Customer Reviews With Photos

This is my second mixer. Although decent, it's slightly hindered by poor controls and layout. I bought this mixer on a pre-Christmas sale for $129. For that price, it's great. But price aside, there are a few design issues that makes this mixer not as good as my 15 yr old Kitchenaid. Poor ergonomic head latch/release mechanism: ------------------------------------------------------- See my first picture. Raising and lowering the mixing head requires two hands on the Cuisinart, whereas on the Kitchenaid, this can be done with just one hand. On the Cuisinart, the release latch is poorly located way at the back of the unit. It's harder to reach. Furthermore, the latch is spring loaded which mandates two-handed operation. It requires one hand reaching way back and depressing the locking lever against a spring, and SIMULTANEOUSLY, requires a second hand at the front to raise or lower the head. This is really inconvenient because when I'm working with the mixer, my hands are often covered with flour, oil, sticky syrup, or dough. With the Kitchenaid, the latching mechanism is on the side. It' much closer to the user, and it's also not spring loaded. So with one hand, I can release the head on the Kitchenaid, and then with the same hand, tilt the head up (or down). It can be a 2-step process but it requires only one hand. Again, this is immensely useful when one hand is clean and the other hand has been in batter. There is a safety argument in favor of the Cuisinart however: it is not possible to accidentally have the head down and unlocked, and it's not possible to have the head up and accidentally bump it such that it falls down. (both these scenarios are possible with the Kitchenaid, with the unlocked head in the down position being a rather common and benign occurrence with me.) However, the rear location of the locking mechanism is inconvenient and probably a deal breaker for ADA (wheelchair) usage. The speed control knob is poor: ------------------------------ From an ergonomics perspective, I generally recommend knobs over sliders for variable controls. For example, light dimmers, volume controls, fan speed, etc. In the case of these mixers, I have found that it's the opposite: A lever is better than a knob. On the Kitchenaid, the speed control is a lever and it's sensibly placed so that the slider is front<->back, making it relatively easy to operate. I can effectively change the speed of the mixer on the Kitchenaid with my left PALM or WRIST when my hands are dirty. Also, because I'm right handed, I tend to get my left hand dirty more often while cooking so I do tend to operate the lever with whatever clean part of my hand I can find. For some people this is a non-issue. They don't mind getting dough/grease/syrup etc on the mixer because they know they will clean it up afterwards, but it does cause contamination or unintended mixing of trace ingredients for people that don't mind getting their mixer dirty while cooking. On the Cuisinart, the speed control is a knob. It requires 2-3 FINGERS to grip the knob to turn it. Again, the problem here is that sometimes both hands get a little messy when cooking, and having to wipe dry or wipe clean fingers before I can change the mixer speed is a hassle. BTW, controls at the front or top of the mixer would have been better placed. I would guess this should be trivial to do with today's low cost electronics, but would require a design change. Other complaints: --------------------- The head on the Cuisinart is longer and moves (deflects) more. i.e. in technical terms, we say it has a longer moment-arm. In lay terms, it means it sticks out further and thus has more movement when mixing. This would be expected if the mixing bowl was larger on the Cuisinart, but it is not. Both mixing bowls are the same diameter. So the Kitchenaid is better designed in this area. The Cuisinart is lighter overall so might vibrate a bit more. The heavier Kitchenaid is slightly more stable when mixing. (However, the motor on my new Cuisinart mixer is quieter than the motor on my 15 year old Kitchenaid.) The Good: ------------ The front of the unit looks better on the Cuisinart. The Battlestar Galactica Centurion cyclops looking magnetic cover that sits in front of the attachment connection is cleaner on the Cuisinart than the Kitchenaid's protruding cylinder. However, this magnetic cover, while it does look better to me, it's very easy to bump and knock off, and have it fall into the batter. The holding mechanism (a magnet) is not very secure. My Cuisinart attachments work on the Kitchenaid and my Kitchenaid attachments work my Cuisinart. They seem interchangable in both directions as far as I can tell. The higher power 600W motor on the Cuisinart makes a difference. I have a grain mill mixer attachment. It uses quite a bit of power to grind grains into flour. On the Kitchenaid, 300W is not enough. The Cuisinart's 600W motor is noticeably more powerful for this. The splash guard for the Cuisinart is better (more effective at preventing splash-out than the one that came with my Kitchenaid. So my feeling are mixed (pun intended) between these two mixers. If I were to just have one due to space constraints, I'd spend more money to get a higher powered Kitchenaid. It's just nicer to use from day-to-day. But having two mixers is handy, especially when making pasta. I can put the dough sheeter attachment on one mixer and the pasta cutter on the other one. I can quickly sheet, then cut the dough into pasta. It greatly improves workflow. For people that have the space, for $130, getting a second mixer was well worth it.

I purchased the Fritaire Air Fryer looking for a healthy way to cook my favorite foods, and I couldn't be more satisfied. This air fryer is easy to use, clean, and delivers delicious results. The build quality is excellent, and the design is modern and sleek. The capacity is perfect for cooking for 2-4 people. I love that it's so easy to clean, as the basket and pan are removable and dishwasher safe. l've cooked a variety of foods, from french fries to chicken and vegetables, and everything has turned out delicious. The temperature control feature is very useful, as it allows me to cook different types of food to perfection. In short, the Fritaire Air Fryer is an excellent choice for those looking for a healthy and delicious way to cook. I highly recommend it.

When my Hamilton Beach coffee maker decided to stop working after 7 years of daily use, I took a peek at Consumer Reports to see what they recommended - and saw the Cuisinart DCC-T20 among their top-rated. That very day, I ordered one from cuisinartoutlets.com, along with a package of Melitta #4 Cone Coffee Filters. I've used the same brand of coffee beans and the same grind (I have a burr grinder) for years so I was able to compare the "quality of the cup" easily. I can without reservation tell you that the Cuisinart DCC-T20 coffee maker, paired with the Melitta #4 filters, makes an outstanding pot of coffee. Controls on this model are pressure-sensitive "buttons" hidden behind a shiny black face-plate. A gentle tap on the always-visible On/Off "button" makes all of the others light up. The options available are self-evident and I found the black face-plate surprisingly resistant to greasy fingerprint smudges. I drink my coffee black and use a dark roasted bean, with my grind set between expresso and drip (medium fine?). I prefer to taste the flavor of the coffee beans - and *not* cream and sugar (bleh), so I always tap the "bold" setting on. I also make 8 cups at a time, so I've never used the 1-4 cups setting. I did have to prepare a pot very early in the morning once, and relied on the timer to fire-up the machine at 4 AM. It worked flawlessly, thank goodness...! The coffee maker comes with about 30 seconds worth of assembly required: a small water filter that looks like a miniature oval Keureg cup must be (unwrapped and) pressed into its holder at the base of a plastic wand. Once this done, the wand itself is inserted into the open corner where water is poured. The base of the wand slips snugly into a hole at the bottom of the water reservoir. You'll have to pass a couple of carafes of plain water through the coffee-making cycle in order to remove any charcoal dust from the filter element. Once you've done this, you're all set. I included a photo - untouched and unabashedly displaying all its early morning glory - of what the cone filter looks like after making my standard 8-cup pot. You can see that the spent coffee grind never approaches the top of the filter, so there's never a chance that you'll find any stray grinds at the bottom of a cup. I can't vouch for the same result if you use other filter size/brands. My only complaint is a minor one: the corner opening where the water is poured into the reservoir is, by design, a bit small when using the carafe itself to fill the reservoir. There is an opaque plastic window that runs up one side of the DCC with a scale that matches up perfectly with the 14-cup scale etched onto the glass of the carafe. So if you use a separate vessel to fill the coffee maker, you can use this and be assured that your water volume is accurate - and doing so would eliminate this complaint. BTW, the footprint of the coffee maker is about 7" X 9" X 14."

The bottom is not flat. We have a glass top stove. The handle where it splits to the rivets has a dent on right. There are blemishes in bottom inside the pan. Waiting to hear back from Cuisinart.

Got this thinking the "SmoothStart" feature meant it started out slow as to not splatter your ingredients everywhere - think again! It's the exact opposite! Even in the manual the SmoothStart is defined as "When the mixer is turned on, the beaters start spinning very slowly to prevent ingredients from splattering." Another reviewer suggested starting the mixer outside of the bowl and then once it slows down, place it in. I think that's a good suggestion and one to be followed. The mixer always defaults to the lowest speed (1) when turned on which is nice but the SmoothStart seems to defeat that purpose by starting out much faster, whipping your ingredients around and creating spatters and THEN slows down after a couple of seconds - crazy right? That's the SmoothStart feature? Clearly, this is false advertising and I don't know how they're getting away with it. It's nice to be able to store everything in the container it comes with and although I doubt I'd ever attempt a try at using the dough hooks, the other beaters are fine. I hate the plastic cord strap they included to keep the cord bundled. It's a struggle to fidget with it so that it will release from its clasp so you can get the cord unwrapped. I immediately threw it away and used a velcro strap instead - much easier and much faster. I don't know why they didn't go this route either. A couple of things I noticed after using this a few times. It took twice as long to make whipped cream compared to doing it by hand. I don't understand this. Not a huge deal. It gives my arm and wrist a break but it puzzles me. I used the speed recommended and the whisk attachment. Also, when making cake from a box mix, the finished product just didn't come out as nice compared to when I made it by hand mixing. Again, I'm perplexed by this. I think I'll still be mixing some things by hand to get the best results and use this when it doesn't make a difference. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed with the performance/results and the "SmoothStart".

After working with Cuisinart’s easy and helpful customer service on a warranty issue for my coffeemaker, I thought that Cuisinart would be my go-to kitchen electronics brand. However, this blender has been trouble from the beginning. The first issue was the noise - noticeably louder than my previous Ninja blender but, even if I had to plug my ears, not a problem if it does the job. Spoiler, it doesn’t. The shape of the pitcher changes at the bottom to contain the blades in a narrow well. This design means that your food will not begin circulating until the items in the well are very thoroughly blended. This makes the blender extremely slow but it also means that you have one choice of consistency (mush) - and that you will invariably end up babysitting the blender to manually agitate the contents. At this point, my blender is just annoying. But for making smoothies once in a while or blending spinach for saag every few months, I’ll make it work. A month after having the blender (3 or 4 uses), The blender was doing a particularly poor job and after watching it from the top, I found that it was was not moving the food at all. When I poured out the contents I found two parts of the blade mechanism had detached and were mixed into the blended items in the well of the pitcher. Since this took place a day after cuisinartoutlets.com’s 30-day return policy, I had to call Cuisinart about the issue. After looking up the part, Cuisinart confirmed that this was a defect in early models and said that they would send me a replacement blade assembly. This wasn’t my ideal solution since I never quite felt safe using the blender afterwards but, again, I figured I’d make it work. The blender spent a number of months in the cupboard and I had simply made do without it. However, a craving for saag meant pulling it out once again. With the pitcher reasonably filled with wilted spinach, I turned on the blender and was met with a new high-pitched screeching as the blades turned. I dumped the contents to make certain that the blade assembly was in place, and finding it secure and my spinach already emptied, I threw the device in the garbage (thus ending the saga). I don’t simply not-recommend this blender, I think it’s dangerous; it needs to discontinued.

Very very annoying. The bottom part doesn’t stay on. I don’t know why, I followed the directions multiple times. And even had my sister a try at attaching the bottom and it still comes off! I wish I never bought it.

Love the copper color I had new filters and parts from the previous machine they fit this one too. The previous one had the kcup thing and was a 12cup. The kcup part started leaking after 3 1/2 yrs so upgraded to this 14 cup. So far I like it. Still have to be careful pouring when its full I think I just want to pour it to fast I guess it dribbles. Coffee tastes great. I ended up getting a keurig for k cups cappuccino milk steamer all in one instead of the combined Cuisinart this time. I use both machines. The big pot in the morning the other for a one cup of whatever late in the day. I rarely waste money at the coffee shops cant afford a $6-8 coffee everyday. Have a mix of metalscand chromes love the copper as a contrast. Only complaint is the lid on the pot did same thing on the previous you cant pour quickly or it spills dribbles.

Unfortunately the food sticks badly to surface even on low heat and with spray or vegetable oil.

Love this non plastic stainless steel electric kettle. Spent so much time looking for a kettle that didn’t have any plastic in contact with the water (nothing, not on the lid or viewing measurements) it was nearly impossible to find one. This one is pretty and durable - good quality, works as planned, heats up pretty fast (1-2 mins depending on how much water). Easy to clean (I only use it for water, so just need to wipe outside) and at a great price point for a well known household brand. I bought this for Xmas gifts for my mom and mother in law so they can start removing plastics from their kitchens too.. Ps. one call out is that there’s no measuring window, but that was ok for me, since it keeps the integrity of the jar (all stainless steel, no plastic!) and that was the main reason for getting this.

One of the shakers is actually broken. Received it in February and sadly didn’t realize this until yesterday. It was suppose to be new but it did look like it had been used. Very disappointed

I have used this one time amd the quality is terrible. The pan is already discolored - I should have listened to others reviews. Going yo try to return it.

Update: The first one I bought lasted about 19 months. The price has increased almost 50% since I bought that one. When it died I tried a few other models that are less expensive. After a day or a week I returned those and ultimately bought another one of these. I’ve had my second one about 11 months now. I will likely never buy anything else. Best coffee I’ve ever been able to make at home. It used to be if you bought something from Cuisinart you could expect to still have it in five years. I wish that was still the case, but if I’m being completely honest I would buy a new one of these every year if I have to. I looked at every model of thermal carafe coffee maker and read a lot of reviews before choosing this one. This is, by far, the hottest coffee I have ever gotten from a home coffee maker. For me, this is a huge selling point. The thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot enough to enjoy without microwaving for at least 4 hours. Even after 6 or 7 hours the coffee is still warm and tasty. Because it does not use a warming plate to keep the coffee hot, the last drop of coffee tastes as good as the first. I will never go back to a glass caraf. I like the flavor of my coffee better than I have with any other coffee maker I've ever owned. The carafe is large. It holds almost 2 liters if you fill it to the 12 cup mark. The pour spout is designed specifically so It doesn't dribble all over the place when I pour. It makes the coffee pretty quickly. Speed depends on the settings you use and, obviously, how much coffee you're making. A full pot without the bold setting is read in about 11 or 12 minutes. It is completely programmable so you can setup the coffee to be ready at whatever time you'd like. It also has a "1-4" button for if you're making 1 to 4 cups of coffee, and a "bold" button if you like stronger coffee. Those two buttons have a similar function. They slow the water flow over the grinds so you get the full flavor in a small pot, or a bolder flavor in any pot. A note about pouring because I've seen some reviewers that didn't like how the pot pours. I don't use the pot to fill the reservoir with water. I did that the first time and it pours way too slowly. That was aggravating. That may be why others complained. So I use a plastic pitcher for filling the reservoir. It appears that the top to the pot is designed to control the flow rate when pouring. I see this as a positive. When I'm filling my coffee cup I'm never wishing it would pour faster. I'm just glad coffee isn't getting all over the counter, the floor, or me. I noticed some reviewers said the buttons stopped working after a few months or a year. I will say that it doesn't take much force at all to get a response from whatever button you push. Because of those reviews I make a point of not using much force when I hit "Brew" or whatever button I'm pushing. If you poke them hard over and over, I could see them not working anymore after awhile. This coffee maker looks nice in my kitchen. If you have stainless steel appliances it will match. It takes up a very reasonable amount of space on my counter. The measurement lines are on the right side in the middle; however you can pour the water into the reservoir from either side. The reservoir is the whole back of the unit and is accepts water on either the left of the right side. The filter basket is cone shaped. It comes with a gold screen reusable filter insert. I still use a paper filter in that as well because I don't like any sediment in my coffee. The paper cone filters cost a little more than standard filters but not so much that it is deal-breaker for me. A few extra dollars every 3 or 4 months. You have the option to use a charcoal water filter, but if you never use one it doesn't change how to unit performs. The charcoal filter's purpose is to filter things like the chloriine flavor out of your water. I use it. Some reviewers complained that the instructions are lacking in detail. Maybe the manufacturer has updated them since then. For the most part the setup is all pretty logical. The one thing I found difficult to figure out and not explained in the instructions was getting the charcoal filter into the filter holder. Turns out it is apparently so easy it looks hard. I included a few pics. On the stem portion of the charcoal filter holder is the word "open" with an arrow pointing downward. Right below that on the base is a little notch that sticks up. Just gently pull on the little notch and the front of the base flips open. The back left corner of the water reservoir has a slot cutout in the bottom to hold the base of the charcoal water filter setup. You just gently set it down in there. You don't have to force it. And it stays in place. The last pic is of the cutout in the bottom of the water reservoir. Other than that setup was really easy. The filter basket only fits in one way. It's a no-brainer to see where the water goes. The instructions tell you how to use all the buttons and features. There is a ready tone that beeps 5 times when the coffee is finished brewing. It's pretty loud. If you don't like that, you just press the "Tone" button near the clock face and the ready tone is off. It comes with one charcoal water filter, several cone shaped paper coffee filters, and a coffee scoop. cuisinartoutlets.com sells the charcoal filters and the paper cone filters for very reasonable prices. I've been using this coffee maker since the day after Christmas 2019 and I have no complaints. I will update this review if anything changes. I've had a Bunn, and several models of Hamilton Beach over the course of 20 years. So far, this is the best coffee maker I've ever owned.

UPDATE 10 months after purchase: The knob for the level for pushing down the toast broke off. Cuisinart does not offer that part on their repair parts site, and doesn't look like there is a third-party replacement available. DO NOT BUY unless you have a 3D printer to print yourself a new knob! Original review: We've owned a lot of toasters over the years, and it has been hard to find a toaster that toasts evenly. Some of them did okay with typical mass-market sandwich bread, but most specialty breads would not toast evenly. This toasts nice and even; tested on several brands and types of bread. The lift handle and darkness slide lever are nice and solid. "Defrost" and "Single Slice" buttons work well. A couple minor usability issues. But the nice toast makes up for them: If you have the toaster aligned with the long side going from the counter backsplash to the front, the crumb tray is against the backsplash, making you have to twist the toaster around temporarily to empty the tray. See photo showing our setup The "Bagel" setting toasts just the inside surface of a sliced bagel (nice), but the little guidance image on top of the toaster is hard to decipher which is the inside of the bagel. Not only that, but if you slice a bagel, and immediately put it in the toaster, you have to swap sides!

It's a great kettle with simple functions. It's interior is all stainless steel which is safe for boiling water. It boils water fast within 6 -7 minutes. I measured the water temperature after boiling and it reached 212F which is accurate. It's simply operated, just and on/ off button. The outside doesn't get hot after water is boiled which is a great feature . I wish there's a bigger size for the same type. The only thing I noticed that it shakes at the end of the boiling cycle.(See video) .