Reviews by Josephk

Josephk says "The Rival Crock Pot makes cooking such a pleasure." about Rival Crock Pot - Smart Pot 6-quart 38601

Josephk — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:39:39 GMT

We recently bought a Rival Crock Pot and we just love it. It doesn't make any difference what you are making. Just throw it all in, cover, set and walk away. The delicious smells that waft through the house make you feel like a celebrity chef.

We were concerned that the temperature controls would not be easy or convenient to use, or even worse would not really do what they say. Don't worry; even those of us who are control-challenged can work this easily.

And the cleaning up is so easy. Nothing sticks, really. The inside comes out and with a short soak cleans up perfectly. We once put it in the dishwasher and it shone afterward. But it does take up a lot of space so handwashing is usually the way to go. And it is not a big deal at all.

We would highly recommend this appliance to all ages and styles of cooks.

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Josephk says "The Sharp microwave oven is not as good as earlier models." about Sharp Microwave Oven 530EK

Josephk — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:29:10 GMT

When moving into our new house we wanted the same Sharp Microwave oven as we had previously for 5 years. Of course we had no choice but to buy the newest model.

How disappointed we are. The numbers and settings are all on the side of the oven. The door needs to be opened to use them. The start and stop buttons, at least, are on the outside. It doesn't sound like much but it can honestly be quite annoying.

The settings for popcorn and reheating work very very well.

We did have to have service twice when we first got this appliance because of sparks coming out of the side (!) We really wanted a new unit but couldn't do it so we had to make do with repairs on a new appliance.

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Josephk says "KitchenAid dishwashers are awesome! " about KitchenAid Dishwasher

Josephk — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:16:01 GMT

After returning a Bosche dishwasher to Sears because they could not get parts for it we splurged on a top line KitchenAid dishwasher. It is just awesome.

We love the silverware basket with the dividers that stop "spooning" of your spoons and forks. There is also adequate space in there for small utensils plus a larger utensil holder. The basket is aligned down one long side and as big as it is it does not take space from the rest of the bottom basket.

The top basket has protectors that snap down into place to prevent things from moving around. And the top water arm makes sure that all comes out clean.

It is possible to be very creative in the way you load and yet everything gets washed. There are many settings especially for water and energy savings.

And the washer is very quiet.

We recommend this dishwasher without reservation.

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Josephk says "The Krups toaster oven is the best we've found since GE." about Krups FBC412 Toaster Oven with Convection Cooking

Josephk — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:05:36 GMT

When GE stopped making their toaster ovens it seemed like an era was over. We bought new toaster ovens once a year, giving up when they stopped toasting well (the most common problem) or proved uncleanable or just stopped working.

We finally decided to spend the extra money and try the Krups toaster/convection oven. It most definitely is worth the extra money. We have had it for almost 4 years and it still works adequately. We are noticing that the bottom toaster filiment is not working as well but not bad enough to consider buying a new one.

Quite honestly we do not trust the oven for anything beyond baked potatoes. The door does not fit tight enough to guarantee the heat temperature.

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