I received my jam and jelly maker two days ahead of its scheduled arrival (yay!) and finally tried it out yesterday (Saturday).I'm SO grateful to have finally made the decision to take the plunge and purchase this product; I'd been waffling on it for a couple of years because I don't like 'faddish' stuff. What a treat to be able to simply load up the maker with the pectin, fruit, butter and sugar and let it do its thing. While the maker was running, I had plenty of time to clean up from prepping the fruit and get my jars pre-heated and ready to go when the jam finished.This appliance when used in conjunction with the FreshTech Automatic Canner makes the whole jam-making process truly a breeze!Not having to be standing over a hot gas range stirring boiling jam meant both me and my kitchen stayed cooler and cleaner. It was wonderful being able to keep the equipment in one place on the counter so I could scoop from the jam maker on my left, fill a hot jar in the center space and then place it back into the automatic canner on my right. It made for an absolutely seamless and efficient flow and very quick clean-up when I'd finished. No problems at all with the machine's operation or quality of the finished jam, either; I made a batch of raspberry jam and one of mixed berry as well. There's plenty of time to get fruit ready for a subsequent batch while the current batch is processing in the canner; the processing in the automatic canner takes just under 30 minutes and the recommendation is the jam maker be allowed to cool 30 minutes between batches. It really does make for a more efficient and time-saving way to get a lot of jam/jelly made in a relatively short amount of time. I can't recommend it strongly enough!Now all I need to do is find out if the jam/jelly recipes in the book that came with the canner can also be made in the jam maker, since those make 6 jars of product instead of the four that the jam maker's recipe book will yield. I sure hope so!I don’t submit many reviews, but felt compelled to let anyone who makes jellies and jams know what a game changer this is.It was so easy to assemble. The instructions were clear and I made 3 batches of strawberry jam today. It was the best jam I have ever made. The cook time was perfect, no over cooked taste and it gelled perfectly. One batch yielded 5 half pint jars. If you are thinking that’s a small amount, consider it only takes 21 minutes per batch. And even as slow as I am these days, I was done in less than 2 hours for the 3 batches (including preparing jars, berries, cooking, water bath processing and cleanup). And speaking of cleanup, I was very impressed with the lack of the mess I normally make and have to deal with. It was so easy. I am very happy with this little appliance to say the least. If you have wondered about this automatic jam and jelly maker, I would encourage you to try if for yourself. To summarize it is easy to use, easy to clean and takes the guesswork out of cooking times.Cooking jams and jellies with their attendant sugar means splatters of hot goo which I did not enjoy at all, and THIS MACHINE ELIMINATES THAT PROBLEM COMPLETELY! I am legally blind and have to get within 6-8 inches of something to see it. No way was I going to do that making jam, so I stopped making it! Now I can make it again because this terrific device does all the stirring while the jam cooks and I don’t have to get close at all. The lid is on it and nothing can splatter anywhere, so I don’t get burned anymore! In 21 minutes, you have jam, ready to eat or water bath can, or freeze or just keep in the fridge. 21 minutes! Beat that if you can! If a blind person can do it, you have no reasons left to not buy it.I was making jam on the stove which took really long and in the summer a lot of sweating over the stove. Heard about this jam maker watched a couple of Youtube videos on it and decided to try it for myself. Super easy to use and really fast at making jam!Clean up is really easy as well. Gave it 5 stars!Only Con I would say is that you need to wait 30 minutes for the heat plate to cool down. That's not a problem though cause putting the jam into a hot bath and cleaning everything up for a second batch brings you to about 30min anyway.Easy to clean, easy to use, great for small batches of jam/jelly. I made a batch of drunken peach jam, using Fireball Whiskey and it came out great. So easy to follow the directions in the booklet, and adjust where you want. I can see using it to make more jams/jelly in fruit seasons to come!I was on the fence about this but now am glad I bought it. Only makes a small amount. Go to Facebook for groups that share tips & extra recipes. Well made, easy to use.We were unfortunate to have gotten a unit that imparted a strong chemical taste to our jam. We contacted Ball and they were ready to refund our purchase, but we wanted to keep the unit and just eliminate the problem. After some research, thanks to reddit, I discovered that eliminating chemical taste in silicon gaskets and ice cube trays was as simple as baking them out using an oven. Since the paddle and bowel can withstand temperatures in the range of 220 degrees F, I set the oven for 220F and baked them for about 4 hours while occasionally opening the oven door to air it out. This reduced the chemical smell a lot, but did not eliminate it. So I baked again at 220F for another 6 hours and that completely eliminated all of the embedded volatile compounds. We are now enjoying stinky free jams. I'm giving a 4 rating because Ball should know how to eliminate these excess manufacturing compounds.I love my Ball Jam and Jelly Maker. It is so easy to use and clean up! I love the recipe book that comes with it. I can be cooking a batch of jam or jelly and start prepping jars, or even the next batch! Not having to stir the pot gives me freedom to do more things in my kitchen. My only dislike is I wish it made larger batches. So far I’ve made peach jam and apple jelly using the recipe that came with the cooker and it taste great and set perfectly. I highly recommend this appliance!This is the best purchase I've made since I bought my Kitchenaid mixer and my Vitamix. I am using it for much more than must jam and jelly! Not only does it make perfect jam and jelly, but last week I put in nine diced onions + 2T olive oil and it stirred it for the thirty minutes without burning. I then had perfectly sautéed diced onions. Then I made a peparade recipe where you sautee thinly sliced red, yellow and orange peppers with diced onions, olive oil, and a large can of diced tomatoes plus spices. It stirred it perfectly, cooked it down to an amazingly flavored side dish.I have found it easy to find jam and jelly recipes that will work in this too without following the book's recipes exactly. For instance, we use no sugar needed pectin so then we can only add 3/4 cup sugar and top up the sweetness using splenda. Oh, and it beeps to tell you when to add the sugar! It works great, thickens perfectly and sets like a dream. You can set the time for anything from 1-30 minutes. For other recipes like sautéing stuff, if you need to go longer than 30 minutes, just let the appliance cool for a few minutes then you can reprogram it for up to 30 minutes again. BEST BUY EVER!!Ruined my first batch even though I did give it a good wash. Need to be washed repeatedly to get that 'factory' smell out. Also, really annoyed that it is designed to use Ball pectin only. I'm in Canada and I can't find it here. I ordered the pectin online but it's stupid expensive. Given the price of the machine they should have included a jar with it. I will have to try other pectins. $30+ is too much to make maybe 5 or 6 really small batches of jam.Makes making jam super easy and quick! Impressed with how fast I can make a batch and how easy clean up is. Can even make a batch on a work night. Makes it not an all-day-project. Makes small batches so can try new recipes and experiment. I thought it was a lot of money for what it was so I waited years to treat myself to one. But I use it so much, it was worth the investment.Perfect Jam Maker for USA and Britain, wrong plug and voltage for Australia, high price for import on Postage.Buyer beware.So easy to use. It's really just three simple steps, and it does make grat jams and jellies. Sure it doesn't make huge batches, but that's ok by me, don't want to. I just have small gift size jars, which is perfect for, well for gift giving, and since it's just the two of us, small batches is good. I seal them, so will last for years.