Cooking Reviews

At a friend's suggestion I recently bought the Braun Multiquick Professional Hand Blender. I wasn't sure about spending so much on a piece of kitchen equipment I had always lived without... but I finally decided to take the leap of faith. I couldn't be happier with the product! It's easy to use and easy to clean. It makes fantastic creamed soups. Because of the metal blending shaft, you can use this hand blender right in the pot of whatever you're cooking (thus saving you from the chore of cleaning another container!). I recently made a very inexpensive and delicious soup with onions, zucchini, eggplant, water, Thai curry paste and a can of coconut milk. I blended it with my hand blender and created a very rich-tasting, filling soup for pennies! Now that Autumn has arrived, I'm looking forward to making pumpkin soup with my hand blender! If you're considering the purchase, just go for it! I don't think you will be disappointed.

I simply cannot live without it.

I am thrilled with the purchase of my Braun Multiquick. I bought it specifically to make homemade baby food and now use it nearly daily. It's excellet for blending soups right in the pot and with it's 400 watt motor it makes the BEST smoothie you'll ever have. I am thrilled to have a hand held blender that also has dishwasher safe attachments. This way I can use it to shred beef for Mexican food and not worry about cross contamination. It is an excellent product and I HIGHLY recommend it!

We were recently in England and saw friends using an electric tea kettle that was different than any we had ever seen in the U.S. I had to have one. When we got home I found this lovely Braun electric kettle and purchased it immediately. It does all we expected. It has a large capacity so you don't have to refill it constantly. It boils very, very quickly and shuts off so I don't have to watch it. I love being able to take it to the sink to fill it without dragging the cord. It's very easy to clean because it detaches from the base. I like the large handle grip and the water window on both sides. We use it for everything instant including soup. How did we get along without it?

The Braun kettle clearly exeeded my expecations.

Performance: it is super fast. Faster than a microwave, faster than my old B&D kettle and certainly faster than the stove top.

Convenience: it is easy to use, the handle sits well in the hand, the buttons are in easy reach, the water level indicator cannot be more clear to read

Safety: I didn't realize when I bought it but it's super-safe. It shuts off when the water boils, when the lid is opened (most other kettles don't), when the water is empty and when it is lifted off the base. This is what I call German engineering (it's also made in Germany). I am putting the emphasis here because consumer overlook the importance of safety when in urge of buying a new product.

Design: I love it...it is destinctive and modern. I am proud to place it on my kitchen counter-top.

This is not the 1st Braun appliance I bought and they have not disappointed me yet. I can't wait to try the brand new coffeemaker Braun AromaDeluxe. Unfortunately, my present Braun is still working well to be replaced.

I was about to spring for one of the Zojirushi megabuck dispensers, when I spotted this unit. I have always liked Braun (more consistently good than Krups or Cuisinart) for their design and ergonomics. This pot doesn't fail to impress. This baby is FAST; It boils water at 1 minute per 8-oz cup (or faster, if you start with hot tap water). For a single cup of tea, this is about as fast as you can select a teabag and prepare the cup! BTW, this actually holds 7 cups, not 6 as described.

The design is very nice and clean-looking. The base is especially well-designed, since you can put the pot on rotated in whatever way is convenient. This is apparently a big win over the Krups kettle. The "mineral filter seems like overkill, but it does prevent splashing of the boiling water, and causes pouring to be very smooth. Cleanup is brain-dead simple (pour out the excess water after use, and flip the top open to allow evaporation). Pot itself does not get too hot to touch, and the handle stays completely cool. Automatic-off features work under all sensible scenarios: when it reaches full boil, when the top is opened for any reason, when lifted off the base, or when the pot is empty.

As for the Zojirushi dispensers? They may be useful if you want a lot of water (up to 5 liters for the big ones) held at a controlled temperature. But for most home uses, this need is rare, and otherwise deosn't justify the price tag.

IMHO, the Braun is one of those rare kitchen appliances that took a while to see the need for, but now I couldn't live without. A real time and hassle saver!

I bought this coffe maker 2 days ago and so far i am not impressed. The coffee tastes ok but is not kept hot enough. It also drips sometimes when you pause to get a cup during brewing. What really sold me were the water filter and the machine's sturdy construction. I really loved the black version, it looks so classy...too bad i had to get the white one to match my other appliances. So overall it is an OK machine but im my opinion too overpriced.

I have never been a coffee drinker, but decided rather than drinking a caffeinated soft drink, especially on cold mornings, I wanted to try it. I had never bought a coffee maker, but decided on this one after reading reviews and Consumer Reports. It is easy to use, I love being able to program what time I want it to come on, and for how long it should stay on. The filter basket pops right open with the press of a button, though I prefer paper filters to cleaning the gold filter. The water filter is great, I've had no signs of hard water residue. I now drink coffee nearly everyday, yet I still only like the chocolate flavored ones, and even my husband is drinking coffee and requesting it in the mornings!

Overall, we're pretty happy with this machine. LOVE the filtered water, the auto on, handle and pouring ability, wide basket and easy to open/clean and this particular machine brews and keeps the coffee hot. Not fast-food restaurant hot but hot. The auto-off is great, you can program it from 20 minutes up to 4 hours.Gold filter basket is great, espresso grind gets through so if you don't like sludge but like espresso grind, get a paper filter. I wish it would beep when the pot has finished brewing. The water filter expiration reminder is okay, it'd be way cooler if it had a red line letting you know (like the Pure filters) it's time for a new one. I like it, not too pricey considering how long coffee makers last by Braun. I'm an addict and this satiates my addiction.

Pros:
-doesn't spill all over when pouring
-auto timer on
-auto timer off
-filtered water
-gold filter basket
-good tasting coffee (I do buy "good" coffee - I recommend Cafe Bustelo for a budget conscious yet flavor conscious drinker!)
-coffee stays hot
-it feels sturdy
-the water measure on the outside is accurate to lines inside the tank
-easy to remove carafe and coffee basket

Cons:
-doesn't alert when finished brewing
Ever so slight drip when getting coffee mid-brew (so says my mate)

Ok, that's it.

No, I'm not kidding. This handy little guy has saved me counter space, time and cleaning up. I am able to make cakes, muffins, great tasting pure fruit juices in an instant. I thought that this little gadget wouldn't be able to live up to its promise, but it's proved me wrong. I bought it out of desperation, after my Moulinex broke down. The first thought in my head was "what about counter space?" Well, Mr. Braun made sure he left nothing out. Because of his great mind, the device comes with a wall mounting so you don't have to clutter your counter with clumsy top-heavy things.

I read in a review for this product that it doesn't last. What could possibly be wrong with this when you need to chop something really fast? Like any normal person, I use the device, clean it and put it away. Simple as that! You can even go as far as using it and putting it back in the box. That is what I did up til the time the wall mount was set up.

Now I can watch my weight, drink homemade milkshakes, and chop away at those tear jerking onions without shedding a single tear.
And, when I'm done, I just rinse everything in the sink and clip it back onto the wall til the next time.
No more fuss having to make the perfect omelet either. With the handy wire whisk, you'll have a nice fluffy omelet in no time.

Watch out for how much pressure you apply to the speed accelerator button, because you may find your cake mix blending in pretty well with the paint on your wall. In that case, avoid using a shallow bowl. Use a deeper mixing bowl, bigger than the size recommended for your ingredients.

Happy cooking! Hope my review helped you.

I've had mine for two years and use both the mini-chopper and blender attachment daily. I've been completely satisfied with the performance of both. My standard blender is now used only for jobs that involve ice chopping. The hand blender does a superb job of producing perfectly silky textured soups, directly in the pot, and frappes, directly in the beaker. The chopper is ideal for finely and evenly mincing garlic and herbs, to which I often add olive oil and vinegar to the bowl for an easy salad dressing. The motor part isn't in the line of fire (so to speak). It never gets dirty so clean-up is quick, since it only involves the small, simple attachments.

This is my favourite wedding gift (along with 10 of my favourite recipes). THis little gadget is a workhorse. Plunk it in the pot of simmering soup (carefully) and puree a little or a lot. Make it a cream of soup without adding cream. 2 pts of salsa without any chopping in under a minute. Shakes with frozen fruit (ice cubes don't work quite as well) in about 25 secs. Mom, the "don't give me a gadget ever" owns 2 (can't be without one even at the cottage) and uses the chopper attachment for her own dressings and instant garlic or ginger puree. I grind spices. THe chopper attachment is essential. However, I am yet to find a real purpose to for the whisk attachment but 101 uses for this handblender overall: rinse off and back in the drawer. No mess, no fuss. Dishwasher safe.Plenty of power (Make sure 200 wt plus like this model). No problems with any of the 5 I have bought for various people. Have used other manufacturer models and felt like I was using a glorified spoon unless they are very high end (read expensive). I threw out the blender long ago.

I had owned a Braun coffeemaker earlier but had switched over to Krups and was dissapointed. So I went back to Braun, purchasing the KF510 with a separate gold filter. Overall the design is good, it's a stylish piece. Coffee was decent and hot but what I found really dissapointing was the pause and serve feature. I don't think it works properly and after removing it, the coffee floods seem to have stopped. I'm not sure if I got a bum coffeemaker or what but I've seen mention of this issue in a couple of other reviews... So I guess I'll have to buy another one!
(Addendum: The pause/serve feature doesn't always work so the coffee ends up coming out of drainage holes at the top of the filter basket and not out of the drip spout, very messy!)

We have had our coffee maker for a month and it has overflowed three times. We have had Braun Coffee Makers in the past and have not had this problem...ever. This one looks good, but can be a problem.

I've had mine for a month now, and I love it. It's just a no nonsense maker; no timer and clock, no setting for how strong you want your coffee brewed (I never experimented with those when I had them-usually kept it in the middle). That makes it easier to use, I love the filter idea and I do taste a difference. It does stop brewing if you cant wait till its done and you need a cup. When I was researching coffeemakers for this one, I noticed their was one where it will automatically shut off after 2 hours. The longer you keep a coffee pot on the more acidic your coffee will get. This pot has a nice red hue to tell you its on. You dont need the money for that.

I like the handle of the pot as well. You get a nice grip and it feels good in your hand-ergonomic. Grind some beans, make a pot for yourself and just enjoy. Its definitely a bargain in more ways than one.