Ovente KP72W Cordless Electric Kettle, 1.7-Liter, White

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I missed the return window by 3 days, and now I'm out the total cost of this kettle. It stopped working less than a month after buying it. It leaks all over the counter.



UPDATE:

The day after I left the original review, Ovente contacted personally me by email to know that since the pot was under warranty, they would get me a replacement as quick as possible. In addition, the seller contacted me by phone to apologize and insure the process went smoothly. They took an order for a replacement pot, with the color of my choice, and sent a tracking number for the shipment. A few days later, the new pot arrived, and has been working fine ever since. I guess I got a lemon the first time, but they were quick to make sure that I was happy.



Changing from 1 to 5 stars on my review.

Nut Milk Bag - Cold Brew Coffee Maker - Food Grade - Food Strainer - Filter Bags

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I purchased several nut bags as I have started making my own Almond Milk and wanted to see if there was a difference in bags. There are differences. The other bags are not as fine a mesh as this one, and when I squeezed the other bags, almond pulp oozed out of the mesh and into my Almond Milk, so I had to restrain it. With the Zimtal bag, the mesh was fine enough that I was able to squeeze the pulp in the bag and get more liquid out. I pulverize my Almonds in a Vitamix which does a great job, but there's a lot of pulp in the end.



I used 1 cup of almonds for each nut bag I tested. Not only did the Zimtal bag strain faster, because I could squeeze it and not have an oozy mess, but I also got about 1/4 more liquid from that batch--again, probably because I could squeeze the bag tighter. I highly recommend this nut bag.

Hamilton Beach 46201 12 Cup Digital Coffeemaker, Stainless Steel

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I've tried many coffee makers over the years and this model #46201 by Hamilton Beach is by far the best I've ever owned. There are several very intuitive features that make this particular coffee maker stand apart from the rest. The description and pictures on this Amazon listing don't even begin to describe the features that make this coffee maker great, so I will describe them for you.



1. Removable water reservoir - The bottom of the coffee maker is equipped with little rollers. To fill the coffee maker with water, you simply turn the coffee maker around 90 degrees, grab the reservoir by the little handle and lift up to remove it. Take it over to the sink, fill it up, drop the reservoir back into place, and spin the coffee maker back around. This solves two problems that most other coffee makers have, in that I don't have to pull the machine out from underneath the kitchen cabinet in order to open the lid, and I also don't have to worry about trying to pour the water into a tiny little opening in the back of the machine. Great feature.



2. Front access to coffee ground basket - The coffee ground basket is located above the decanter, and it swings out to the front, giving me easy access to add my coffee and filter. Again, no more pulling the machine out in order to open the top lid like other coffee makers. There is a button on the right side of the machine, and when pushed the basket is released and it swings out to meet you. It takes regular sized flat bottom coffee filters, and the bottom of the coffee basket has the little spring loaded button that stops the flow of coffee if you decide to pull the decanter out while the coffee is still brewing.



3. Burner Temperature control - There is a button on the front that allows you to control the temperature of the burner under the decanter. It has three settings. I love this because after the coffee is done brewing, I can turn the burner temp down a bit and then my coffee can sit there in the pot for a while and not end up with a bitter burnt taste. With my old Cuisinart coffee maker, the coffee would taste completely burnt if it sat on the burner for more than half an hour. Burnt coffee no more!



4. Brew settings - There are 3 brew settings: Regular, 1-4 Cups, and Bold. The bold setting simply releases the water at a slower rate when brewing so the water has more time to extract the maximum flavor from the coffee grounds. If you like your coffee with a bold flavor, then this feature is for you.



5. The decanter does not dribble - This was a big selling point for me. The decanter for the Cuisinart coffee maker we just had (it's in the trash can now) dribbled like you wouldn't believe. We were finding ourselves keeping a towel next to the coffee maker because every time you poured a cup of coffee you had to clean up a mess of coffee that dribbled down the side of the decanter onto the counter top. This decanter spout has a nice deep groove to it, and it pours like a dream.



It also has the regular features that can be expected such as a clock, and the ability to set it for delayed brew. I would say the only thing that I don't like about this machine is the blue light on the display, but that is just me. This coffee maker does exactly what it is supposed to and has none of the annoying flaws that most other coffee makers suffer from. I would like to meet the engineer who designed this machine and shake their hand. My morning coffee is much more pleasurable now.



*UPDATE 12/4/2013

Well, I've had this coffee maker for a year and a half now. I use it every day, sometimes more than once a day, and have yet to experience any problems whatsoever. It just works, and I'm very pleased with this purchase. I'll probably buy another one to have on hand in case they stop making this model. By far the best coffee maker I've ever owned.

Chefs Star Premier Automatic Milk Frother, Heater and Cappuccino Maker

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I love both cappuccino and Cuban coffee, so when I was offered a review sample I jumped at the opportunity. This is a heavy, quality heater and frother that does much more than heat and froth milk. However I will cover heating and frothing first.



It comes equipped with two small whisks - one for frothing milk and the other for just heating it (the heating whisk helps distribute the heat evenly.) The default configuration out of the box is heating. The frothing whisk is stored in the lid of the machine. That one will froth cold or hot milk. There are limits on the amount of milk this will hold and as soon as you peer inside about half or less of the jug is for milk and the remainder is heating element and internal timers, etc. So your total capacity for milk is 125ml, or about 4.25 ounces. It's double that for cold frothed milk. It heats the milk to about 150 degrees F, which is perfect for Cuban coffee and cappuccino. Note: if you do use this for heating you need about two minutes between loads to allow the thermostat to cool and reset.



Cleaning is a snap, but know that it needs to be hand washed and definitely not immersed in water. It also has to be hand dried. Although the heating whisk is stored in the lid I decided to store mine in a drawer. Just don't lost it or the other one because I am not sure how easy either is to replace.



In the opening paragraph I mentioned that this does much more than froth milk. It's perfect for blending eggs, a touch of cream and optional flour (I use a pinch of Gold Medal Wondra Flour) for perfect omelets. For one thing the 150 degree (F) temperature thickens the consistency of the egg, cream and flour as it heats and froths. When you do pour it in a pan it quickly cooks and you are rewarded with a thick and fluffy omelet. A masterpiece, in fact. If you decide to use it for this purpose I recommend using large eggs, which are 2 ounces (about 50ml) apiece, versus the 2.25 and above ounces for extra large and jumbo. This will allow you to not waste eggs while enriching them with cream (or milk if you are so inclined.)



Regardless of how you use this, it's sure to make anyone who loves a good cappuccino or cafe Cubano con leche very pleased. Mine is now a permanent part of my kitchen.