Flash in the Pan

I've been using a Starbucks Barista Espresso Maker (actually made by another company) for years, and while it needs some minor repairs, it's been dependable. So when I test an espresso machine, there's a pretty high bar: must work well, offer enough manual control to get the results I like, and be dependable. Cuisinart sent a Programmable Espresso Maker EM-200 for me to examine, and it has a lot going for it and, while not perfect, it has me wondering which machine I'd rather have on the counter. (Currently it's both, but my wife won't put up with that for long.)

On the plus side, it has a water tank that slides into position at the rear of the machine and doesn't require you to move all sorts of things out of the way to get at it. That may not sound important until you find yourself out of water in the middle of brewing espresso or steaming milk. The top of the plastic tank lifts up and out of the way, making it easy to pour more water in. However, I prefer to take the opportunity to rinse a tank out, as they can get a bit slimy when not regularly washed and rinsed.

Another strong point is both programmed settings for single and double shots, a manual button (if you prefer to time extraction rather than waiting for a specific amount of water to run through), and a button to let you change the programmed settings to what you like. The heated machine top for warming cups is nice, though on a cold morning, I hold my fingers there to thaw.

You get three holders for the basket: one for pod-packaged coffees, one for single shots, and a larger one for doubles. I didn't try pods, as I had none on hand. The double container felt a bit thin, and the basket lighter than I'm used to. The maker comes with two pins set into holders so you can unplug a blocked hole, a smart addition that more manufacturers should add.

Now for the slight drawbacks. The steaming wand seems to emit less steam than I'm used to, so getting milk to the right texture and temperature takes longer. The included milk pitcher is small, and the wand doesn't pull out far enough to make it easy to get a larger pitcher into place (though I've gotten the hang of it). The wand also has some sleeve over it, that turns the tip into a broad space that forces you to plunge it into the milk, making the bubbles too large. However, that sleeve actually slips off (as I accidentally learned while cleaning after a use), leaving you with more of a nozzle that lets you get the necessary angle for proper steamed milk.

The machine is also pretty noisy. Even when you're done brewing or steaming, the machine suddenly starts erupting steam through the base where you place the espresso pitcher to catch the liquid. It doesn't do any harm, but it's a bit distracting the first few times it happens. It would be nice if the maker also had a storage spot to keep the paraphernalia that comes with it. One other thing - be careful about putting a bit too much coffee into the basket, as it can get blocked up, building up pressure and not shooting out water. And opening the basket can turn into a mildly explosive and majorly messy experience.

On the whole, though, it's a decent machine and has more versatility than one of the fully-automatic variety that forces you to make do with whatever some engineer decided was the "proper" amount of water. At a suggested retail of $399, it is on the pricier side, but my experience with the durability of Cuisinart products has been good, so I doubt it's money you'd be throwing away. Plus, think of all the money you could save not heading to the local expensive espresso drink chain.

Labels: Cuisinart, espresso, maker

I've used a 5-quart Kitchenaid stand mixer for years, most regularly for mixing doughs (came in really handy while writing my pizza and panini book), sometimes for creaming ingredients and even occasionally for whipping egg whites or cream, though I tend to do the latter two by hand more often than not. But I've found that the capacity wasn't everything that I wanted. Sometimes I'd make a large batch of bread dough, for example, and have to keep an eye on it to keep things in the bowl. So I was happy to try a test model Cuisinart SM-70 sent by the company's PR firm.

It was the 7-quart capacity that caught my eye - a large increase over the roughly 12-cups of the Kitchenaid I've used, or even that company's top-end 14-cup model. A batch of multi-grain roll dough - enough to fill a roasting pan with rolls - was dwarfed in the SM-70. You get what has become the standard attachments: whisk, paddle mixer, and dough hook for kneading. The machine handled the mixing easily and even the kneading with the dough hook, though there was a tiny bit of shaking in the machine. It's nowhere near so heavy as the Kitchenaids (extensive use of plastics instead of all metal), which means a bit less stability, but results in a unit that is also far more portable. I can lift it up to and down from the top of the fridge without a bit of problem. I do wonder whether the sturdiness will be enough to last for 10 to 15 years or more, but there's no way to tell that in the short run. However, as I said, it handled the dough easily, and that size of batch would have put a bit of strain on the Kitchenaid.

I appreciated the close fit of the whisk and paddle to the bottom of the bowl. You can also adjust them easily with a wrench (not supplied) to keep them close. The quality of that fit makes a lot of difference when you're trying to efficiently mix or whip something, because you engage pretty much all of the contents, and not just what the attachment can reach. The top tilts back to open access to the bowl that locks down into the base. I don't generally like tip-up designs in stand mixers, but I don't think Cuisinart had much choice in this case. The unit is very tall as it is, and incorporating a mechanism to raise and lower the bowl would have made it far too tall. As it is, the unit doesn't fit under our kitchen cabinets. I did like the solid feel of the latch for tilting back the head.

There are 12 speeds, to which I say so what? Like Kitchenaid, and virtually every other maker of any type of mixer, Cuisinart feels obliged to offer a lot of speeds, when, realistically, slow/medium/fast would probably be enough. The controls are electronic - not one of my favorite approaches because I find that such systems don't have the lifespan of mechanical ones, and tend to be expensive when it comes to repairs. However, if you're going electronic, might as well include a counter, which Cuisinart does, and it's a handy feature. You no longer have to watch the clock while mixing; set it and it will shut itself off. The unit also comes with a splash guard, and such should be standard equipment with any stand mixer. (Few things get as messy in cooking as flour kicked up into the air by a mixer.) You can also get option (read that as extra money) attachments for such things as juicing citrus, grinding meat, or making pasta.

Overall, I liked using it and found it a convenient way to handle larger volumes of mixing without sacrificing the ability to work with smaller amounts as well. The suggested retail of $449 also makes it one of the more reasonably-priced units you can find, particularly when considering the capacity.

Labels: Cuisinart, dough, mixer, opinion, review, stand mixer