Sunday 21 October 2012

Kitchen additions.

Silver Service. This microwave is smaller inside than any I have previously used, but still perfect for what I need it for. I like having the dial on it to turn around according to how long I need it to heat for, as opposed to some models which are solely digital. I have no issues at all with its operation; I find it heats things evenly and efficiently, actually requiring less time than advised. However, I have knocked a star off it for two issues I have with its design. I would have preferred it to have a button to open the door, as opposed to having to yank the door, which ends up dragging the entire unit across my kitchen worktop unless I use the other hand to hold it in place. Also, the front is really hard to clean without smearing and even splashes of water end up looking really obvious and unslightly. A tip I have, surprisingly, is using a few drops of baby oil on a cloth to wipe the outside clean (this is not to be tried inside the microwave itself). Totally cool. Originally, I ordered this fridge because I was looking for an undercounter fridge without a freezer compartment as I already have a freezer. I was also attracted by how well the internal design was thought out, making the best possible use of fairly limited space. It's deeper than my previous larder fridge and can fit loads in! I'm still getting used to the temperature adjustments, finding that at 5 it freezes everything and at 4, butter is just as soft as it would be at room temperature...4 and a bit seems to be the general consensus! When the fridge arrives, it is important to note that Beko advise that you do not plug it in for at least 4 hours post-delivery, which is apparently to allow the cooling systems to settle in their new environment. Once switched on, it begins to cool very quickly. Definitely the best under-counter fridge (without a freezer compartment!) I've seen. A not so perfect blend. The Tefal SlimForce Plus does what it says it will...mostly. I think the package offers great value for money when compared with similar products, given the amount of extras it comes supplied with. Blitzing a vegetable soup was no problem for this device...trying to break down cloves of cooked garlic in a gravy which was at the time thin, not so effective - in fact, it was useless. The positioning of the on/off button is a really poor design feature, especially for someone with smaller hands and shorter arms (like me!) I had to hold down the button on top of the handle continuously, which I also thought was poor, because it can't be hard to come up with a button which just stays on once pressed once? I found it heavy and clunky, and had my wrist at a funny angle trying to use it. That said, the attachments come on and off easily and are easy to clean. All in all, there is room for improvement and I'm not entirely convinced I would order this particular hand blender again given the choice.

No comments:

Post a Comment