KitchenAid KSB465WH 4-Speed Countertop Blender with 48-Ounce Polycarbonate Jar, White Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)So, after 30 years, we needed a new blender. Hmmm. My wife and I hadn't a clue where to start nor what was out there. On my first two internet searches all I found were the two extremes: small fractional Hp motors or the ridiculously priced $400 to $500 unit.
And yes, of course we want to crush ice - who doesn't? I have enough engineering background to know that a 0.2 to 0.5 Hp motor is NOT going to crush ice. Finally, we found the KitchenAid models! Some were 0.9 Hp, which is more like it. The pitcher (I call it) was a larger diameter and a little squat - perfect design for better blending, not to mention storage.
We decided that two speeds just wasn't enough, 3 speeds would be borderline and we certainly didn't want anything ridiculous like 10 or 15 speeds. (That's what they do when the motor is underpowered to do the job.) We settled on the KitchenAid KSB465Wh 4-speed with 48 ounce jar and 0.9 Hp motor. The weight wasn't given but the appearance gave you the idea that the base was good and heavy - a prerequisite.
We've used it several times starting about a month ago - it's perfect. It's even better than the one that lasted 30 yrs. The pitcher is dishwasher safe, it has something they call "intelli-speed" which adjusts the horsepower as needed to deliver constant speed. This is something where most blenders fall short, you put something heavy in it and the motors just slows down. The base is good and heavy - hurray, no more tipping over. The ad doesn't mention this but you do NOT dissasemble the pitcher for cleaning! Another big plus.
By the way those $40 to $60 blenders don't work and don't last. This one is priced around $72 and you get what you pay for. A very solid unit with a decent motor and good features. And yes, it does a marvelous job grinding ice - a whole tray at a time. And, if you let it go for about 10 seconds you have ice "powder" - it's better than our ice shaver for snow cones.
Blending is far superior to our old blender. It digests even the tough stuff easily. We haven't yet really needed to use it but it has pulsed speeds for those really tough materials. I'd recommend THIS blender to anyone who doesn't need to grind nails.

Click Here to see more reviews about: KitchenAid KSB465WH 4-Speed Countertop Blender with 48-Ounce Polycarbonate Jar, White

Equipped with a powerful motor, this countertop blender works great for everything from pureed soup, salsa, and hummus to protein shakes, smoothies, or margaritas with friends on a Friday night. Choose from four speed settings, plus chop-ice mode and pulse at any speed for an extra burst of power. The unit's Intelli-Speed electronic sensor automatically adjusts the power to maintain a consistent speed even with thicker mixtures, while its solid die-cast metal base with a steel-reinforced coupler and sharp one-piece stainless-steel blade ensures stability and quiet operation. The blender's lightweight 48-ounce polycarbonate pitcher offers a generous handle, measurement markings up the side, a drip-free pour spout, and a secure-fitting lid. In addition, the pitcher's shatter-, stain-, and scratch-resistant design ensures long-lasting performance, and its shape directs ingredients into the blade for fast, thorough blending. Other highlights include a compact footprint for reduced space on the countertop, a seamless Clean Touch control pad that wipes clean, and dishwasher-safe parts that make cleanup a snap. Available in a variety of fashionable colors, the blender measures approximately 8-3/4 by 5-4/5 by 14-2/5 inches and carries a one-year warranty.

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about KitchenAid KSB465WH 4-Speed Countertop Blender with 48-Ounce Polycarbonate Jar, White

Lello 1375 Ariete Cafe Prestige Coffee Maker Review

Average Reviews:

(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.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Lello 1375 Ariete Cafe Prestige Coffee Maker

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.

Get 14% OFF

Click here for more information about Lello 1375 Ariete Cafe Prestige Coffee Maker

Cambro Round Food Storage Container Sets Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got these specifically for the bread dough recipes in a book. They are just the right size and come with lids. Now, before you scoff, you should look at other similar containers - you have to buy the lids SEPARATELY which just seemed so strange to me. I am pretty happy with these - two is good because I can rotate them.
I gave them four instead of five because they came with some sort of light greasy coating that was nearly impossible to wash off. Dishwasher didn't take it off. Hand-washing with liquid dishsoap didn't take it off. I ended up soaking them in super-hot water with a little bleach to get it off. I'm sure it's something added in the manufacture, but had I not been inspecting them carefully, I might have missed the fact that it was not washing off very well. Now that they are clean, I love them!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cambro Round Food Storage Container Sets

A useful addition to any busy kitchen, this set of two food-storage containers makes it simple to freeze meals ahead of time, store left-overs in the fridge, keep pantry items fresh for longer, or transport large-quantities of pasta or fruit salad to a potluck or picnic. Each round-shaped container offers a spacious 6-quart capacity and a secure-fitting snap-on cover. Durable yet lightweight, the translucent plastic containers provide stain-resistant use, allow for checking contents at a glance, and come with easy-to-read graduations imprinted on the outside. NSF-approved and commercial dishwasher-safe, the food-storage container set, when stacked together, measures approximately 9-4/5 by 10-1/5 by 18 inches.

Click here for more information about Cambro Round Food Storage Container Sets

Dripstik Ice Cream and Popsicle Holder - Set of 6 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My 2 year old does not eat anything so I have to figure out ways to give him nutritious food so I make juice pops for him out of real fruit and he loves them and thanks to this my son now asks for ice cream all the time!!!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Dripstik Ice Cream and Popsicle Holder - Set of 6

Dripstik is two products in one: One end holds frozen treats on a stick. Flip the Dripstik over and the other end holds ice cream cones in almost any size and variety. Its durable, soft plastic is long-lasting and easy-care-simply pop into the dishwasher!Comes in 6 colors: Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple and Pink.

Click here for more information about Dripstik Ice Cream and Popsicle Holder - Set of 6

Presto 02910 SaladShooter Electric Slicer/Shredder Review

Average Reviews:

(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.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Presto 02910 SaladShooter Electric Slicer/Shredder

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.

Get 34% OFF

Click here for more information about Presto 02910 SaladShooter Electric Slicer/Shredder

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

Average Reviews:

(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.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Hamilton Beach 54615 Wavestation Express Dispensing Blender with 48-Ounce Jar, Black

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.

Get 40% OFF

Click here for more information about Hamilton Beach 54615 Wavestation Express Dispensing Blender with 48-Ounce Jar, Black

Ice Crystal Clear Cigar Humidifier Gel Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have used this product for awhile now, and it is a great product for larger humidors of a hundred to a hundred and fifty cigars. I recommend the product for it's ease of use and it's long lasting nature. I also recommend this seller. I received the items faster than I expected, and in perfect condition. This is a great seller to use.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ice Crystal Clear Cigar Humidifier Gel

This stuff is great. Saturating the gel will maintain your humidor at a perfect 65% - 70% humidity for up to two months, and is refillable for up to one year. Humidifies up to 125 cigars!

Click here for more information about Ice Crystal Clear Cigar Humidifier Gel

Pop Pals Ice Pop Holders, 2 Pack Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)the pop just slides through the bottom because the bottom is too soft. They need to make this with a harder bottom where the slit is.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Pop Pals Ice Pop Holders, 2 Pack

From The Manufacturer:Pop Pals are insulating ice pop holders designed to help keep hands warm and ice pops cold. Made from soft flexible FDA -approved food grade material, Pop Pals are lead-free, PVC-free, phthalate-free, and BpA-free. They are also both dishwasher-safe and freezer-safe. Pop Pals are fun and easy to use. The unique design and flexible material allows children of any age to use Pop Pals.

Click here for more information about Pop Pals Ice Pop Holders, 2 Pack

Orka Ice Cream Scoop, Red and Raspberry Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I just got this ice cream scoop today via UPS along with my new red Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I'm one of these gals that likes for even my functional things to be pretty so this scoop really cought my eye. The picture doesnt do it justice. The raspberry part to this scoop is more hot pink than anything. Its a beautiful marriage of red and pink. The red part is hard plastic. The pink/raspberry part is silicone (or something like it). The head to the scoop is about 2 in. in diameter to allow for a generous scoop of ice cream...not like these wimpy metal ice cream scoops they sell at walmart and such. To get the ice cream to release from the scoop, you just press on the back of the head of the scoop and the ice cream just plops out. Pretty awesome because there are no little parts to mess up or break and its dishwasher safe.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Orka Ice Cream Scoop, Red and Raspberry

Ice cream scoop

Click here for more information about Orka Ice Cream Scoop, Red and Raspberry