Other Small Appliances

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  • Appliance repair for food processor?

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    Jan 5, 2020

    Hey there BPN - my not so new, nowhere near old enough 12-cup Cuisinart food processor won’t start. I looked on the Cuisinart website but all of the repair locations are very outdated. In fact, the first 7 listings are permanently closed or no longer servicing machines. Any ideas? I would hate to toss it and buy new plastic.. 

    Jan 5, 2020

    Hi, not specific to the Cuisinart, but if you are feeling at all handy or if you don't find a better option in the meantime, you could try taking it to one of the Fix-it Clinics. If you are nearby and can wait a bit, there is one at the South Branch of the Berkeley Library on March 7th. It's free and educational, with a very jovial atmosphere. They helped my 4-year-old and me fix a Sawzall when we went. You have to participate in the repair, but they have lots of experts in different aspects of "thing" repair to help you out, and a fair amount of spare bits and parts.

    https://www.cultureofrepair.org/community-repair-events

    Jan 8, 2020

    Try Youtube videos. Many people learn to do simple repairs by watching Youtube. Worked for me!

    Jan 8, 2020

    Not too long ago, I was able to call the customer service phone number and get approval to send my food processor with a broken motor into their repair facility. There was a charge but it was pretty reasonable. Good luck!

    Jan 8, 2020

    Something similar happened to me high end blender. I called Blendtech and the motor was beyond repair, so they sold me a new one with $80 credit for me sending the old one back. At least now they recycled the old one, maybe refurbished or whatever, but not in landfill at least.

    Jan 8, 2020

  • Help cleaning a vintage electric waffle iron

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    May 6, 2018

    I just bought a lovely looking electric vintage waffle maker at a garage sale. The chrome is in good condition, the heating elements seem to work and the waffle surface is in pretty good condition.

    I am looking forward to eating homemade waffles from this waffle maker without nonstick coating but would like to give the waffle surface a good cleaning. The top surface has a dark brownish coating that will require a little elbow grease but there is little accumulated oil or butter stained on the bottom surface.

    Does anyone have any recommendations on cleaning the surface? There isn't any year on it but it is made by Bursted, Model 211 if that helps. It may be as simple as a scrub with a little soap and water with a brush but I'm not familiar with vintage surfaces.

    Any guidance is appreciated! Thank you!

    May 6, 2018

    It sounds to me like your waffle iron might be plain unvarnished steel. What you want to do is retain the coating of cooked-on oil that will make it virtually non-stick, like a good seasoned cast iron skillet. So I would wash it with hot soapy water (don't scrub) and then dry it, without destroying any baked-on finish it already has. When you use it, give it a light brush or spray of cooking before heating. Then afterwards just a soapy wash and dry.  Should be great! 

    May 8, 2018