GH Institute

All Kitchen appliances

• 
  Review of Breville 3-in-1 variable speed Hand Blender VHB065

  Features

  800W motor. 800ml max jug. Weight - 967g. 12 speeds plus turbo. Noise 76.5db. Length of continuous operation 60s/120s. Attachments: jug, blades, chopper bowl, whisk and whisk collar.

  Good points: Very easy to use for a range of food preparation tasks. Excellent blending results – smooth milkshakes and evenly blended soups. Good whisking results. Comprehensive instructions.

  Drawbacks: During blending quite a lot of suction created. Large food particles get stuck around chopper blades making then awkward to process.

  Rating: 78/100

  Price Range: £44.95

  Stockist: 0800 525 089 - http://www.breville.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - June 2012

• 
  Review of Kenwood Kmix Tri-Blade HB890

  Features

  800W motor. Weight - 1167g. 5 speeds. Noise 83db. Length of continuous operation 3mins. Attachments: 2 sizes blades, whisk, chopper bowl with knife blade and slicing/shredding disc.

  Good points: Good versatile appliance which will do everything a food processor can except knead dough. Coped well with all food preparation tasks tested especially whisking and chopping. The supplied accessories are very well made and sturdy. Instructions are well laid out and very clear. Large processing bowl.

  Drawbacks: Pricey. Lid to the chopper bowl quite stiff to remove. Accessories not dishwasher safe.

  Rating: 81/100

  Price Range: £109.99

  Stockist: 02392 392333 - http://kenwood.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - June 2012

• 
  Review of Kenwood BL680 Series Blender

  Features

  2 speed settings plus pulse. 1.2 litre glass goblet. Pouring lip. Non-slip feet. Dishwasher safe goblet. Blades unscrew from goblet for cleaning.

  Good points: Good blending of mayonnaise and soups. Very simple to use.

  Drawbacks: Banana and bread became lodged under the blade so wasn’t processed. Some flour caught under blades when making batter.

  Rating: 80/100

  Price Range: £32.99

  Stockist: 02392 392333 - http://kenwood.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - June 2012

• 
  Review of Dualit The Blender DB44

  Features

  4 speed settings plus pulse and auto. 2 litre 1600ml plastic goblet. Pouring lip. Non-slip feet. Pre-set ice crushing setting. Dishwasher safe goblet. Blades unscrew from goblet for cleaning.

  Good points: Purees soup effortlessly, chops bread and crushes nuts and ice evenly and quickly. Controls are large and clear and auto pulse option is useful. Goblet is lightweight.

  Drawbacks: Comprehensive instructions. Blades are quite high so food can fall beneath, so wasn’t processed.

  Rating: 82/100

  Price Range: £149

  Stockist: 01293 652500 - http://www.dualit.com

  GHI Test Report - June 2012

• 
  Cuisinart ice-cream maker review

  Features

  2.0 litre bowl, ingredient feeder

  Bowl freezing time: 12 hours

  Comments

  Good points: Clearly laid out instructions with a good number of recipe ideas at the back. Good sturdy construction. The bowl rotates around the paddle. The angled paddle scrapes the sides of the bowl clean easily. Very easy to assemble. The paddle coped with chocolate chips easily. Large feed hole on top makes it easy to add ingredients. Easy to assemble. Good creamy ice cream results and well mixed sorbet.

  Rating: 82/100

  Price Range: £75

  Stockist: 0870 240 6902 - cuisinart.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - July 2011

• 
  Review of Cuisinart Elite FP12DCSU food processor

  Features

  1200W. 1 speed plus pulse. 2.1 litre bowl plus smaller bowl and two feed chute sizes. Max liquid capacity: 1.7 litres. Max dough capacity 700g. Attachments include: whipping disc, adjustable slicing blade, fine grater, course grater, dough blade.  Tool storage box.

  Comments

  Good points: Good chopping, blending and dough making results. Motor will not start unless large pusher is in place. Sturdy bowl and lid. Excellent instructions, clear and concise. Useful storage box for attachments. Finger holes in discs makes them easy to remove. Push on lid is easy to attach and remove. Stable on work surface. Generous bowl size.

  Drawbacks: Intricate lid design makes it hard to wash and dry. Longer items like cucumber have to be cut to fit wider chute or motor will not start without pusher in place. Poor results for grating chocolate, quite a bit was trapped above the blade.

  Rating: 86/100

  Price Range: £199.99 - 240

  Stockist: 0870 240 6902 - http://www.cuisinart.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - April 2011

• 
  Review of AWT by Breville VFP013 food processor

  Features

  880W. 4 manual speeds, 8 pre-set progs plus pulse. 1.5 litre bowl. Max liquid capacity: 1 litre. Max dough capacity: 1kg. Attachments include: emulsifying disc, adjustable slicer, fine grater, course grater, julienne disc, blender jug.  Tool storage drawer.

  Comments

  Good points: Fast and efficient for all tasks. Pre-set programmes are useful and easy to use - one touch.  Slicing blade can be adjusted to multiple thicknesses.

  Drawbacks: Noisy. Tall bowl makes it messy to add ingredients. Storage drawer too small to fit much in. Moved around during mincing test.

  Rating: 86/100

  Price: £109

  Stockist: 0800 525 089 - http://www.breville.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - April 2011

• 
  Review of Philips Robust HR7781 food processor

  Features

  1200W. 2 speeds plus pulse. 4.0 litre bowl. Max liquid capacity: n/s Max dough capacity: 2kg. Attachments include: balloon style whisk, dough tool, julienne disc. Tool storage.

  Comments

  Good points: Planetary action balloon whisk efiiciently whips cream. Generous width of feed tube easily accommodates whole cucumber. Excellent, even results for chopping nuts, onions and bread and slicing cucumber.

  Drawbacks: Some movement on work surface when kneading dough. Slight leakage through lid and base when filled to max capacity with liquid.

  Rating: 86/100

  Price: £350

  Stockist: 0800 331 601 - http://www.philips.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - April 2011

• 
  Review of Magimix Cuisine 5200 food processor

  Features

  950W. 1 speed plus pulse. 3 litre bowl plus two smaller bowl sizes. Max liquid capacity 1.3 litres. Max dough capacity 1kg. Attachments include: egg whisk, slicer, fine grater, course grater, dough blade, citrus press. Tool storage box. Choice of four finishes.

  Comments

  Good points: One of the quietest tested. Wide bowl makes it easy to add ingredients. Large press controls are easy to use. Spacious tool box for attachments. Sturdy, solid machine.

  Drawbacks: Messy when whipping cream, hard to view through bowl sides. Some residue remained after grating chocolate. Moved a little during dough test. Leaked through lid when filled to maximum liquid capacity. No measuring scale on bowl sides.

  Rating: 84/100

  Price Range: £179.99 - 229

  Stockist: 01252 727755 - http://www.magimix.com

  GHI Test Report - April 2011

• 
  Review of Bosch MCM4100 food processor

  Features

  800W. 2 speeds plus pulse. 2.29 litre bowl. Max liquid capacity 1.21 litres. Max dough capacity: 1kg. Attachments include: whisking disc, fine slicer, course slicer, fine grater, course grater, dough tool, French fry disc, citrus press, juice extractor. Integrated tool storage drawer.

  Comments

  Good points: Easy to view through bowl. Quite a compact design. Good slicing, blending and chopping results.  Efficiently blended mayonnaise and whipped cream well.

  Drawbacks: White plastic blade holders stain easily and tend to drag ingredients like chocolate and cheese rather than grating cleanly. Very poor instructions, wordy and hard to follow with few diagrams. Storage drawer is awkward to open. Handle fills with soap and water during cleaning. Noisy  blender.

  Rating: 82/100

  Price Range: £99.99 - 119.99

  Stockist: 0844 892 8923 - http://www.bosch-home.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - April 2011

• 
  Review of Dualit Compact food processor

  Features

  900W. 1 speed plus pulse and auto pulse. 2.8 litre bowl plus smaller bowl. Max liquid capacity 2 litres. Max dough capacity: 600g. Attachments include: emulsifying disc, adjustable slicing blade, fine grater, course grater, dough blade. Tool tray.

  Comments

  Good points: Small bowl is useful for smaller quantities. Slicing blade can be adjusted to a useful range of thicknesses. Good results for whipping cream and bowl is easy to view through during this test. Quick to blend mayonnaise. Finger holds on discs makes them easy to remove.

  Drawbacks: Moved on work surface during some tests. Large bowl better for liquids as food tends to fall between disc and bowl. Chocolate jammed around blade edge when grating. Feed hole  too small to accommodate cucumber. No measuring scale on bowl. Bowl a little stiff to remove.

  Rating: 81/100

  Price: £179

  Stockist: 01293 652 500 - http://www.dualit.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - April 2011

• 
  Review of Tefal by Jamie Oliver food processor

  Features

  750W. 2 speeds plus pulse. 2 litre bowl. Max liquid capacity 500ml. Max dough capacity 600g. Attachments include: emulsifying disc, fine slicer, course slicer, fine grater, course grater, parmesan grater, French fry cutter, blender jug. Tool storage drawer.

  Comments

  Good points: Good at grating chocolate with little wastage. Good mincing and slicing results.

  Drawbacks: deafeningly noisy. Bowl is awkward to fit. Failed to form a ball during pastry test. Blender has step shaped design which means ingredients get stuck on the ledge and remain unmixed. Flimsy lid. Blender lid is hard to remove. Ridges inside main bowl make it hard to scrape clean. Handle traps soap and water during washing. Slow to chop bread into crumbs.

  Rating: 74/100

  Price: £79.99

  Stockist: 0845 602 1454 - http://www.tefal.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - April 2011

• 
  Review of Philips Robust HR2181 blender

  Features

  850W. Capacity: 1500ml maximum, 300ml minimum. Dishwasher safe glass goblet. Variable speed plus pulse function and automatic. Pouring lip. Wrap around cord storage. Non slip feet. Measuring cup. Double blade feature.

  Comments

  Good Points: Excellent results for all tests including blending soup, making mayonnaise, chopping breadcrumbs and nuts, blending milkshake and batter and crushing ice. Twin bladed design makes it very quick and efficient, foods are less likely to get trapped under the blades. Instructions are clear and concise. Glass goblet can be stored in the fridge door.

  Drawbacks: Noisy on full power. Hard to scrape food from under the blades when emptying the goblet.

  Rating: 90/100

  Price: £250

  Stockist: 0845 601 0354 - http://www.philips.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of DeLonghi Icona coffee machine

  Features

  Takes ground or pod coffee. 15 bar pressure. 1.0 litre removable water tank. Manual. Removable drip tray. Scoop. Built in tamper. Dimensions: 315 x 210 x 280mm. Colours available: red, blue, white or black. Price for pods: £5.49 for 18. Price per cup: 31p for pods or 7-15p for ground

  Comments

  Good points: Steam spout well designed to allow for easy access with jug. Easy to use controls and useful cup warming area. Good crema but a little light. Coffee flavour good.

  Drawbacks: drips after brewing. Would benefit from own ground coffee.

  Rating: 74/100

  Price: £150

  Stockist: 0845 600 6845 - http://www.delonghi.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Bosch Tassimo T20 coffee machine

  Features

  Multi beverage pod machine makes coffee, tea and hot chocolate. 1.5 litre removable water tank. Automatic and can be topped up manually. Removable drip tray with two height options. Auto descale. Dimensions: 280 x 200 x 290mm. Extra colour kits available in red, black, blue or yellow costing £14.99. Price for T Discs: £3.29 for 16. Eleven flavours. Price per cup: 21p

  Comments

  Good points: Bright and clear indicator lights. Back plate can be customised in four different colours.

  Drawbacks: Automatically dispenses and the espresso is a double shot. Crema could be thicker.

  Rating: 72/100

  Price: £99.99

  Stockist: 0844 892 8979 - http://www.bosch-home.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review Lavazza a Modo Mio coffee machine

  Features

  Pod machine with steam arm. 15 bar pressure. 1 litre removable water tank. Manual. Removable drip tray with two height options. Used capsule container. Dimensions: 200 x 332 x 170mm. Colours available: black, white, red, blue, green, orange, fuchsia pink. Price for capsules: £3.59-£4.59. Seven flavoursPrice per cup: 22-29p

  Comments

  Good points: Neat integral waste capsule container. Good espresso with thick crema and clean flavour.

  Drawbacks: has to be primed before use if idle for a while. Indicator lights are not bright enough. Lacks enough steam to froth milk effectively. On control is at the back of the machine.

  Rating: 72/100

  Price: £119

  Stockist: 01895 209 750 - http://www.lavazzamodomio.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Cuisinart espresso machine

  Features

  Takes ground or pod coffee. 15 bar pressure. 2 litre removable water tank. Manual or set size options. Removable drip tray with full indicator. Tamper and scoop. Stainless steel milk pitcher. Dimensions: 310 x 230 x 250mm. Brushed stainless steel finish. Price for coffee pods: £5.49 for 18Price per cup: 7-15p for ground or 31p for pod

  Comments

  Good points: Clear indicator lights and large instinctive press controls. Easy to follow step by step instructions with useful recipe section at the back.

  Drawbacks: Coffee flavour a little lacking  but would benefit from using own ground coffee.

  Rating: 70/100

  Price: £180

  Stockist: 0870 2406902 - http://www.cuisinart.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Dolce Gusto Circulo coffee machine

  Features

  Multi drink pod machines makes coffee and hot chocolate. 15 bar pressure. 1.3 litre removable water tank. Manual. Removable drip tray with 3 height options. Auto shut off after 20 minutes. Used capsule container. Dimensions: 320 x 320 x 190mm. Colours available: red, white, anthracite. Price for pods: £3.28 for 16. Nine flavoursPrice per cup: 21p

  Comments

  Good points: Very simple to use machine with only two controls. Flavour improved possibly due to running at a higher temperature than the Melody 2. Can be used to make tea and hot chocolate in addition to coffee variations. Stylish modern design.

  Drawbacks: Instructions are pictorial and could be more comprehensive

  Rating: 67/100

  Price: £159.99

  Stockist: 0845 602 1545 - http://www.krups.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Dolce Gusto Melody 2 coffee machine

  Features

  Takes ground or pod coffee. 1.25 litre removable water tank. Manual. Removable drip tray. Scoop and tamper. Dimensions: 315 x 200 x 250mm. Colours available: black. Price for coffee pods: £5.49 for 18Price per cup: 7-15p for ground or 31p for pods

  Comments

  Good points: Easy to use controls which are on the top of the machine for easy viewing. Heavy, professional style filter holder.

  Drawbacks: the filters are hard to tell apart. Espresso lacking in flavour, under extracted by fast flow. Would benefit from own ground coffee.

  Rating: 65/100

  Price: £129.99

  Stockist: 0845 602 1545 - http://www.krups.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Gaggia Espresso Pure coffee machine

  Features

  Pod machine. 19 bar pressure. 1 litre removable water tank. Choice of two sizes of cup. Removable drip tray. Used capsule container. Dimensions: 252 x 166 x 291mm. Colours available: silver, fuchsia, orange, blue, arctic blue. Price for pods: 27p each. 12 flavoursPrice per cup: 27p

  Comments

  Good points: Wide choice of coffee flavours available. Best for espresso lovers. Produces good crema. Compact, well designed and very easy to use. Choice of two sizes of coffee.

  Drawbacks: Coffee pods have to be ordered online as part of a club. No steam arm for cappuccino. Pours a little fast. No maximum mark on the water tank. Cannot accommodate a mug.

  Rating: 65/100

  Price: £199

  Stockist: 0800 331 6015 - http://www.cafegaggia.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Magimix M100 Essenza coffee machine

  Features

  Pod machine. 19 bar pressure. 1 litre removable water tank. Choice of two sizes of cup. Removable drip tray. Used capsule container. Dimensions: 252 x 166 x 291mm. Colours available: silver, fuchsia, orange, blue, arctic blue. Price for pods: 27p each. 12 flavoursPrice per cup: 27p

  Comments

  Good points: Wide choice of coffee flavours available. Best for espresso lovers. Produces good crema. Compact, well designed and very easy to use. Choice of two sizes of coffee.

  Drawbacks: Coffee pods have to be ordered online as part of a club. No steam arm for cappuccino. Pours a little fast. No maximum mark on the water tank. Cannot accommodate a mug.

  Rating: 61/100

  Price: £120

  Stockist: 01252 727755 - http://www.magimixspares.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Dualit Espressivo coffee machine

  Features

  Takes ground or pod coffee. 15 bar pressure. 1.5 litre removable water tank. Manual. Removable drip tray with full indicator. Tamper and scoop. Filter holder for spare filters. Dimensions: 205 x 285 x 325mm. Colours available: cream or polished steel. Price for coffee pods: £15 for 50. Three flavoursPrice per cup: 34p

  Comments

  Good points: Useful holder keeps the loose filters neatly stored at the side of the machine. Clear instructions.

  Drawbacks: Malty,rather lifeless flavour and could be hotter. Would benefit from using own ground coffee. Drips after pouring.

  Rating: 61/100

  Price: £172.16

  Stockist: 01293 652 500 - http://www.dualit.com

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Guzzini Single Espresso machine

  Features

  Ground only. 700ml removable water tank. Manual. Removable drip tray with full indicator. Dimensions: 235 x 160 x 210mm. Colours available: orange, red, cream or white. Dimensions: 235 x 160 x 210mmGround coffee: price per cup around 7-15p

  Comments

  Good points: Very compact machine.

  Drawbacks: Basic and plasticky in construction. Drip tray doesn't drain to underneath. Dark and burned flavour espresso. Indicator could be brighter. Running too hot.

  Rating: 44/100

  Price: £133.95

  Stockist: 0208 646 3883 - http://formahouse.co.uk

  GHI Test Report - September 2010

• 
  Review of Marks and Spencer's travel kettle

  Good Housekeeping Top Scorer

  Features

  416-672 W, weight; 536g, max capacity; 0.4l minimum capacity; 0.2l. single sided water gauge, Rubber feet, thermal cut-off, 2 stow away cups, dual voltage.

  Comments

  Quickest for boiling smaller amounts and amongst the fastest when boiling on full capacity as well as being the quietest kettle on test. 

  Rating: 79/100

  Price: £9.5

  Stockist: 0845 6031603 - http://www.marksandspencer.com

  GHI Test Report - August 2010