Appliance Reviews

100% of our bread at home is homemade and heavy texture. We've worn out a lot of electric knives. Most wear at the joint at the front of the blades or the blades start to separate in the middle so that they shave up a thin piece of meat between the blades.
We got our first B&D ERGO based on a test report in a cooking magazine. So far it has held up very well and is the best electric knife we've had. It didn't like being dropped on a concrete/ceramic tile floor but continued to work while wrapped in tape. I think that this is the first time we've tried to get a specific model as a replacement.

This is an excellent knife. It is sharp, cuts with minimum effort, and has unique safety features. Most importantly, is very easy to use because it is comfortable for the hands.

After a series of really bad experiences with rice cookers that died after less than 5 uses, I searched Amazon for something well rated. I bought this item because it was cheap, was a steamer supposedly doubling as a rice cooker, and it was highly rated. I just made my first batch of brown rice the other night and it took TWO HOURS. The recommended time for 1.5 cups was 65 minutes, but when I checked at that time, the rice still looked like soup. I set it for 20 minutes three more times, and the liquid was finally absorbed, but the rice still had a few crunchy spots. I would say not to buy this if you're thinking about using it for rice. I haven't tried the other features yet, but I'm sure it works fine as a steamer.

I received this steamer recently as a gift. I have only used it a few times, and only on vegetables but it has been great. The guide gives you advise on how long to cook your food and each time it has been right on. My vegetables were cooked thoroughly and it was nice not to have to use oven space so I make multiple things at one time.

Great Great Great! I love my steamer! I use it for everything- veggies, rice, pasta, fish, chicken you name it- I've put it in the steamer with good results. The only complaint I have is a little leakage- possiby from the lid not fitting on very tight. The food still cooks well, but the counter was always wet after cooking. I have solved this problem easily by putting my steamer on a towel before cooking- no more problems!

Absolutely the worst knife I have ever used. By FAR. Ergo, as in ergonomic??? NOT. Can't even hold the on-switch on for a full minute, it keeps turning off. What a HUGE PAIN. AVOID.

I bought this knife to avoid tragic turkey incidents. You see, I used to try to carve my Thanksgiving Turkey by hand with poor results (as in, "Gee Tom would you rather have a 1 inch slab of Turkey or a wafer thin piece?") I bought the knife as it was in the perfect middle area between the cheapie knives and the $50 models.

After cutting my first turkey with this knife, I wished I had bought one years ago. This knife is just great--the rubber handle lets you keep the knife firmly in hand even when you get turkey grease on your hand. Also, there is a handle over the trigger so you cannot turn the knife on when changing the blade. And the bottom line is that this cuts like a dream. I've used it on everything from turkey to roasts with great results--it allows me to easily cut nice uniform slices. No more tragic turkey incidents!!!!

The only reason I am here today writing a review is because I wanted to order another knife as a Christmas gift and saw that this knife received a poor review which I just don't understand. My knife is probably about 4 years old and I still love it.

I have always wanted an electric knife that didn't leave a small wedge that wasn't sliced through. Now I have one. It does a wonderful job on meats and breads. On cheese it does a satisfactory job, although I prefer a plain, old serated knife. The safety lock which prevents the blade from moving while inserting or removing it is also a worthwhile feature.

The mixer is designed to be ergonomic, but I found that it was so heavy that my hand and wrist got sore after only a few minutes. Also, the 5 speeds are fast, faster, really fast, speed of light, and warp speed. In fact, I didn't even test the highest speed because I thought the mixer would take off! The lack of a low or medium speed presented a problem when mixing dry ingredients into wet.

I wouldn't buy this mixer again or recommend it to anyone.

Good mixer, the lowest speed is pretty fast so I find most of the mixing I do is on speeds 1 and 2. Ergonomically pleasing to the hand. A bit hard to rest on the counter top, the small stand area of the mixer takes a few tries to find when putting the mixer down.

I own this mixer and LOVE it. I use it for making very stiff biscotti dough, a task that is beyond all the other more expensive mixers I have now put away in my cupboard! I rarely use my expensive stand mixer anymore, since this works just as well, and requires a lot less cleaning. There are just two drawbacks. It's top-heavy, so be careful when you put it down, since it tips over easily. I have knocked it over numerous times, and it still works fine. The beaters are not very sturdy, so if you plan to use it a lot buy a few extra. I wish I bought this one before I wasted my money on those more expensive hand mixers. No, I don't work for Black & Decker. I just love their mixer.

you could die of starvation waiting for a can of tuna to open with this thing. sssssllllloooooowwwwww!!! and complicated, just for extra fun.

Interesting concept, dies quickly, bought because I have little space in my kitchen, had an under the counter kind, and it was too close to toaster and coffee maker, and it melted, so I thought this would be perfect...not quite...maybe if/when Black and Decker comes up with a NEW & IMPROVED model with a stronger, longer lasting motor...

I love my gizmo. It's great to get it started and walk away to do other things.... My sister was house-sitting for us, and fell in love w/ it too! My gizmo has held a great charge...and is easy to keep charged. Now that I see it comes in black, I wish there was a reason to own two.

This thing is not only awkward to use but you can't take it off the charger one handed! I loved the old cordless, wall mounted one they used to make. I gave one to my Mom, Grandma and best friend. They all loved it. I had mine for over 7 years then it finally stopped holding a charge. I went to their web site to get their phone # so that I could talk with B&D before writing this review, but they don't list a phone # on their site! Nothing I hate more than that. What happened to good old customer service? I absolutely would not recommend this product. Try again Black N Decker...........

We got this gadget three months ago because my wife has limited right hand grasp and can't use a manual can opener. Pros: Our Gizmo has opened many a can since, from small to large. The trick for us is to position the Gizmo on larger cans, turn it on and let it "walk" itself around- smaller cans may have to be held. The charge has lasted for weeks on the average. Cons: Though the blade looks rather cheesy, it has done well so far... the only defect we have noticed is the Gizmo and associated charger's size- they are bulky and don't fit easily into normal kitchen drawers (ergo, four stars). Nonetheless, it is an easy decision for us- the Gizmo stays!

Ive used mine regularly for over 2 years now and its still running strong :)

I trust the Black & Decker name but must say that this particular product is a disappointment. It isn't user friendly. It takes several attempts to get the can hooked and opened and by that time it has shredded the paper label in which some pieces always end up in my food. My advice for you would be to make sure can is cleaned before opening so you don't have a problem if any paper falls back into the can.

For the price it's a great deal. I use *large* cans to feed my family of five and this opener handles them with ease. It can be washed easily. My only complaint is that it shreds the labels each time I use it.

I have never been able to use automatic can openers, so at my house it's operator error if the thing doesn't work the first time. I like that it's tall. The lids always stay on the can opener after I have removed them. It stores very easily and cleans up pretty nicely. It does shred the wrapping on the can, but I usually throw mine away. Never had a problem with the paper going in the food. (?see comment below?) Overall, I think it's a great buy. Very sleak, I sure don't mind leaving it on countertop!

Hmmm, I just realized that this would have been the FOURTH time replacing this SAME can opener within the span of 5 year! I've read a few of the reviews and see now that the flaws in this particular opener are common!
The only reason I keep replacing it with this same one is because it mounts under the cabinet, up and off the counter tops..I think that's it's only quality! It no longer comes with a built-in knife sharpener..guess B&D figured they could make even more money selling a knife sharpener alone as a small appliance! The piercer that opens the cans quickly became dull to the point it will no longer open a can without force. IF I am successful in piercing a can, I have to hold it so it won't fall and again I have to force "walk" the can around as it will not make the revolution on it's own.
Can anyone suggest a GOOD under cabinet mount can opener please??

We received this can opener in 2000 and have used it once or twice a day for the past 3 years. For the past two months, it will cut 1/2" into the can, then stop. You have to jerk the can out to reposition the can under the can opener, then you can go another 1/2". IT would take FOREVER to get a can open this way. I have resorted to my hand held can opener. This can opener is not strong enough to open heavier metal cans (like Pedigree dog food). I need an alternative, don't want to get the same thing after looking over the reviews.

I have had this can opener for 5 years and the only reason I am purchasing another is that my current one looks worn-out. There is nothing broken and it still works great. The knife sharpner is a blessing. This opener even opens very large cans with ease.

I hate to be ungrateful (this was a gift from my mother), but it is the worst appliance I have ever used! It does every job terribly, it's noisy...I hate it! Spend the money if you can. Go for a Cuisinart! I know I will be...

I used this food processor 2 times before it broke. I put a potato in and the middle of the grater blade shredded into plastic shreds. I called Black and Decker for a replacement shredder - and found out that they charge $20 for the replacement part on a $30 machine! Don't buy this - it's not worth it!

I never used to be much of a cook, but since I had my daughter seven months ago, I began to realize the importance of eating real food at home, and not out of styrofoam take-out boxes. As such, I needed to buy a great deal of kitchen accessories. I scrimped where I could, and splurged where it was appropriate. Many of my low-price deals have been greatly pleasing (specially-priced Calphalon cookware, and a very low-price cutlery set from Amazon among those purchases), but this is not one of those purchases.
For the positive outlook, this machine does the job it's supposed to do: the food is cut easily and efficiently, to the desired size and texture. From my experience, I've found most food processors to be noisy, so that doesn't bother me like it does the other reviewers. In fact, for all the work it does, I expect some noise. And all of this sure beats using my arms and a knife, no matter how sharp the knife may be.
What I object to is the fact that it has one malfunctioning "feature." The machine boasts the option of either grinding the food into the base, or removing a plastic insert and adding a metal divider to funnel the food out of the chute and into a separate bowl. This was one of the major selling points for me when I shopped for a food processor- otherwise I would have gotten one of the super-small Cuisinarts. But if you use this feature, lots of bits still get into the base; if you choose not to use the chute, and you put the plastic insert in to keep the food in the base, food still flies out through the chute, no matter how well the insert is placed.
One of my first ventures with this food processor was to shave carrots for a carrot cake. It did most of the job well (except for shooting food out of the chute when it wasn't supposed to), but there were still chunks of carrot that got stuck in the mechanism that I couldn't shave down any further. And the plastic is not very resistant to staining- after that one venture, it is permanently stained a weird orange color (I know carrots are known for staining things, but ususally it cleans out of most surfaces just fine!).
If I had to do it all over again, I still would have spent a small amount of money on a food processor- as it turns out I don't use it a whole lot in my house, and I needed the big bucks to go into a Kitchen Aid mixer. But I would have opted for a small (1 1/2 cup) Cuisinart mixer instead of trying to maximize my dollar and get this one. Sure it holds a lot more than the minis, but there's a reason it's got such a cheap price tag- it is a cheap machine. Black & Decker needs to stick to the garage-variety tools and stay out of the kitchen.
Bottom line: if you need a bigger food processor, and can't afford a good one, this could be okay, provided you don't mind cleaning up a big mess. Otherwise, use a hand grinder until you can save up the money to buy a better food processor; you won't regret spending the extra- they're well worth their price tag.

This thing is going back to the store! The blade is too far from the chute, allowing food to be pulled into the area above the blade causing jams and a mess. The fit between the blade and the shaft is sloppy allowing the blade to rock. Not good when spinning as the cut becomes uneven and allows even more room between the blade and the chute. The blade is to be flipped for either slicing or shredding. The letters on the blade are barely readable, although the sides are self-explanatory. The shredding edges on our model were not stamped properly so as to have a clean edge for cutting.
Don't waste your time! Spend a little more and have less trouble.

Like the previous review, the blade for shredding and chopping is too low allowing jams to occur. Also another problem I have is that it tends to be too hard to open the cover once I've used it. If you're on a very limited budget like me, it does the job, however I plan to replace this with a more expensive model at some point.