Review: Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven

Item: Presto Pizzazz Pizza Plus
Purchase:  available HERE
Price Range: $40 - $60

When I was asked to review this Pizzazz Plus Oven, I was so excited!  I have wanted one of these ever since I saw one at Wal-Mart and just couldn’t make myself spend $60 on something to JUST cook pizza!
I got mine from cookware.com (linked above)

Shipping was fast!  It wasn’t scheduled to be here until the 1st (expected delivery date), but it came yesterday (May 28, 2010).  I was a little concerned because they didn’t “pack” it.  They just shipped it Fed-Ex.  See my shipping label?  As you can see the box is a little beat up too…

 

When I opened it I couldn’t help feel excited.  I really love that the manual was right there on top.  No digging to find it!



Tonight, we decided to test it out on the kids FAVORITE Pizza…  Literally.  This stuff gets cooked at least twice a week in my house.


The oven comes in two pieces. The pan and the base.


To put it together you have to put this little groove thing ( below) onto the little peg thing on the base.  Easy enough I reckon.  However, don’t have it plugged in already!  The thing automatically spins if the pan is on it and its plugged in.  There is no way to turn the spinning off except to unplug it.


The cord is about as long as my coffee pots, so there is not a lot of moveability going on.  The base is also pretty deep.  It would not sit on my counter facing front, in front of my coffeepot.  That’s why all these pics are from the side.  Sorry.


Once its all together it looks like this.  As you can see, its a pretty good sized pizza pan on there.


The diagram in the manual looks nothing like the actual oven, but the wording is clear enough you figure it all out.


I don’t like that there are no lights on the top or anything to let you know that its on.  I mean it’s obvious its plugged up because the pan is spinning but there is no indicator that the heating elements are on…


The kids were absolutely fascinated by it and both my 9 yr old and my 13 yr old stood in the kitchen and watched their pizzas cook.


Sis even tried to figure out how it worked.  Why doesn't the pizza just get cold again when its not under the cooker?  hmmmmmmmmm….


Once its been on a few minutes you can see the red glow from the hot hot cooking element.  Don’t touch!



Once the timer dings you take the pan off the base to get the motor to stop spinning.


Perfect crust! (below)  There was also NO STICKING.  I mean I tilted the pan and about dropped the pizza in the floor.


Then we cooked our second pizza.  This one was the plain cheese Totinos plus extra toppings.


Cooked it PERFECT.


Again no sticking, the pizza just slid off the pan. 

Cleaned the pan with a little soap and water and set it aside.

The crust is perfect.  I really like that you can turn the bottom burner or the top burner off.  So if I wanted say DARKER Crust but not to burn my cheese I could turn off the top burner toward the end…


As you can see from the manual, the Pizzazz is actually pretty versatile.  Chicken nuggets, quesadillas, chessesticks.  They aren’t listed but I’m even thinking French fries and chicken breasts.


chocolate chip cookies?!  REALLY?!


I also love that they included a couple of recipes.  Yes, that says pizza DOUGH.  yay!


Before I close, I need to post 2 more cons…
One, the thing took FOR EVER to cool off.  Really!  An hour later and the base was still hot enough to the touch that  I was scared to put it back in the box.
The other downside is storage.  What am I going to do with it?  I don’t have the counter space to leave it out and its too odd shaped to put into any of my cabinets unless I want to rearrange and give it its own cabinet.  That’s not going to happen.   I ended up putting it back in the box and putting it up on top of my pantry next to my expensive punch bowl set.

So for my complete pros and cons list:

I love that:

1. it was pretty fast.
2. Cleanup was almost non-existent!
3. pizzas came out perfectly
4. there was no mess, no pizza stuck to the pan, etc
5. its open and on the counter so you can WATCH the pizza cook, and take it off as needed.  No more accidently burnt edges!
6. No preheating oven – cuts down on wait time and how hot the upstairs gets
7. no bending over repeatedly to check the pizza.  I have a bad back so this is a great perk for me.
8. the kids were fascinated by it.  Both ate their pizza with NO complaints.  *first time for everything!*

I didn’t love that:

1. very hot to the touch.  No kids unsupervised around this thing
2. its big and bulky and storage is an issue
3. the thing got hot and stayed hot for a long time after use
4. It runs the entire time its plugged in if the pan is on it.  This can't be good for the motor
5. I also didnt like that you had to remove the pan to put the pizza on and then remove the pan to get the pizza off.  I cooked two pizzas, and nearly dropped BOTH in the floor.  I mean I never thought I would complain that something REALLY WAS non-stick, but the pan needs a lip on it or something.

Would I recommend this item?  Oh my word yes!  I’m mad at myself for not buying one sooner.  Ours is still new but I already know it will be used no less then twice a week in our house.  The easy cleanup alone is enough to make me want to cook supper on it.   LOL

What do YOU think about this cookware?  Knowing my experience with it would you buy it?   Have questions about this product or have something to add?   Feel free to comment below!

This review was originally posted on www.bunnycates.com in 2010.  I wanted to repost some of my older “product” reviews to this new blog, especially the ones I thought would benefit SAHM, family life, etc… Just FYI: We still use and LOVE our Pizzazz, and its been nearly 4 years.

Meal Plan + Morning Vlog, Hello Monday.

Good Morning, guys.  How was your weekend?  Mine was ok, I guess.  Started out ok, then hit a rough patch.  Yesterday was pretty good.  Started out as a lazy day, with a bit of “family fun”.  The guys played Magic, while Sis played on the internet.  Me, I obviously was in a photography kind of mood because I took some 700 photos yesterday. LOL

After that, I took off to visit my son’s Nanna.  I love that woman. SO much. 

My own mother and I have never been close. She left when I was three or four.  But Nanna… Nanna swooped in, in my early twenties as my son’s babysitter.  She has kind of filled in the Mom roll for me ever since.  She treats not only me but my kids, as her own.  I will be eternally grateful for her huge heart, forever.  Anyway…

Afternoons with Nanna are like therapy for me.  We talk about my divorce, she’s a great listener – and been through one herself, so she “gets” it.  She understands HOW I FEEL, and lets me know Im not crazy.  Well, as far as my feelings and this divorced are concerned anyway. lol
So…
Meal planning. 

This week, my week is fairly simple.

Monday
	Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo Salad Garlic Toast
Tuesday
	Meatloaf Mashed Potatoes Green Beans Rolls
Wednesday
	Spaghetti (click for my meatball recipe) Garlic Toast Salad

Thursday

• Salisbury Steak
• Rice
• Steamed Veggies

Friday

• Beans
• Cornbread

Saturday

• leftovers!

Sunday

Breakfast for dinner!

• Biscuits
• Sausage Gravy
• Scrambled Eggs
• Bacon

So, This week doesn’t seem like it will be such a big week. One “Left Over / Fend for Yourself” night, and boychild is cooking one night.  He is a master at spaghetti. Which is good, since that is his favorite meal. LOL 
Grocery wise: Not sure how much I’ll be spending this week.  Heading to the store a little later today.  The list is long, but not as long as usual – AND – there are no bigger ticket items (like detergent which is $15 now!), so hopefully, my bill wont be huge.
I usually spend around $250+ .  I am desperately trying to figure out how to get that weekly total DOWN.  Meal planning has helped a little, but if Im being honest… not that much.  So if you have any tips, please share them! LOL
For more Meal Plans, check out:

Fun Friday! Brandon Crafts a D.I.Y. Magic: The Gathering Life Counter Abacus

My son, who is 17 is very much into the role playing, card game, called MAGIC.  He has played it for a few years and now even goes to tournaments and the like.  Me, I do books, Bub… he does Magic.  It’s HIS thing….

One day, one of the channels I love to watch over on youtube called Geek & Sundry, posted a “Do it Yourself” video for making your own Abacus.  Now, I had no idea what that was, or what it was for – but I say a) it was something crafty! and b) it was MAGIC which meant the boy-child and I could do a little bonding.  So, not watching the video – I posted it to his facebook wall so he’d see it.

I probably should have watched the video, because man OH man… this was sure a lot of cutting!  Scary, with a craft knife (or in our case a box knife) cutting.  After watching Bub nearly take off his finger a few times – I volunteered to do all the cutting. Seriously.  There was about to be bloodshed. LOL

So I spent the afternoon cutting these little buggers out while Bub was at school.  He chose a bunch of PlanesWalker cards, that he had extra.  Don’t ask me, I have no idea.
When he came in from school he had to assemble it all…

and after an hour or so of working, he had his finished product!


Supplies we used in making this project:

• Making Memories Cutting Mat, 17 Inch-by-23 Inch
• Mono Multi Liquid Glue Carded, 0.88-Ounce
• 3-pk Hi cutter knife (18mm) Snap Off Knife, retail box Labelled for home-office
• Magic the Gathering Cards Plus Bonus 25 Rares
• 2 Paperclips
• and some beads

Fun stuff!  Have a great weekend, you guys!

I need a job.

 

I need a job. Preferably telecommuting.  Most of you probably know, but some may not – that my husband, after almost 17 years, left us back at the end of March.  No warning. Just woke up one day and decided to tell me he’d been seeing someone at work. Then he walked out the door.  He left me, with two teens to raise and an almost $700/month mortgage.  Our divorce will be final soon, and I am desperate for income and insurance.  I’ve been a stay at home mom for almost 10 years, so my work history is like starting over fresh.  No one cares that I was a retail manager nearly 10 years ago.

No English or marketing degree but in progress.   I do not hold any degrees.  Truth is, I quit my management job to raise my children.  During my time at home, my husband went back to school and earned his degree, and when we talked about mine – there was never the money,  it was always – maybe next year.  I was ok with it, because I knew my husband had us covered. You know? Now here I am, stuck.  No job, no 401K to fall back on, no insurance and worse – no degree to get said job or 401K.   Take it from me, people.  If you are in a relationship – do NOT give up your career to satisfy your significant other.  In the end it COULD (and probably will) come back to bite you in the ass.

I have registered for college though. Yay! GO ME! 

But reality is, I can’t sit around and wait this next 4 years to get a job.  I need a job NOW.

Would love something in publishing.  So, I am going back to school to earn a degree in English and Marketing.  My dream job, would be something in Marketing within the publishing industry – like Social Media Manager or something of the like.  I would LOVE to get paid to do what I do already, and that is promote books all over the internet! =D 

Are there any publishing careers out there that do not require a degree?  I mean, I have computer knowledge (over 20 years worth), web design, graphic design, Office, social media, etc…  There has to be something I can do until my degree comes through.  Has to be!

So, how about it – Any ideas?  Any tips?

I am really needing your help here!
Thanks for reading guys. Let me know if you have any info that could help me.

I will also be cross posting this over on my book blog at http://www.bunnycates.com

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.
XD

A Day in the Life Vlog #1

So, just to hold you over until I decide what all I am going to post on this blog, I thought I would share this.

 
I uploaded this on my youtube last week.

My first #ADayInTheLife VLOG guys! Its basically just me, packing a camera around all afternoon.  Kind of like we are hanging out together. :)

Ride along as we go tan and cook a little dinner.

#vlogging today! No video in here tho! #zumba #twerk#HulkHoganPose.... zumba twerk HulkHoganPose hahaha #clubbin on my own yall!

#TCB at @Walmart yall! #ADayInTheLife

Waiting and waiting.... *taptaptap* — at Trover Clinic.

#AmReading The Outside by @Laura_Bickle #YALit

Dinneh!

 
ANYWAY...
As always, Thanks for watching/reading!
Hugs,
Bunny