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: Breakfast Nirvana
Summary: 5 Stars
Back to Basics TEM500 Egg-and-Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher
Although I like a hearty breakfast, what's equally important is easy and quiet. I slip into my mornings, meditating my way to beginning the day. I can do the hard stuff later on, but in the morning, fail-proof breakfast options are what's needed.. And with this delight toaster-poacher, I have them.
Also, being fond of quiet mornings, the ease of use of this product does not disrupt my morning ritual, which is to think, and just be...if only for a little while. I slip into the garden and quietly snip mint from its leaves. Then I heat the teapot. When that's done I pour the water back into the pot to boil. Then I place the mint leaves in the bottom of the teapot, add honey on top of them (to protect the leaves from the shock of the boiling water zooming past the loose tea leaves in their container).
But its the knowledge that while I'm happily fussing over my little morning rituals, (including heating my tea cup while the tea steeps)... my accompanying hearty breakfast comes from this wonderful gizmo doing the heavy lifting. So I'm free to meditate or fuss over exactly how much honey to put in the pot on top of however many mint leaves and not think at *all* about my hearty Egg McMuffin breakfast the toaster-poacher is making just for me, Queen of the Morning, if just for a little while, every morning.
Although there have already been a number of terrific reviews essentially saying: "works great, I love it" none have mentioned the added benefit of attending to a pleasant morning ritual, secure in the knowledge one is going to enjoy a wonderful cup of tea on fine bone china, accompanied by an American breakfast invention at its finest.
This is a marvelous way to begin the day. Cheers!
Customer Review: Pretty good but some drawbacks...
Summary: 3 Stars
This product is ok. As a toaster, it's not the greatest because when toasting only one slice of bread, one side comes out more toasted than the other. When toasting two slices this doesn't happen. Go figure.
As for the eggs, we've only tried the "poached" and it is very covenient for that purpose but the eggs don't really come out poached- they're more like steam-baked.
Despite the fact that I was aware that many people have had problems with the non-stick coating coming off the the poaching pan, the very first time we used it, the coating bubbled (yes we used non-stick spray). I'm not comfortable scrubbing off the coating and using the pan that way as some reviewers have suggested; it's probably aluminum under the coating and I don't like to cook on that. We managed to work around this problem by using a 5 oz. oven-safe ramekin instead of the pan that comes with the toaster.
This could be a really good product if the company would just use a quality non-stick pan and if they responded to e-mails, but since they don't, it's mediocre.
Update: after a second e-mail to the company about the lousy non-stick surface on the egg poaching pan, they told me that they redesigned the Teflon and the handle and sent me a new one. I didn't notice a difference in the appearance but the Teflon is definitely holding up better this time. We still have an issue with the toaster toasting one piece of bread unevenly, however.
Update (December 2009): We've since thrown out this toaster. After a while the egg cooker stopped working so we continued to use it just for bread until one day it started smoking when it wasn't being used. I always try to unplug the toaster when not in use, however not everyone in the house does this. Luckily for us, this happened during the day while we were at home because I think it would have caught fire.
Customer Review: Make poached egg sandwiches instead of butter drenched fried egg sandwiches, your heart will thank you!
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought one of these in August of this year. I used it daily to make a ham/egg/cheese/english muffin sandwich every morning with great results. However, after about a month, the non-stick coating started to bubble then peel off from the egg poaching pan. I called Back To Basics and had a new pan free of charge within a few days. The new pan has been in use for two months without issue. The people at Back To Basics were very kind and shipped my new pan without hassle.
Some people reviewing this product have complained about the stainless steel water boiler becoming dirty from minerals and scalded meat juice. Others have complained about the egg being soaked in water from steaming and/or sticking in the pan. I have overcome these problems by doing the following:
I bought a gallon of distilled water that I use in the water compartment (at an ounce or two per use, a gallon will last a long time). This prevents any mineral buildup and keeps the cooking cycle time to a minimum (keeping the stainless steel clean keeps heat transfer to a maximum, therefore speeding cooking time). Every three or four uses, I wipe the water compartment with a damp paper towel to remove any accumulated debris that may have dripped down. After cooking everything, I remove the egg poaching tray and while holding the egg in the tray with a plastic fork, tip it on its side over the sink to drain off any accumulated water, then remove the egg with the plastic fork. I use store-brand spray oil and have never had an egg 'stick' in the pan. I have found that if I want toast/an english muffin/a bagel to be pretty crispy, I have to run it for two toaster cycles.
All in all this is a great product. Butter consumption in my house has decreased dramatically, and I'm not making a huge buttery mess on the stove every morning. Plus there no dirty spatula and frying pan to deal with every day.
Customer Review: A MUST-HAVE!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this contraption thinking, "Hmmmm, if this works, it could rock my world. If not, what's [...] bucks for yet another kitchen gadget that didn't deliver on its promise?" It didn't take me many mornings at McD's buying McMuffins before I realized this gamble could save a ton of moolah.
I was MORE than pleasantly surprised and could not believe how well this little guy performed out of the box! My family all crowded around as it cooked, jaws-dropped in excitement--talk about "set it and forget it"!!
It's really great for people who are rushed to get to work/school in the morning, and has been this working mom's dream! My son and I can cook our breakfast while we get ready, then have a piping hot and fresh breakfast sandwich waiting for us as we scurry out the door. His favorite combination is egg/ham/swiss, and my combo of egg/bacon/pesto is to die for!
Only one issue: the egg cup SAYS it's non-stick, but really isn't. No biggie: we just give it a shot of Pam before cracking the egg into the pan, and life is good.
Clean-up is a snap. All the water cooks out as it poaches your egg, the bacon is already pre-cooked, so it leaves no greasy mess. All you have to do is swab the egg pan with a paper towel to remove any residue and you're good to go for the next batch.
I'm giving this to my parents and in-laws this Christmas. My in-laws work, and my mom is currently caring for her mother. I think this will be a great way to save them time, too.
My only complaint is that I didn't order the two-sandwich model. Not knowing how reliable this machine would be, I was hesitant to pay twice as much for something, not knowing what the quality would be like or how much it would be used. If you're wavering, upgrade to the two-sandwich model--you'll be glad you did!!
And, OH, the [...] we're saving on McMuffin's!
Customer Review: Save your heart, poach your eggs instead of frying in butter!
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought one of these in August of this year. I used it daily to make a ham/egg/cheese/english muffin sandwich every morning with great results. However, after about a month, the non-stick coating started to bubble then peel off from the egg poaching pan. I called Back To Basics and had a new pan free of charge within a few days. The new pan has been in use for two months without issue. The people at Back To Basics were very kind and shipped my new pan without hassle.
Some people reviewing this product have complained about the stainless steel water boiler becoming dirty from minerals and scalded meat juice. Others have complained about the egg being soaked in water from steaming and/or sticking in the pan. I have overcome these problems by doing the following:
I bought a gallon of distilled water that I use in the water compartment (at an ounce or two per use, a gallon will last a long time). This prevents any mineral buildup and keeps the cooking cycle time to a minimum (keeping the stainless steel clean keeps heat transfer to a maximum, therefore speeding cooking time). Every three or four uses, I wipe the water compartment with a damp paper towel to remove any accumulated debris that may have dripped down. After cooking everything, I remove the egg poaching tray and while holding the egg in the tray with a plastic fork, tip it on its side over the sink to drain off any accumulated water, then remove the egg with the plastic fork. I use store-brand spray oil and have never had an egg 'stick' in the pan. I have found that if I want toast/an english muffin/a bagel to be pretty crispy, I have to run it for two toaster cycles.
All in all this is a great product. Butter consumption in my house has decreased dramatically, and I'm not making a huge buttery mess on the stove every morning. Plus there no dirty spatula and frying pan to deal with every day.