Appliance Reviews

Sure, you can live without Farberware's programmable electric pressure cooker. I know I did. But now that I have one, I rather wonder how I did it.

Imagine, if you will, perfectly cooked black eyed peas from dry to dinner table in under 10 minutes. Old-fashioned "slow cook" grits in the morning in just 5 minutes. Or healthy brown rice cooked to perfection in 20 minutes. Yes, dear reader, these examples of kitchen magic can be yours with the Farberware programmable electric pressure cooker.

Okay, sarcasm aside, this baby really works, and works well. And the best part? The programmability. Literally, it's set it and forget it (with apologies to Ron Popeil for that remark).

I don't know about your household, but in my home, temptations to go out for dinner win way too often, thanks to the time consuming nature of cooking a decent meal at home, not to mention the clean-up. But the Farberware excels here too. In addition to cutting prep time in half or more, the non-stick removeable interior makes clean-up a breeze. Even grits (which should be used in home construction instead of concrete) will loosen nicely with a short soak.

Perhaps the only thing about this appliance that gives it 4 stars instead of 5 relates also to clean-up... The lid can be a terrible cleaning job, depending on the messiness of what you just cooked. With its various valves, multiple layers, and lack of disassembly ability, it can be a real job.

Still, the FPC400 gets a strong recommendation from me and all the members of my household. If you have limited room to house a growing collection of small appliances, liquidate some of your others in a garage sale and make room for this honey. You'll be glad you did.

Love these pressure cookers. First I got the the 4 Quart - I liked it so much I bought the 6 Quart the very next day - if they start making an 8 Quart, I'll buy that one too. I use my pressure cookers 5 out of 7 nights a week. I cook chicken, pork, pasta, corned beef and the best Pulled Pork BBQ in the world. Get a couple of good Pressure Cooker Recipe books (my favorites are Express Cooking and the Better Homes and Gardens Pressure Cooker Cookbook), stop heating up your kitchen and start eating really good food. Don't bother with a top of the stove model pressure cooker - you have to hang around the kitchen and make sure it's okay - the Farberware Programmable is the only way to go. Put in your food, set the time, push start - it does all the rest. Be a kitchen slave no more!

I had the old type of pressure cooker and was forever worrying that it was going to blow up.....so...I got this one and boy! I love it! Simple to use....easy cleanup....I am thrilled with it and recommend it to anyone who wants a cooker that doesn't take alot of messing around.

We are very happy with this mixer. It works fast, easy to clean, powerful and attractive. We use it every day and it takes up very little space on the counter. My husband uses it to mix his protein shake and claims if you let it mix more than 10 seconds it becomes to foamy with too much air, so if you use it for powder shakes, unless you like it foamy don't let it mix more than 10 seconds. For frappes or milkshakes it takes more like 30 seconds.
It works great, just fill the liquid to the fill line set it up and rest it on the stand and the cup presses against the on button(hands free) and releases when you remove the cup by tilting back a little and removing the cup. Then to clean, rinse the cup fill with water and rest it back on and let it mix a few seconds then remove cup,unplug unit and wipe the blade and cup dry. So simple. Its great for quick shakes. We thought it was a little costly, but we are not dissapointed with the product.

My doctor prescribed a healthier diet for me after my annual checkup came back with a red flag flying. So, I said goodbye to those sugar cereals and bought my Faberware FDM300 drink mixer as my first step to eating healthier. Now, every morning I make smoothies containing fresh fruits and yougurt and it works like a charm! I am very pleased with this product and would not trade it for anything! It is very easy to clean, fast, and efficent.

I bought this specifically for protien powders and it works fantastically. Every morning, I toss in the protien powder and milk, mix it for 2-3 minutes, pour the drink into a glass, then clean up by rinsing the blade in a cup of hot water. It all takes under 5 minutes.

If you're looking for something that grinds ICE, get a blender instead. That's not what this is built for. But if you want something that makes milkshakes from protien powder or ice cream, this is the best thing you can buy.

This mixer is underpowered - it cautions that no stiff dough or mixture over 8 ounces should be mixed. It is not clear why they even bother to pack a dough-hook given the power. But that's not all. The bowls are shaped badly, so material accumulates in the sharp angle and escapes mixing. They are so narrow that adding ingredients without hitting the beaters is tricky. And finally, the beater release button is a chore to operate. We once had confidence in Farber products. No more.

This machine places the beaters in a fixed position into the CENTER of the SMALLER bowl. So you must scrape the sides of the bowl to help mix the ingredients. The manual warns not to scrape while the mixer is in operation.

Using the LARGER bowl is a breeze. I do no scraping when mixing a double batch of pancakes. For the larger bowl, the outer edge of a beater is aligned near the bowl edge. I just put the ingredients into the bowl, lower the beaters in, and turn it on. Within 20 seconds the pancake batter is thoroughly combined by the action of the mixer.

I did not try the dough hooks.

The following is not a complaint. I'm including it in case I'm not the only cook who did not know this about making big batches. I was surprised to see the manual state, "Never fill mixing bowl more than 1/2 full - the mixing action will cause the ingredients to rise in the bowl. Mix large recipes in several batches."

I filled the 4 quart bowl with 4 quarts of water. The level went up to about an inch from the top edge of the bowl. So 4 quarts is not the capacity for what can be mixed at a time. It is the capacity for what can be stored.

Also from the manual, "Do not attempt to knead more than 8 ounces of heavy dough or batter (heavy cookie dough or candy batter) at one time."

I received this mixer as a birthday present a year ago. I love to bake, so I use it for everthing from liquid cake mixes to stiff cookie doughs and frostings. Anyone who does cake decorating will appreciate the powerful motor for mixing stiff Royal icings. The bowls are of generous size and do not come off while mixing. The push botton controls and pause are easy to use and the entire unit wipes clean. I would recommend this mixer to anyone who is looking for a quaility and durable mixer.

Overall I am very pleased with my slow cooker. The one downfall, and the reason I rated it 3 stars is because the outside of the cooker becomes very hot. Especially when on high cooking temperature.

I do like the ease of the lift out crock, the glass lid, and the large oval shape.

When the time comes to buy another slow cooker, I will defiantely look for a cool touch model.

I bought this unit as a replacement for a Rival programmable cooker that came with a non-fit cover and punched out 'feet'. The Farberware slow cooker has been a delight to use. I have made beef stew, baked beans, soup and even a sinfully moist chocolate cake. Each recipe turned out beautifully. The cover is a tight fit and the metal ring around the rim assures a vapor seal, preventing moisture loss. Of particular note are the settings: Low, High and Auto. The Auto function heats the unit to the High setting and then automatically shifts to the Low setting. This assures a quick heating of the unit and discourages the possibility of food contamination from bacteria. Aesthetically, the cooker will look great on your counter with its polished steel body and sleek black insert. One word of caution, however: the outside does get hot so you will want to keep it out of the reach of the kids. The handles stay cool, but if you have to move it, you may want to use hot pads just to be safe .

I received slow cooker for Christmas. It cooks very quickly. It blew my old crock pot away. The food was done in half the time of the crock pot. It's very attractive too. I love it!

Bought 8 cup percolator from Amazon. Lasted 5 days and stopped working. My old one was in use for 20 years. The new one the metal is about half as thick. When the coffee pot came the the coffee was wonderful.Don't know if these are made in China or what. They had better improve quality or go out of business.

I've used and enjoyed the 4 cup and 8 cup Farberware percolators for over ten years but due to a recent and potentially dangerous mishap have decided to find another coffee machine. About 3 weeks ago I plugged in my 4 cup percolator only to have it immediately spew a rocket like emission of flames into my kitchen - literally a 4 foot stream of fire! Black burning bits of plastic flew across the room. My husband saw the flames from the other room - ran in, unplugged it and threw it in the sink. I have since contacted Farberware who has sent me paid postage to return the percolator for examination. The woman on the phone could offer no explanation. Let me also add that this particular machine was not even a year old. Very scary.

This time proven percolater produces excellent tasting coffee, fast, dependable and faithful. Mother purchased a Farberware Percolater many years ago. As the word about the hot, tasty coffee the Farberware Percolater faithfully produced month after month at Moms... spread, the whole family was impressed and eventually purchased the small, medium or large percolater. We use the medium size Farberware Percolater for everyday use and the large size for company. The Farberware Percolater not only produces great tasting coffee but also keeps it flavorful and warm, a feature lacking in many coffemakers.

I have always loved percolated coffee rather than drip...it brings me back to my childhood when Mom and Dad used an old Corning percolator. It's hard to find a decent percolator these days. The old Cornings are gone (although you can probably buy a used one). I tried this Farberware 12-cup programmable about one year ago. The first problem that occurred was that the buttons to program the timer started to "crack" and "peel"...they were still usable, but it was unsightly consdering how much I spent on this product. The buttons themselves are microscopic. If you have trouble seeing, these buttons will frustate you to no end! The coffee tastes GREAT, but you still have the pesky grounds-in-the-coffee problem. Now, with only one year of usage, the top percolator part has completely snapped off, rendering it completely useless. It was definitely not worth the money to only get one year's use out of it. I expected better quality and am disappointed. I give it a 3, because the coffee IS very good.

I purchased this percolator about a year ago. My husband and I love a good cup of coffee and feel that percolated coffee far outweighs drip coffee for flavor and richness. This product doesn't disappoint! The coffee is flavorful and hot and is brewed quickly and consistantly. We haven't had any problems other than the same one mentioned below,(the only reason it doesn't get five stars) that the buttons tend to blister a little bit. Ours still works normally though and the blistering isn't bad enough to bother me. As for breaking parts, we haven't experienced that at all, though the problem could be caused by washing this in the dishwasher. A little advice: Don't put items with electrical components in the dishwasher, they aren't made for it. And truly, I wouldn't even recommend using soap on this. There is a process that works in metal coffepots that is similar to cast iron and stainless steel cookware in which they are "seasoned" with use, i.e., the flavor gets better with time if kept free of detergents. We simply rinse our pot and it's basket in hot water after each use. It stays clean and the flavor of the coffee isn't compromised. I'm so glad someone finally makes a percolator with a timer! Now we get to wake up to the smell of hot coffee. Yum!

I've been hunting for the "perfect" coffee maker for quite some time. I wanted the modern convenience of a self-timer, contemporary styling, and most importantly, hot deliciously brewed java.

Auto drips fulfilled the first two necessities, but always fell short on the last. No matter what brand of auto-drips I tried, coffee was lukewarm at best. My grandmother's 20-year-old percolator made better tasting, hotter coffee every time. But I never was fond of the appearance or lack of a self-timer.

Finally, I saw this percolator and knew it was a winner. The body, basket, and tube are easy to clean, maintain, and because it's all stainless steel, it doesn't transfer any metal taste to the coffee. The fact that the electrical cord is built into the base unit, makes unplugging and re-plugging the cord each time you want to pour a cup of coffee a thing of the past. The timer is accurate and easy to setup. I love the little things the engineers thought of, like a built-in 2-hour auto shutoff, in case you forget on a busy workday.

Simply a great product that actually does everything it claims to do. Now, how many products can you say that about?

the fct200 "down right" classic toaster failed to go "down right "just under the warranty expiration. it took 4 telephone calls to get the replacement which took nearly three months to arrive. very dissapointed with product and customer service.

We purchased this after an exhaustive search into quality toasters. I had heard and read good things about this toaster. For about 4 months, we LOVED this toaster! It toasted evenly, worked smoothly, was easy to clean. Suddenly, it stopped working. It would not lower, elements would not light up, it would do nothing. I should have just gone with the Dualit originally, rather than continuously replacing lesser toasters.

First off, since this unit automatically lowers the toast into the wells, it toasts bread via time rather than by temperature. So, if your first piece of toast happens to be too light, when you resubmit it for toasting, watch it carefully and hit the unit's "Cancel" button to cease the toasting cycle. That's the quick learning curve lesson for this self-lowering, extra-wide slot toaster.

Now that's out of the way, this Farberware Millenium, model
#FCT-200 toaster is FANTASTIC!!! Why not? It's a Farberware. A brand that has been in our household for many years. Mainly, their wonderful "Superfast", coffee percolators. Now about this big, "classic" gem of a toaster!

It's much larger than what is portrayed in the pictures on the internet. It is very solidly constructed, and I don't hear it rattle like other conventional toasters do when I handle them. The crumb tray seamlessly removes from the back and makes this toaster the easiest-to-clean model that I've ever used.

As time progresses, I'll update this review with more info as to the reliability of the product. For now, let me run through a quick list of this product's wonderful features.

1) Bagel cycle - Leaves the bagels chewy by toasting only the sliced sides. The other side of the roll is simply warmed. This is great for English Muffins, too.

2) Defrost cycle - This cycle defrosts frozen bread slices first, then automatically toasts them. This cycle would be perfect for frozen waffles, however I haven't tried it out, as yet.

3) Cancel button - Since this is a motorized self-lowering model like the older Sunbeam toasters, you simply press the "Cancel" button to have the unit shut off and slowly raise your cooked toast for you. (Useful if you would happen to initially mis-set the toaster to a darker than preferred setting and your toast is becoming overdone.) If you set the toaster to the proper darkness setting from the git-go, this additional "escape" feature is not needed. But of course, they thought of everything, and to include this button!

4) Classic controls and styling with wonderful, up-to-date, Millenium type features! LED's let you know when your unit is in the special Bagel or Defrost modes.

That's it! Enjoy this Farberware Millenium FCT-200 toaster!
It's worth the full, $89.99 retail price. We only paid 29.99 for it, on sale! Ha!

Billy

I recently bought this Faberware Rice cooker on the notion that it looked to be superior construction and quality. Plus for the price, you'd think it could at least cook a decent pot of rice. Guess again. Despite how careful you are, the rice is either soggy or burnt! Plus the manufacture has calibrated their cooker to use their "Cup" of measurement which has no bearing to real world measurements (Closer to 3/4 cup) Not the end of the world, but frustrating to use with our recipes. Overall a real disappointment. Stay away - stay far far away!

Yes, I bought this rice cooker and the rice came out perfect, except for the fact that the cooker died within a month, after only about 8 uses. I would try another brand.

I have had this farberware rice cooker for well over 5 years and it is still cooking. My rice comes out fluffy and I love that sometimes it does stick to the bottom but upon adding a little sprinkle of water it just comes right out and we love the crispy rice. My daughter is now on her own and wants one badly. I will just buy her one and send it to her. It is a wonderful rice cooker and I cook a lot of rice. I also cook other wonderful casseroles in it. The steamer is good but I have to admit it, i haven't used it that much.

The thing looks great and it is big, but size is not everything :-) The unit does not remove all the juice from my produce and it sprays when you first place items in it. I would not buy this unit if I were you.