Hamilton Beach Crock Pot

Hamilton Beach Crock Pot in Review

What to do with that New Hamilton Beach Crock Pot

So, you got this great Beef Stew Crock Pot Recipe handed down from your great Grandma, but you're wondering how it will turn out in your new Crock Pot? In the olden days, your Beef Stew could be cooked on a wood-fire or gas stove as long as someone was around the house to watch it all day. These days, we're often not around to watch a Pot of Soup or Stew to make sure the bottom isn't burning or that it's turned up enough to actually cook. I never feel comfortable leaving one of my stove burners on when I'm away from the house for too long. When it comes to soups, sauces and stews, I like to have the heat turned up just enough so it is bubbling ever so slightly, but not boiling so much that it will burn on the bottom without being stirred. I've had problems in the past getting spaghetti sauce to cook properly in the old Hamilton Beach Crock Pot I used to own. It would always come out too thin, soupy and raw tasting,  no matter how long it was cooked. My most recent Crock Pot, a Rival, seems to have the opposite problem. Unless, a great deal of liquid is added to the ingredients, it will often dry up. We discovered the problem had to do with the lid not fitting securely enough to seal in the moisture. The Best Crock Pot has to be able to hold in moisture at a steady temperature. A decent Beef Stew Crock Pot Recipe along with a good Crock Pot should be able to cook on its low temperature setting for 8-12 hours completely unattended. Good, low even and consistent heat is the key.  Fortunately, Crock Pot Heat is far more even and consistent that those Electric Toaster Ovens. Read the rest of this entry

Cuisinart Coffee Pot Review

Cuisinart Coffee Maker

Back in December of 2008, I had some very complimentary things to say in our Cuisinart Coffee Pot Review. Weeks later, I complained that the Cuisinart Coffee Maker / Grinder product was too big and cumbersome, too difficult to clean, too difficult to pour and didn't make the coffee hot enough. Since then, I've tried the Westbend Percolator and the Presto Percolator. Don't get me wrong, both of these percolators do make a piping hot, good cup of coffee, but it's not perfect. The taste does not measure up to the freshness at Starbucks. I've come to realize that the taste of the coffee out of the percolator is so darn hot that it almost fools me into thinking it tastes as good as Starbucks, but it does not. Also, as fun and festive as the percolator might be, it's not quite as convenient and easy to use as a Drip Coffee Maker. One of the other complaints I had about my Stainless Steel Cuisinart Coffee Maker is that it only makes 10 cups of coffee as opposed to 12. For that reason, I purchased a 12 Cup Mr. Coffee Pot and I've been suffering with inferior coffee ever since. What's wrong with the Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Coffee Maker? Read the rest of this entry

Problem:

I need the best coffee thermos money can buy, why? I work at a small office where no one else drinks coffee. I don’t like having to brew a cup of coffee at home and then twice more each day at the office. Can even the Best Coffee Thermos in the world keep my coffee hot enough and fresh enough?

Solution:

Make a big pot of coffee at home and pour the rest of the coffee into a high quality coffee thermos that retains heat and keeps it fresh.

Reality:

Thermos Review

Best Coffee Thermos Review

Not all coffee thermoses are created equal. Finding the Best Coffee Thermos will take some research. I’ve tried about 4 or 5 different brands of thermoses over the last few years. I’ve tried Insulated Coffee Thermoses, Insulated Stainless Steel Coffee Thermoses. My latest is called a, Vacuum Stainless Steel Coffee Thermos by Liquid Solutions. Below is my comparison of all of the thermoses that I’ve tried at the office in the last 6 years. Below each brand, you can compare my own experience and opinions with other user reviews on the best coffee thermos.  Also, you will see where you can save a few bucks by buying your next thermos online from eBay.

Here is how I rate the following Thermoses in this Best Coffee Thermos Review Read the rest of this entry

Cookware Review

Stainless Steel Pan

If you're like me, you're tired of searching for not-stick cookware every 3-years. Stainless Steel Pots and Pans are very expensive. Knowing that my cookware is going to get banged up, scratched and lose it's protective non-stick coating after 2-3 years, I wouldn't mind paying a little more to get a set of pots and pans that will hold up a little longer. Consider this review on Stainless Steel Pots and Pans a work in progress. I intend to continue to research what's best for my needs in my own kitchen and update the content on the stainless steel pots and pans. There are some Teflon, and non-stick pans in this group, as I feel they do have some redeeming features, as well.
For this review, I will be researching All Clad Cookware Sets, Calphalon Tri Ply Stainless, Bialetti, T-Fal, Mirro Cookeware and Kitchenaid Cookware. Pots and Pans have always been a sticky subject with me (excuse the pun). I want cookware that is not only durable and non-sticking, but convenient, easy to handle, cook with and clean. Let's see how these brands of stainless steel pots and pans stack up against each other.

All Clad Cookware Sets

All Clad Cookware Sets

If All Clad Cookware sets look very expensive it is because – well, they are very expensive. You can expect to drop close to a grand for a 14-piece All Clad Cookware set. However, you can find the 10-piece sets for much, much cheaper, below. All Clad Cookware is made from shiny Stainless Steel with an aluminum layer in-between to help conduct heat. The advantages to All Clad stainless steel cookeware, or any stainless steel pots and pans for that matter, are beauty, durability and consistently even cooking temperatures. There are a few disadvantages to stainless steel besides the price tag. I’ve been told by some user of All-Clad Products that they don’t like having to use an oven mitt for the stainless steel lid handles. Because the aluminum middle layer conducts heat, the lids get darn hot! Touching the handle of the lid while it’s cooking is like touching the bottom of the hot pan! This doesn’t bother me too much because I quite often use a Cast Iron Pan to cook and am used to being careful with the handle. One of the other disadvantages of All Clad Cookware is that stainless steel takes a little more effort to clean. Supposedly there are some products out there to make cleaning easier. One final complaint, and for me, it’s a biggie: I absolutely cannot stand the rivets which fasten the handle on the inside of the cookware. We purchased a cheaper set of T-Fal last year that has these rivets. Food tends to stick on them and they are a real nuisance to clean. Is there not a better way to fasten the handle on such an expensive set of cookware? Besides the few complaints I’ve mentioned, All Clad Stainless Steel pots and pans are definitely on my recommended list for long term, beautiful cookware. Read the rest of this entry