Zojirushi NP-HBC18 10-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer Reviews

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List Price: $431.00
Sale Price: $306.98
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

We thought we knew what rice was supposed to be like when we used our Costco Aroma Rice Cookers--we would just, as a matter of course, replace the old ones with the same brand... Until this time.

After reading up on consumer reviews and Japanese sites, we opted to try the Zojirushi Induction Heating Rice Cooker. The stainless steel is STUNNING--the pictures do NOT do it justice--it is gorgeous on my countertop--a piece of furniture, like the KitchenAid Mixer. It is easy to set up (clock time, etc) and easy to use. (The directions are very clear.) I tried some Jasmine Rice in it for our first try--and WOW! I was totally amazed! Each piece of rice is perfect in every way. I have never had such results before. Perfect temperature, perfect texture, perfect stickiness, perfect taste. The aroma in the kitchen fills the house and it's wonderful.

There is very little steam (unlike most rice cookers) and it is very easy to clean up. It keeps the rice at that perfect temperature for hours--even longer with the extended warm feature.

I know it's expensive--but in this case, I truly believe you get what you pay for. If you want to know what rice is supposed to be like--you must get one of these! Zojirushi makes a couple of different types of rice cookers--and I have heard that they are all terrific. This one cooks with induction heating, which uses magnets... the unit doesn't get hot...

If you can--get this one!

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I purchased this rice cooker about a month or so ago. I cannot say enough good things about this rice cooker. It is absolutely fantastic! Everything I've made (rice and non-rice) has come out wonderfully!

I have a cook/warm rice cooker that I'm going to sell at a yard sale. I will never be able to go back to using that type of machine again. The difference between the Zojirushi and the cook/warm is more than night and day. The difference between the quality in the rice bowls alone is unbelievable. The Zojirushi has a bowl that is very thick and heavy, not unlike my stove top cookware. My old cook/warm rice bowl feels like one of my cheap mixing bowls.

Prior to purchasing the Zojirushi, we never really cared for brown rice. It was too crunchy/chewy. Now my family and I love brown rice. The GABA Brown Rice setting is amazing. I have never made, nor eaten, brown rice that was so light and fluffy before in my life. Because of that, we mostly eat brown rice now which is much healthier for us anyway.

You will not be disappointed with this machine. It's looks beautiful sitting on the counter top. Clean up is a breeze the stainless has some sort of coating and does not show fingerprints or smears!

UPDATE 08/12/2012: Well, after years of using this fabulous rice cooker numerous times a week, I needed to replace it. I ordered another one because my husband and I love the way this makes brown rice, other grains, and steel cut oats. The rubber seal on our original model was worn out. If we weren't around to take the food out right away, it was drying out and wasn't hot enough. I looked at the new pressure cooker model, read the various reviews, and decided to re-order this model. However, I am going to look to see if I can do something to prolong the life of the seal on my new one.

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Update: We have owned this rice cooker for about 2 years now and it continues to cook good rice every time. Some Tips:

1. Add 10% more water than is indicated, this will make fluffier rice

2. In order to make Persian-style rice, throw in one tablespoon butter and salt to taste with the water: when used with Basmati rice, this would produce fragrant rice with every grain standing apart.

3. For long-grain rice, use the "Soft" option.

4. Please use it to cook brown rice on GABA setting. Exquisite.

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We have had this rice cooker for a week now and have already tried all its settings. It's unbelievable how this cooker makes fluffy, moist rice where each grain stands out without getting sticky. This happens whether you put in Basmati rice, Sushi rice or brown rice. It's astounding how the rice remain fresh, warm and hardly dry out. That was a big change for us, having used no-good Oster rice cookers until we went to a Japanese supermarket and saw how cool and functional this unit looked. We are now eating more (healthier) brown rice and not throwing away any rice the following day. The Japanese sure know how to cook rice.

The menu is simple but offers plenty of choice. The inside bowl is heavy and made of Stainless Steel and has deep and clear marking to help you add the right amount of water without having to use cups. The melodies are a bit of a nuisance, but you wouldn't hear them over your dishwasher, so that's quite all right. The cooker does take twice as long as other, cheap rice cookers, but the ensuing taste is worth the wait.

Without a doubt, the machine is beautiful. If you really want to eat great rice every time and can afford the price, this is your best choice.

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Yes, this rice cooker is crazy expensive, but worth it. I agree with all the other reviewers that the rice comes out perfect every time, even if you leave it warming for hours. We only eat brown rice, and were disappointed with previous rice cookers that left the rice crunchy, with that disgusting hard crust at the bottom of the pan. With this cooker, every grain is perfect. We also use the "porridge" setting to cook steel cut oats and hot cereal. We do reduce the amount of water the cooker recommends for porridge, to create a thicker end product. This is just a personal preference, however. This cooker is goof proof. The timer is simple to set, and I find the little melody that plays when the cooktime begins and ends to be adorable. Since buying this product, we've been using it several times a week and eating healthier as a result. It's expensive, but take a deep breath and make this investment. You won't be disappointed.

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Great machine for cooking rice of all kinds. Very easy to clean, too, even when cooking brown rice with azuki beans. Has a steam capturing devise which prevents too much steam from escaping into your kitchen.

Cheap Cuisinart CEC-10 Egg Central Egg Cooker

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List Price: $75.00
Sale Price: $35.99
Today's Bonus: 52% Off

i have chickens and so i get my own eggs from them each day. i wanted something that could poach eggs for my husband and i easily. also when i boil eggs i wanted something to boil alot at a time. i saw this on amazon and thought i would give it a try. oh my gosh i cant say enough nice things about it. i have only had it a short time and havent made an omelet yet but if it makes one like it does the poached and boiled then it will be great. by the time my toast is done in the toaster the poached eggs are done to perfection. and it turns off itself after the bell rings. love it!!

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I bought this at bed bath and beyond on the advice of my sister. I was really skeptical at first and my first batch of eggs turned out terrible. What a mess, cracked eggs, eggs boiled out etc. called my sis and asked her about where you pierce the eggs as the instructions say poke it on the top. Well,the top to my simple mind is the skinny part! Not so said my sis. The top of the egg is the fat part of the egg!!!!! So i tried another batch, poked them on the top (bottom in my mind) of the egg, put the eggs in with the hole facing down instead of up... And voila!! Perfect eggs in about 9 minutes. And i mean perfect, done to perfection! These eggs are cooked via steam vs. boiling and steamed eggs peel SO MUCH EASIER!! I can peel almost the whole shell off in one piece. Usually my eggs look like they have been through an MMA fight after peeling them. Yes the lid gets hot as its trapping steam (duh) so keep the kiddies away while its cooking. To address the negative reviews about the hot lid, it has handles so all the nitwits out there can lift the lid without getting burned. And oh yeah, open the lid AWAY from you. Dont plant your face over it when u open it. Lesson learned! And the pictures of it are decieving, this thing is small! About the size of a softball. It takes up very little counter space. Nice! Summary: this gadget is awesome! Perfect eggs easy cleanup. Cant wait to do deviled eggs for easter dinner. This is a paleo/primal eaters dream!

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For people who love eggs everyday but have limited time. This is a fun and practical gadget. Easy to use, easy to clean. Follow the very simple instructions...SERIOUSLY! If it says use cold water, use it! If it says to position the egg a certain way, do it! Then the eggs will be perfect every time!! The only rule I am lax on is the distilled water. I have water stains in the unit, but I don't care. Stay near the unit. When the alarm sounds you need to turn it off and open it...otherwise your eggs just keep cooking simply from the trapped steam. The paper towel cleanup of the unit is what really does it for me. 4 perfect poached eggs in 9 min and wipe clean...so efficient.

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This was a gift for my brother-in-law who loves hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, and normally does not cook anything for himself. He read the short manual and now makes a batch of eggs every week. You can cook up to 10 eggs at a time. They come out perfect every time. A buzzer sounds to let you know the eggs are done, I wish it would just shut off instead. He has a tendancy to set it up and then head to the bathroom to shave and get ready for work. Sometimes the buzzer is going off for a while. We will probably never use the omelet tray, because it seems to make a rather small omelet. Use distilled water as the directions say, or you will begin to get a scale deposit in the bottom.

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This product makes the best boiled eggs. So good, that I now get breakfast served to me on Saturday mornings by spouse. This is a no brainer!

Best Holly & Martin Regina Wall Mount Fireplace Deals

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List Price: $259.99
Sale Price: $179.99
Today's Bonus: 31% Off

I had wanted to get an outdoor fireplace but the pit were too bid and the table tops made me a little worried if some one woud eith knock it over or get burned so I choice this one. I looks like wood but it metal and the glass protects against people that would bump

into it by accident yet it still put out a lot of heat. the only thing is that I would have like the gel containers included with it.

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West Bend 53783 1-3/4-Quart Cordless Water Kettle, Black Reviews

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List Price: $32.99
Sale Price: $29.57
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

If your an expat or just an anglophile and you are left wondering, "Why doesn't America embrace the electric kettle?!" then this is the item for you. Sleek and aptly priced.

I don't know why you'd pay around $50 for something that just heats water... brand loyalty? I wouldn't pay the extra $15-$30 just for the flat metal plate that the Braun or Philips has. (The West Bend kettle has a metal coil to heat up the water: Yes, you have to clean the coiled versions, but it's exactly the same as cleaning out a coffee maker... white vinegar once in a blue moon. Hey, the Brits and the Irish don't mind the coil, why should I?)

The stouter version of this I think is too small, unless you live alone and don't drink that much tea/coffee/cocoa. Between us, my brother and I drink six to eight cups of tea a day, plus hot cereal on top of that and this kettle is more than sufficient (1.7 liters).

Some more good things:

It turns of automatically after it comes to a roaring boil.

See-through panel lets you see the water level.

So quiet, you wouldn't know it's on...

That's why it has a little red light that goes on.

Has a locking top so as to avoid spills.

The black fits in with my kitchen's decor.

It also comes in handy for when I'm cooking, using up all the burners and need just a bit of hot water, quickly. Or even if I am cooking rice or pasta, it's easier to heat up the water in the electric kettle and then pour it into the pot on the stove.

Two complaints: The cord is thick and not very flexible (the cord itself is about two feet). I have this plugged into the same outlet as my microwave and cannot use the two at the same time or else I'll have a circuit short... but then again, whoever remodeled the kitchen did a bad job on the electicity.

Makes a great present for any hot beverage lover or college student.

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Given the price this Kettle works ok, but:

it fails to shut off quite frequently, when boiling point is reached (which is why I ditched my old el. kettle)

it doesn't shut off, when you take it off the base (so you put it back empty and it's trying to boil the little water left inside)

you have to fit it onto the base (better models can be put on 360 degrees).

If you wanna use this a lot, get a better one.

Update: Yesterday I started boiling a quart of water and went to do something else in the mean time. Of course I forgot about my water. When I returned to the kitchen, the kettle had shut off but only after a full quart of water had evaporated :(

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I was recently traveling in New Zealand and every where you went (hotels, RV's, etc) had an electric water kettle. This was great and I really appreciated the automatic shut off, because my boyfriend keeps burning up our tea kettles. So I saw this one, read the reviews and decided to get it. I am so disspointed. The kettle heats water great, BUT the automatic shut off doesn't work at all. This is something that a few other reviews mentioned, so I am sending it back. I do not recommend getting this model.

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I had to return this item. It only shut itself off one time, and the remaining times boiled itself dry. Also, takes quite a while to heat the water. I'll buy another brand this time.

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It was great while it lasted but it only lasted three months. I was thrilled with how fast and convenient it was until the heating element stopped working. I did use it almost daily so if you are looking for something for minimal use it may last you longer. I'm now caught in the exchange fun of Amazon says return to manufacturer and West Bend says return to original place of purchase. I don't expect either will be worth the effort for a $20 piece of equiptment.

Review of Holmes HFH416 1-Touch Swirl Grill Power Heater

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Though not a large heater it heats up a room as good or better than the space heater I use more than twice as big. The one touch button operation takes a little time to get used to,but all in all I consider this to be an Excellent Little Heater.

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I inherited this heater and admit that I wanted it for sentimental value but I love it now! Having the ability to target a particular temperature is great, I wouldn't want a heater without that feature. What I would like is the ability to point the airstream up or down in addition to swiveling on the base. It is wonderfully light and compact and feels very safe. Though looks aren't important to me this little unit is more attractive than many others I've seen.

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I bought one of these last year and am using it again this winter. This heater is rather quiet for a fan-type although powerful at 1500W. The thermostat isn't very accurate, but then it was only designed to keep a personal space at a certain temperature, which it does well. You would need two of these to keep a small apartment near a specific temperature; otherwise set this heater to 5 deg. above desired temp.

The heater it replaced was a 600W radiant heater which failed just weeks after purchase. Eventually I decided the fan/hot-air heater could not completely replace the kind of direct warmth I get from radiant units, so now depending on my activity I alternate between the Holmes and a newer 900W carbon-FIR heater made Honeywell.

Fan-type heaters usually annoy me, but this one doesn't and it turned out better than I thought it would. I think this one would have rated 5 stars if it had a gradually-adjustable thermostat instead of digital presets.

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Did the job well until it quit after 2 winters. It has thermostat-like settings that show certain temperatures you can select, but I don't think the thermastat actually worked the heater just stayed on all the time, so I just used the high/low settings.

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This inexpensive little personal heater has a lot of great features that you don't find with other models in the same price range. First of all, in addition to the high-low setting that most heaters have, there is also a specific thermostat setting that lets you choose amongst five different temperatures (I believe the degree choices are 60-65-70-75-80). Secondly, the heater is self-adjusting, so once the room reaches the desired temperature, the heater turns off, only to come back on if the temperature dips back down. This heater has a nice swivel feature which allows you to angle it in different directions without having to move the entire unit. Finally, it is one of the smallest, quietest, most lightweight space heaters you will find! I have owned this heater for several years now--I use it in my basement exercise room, where it works perfectly, but it would also be great for bedrooms, offices, and other small rooms. Highly recommended!!!

Thermal Switch Can be used with Fireplace Blowers for automatic Reviews

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This little thing works just as advertised. Hooked it up electrically in-line with the blower in the fireplace, and now the blower only comes on when the fireplace warms up (no more blowing cold air), and then after the fire is turned off, the blower stays on until the fireplace is cooled down.

I found some surplus neo-magnets at an office supply and crazy-glued them to the side tabs. That way, I could mount the switch, without drilling holes, to the bottom of the fireplace (actually, the inside top of the blower cavity).

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I have two Napoleon gas fireplaces in my home. The newer gas fireplace came with a thermoswitch to automatically turn on the blower when the fireplace gets hot. The older gas fireplace had a blower but it did not come with a thermoswitch. The automatic blower is a very handy feature. I wanted to upgrade my older gas fireplace to have this feature.

My local Napoleon dealer wanted $35 for a new thermoswitch. Amazon had a much better price. The only difficulty with the 19-SF2-115 switch is that it "turns on" at a lower temperature (110F) than the one supplied by Napoleon (120F).

I first tried installing this switch it to the side of the fireplace box (same location as my newer gas fireplace). The problem with this location, is that the sheet metal box stays warm at this location for a long time, even after the fireplace flame is turned off. I discovered that the blower would stay on for 3-4 hours after the flame turned off. This is probably why Napoleon uses a 120F switch instead of the 110F switch. By the way, the 120F thermoswitch switch takes a good 15 minutes to turn on.

By experimentation, I discovered that if I mounted the 110F thermoswitch on the sheet metal air deflector directly above the fireplace box (see attached photos), the blower starts approximately 2 minutes after the flame turns on and shuts off approimately 8 minutes after the flame turns off. It is the perfect location for this switch!

The switch is held in place by two magnets that I epoxied on to the sheet metal tabs on the switch (see attached photo). I wired the thermoswitch directly into the 110VAC blower circuit using a total of 8 feet of 250C high temperature wire (available on Amazon and the major auction site).

As a point of interest, I also have the gas valves on both gas fireplaces connected to a "millivolt" thermostat located on the other side of the room. The thermostat turns on and off the gas fireplace to maintain the temperature of the room. I set the thermostat in my basement to about 65F. It works very nicely to take the "chill" out of the basement.

Summary: The switch works well, but some experimentation with the location may be required.

Hope this review helps!

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Thermal switch(#19-SF2-115) worked as stated. Switch turned on aprox. 115 degrees after several minutes and then shuts back off around 90 degrees. The item has been installed and is working great on a wood furnace.

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THE NEW THERMAL SWITCH IS WORKING GREAT NOW I CAN BUILD A FIRE AND WALK AWAY AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE SWITCH AUTOMATICALLY TURNS THE BLOWER ON AND THEN SHUTS IT OFF AFTER IT COOLS DOWN. EXCELLENT PRODUCT AT AN EXCELLENT PRICE AND SHIPPING WAS QUICK TOO I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT ONE YEARS AGO.

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This switch works as designed and has an appropriate temperature range.

What is special is not so much the item, but the wisdom and advice of the seller.

My gas Fireplace had a number of design faults since new five years ago.

One of the issues was the fan control. The original supplied thermoswitch did not cut the fan in until 207 degrees F. The original switch was not fixed (You can not drill in a fire box). So the original unit flopped about above the box. Eventually the plastic insulators over the connectors crumbled due to heat, the switch moved and shorted against the fire box. In a shower of sparks the switch and solid state fan controller were blown and the breaker tripped at the panel.

I followed this sellers advice and used his switch that cuts in at 115 degrees F. I used the heat shrink over the connectors as extra protection.

The really brilliant piece of his advice was to use powerful small rare Earth magnets to secure the thermoswitch to an ideal location above the fire box in the airstream. Now this gas fireplace works better than ever.

So before you purchase this unit look at his installation advice and his pictures.

Unit is fine but nothing special about it. His advice free but priceless. Thank you!

EdenPURE Space Saver Quartz Infrared Heater Reviews

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I don't think it will save you any money. All depends on your situation of course. Not working that good for us. Blanket works better. Have a blessed day. The unit is very noisy and I'm a little hard hearing. A, what did you say?

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Product works as advertised, but is much noisier than expected. It has a fan that turns on every few minutes to draw air through the system to check room temperature. The fan is very noisy. Aside form that, it's a nice little unit. I bought it specifically to use in the bedroom. I will probably sell it because it's so noisy, it keeps me awake.

Intermatic FD46HW 6-Hour Spring Loaded Wall Timer, White Review

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List Price: $51.74
Sale Price: $38.75
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

Bought 4 of these units to go with 4 Broan wall heaters and the timers are perfect for it. 1 timer the screw holes that hold the cover in place were not tapped is my only complaint. Mine did NOT come with the outer cover, just the inner cover with the timer marks.

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