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Archives for December 2007

Recall: Black & Decker® Brand Toasters

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Name of Product: Black & Decker® brand Infrawave™ Toasters

Units: About 70,000

Distributor: Applica Consumer Products Inc., of Miramar, Fla.

Hazard: An electrical component in the toaster can overheat and ignite the circuit board, posing a fire hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: Applica has received two reports of the toasters igniting, including one report of fire that damaged a kitchen countertop and cabinets. There have been no reported injuries.

Description and Model: The recalled two-slice toaster is black with stainless steel trim and has a digital display below the toaster lever. The Black & Decker® brand name is on the top of the toaster. Model number ST2000 is printed on the rating plate on the bottom of the toaster.

Manufactured in: China

Sold at: Home improvement and discount department retailers nationwide from March 2007 through November 2007 for about $50.

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled toaster, unplug it immediately, and contact Applica to receive a refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Applica at (800) 556-9439 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or log on to the firm’s Web site at http://www.acprecall.com

Picture of Recalled Toaster

Recall:General Electric Microwave Combo Wall Ovens Due to Fire Hazard

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Name of Product: Built-in Combination Wall and Microwave Ovens

Units: About 92,000

Manufacturer: GE Consumer & Industrial, of Louisville, Ky.

Hazard: The door switch in the microwave oven can overheat and ignite plastic components in the control area, posing a fire hazard to consumers. The lower thermal oven does not pose a hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: GE is aware of 35 incidents of minor property damage and one incident in which a fire damaged adjacent kitchen cabinets. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recall includes GE combination microwave and conventional built-in wall ovens sold under the following brand names: GE, GE Profile® and Kenmore. The ovens were sold in white, black, bisque and stainless steel. The brand name is printed on the lower left corner on the front of the microwave door. The following model and serial numbers can be found inside the microwave oven on the left interior wall.

  Recalled Models Serial number
begins with:
GE / GE Profile JKP85B0A3BB, JKP85B0D1BB, JKP85W0A3WW, JKP85W0D1WW,
JKP86B0F1BB, JKP86C0F1CC, JKP86S0F1SS, JKP86W0F1WW,
JT965B0F1BB, JT965C0F1CC, JT965S0F1SS, JT965W0F1WW,
JTP85B0A2BB, JTP85B0A3BB, JTP85B0A4BB, JTP85B0A5BB,
JTP85B0D1BB, JTP85W0A2WW, JTP85W0A3WW, JTP85W0A4WW,
JTP85W0A5WW, JTP85W0D1WW, JTP86B0F1BB, JTP86C0F1CC,
JTP86S0F1SS, JTP86W0F1WW, JTP95B0A2BB, JTP95B0A3BB,
JTP95B0A4BB, JTP95B0A5BB, JTP95B0D1BB, JTP95W0A2WW,
JTP95W0A3WW, JTP95W0A4WW, JTP95W0A5WW, JTP95W0D1WW		 AZ, DZ, FZ, GZ, HZ,
LZ, MZ, RZ, SZ, TZ,
VZ, ZZ, AA, DA, FA,
GA, HA, LA, MA, RA,
SA, TA, VA, ZA, AD,
DD, FD, GD, HD, LD,
MD, RD, SD, TD, VD,
ZD, AF, DF, FF, GF,
HF, LF, MF, RF, SF,
TF, VF, ZF
Kenmore
(All model numbers
start with 911)		 41485991, 41485992, 41485993, 41485994, 41489991, 41489992,
41489993, 41489994, 49485992, 49489992, 47692100, 47699100,
47862100, 47869100, 47812200, 47813200, 47814200, 47819200,
47792200, 47793200, 47794200, 47799200		 0, 1, 2, 3

Sold at: Department and appliance stores from January 2000 to December 2003 for between $1,500 and $2,000.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the microwave oven immediately. Consumers should contact GE regarding their GE/GE Profile micro-oven combo or Sears for their Kenmore unit. GE is offering a free repair or rebate on a new product, a $300 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE brand unit, or a $600 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE Profile brand unit. Sears is offering a free repair or $300 rebate toward the purchase of a new Kenmore brand unit. Consumers can continue using the lower thermal oven.

Consumer Contact: For additional information on GE /Profile units, contact General Electric toll-free at (888)-240-2745 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET Saturday, or visit GE’s Web site at www.geappliances.com. For additional information on Kenmore units, contact Sears toll-free at (888) 679-0282 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, or visit Sears’ Web site at www.sears.com

Picture of Recalled Built-in Combination Wall and Microwave Oven

Review: KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer

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KitchenAid produces a whole line of stand mixers with a range of sizes and power to suit your particular needs. Recently, we reviewed the KitchenAid Professional 600 series here and found it to be a powerhouse that can tackle truly large jobs with ease. Now we’ll take a look at the Artisan stand mixer, also a KitchenAid product.

The Artisan has a 5 quart capacity bowl which can knead 9 cups of flour with its 67 point planetary mixing action. Our first thought on seeing this beauty was that it seemed small enough to be used in most any size kitchen, yet sturdy enough to tackle any job. So we put it to work.

Let’s start with ease of use- the dough hook, flat beater, and wire whip all attach with a simple push and twist. Just reverse the maneuver to remove them. The bowl also stays put easily with a counterclockwise turn to lock it in place. The rubberized feet keep it from moving around while mixing heavy doughs. We tested this while making 9 cup batches of bread dough and this machine performed beautifully, producing a firm dough in just about 5 minutes without even getting warm. Although the Artisan weighs over 22 pounds, I did not find it too difficult to maneuver around the countertop.

We put this mixer through a range of jobs, using the whip, dough hook and flat beater all of which come with the mixer. We brought egg whites to very stiff peaks in under 5 minutes, mixed countless batches of cookies, cakes, and loaves of bread. One my new regular tasks for this mixer is making our favorite banana bread by using the flat beater to mash the bananas first, and then adding the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. It comes out great and I have only one dirty bowl to wash. Each experience endeared this machine to me more.

I am a hardcore mix-by-hand baker and use a hand mixer sparingly for jobs like meringues and whipped cream, but this mixer has changed the way I bake. If you are a frequent baker and have the space (Maybe you can make the space!) to leave this out on the counter, I believe you will find that you turn to it as your first choice for mixing.

Product Features

Mixer Style Tilt-head
All-Metal Construction
Direct Drive Transmission
Bowl Finish Polished Stainless Steel
Bowl Handle Contoured
Motor Wattage 325 Watts
Flour Power™ Rating 9 Cups
Mixing Bowl Capacity 5 Quart
Planetary Mixing Action 67 Point
Mixing Speeds 10
Multi-purpose Attachment Hub
Flat Beater
‘C’ Dough Hook
Wide Chute Pouring Shield
5 Qt. Stainless Steel Bowl w/Handle
Wire Whip
Weight 22.8 US pound
Depth 14 3/32 in.
Height 13 29/32 in.
Width 8 21/32 in.

If you want to read more about the Artisan Stand Mixer, click here for the Care and Use Guide.