Tong Family

OK, so an old friend asked me about dumb household stuff, here’s a quick guide

• Ladders (Subscription required). Consumer Reports says ladders are dangerous. Be careful buying one. Standards are low. Cosco 2061 ($80), Werner fia06 mk16 ($90), Daivdson 486-06 ($90), Husky 01-46002-00. The step ladders were fine, but many of the telescoping 3 meter plus ones were dangers.
• Cookware. Well waht do you know, the Costco Signature 783634 non-stick wins at $200. Or if you just some stainless and not then the Calphalon Simply Calphalon $150 wins. Personally I’ve always love All Clad but it twice as much and didn’t do decently. Analon Titanium and Advanced also did well. Haven’t heard of this brand. Then if you don’t need non-stick Calpholon Contemporary did well overall. 
• Wine Chillers. These are small 50 bottle wine chillers that look like small refrigerators. The Kenmore 9913 was a 40 bottle model tht cost $500. Others were monsterously expesnive at $1200 for the GE Profile PcR06WAT for 52 bottes. There was lots of variations, with the worst models getting 23/100 vs 66/100
• Blenders. There are two levels. $400 professional models by Vita-Mix, Blendtec. And then there are the home odels of which the Braun PowerMax MX2050 at $50 is a great buy o rthe Oster Fusion BRLY07-Z. Interesting most of the traditonal brands like Kitchenaid an Krus were quite a big lower.
• Slow Cookers. Are a marvel. As sual, All-Clad led the pack but cost $250, but socred an amazing 74/100 well above the el cheapo Rival Crock-Pot SCVC604H-SS at $50. Or the comparable Hamilton Beach 33967 or the Cuisinart.
• Food Processors. The clean winner for the big processors was KitchenAid with top ratings for the KFP750, KFP740 and the KFPM770. The KFP750 was a standout at $200. The $80KFP710 was a best buy.
• Irons. I would never have guessed it an el cheapo Black & Decker D2030 at $50 beats out the very expesnive Rowentas.
• Vacuum Cleaners. The big decision is upright which do well with carpets (makes sense, because the vacuum is closer to the brush, but it is more bulky and noisier). The very best canisters can do as welll and are quieter and lighter. The Kenmore 28014 at $600 rates 73/100 but is heavy. Electrolux Oxygen EL6988 $400 is 71/100. But the uprights scored higher Kenmore Progressive 35922 $350 75/100, Or the same priced 36932 at 70/100. The 35922 is on sale right now for $250 at sears.com
• Mixers. The old stalwart, the Kitchenaid Classic Plus at $200 K45SS did the best for the really high quality mixers. Could make pizza dough 🙂
• Knife Sharpeners. I’ve always wanted of these. The Chef’s Choice are the dominant suppliers. The Model 130 is the Rolls Royce at $140. All the electric ones did a good job. At $130, the model 120 is a decent one.
• Omelet Pan. A specialty of mine, I’ve used lots of pans. But the Original French Chef Omelette Pan is apparently the very best. At $140 it better be. Or get a $20 KitchenAid B00008GK9B if you don’t have the bucks. The $90 All-Clad Stainless Nonstick Fry pan also works well.
• Stock Pot. The $300 All-Clad 12-quart was great, but the $100 Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless 12-quart was very similar.