I drained it.

THERMOSTAT

I’ve read some reviews complaining of an inaccurate thermostat on the KOLDFRONT, but mine seems to be about spot on.

REMOTE AND LCD PANEL

Don’t lose the remote, or if you do, hope you had your Koldfront set exactly how you want to have it because there’s no way to change settings without the remote. The remote itself is pretty intuitive, with power, up, down, mode, fan speed, Celsius/Fahrenheit, timer, and cancel buttons. And it comes with batteries. The LCD panel reads the ambient temperature in either Celsius or Fahrenheit until you press the up or down button on the remote, in which case it reads your preset temperature preference. There’s a blue/green/yellow LED that indicates whether you’re in AC/dehumidifier/ or fan mode, respectively. The information on the LCD is large enough to read from several feed away.

ASSEMBLY

Like most appliances, the Koldfront came with a cardboard cover over the packaging and plastic ties keeping it on. You just cut the ties and lift the cardboard cover off the machine. Inside, there’s just a couple pieces of Styrofoam, the AC, and the window kit, plastic duct, instructions, remote, and two AAA batteries for the remote. The AC itself doesn’t require any assembly, aside from plugging the duct in. The drain plug on mine had popped out, so I just twisted it back into place. There’s a little more involved in assembling the window kit, but the instructions are pretty good on how to get that together. All you need (if your window is the right size) is a phillips head screw driver. The window kit is held into place by the weight of your window and doesn’t need to be screwed into the window frame at all.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I’m happy with my Kodlfront. Mine arrived fully functional out of the box, and raising it to ceiling height has made it a lean, mean studio-cooling machine. It’s a little bit bigger than I had guessed from the picture, but it’s still smaller than most, and fit where I needed it to. It’s loud, but inexpensive and has a built in thermostat and remote. Draining it is going to be a hassle, since I’ve moved it out of easy reach, but there’s nothing else on the market that would have worked for me, so four stars for working properly, but not five, because of the lack of controls on the machine, the lack of a removable reservoir, and the loudness of the fan.

3 Stars Well, Actually 3+
I bought this unit to keep my menopausal roommate comfortable in her room at the back of the house. I live in the central valley of California. We average over 100 the entire month of July, and upper 90s through August (just sayin’, you guys who can get cooler than 78 by opening a window). My central air keeps the west end of the house tolerable most of the time, but the east end of the house just never cools off.

So before she moves in, I tell her the back room gets pretty warm and she tut-tuts and assures me that she’s one tough broad, and really she is. Only after three nights, she ‘fesses up to not sleeping on account of she’s so overheated back there. Begin the shopping for a small air conditioner. Here is what I found — this one is pretty decent looking, it is very reasonably priced, it looks miles better than units costing twice as much. I shopped through Amazon, ordered the thing in 5 minutes or less and the manufacturer notified me within 24 hours that the unit was on its way. Well before the deliver-by date, the unit showed up on my front porch, well-packaged and in perfectly good condition.

The only reason this is a 3 and not a 4 is that the set-up required some extra parts and finagling that we hadn’t expected. On the other hand, two cranky, hot, menopausal women got the thing up and running within half an hour, and finished with a pretty decent set-up in another half hour the next night. Roommate says it’s a little noisy, but keeps the room cool, looks pretty OK and is way better than sleeping sweaty. Her landlady says she spent way less than she might have for a better product. Both menopausal women less hot, less cranky and generally pretty pleased.

5 Stars I love it and ordered another one
This is a great, economical portable AC unit that has been a blessing in the Texas heat wave and drought of 2009. We are so dry that all I did was plug it in. No extra water, no venting, it just sits there in the middle of the room and cools. I don’t know what all the griping is about except that folk must not have priced these units elsewhere. It was easy to set up and the instructions were clear and in a booklet. The unit saved my life one night when my Central AC went out. It weighs 55 pounds and is on wheels. Best bargain I have found! Home Depot’s cheapest offer was an evaporative cooler. Ugh! If we ever have winter, I can put it in a corner until spring.

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Presto 07039 Professional 22 Inch Jumbo Electric Griddle

Great for every meal. This griddle’s extra large cooking surface makes enough food for the entire family. Control Master heat control maintains proper cooking temperature automatically. Premium nonstick surface for stick free cooking and easy cleaning. Sl

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Excellent Product.
WOW, THIS HAS A WIDE SURFACE, SO IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A LOT OF PANCAKES WITHOUT THEM GETTING COLD, BUY THIS PRODUCT. I LOVED IT. YOU TRY IT AND YOU WILL AGREE.

5 Stars Good price, nice product.
I bought this griddle for pancakes and it works great. Good, even temperature on entire cooking surface. Non stick surface makes for a fast and easy clean up.

2 Stars i’m returning my griddle!
I owned a Presto griddle for 10 years before it started wearing out. I wanted to replace it with another Presto. Like others have said, this one cooks very unevenly. It gives me striped pancakes and sandwiches. It also gets way too hot when you set it on the recommended temperatures. After a couple months of getting frustrated I’m finally exchanging it. Looking at other reviews, i doubt i’ll get another Presto griddle. I don’t know how some people are happy with theirs, then some seem defective. Wish it were more consistant.

5 Stars As nice as expected.
So many times you buy a product and find several things that don’t fit the hype for it. This time is not one of them. This griddle is indeed a great product that fulfills all its promises. This is the first time I have not had to run two seperate batches of pancakes, eggs, grilled bologna, or hamburgers for my family of 5 in order to have the entire meal ready at the same time for everyone. The space of the griddle is great. Another fantastic feature is the clean-up. A soapy washcloth followed by a damp paper towel and then dry paper towel is more than enough to clean this unit lickety-split. I have arthritis so I particularly appreciate this feature that doesn’t require scrubbing. It’s true that there are hotter spots in certain places due to the heating coil, but it is no problem moving the food around a bit during the cooking process to keep the heat even. 4 1/2 stars for this welcome cooking implement for our home.

5 Stars Breakfast hasn’t been the same since…
My wife cooks on this thing all the time. It’s perfect for grilled cheese, eggs, bacon, and so much more! Easy cleanup, easy storage.

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Krups KM7000 Grind and Brew 10 Cup Coffeemaker Black

Love coffee? The Krups 1000 watt programmable grind and brew coffee maker brews up to 10 cups of coffee. This Coffeemaker has 3 settings that lets you choose your coffee strength whether you prefer it light, medium or rich. Krups has mastered the components to a perfect cup of coffee. The grind, the coffee to water ratio, the brew temp and contact time. Make the perfect cup of coffee in minutes with this Grind and Brew Coffee Maker. Includes a Conical Burr grinder with automatic functionality and 5 levels of grind. Features Include: A Back-Lighted LCD Screen with Clock and Programmable Timer. 2-10 Cup Digital Settings that Control the Coffee / Water Ratio Aroma Function for 2-4 Cups for Proper Brewing of Small Coffee Quantities No Drip Valve. The KM7000 Automatically Prevents Steam from Clogging the Coffee Channel Grinder with High Quality Glass Carafe. Auto Shut off feature shuts unit down when not in use. Auto shut-off High Quality Glass Carafe Automatically Prevents Steam from Clogging the Coffee Channel Grinder Measures 11-1/2 by 11-1/8 by 15-1/2 inches 1 year limited warranty

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars OK Product, but get an extended warranty
Our unit was repaired twice under the initial 1-year warranty for the same problem: from one day to the next the water stops running through the unit to make coffee. The repairs seem to last 3 to 6 months. The problem has recurred and now Krups says it’s not their problem anymore, so I will rely on the 2-year extended warranty I got. We like the easy clean-up and cover quality enough to buy another unit with the replacement money, but will get another extended warranty. I did find several reviewers who have had the same problem, and one of them posted the “fix”, which involves removing/replacing cutoff fuses clamped aroudn the outside edge of the heating unit. I will try this if I ever have the problem outside of warranty.

2 Stars Krups is Kraps
Nice machine when it works. I don’t mind gadget-y stuff and am willing to work with idiosyncratic machines. I figured out how to work it, learned the controls. I could live with a little coffee left in the chute which meant it wasn’t perfectly fresh the next pot. I didn’t mind a few grounds being spewed on the counter. These minor things (to me) wouldn’t put me off of the product. When it started leaking water everywhere but into the grounds after 6 months, I was not happy. I had to pay shipping to send it in even though it was under warranty. Krups sent a new one. Ok. Soon after, the valve which enables one to pour a cup before the brew is finished, broke. Krups wouldn’t replace it even though it was still under warranty. They don’t cover that part. Now after 1 year 3 months, it has stopped heating the water. Clearly not a well made product. My old Melitta lasted for years.

1 Star Customer Service Warning
I purchased this item two weeks ago and it was working fine until this morning. It ground the beans but would not heat up the water. I followed the guide and unplugged the unit to allow it to reset-still nothing. I called customer service and they informed me that I have to ship it to the closet service center (New York-I live in Boston) at MY EXPENSE and they would either fix it or send me a new one. I told the representative that this is an unacceptable response for a major corporation and that the unit should just be replaced. I was told this is not their policy.

1 Star If you buy this today – Plan to buy a new one in just over a year
This coffee maker stopped working just after the 1 year warranty period expired. It will still grind, but no longer heats/pumps the water – just powers down after the grind cycle. Not worth the price for 1 year of use. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER KRUPS PRODUCT AGAIN!

1 Star Dissapointment
I researched a bunch of grind and brews and decided this one had the features I wanted. It turns out the caraffe is terrible you have to hold the lid up or coffee spills all over the counter. It absolutly will not grind any medium or dark roast beans. Those beans have an oily residue that causes them to not slide into the grinder. I had to switch to light roasts to have any coffe at all or use a stand alone grinder. After three months the heater went out so now it doesn’t work due to a $1.25 thermal fuse. Do not buy this thing. If you search the web you will see every one has these issues.

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FoodSaver T02 0052 01 3 4 Quart 1 1 2 Quart and 2 1 2 Quart Round Canister Set 3 Pack

For use with any FoodSaver machine that has an accessory port, these three plastic canisters store fruits and vegetables, dry goods like beans and coffee, and baking supplies like flour and sugar and keep them fresh after air has been vacuumed out by the machine. The canisters hold 3/4 quart, 1-1/2 quarts, and 2-1/2 quarts and are dishwasher-safe (though the lids are not). Machines the canisters can be used with include the following: Tilia 00-1400-01 FoodSaver Vac 550 Kit Vacuum Sealing System, Tilia 00-1700-00 FoodSaver Vac 1050 Kit, and Tilia 00-0312-01 FoodSaver Professional II Vacuum Sealing Kit. –Fred Brack

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star VERY POOR PRODUCT
I’ve tried several of these Foodsaver canisters, and most have cracked quite soon after being put into use. One crack, and they are no longer air-tight. The round ccanisters crack on the bottom. Rectangular canisters crack along all four corners. Don’t waste your money. Also, they’re real space-eaters in the cabinets. the lids don’t nest at all, and neither do the canisters of the same size.

5 Stars foodsaver canisters
I’ve read the previous reviews. Maybe “Foodsaver” has gone back to the drawing board because these canisters seem to have very thick walls. Maybe I will have better luck with these. I’ve been using them for about 2 months now & so far, so good.

1 Star DO NOT BUY THESE
I purchased this set and all three failed within a week. I contacted foodsaver and they sent replacements and they all failed too. Again I called and they sent more canisters of larger sizes and they failed….i think there should be a class action suit against the company for selling faulty products. The vac system works fine but these canisters are JUNK !!!

1 Star Obviously inferior product
I really liked the idea of reusable vacuum canisters, so I ordered a set of the round canisters and a set of the rectangular ones. That was probably about 3 or 4 years ago. I used them for storing dry goods such as chips, crackers, peanuts, coffee. After one month, I noticed a small hair line crack at the bottom of one canister, emminating from the center. Then there were two cracks, then three. Eventually, the cracks broke through the plastic and it would not hold a seal. Soon, another canister developed cracks. I ordered two more canisters to replace them. Before long, all but one of the canisters began developing cracks, even the new ones. The one that hasn’t cracked is the very small one.

I decided not to throw any more money away on replacements. Some of them still hold a seal, but I have learned to stop the machine way before it turns off automatically. This results in less vacuum, but enough to hold the lid on and provide a vacuum seal.

These canisters have never been put in the dishwasher, freezer or microwave, nor have they been dropped.

It is a manufacturing/engineering defect. They are not strong enough to stand up to the high vacuum pull of the Foodsaver machine.

I am perplexed as to why the great majority of consumers have problems with the canisters cracking, and yet there are a few who do not have the problem. Has Foodsaver improved the quality of this product lately. Maybe, but I won’t take the chance just yet.

On the other side of the coin, I am very impressed with the actual Foodsaver machine itself. I have had good results using the rolls and the pre-cut bags. And you can reseal almost any type of snack bag (without a vacuum) by just using the heat strip. Also, the universal jar sealers work well. After reading these reviews, I am glad to see that you can actually use the cracked canisters to seal mason jars. I wish I would have thought of that before. Now I can use them for something other than keeping coupons in, LOL.

1 Star FOODSAVER VACUUM MACHINE, CANNISTERS, BAGS
I want to make it clear that for me the FoodSaver FoodSaver V3835 Vacuum Food Sealer with SmartSeal TechnologyFoodSaver 3-Piece Canister SetFoodSaver Continuous Roll Bag Material, 8-Inch by 22-Foot (2 Rolls)FoodSaver Continuous Roll Bag Material, 11 Inch by 18 Feet (2 Rolls)canisters are a complete waste of money. Not only do they crack but the larger canisters sold for bulk items do not hold their seal indefinitely at all. Inasmuch as the seal depends upon the vacuum, the containers are otherwise useless for any further storage since the lids simply sit on top without any form of securing. I returned several bulk container tops before realizing the company had no fix for the problem. When the things work they are wonderful but they are definitely unreliable and short lived. That is why I give them one star. If you buy bulk goods, you’re better off with food grade plastic buckets and nitrogen.

Now, for the bags… After vacuuming and placing the bags in the freezer for storage, one must take care not to handle the frozen bags too exuberantly when rummaging in the freezer. They can, and sometimes will, loose their vacuum. Having said that, I must admit I would not want to be without the FoodSaver. When I cook, I cook more than I need and freeze all manner of items for later consumption. I date all the food and it lasts for a long time. For fishing and hunting the vacuum bags are a wonderful way to store your raw meat or fish. I’m able to produce any number of impromptu meals for myself or guests as a result of the ability of storing food in these vacuumed bags; i.e. venison, stripped bass, blackfish etc. Cooked meals such as sliced corn beef; pot roast and gravy; meatballs, sausage, pork and spaghetti sauce; soups and stews; chicken breasts prepared for use in chicken salad or any number of dishes. I enjoy cooking but being single I don’t always have the time to do so. Having precooked, single serving vacuum packed meals ready to heat up, in my opinion, is far superior than heating up any frozen “TV” dinner.

Sometimes I will purchase a “managers special” in the market such as steaks or chuck for stew, or any other beef, fish or chicken on sale. The bags are the best for storing raw food as well, whether or not you prep it for a particular dish for later (as previously suggested). For these reasons I have to give the FoodSaver and bags 5 stars even though the bags loose their seal now and again if you’re not careful. It’s worth it. I have worn out my first one and now have two, one for the home and one for the camper.

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