#9: Lodge Logic LPGI3 Pro 20-by-10-7/16-Inch Cast-Iron Grill/Griddle

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#3: Cuisinart CFO-3SS Electric Fondue Maker

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318 of 332 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Some great design with some serious drawbacks, April 24, 2006 This review is from: Cuisinart CFO-3SS Electric Fondue Maker (Kitchen) Being a fondue lover, when I first saw this new Cuisinart electric fondue maker, I had an "Aha!" moment, and purchased the pot looking forward to a future of only using those smelly little sterno cans for nicely subdued pink outdoor lighting, (yes...I am kidding), instead of heating my food. At first blush, this Item has some great features. Large pot, detachable cord, easy clean nonstick interior, full immersability and variable heating temperatures. Now for the bad news. The pot does not detach from the ever so immense and functional stand, making it a very large pot indeed. difficult to store, almost impossible to refrigerate in newer center split refrigerators that have smaller shelf space....like mine. Tres cumbersome. The cord is extremely short, almost always calling for an additional extension cord. Fabulous if you like that industrial look while dining or entertaining, unfortunate if you don't. The worst flaw? The tendency to heat unevenly dang it! Because the heat is concentrated around the widely spaced heating elements on the bottom of the pot, we have noticed that this is creating marks in the non stick surface and overcooked areas and even burns the cheese at the bottom of the pot. Quelle horreur! Now we see clearly why this pot is non-stick. It has to be if there is even a remote chance of getting the burnt bits off without using dynamite. We tried far lower temperature settings,or even varying the temperature, thinking this would remedy the problem, but then instead of the one true hot, gooey, melty fondue, we ended up with semi-chilled, semi melted cheese lumps. Not as appetizing as you might think. No doubt, a better product for oil than cheese or chocolate. Also, No lid sigh...Well, I guess you can't have everything, but this Cuisinart fondue pot is sleek and pretty and burnt bits or not, at least I'm only using the left over sterno for "candle-lit" baths until it runs out (...yes...I am kidding again). However, I am still looking for a better fondue pot. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? 

159 of 166 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny... Never going back to sterno again!!!, January 31, 2005 This review is from: Cuisinart CFO-3SS Electric Fondue Maker (Kitchen) If you like fondue, but find Sterno fuel a pain to use, not to mentioned potentially dangerous... you will love this fondue pot... Just plug it in, turn the knob to the setting you desire and put in the make fondue! Couldn't be easier!

While the power cord is rather short, just get an extension and all is right with the world... And for those concerned that someone tripping over the cord could cause a big mess... forget it... The cord has a megnetic connector that holds it to the thermostat, which incidentally unplugs from the pot itself for cleaning, If someone were to trip over the cord, it just comes undone and all you have to do is set it back in place and the magnet reconnects it... Brilliant!

Oh, and the non-stick surface is great... Those old ceramic fondue pots were a chore to clean... Just wipe this one out with a soft sponge with soap and water and your done!

Yes, Fondue is back and this pot could keep it here to stay this time around!

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86 of 88 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic fondue!, October 10, 2004 This review is from: Cuisinart CFO-3SS Electric Fondue Maker (Kitchen) Update 3/19/11:

Since introducing my kids to the joys of fondue for dinner last summer, they've wanted to have fondue for every special occasion. After borrowing a friend's Rival fondue pot, which is similar to the Cuisinart one, we decided to buy a second pot since one wasn't quite enough for 5 hungry people trying to cook two items at once! Since my brother-in-law wanted to get us a Christmas gift, I told him to get the Rival one since it's cheaper (I didn't feel right asking him to spend more money on the Cuisinart since my friend's Rival pot was fine when we used it for chocolate fondue and my Cuisinart for the oil-based meat course). Well, the shrimp and steak stuck to the bottom of the Rival pot once it reached temperature, but it never did with my Cuisinart! It cleaned up just as easily, but it made me wish we'd asked for another Cuisinart. If you are choosing between the two, definitely go for Cuisinart! In the meantime I will be researching how to keep meats from sticking to the non-stick Rival.

Original Review (thanks for all the helpful votes!!):

I got this fondue set as a wedding gift and tried it out for the first time last night. It heats quickly and evenly, and the ability to dial the temperature in .5 stops from 1 to 10 is very helpful. It's a nice large size, so larger fondues for a big crowd are no problem (you could easily double small recipes). We made the chocolate hazelnut fondue recipe that came with the set and it was fabulous! Best of the four recipes we made last night. The removable top has 6 slotted "rests" for the fondue forks, although we didn't need it since we were just dipping. One thing to be aware of is that the cord is pretty short, but if you have a heavy-duty extension cord then that's no problem. I highly recommend this fondue set! It's great as a gift or a self-indulgence!

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#7: FoodSaver T03-0023-01 Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer

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227 of 229 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Great product - money saver!, July 31, 2008 This review is from: FoodSaver T03-0023-01 Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer (Kitchen) FoodSaver may be kind of shooting themselves in the foot with this product. We found their plastic canisters to be rather expensive, and there were too many reviews saying people had experienced cracks in them. I'm sure a plastic canister would be good in some circumstances, but when we found out there are wide-mouth 2 quart canning jars (you generally only see 1 quart and 1 pint in the stores), we bought the last 3 cases of them we could find locally (6 jars in each case) and ordered this Jar Sealer. What a great product!

Just so there's no misunderstanding, this product is removed after the jar is sealed, and the lid stays put - just screw on the jar ring and put away whatever is in the jar. At first it was a little unclear whether we had to get one of these attachments for each jar, but that's not the case.

Now we can use relatively inexpensive (and durable) ? gallon canning jars (as well as the smaller sizes) for various food items, take out what we need for use, and immediately vacuum-seal the jar again with the remaining contents. A case of six 2 quart jars was just over $8.00, so for about $25 (plus the one-time cost of the jar sealer attachment of course) we have 9 gallons of storage capacity to use over and over, without concern for cracking like the FoodSaver plastic canisters apparently do too often. And replacing the sealing lids when they finally need replacing is a minimal expense. This also sure beats the cost of the plastic sealing bags that generally can only be used one or two times, when we can use these jars over and over instead of the bags. There is a place for the plastic bags, but we're finding so far that a whole lot that we initially started putting in the bags can just as easily (if not easier) go in the jars. Additionally, the jars keep powdered or liquid products from going into the vacuum sealer much more easily than the bags laying flat at the mouth of the sealer.

All around, these easy to use and very inexpensive for ongoing use, with almost nothing to replace or crack, and easy to store.

One tip: read the instructions carefully. DO NOT open the FoodSaver lid first when it's finished, or it will repressurize the jar. Follow the instructions and remove one end of the plastic tube first - there will be just a little puff of air as air re-enters the system, but it doesn't go into the jar and destroy the vacuum in the jar. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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79 of 80 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Food Storage Device!!, February 6, 2005 This review is from: FoodSaver T03-0023-01 Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer (Kitchen) I have had a Tilia FoodSaver for more than two years. This particular attachment is used every day in my kitchen. It is a wonderful way to preserve foods from the ravages of spoilage. I vacuum seal all of my spices, brown sugar, coffee, candy, chips, strawberries, shredded cheeses, tea, etc., etc., etc. Using wide mouth jars that I have used for years in canning, I can seal just about anything that will fit into a jar that uses a wide mouth lid. In addition, this sealer can be used on the Tilia canisters, both small and large, to seal them as well.

Everything that is sealed in this manner stays very fresh and I can buy larger amounts of things on sale and seal in the freshness. My favorite use is for coffee beans. Recently, I purchased 10 lbs of beans of various types at half price ($4/lb instead of $8/lb) saving more than the cost of this item in that single purchase. The beans stay absolutely fresh until I use them!!

A warning about using the lids, both the jar and the lids must be VERY clean to hold the seal. You should regularly check your sealed jars to make sure that they remain sealed. Also, there can be no chips or cracks anywhere on the jar.

I really do enjoy the sound of popping a lid and hearing the whooosh of the air when it rushes into the vacuum created by my Tilia FoodSaver. I just know that what is inside that jar is FRESH.

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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Does the job, July 27, 2005 This review is from: FoodSaver T03-0023-01 Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer (Kitchen) Works perfectly. Soup, sauces, etc. last much longer when vacuum sealed in a mason jar. More economical than the expensive canisters sold by Foodsaver. The only drawback is that it's a very tight seal; have to pry it open with edge of a spoon or knife to break the vacuum. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? 
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#1: Lodge Logic L10SK3 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet

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#8: Lodge Pro Logic 14" Cast Iron Wok, Black

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218 of 222 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Right Tool for the Right Job, February 28, 2005 This review is from: Lodge Pro Logic 14" Cast Iron Wok, Black (Kitchen) Like all tools in the kitchen, this one has the exact qualities that make it a phenomenal wok that's representative of CAST IRON cookware.

A. It's heavy cast iron, which means it retains heat exceptionally well. Because of the high thermal mass, you'll have to be patient as the wok takes a few minutes to heat up while on the stove. After it heats up, you'll be rewarded with long-lasting high temperature heat (if desired... it's really for you to control... steady medium or low is very attainable, too) perfect for doing restaurant-style stir-frying at home. That is, you can toss food in the pan without worrying that the pan will cool off and boil/steam your food with the escaping moisture. Searing on the home stove is well within this wok's capabilities. All of this just requires patience.

B. It's a wok, which means that the heat is concentrated at the bottom and tapers off going up the sides. You control how you cook your food by where you situate it relative to the bottom/center. The non-slippery surface of the wok makes this possible, since you can slide food up the sides to reduce the amount of heat it gets exposed to, and the food will stay, rather than fall back down to the bottom, like a teflon-based non-stick surface.

C. It's pre-seasoned, so it's fairly non-stick. I have yet to experience having anything completely stick to it while cooking, whether it's coated meat, stir-fry, vegetables, or egg scrambles.

Because it's heavy cast-iron, you get all these benefits that you don't find with the typical woks you see in the marketplace. Compared to traditional woks, this is not one that you'll be handling while you're cooking. Once it heats up, it gets hot... real hot... including the handles. You'll be scooping food out of it rather than pouring food from the wok to a plate, and you'll be leaving it on the stove over dinner until the thing cools down enough to handle. BE CAREFUL! (wouldn't want anyone to experience any nasty surprises)

Also, since it's cast iron, this piece of cookware requires a bit more TLC than your ordinary anodized aluminum/teflon-coated cookware. You won't be washing this with soap, rather Lodge recommends hot water and a stiff brush, and you'll need to keep it dry and seasoned (rubbed with oil) when you're storing it. It's a bit of extra work, but to me, it's completely worth it as even quality teflon-coated pans will wear out far sooner than well cared for cast iron cookware.

At the end of the day, I still use my anodized aluminum/teflon-coated cookware when what I'm cooking calls for it. I reach for my cast iron pieces to do the job they're best suited for... anytime I need steady heat, high temperature cooking, and/or searing capability. It's just a matter of using the right tool for the right job.

Honestly, I'm so glad Lodge makes affordable cast iron cookware. I've been wanting to pick-up some cast-iron pieces for a while. Until I found Lodge via Amazon.com, I have always turned away disappointed when I see how much Le Creuset costs at retail stores. Thanks, Lodge & Amazon.com!

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121 of 123 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Only Reliable Wok for the Typical American Stove, December 8, 2005 This review is from: Lodge Pro Logic 14" Cast Iron Wok, Black (Kitchen) Unless you have a professional quality cooktop (Garland, Wolf, etc.), the typical American stove does not produce enough BTUs to properly heat the traditional rolled steel wok. No matter how long you heat it, it will cool too quickly and the food will boil instead of sear.

However, a pre-heated (I give it at least 10 or 15 minutes) cast iron wok holds on to enough heat to enable you to properly stir-fry. And cleaning is not that bad. After removing the food throw in a cup or two of very hot water and scrub with a stiff, non-nylon (it melts) kitchen brush (a grill brush is ideal). Pour out the dirty water (ok, this is a trick because of the weight), put it back on the heat to boil off any excess moisture, and wipe it with an oiled paper towel and let cool.

By the way, if you like to deep fry, a cast iron wok runs circles around most any fry rig and requires less oil. In fact, deep frying is a great way to season or re-season the wok.

If you want a wok with less maintenance, anodized aluminum (Calphalon, Circulon, Analon, et al) is really your only other choice. It does not sear quite as well because it does not have the same heat retention, but it does a good job because it is so thermally conductive liquid evaporates before it can pool. It works especially well with vegetables and white meats. A little hot water, dishwashing liquid, and a scrubby sponge is all you need.

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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Best WOK ever..., July 27, 2005 This review is from: Lodge Pro Logic 14" Cast Iron Wok, Black (Kitchen) So I've had a dozen or so WOKs but none that hold the heat so well and cook so evenly. I use it mainly on the gas burner with the high heats, where all the others just don't do well at all, and am thoroughly impressed by it.

The flat bottom does justice when on a traditional electric range and is just as effective in cooking.

I wouldn't buy any other WOK after getting this one, unless of course I need a second duplicate one.

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#5: T-Fal Professional Total Nonstick 12-1/2-Inch Saute Pan, Black

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68 of 69 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Non-Stick Bliss, April 12, 2011 This review is from: T-Fal Professional Total Nonstick 12-1/2-Inch Saute Pan, Black (Kitchen) Boy, this is a hard pan to find! Since Amazon.com did not have this item in stock, I contacted T-Fal to see if it was still available and where I might buy it. Here's the reply that I got from T-Fal:

========================================

We received your e-mail via T-falUSA.com, and we thank you for your interest in our products.

T-Fal products are available at many national retail stores. The T-Fal Professional Total Non stick cookware that has been reviewed in Cooks Illustrated and Consumer Report is currently available at Kohl's, Meijer and Shopko as well as their on-line retail web sites. You may also find this item through on line retailers such as amazon.com

Note: Our inventory levels have been low as a result of these reviews. However we do have shipments coming in regularly. With this in mind, retailers may be temporarily out of stock. If possible, you may want to consider per-ordering.

The T-Fal part numbers for this cookware will begin with either E938, E939 or E987.

The cookware has stainless steel base and can be used on all cook tops including an induction cook top

The cookware is available as either a 10 piece set or as individual fry pans in 8", 10.25" or 12.5" sizes.

Please be advised that some retailers may not use the T-Fal part numbers to identify this product but they will use its name. Additionally, we suggest contacting your local retailer for on hand inventory since each store determines their own inventory levels.

If you have additional questions, please call 1-800-395-8325 and provide the consumer service agent with reference number 110228-000256. Representatives are available from 8:30am to 5:30pm EST, Monday thru Friday.

Sincerely,
T-fal Consumer Service

========================================

I ended up buying it from shopko.com since Amazon did not have it in stock. The item that I ordered (and received) is the exact part number that was reviewed by Cook's Illustrated.

All I can say is that Cook's was right. This pan has amazing non-stick properties. I've been using the pan for several months now on a daily basis (I'm on a carb-restricted diet, so I eat fried eggs for breakfast every morning) and the non-stick properties of this pan are simply amazing. No sticking. Clean-up is a breeze. I'm VERY satisfied with this pan and will not hesitate to purchase another when this one wears out (hey, nothing lasts forever).

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64 of 66 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Not the same pan, December 17, 2010 This review is from: T-Fal Professional Total Nonstick 12-1/2-Inch Saute Pan, Black (Kitchen) Those who complain that they found this pan model (E9380864) at a lower price elsewhere are confused. They were looking at a different, quite inferior product. This model has been out of stock in stores and internet for months. The other, cheaper model has been mistaken for this one. I know; I bought one of them. The model number was completely different, but I thought it was a replacement. Not so. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? 

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Great pan, September 17, 2010 This review is from: T-Fal Professional Total Nonstick 12-1/2-Inch Saute Pan, Black (Kitchen) No point going overboard, but this is a very, very good nonstick pan. Solid, very nonstick, easy to handle, quite durable. A very good value. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? 
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#10: Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker

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306 of 309 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars great value, sturdy cooker, May 13, 2006 This review is from: Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker (Kitchen) I bought this cooker 6 months ago from amazon for $35, and frankly, although the reviews I read on this product all said that it's great, I was very skeptical about the $35 price tag and was not expecting much. On top of that, both my mother and my mother-in-law warned me that cheap pressure cookers are dangerous, and I *must* buy something more expensive for safety reasons. I am just very glad that they were both wrong!

This is definitely one of the best purchases I have made on amazon. I still cannot believe they sell this for $35! The pot does not feel cheap at all. It has very sturdy handles, and a thick, heavy bottom, which holds in heat well. I like this pan so much that sometimes I use it instead of my skillet to sautee meat, because of the deeper pot + the cover, less cleaning up for me :-)

I love making soup and stock, but it usually takes up so much of my time when the stock is simmering. With this pressure cooker, I can make a meat-fall-off-the-bone soup in an hour!

Some might find this pot to be a little on the small side, but this pot works great for my wife and I. Although we have guests over regularly, I find the capacity of the pot to be very good. I would guess that this pot would work well for up to a 4-person family.

Pros:
=====
- Cheap, at $35, it's hard to beat
- Sturdy, I was afraid that the plastic handles would break easily, but they are in fact quite strong
- Stainless steel makes it great for browning meat pieces for stew or stock, and it heats up fast and holds heat well.
- Safe, you cannot open it when it's pressurized.
- Dish washer safe, though I prefer to wash it by hand.

Cons:
=====
- The handle can be tricky to hold with one hand. My hands are small, and when you've closed the top, the handle is kind of big. Luckily, I don't need to do this very often, and when I need to move it around, I just use both handles.
- The top cap can be tricky to clean. I usually soak it in hot soapy water, and then clean it thoroughly with Q-tip.

Watch outs:
===========
- The handle curves in a way that it catches any dripping liquid, I've hurt myself once when I wasn't careful at opening the cover.
- Do *NOT* remove the cap while it's blowing! The steam from inside is extremely hot and as soon as you remove the cap, the hot steam will shoot up faster than you can move your hand(s) away.

Tips:
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- I keep some water bottles in my freezer, and when I need to cool this off in a hurry, I can make a bath of cold water in my sink, put the hot pot inside, and throw the froze water bottles in. This usually cools it down very fast, great when I want to refrigerate it overnight to skim off the fat, and didn't want to wait too long for it to cool down.

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291 of 299 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars good, October 15, 2003 This review is from: Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker (Kitchen) This is nothing fancy, but it works wery well. Replacemenat parts are easy to buy. You can't open it if it's under pressure because it has a lock by the handle (safety feature). Actually I think it's very safe as it has other features as well.
I think one of the most important things to look for is what it's made of (after safety of course!). This is stainless steel which is good because you don't want aluminum (aluminum will stain and get eaten away with acidic food such as vinegar or lemon juice...).
Another thing to consider is that it takes time to heat up and cool down so even though all pressure cookers say it takes a lot less time to cook, they don't take the heat-up cool-down time into consideration, even though they are correct about the actual cooking time.

Good pressure cooker.

EDIT

In 2007, I bought a Kuhn-Rikon pressure cooker and I'm even more pleased with that.
It's quite a bit more expensive (4-7 times?) but a *lot* quieter as it relies on an internal spring to maintain pressure as opposed to gravity for the Presto. The Kuhn-Rikon also allows less water to escape. I keep both of them but I haven't used the presto for 4 months now. Considering I bought the Presto in 1999, it's amazing that it works perfectly even though it got heavy use. I even put the rubber seal and the lid in the dishwasher every time and it still held up. It's my backup cooker now as I can't let go of something that still works fine.

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177 of 186 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars price is right, does the job., September 18, 2004 This review is from: Presto 01362 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker (Kitchen) This is a no-frills pressure cooker. It could be a little bigger, but it does the job very well.

When 'boiling' food in a traditional pot, the food cannot exceed 212 degrees F (the temperature at which water boils). Under pressure, the boiling point rises... in this pressure cooker to about 250 degrees F. This means, of course, that food cooks faster (the reason people normally think to buy a pressure cooker), but the higher temperature also allows other 'reactions' to take place while cooking... For instance, the tougher fibers in meat will convert to gelatin, making the meat more tender. As a result, pressure cookers are great for braised dishes with tough meats, such as chili. For these purposes, this pressure cooker rocks.

Larger pressure cookers can also be used for canning (because the higher temperatures can kill more bad things. This pressure cooker really is not large enough for this task. If you are not a canner though, compare the prices of this against those larger models... I think you will be back looking at this one.

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