Back to Basics TEM500 Egg-and-Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Back to Basics TEM500 Egg-and-Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher
Customer Review: good concept...see update
Summary: 3 Stars
UPDATE DEC 2007 Our egg cup finally stopped working after 2 years, so we bought a new toaster. So I will address the issues we had (see far below). I would give this FOUR STARS now. (why don't they let you change this?)
1 and 2. They have fixed most issues with the egg cooker. They have replaced the water well black bottom with stainless steel. much easier to clean. Product still boils over, but not very much. The poaching cup has been redesigned and the coating no longer peels off. It comes with a sticker saying to use spray now. They have replaced the handle on the poach pan with a softer rubber and hopefully this won't break off.
4. They have tweaked the toaster. It browns stuff now.
Below is OLD review from Summer 2007
In spite of the mess that goes along with this product, my family enjoys the bagel/egg/cheese sandwiches and hardboiled eggs almost everyday.
I will list my findings of this product as i've had it for nearly 18 months.
1.hard boiled eggs- the water always boils out the top seal I'm not sure why. I've tried using less water than the measuring cups calls for. Poking one hole in the egg makes the egg boil out of the hole and drip down into the water reservoir and make a nice crusty mess. I've found that poking two holes, near each other, keeps them from leaking so much. A montly soak in vinegar gets this part of the toaster cleaned. In spite of all this trouble, the hardboiled eggs are cooked perfectly everytime. A quick dunk in ice water and they peel flawlessly. I keep my toaster on a kitchen towel to absorb the water overflow.
2. poaching eggs- works well if you like your egg yolk solid cooked. The water doesn't boil over poaching an egg. My poaching pan has lost about half of it's teflon and it is hard to get the egg out of the little pan without digging it out with a utensil or banging it upside down on the counter. Also- the plastic on the handle of the pan broke off and you have to touch hot metal (i use a potholder) to get the pan out.
3. the meat warmer- note, the meat must be precooked. Ham has a lot of water and drips all over the egg. Be prepared with a papertowel to soak the liquid off. I havn't tried precooked bacon. I rarely use this part because the egg and the cheese have plenty of protein.
4. the toaster- it isn't the best. I have toasted mini bagels in it and it usually takes 2 rounds. Frozen waffles takes 2 or 3 rounds. I have to admit that i don't actually adjust the slider much. Regular bread is ok, but only toasts one side well.
I would probably buy this again..but i hope they fix some design flaws before mine breaks completely. A place to store the measuring cup (a little hook?) would be nice.
Customer Review: Really Clever Design - Updated
Summary: 4 Stars
As they say if its too good to be true, it probably is. Our first unit failed within 3 months. Company was prompt about replacing it. Our second unit cooked one side of toast way more than other. This was a nuisance, but then -bam- just like the first one, it failed after less than three months. In both cases, the egg cooker stopped working. No warning just fails to heat at all.
Not a one-off experience. Too bad. Its a great idea, poorly implemented.
- Original unedited review is below -
OK - Every where you go, you can find a great review on this toaster, so seemed like low risk. Much to my surprise (after a few days) this thing seems to meet expectations. When they fail, people rush out to buy the same one again. Now I know why.
Here is exactly what you need to know:
Pro
* A sheet metal plate is in front of the filament wires - so the wires are protected and the heat is very even. You don't see them glowing red. It provides fairly even heat. So yep, this makes really excellent toast.
* The egg cooker/steamer is really easy to use and works really well. If you use veg oil spray on the egg pan, it just pops right out on to your sandwich. Pretty funny when you think about it - a toaster that cooks eggs, too. As a fellow inventor, it must have been interesting to convince a company to invest in this sort of gadget with a straight face.
* You can steam precooked sausage patties. We use Morning Star breakfast patties - they are veg but you'd never know it and they are really tasty.
* The combo egg/toast setting also works well, and like they say, they all the gets done at about the right time.
* The manual is small but the English is is very well written and instructions clear.
* Comes with little measuring cup with poker to puncture eggs so you can hard boil them.
* The cooking time is dictated by how much water you put in the egg cooker. 2 Tablespoons or so is about right. You can perfect it.
Con
* Slots may be too small for larger craft breads.
* When you push up on lever, it lifts toast out of toaster. But it doesn't push toast up far enough for smaller slices.
* The egg pan might not be perfectly level causing the yolk to shift to one side - but - you can level it by bending the handle of the pan up or down (just bend it small amount at a time) until it is perfectly level.
That's about it! 4 stars.
Customer Review: Great Quick Breakfast Or Snack
Summary: 4 Stars
This toaster is excellent! I highly recommend it.
TOAST: Makes almost perfect toast - on some standard sliced breads the top 1/2 - 3/4 inch is not toasted because the slots aren't quite deep enough. That being said, the toast is PERFECT - completely evenly toasted on both sides, though the side toward the center of the toaster does tend to be just a bit darker.
MEASURING CUP: The measuring cup is for adding the correct amount of water to poach or boil eggs to a given doneness. It is extremely accurate as to what measurment should be used. However, it is also extremely difficult to read (to see the markings) and that could easily be corrected... I put a little piece of adhesive tape on the most frequently used mark to make my like easier.
HARD BOILED EGGS: I didn't like this feature. The measuring cup has an egg piercer that pops a tiny hole to keep the eggs from exploding when they are hard boiled. However, I found the egg wants to ooze out the top at the hole and it becomed more difficult to peel and is unsightly and, if stored, that parts dries out quickly and gets hard.
POACHED EGGS: Absolutely excellent - perfect every time once you determine the amount of water to use to make the eggs just right for your taste. They recommend cooking spray in the no-stick egg pan - I recommend a tiny dab of butter spread around (much healthier), though have found it isn't generally necessary to use anything.
MEAT TRAY: Steams pre-cooked bacon, sausage, ham, etc. It comes out with the eggs - hot, moist and delicious! Some drippings can go down on to the eggs... adds barely a touch of flavor and you will probably want to pour the liquid off before putting the egg on the plate.
EGGS & TOAST: The only downside to this whole unit. The toast is done first and by the time the eggs are done the toast has cooled somewhat and the butter doesn't melt as well on it. Though not a big issue, this is the only thing that makes the eggs / toast combo less than perfect.
OVERALL QUALITY: The case is pretty cheap plastic. I happened to bump it with a cigarette and it put a scar on it instantly. The parts for the egg cooking are well made and should last a long time with reasonable care. The toaster adjusts to the bread size and seems well made. Everything is easy to clean up and an occasional wipe or scrub handles the hard water residue on the water boiler plate.
Customer Review: So convenient & idiot-proof; my favorite kitchen appliance!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a bit skeptical when I read all the rave reviews for this toaster. All 100+ reviews sounded too good to be true. But the reviewers weren't lying. I don't know how to cook anything other than instant noodles & microwave dinners. But I managed to use this toaster to make my own "Egg McMuffin" in just a few minutes! You can't imagine the self-satisfaction I got from that. I couldn't even make an egg before without difficulty, but now I can easily accomplish that with this toaster. I'm also not much of a housekeeper, but cleaning up was a breeze. Just wash the 3 small trays and wipe the heating/water tray with a paper towel soaked in some white vinegar. I would have to waste a lot more time & wash a lot more stuff to make the same thing without this toaster, not to mention I don't actually have the skills to make it without this thing.
In regards to some concerns raised by previous reviews: the non-stick tray gave me no problems whatsoever. The egg slid out of the tray effortless all by itself. I just sprayed a tiny bit of olive oil on the tray before I dropped the egg in. Burning your hand by touching this appliance? I'm definitely not the careful type and you would really have to go out of your way to get burned (or don't have any common sense). Plastic smell? Gone after an initial empty toast cycle.
However, I do find that the toast setting needs to be set higher than you actually want it because it tends to run a tad light. Also I needed to drain some water off of the egg tray and use a paper towel to absorb the excess water off of the sausage patty before assembling my "Egg McMuffin". But some excess water is to be expected since the toaster basically steam cooks/heats the food. And I really do like the fact that everything is done at the same time so there's no need to go back & forth for each item. One improvement I'd like to see: an alert sound for the egg-only function. If you're only cooking an egg with the toaster, it will not make any sounds when it's done. Only the function light will turn off. But not too big of deal for me since I usually stay in the kitchen until my food is done.
I highly recommend this product for anyone who is too busy, cooking-challenged, egg McMuffin lovers, or someone who simply enjoys being lazy. It would've been nice if I had one of these when I was in college.
Customer Review: I can finally cook an egg :) ADDENDUM: it broke in 1 year
Summary: 2 Stars
In the past, when I asked my kids or hubby, "How do you want your egg?" everyone knew it was rhetorical. Will it be hard boiled or soft? We had to wait and see. Is the yolk on a fried egg going to be too runny or too hard? We just had to wait and see.
You see, I've never been a great cook. My husband had to switch out the kitchen smoke alarm to one that has an off button, so we don't have to listen to the alarm every night with dinner.
Ever accidentally press the "clean" button on your oven while cooking a whole chicken? I have, and let me tell you, the oven safety lock is foolproof... all you can do is watch your chicken dissolve into ashes. ("Aw mom, not carcinogens for dinner again")
FINALLY I CAN COOK AN EGG and have it come out as requested. Poached hard, medium or soft? Just tell me what you want. Hard or soft boiled. Whatever you like, I'll cook it up in a jiffy and no more cold toast!
The toast is timed to be finished at the same time as the egg. I cannot go wrong.
I now feel like I can do anything, maybe I'll take up white water rafting or, gulp, learn how to cook oatmeal...
ADDENDUM: I've had to come back to update my comment. I've had to change my 5 star rating to a two star. Sadly, the egg cooking part of this toaster just "stopped" working one morning, less than one year after purchasing it. The egg poaching part just stayed cold. I've tried a number of things to fix it (shaking it, threatening it, begging it) but it has never worked since that dreadful, sad, morning. Although, the toaster part still toasts bread fine. Oh, and it did not die from overuse. I mean, I used this toaster very often for about 4 or 5 months, then my family and I were sick of eggs. After that, I only cooked an egg with it every few weeks. I may buy another anyway, but I will make sure it is on sale, and I'll get one that cooks 4 toasts at once. I'll try to find one that is better made.
UPDATE 9/2010 After only three years, the toast part of this toaster stopped working. The light lights up when I put the toast in, but it does not get hot. This toaster now does not cook an egg or toast. I liked this toaster and I really wanted it to work--but toasters are supposed to last longer than a cosco size can of garlic salt.