Cuisinart PSC-350 3-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker Review. Slow cooking is an art form. And the Cuisinart Programmable 3.5 Quart Slow Cooker perfects it using a precise, convenient 24 hour LCD countdown timer and four cooking modes including a Warm function when the time elapses. It's easy to make comfort foods or try out new gourmet creations-all in a convenient-sized ceramic pot that fits comfortably on any countertop....

 "Love it!" 2009-05-24
By Vickie Deangelis (Alabaster, AL United States)

I absolutely love this slow cooker! If this was available a few years ago I could have saved tons of money trying to find a slow cooker that didn't overcook everything! I've not had it very long but have made 3 dishes already and each turned out perfect,not boiled beyond recognition. I have purchased at least 3 Rival slow cookers and either took them back or sold them at my garage sale. Each of them boiled everything even on low,not to mention had issues with water dripping onto the countertop from under the lid! The one that seemed to work the best prior to purchasing the Cuisinart was the Corelle 4qt slow cooker, but it did not give me the option of setting the exact time...anything set under 7 hrs automatically cooked on high. I also have the Kitchenaid which is a great slow cooker but is 7qts...now they say you can make smaller recipes with no problems, but almost all recipes sized for a 3-4 qt slow cooker overcooked when I tried to use it. I probably could have tried adjusting the cooking time or something but just didn't want to go to the bother. If you're making a large amount then it's awesome. It was very expensive also. So as you can see, I have tried a number of them. The Cuisinart is the perfect size for the two of us, with leftovers to boot. I have not had problems with over cooking. I would highly recommend it!

 "Great slow cooker!!" 2009-03-28
By Audrey R. (Los Angeles, CA)

I love cooking and this slow cooker is a huge plus! I was looking for a small-size slow cooker between 3qt and 4qt with a timer. As far as I know, Cuisinart is the only brand that clears my requirements. The stainless steel finish makes it modern and clean looking.



This slow cooker is very easy to use. Just plug in, turn on, set the cooking time (+- by 30 min)and choose the heat setting. I made beef goulash and the meat was cooked so tender. The 3.5qt oval size pot is perfect for 2-4 people. You can easily cook large meat or a small portion of food. My only concern is that the surface gets very hot while cooking. You don't want to put anything flammable around it.

Overall, I love this slow cooker!!

 "Easy to use and very convenient!" 2009-09-21
By Mirna Mora

My daughter is a first time in college student and she had been begging me to get her a slow cooker for college. I shopped around and this slow cooker was the smallest digital one I could find. I thought it was too big for her needs, but bought it for her anyway and she could not be more happy! She loves it to death. She says that cleaning it is very simple since you can remove the black pot, it is very easy to choose the amount of heat and time you want to cook the food for, and that the food she makes comes out absolutely delicious and lasts her for days! One thing she finds particularly helpful is the automatic warm feature. Once the food is done cooking she doesn't have to worry about it burning, she can go to class and come back for dinner! It is not too heavy and while it does take up quite a bit of space the usefulness of it far outweighs that small disadvantage. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has very little time on their hands to cook.

 "FINALLY.....A KEEPER" 2009-10-07
By vlc (Littleton CO)

I love this slow cooker! You have no idea how many expensive and inexpensive slow cookers I've had to return due to overcooking the food; and/or cooking too hot at the low setting. This Cuisinart has a "simmer" setting which is set lower than the "low" setting. For long-term cooking, this is my preferred heat setting. You can't go wrong with this one, folks!

 "Finally a slow cooker that works!" 2010-02-16
By AFS (NY, NY)

I had a Rival 6 qt slow cooker and rarely used it. First, it was too big; when I bought it, there was no available information about the appropriate size for needs. I cook for my husband and myself and a 6 qt crockpot was way too big. Second, it only had 2 heat settings and I couldn't manually enter a time... I had 2 time choices for each heat setting. So, if a recipe said to cook on low for 6 hrs... I couldn't. 8 hrs was the shortest amount of time.



I bought this crockpot hoping it would work out better for us. I work full time, my husband works nights, we have a 20 month old as well. I have about a 1hr window in which to cook dinner... and that cuts into my only available time for the gym and my only time during the week with my son. I needed some way to be able to have home cooked meals without the effort!



I use this crockpot several nights a week. Chicken, soup, pasta sauce, pork, beef... you name it. It all comes out perfect (unless I happen to set the timer to high or too long). Other people have mentioned steam escaping, and rattling of the lid, I have experienced nothing but a perfectly functional life saver!



It is so wonderful to come home to a kitchen that smells like a wonderful home cooked meal, knowing the next 2 hrs before we eat are mine to do with what I will because dinner is ready and waiting!

Oster 4093 Classic Beehive Blender, Chrome Review. Give your kitchen a modern appliance with retro styling. Enjoy healthy fruit smoothies in the a.m. and less innocent beverages in the p.m. The continuous speed and pulse along with a stainless steel cutting blade will have your ingredients chopped, blended, and purEed in next to no time....

 "4th time's the charm" 2002-01-10
By Melissa (NY, NY USA)

I've burned through 3 other brands of blenders -- each time the plastic "spinner" in the motor base (which mates to a plastic spinner in the pitcher's base that turns the blade) broke. Finally we decided to try out the Oster "Classic" because it uses a metal shaft that fits directly into the pitcher's base to turn the blades rather than the plastic disks that all the newer blender designs seem to use. That does the trick. I make a lot of fruit smoothies using frozen fruit -- which can be pretty hard on blenders -- but so far the Oster Classic has been up to the task. I highly recommend it!

 "Simple does it best" 2002-08-17
By Shinda (Joplin, MO United States)

We bought this blender after a horrid experience with some Cuisianart mulit-speed blender that turned out to be a piece of ... Originally I was attracted to all the bells and whistles, but after all that leaked on the first pouring, I realized we had a problem, Houston.

After cruising the ratings here, we bought the basic, two-speed (read: go and pulse) GORGEOUS chrome beehive blender. Somehow we got the one that had the mini-jar for dressings, the food processor, and milkshake blade with chrome cannister, all for less than the Cuisinart Multi-Function Mistake. :)

This thing kicks. I've made dressings in it, and it was done with ease and they were blended well. Most importantly, I've made several batches of adult drinks involving ice, and as long as you add the ice a few cubes at a time, it turns out perfectly smooth (no ice chips hitting your teeth as you tip the glass).

I LOVE OUR OSTERIZER BEEHIVE BLENDER!!!! Simple is really all you need in a blender. If it's something that needs a bit of mixing, hit the pulse button as needed. If it's serious mixing, turn it on. In my opinion, speed 3, 6, and 9 are not required. This does it all, and looks MIGHTY fine while doing it. If only we had the counter space to leave it out.......it's SO pretty!!!!

Happy blending, anything!
Shinda

 "Smooth like a Blender should be" 2005-02-12
By A. Manning (NY, New York)

I use this blender 3-4 times a week, mostly for smoothies (always with ice and some kind of frozen fruit, often large strawberries) and I LOVE IT. It blends very smoothly - I never have to turn it on and then off and on again for it to blend everything in the jar, it does that in one blending cycle.



Two cycles is all you need and more - especially when they work this well. I went to my mom's over Christmas and used her "Oster 6663 Designer 12-Speed Blender with Glass Jar" and it was world's apart - could hardly crush ice (even on the 12th speed, which had no difference from speeds 6-11) and left smoothies and milkshakes with a lot of floating, un-blended objects. Not so with this blender - it is as smooth as my local juice joint.



It is a blender, so there is some noise, but it was much less louder than I anticipated given the reviews here. Its never bothered me and I beleive it not as loud as the one at my moms (poor mom, need to get her one of these for next Christmas!).



And it is beautiful to have on my countertop. Easy to clean as well.

 "This Blender Rules!" 2005-10-13
By Danielle Lane (Horseshoe, North Carolina)

I was drawn to this blender because of it's vintage looks, the beehive chrome base is right out of the 50's. Of course, since I am addicted to smoothies and all other blenders I've owned haven't lasted very long (or plain couldn't chop through the ice!), I was skeptical about purchasing a blender on looks alone. After reading all the reviews though, it seemed like this could be the blender I've been searching for. As soon as it arrived, I washed it and put it on the counter and stared at it, yes it really is a good looking piece! In the morning, I threw in all my smoothie fixin's and piled in the ice - still a little skeptical, but very hopeful. I couldn't believe how quickly the ice was chopped and then smoothed into a nice puree! Thinking it may have been a fluke, I made another smoothie that evening. Same thing happened. Yes! Finally a blender that works! I couldn't be happier and have found that now that it's so effortless to make my smoothies, I have them even more often than before. Plus, there's no need to shove this blender into the pantry, it stays on the counter in all it's beautiful glory. This blender rules!

 "great blender!!!" 2006-04-12
By C. Freeman (Seattle, Wa. USA)

I burned through 3 blenders in like a year and a half because I make a smoothie almost every morning for breakfast and I guess the other blenders just couldn't handle it. One didn't even last a month! Then I bought this Oster, which not only looks great, but also has lasted me almost 2 years now and is still going strong! I really love this blender so I had to write!

Cuisinart DCC-1150BK 10-Cup Programmable Thermal Coffeemaker, Black Review. The sleek, attractive thermal carafe and stainless accents blend seamlessly to achieve a classic look with modern conveniences. With easy 24 hour programmability to ensure a fresh pot of coffee anytime, and a 1-4 cup setting to maintain the delicious coffee taste when making a smaller pot, this 10-cup coffeemaker is a smart addition to the countertop. And the gold-tone coffee filter and charcoal water filter always ensure fresh, great tasting coffee....

 "If you want a coffeemaker, look no further" 2008-05-11
By Savor.NYC (NYC)

I have this one in black, and have been making coffee at least once a day for the past three weeks. I was debating between this 10-cup thermal ($80), the 12-cup thermal ($130), and the 12-cup glass carafe with warming plate ($80), all by Cuisinart. In the end, I wanted something that used less electricity, so I went with the thermal. The added bonus with a thermal is that the coffee taste doesn't change from your first cup to your second cup a few hours later. I finally decided to save $50 and buy the 10-cup thermal because everything else was the same except for the 10 ounce difference (both coffeemakers brew 5 oz cups). I purchased mine from a different store, and I found out that there was no gold cone filter. I called up Cuisinart and they said depending on where you purchased the coffeemaker, it may use paper cones, or it may come with the gold cone filter. They graciously sent me a gold cone for free. So after 3 weeks:



PROS:

-easy to set up, easy to use

-charcoal water filter (I use tap water, so I like the fact that the machine filters it before going into my coffee)

-auto brew timer (the smell of coffee helps me wake up in the morning and I am fully brain dead when I first wake up. I can barely get dressed, much less make coffee. So I set it up the night before and I have amazing, fresh coffee ready for me in the AM).

-beeps to signal that coffee is ready

-coffee stays fresh for at least 4 hours. On weekends, I set my coffee to brew as normal at 7AM, but sometimes I sleep late until 11AM or later. I go to pour my coffee and it's still steaming! (and not burnt from the warming plate)

-thermal carafe saves electricity because there is no need for a warming plate

-I can use both paper cone filters or the gold cone filter. The gold cone is just as easy to clean as the disposable paper cones. I just shake out the grinds into the trash, and rinse with water. SO easy. And I save money because I don't have to buy filters!

-I drink my coffee black, so I can tell good coffee from bad coffee. I also like my coffee strong and bold. When I'm lazy, I use Illy medium grind, medium roast pre-ground. One mountainous scoop (comes with the coffeemaker) per 10 oz. of coffee. My one mug of coffee is equal to the coffeemaker's two cups, so yes, the machine makes 5 mugs total. When I make coffee for just myself, I fill the reservoir to 2 cups, add one giant scoop of coffee to the filter, press the 1-4 cups button, turn the dial to brew, and press "on." I love it.

-I have no problem with the size of the machine (I thought it was small). It is sitting on a side table in my tiny kitchen, not on the countertop or underneath cabinets. So I can easily flip up the top and have easy access to the water reservoir. It is also on the right side of the table, so I just use a cup and pour water into the reservoir. I don't think it's hard at all to pour water in. The triangular opening is on the right, back corner of the machine and is about 3" x 3" x 4".

-The water level is very clearly marked and easy to see on the right side of the machine.



CONS:

-The beep is not just one cute beep. It is 4 or 5 beeps in a row. This could be annoying to some people.

-Not really a con for me, but other people have commented on the pouring as "difficult." I think it is the nature of a thermal carafe to require some patience when pouring into a cup. It is well sealed to keep the coffee hot, so when you pour, the liquid has to go through a maze to get out. On my last cup, I just take the top off and pour. Definitely worth the "effort." It's really not hard, I promise. :)

-I read reviews of how people wake up with coffee all over the counter because the carafe was clogged at the top. So whenever I set up the machine to brew, I make sure to rinse the top with hot water and shake it around a bit to make sure the little ball isn't stuck. Also, not difficult to do.

-I guess if you don't have easy access to the right side of this machine, it could be difficult to pour water in and see the water level. If it's in the middle of your countertop, you may have to turn it to the side in order to pour the water in. For me, it's easy because my coffeemaker sits on the right side of a table in my kitchen.



I am so glad I went with this machine. I hope it lasts for a long time.

 "Wonderful coffee maker" 2008-04-27
By Lori Topaz (Texas)

I purchased this coffeemaker after careful research and like it very much. It makes delicious coffee that stays hot for about 4 hours. The coffee retains good flavor for the whole time. It is also easy to clean. With a regular coffee pot (not thermal), the coffee loses its flavor after an hour. This one meets my needs. Also, Cuisinart warranties it for 3 years. I have owned a grind and brew coffee maker and prefer this one which I use in conjunction with my grinder.



It isn't perfect, but the small drawbacks don't bother me. Yes, it is a little hard at first to read the fill markings for water. To get the last bit of coffee out of the carafe, you do have to take off the lid and really tilt the carafe. On the other hand, that last bit tastes good.



I also like the looks of this device. The stainless steel goes with many other appliances. Overall, it is a recommend.



LT

 "GREAT!!! - DONT GO BY OTHER REVIEWS" 2009-04-21
By Gene Friedman

I've been using this for 4 months now and I dispute all these reviewers who's review is laughable. Yes, the machine beeps 4 times when ready to alert you. But wake up the whole house???? Who are these people and do they sleep in the kitchen?



Next, are the whiners about lukewarm coffee. If you want hotter coffee just press the 1-4 cups button - it double heats the water for more extraction. Guarantee if you drink it black it'll burn you.



Next, is the carafe criers. In 4 months I havent had this drip once. Its quite impressive in that I CANT get it to drip no matter how slow or fast I pour it. It takes me 5 seconds to pour the cold water in the spot in the back. And the carafe has a long lip so it goes right into this spot - its foolproof really. The water level on the side is highly visible and much preferred over pots with markings on the inside.



Finally, it makes a consistently good cup of java pretty quickly and the stainless steel carafe will never break - unlike the glass ones. It looks great on the counter. And even though the inside is plastic you do not get that plastic taste in your coffee like other brands that overheat the water - I like that for safety.



With a thermal carafe you can put it on the table to serve guests at your card game or whatever and it keeps it hot - try doing that with glass pot.



Go ahead and buy this with confidence and enjoy a great cup of coffee!

 "I AM VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT COFFEE!!" 2009-07-03
By Kevin Fazio (Grand Rapida, MI)

I am very particular about just about anything. But especially Coffee. I drink 4 - 6 / 12 - 16 oz's a day. I read almost every positive and negative review about this product. This coffee maker lives up to the positives. First, It looks great.



The only problem I had was figuring out how to set the clock. (you have to hold down the clock button until it blinks). Second, I did run water alone through it like the directions suggested to make sure it was clean and free of dust. There was no plastic smell at all.



Third, I decided to try the permanent filter even though I had a fear it would leave grounds. It does not leave any grounds in the coffee!. The only disadvantage is cleaning the filter. When you dump it in the trash only about half the grounds come out and you have to rinse the rest of them out in the sink. Not a deal breaker just an FYI.



Fourth, I put cream in my coffee. UPS delivered my coffee pot around 11 AM and my 11:30 I was having my first cup which was plenty hot. I made a full pot without using the 1-4 cup button. We then went out for the day and at 6:35 PM I decided to have a cup. Now I was assuming I would have to nuke it by then and was just curious how warm it would be. Now I can not stand luke warm or cold coffee, to me it is disgusting! at 6:35 with cream the coffee was still hot.



Now I know I just got it today but seriously for the money I do not think you can find a better coffee maker. Oh as far as the beeps. They ARE NOT crazy loud. Whoever said that is crazy. Also as far as the small marker on the side of the pot to tell the water intake and the small opening to pour water. Ok yes it is a little small. But I have always used a plastic pitcher that I bought at a store for [...] bucks and I have no problems pouring it in. as far as the marker goes, I actually look at it from the inside as I pour and I have not had any problems.



Lastly what I do love about it is that is does not leak at all when pouring. My old one leaked because I was trying to pour too fast. I do rinse the top of it to make sure the ball does not stick. Anyway so far so good. I would definitely recommend this product.

 "Nice replacement for my old unit" 2009-09-04
By AKO California (Los Angeles)

I'd read some of the negative reviews but took the chance anyway and bought one. After over a month of use, I'm very happy with this coffee maker.



There is a "1-4" button that makes the water hotter if just 1 through 4 cups of coffee are being brewed. I think hitting that button first would help some of the lukewarm problems some people are having. My coffee comes out hot. Although some do appear to have defective units.



Other pluses:

- Carafe keeps the coffee hot for hours without the hot plate being heated. Saves electricity.

- No worrying about forgetting to turn it off. It brews and then is off. (I had to call a neighbor to turn off my old coffee maker after I'd flown out of town on a trip.)

- Included gold filter basket can be used instead of paper filters. I don't notice a difference in taste, at least on different days. Maybe side by side there would be. Either way, if I run out of filters, I can still make coffee.

- Water level indicator is on the side rather than having to look down from the top.



Minuses:

- The carafe is harder to pour than a regular carafe.

- No way to monitor how full the carafe is.

- More expensive than other brands.



The beeps are completely normal from my view. Not too loud at all. It didn't even occur to me to comment on them except others have. That's about my only comments on this machine since it is just a coffee maker.

Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler Review. The Cuisinart Griddler makes multifunctional an understatement! With five separate cooking options, it can handle everything from pancakes to sausages to grilled cheese to steaks, hamburgers and Panini. A floating cover, and one set of reversible plates that snap in and out, turn the Griddler into a Contact Grill, a Panini Press, a Full Grill, a Full Griddle, or Half Grill/Grill Griddle. Dual temperature controls ensure everything is perfectly cooked!...

 "Cuisinart upgraded the Griddler, and it's better than ever" 2010-02-28
By S. Harrison (Clements, CA United States)

I bought a G4 Griddler from Amazon in 2005, and used it a couple of times a week (at least) until it had to be put out to pasture in 2010 due to failure of the non-stick coating on the plates. (The coating started to bubble and peel, and no one wants that in their food...) I loved it. (See my review of the Cuisinart GR-4 Griddler Stainless-Steel 4-in-1 Grill/Griddle and Panini Press) It was still working great, but replacement plates were not available.



I was elated when offered the opportunity to review its smarter younger brother, the GR-4NAM Griddler. I could hardly wait for it to get here and run it through its paces.



At first glance, the GR-4NAM looks virtually identical to the G4. However, closer inspection reveals that it has been totally redesigned, and for the better.



Improvement: The grease catcher used to be a little cup that had to be set under a spout on the side of the bottom plate. If it was positioned incorrectly, (or forgotten about), greased dripped out on the counter. The grease catcher is now integrated into the Griddler as a drawer-like device that can be pulled out to clean, and then put back in place for the next use.



Improvement: The original G4 had two sets of plates - one flat set, one ridged set (for paninis). There is now one reversible set of plates (ridged on one side, flat on the other), and therefore no need to find a storage place for the plates not in use. The new plates have a good substantial weight. I don't have the old ones here for comparison, but the quality of the plates certainly was not cheapened.



Improvement: It used to be a little tricky to put the plates in place and to remove them. There was also a difference between the top plate and the bottom, so you had to be careful not to try to put them in the wrong way. The plates now have an identical shape, so they are interchangeable, and the release buttons activate a spring-loaded mechanism that pops the plate loose for easy removal.





Now, to see how it cooks: The Griddler takes about as long to warm up as a good-quality waffle iron. Just when you start to get impatient with it, it's ready.



The first thing that I cooked was a no-no in the eyes of Cuisinart - a bone-in, skin-on leg and thigh chicken quarter. Too thick, they say. HA! says I, because I am a bit of an anarchist. I marinated the chicken in olive oil and rosemary, heated the Griddler to Medium. I cooked it on the panini plates because I love those little fake barbeque stripes across my food. It worked just fine. (I should have taken a picture, it came out looking beautiful. But I was hungry.)



Word of warning: Do not cook thick or fatty meat on High - you will get grease spatters all over the place. Medium works just fine in such instances.



I discovered from my old Griddler that when cooking meat it's best to turn off the heat before it's done, and let it finish cooking with the residual heat in the plates. That way the meat does not get overdone.



For clean-up, I let the plates cool down, and then put a wet paper towel across the bottom plate and close the lid and let it sit for a while. The dampness softens anything that is stuck to the plates, and then it can be easily washed off with a sudsy sponge or dish wand.



Today for lunch, I made myself a sandwich with sliced sourdough bread, cooked sliced chicken breast, fresh grated parmesan cheese and dried basil. I followed the panini directions in the small cookbook that comes with the Griddler. Well, I sort of followed the directions... Cuisinart recommends brushing the outside of the sandwich with olive oil. I prefer to use melted butter on panini because it makes the sandwich crisper.



I preheated the Griddler on High, placed the sandwich inside, and applied light pressure for about 30 seconds, and then let it cook. The directions say to cook panini for about 4 -5 minutes, but my sandwich was ready to eat in 2 minutes. Maybe the butter makes the bread brown faster than olive oil.



In any case, it was beautiful - evenly browned, crunchy and delicious, and I did take a picture (see product images).



How durable will the GR-4NAM be? Good question. From everything that I can see so far, Cuisinart has only made the Griddler better. But time is the real test of quality. I will report back from time to time regarding durability.



Right now, I'd say this looks like an excellent buy.

 "Great Griddle" 2010-01-07
By Byron Butters (Loon Country - Minnesota)

Improvements over previous model are the reversable grill plates that snap in and out very easily and now you do not have 2 extra plates to store somewhere. The grease catch pan is integrated into the bottom and removes very easily for cleaning. Cleanup is a snap: take off the 2 grill plates and they wash and cleanup so easy I don't bother putting them in the dishwasher. Clean the drip tray and you are done. Fast & easy.

I disagree with those that say it is great for cooking small meals or for a small family. It cooks the meat so fast, you better not walk away. First thing I cooked were good sized hamburgers & they were at 180° in 5 minutes. The next 4 were perfectly cooked at 4 minutes. Used the Sear setting per the instruction book with the grill preheated. New York Strip sirloins were done in 3 1/2 to 4 minutes on the Sear setting. Fast cooking & the meat is eye appealing with the grill marks on both sides. Batch number 3 will be pork chops tonight.

Granted, it doesn't quite do the job my Weber grill does outside, but when it is 15 below zero, the Griddler is very nice to have for indoor winter usage.



Great indoor grill, cooks fast, easy cleanup... I highly recommend it.

 "Cuisinart makes high quality products & this is another one!" 2010-01-25
By MaryB

I have been looking for a quality multifunctional griddle and was ecstatic when I found this one! A lot of options packed into this griddler and getting 40% off sealed the deal.



Pros:

-compact when closed therefore easy to store.

-heats quickly and evenly.

-makes the best paninis I've ever had; crisp on the outside.

-grilling inside when the weather outside is bad is a huge plus.

-can grill open or closed depending on how much I need to make and the type of food.

-the lid conforms to the thickness of the food.

-easy to clean.

-drip tray catches every bit of grease.

-because of the multiple options it replaces several older and bulkier appliance I had.



Cons:

-can't think of any.

 "Throw Away The Foreman Grill....." 2010-03-13
By Daniel V. Reilly (Upstate New York, United States)

I've always loved my George Foreman Grill, except for the agonizing clean-up process. The Cuisinart Griddler solves that problem by making the reversible cooking plates removable, so they can be scraped off and easily cleaned by hand, or placed in the dishwasher. My Family has been using this non-stop since it arrived: Hamburgers, Fillet Mignon (My Wife thought it even tasted better than it does on our outdoor grill, which is amazing in and of itself....My Wife is a barbecue fanatic!), Grilled Cheese, Sausages, Pancakes (I have to say, the Pancakes came out PERFECTLY.) The cooking surface is large enough to accommodate pretty much anything you'd want to cook, it cooks evenly, cleans easily (The scraping device works wonderfully, and the drip-tray is cleverly concealed, so you don't have to worry about fat missing the tray if it's not perfectly positioned, or knocking it over while cooking.), and we've just been having a ball cooking with it.

I can't recommend it enough. (Sorry, George Foreman!)

 "Exceeds expectations" 2010-06-07
By F. Nussbaum (New York)

I'm a single guy living in NYC and was looking for an easy-to-use appliance to make quick, delicious food. I could not be more pleased with this purchase. With a bare minimum of prep, I've made delicious paninis, burgers, steaks, ham and eggs, and pancakes, among other things.



The designers thought of everything when putting this together. The reversible non-stick cooking surfaces on either side are easy to switch and simple to clean. The top adjusts simply to any thickness for whatever you may be cooking, whether a flat panini or a thick steak, and provides and even heat on both top and bottom.



My favorite thus far has been to take a whole wheat sandwich roll brushed with olive oil, add a few basil leaves, roasted peppers, sopressata and provolone, and within 3-4 minutes I have a truly delicious panini cooked perfectly throughout. Once when I was stuck with no bread, I improvised and piled cheese atop roasted peppers and roast chicken pieces on the flat surfase and closed the top. The cheese melted and browned beautifully and when it came time to take my creation off the griddle, it didn't stick at all to either surface and I was left with a beautiful bachelor's special. I've also open the griddle completely and cooked fried eggs with salami and pimentos on one side and pancakes on the other (again, neither stuck at all and everything was simple to flip).



The only complaints I have are as follows:



- When it heats up, the whole unit gets quite hot (except for the handle) so you just need to be careful not to accidentally touch the top/sides.



- The edges to the removable cooking surfaces are not quite raised high enough so really juicy foods may drip/splatter over the edge a bit (it helps to ever-so-slightly tip the unit back so that the juices run towards the drip spout)



Other than that, I really appreciate the quality of the unit, the size/design, the ease-of-use and the price. Strongly recommend.

Back To Basics Apple And Potato Peeler Review. Core, slice, and peel apples or potatoes in one easy operation. Made of enamel-coated cast-iron with stainless steel blades and a chrome shaft, the Peel Away Apple Peeler includes a 5-year warranty....

 "Fabulous gadget" 2004-12-16
By Tamara A. Mitchell (Sonora, CA USA)

If you like apple crisp, pie, etc., this gadget is a MUST. I've been peeling, coring, and slicing apples by hand for years, but this takes all the hard work out of my favorite desserts. In seconds, the apple is all clean and ready to bake. Great for pears, too. I have a dehydrator and I've made dried pears and apples for Christmas gifts for people this year using this handy device. I even got my boyfriend to help me because it's so fun to use...and he never cooks!



All of the blades are replaceable, so there is nothing to every wear out. I'm assuming this is the cast iron version of the device. I can't vouch for the aluminum version. The cast iron model is like something my grandmother would have had...rare to find this kind of quality in a gadget these days. No plastic!

 "Great product, but don't buy it here" 2006-02-14
By Bobb L. Bittner

This is a great peeler. Cook's Illustrated rated it as the best mechanical peeler. I had a very similar looking one that I bought last year, but it wasn't as well made as the A505 and it didn't work as well.



That said, these merchants are a total ripoff. This thing does not weigh 15 pounds and I have no clue why they are charging so much for shipping. I bought mine through cooking dot com, for only a few dollars more and with free shipping.



Interestingly, it appears as though Williams Sonoma stores also sell this peeler, though it is repackaged with their name one it. It still has "Back to Basics" stamped on the base, though.

 "An absolute must have ....." 2005-04-03
By Sarge (CNY)

... I've had one of these for years now, essential for handling apples in any amount .... the blade is still sharp, works like the day I bought it ..... so glad to see it's more widely available, I would hate to be without one .... makes a great gift for 'newbie' households.... You won't regret it ....

 "Best ever" 2005-12-21
By Joanne H. Batjer (Raleigh, NC USA)

Just purchased this item. I truely don't know what I did before I got it. It takes about 7 minutes to peel enough apples for an entire pie. It does absolutely great peeling potatoes... especially the ones you skin your knuckles on with a conventional peeler.

 "Great time saver!" 2005-12-20
By K. Butler (Wilmington, DE USA)

I too have had one of these for years, and can't do without it. It saves about 20 minutes for every apple pie I make. Just rinse the apple and load with the core lined up with the mechanism. The suction cup really sticks the mechanism to the counter top, and the mechanism does its job with just a few spins of the crank. There is very little wasted apple when this thing is done peeling/coring/slicing. It leaves just a bit of skin at the very top and bottom of the apple, but I don't mind cutting that bit off the spiral and munching it (the apple comes out in one big spiral, like a slinky.) Cleanup is very easy too. Rarely, it needs a little hand-holding to start peeling a really huge apple, but then finishes just fine. The nieces and nephew all fight to use it. Now I'm buying one for sis (their mom.) Worth every penny!