PRODUCT REVIEW

This in-depth product review is for the induction cooker commonly sold in North America as the Vollrath Mirage Pro 59500P (1800 watt).

Background:

The Vollrath company is a privately-held American foodservice (kitchenware and appliance) manufacturer headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The company traces its roots back to 1874, when Jacob Vollrath started a factory that made and sold various kitchenware products such as pots and pans. The company also made products as varied as furniture castings and railroad and agricultural parts.

Some of Vollrath’s earliest popular products included ceramic/enamel-coated cast iron and sheet steel, but by the 1930s the company had begun to shift to stainless steel, and the company also mass-produced millions of military products like mess trays and drinking canteens during World War II.

Vollrath expanded, acquired, and divested various businesses after the war, including such major brands as Admiral Craft (AdCraft), Lincoln, and Leyse. Among these acquisitions was the 2009 acquisition of Luxine, a Malibu, California company that developed induction cooking technologies. Vollrath bought the entire company. The result is that Vollrath controls product design, unlike many other brands that basically buy a bunch of pre-built Chinese induction cookers, slap their logos on them, and call it a day. Vollrath has facilities in China for production of the topic of this product review, the Vollrath 59500P Mirage Pro Countertop Induction Range, 14-Inch.

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PRODUCT REVIEW

This product review is for the induction cooker commonly sold in North America as the Vollrath Mirage Cadet. (NOTE: As of 2020 this product appears to be discontinued.)

Background:

The Vollrath company is a privately-held American foodservice (kitchenware and appliance) manufacturer headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The company traces its roots back to 1874, when Jacob Vollrath started a factory that made and sold various kitchenware products such as pots and pans. The company also made products as varied as furniture castings and railroad and agricultural parts.

Some of Vollrath’s earliest popular products included ceramic/enamel-coated cast iron and sheet steel, but by the 1930s the company had begun to shift to stainless steel, and the company also mass-produced millions of military products like mess trays and drinking canteens during World War II.

Vollrath expanded, acquired, and divested various businesses after the war, including such major brands as Admiral Craft (AdCraft), Lincoln, and Leyse. Among these acquisitions was the 2009 acquisition of Luxine, a Malibu, California company that developed induction cooking technologies. Vollrath bought the entire company. The result is that Vollrath controls product design, unlike many other brands that basically buy a bunch of pre-built Chinese induction cookers, slap their logos on them, and call it a day. Vollrath has facilities in China for production of the topic of this product review, the Vollrath 59300 Mirage Electric Countertop Cadet Induction Range, 12-Inch.

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How would you like to relieve clutter in your kitchen AND get more counter space?

Today I’m reviewing the Seville Classics Stainless Steel Professional Kitchen Cart Cutting Table.

NOTE: Seville changed the manufacture of this cart so it’s now a three-tier moveable wire rack, which can be even more useful due to the extra space in the middle tier.

Background:

Seville Classics is a home/office products producer that is not bashful about the Chinese origins of its products. In fact, Seville Classics even boasts on its website about its 32-acre factory campus in Guangdong, China. I’m not particularly squeamish about buying Chinese products as long as they have good quality control, and since I don’t plan to have food come in contact with my carts, ever, it’s even less of a problem.

Like many importers, Seville Classics has its headquarters near Los Angeles, in the city of Torrance, California. Los Angeles is home to San Pedro harbor, one of the largest and busiest ports in the world.

The company was incorporated back in 1979, so it’s clear that Seville Classics is not a newcomer to the home/office products game.

Okay, enough about the company, let’s move on to the review.

The Good:

I’ve owned two of the Seville Classics Stainless Steel Professional Kitchen Cart Cutting Tables for almost a year now. This product is incredibly useful. It converts unused kitchen floorspace into an extension of your countertop space and under-the-counter storage space. And it’s portable, too.

My wife is a neat freak, and these carts passed her “is it worth the clutter?” test because they actually de-cluttered our kitchen! That’s because these carts are multi-purpose. We replaced a single-purpose wine rack with this cart. The wine fit in the middle basket, leaving us with the top surface of the cart and the lower shelf available for other storage needs.

What’s great about this cart:

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