Hamilton Beach 54615 Wavestation Express Dispensing Blender with 48-Ounce Jar, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this blender about a year ago from Wal-Mart. I've had a number of blenders over the past 30+ years but always ended up giving them away because I seldom if ever used them -- too much bother -- and have this thing about getting rid of unused stuff but finding yet another excuse why I "need" to buy another blender. I got it strictly for smoothies. My sister convinced me they were good for me, but I wasn't about to pay $3-4 a pop for one smoothie. I was going to do all the research but saw this blender in Wal-Mart and just liked how it looked and really liked the price, around $18 at the time. I thought the spout thingee was neat, but I was really blown away by the 500 watts on this thing. I figured how bad could it be with 500 watts. If it blew out after recouping the price of 4-5 smoothies, it would be a fair tradeoff in my view. I'm not a technical person but after comparing the wattage of this one with the others on display, I thought what have I got to lose?
It's plastic, very lightweight and easy to move around. That works for me. Soooo easy to clean and disassemble when doing a thorough clean. Immediately after use I rinse it, fill it less than half full with hot water and a drop of liquid detergent, hold the lid down and give it a couple of whirls on pulse. Take it off and shake it around to get the top clean, then rinse again and make sure I open the spout to let it drain. If you don't clean it right away, you'll have to scrub it clean. You can disengage the spout, replacing it with the screw cap at the bottom of base, if you don't want to use the spout. My smoothies are so thick now I just pour it out.
The first few times I used it, I smelled burning rubber but I do push this thing as far as filling it with ice and whatever else I want and doing it as quickly as I can, using the setting that gives me the quickest results, be that pulse or smoothie or whatever. Again, I like this blender so much I figure I'll replace it with the same if I blow it and it's not under warranty. So far, so good. (It's a 3-year warranty.)
No more burning rubber even though I still fill it with ice and a mixture of everything. I'm reading "Green for Life" so I've added greens, celery, carrots and other vegetables, chia seed gel, flax seed, a little honey, etc., to my juice and fruit mixtures, both frozen banana and other fresh and frozen fruit, all of these things at the same time. DELICIOUS! My husband didn't like the vegetables added at first but now he really looks forward to them, which is just about every day or every other day now. The blender works like a charm. It doesn't pulverize the greens (spinach or romaine lettuce)100%. There's a small amount of greens that doesn't get chopped up - but very minute bits that aren't that noticeable and not worth the price for a higher-priced, "better" blender, as none of them get 5-star reviews anyway and mine works well enough to suit my needs. No problem whatsoever with ice. It has only bogged down on me once, but I just turned it off and nudged it around with wooden spoon and it's been good to go. Now, if I can remember, I put the ice cubes in after the juice, which is first. Sometimes I put them in last.
I'm not that easy to please, but I'm very satisfied with this blender. It's still a pleasure to use. I'm sending one to my son for his bday.

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Equipped with 500 watts of power, this countertop blender works great for liquefying frozen fruit, whipping up creamy smoothies, making pureed soups, and more. Its revolutionary WaveAction blending system continuously forces the mixture down into stainless-steel ice-crushing blades for thorough blending from top to bottom--every time. Great for parties or everyday use, the blender's design includes a convenient dispenser valve, which can be removed and replaced by a cap for standard blending operation. The unit includes a 56-ounce dishwasher-safe DuraBlend plastic jar with a tight-fitting lid, generous handle, and drip-free spout for graceful pouring. The blender measures approximately 7 by 8 by 13 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty.

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Presto 02910 SaladShooter Electric Slicer/Shredder Review

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(More customer reviews)We laughed and laughed when we received this "as seen on TV" slicing and, well, grating "miracle product" as a gift. Who would actually use such a crazy thing? Well, it turns out that we would, frequently. It may not dice, but it does slice beautifully - thin and uniform, as well as grating everything from cheese to potatoes to carrots to ... you name it. We use it almost daily. If you're a vegetable eater or a cheese lover, you won't know how you lived without it. Easy to assemble and disassemble, and it's dishwasher safe, although you do have to position the parts correctly to maximize water flow and cleaning. You can do a fine or a coarse grate, a straight or a wavy slice. You can even get an ice shaver for making snow cones. It does have some limitations. While it grates all kinds of cheeses (softer cheeses work best when chilled), it can't slice cheese at all. Nor does it slice onions, celery or other "stringy" vegetables well. It will grate them, though. It slices cucumbers, carrots, summer squash and similar vegetables beautifully, but the chute is too narrow to slice most cukes or zukes whole -- you'll have to split them lengthwise.

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Quickly slices or shreds vegetables, fruits, cheese, and more for sensational salads, perfect pizzas, terrific tacos and delicious desserts.Takes the work and mess out of making salads - one ingredient after another shoots right into your salad so there are no extra bowls to clean! Extra easy to use - interchangeable slicing and shredding cones slip right in. No complicated parts to assemble.

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Lello 1375 Ariete Cafe Prestige Coffee Maker Review

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(More customer reviews)I will give this five stars. Not the same five stars I would give something along the lines of a Gaggia Carezza mind you. This five stars should be taken as a rating relative to its price. If this were the same cost of the Gaggia I would probably have to give it a 3.5
I should note I prefer americanos, cappuccinos, lattes, etc over straight espresso. I bought this for a second house. If I were to be drinking a lot of straight espresso I would have bought the Gaggia.
One important detail which is not in the description is this unit will use ESE pods. The portafilter has inserts for single and double shot amounts, as do most machines. The single shot has a small ledge around it which is designed so it may be used for both single shots and ESE pods, with a pod fitting perfectly into the area created by the little ledge. This is a big advantage for those days when you are in a rush.
Construction. This thing is solid. When I ordered it I thought it would not really be steel, just chromed plastic. Well it is stainless steel. And the finish is beautiful. This has to be the most impressive looking espresso machine this side of $300. One plus of being so heavy is you don't have to hold it down when tightening the portafilter. Something I never liked about the lighter units.
Despite the description noting a rather weak looking 950-watt heater, I was pleasantly surprised by the speed at which it warms up. This had worried me at first, but now that I have it I have discovered no reason to be disappointed. While using the steam feature to froth it has enough power to be ready to pull a shot immediately with no need to wait. And after pulling a double shot it seems like it is ready in seconds for the next shot, well before I have time to remove the portafilter and get it cleaned and reloaded.
Another impressive feature here is the warming plate on the top of the unit. Once again, as with the 950-watt rating, I was expecting a rather weak showing on the warming front. Wow, another shocker. It works! I turn the unit on in the morning and prepare my first drink. Then I leave it on. Make sure at this point you clean the portafilter and place it on the unit empty. By the time you roll around to getting your second cup, the cups on top are nicely heated and the portafilter is warmed up as well.
The drip cup and water reservoirs are quite generous. The drip cup underneath the bottom plate even has an ingenious little pop up float near the back which raises with the water level. Instead of constantly pulling up the plate, you can tell if it is getting full by simply looking to see if the float is starting to pop up. What a nifty little feature!
There is one drawback. The portafilter is what Ariete calls their "Thermocream" design. The problem with this design is it is created to produce a "crema like" crema on the top of every cup. This somewhat hides whether or not you are doing your job right and the crema is a product of a good grind, good tamp, and good pull. I prefer the crema production to be a function of how well I doing my job, not a function of some little device that makes stuff that looks like crema even if it is not.
I would like to add that the Group Head (the thing the portafilter attaches to when you put it on) is not solid metal. Parts of it are plastic. But given the price I am not willing to deduct a star for this (or the Thermocream feature) as I would if I were comparing to the $200 machines.

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Constructed of heavy-duty stainless steel and simple-to-use controls, this 950-watt espresso/cappuccino machine makes it easy to brew cafe-quality coffee drinks. The unit's high-performance ThermoBlock 15-bar pump-driven system provides uniform and constant pump pressure to make a superior espresso with good crema and a frothy thick milk cappuccino. Its removable 2-1/4-quart water reservoir can be refilled from the top at any time during operation, and a cup-warming area allows up to nine cups to be warmed before use. Designed in sleek, attractive housing, the espresso/cappuccino maker measures 9-1/2 by 9-1/4 by 12-1/2 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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Cuisinart Prep Plus Food Processor Review

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(More customer reviews)I avoided food processors in the past because the food chute was always too small, the motor wasn't up to the job, and they were a pain to clean. My fiancé bought me this food processor as a Christmas present. I'm pleased to say that we're both impressed by its appearance, thoughtful design, and performance.
The brushed stainless finish is attractive and easy to wipe clean. The handle-in-front work bowl design is accessible to me (right-handed) and him (left-handed) equally. The machine doesn't take up a huge amount of counter space, and sits securely without "walking" or shimmying even when processing heavy foods.
The work bowl has a HUGE opening that greatly reduces pre-prep knife time. However, you are not stuck using the big opening all the time. The pusher has a smaller round "sub-pusher" in it that provides a smaller opening for holding long vegetables upright or for adding liquids while in motion. The lid is secure but can be removed and replaced easily. Everything fits stably and securely on the motor base. Work bowl, lid, and pusher work together to make sure you are not exposed to sharp edges or flying food (so long as you don't stick your hand down the pusher opening). At 9 cups, the work bowl is the perfect size (7 cups is just barely too small for good processing, I've found).
The first thing I made with the processor was a turkey salad with leftovers from Christmas dinner. Big chunks of onion, celery, and green pepper chopped evenly in a few pulses using the S blade. Big chunks of cooked turkey chopped evenly and smoothly without pureeing. The included spatula got all the food out of the work bowl quickly without making a mess. I made homemade mayonnaise (successful my first time ever with homemade mayo) according to the recipe in the documentation, and threw in some herbs to mince while it was processing. I sliced a cucumber with the slicing disk and was startled how quickly it went through.
My fiancé walked in and said, "Wow, are you already done with that? I didn't even hear you." (The machine is quieter than my blender.) While I plated the salad, he washed the parts quickly with a soapy sponge and was surprised how easy it was.
It's important to know that this machine will take the same blades and attachments as the 7-cup version (the Prep 7, DLC-2007N). It doesn't say that on Amazon's or Cuisinart's site or anywhere in the documentation, but it does mention in a hard-to-notice place on the side of the box that it uses 7-cup processor parts. The set includes a standard 4mm slicing disk and a medium shredding disk, but I've ordered the 2mm slicing and a fine grating disk and plan to order the egg whisk later.
EDIT: I received the two disk attachments, and they fit and work just like the disks that came in the box. This verifies that the attachments for the 7-cup model fit this 9-cup model too.

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With its powerful motor, this convenient food processor quickly and easily slices, dices, chops, and purees, helping to reduce prep time in the kitchen. The appliance comes with a large 9-cup work bowl that makes it easy to create an entire meal from scratch. The unit's extra-large one-piece feed tube accommodates whole fruits and vegetables and allows for continuous processing. Accessories include a stainless-steel medium slicing disc (4 mm), a stainless-steel shredding disc, a chopping/mixing blade, a dough blade, and a detachable disc stem, plus a plastic spatula, a recipe/instruction book, and a how-to DVD. The unit's compact build means it will fit comfortably on any countertop, and its brushed stainless finish adds a touch of elegance to any modern kitchen. All removable parts clean up easily by hand or in the dishwasher. The food processor measures 9-1/2 by 7 by 13 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty with a 10-year limited warranty on the motor.

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