When I was on the road traveling from job to job, I had the George Foreman Grill and I loved it, so when I saw this mini cupcake maker for less than $30, I jumped at it. I found this particular model is number 13465 mini Teflon coated cupcake maker by Bella at Meijer's for $25. You can find this online for approximately $10 more plus shipping and handling. I have found that this has a great versatility, and that this cupcake maker is great for parties or for making treats for your kids classroom parties.
Description
This mini cupcake maker measures 3 inches in height by 8.5" across and weighs approximately 2 pounds 10.2 ounces. The whole cooking surface is coated with a nonstick Teflon surface and is big enough to accommodate 7 small cupcakes. This cupcakes that this produces is about 2" across and ¾" deep. This is flat and has a lid that closes down on top of the cupcakes to help with the cooking of your cupcakes. The frame and outer edge of this mini cupcake maker will stay cool, while in use. This way, there is no chance of you making any indirect contact and getting burnt. This is red on the outside and black on the inside. You will need to be close to an outlet because this only comes with a 2' power cord. The upper portion opens up to a 90° angle to allow you access to the cupcakes when they are done cooking. This unit uses 120v, 60Hz, and takes 760 watts to operate.
Features
This snack maker has an extra large cooking surface, so that you can cook several cupcakes at one time. The whole unit is made up of heavy cast aluminum and is coated with Teflon. There also has a very nice set lights on the outer top portion of this unit, that will let you know that this unit is on and when it is ready to be used. This has an orange power light and a green ready light
Uses
We have used this on the road and for all of our dinner parties, plus going from plant to plant it was always hard to find a place that had a kitchenette. It just made my life a lot simpler taking this with me, that way I could stay at any hotel that I wanted to, cook my meals in doors instead of going out to eat all the time. This is more versatile than other snack makers, because on the snack maker grill you could not cook pancakes or eggs, but you can have fun making treats for the guys at work. Our daughter loves this so much. This will only take you approximately 15 minutes to cook your snacks.
We have found that it is better to let this unit warm up before you start to use it. At least for 2 to 3 minutes. You also do not need to use any cupcake liners, if you don't then just spray some non stick spray in the cooking side. The liners help to produce more moist treats. We have done it both ways and have found that the treats taste great either way. When filling the cupcake mold, we have found that the easiest way to do it without making any mess, is by using a tablespoon to do it. One well rounded spoonful is just about the right amount that will fill the mold. When removing the individual cupcakes the best way to do it is with a nonstick utensil. If you are doing a lot of batches of these treats then you will need to wait until the ready light goes out before you start the next cycle.
For storing this unit we have found that the best way to do it is by wrapping the power cord around the main part of the base so that it does not get tangled up while in storage. Plus make sure that this unit is cooled off before you store it in the cabinet. This has never produced burnt cupcakes and just remember if you want more moist treats then just make sure that you use the mini mold liners.
Durability
This product is very durable; you cannot submerse the whole thing in warm water, just rinse and dry with a damp cloth thoroughly without worrying about any shock the next time that you use it. You should remember to use only one plastic, rubber, or nylon utensils on the surface of this grill. If you do happen to forget to remove foil cups from the set in holes, all you have to do is let it cool down for a little while and you should be able to peel the paper or foil shaped cups out with ease. The frame stays cool on three sides, along with the handle, so you will not have to worry about burning yourself. You should not have to use any sprays or oil or nonstick spray on the surface of this snack maker. The Teflon coating that this is coated with has been good enough to keep everything from sticking. This also is not dishwasher safe, because you can't disconnect the power cord from the base. By using a damp cloth to wipe this down, it has come out sparkling clean and worked every time. As for the storage, this is not very tall, but it is longer than wider so you might have a problem storing it somewhere.
Warranty
This product does have a limited one-year warranty. But, I do not think you will have to even worry about using the warranty because I have had mine for a little while now and have had no problems with anything on it or pertaining to it.
Conclusion
I would highly recommend this for that college student to take on the road, when it is their first time away from home, and they can use this for cooking snacks in the room. We use this at all of our dinner or holiday parties, and we have gotten excellent results each time that we have used it. Also if you are just going on vacation and you do not want to go out to eat, it is a lot easier to find a hotel room by itself, rather than one with a kitchenette. You can easily wipe it clean with just a towel if you wish.