Epinions Recent Reviews for mrleemrlee

Works well, but if you're a frying rookie ...

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:39:18 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - After years of frying on the stovetop and fiddling with my thermometer and dealing with the mess and smell, I decided to break down and buy a dedicated fryer. I didn't want to spend a fortune on something I'd only use once a month, and this fryer was...

Caffeinated salvation

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:24:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Let's put it this way: My relationship with coffee pots has been rocky. I've always bought relatively cheap coffee pots. If it made coffee and had a timer, that's all I needed. I've had almost every low-end brand; none of them is worth owning even if...

Dell makes it easy -- mostly

Sun, 28 Apr 2002 16:10:12 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - This is my second experience with Dell, and it's nearly as good as my first.

My main interest was preserving my home video on DVDs, and DVD burners had finally come down to a reasonable price (though the standard is still up in the air). After...

GE Extra-Large 2.7 Cu. Ft. Capacity Washer WBXR1060T: Clean as a whistle

Mon, 9 Oct 2000 10:20:35 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - There we were, stuck in an unpleasant apartment with no washer or dryer. When a friend offered us an over-an-under washer/dryer combo he didn't need anymore, we jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, my limited mechanical skills weren't up to the task of...

Sony Playstation -- first impressions count

Mon, 4 Sep 2000 22:52:39 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - The Sony Playstation made an incredible first impression on me, and I think that's why it became the dominant home videogame machine.

I was at a friend's apartment for a small party -- just some beers and some friends. Then he fired up his...

Grilling your way around the world

Mon, 7 Aug 2000 19:46:50 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Humans have been grilling food since humans discovered fire; I would imagine it was the impetus for taming flame. Some early Homo sapiens came across a mammoth that got caught on the edge of a forest fire. He looked down. Grunted. Sunk a knife into it...

Coffee, the slow and messy way

Mon, 7 Aug 2000 13:13:33 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - My wife and I drink a lot of coffee. Two pots a morning isn't unheard of, and sometimes I'll go through a pot in the evening if I'm in the right mood.

The problem is, every time our coffee maker breaks, we seem to be short on funds. Since...

Telecaster -- the blues blaster

Sun, 6 Aug 2000 17:58:58 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Warm. Resonant. Soulful.

Those are the words that best describe the sounds that come out of the Fender American Standard Telecaster. Telecasters have for years been one of the guitars of choice for country and blues musicians, and once you...

Harry Potter, everyman (everymage?)

Sun, 23 Jul 2000 22:06:37 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - And there we sat, winding down the bachelor party, well into the second case of beer and second pack of cigarettes, discussing a book. It wasn't the first time we'd done this; talking about books into the wee hours of the morning was almost our hobby, it...

Planescape: A work of literary scope

Wed, 21 Jun 2000 08:55:30 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Sit down, here by the fire. Let me tell you of a great work of literature.

Wait a minute, you say. This is a computer game, isn't it?

Well, yes. But it's the first computer game I've ever played that also impressed me as a true work...

Surprisingly effective

Mon, 5 Jun 2000 19:01:55 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - I've spent more than my share of time at my local excuse for a Kmart, stumbling up and down its chaotic aisles searching in vain for whatever it is I wanted to buy. So far, Kmart has never failed me; it is consistently out of every product I've ever...

Absolutely essential in the kitchen

Sat, 27 May 2000 00:26:55 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Quick: You're about to be shipped off to a deserted island, with no hope of rescue. Forget about books to read; what the heck are you going to eat? What piece of cookware would you take with you?

Though I'd hate to abandon my chef's knife, my...

An artist bleeding

Fri, 26 May 2000 23:35:43 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - A blaze of glory, a anthem of almost military might opens Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town." The song is "Badlands," and the singer is full of enraged determination, determination to "spit in the face of these...

The great slider debate

Fri, 26 May 2000 22:46:40 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - White Castle is much like abortion, gun control or which way the toilet paper should unroll. There's not much grey area between people's opinions.

I count myself among the lovers of White Castle. A half-dozen sliders and a large Coke is my...

Like crack, except without death

Fri, 26 May 2000 22:27:51 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Blast you, Food Network! I never get to watch anything else!

It all started innocently enough. A new channel appeared on my cable box. I didn't seek it out. It just appeared. And then Emeril said, "Bam!" and kicked me up a notch. I...

The book title says it all.

Fri, 26 May 2000 21:56:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Mark Bittman has written one of the most useful and enjoyable cookbooks I've ever had the pleasure of reading and using.

Bittman, who writes for The New York Times and Cooks Illustrated, has set out to create an all-purpose cookbook updated...

The big bouncy chair

Fri, 26 May 2000 08:49:18 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - The EvenFlo Supersaucer was the savior of my sanity in the months after my son was born. He absolutely loved it. From when he was about three months old to eight months or so, it would keep him quiet and interested for a good hour, which, if you have a...

This review isn't a pan, but ...

Thu, 25 May 2000 21:49:32 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Calphalon cookware is some of the most expensive cookware on the market targeted at the home cook. Does its performance in the kitchen merit the expense? For the serious home cook, I'd say yes.

Calphalon is, first and foremost, durable. I've...

Dell Dimension XPS T600: Dell is king of performance, budget

Thu, 25 May 2000 18:30:34 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Dell has taken powerful PCs and married them with a well-deserved reputation for customer service. My shopping and buying experience showed me something else, something exactly the opposite of what you normally hear about Dell: It also offers the...

Detroit Free Press: Hard Times in Freep-land

Sat, 18 Dec 1999 00:22:00 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - The Detroit Free Press is a once-great newspaper that has fallen on hard times. Struck down (literally) by the 1995 labor dispute that still hasn't entirely played out, the newspaper is a weak shadow of the great metropolitan daily it once was.

...

Philips 27" Television TS2744C: High-End TV On A Budget

Sat, 18 Dec 1999 00:08:08 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mrleemrlee - Picture and sound quality were my two main priorities in selecting a television. The 27" Phillips TS20744 delivered on both counts.

The picture is crisp without being overpoweringly bright. Colors are vibrant and true.

The...