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Back to Basics TEM500 Egg-and-Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher

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Brand: Back to Basics
Category: Kitchen

List Price: ~~$52.99~~
Buy New: $25.99
You Save: $27.00 (51%)

New (36) Used (1) from $25.99

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

408 reviews
Sales Rank: 59

Color: Black
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.8
Dimensions (in): 16 x 9 x 8
Warranty: 1

MPN: TEM500
Model: TEM500
UPC: 018579186049
EAN: 0018579186049
ASIN: B000B18P96

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 356-360 of 408

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Fatal Flaw January 14, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I've had this appliance since just before Thanksgiving but only able to fully use it twice.

It's very cool the way the egg poacher works with the muffin toaster. BUT when I washed the egg poacher cup, a good bit of teflon came off. (I tried a second time and my poached egg was full of black teflon flakes.) The appliance came with a notice that implored you to please call the Back to Basics if there is a problem (rather than the retailer) so I did.

I was told they would send a replacement cup immediately.

I can boil eggs in it which is great but you can't toast at the same time so either your toast or your eggs get cold while waiting for the other.

As I approached my 30 day return period, I called back and was told that the cups were being redesigned and they would send one out immediately.

Today (now 64 days after the first call) I called again and was told that my cup was mailed 10 days ago (but only 7 business days so they won't even discuss tracing or resending until next week). They mailed it from Utah. I live in Seattle.

I am so not happy with their service, their attitude and now I'm even getting annoyed at the appliance. Hopefully, no one else will have this problem. But, just in case...

5 out of 5 stars

Great Gadget for Breakfast Lovers! January 13, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Breakfast with no dishes! Need I say more? Well I will say a litle. I am not a kitchen gadget person and own as few appliances as possible. That being said I absolutely LOVE this little gadget. Egg McMuffins made to order while you get ready in the morning - they always come out great. I scramble my eggs and sometimes use egg beaters, my husband poaches, we generally use canadian bacon for meat. Eggs come out perfect everytime. Have had no problem with the non-stick coating, it is not showing any wear after more than twenty sandwiches. Easy to clean, easy to keep from getting dirty.

Water from the steaming and the ham does collect on the egg, we just "drain" it on the meat warming tray before putting it on the sandwich, no problem there.

**One note: this does not bother me as I rarely make toast but the toaster seems to brown more on one side than the other when toasting bread. Have had no problems with english muffins and bagels, though.

Great machine, convenient, looks nice on the counter and cleans very easily. I highly recommend it to those who like breakfast sandwiches and often find themselves at the drivethrough. Tastes better, healthier, and costs less.

3 out of 5 stars

A Pretty Cool Kitchen Gadget, but Fear Not McDonalds Stockholders January 12, 2006
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

The Back to Basics Egg n Muffin Toaster was a wildly popular gift this Christmas. Supply ran so short that givers were very lucky to pick one up in time. But were the receivers lucky to find one under the tree? Well, in some ways yes and in other ways no - it depends on their preferred recipe for breakfast.

This unit lets you make breakfast sandwiches at home thanks to an ingenious steam heating chamber attached to the end of the toaster. You simply add a few tablespoons of water to the chamber's cooking surface and the load up your ingredients in a series of nested pans above it. The amount of water you supply gives you control over how well done the eggs turn out and I was very pleasantly surprised how well this works. My greatest skepticism about the toaster is that you'd end up with runny undercooked eggs no matter how much water was used, but that wasn't the case at all. Poaching a real egg gave the best results, but we also tried scrambling an egg right in the toaster's pan (no additional cookware to clean up) and it was very good as well. On the other hand, liquid egg substitutes turned out a little soft/runny for my taste no matter how long they were cooked. There is also a separate basket for hard-boiling eggs in the steamer instead.

There is also a removeable shelf that can heat up pre-cooked bacon or sausage. Its results were not good at all - basically, the steam heat just made the meats soggy. If you really like some meat on your breakfast sandwich, have a microwave nearby.

The most impressive feature is the internal timer which allows you to set up all of your chosen ingredients and then simply push one button. It knows that the toast doesn't take as long as the egg, so it calculates both of the appropriate times so that all of your foods finish up together without you having to think about it. The toaster also takes into consideration how light or dark you've set your toast and it does a good job of giving you the desired result.

Cleanup was very simple after each use once the entire unit had cooled down. However, the egg heating surface showed some permanent white marks from the hot steam right after the very first use; I guess this portion will look more and more faded as time goes on. Plus, while the intent may have been a modern appearance, the black matte finish is a terrible choice by the manufacturer. Think about it: black matte + greasy food = neverending fingerprint smudges that won't come off without applying a lot of effort. These appearance considerations, coupled with its bulky dimensions, make the toaster unsuitable for everyday countertop display. We keep ours tucked away in a cabinet when it's not being used.

To summarize, this kitchen gadget and delivers good toast and surprisingly well-done eggs. However, fans of well-done bacon and sausage may still find themselves in the drive-thru line in the morning. It's simple to use and is actually a fun alternative to the usual methods of cooking a breakfast-on-the-go. Cleanup is quick and easy as well. The unit's large size and unattractive appearance make it a prime candidate to be stored out of sight, so make sure you've got some room in a cabinet.

PROS
* Accurately toasts bread, bagels and English muffins according to your preference
* Makes surprisingly firm eggs, either poached or scrambled
* Timer makes sure that all of your foods finish at the same time

CONS
* Heating up pre-cooked sausage or bacon makes it more soggy than hot
* A big boxy unit that takes up too much counterspace and has an ugly finish

3 out of 5 stars

A Pretty Cool Kitchen Gadget, but Fear Not McDonalds Stockholders January 12, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

The Back to Basics Egg n Muffin Toaster was a wildly popular gift this Christmas. Supply ran so short that givers were very lucky to pick one up in time. But were the receivers lucky to find one under the tree? Well, in some ways yes and in other ways no - it depends on their preferred recipe for breakfast.

This unit lets you make breakfast sandwiches at home thanks to an ingenious steam heating chamber attached to the end of the toaster. You simply add a few tablespoons of water to the chamber's cooking surface and the load up your ingredients in a series of nested pans above it. The amount of water you supply gives you control over how well done the eggs turn out and I was very pleasantly surprised how well this works. My greatest skepticism about the toaster is that you'd end up with runny undercooked eggs no matter how much water was used, but that wasn't the case at all. Poaching a real egg gave the best results, but we also tried scrambling an egg right in the toaster's pan (no additional cookware to clean up) and it was very good as well. On the other hand, liquid egg substitutes turned out a little soft/runny for my taste no matter how long they were cooked. There is also a separate basket for hard-boiling eggs in the steamer instead.

There is also a removeable shelf that can heat up pre-cooked bacon or sausage. Its results were not good at all - basically, the steam heat just made the meats soggy. If you really like some meat on your breakfast sandwich, have a microwave nearby.

The most impressive feature is the internal timer which allows you to set up all of your chosen ingredients and then simply push one button. It knows that the toast doesn't take as long as the egg, so it calculates both of the appropriate times so that all of your foods finish up together without you having to think about it. The toaster also takes into consideration how light or dark you've set your toast and it does a good job of giving you the desired result.

Cleanup was very simple after each use once the entire unit had cooled down. However, the egg heating surface showed some permanent white marks from the hot steam right after the very first use; I guess this portion will look more and more faded as time goes on. Plus, while the intent may have been a modern appearance, the black matte finish is a terrible choice by the manufacturer. Think about it: black matte + greasy food = neverending fingerprint smudges that won't come off without applying a lot of effort. These appearance considerations, coupled with its bulky dimensions, make the toaster unsuitable for everyday countertop display. We keep ours tucked away in a cabinet when it's not being used.

To summarize, this kitchen gadget and delivers good toast and surprisingly well-done eggs. However, fans of well-done bacon and sausage may still find themselves in the drive-thru line in the morning. It's simple to use and is actually a fun alternative to the usual methods of cooking a breakfast-on-the-go. Cleanup is quick and easy as well. The unit's large size and unattractive appearance make it a prime candidate to be stored out of sight, so make sure you've got some room in a cabinet.

PROS
* Accurately toasts bread, bagels and English muffins according to your preference
* Makes surprisingly firm eggs, either poached or scrambled
* Timer makes sure that all of your foods finish at the same time

CONS
* Heating up pre-cooked sausage or bacon makes it more soggy than hot
* A big boxy unit that takes up too much counterspace and has an ugly finish

5 out of 5 stars

Dont worry, McDonalds wont go out of business January 10, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I got this nifty egg/toaster for Christmas and have used it for exactly 4 hard boiled eggs and 7 egg sandwiches on english muffins. It works well and as described. Once you master the amount of water to be added, its very simple. I also found that I can use the meat warming tray to separate the yolk from the egg whites and it works pretty well. I have moved the toaster function to medium so the machine may toast on the light side. Only a factor if you like your toast burned to "cancer" black.

As stated before, its not exactly like McDonalds, but you can use your own recipes and get things tasting how you like them. All in all I think its a great invention and am looking forward to breakfast tomorrow. If you really like Egg Macmuffins, think of the money youll save with this thing. It pays for itself very quickly.

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