Appliance Reviews

I am really picky about toasters and have returned more than one due to unsatisfactory performance. This model toasts very evenly and accurately and I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the market for a new toaster.

The blender feature of this is excellent (5 stars)... it does not splash what you are mixing out onto the counter. It is also quiet and the two speeds are great.

The down sides are:

1). It does an extremely poor job (one star) of whipping small quantities of whipping cream. Models with a separate 'whip' attachment are better suited for whipping small quantities of cream. The enclosed recipe calls for a cup, and under a cup just won't work, so technically it does exactly what it says it will. Other models with a separate whip can whip < 1/4 cup of cream easily.

2). This is one-piece tool and cannot be put in the dishwasher.

This is a nifty little item! I bought it to make a quick smoothie or blended drink and it was fast and easy to use. The cup included is OK but I just use the glass I'm going to drink from. Less to wash. It struggles a bit with frozen strawberries and I think ice cubes would really dull the blade in a hurry. But for most anything else it's great. I'll use it next time I make split pea soup to help with smooth consistancy.

Spot blending? Yes, indeed. I do quite a bit of cooking and this little appliance has really been handy. It will whip cream, in small amounts, without having to get out the stand mixer and clean all the attachments. It blends soups right on the stovetop, no more ladeling hot potato leek soup into the blender. It does not seem to do well for whipping egg whites. It quickly blends milkshakes (I haven't used it on anything completely frozen) and stores in a drawer out of the way. Rinses clean after use, and no worries about removing sharp blades to clean. Yes, this is a very nice treat to have in the kitchen, and I think it would make a great gift!

I ordered this grinder on March 15 and it was suppose to ship before March 30. Now, on April 1, I find out it won't ship until the first of June. So please ask when it will be shipped before you buy.

After having the world's messiest coffee grinder (melitta something or other that broke in less than a year!)...I bought the Cusinart Grind Central Coffee Grinder...it is sooo clean and it is very quiet...and was only $30!...I also love the fact you can take the stainless cup out after grinding, stick the included lid on it and throw it in the Refrigerator to seal in the flavor. The thing I love the most is.... no more mess, it is very clean and coffee grinds never get anywhere!!!!!! I am very happy with my purchase. (the only thing I don't like is that the stainless outside gets fingerprints easily...but so does every other stainless item...)

How do I love it? Let me count the ways....

First of all, I really love that there's no static cling of grounds since the grinder cup is stainless steel. You should buy it for this alone because that means coffee grounds don't get sprayed around the kitchen while you're trying to get the coffee into your coffeepot! What a novel concept.

Also, I love that you can store whatever cord you don't need inside the base of the grinder. Mine is parked right in front of an outlet and I have quite enough extra cord tangling around on my countertop, thank you very much. Another truly excellent feature.

It's pretty quiet which is great because our young son was always kind of freaked out by our old grinder.

It's big enough that we can just grind every few days and the coffee stays pretty fresh.

And it looks sorta cool, too.

Everyone should buy this grinder! We even like it way more than a fancy burr grinder we bought; that thing made a huge mess, never did grind the coffee right, took up a ton of counter space and broke after we'd had it a month. After we bought this Cuisinart, we took the burr grinder straight to the thrift store & haven't looked back.

...P>Well anyway, I bought this Cuisninart...

I did the charcoal filter soaking and a rehearsal run with plain tap water and then the actual first brew, just like the book said. Guys, no pretense, this is a cool looking coffee maker that goes nicely with my stainless steel appliance kitchen, but as for performance - there is not a whole lot to write home about. .

First, the manual [did not meet my expectations]. If I had not read the reviews here, I would not have realized that the power cord could be hidden. Also the manual never talks about the gold toned permanent filter that is supplied.

Second, whatever the charcoal filter is supposed to do, at the recommended changing frequency and the price of the filter (7.50 for two), I don't think I will ever buy a replacement.

Third, the one feature that I thought was cool just reading the Amazon.com reviews was the three different temperature settings - but it turns out the temperatures are just the hot plate settings for the carafe not the brewing temperatures. And yes, the coffee is not that hot right out of the carafe. ... I will continue to use my ... 4 cup Mr. Coffee for everyday use and only use this for times when I have guests over.

And oh yeah, it doesn't take much to put your finger prints all over its body.

After purchasing 3 other coffee makers, the 4th one is the charm! This coffee maker makes great tasting coffee. I never knew there was a difference -- it's worth spending a few more dollars on. It also has all of the features I was looking for such as: adjustable warming plate, 1-4 cup selection, water filter, programmable. It is a rather tall machine, but certainly not a problem as it fits fine underneathe most cabinets. Als, the carafe is well-made and has a spout that pours nicely without spilling. No complaints about this one!

This beautifully-styled coffeemaker makes splendid, smooth, and seriously hot coffee, and has just about every option you could want. It's a tall unit, so I need to pull it forward slightly from underneath my cabinets to fill it, but I don't find that troublesome at all. At first, I thought a hundred bucks for a coffeemaker was more than a little extravagant, but I am indeed a satisfied customer.

Clear instructions and recipes are included with the blender?

No way. My wife bought it at a local store, & there wasn't any such thing included.

You need to get the newer version with detachable blade for washing.

Great for quick milk shakes, fruit & yogurt smoothies, diet shakes (no clumps!), and more! We keep it out on the counter and use it daily. It *is* easy to clean. If used for something clumpy then run it in a cup of hot water, otherwise just unplug and hold under the faucet with hot water (tilt up a little, cup your hand under it so water gets inside blade area), then wipe down with a paper towel - just like that, BAM it's clean - simple.

Save the blender for margaritas, this does almost everything else, but it's convenient and quick to clean!

I'm new to stick blenders so maybe I don't appreciate a "good thing" when I see it but I'm just not overly impressed with this item and am taking mine back to the store. I like the extendable shaft idea (although mine didn't lock into place as they said it should) and the chopper worked well. But I'm pretty under-impressed with the blender/whipper. I tried whipping some egg whites and ended up pulling out my regular blender to do the job right.

I also found that trying to control the power with my thumb was extremely uncomfortable and unnatural.

I'm going to try the Braun. Not sure if I'll like it better or not.

PS - I got the Braun MR5550MBC-HC and love it. It costs more but it does more and works much better and is easier to hold.

Chopping, blending and grinding are a natural a part of good cooking. I am not a world class chef who can do everything as quick and neat with a sharp knife as the guys on television shows. I can use this tool from Cuisinart to prepare dishes like those chefs. I just take it out of the drawer and presto, I am finished with it quick as a snap. A quick clean up and it is ready to use again. Every kitchen should have one. It isn't bad for mixing drinks either!

I like using this blender for smoothies and whipping cream. Its a little awkward to hold but was very handy as my old kitchen had few outlets. But after a few months its a hassle. Water, or some liquid has gotten into the shaft containing the blade - I can hear it when I shake it but I can't get it out. I'm wondering if whatever is up in there is getting into food. The plug for recharging the motor section jammed and will not fully extend, so to recharge I have to use an extension cord or that component just about falls out of the outlet. Frankly, I'm fed up with Cuisinart. I just moved and was surprised to be chucking a toaster and a coffee maker - both with little use. This hand blender will likely soon follow.

Had this indispensable item for less than two years when it died. Worked well one day; seemed to be recharging but was totally dead the next day. Three year warranty, but you have to pay postage both ways (they require you to send $7 with the defunct product).

I recently got one of these, primarily to make cream soups, but you can use it for anything you would use a regular blender for. I have used it for many things. I had one of the oldest models that ever came out (another popular brand), so was able to compare the power of this new one to the old one I had bought almost 15 years ago. There is no comparison. This little gadget is so handy and powerful. It protects your pans or bowls with the plastic feet and whips up whatever you want blended in a jiffy. It works better than a regular blender, but not as well as a food processor. But, what the heck? There isn't near the cleanup involved either. Just remove the blade end and run under hot water and your job is done! The battery has held out for the job every time I use it, so the "no cord" feature has proved to be not only handy, but also acceptable. My only complaint is that you must depress the run button all the time. An on/off switch would be more convenient. No serious cook should be without one of these!

The mechanism that holds the toast down failed after about a year. Then the knob fell off. It is cheaply made.

Loved the fact that this toaster takes long slices and chrome styling--too few around. Knob came off after a couple of months and the mechanism no longer works to keep the bread down after less than a year. Went shopping for a new toaster and found this model on the shelf with a broken knob--it's obviously a faulty feature. Toaster never browned our favorite long sourdough slices evenly. Still looking for a 4-slice, long slot, chrome toaster.

I've had this toaster for several months now, and I'm completely happy with it. Unlike what others have said, my experience is that it's easy to clean, toasts very evenly, and is attractive. If I had to choose all over again, I would make the same choice.

My husband and I brought one and the heating element broke on one side. We only had it for three months! I think Cuisinart needs to do more testing on this toaster. I know one thing, we won't buy another one.

We've had ours for 3 years or so (gluttons for punishment). It does an ok job on bagels and other really thick things - but it's just plain lousy for normal toast. The heating elements tend to be very hot at the ends but cooler in the middle. This means that one end of the bread gets burned while the other is barely browned. The elements are also too far away from the center and don't move, so it takes at least two cycles to get toast for normal bread. Doesn't even color the bread on the first cycle. So - if you want a toaster dedicated to bagels, this one isn't bad - just don't expect to use it for anything else.

This toaster does everything. It easily handles muffins, bagels, wide-sliced bread, etc. I really like the fact that the heating elements seem to be a high-tech ceramic or something, so you don't ever get the burning-crumbs-stuck-between-the-heating-element-and-the-toaster-wall syndrome I have experienced with every other toaster. It only burns things if you set it to the highest setting and forget about it. Very reliable, very useful. I would recommend this toaster to anyone. It is an excellent value, and you can't go wrong with the Cuisinart name. :)