Appliance Reviews

I've had this waffle maker for several years and it makes THE BEST waffles! They are crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth moist on the inside. It also is great for people who don't have a lot of space in their kitchen. It stands upright for storage. Also, what makes this waffle maker rate above others is the fact that it is VERY easy to clean! Other waffle irons can be hard to clean because the batter will ooze out and into little hard to reach spots and then you have to wait for it to cool and try to wipe it out somehow. I've owned other waffle makers before that did this. There's still dried out, old batter from places that were impossible to clean out! The Proctor Silex one does not have this problem. I practically don't even have to clean it! After I'm done, I'll wipe it gently with a paper towel, and that's about it! This combined with the fact that the Proctor Silex waffle maker also makes better waffles than other brands makes this the best one on the market.

This Waffle Iron makes truly delicious waffles. I never really cared for waffles, but after trying them baked with this maker. I absolutely love waffles now. It's so easy to use and make waffles. And as other people have stated, "they're moist on the inside and crisp on the outside". I may never eat Pancakes again. The waffles far outshine pancakes. Everyone needs to have one of these in their kitchen.

Once I tasted these waffles, I knew that I was going to eat these waffles from this waffle iron EVERY DAY!!! They turn out light and fluffy,just like they're supposed to be! I think every house hold should have one of these waffle irons!!!

As far as a vaccum canister it is far superior to round containers that are availible. The nice part being that it is a better shape for leaving in the fridge and stacking things on top of it.

The tray iself is made of some pretty thick plastic, its not a wimpy thing. Two parts, there is a lid with a silicone gasket around the edge and then the bowl of the tray. The bowl can be machine washed. There is a valve on the top with 3 settings. Open/Vaccum/Close. To use hook the accessory hose up to the valve in Vaccum mode and engage the pump. My 550 takes about 20+ seconds to evacuate the air out with about a pound of meat in the tray.

Its kind of weird but the top is held on by vaccum pressure so if the tray is emty and you grab the top only the lid comes off. But once the vaccum is pulled they are very well held together.
The tray can hold a good amount of food. I like the dimensions.

It is said that using vaccum makes things marinate faster. I'm not sure how true this is as I have never done a side by side comparison. But I have observed one thing. I was making some Jerky and I put one batch in the tray and vaccumed it and put the other batch in a non-vaccum container of similar dimensions. Left both overnight. In the morning when I went mix the meats up so it would marinate evenly all of the marinate in the vaccum tray was gone, it had been sucked up by the mean. The regular tray still had marinade in it. Same meat, same basic marinate (one had chili pepper for some extra heat). The strength of the marinade seem stronger in the finished product as well. So I guess there is something to it.

Either way when I marinate something for a short time I always use the vaccum (if for no other reason than to justify all the money I spent on it).

I own a FoodSaver Vac 1050 and I also had an earlier FoodSaver model which died from years of constant use. I have had the square canister for a number of years, in fact I now have two of them. Suffice it to say, they are a great companion to the vacuum sealer. As the title of the review says, this product is great for marinating steaks, chops, poultry parts etc. Your marinade is able to penetrate deeper into the fiber of the meat and thus you get a much more tender cut.

But I also keep leftovers and cold cuts sealed in this unit. It stores quite well in the refrigerator due to its compact size. Food really does stay much fresher in a vaccuum packed container and the canister is more convenient than constantly sealing, cutting and re-sealing vaccuum bags.

Because you will be able to maintain the freshness of your food(s) longer, this unit will more than pay for itself in no time. If you own a FoodSaver, this is a perfect companion.

In addition to its excellent use for marinading meats, I find the square canister to be far more practical than the round containers for storage in the fridge because the shorter height can more easily fit on any shelf and can be stacked. It just makes a lot more sense than trying to fit round containers into a square hole.

It's perfect for square or flat foods like sliced cold cuts, whole sandwiches, square cut cheese, hor d'oeuvres, leftover slices of pie, garlic bread, and pizza slices!

According to Tilia, the square base is the only container that is microwave safe for heating food (not for cooking), so it can be directly used for reheating soups, casseroles, leftovers, etc. without having to transfer to another dish that will need to be cleaned later.

Tossed salads can be prepared in advance, vacuum sealed to maintain freshness, and then conveniently eaten directly out of the container, unlike the round containers that are too deep to use in this way. With a small insulated cooler and a refreezable gel pack, you can easily take a fresh and healthy salad to work without finding a soggy wilted mess by lunch time.

Over the long term, a reusable container is more cost effective than the resealable bags.

The reason we bought this was because it was the cheapest amoung the deep friers. It doesnt get very hot and that gets annoying, seeing that it takes way too long to cook.

Only drawback is that you can not see your food cooking as it states that you can; otherwise, I think this is a great fryer. Easy clean-up and storing of oil in removable pot. I highly recommend.

We bought this deep fryer about a year ago and it has worked VERY well for us all this time! It comes with a removable nonstick oil pot so you can store the oil without draining (and makes clean-up a breeze), the basket handle allows lowering and raising of food into oil (WHILE the top lid is closed) - so once you get your cooking times perfected, the cooker never needs opening except for loading/unloading (plus it is safer that way with no oil splatter/mess/odor)! It also has a changeable carbon filter, is dishwasher safe and has a nice big window so you can check on your food without opening the whole thing (and messing up the temperature)! To me it is definately worth the [$] more than the "usual" presto fry daddys out there! (A friend of mine also uses it to melt soy wax for making candles!)

I, too, bought this cooker at Target believing it was a fryer and was disappointed that the instructions noted it was NOT a fryer. Unable to find anything I liked better (the plastic machines seem flimsy and clunky), I took the advice of the last reviewer and tried it as a deep-fryer for tofu and eggrolls. It works! The thermostat seems reliable, and it heats up quickly enough. Plus, it's dishwasher-safe and nonstick. The only disappointments include the fry-basket, which isn't optimum for draining oil and is awkward to handle with a removable pinch-handle-- but I improvised with tongs. And it would be nice to have an airtight lid to store the oil-- but the glass one does just fine if you change the oil occasionally. As someone who usually avoids frying foods for health reasons, this little pot allows me to cook the few fried goods I'd normally go out for as well, or even better, than how I'd get them at a restaurant-- and it makes my "it-ain't-good-unless-it's-fried" husband feel like he's got a place in the kitchen.

I have been using a Fry Daddy for a few years and wanted something that would go into the dishwasher. This is a great multi-cooker. I have the older version of the same appliance so I am using this one strictly as a deep fat fryer. The instructions said NOT to deep fry in it but it works just fine. I live alone and don't need something big and this is just the right size for me. It would be nice to have a plastic cover for it but I like the clear glass lid. The basket is okay also. I can use it in the older model as well. Cooking dried beans in it takes less time and electricity. Thanks, Presto!

I dont want to say too much, but it is really great!

I purchased this particular machine based on the reviews on Amazon and on Epinions. Both had excellent reviews. WHen I got the machine, the first bread I made came out terrible, it did not rise and I had to throw it out.
The 2nd bread I made was from a recipe from the book and it came out OK, so I thought I would keep the machine.
I was also put off but the amount of time it took to make a bread. I did not realize that there was a waiting time so if you are uncomfortable as I am about running a bread machine when you are out of the house, then you need 4-6 hours to make a bread.
My old Welbilt was better than this machine. I gave this machine 3 more chances on three different breads after the 2nd experience and they all came out terrible. The last one was a recipe on rapid bake, a cheese bread that I followed the recipe exactly and it did not cook all the way through.
I miss my old machine and wish it still worked, I made 29 breads (dough only) in it last Christmas and they were all great until the element broke. It was over 8 yrs old. I don't know what I will do now.
What a disappointment. The rising of the bread seems to be a problem with this machine so I don't know if it is a defect or the way the machine runs.

I purchased this machine as a replacement for a Philips bread machine I've had for a couple of years. It's the third bread machine I've purchased for myself, and had bought its predecessor (the SD-250) for my Parents some time ago. My Philips packed up (the bread tin broke away from its base), and they don't make spares, so I have to throw the whole machine in the bin - definitely won't buy another Philips anything. My parents have been most impressed with the Panasonic, and it's been personally recommended to me by other people, so after reading all the reviews on Amazon.com I decided to buy one.

So, to the point, I'm thoroughly impressed with this machine. It is solid and quiet. I took the first loaf I made with it and sliced it to find an absolutely even loaf (even from the 1:55 rapid mode). All the other machines I've had have had some level of streaking or unevenness in the bread.

As for all the other criticism of the recipe book for its use of weight rather than volume measurements for flour, it is a far more accurate way of measuring flour for any baking. Also the manual has since been updated (no doubt as a result of these criticisms), and now shows the approximate volume equivalents in all the recipes.

Since Christmas, the Panasonic SD-YD250 has been baking excellent loaves. Being new to this, I went to the WEB for a very basic bread recipe. If you want excellent bread here's how from a novice bread machine owner: in this order; 1 1/4 cup tap water, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 TSP sugar, 1/4 cup canola oil (any vegetable oil) 2 cups loosely measured all purpose flour, 1 cup loosely measured whole wheat flour, and in the yeast dispenser, 2 tsp active dry yeast. Set up for Basic, Light crust, XL size. Absolutely nothing fancy in the recipe and the bread comes out full, golden crust, excellent texture and the taste is something I got use to immediately - full flavored fresh bread. The best basic bread I ever had. It even comes out perfect with the timer function. Mechanically this unit is solid and it stays in one place. I now keep up to 4 loaves in the freezer and the bread still tastes great. French Toasts are superb; sandwiches full of natural flavor, toast are crisp with a light center, perfect for butter or margarine. Warning, you will put on weight and so will everyone in your household.
Update 2-18-03 Bought another unit for my Mom. She loves having fresh homemade bread back in her house. I'm saving money making my own bread with simple inexpensive ingredients.

This is a really good blender for the price. You can make smoothies, margaritas and daquaris. I really like this blender. It is easy to clean. I also think that the plastic pitcher is a good item because I tend to be a bit of a klutz at times. It is also affordable, which is a big plus for a college student.

I ordered this microwave for my Father's bithday. It was shipped 3 times and there was damage on all 3 microwaves. I don't know if it was shipped damaged or defective design. It was a horrible experience. I would never buy panasonic microwaves again

My new oven failed after fewer than ninety days of use. Panasonic, though, went to some trouble to honor the warranty. I just got it back from the service center, and it works again. It is still true that "sensor reheat" overheats leftovers and the popcorn key undercooks the popcorn, but I can cope with that.

I had been waiting for my loud Sharp microwave to bite the dust. It started out by blowing the fuse. I replaced the fuse a couple of times until that no longer helped. Was I glad! It was the loudest microwave I've ever owned. It made a loud deafening druming noise. I had remembered my parents owning a Panasonic that is still going strong. So I went after one. This microwave is so quiet you can't hardly hear it run. It's powerful and will take a little bit of getting use to, but I wouldn't trade it for a dozen Sharps. Keep up the good work Panasonic.

If you purchase this product, I hope you are completely satisfied. It is my opinion that the reliability of Panasonic products has slipped in recent years, and this was confirmed to me recently when a product I purchased quickly failed. The reason I'm posting this is to warn you that the warranty that accompanies Panasonic products only has value if the company chooses to stand behind it. In my case, they weaseled out of it, leaving me with a total loss and no further recourse. Good luck with your decision.