Appliance Reviews

This is the perfect accessory to my Showtime rotisserie and my George Foreman grill. I use it mostly to grill ribs, which can't be done in the GF and which are just too troublesome in the Rube Goldberg Showtime setup. I made some bacon on it this morning and it was absolutely perfect. No burning, no uneven shrinking, no exessive fat, and those little grill marks. It looked like bacon from a TV commercial.

I just break it apart and slip it into my dishwasher. It's much easier to clean than the GF.

This is a wonderful indoor grill. It cooks with an even heat and there is no exposed heating element. All parts are dishwasher safe. It is great especially for vegetables and leaves the food with attractive grill marks. A non stick grill plus a splatter shield offer the best and most innovative grill on the market.

I love this little item so much I keep it on my counter top. I use it almost daily. I'm grilling aspargus as I write this review. I've been so happy with it, the only problem I'm having is that with continued use, it gets harder to clean. I let it soak after each use but would like to find out how to clean more easily. At first everything just fell off of it when I soaked it. Otherwise, it makes everything taste so good. I'm an expert at grilling Salmon. The chicken breast comes out so juicy and it definitely has a grilled tasted. Don't miss charcoal at all.

We use the DeLonghi Convection Oven every day and think it is great. However, the interior is not just difficult to clean, it is impossible! Also, it is just a little too small. We will definitely purchase another convection oven in the future, but will look for one a little larger with a self-cleaning interior.

I have owned this oven for about three years and it is still being used on a daily basis. It does a terrific job toasting bread and bagels. It cooks a little hot, so I just decrease the usual cooking temperature by 25 degrees. It provides very even heat on the convect setting and on the bake setting. It is perfect size to bake pies. This oven does not accomodate a chicken, or anything large or tall. If you purchase this oven for the use it is intended, it is a great second oven. I now only use my wall oven for special occasions.

For the first six months after I purchased this machine, I thought I had made an excellent purchase. However, the machine began to leak from the steam tube during and after making an espresso or cappuccino. I finally decided to send it in for service to the local Northern Virginia service center to which I was directed by the Delonghi web site. The local service center informed me that they then send it to Delonghi for onward processing; a two step process that, unbeknowst to me, added weeks to the ultimate servicing of the machine. I experienced awful service from the local service center and a rather hands-off approach from Delonghi. After 8 weeks, I still could not even locate where the machine was, nor when I would be getting it back. If you want a machine that takes a long time to heat up, that may well begin leaking after purchase and then will takes months to get serviced, then this is your machine. Frankly, I would strongly recommend against buying this machine. There must be better and less expensive machines on the market.

I have had my machine for about 15 months. It has been well worth the money, saving our family hundreds of dollars we would otherwise spend at local cafes.

The pros:
- It's easy to use and quick to heat up for espresso and for steaming. I rinse the basket and the espresso cup with hot water from the tap just before I run it, and the coffee seems hot enough to me.
- I find that the steamer makes perfect foam every time (I submerge the end of the wand just below the milk surface as described in some of the other reviews).
- I like the large-capacity water tank.

Cons:
- The steamer wand does drip, so I just keep a small glass under it at all times. I find that I can reduce the dripping by cranking the steamer knob shut tighter, but I can never completely eliminate the dripping.
- It's a big machine! It takes a fair amount of counter space.
- As with every other espresso machine I have owned, I still have to preheat my milk in the microwave before steaming it; I like a lot of milk in my lattes.
- With our grinder, it's easy to end up with coffee that's a little too fine (results in a burnt taste) or a little too coarse (results in weak espresso). But I couldn't get the coffee fine enough when we had a burr grinder.

This is not a "Mr. Coffee" type of machine. It is fragile in the hands of brute force and ignorance, but exquisite in the hands of one willing to engage in reading the directions and enjoying a bit of practice before casting judgment.

If the directions are followed exactly, the results are wonderful. If they are ignored, the results are well-deserved. Treat this as a lab machine (not a soccer ball) and you will enjoy it immensely.

I was lucky enough to have mine arrive undamaged in shipment, and have been delighted with this device. I've used it with finely ground coffee, and have not yet played with the prepackaged filters. A good fill and a firm press against the built-in pressing ring have yielded wonderful results with fine crema and full-bodied expresso.

I've found that heating some of the milk separately, while reserving cold milk for the foamed part produces good results in making caffe latte.

Nice features. Works good initially. Expect it to last just over one year when the warranty runs out. Basically a cheap throw-away appliance.

Bought this unit for my mother-in-law who was looking for a new toaster. Being that she's family, I wanted to get her a great one. I'd read the reviews and every one raved about the CKT83.

Perhaps they didn't actually USE the toaster....

This is a fine looking unit. Appears to be well-made, too. Every mechanical piece operates smoothly and precisely. So far so good.

The openings on top will take even the largest bagels with ease, holding them in a tender embrace that centers the item to toast accurately between the heating elements.

But.

The actual "bread and butter" function of the unit is disappointing. Despite the great design, the mechanical surety, and other appointments, it simply doesn't toast all that well.

So what's the problem? Well, it's the slowest toaster I've ever seen. You could probably read through the entire front section of any newspaper while waiting for it to toast adequately. Selecting a lesser doneness level seemed to make no difference. And worst of all, it simply did not toast evenly. The bread was always more done at the bottom than at the top.

Do we have a defective unit? Who knows. We can't compare this unit to another one to tell.

Still, a huge disappointment. And now I might be in the doghouse with my mother-in-law for not buying a Toastmaster. Oh well....

(One last thing. Those thinking they are getting an item made in Italy - like most other DeLonghi products - will be disappointed to see that the toaster is made in China...

Never heard of this brand before but bought this item. It works like a charm. Great design and i just love it.
Worth every penny of the price.

We have never had an actual modern coffee pot of sorts in my family... so I decided to get this one. At the price, I decided that it seemed reasonable, given the functions. I have some major complaints, while there are some good things about it...

Pros:
•Really good coffee... appropriate strength.
•Really good cappucino/espresso.
•Easy coffee brewing functions.
•More than adequate capacity in carafe.

Cons:
•Counterintuitive design which allows for incredibly easy spills of water, coffee, coffeegrounds, and especially milk
•Cheap design (feels like i could break the entire machine in half with my hand)
•Milk frother feels incredibly flimsy and has a totally counterintuitive shape & rotation (it should be able to rotate more, and it should be longer and more dynamic)
•Coordination of steam system & cappucino brewing is totally arbitrary and impossible to understand (even for someone who considers himself tech-savvy)
•Coffee isn't at all hot (i like coffee from which steam rises, not coffee from which steam could have been rising ten minutes prior to being poured into a cup)... maybe a 1500 watt appliance could heat more than just the water.

To make matters worse, the manual absolutely sucks. Also printed on cheap paper, the step-by-step instructions are vague at best-- they refer to the steps by numbers when the steps are designated by bullets.

Steaming the milk must be done somehow coordinated with making the espresso/cappucino, but I can't understand how-- last time I attempted this, it ended up only steaming the milk and not making the actual coffee. It can only make two cups of cappucino, and I think that the assumption is that it actually makes less than you put in since some of the water is used to make steam. (There is also a compartment above the milk frother which serves no discernable purpose....)

A conclusion to the consumer : Read into this very carefully before buying. I have been satisfied with DeLonghi products before, but I feel screwed on this one. Supposedly, this device can steam milk, brew coffee and cappucino. One shouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to understand a commercially avialable machine...

What a superb machine this is. It delivers on its promises! We admit to being well traveled coffee aficionados, who grind our own coffee, and appreciate a fine machine that creates the coffee one will find in France, Italy, Greece as well as the best food cities here in the states (NYC, New Orleans, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami). And what a versatile and easy to use machine this is and for the price a real gem.

We like the black colour as well as the ease of use. The water container lifts out so easily for filling with easy to read measuring levels in large print. The buttons are elegantly designed and labeled for easy reading even in poor light or when not quit awake in the wee hours of the morning. Which is handy when one has odd hours. The carafe is beautiful and looks classy enough for ones dining table.

The only suggestion I have is buy a second carafe so that one pot can be brewing as the other is being used. This is a machine we will also be giving as a gift. And talk about a machine that makes an awesome Espresso or Cappuccino. WOW !

Our teenage son worked in a cafe' for the summer running a major multi-thousand dollar machine, and became a self-styled expert. This machine is as much as we were willing to spring for as a gift, and it's been non-stop espresso, latte & whatever for 48 hours. He's extremely pleased, which says something to us about the machine. He's found no fault with it after testing all the features...

Perhaps I'm expecting too much, but if I spend this much on a countertop appliance, I expect it to last. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the toasting function *does* tend to dry out the toast. My solution is to preheat the oven until both elements are glowing and *then* put in the bread. I watch until it is done & then immediately remove it. It works, but it's a hassle.

What disappoints me the most is that over the last few months I've begun to have problems closing the door. When it started it was only after the oven was quite hot (broiling, etc.). I assumed something in the guide mechanism was warping due to the heat and it always worked again once the oven cooled down. It gradually began occuring sooner and sooner and now the door will not close at all.

I probably only use the oven 2-3 times a month. In my experience, this is not an appliance that can tolerate regular use. I'm very disappointed.

Been through 2 of these already, pretty much 1/year - just long enough to be out of warranty naturally. The heating rods bend and then break, rendering them useless.

I'd give it 1 star, except that when it works, it works well. I just can't see buying one every year. Perhaps if they were about 1/2 the cost, I could justify it.

I recently received this toaster oven and here's what I have to report:

The toaster oven's fit and finish are fairly nice; however, the weak, wobbly plastic legs are a strange addition to this otherwise nice toaster oven.

The cord is a little short, and the glass window gets very hot, but the dials are easy to use and intuitive.

I found the manual to be a little difficult to follow (maybe since the toaster oven can do so much (toast, broil, bake with the convection fan, bake conventionally, warm, defrost, and dehydrate)) so if you plan on using your convection oven for all that it can perform, then be prepared to carefully read the manual several times.

There is an oven light that can be used to determine when the toaster oven has pre-heated (it goes out), which is a nice feature.

So far I have tested only how well the toaster oven toasts and I am happy to say that all toast has come out perfectly! In fact, I have owned several highly-rated Black and Decker toaster ovens as well as stand-alone toasters, and there is no question that the DeLonghi toasts the best (I believe it uses the convection fan, which helps to produce perfectly, consistently toasted bread).

You should be very happy with this toaster oven.

This product seemed to fall apart the very first day of use. Soon after purchasing, two knobs broke off and the convection fan started to whine. Avoid at all costs.

I've had my airstream oven for 4 1/2 years.
I love the convection feature...it makes the meat turn out moist
almost like a rotisserie. It's a great oven for just plain baking too.
BUT it is difficult to clean if you don't do it regularly. My husband likes to have hot toast and this oven toasts, but at the end of the toast cycle the toast is barely warm, not warm enough to melt butter. You cannot stop the toast cycle. We bought a cheap $1.00 toaster at a garage sale for toasting bread. ALSO: the elements in my oven have arched up, looking bent so that I can no longer get the lower rack in one of the positions. I had replaced on lower element year ago and it cost $20.00 plus service charge because you cannot replace it yourself without breaking it. Now my oven door gets stuck slightly open and we can't figure out why. I Love this oven's convection feature,but it is high maintenence !

The is my second type of convection oven. My first one was a jet air and it broke and wasn't replaceable. Then I purchased the Delonghi and if this one breaks I would buy another, & another just like it. No cooking kitchen should be without a convection oven. I never use my regular oven anymore. The Delonghi oven roast the very best chicken. A whole chicken butterflied in 30 minutes. It cooks fish steaks to perfection in 5 to 7 minutes. I do lambs chops and beef tenderloins just like in a restaurant. Total perfection in cooking. With convenience and speed. It cooks in half the time and it doesn't heat up the kitchen because of the speed. The speed of the circulatiing hot air cooks the food and retains the juices. It also grills vegetables. I would hate to be without it.....And as cooking without fat, this is it. You season your meat, spray the pan with pam, put it in, close the door and time it. But don't forget it because it's fast....

Never really happy with this toaster, and now it just broke after a year of use, so good riddance. The good - it looks good and it was cheap. The bad - it was hard to get the handle to stay down, it had uneven heating due to elements not heating up in all areas, and the worst problem was the time to make a piece of toast. It took easily twice as long as any other toaster I've had, drove my crazy waiting for toast, especially if I was making multiple pieces for my family.

The chrome finish would fit any kitchen design. The toaster was sensitive to different types of breads. Bagels, toast, and english muffins all were browned appropriately.

This is the best toaster i've ever owned. i got so tired of all the cheap models out there, you can toast your bread in this over and over again and it won't over heat. I've owned mine for 4 years and it's still going strong!!!

I bought this toaster because I liked the features, and thought it was manufactured in Italy and not China. Either way, it is a terrible toaster and I would have expected better from a 15.00 toaster. It doesn't toast evenly, and it doesn't appear the elements are working that well either. I spent a lot of money to buy this and expected better.