Mr. Coffee 12-Cup AD Series Coffeemaker: Coffee in a Cup or on the Countertop

My husband and I are both coffee addicts. When our under-the-cabinet coffeemaker broke about 18 months ago, I didn't research what to buy. A coffeemaker is a coffeemaker, right? Knowing I didn't want the under-the-cabinet model again, I just went out and bought the most inexpensive coffeemaker I could find. 

The main appeal to me of the Mr. Coffee 12-Cup AD Series Coffeemaker - besides the price - was that it brewed 12 cups. There is also a 2 hour automatic shutoff, so I didn't have to worry about going out and forgetting to turn off the pot. Also, if I wanted a cup while the coffee was still brewing, pulling out the glass decanter would automatically stop the process. No more holding a cup underneath the drip while I tried to pour at the same time! 

For a while it worked great and made a great cup of coffee. I would measure the water by filling the glass decanter to the metal band, then pour it into the water reservoir. A paper basket-type filter is placed into the funnel and then the ground coffee placed in the filter. Turn the coffeemaker on and violá - a perfect cup of coffee every time. 

I never used it, but the machine also had the capability of setting up the coffee ahead the night before to brew in the morning. Simply fill as directed above, check to make sure the clock is correct, then set the time that you wish for the coffee to brew. When you wake up, your coffee will be waiting for you. 

The shut-off worked perfectly also. Any time I'd forget I would always come home to find the coffeemaker off. I became so spoiled by this, it is a feature I will need from now on with coffeemakers! 

The coffeemaker even looked attractive on my counter. Since all of my appliances were black, the black coffeemaker fit in perfectly and did not seem out of place. Some decanters I have come across don't pour correctly, but I never had that problem with this one. 

It sounds great, doesn't it? Great price, makes a good cup of coffee, easy to work... 

About six months into using the Mr. Coffee 12-Cup AD Series Coffeemaker it leaked out all over the counter. The first time it was no problem. I cleaned up the mess, then cleaned the coffeemaker by flushing it with a solution of vinegar. 

Unfortunately, the problem did not solve as easily as this. We never knew when we brewed a pot if we would end up with coffee all over the counter. Since there were other appliances on the counter, it meant pulling everything out and cleaning up. We tried to figure out where it was coming from: Was the decanter cracked? Did it overflow somehow? Was the drip squirting instead of dripping? Was there a hose that was disconnected? 

We never figured out what exactly was making the coffeemaker leak. No matter how many times we cleaned it, we could not stop this from happening. In the end, we were keeping a paper towel underneath it to prevent the counter from being soaked. After we'd finally had enough, we threw it away and purchased a new coffeemaker. 

GE Profile Microwave Review: Bells, Whistles, Buttons & Messages!

For six years we had a regular countertop microwave. I had wanted an over-the-stove model, but I'd heard horror stories from people who had them and had problems. After doing a little research, I found out that if the mounting guidelines are followed, there should be no problem. 

I actually wanted to buy a model that was cheaper than the JVM1660BB003, but there was a $50 rebate on anything over $400 promotion going on. That brought the price of this model down to the same as the cheaper oven I'd been intent on buying. 

The cabinet that you are going to mount the microwave under must be at least 66 inches from the floor of your kitchen. This will allow enough space between the top of the stove and the bottom of the microwave so the heat from the stove will not damage it. Since we were taking out a hood and fan, we had a friend who's an electrician come and install it for us. We didn't have to worry about a vent connection since we vent it inside the house. The exhaust comes out of vents at the top of the microwave. 

There is nothing to press to open the door, a slight tug pulls it open. There are two shelves in the unit, so theoretically you could heat up to five plates of food. I took out one of the shelves and only kept one in the oven. On the bottom is a heavy glass turntable that removes and cleans up easily. 

Along the bottom of the door opening is a quick instruction sheet letting you know how to use the microwave. For more complex use, there is the instruction book. This way, though, you don't have to pull out the instruction book every time you want to do something. This is really handy when you first get the microwave. 

I like the ability to quickly cook a variety of foods. Just press any one of the touch-pad buttons numbered 1-6 and the microwave automatically cooks on HIGH for that number of minutes. There is a ADD 30 SECONDS button as well when you just want to add a little more cooking time. I can reheat a cup of coffee by just pressing the 1 and ADD 30 SECONDS buttons. 

Now, some might be puzzled by this since the microwave has a BEVERAGEbutton under SENSOR COOKING. I have found that the sensor cooking does not work that well unless the food is covered. It is easier to press 1 and ADD 30 SECONDS than to get a piece of plastic to cover my coffee mug. 

Also under SENSOR COOKING is POPCORN, VEGETABLE, CHICKEN PIECES, REHEAT, POTATO, GROUND MEATS and FISH. The sensor cooking is great for reheating a dinner plate covered in plastic since there is no guesswork or checking to see if it is heated through. The POPCORN button works the best of any microwave I've had. No matter which brand of popcorn I've tried, it's popped just about the whole bag with very few unpopped kernels left behind. 

For normal cooking, there are the TIME/COOK and POWER LEVEL buttons which enable you to adjust the time and power level as needed. There is a probe included if you want to use that in conjunction with the TEMP COOK/ROASTbutton, but I have never used my microwave for cooking roasts and the like, so I haven't tried that. 

DEFROST AUTO/TIME is what I use to defrost foods. On Auto, I just key in the approximate weight of the food and the microwave lets me know when to turn it over. The same thing applies to the Time feature, but this is somewhat less accurate since the oven doesn't know exactly what it is trying to defrost. Still, I have used both settings and they work very well. 

At 1000 watts, this is easily the most powerful microwave that I've ever owned. Usually, it cooks or reheats foods at the low end of the time range on the package instructions. 

On the non-cooking end, the microwave has a clock with the ability to put in your schedule and have an alarm go off to remind you of events. I use it to remind me to call in the ice cream order for our school every Monday. I can also record a message which is great when I want to leave a reminder for my husband when I go to bed and he isn't home yet. There is also a light for over the stove which can also be set on a timer. If you go out, you can have it turn on so you don't come home to a dark kitchen. The vent fan is great for cooking as well since it pulls away from the surface of the stove. 

As far as service goes, when we first put it up and used it, the oven would work for about a minute, then quit. We called GE Service and they came out. The problem was that the fan connection had loosened in transit and wasn't drawing the heat out of the oven. They fixed it and gave us new bulbs for the light at no charge. 

Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer Review: Even It's Lowest Speed Is High

I can remember sending my husband out for a hand-mixer. Big mistake. I hadn't gotten one for our wedding shower, and I needed a hand-mixer just to use on the occasions when I didn't want to lug the big Kitchen-Aid mixer out of the closet. 

Well, Marc's idea of buying a mixer is to buy the most expensive - it must be the best. 

He was wrong. 

I've had a love/hate relationship with this mixer since he brought it home. At over $50, it was way too expensive. I just wanted something cheap for like $20. Still, I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I kept it. Unlike now, 7 years later, when I would ask him if he was nuts and send him back to the store. 

In the spirit of Tim "The Tool-Man" Taylor, the Kitchen Aid 5 Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer lives up to it's name: POWER. There is nothing this mixer can't mix. Butter right out of the refrigerator turns to mush. Creaming together any type of shortening is quick work. Pie crust dough comes out great using this mixer. It also is great for making whipped cream or any type of meringue. 

However, even at it's lowest speed, I've found that this mixer splatters dough out of the bowl. Some people might just say to use a bowl with a shield or the splatter guard on the mixer, but it's not that easy for me. I use my mixer a lot with my pots and pans, so trying to cook something in the top of a double-boiler while it's splattering all over the place is a problem. I like to use my Tupperware Thatsa-Bowl for my cakes and cookies, and this can even cause stuff to splatter out of that! 

As I said, I've had this mixer for 7 years, and it's held up well. I have actually been praying for it to die so I could get a new one that has a decent lower speed. Cleaning it is easy with a damp cloth and the beaters disengage to clean in your dishpan or dishwasher. 

I also wish there were more different attachments that came with the mixer. Most come with a few different sets now, but this just has one set of wire beaters. At times, I've thought these beaters were locked in, only to find when I've turned it on that they weren't. 

While this may be a good mixer for some, I think it is way overpriced and not useful if you will ever have to use it with an unshielded bowl.