Back to Basics TEM500 Egg-and-Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher
by Back to Basics
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List Price: Our Price: $21.99 You Save: $31.00 (59%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Back to Basics TEM500 Egg-and-Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher
Customer Review: Excellent in every respect
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this product for about 3 months. I use it every day. It's next to flawless.
Nitpicks:
Toasted bread a is a little uneven -- darker one side than the other, but still acceptable.
"Extra-Large" and "Jumbo" eggs overfill the poaching cup. I use "Large" to avoid a mess.
Meat comes out steamed. Fine if you like steamed sausage patties or ham. I don't.
High grades:
By trial-and-error regulating the amount of water (use the markings on the supplied cup -- middle of the word "poached" is my favorite)-- I can get any consistency I want -- from runny soft to fully-cooked.
I can load the cup and the water cup the night before, put the assembly in the fridge, and everything's ready to cook while I have my first sip of coffee. Painless.
Not recommended (my lawyer says so) but it works for me: I wash the pieces once a week. In between, I wipe out the cup with a paper towel, re-spray it with Pam or other Canola oil (absolutely recommended) and it's ready to use again.
I haven't used the hard-boiled egg feature, but there's no reason to think it won't do well.
Toasted English muffins are simply superb.
For a little variety/spice: put a couple of drops of Crystal (or other pepper) sauce in the raw egg. Stir it around in the white. Not too much if you have a sensitive mouth! I'm going to try a wee bit of Worcestershire next.
This is one of those "Why didn't I think of that" appliances, and a very attractive price, to boot!
My wife disdains kitchen gadgets, but she's happy, too, as long as I'm making my own breakfast :-)
Customer Review: Very nice so far
Summary: 5 Stars
I am the kind of guy who likes breakfast food but rarely can be bothered to do anything not absolutely required before work in the morning (and I still manage to be late most days). For many years my typical breakfast has been a diet coke in the car on the way to the office. I bought this appliance in the hopes that the lure of a tasty breakfast sandwich would tempt me to get up a couple minutes earlier than I absolutely had to. So far it's working.
I have had this thing for about two weeks. I've made 7 egg sandwiches. It took a couple tries to find the water level that resulted in an egg that way I like it (I prefer the yoke completely cooked but still orangish and not hard, in my machine that equals a splash over the "medium" line in the cup). Since finding the right water level, it has been consistent.
The complaints about meat dripping into the egg are valid but its a simple thing to remedy. I just drain the egg pan into the sink before dropping the egg onto the bread. You could use a paper towel if you really don't want any juice getting onto your sandwich.
The meat tray has no problem making frozen (precooked) sausage patties hot. I haven't experienced any problems with the bread getting cold or the nonstick coating coming off the egg pan yet... still wondering if that might be an issue later. For $30, I won't be expecting it to last a lifetime. When you consider the ingredient costs vs. a mc-breakfast, it really doesn't have to last that long to be worthwhile, not to mention the convenience and health benefits. If it lasts a year I would be totally pleased and ready to buy another.
Customer Review: Not a novelty--multiple functions you'll actually use
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first saw this toaster I was skeptical. It seemed gimmicky and I doubted how useful it would be. But I thought it was cool as a novelty item, and it wasn't very much more expensive than a regular toaster, so I took the plunge and got one.
After owning it for a year, I think that it is more useful than a regular toaster. I like to make egg sandwiches in the morning (add a little flavored olive oil for a special treat!). But what I really like is being able to make soft- or hard-boiled eggs without watching the stove. The eggs come out perfectly cooked. And being able to make 4 eggs at once means that my boyfriend and I can both have eggs for breakfast (or egg salad for lunch) with minimal active cooking and minimal cleanup.
One problem I have with the machine is sometimes if you add too much water to the egg chamber, the toast gets a little cold by the time the egg is done. I like my eggs a little runny so I add a little less water and then they're both done and hot at the same time. The other problem is that it's easy to get burned by the steam when lifting the lid on the egg chamber. Using a pot holder doesn't solve the problem completely (it gets wet, then feels hot, too). In a future version, I hope that they think of a new stay-cool handle for the lid of the egg chamber.
I would recommend this toaster even if you only plan to make eggs occasionally. It's a good value and you might find yourself enjoying eggs more often.
Customer Review: expectations = reality
Summary: 5 Stars
Just used mine for the 1st time. No disappointments here. Excellent. One of the best purchases I have made. I've recently started my own business, and I care for 2 elderly family members. I found myself more exhausted than usual until I finally realized I was eating 1 meal a day. Honestly, this is the solution for me. It REALLY does time it so the toast (today I used waffles) pop up at the time the egg is done. I put 2 slices pre cooked bacon on the warmer. I had to stand there and watch it do its thing this morning. Couldn't believe it. Very ingenious. And, for me a life saver, literally. I rarely eat fast food, and try not to eat processed food as much as possible. So now I have no excuse to miss a meal. This little bugger saves so much time and your food is hot. For me, this unit is worth every penny. Thanks to the inventors. Oh, big issue resolved - cleanup! No pans, lids. I haven't made bacon for years.. hate the lingering smell and the spatter all over the stove. Resolved. No fuss, no muss. Now that I know it works, I will try it with some smoked turkey breast. Also, the recipes in the owner's manual sound very tasty.
* If you don't like poached, you can scramble your eggs. I would recommend NOT doing it directly in the little cooking pan, but in a bowl. Still only 1 egg. But if you scramble in the little pan, it may scratch.
** If after some use this product turns negative, I will update my post.
Customer Review: Finally I can eat breakfast again.
Summary: 5 Stars
Since this product delivers exactly what it promises, I will focus on the nitpicky things. Inside the egg cooker, the egg sits on a little tray. The handle of this tray is a little flimsy, so you need to make sure that you are careful not to bend it. That being said, bending it back to its original position isn't exactly difficult.
Second, I can't quite seem to cook the egg so that the yolk is runny. They tend to turn out soft boiled. Less water doesn't seem to do the trick. It could be something I'm doing wrong, but I'll have to try and make a breakfast sandwich when I'm not in a hurry.
This is a pretty good toaster. That said, i'd like to make a note about the vendor, Beals Florida. When I ordered this toaster, I had multiple items and paid for rush shipping. This item cost 24 dollars shipping but was sent regular UPS ground. I can understand why they didn't send it rush, but not why I was still charged so much money. Beals was very understanding and credited a portion of the shipping back to my account, and Amazon quickly followed through. The shipping experience was a little rough (I'll make sure to order Beals items seperately from my rush orders from now on), but their customer service made up for it all. Very pleased with the toaster and the customer service.
Edit: Upon further review, it appears that this toaster is no longer shipped from Beals Florida. So... um, nevermind.