Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender Product Review

You've seen the commercials, night and day, you've heard the claims,
The Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender is a whiz in the kitchen and can do it all. Can it? Well Product Dudz gave this item a thorough review and lets take a look.

Price:

Available all over the internet, and average price was  $ 59.19

What you get:

Food and drink maker
2 16-oz bowls
40-oz processor bowl
48-oz pitcher
Interchangeable 450W motor head
Various blades
Dishwasher-safe parts
ETL listed; 1-year Limited Manufacturer's Warranty
Lids that can be fitted over the different sized containers to allow for handy storage in the refrigerator




What we tested:
This item was tested for several things, ease of use, ability to crush ice into snow like consistency, chopping and pureeing ability, ease of cleaning


What we found:

1. Ability to crush ice:
This item was first tested for the ability to crush regular refrigerator icecubes into snow like consistency. The Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender was able to do this task in a matter of a few pulses. Depending on the consistency desired, you can have crushed ice in a matter of a few pulses, or slushie/snow like ice after about 30 seconds or so. We used anywhere from one cup of ice cubes to two cups and experienced no difficulties and there were minimal "chunks" of ice in the results. The Master Prep Professional Blender did not overheat, and did not appear to have any problems. You should always use liquid to help the blender process and crush any ice in the system for best results.

2. Ease of use:
The Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender was extremely easy to use, and we were able to begin testing it right out of the box. The blades easily remove and insert and the lids etc.

3. Chopping, pureeing, processing ability:
As you can imagine, anything that can easily convert ice cubes to snow can easily puree anything. No issues found.

4. Ease of cleaning:
Product is dishwasher safe, was washed in a standard dishwasher on a heated, sanitized cycle and no problems resulted. Items were placed on top and bottom racks, and there were no issues as a result.

Cons:
Almost too powerful
You must be careful when using The Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender for chopping small foods like onions. It's speed and power will turn almost anything into a puree if you over process it. Use limited short pulses only.


The pitcher
The pitcher has a shallow and wide pour spout. This makes pouring things like smoothies and slushies into normal sized glasses difficult as too much comes out too soon. A deeper, smaller spout would work better for any liquids and drinks.

No recipe book included
It would have been great to get a recipe book with The Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender. However, many recipes can be found online, including from the The Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender website.


The Bottom Line:
This is a dieters dream machine. It really does what it says it can do and it beats traditional blenders in price and power hands down. It's easy to clean, handy to use and not expensive for what it can do. It's great for slushies, smoothies, pureeing cooked veggies for soups, and sauces as well. It is therefore the opinion of Product Dudz that this product is well worth the price and an asset to those who are looking for a quality blender.
Products gives this item : Two thumbs up!! For great recipes to use your Ninja with, check out: Recipes from a Southern Kitchen.

Coasters Bar and Grill of Santee, South Carolina review

This is conveniently located at:
9135 Old Number Six Hwy
Santee, SC 29142
(803) 854-9955
The food choices offered at this quaint restaurant are wide and varied and there is something for everyone.
The atmosphere-
Coasters Bar and Grill is a come-as-you-are environment.  Leave the fancy duds at home when coming to this place. The restaurant is set up into sections for eating,including indoor and outdoor dining. There is a bar for those just looking to unwind and socialize and large screened TV's are provided and on Sports channels for the fellows. The restaurant is decorator in an ocean hut style, lots of wood beams, and you have the feeling you are near the ocean.
The food-
You can get almost anything at this restaurant, however the platter deals are the way to go. The Surf and Turf platter includes a large salad, decent sized steak cooked to order, large stuffed baked potato that you can have piled to the gills with bacon,cheese,sour cream and butter. Fresh veggies, scallops, and shrimp as well. This is a large platter you will have no room for dessert. The food is mouth watering and delicious, and that is just one platter sample. There are many.
The prices-
Coasters Bar and Grill offers a lot of food for the money, and the prices are comparable to many seafood restaurants in the area. You are getting large portions and for an occasional outing with your family or just the two of you, the prices are worth it. Their massive Surf and Turf Platter is currently advertised at $15.95.

The Bottom Line:
For great food, larger than life proportions, and a friendly environment, Coasters Bar and Grill can not be beat and is highly recommended.

UPDATE 6/7/2012
We're not sure whether the economy played a role here but Coasters Bar and Grill was recently visited and unfortunately the food was not to the level and quality it was when this review was first written. The Surf and Turf platter was a mere remnant of what it was before. While the steak was good, the Shrimp was over cooked, and the "loaded" potato was a shadow of it's former self. Oh, and the scallops that was included with the Surf n Turf platter? Gone.

Hamilton Beach Electric Skillet model # 38540 Product Review

Electric Skillets enable cooks to cook family sized meals all at once. They are a versatile tool to have in the kitchen. For those loving one pot meals most electric  skillets are invaluable. The Hamilton Beach Model 38540 promised to deliver all that and more. Here's the scoop on this product.

First and foremost the product features:

*Large 12"X 16" die cast aluminum pan with nonstick interior
*Brushed stainless steel platform
*Die cast Aluminum handles Larger than average, for easy transport to table.
*Attaching lid with a spout so meats can be drained and poured. Also great if whole pan needs transporting.
*1500 watts of power, warm setting and temperature goes to 400 degrees

The pros:
This skillet has a great weight and large cooking surface. Unlike its predecessors with plastic easily breaking handles, Hamilton Beach got it right this time. The design of the aluminum handles  should hold up well with many years of use. The large interior cooking surface heats up fast and delivers even heating. The added bonus in the design of this skillet is the built in spout and attaching glass lid. This is a great innovation in electric skillets. This glass lid attaches easily and snug. The spout on the pan allows for the cook to easily lift pan for draining off fats from cooking, or pouring things such as gravy into a container etc. This lid also allows the whole pan to transport with relative ease, to potluck dinners etc. Even though it has a built in spout with a little care this is a great way to transport food and keep warm.

The cons:
The Hamilton Beach skillet model has few drawbacks. However, after a short period of use in the kitchen one glaring defect became apparent. The non stick coating began to peel. As a veteran of electric skillet cooking, and moreover cooking with non stick cookware, it goes without saying only rubberized, plastic utensils were used when cooking with this appliance. Even with proper care, the interior non stick began peeling. Not small little flecks, but large pieces, that could get into your food. This rendered the pan unusable. The pan is dishwasher safe, however, it is so large that it can not fit into the bottom of your dishwasher with anything else. Due to the design of the handles it will not fit in such a way as to allow the best cleaning, and must be placed on the diagonal. This makes it near impossible to wash with any other items in the lower part of the dishwasher. The rubber stops on the bottom of the pan, will come out and when handled will cover your palms in a greasy like black substance. If one of these little rubber stops become lost, your pan will not sit evenly on the counter top making even cooking impossible. The price of the Hamilton Beach Electric Skillet model # 38540 is a little steep, at $59.99, especially when you consider the fact that the interior coating may not stand up to repeated uses at the example model for this review indicates.


The bottom line:

Hamilton Beach has addressed a few common problems and made great strives in improving the functionality of the electric skillet. However, the peeling non stick coating is definitely still in the dark ages. The rubber stops come out easily are small and easy to lose. If this happens even cooking will be no more. This makes the product hinder on a very tiny factor. Is it worth the money? No. Until Hamilton Beach addresses the non stick coating, and the messy black residue leaving rubber stops this product still has a few glitches that make it virtually useless.