Chef's Choice 839 Krumkake Express

Forgotten taste of heaven
Very good unit to make krumkakes. The recipes that ship with the unit are easy to make and taste excellent. In the weeks following the purchase of this krumkake maker I must have baked over 100 krumkakes and was never disappointed!

Pros: Looks and feels good. Makes cakes up to 6" in diameter and very thin. The barrocco ornament of the iron looks very pretty on the cake.

Cons: To achieve the unified golden color of the cake must use temperature setting no higher than 3, otherwise they come out with patchy color. Because of this, each cake takes approx. 2 minutes to bake.

I have not tried the VillaWare unit, which claims to bake two 5" krumkakes in 30 seconds, but if that's the case than it could be a better choice for someone who needs to accomodate a large party of people fast.

Update 10/17/2008: Friend of mine has the VillaWare maker and she is very happy with it, since she can bake two at a time in about 30 sec. But I have tried her cakes...

KrumKake Express, Quick and easy to use!
My family is from Norway, so every christmas since I was little we all gathered in the kitchen to make Krumkake, but with the old handheld iron, the kind you put over the burner and guessed at how long it took, and burned your hands frequently. It was still fun, but thank goodness with technological advances comes the Krumkake Express! Still just as fun as the old fashioned one, and this time you can have perfect Krumkake every single time.

It comes with the roller of course, and the pattern on the iron itself is beautiful. It also comes with a recipe just in case you dont have one! We fill ours with sour cream and lingonberries, ice cream, lemon custard and just eat them plain!

I have had mine now for almost 2 years and it still works perfectly.

Krumkake
Makes thin krumkaker the way a Norwegian likes them.! The ability to select color intensity is very nice - but you need to know what to look for! Too hot iron will bake thin batter faster than you expect. First time use, pay attention, but then you are set. Very convenient, easy to clean. This iron has become my best friend, since I can serve delicious krumkaker in no time. Well worth the money.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Chef's Choice 662 International Professional Electric Food Slicer with 8.6-Inch Diameter Blade

Top Notch Home Slicer
I first ordered ( November 2003) a model 645 Veri-tilt unit but was disapointed because the "travel" on the slicer was not adaquate to slice my much loved prosciutto.The blade was only 7 inches and was serrated. It also lacked a blade cover so I was sure it would "drag" when slicing. (At $20.00 a pound for good prosciutto I didn't even try!)

In December 2003, I bought the The larger model 662 with the 8.6 inch smooth blade was a far better choice! It had a covered blade that only exposes the cutting edge of the blade to the meat surface. This is also a much safer configuration then the "exposed" blades found on the less expensive models.

The unit is solidly built and appears to be of a very high quality. The travel on the slicing cariage is long enough to cut most meats. The "rump" side of the average prosciutto is still a bit larger than the travle distance of the slicer but this is easily overcome by trimming the sides of the meat to slightly narrow it...

Decent, but some flaws
The 662 is a decent unit although I've never owned another electric food slicer to compare it to. Cleaning is definately an issue. But after many uses I've got it down to about 10 - 15 mins. To clean, it requires an Allen wrench (provided) and a Phillips screwdriver. You have to semi-disassemble the unit and I plop it in the sink, hoze down the food particles, spray with disinfectant and let sit, then hoze down again then dry with paper towels. It's a bit heavy and awkward, but again just figure on 10 - 15 mins to clean.

As for use, it cuts remarkably. You can get razor thin slices and will cut an entire ham in minutes. I have an autistic son who won't eat anything but ham sandwiches at school, so I use this about every week. It helps to have other uses because I store it in the garage (no way to store it even on my ample counter space because of the size) and when you figure on set-up and cleaning that's at least 20 minutes. I love beef jerky, so I use this to...

An excellent semi-pro slicer
I purchased this slicer for use in the hospitality rooms of conventions, which entails slicing a few hundred pounds of meat over the course of a couple of days.

The unit performed flawlessly, cutting the final piece of meat just as smoothly as the first. The motor ran cool and quiet, the meat slider was smooth and fluid, and the blade cleanly cut everything from pastrami to provalone.

Cleaning can be an issue as the clearances under the blade are small, but I was able to keep it at the same state that I maintained my professional slicer years ago at a sandwich shop I worked for. I recommend completely dismantling it after heavy use for sanitation and longevity.

Summary: It's not a $1500 slicer, but for $400 it can't be beat. I would say that you could probably even get away with this unit at a small deli with how admirably it performed under the grueling trial I put it through last weekend. It might be a touch overkill for the average home chef...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Chef's Choice 667 International Professional Electric Food Slicer with 10-Inch Diameter Blade

Almost "Professional"
The Chef's Choice 667 slicer performs as advertised with its sturdy construction, powerful motor, large 10" belt-driven blade, and smooth quiet operation. This slicer does indeed produce deli-thin slices!

Out of the Box

The Chef's Choice 667 slicer comes out of the box with a 10" stainless-steel blade, blade sharpener, owner's manual, Allen wrench, small plastic serving tray, and temporary blade guard used for handling the sharp blade.

The plastic blade guard easily screws onto the blade using two large plastic knobs. This temporary guard covers the razor sharp edge of the blade and makes it easy to handle when it's removed from the slicer or during cleaning.

The plastic food tray is used to catch the food as it's being sliced, but it's too small and does not fit squarely under the blade.

The Allen wrench is used for removing the main blade guard during cleaning.

The blade sharpener is attached to the top of the unit and is held in place by a thumb screw. Simply...

Go Ahead & Spend the Money, You Won't Be Sorry!
This is the second food slicer I've owned in my life. The first was a Waring food slicer I picked up at Lowes for about a hundred bucks. I returned it the next day. So I came to Amazon.com and decided to buy this model. While it is an invested in money and kitchen space, I'm very happy with it. It slices through meat, cheese, and veges like they were nothing. Plenty of hand guards and saftey features to keep you from slicing your fingers off too. The blade is extremely sharp though and should be handled with extreme care. Just remember, don't put your fingers near the blade while it's spinning for any reason. It does come with a plastic carry case which screws on to the blade so it can be removed for cleaning. I wouldn't recommend handling the blade with out it as the blade is razor sharp and rather heavy. The machine is easy to clean and the blade can be removed and replaced in a few minutes. It's simple, it's easy, and it's slices great. I bought some roast beef, ham, and turkey at...

Frustrating to use
My original review is down below. I'm updating this review after 6 months of ownership. The basic problem with this slicer is that the cutting blade is too small in diameter. If you're slicing anything that would require a slicer, like a roast, or a turkey breast, the food ends up hitting the frame behind the blade. This causes the food to be sucked between the rear of the blade and the frame. The blade loses its sharpness very quickly, so instead of slicing my turkey breast it shredded it. I end up having to slice very slowly, so I can grab the food before it gets caught between the rear of the blade and the frame. Its actually a pain to clean. So basically I've used it 4 times in 6 months. I usually stand there and stare at it for a few minutes debating in my head whether I want to haul that beast out, and then having to clean it afterwards. I usually end up using a carving knife.

I originally bought the Waring Pro FS150 at Best Buy, and as usual, I read the reviews AFTER...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Chef's Choice 675 International Cordless Electric Hot Pot

Chef' choice cordless hotpot
I just recieved this kettle to replace a rival hotpot. The Rival lacked an on-off switch. It also gave off some strange tastes and some say stainless is better than plastic that way.

I reheat coffee and heat canned goods in the hotpot as it's easier for me than the range and the wide opening on this hotpot allows one to clean it easily though the lid won't lift as far as you'd like.

On recieving this kettle my first thought was the base was of light gauge plastic - seemed a little cheap. But I suppose that's ok if it turns out to be durable. Next I was amazed that the stainless vessel was of lighter gauge than I expected. This is probably all good though. Some reviewers of the other stainless kettles remark that they are heavy and get 'dangerously' hot. This one is actually reasonably light to maneuver. And if I boil 2 cups of water - turning it off myself which is before the automatic shut off - the stainless is just warm at the top; not really hot. If it...

Safety hazard
I have had this kettle for about a year, and have been very happy with it. However, a couple weeks ago I started having the problem that many other reviewers here have complained about, the on/off switch not staying on. Curious, I opened up the bottom of the kettle, and found the two wires going to the heating element had melted together, causing an intermittent short. I have reported this to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and I hope that something will be done.

A super Pot
This has all the feature I wanted when I was looking for a electric pot to heat water for coffee. Its stainless steel so no plastic taste. Lid opens wide so its easy to fill and clean. No element inside the pot to interfere with cleaning the inside. It lifts off the base so that you can take it to the table. The large window shows the water level. This is our second one of this model. We had the first one for years until we broke it. The new one has a improved spout so that water pours out without spilling on the counter. I can't imagine someone buying any other model when this one has all the features you need for a heating water for coffee of tea..

Grannie Annie

Click to Editorial Reviews

Chef's Choice 685 International Deluxe Cordless Electric Teakettle

Excellent design
I had one of these for almost six years and used it on a daily basis (not just for making tea, but also for boiling water quickly for other uses, i.e. food preparation). It always looked great and was a pleasure to use, but one day it stopped working. So I went online and looked at all of the kettles currently available. I thought about trying a different brand, but all of the other stainless steel kettles (I wasn't interested in plastic) had something I didn't like about them -- an awkwardly placed handle, an exposed element, etc. In the Chef's Choice kettle the element is hidden, so the interior of the kettle is easy to clean (it pretty much doesn't have to be cleaned at all, since only water is ever put in the kettle), and if the element gets covered in scale, I don't know about it (Chef's Choice does recommend occasionally "decalcifying" the kettle by boiling some white vinegar in it -- I never did this with my first kettle and I wonder if this eventually led to it...

This is my favorite kitchen appliance
Like another reviewer here, this is my second Chef's Choice electric teakettle. My first one, purchased at Williams-Sonoma in the mid-1990s, suddenly stopped working after my neighbors borrowed it (hummm...). As do all items purchased there, it had a lifetime warrenty, so I took it back and was given the brand of electric tea kettle they were selling at the time. I did _not_ like it, especially the placement of the handle, and promptly returned it. This was 2003 and Amazon was now carrying the brand so I ordered it here after being unable to find an electric tea kettle with a comfortably placed handle or adequate capacity in any local stores.

I use mine a minimum of twice, more commonly three times a day and am very, very happy with it. As mentioned in other reviews, having the actual heating elements under a solid bottom of stainless steel definitely prolongs the life of the appliance--the heating elements do not get caked with minerals. The best part for me, however, is...

outstanding
An electric kettle seemingly wouldn't wear out, but that is exactly what happened to our previous one after only one year of use. This one has already beaten that. Additionally, it holds the water at a boil for a bit of time, rather than shutting off as soon as the boil is reached. This means that the water stays hotter in the kettle.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Chef's Choice 630 International Gourmet Electric Food Slicer

Perfect Slicer for Home Use - 5 Star Potential
I used to work in a deli and have used my fair share of commercial slicers. When I decided to buy one for home use, I knew that I didn't want one of the large, cumbersome slicers that I had used in the past, and that this would mean some tradeoffs in terms of power and quality. After taking a long look around, I finally decided on the CC-630, and I'm glad I did. I believe this unit offers an excellent compromise between commercial power and everyday practicality.

Please don't misunderstand... you don't want this slicer if you're looking to open a deli or restaurant. You can feel the slicer slow down as it cuts through denser foods (like meat and cheese) that the commercial slicers would just pass right through.

This little unit is best suited to the home user who wants to be able to cut enough cold cuts for a day's use - say packing lunches for the family. It's also great for slicing up roasts, BONELESS turkey/chicken, cheeses, and vegetables. Whatever you...

Will not last long when slicing anything other than soft bread.
I owned this slicer for two years, and used it maybe twenty times at most--mainly for slicing ham. At first it seemed to work fine. Then I noticed it ran a bit slower with each use until it finally quit working entirely. I disassembled the slicer to see if it could be repaired. Inside I found a very small, burned-out electric motor. In my opinion, this motor is much too weak to last very long if used for slicing anything other than soft bread. The motor in my old Kitchen Aid blender is larger (and has lasted for many years under daily use.)

FYI, the EdgeCraft company which manufactures Chef's Choice does not sell replacement motor or gear parts. You must send it to them for repair. However, they don't make repair estimates. You must send the product to them and take your chances. Considering the price of this product, I feel totally ripped off. I will never buy another Chef's Choice product.

I read a review about a different slicer which recommends...

Best Slicer
I can only give this slicer 5 stars, if I had a choice I would give it 10 stars.
I got this as a Christmas gift. My first use was to test it at slicing the dinner turkey leftovers for lunch meat. It worked perfectly.
I have since used it to slice roast beef, sharp cheddar cheese, ham and vegetables.
The meat is cut as thin as you want, I prefer very thin, no problem.
This is a dream machine, it is built to last and easy to clean.
I have tried to find something negitive to say but I really cannot. If you need a slicer Buy it,
No I don;t work for chefchoice. I am really a satisified customer.

Click to Editorial Reviews

Chef's Choice 632 International Gourmet VariTilt Electric Food Slicer

Chef's Choice 632 Slicer
Positive: Great! Great! Great! I spent weeks going over reviews and comments about electric food slicers in preparation for replacing one that I had been using for about 25 years. It was heavy, clunky and would slide around the counter when used. I only took it out to use when nothing else would work. But it did slice. After reading all that I could in the reviews, I decided that the Model 632 seemed the best fit for my use. Cooking is a hobby and not a profession so I needed nothing more than a good quality, home slicer. I decided to keep the new slicer on the counter for a while so I could try it out. I think it has found a permanent home. I find that I am using it almost every day for bread, meat, cheese and vegetables. The operation is smooth and with the caliper dial, very repeatable. It is stable and does not "walk" on the counter when slicing. It appears to be well manufactured and durable. Several reviewers pointed to the on/off and lock switches locations as...

Chef's Choice 632 Food Slicer
The performance of our food slicer is exceeding our expectations. It slices items like hard salami super thin without difficulty. It even works in making Beef Carpaccio with the standard blade. It had been on my wish list for years but I was afraid it would be a flimsy and dangerous tool, but the design of the carriage and the stability of the machine made my initial fears go away. The VariTilt is worth the extra price because the slices fall away from the blade instantly.

A slice of life!
I put-off buying a slicer like this because I had heard they were a problem to operate, lacked power and were difficult to clean. Then I saw the reviews for the Chef's Choice 632 and took the plunge. When it arrived the first thing I noticed was that the blade had a Titanium-gold coating just like my power drills which meant extra durability. The machine itself is very well made. Fit and finish is top-notch. And the tilt feature makes it easy to slice heavy items like meats ( tilted up ) and soft vegetables like tomatos ( tray down ). The slicing is prcise and effortless. I use my machine to cut baked bread into perfect 5/8" slabs or steak into paper thin slices for steak sandwiches.

Cleaning is a snap. The tray and holder are made of hard, tough plastic that repells sticking food and stains. The blade comes off with a twist and washes up quickly with soap and water. The body is also so smooth nothing sticks to it and is almost like cleaning a well waxed car- the food just...

Click to Editorial Reviews