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More on this product: Features | Editorial Review | Description
Customer Reviews of Back to Basics PC17581 Gourmet Treat Dipper, Red
Customer Rating:   Summary: Not a bad idea, but not enough ideas Comment: I figured, what the heck? and picked this up for free using the Vine program. My husband and I own an actual fondue pot, with both metal and ceramic inserts, and have enjoyed it from time to time, though not lately. I figured from the description that this would be a small gadget, not a repeat. For starters, it's huge - don't know where I'm going to put it to live. ;) It's basically the ceramic type electric fondue pot - it does not get hot enough to do oil and meats. The description here on amazon.com says that you can do cheese fondue, but nothing in the box mentions this. The "back to basics" is certainly true in the instructions - more or less, they tell you nothing more than "put some chocolate in the pot and melt it" with some side things of "add some nuts or chopped candy post-dipping" - but there is certainly nothing in the way of recipes or other ideas included. It melted 3 bags of chocolate chips quickly and well (though it was very thick, but the one good instruction was "do not add water"), which we certainly enjoyed Christmas evening with friends - dipping sugar cookies, strawberries, and apples, and drizzling the chocolate over cheescake. However, if you are looking for any instruction at all, this falls short. We have enjoyed many rather complex cheese fondue recipes in our "real" fondue pot, and we would certainly not know this is possible with the included literature. I am, in fact, scared to try cheese fondues as the included paperwork mentions nothing about it. I guess if you're looking to melt some chocolate cheaply, this would be a good way to go. If you're interested in anything more complex, you're certainly going to have to buy at least one recipe book along with this item. Customer Rating: Summary: By far the coolest fondue pot I've ever used Comment: Yes, I'll be the first to admit I'm a fondue fanatic. So of course when I saw this neat little gadget, I just had to own it. Especially since I have two children at home and using our fondue pots with an open flame have always made me nervous. Three things I love about this Treat Dipper: 1. NO FIRE - which is a major plus in my book. 2. Easy to clean - I don't know how they do it, but just a little soap and warm water and there goes the gooey mess. I love the pour spouts to neatly dispose of the unused chocolate/cheese. 3. You can control the heat! (although it does take quite some time to get your chocolate melted - I'd suggest pre-melting.) The only downside that I can find - which is very minor - is you are limited on apple/food sizes. You can also only dip one apple at a time when making caramel apples. I found that I had to stick with smaller fuji apples. I do have my larger fondue pots that can take it's place for larger food items, but I've really gotten to like using just this one. One minor frustration is the flimsy dipping "forks" that come with the treat dipper. While I haven't broken them yet, they make me nervous to use. I still can't fathom how that flimsy plastic doesn't melt. I'm impressed with the Treat Dipper enough that I'm purchasing it as a Christmas gift for several fellow fondue lovers. It's "classy" looking and fits well into the party decor. I'm also thinking of getting a second one for myself since we often entertain with fondues and I'm addicted to using this one! Customer Rating: Summary: A mixed bag--seems not totally ready for prime time. Comment: This product is both nicely and cheaply made. It works well, but is also poorly designed. The product comes with a very nice, heavy porcelain insert that starts to set a tone that the product will be a nice, solid unit. The next thing you notice is the crazy thin and almost ready to break plastic tongs. They seen so far away from the insert quality you are left wondering if they were designed by separate teams. Then you notice they don't quite sit in the wells of the insert that were "designed" for them. Next up is the lid that seems out of place since it doesn't sit on the insert properly nor does it look like the rest of the item. Once you get past the random pieces the unit works pretty well, melting toppings quickly and allows you to dip as shown but I wouldn't recommend this until they revise it to even out the quality and fix the "fit" issues of the tongs and the lid. Customer Rating: Summary: Nice unit Comment: Works well, as advertised. Nice replacement for a double boiler. Pro - does what it says, cleans easily. Con - slow to melt initially, hot exterior. Overall a good unit. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Product Comment: This is the nicest product. I was all set to get some piece of junk in the mail and instead i received a very well made product. The treat dipper is very easy to use and understand. The instructions that came with it were also simple and easy to use. So easy in fact that I have now discarded them. My family used this treat dipper on Thanksgiving and several other times since. We melted chocolate each time and dipped food items such as pretzels and strawberries in. The last time we even dipped bananas into the chocolate. besides this being a very decadent and indulgent food preparation item it is excellent. Care must be taken with the porcelain heating pot. Once that breaks I imagine the fun is over. We carefully cleaned it each time and keep it all stored together in one of our kitchen cabinets. care must be taken with small kids so they do not get burned as the unit is hot when on. Simply making a small side dish for dunking after everything is melted will solve this problem. Older kids who are careful can use it alongside adults. We will be using it again soon at the holidays. More Reviews Delight in a delicious variety of dippable treats. This melting crock is perfect for gourmet projects, large enough for creating sweet caramel apples or mouthwatering chocolate and cheese fondues. 
Choosing Appliance -> Shopping Washer When shopping for a new washer, look for a front loading (horizontal-axis) machine. This machine may cost more to buy but uses about a third of the energy and less water than a top-loading machine. With a front loader, you'll also save more on clothes drying, because they remove more water from your clothes during the spin cycle. Look for the Energy Star label. Choosing Appliance -> Hobs If you enjoy eastern cuisine, you can buy a speciality hob with a wok burner. Similarly if you are a BBQ fan, choose a BBQ grill. If you are left handed, go for front rather than right hand side controls as this eliminates the risk of reaching across the heat. If you cook for a large family, more than four rings may be useful, and if you have young children it may be worth considering paying a little extra for a hob guard or in the case of gas, choosing an automatic re-ignition or cut off device should the flame blow out. Back to Basics PC17581 Gourmet Treat Dipper, Red
Tips How to Maintain Appliance -> Cleaning & Maintenance Oven Never use a scouring pad of any sort to remove stubborn stains or soiled areas, since these pads scratch the finish and any future soiled areas won't clean up as well, especially with the self-cleaning models. When the oven is cool to the touch, place a cloth or sponge, dampened with warm to hot tap water, onto the soiled area and allow it to sit, for about ten minutes or so, to help loosen the soil. |
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