Welcome to my review of the Handy Gourmet Pancake Machine!
From the As Seen on TV world comes another product from the kitchen that has all the exaggerated marketing for something that looks pretty cool.
Pancakes are of course a delicious and easy to make dish but will this “machine” make it that much easier?
Let’s dig a little deeper so we can see if this is even worth buying.
Table of Contents
Handy Gourmet Pancake Machine Review
Summary
Product: Handy Gourmet Pancake Machine
Price: $18.99
Where to Buy: https://www.amazon.com
What’s in the Box: Handy Gourmet Pancake Machine
Who This Product is For
In theory at least, who isn’t this product for? Don’t we all love pancakes? Of course, we do.
So, any product out there that is going to help you make pancakes at home a little bit easier should be a real treat for most people.
Of course, there are some people that will be better served by this tool than others.
For example, you obviously aren’t going to want to get this for someone that doesn’t like pancakes very much.
You also aren’t going to want to buy this for someone that doesn’t like cooking at home.
That sounds almost counter intuitive to the design of the product, right?
Because isn’t the objective to make cooking as easy as possible? Perfect for the person with limited
While that may be so, that doesn’t mean that it is the perfect tool for people who don’t like to cook.
The people who are really going to appreciate this product are going to fall into one of two categories.
- Either they love to cook, and they appreciate any gadget that is going to make the process go by a little bit quicker or smoother, or experience.
- They really want to get into cooking, but they are struggling to overcome the learning curve.
Of course, there are categories of chef that probably won’t be extremely interested in the Handy Gourmet dispenser.
If you, or the person you are considering getting this for don’t typically buy into the promises of kitchen gadgets, you are probably going to find that this product won’t be any different for you.
If you’re happy with the way you make pancakes, and don’t have any interest in changing anything, this isn’t going to be for you.
How It Works
The beautiful thing about this tool is that it is really simple to make.
You just pour the batter that into bowl and use the lever to dispense even amounts of pancake batter all across your cooking surface.
The result is that you get consistent, portion controlled results every time that you make pancakes.
Does it work? It does, and it doesn’t.
In terms of actual batter distribution, you really shouldn’t run into any problems, assuming that you keep everything clean and free of clogs.
However, there are some issues in terms of the manufacturers other promise.
In addition to providing consistency, this tool is also supposed to create a mess free pancake cooking experience.
It is in this department that the Handy Gourmet does not quite live up to the promises of its advertisements.
We have found, and many users have also reported, that the tool is prone to frequently leak batter which can turn into a big mess fairly quickly.
While this leaking does not happen to the extent that the dispenser can no longer be used, it is certainly enough to hinder your cooking experience.
Does this need to be a deal breaker? For some people it probably will be, but if you know about this con going in you may not be so deeply bothered by it.
The Price
One of the nice thins about this tool is that, in spite of some performance issues, it does excel in the department of being relatively affordable.
At $18.99 the Handy Gourmet probably is not going to be breaking most people’s budgets.
Now, at the same time, many people may not want to spend that much money on product that is optional and riddled with a few issues.
Ultimately, you are going to have to decide for yourself if this product is worth your time and money.
If you do decide that you are into it you can save a little bit of money by buying through Amazon with a prime membership.
The price of the product itself won’t go down, but you will benefit from some free two day shipping.
Before You Buy
Before you buy, just keep in mind that this tool is not going to turn your home into an IHOP (or IHOB as they now insist on being called).
If you are new to the world of home made pancakes, this dispenser is definitely going to be your friend when it comes to portion distribution and other precision components of the process.
However, there are still many components, such as cook time and ingredient mixing that is going to be up for you to determine and master.
Still, for some users, it is going to be a great learning tool to help you up your pancake game.
And, of course, for the price, there isn’t a ton of risk if it turns out that you aren’t thrilled with the product.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Affordable
- Easy to use
- Accurate
Cons:
- Prone to Leaking
Conclusion
And that is that. You have read your handy gourmet pancake machine review, and now you have a decision on your hands. Do you want to take this kitchen gadget home with you?
As you could probably see, we have mixed feelings about this gadget. On the one hand, the concept that is at work here is really great.
Making pancakes can be a little bit tricky if you are new at the art.
There is a lot of measuring, a lot of precision, and if you get any detail wrong it really can ruin your results.
Any tool that helps to mitigate that problem is a winner, right?
The performance and durability issues at play here somewhat diminish our enthusiasm for it, and the leaking is definitely going to be very frustrating over time.
Does that mean that you shouldn’t get this product?
Not necessarily! The fact remains that it is still a pretty decent tool that mostly performs the way it is advertised to perform.
For the price, it may just be worth giving a try if you are interested in it.
