Cooking Tool Reviews

When I purchase cookware, I usually look for All-Clad. With All-Clad, I expect a superior product made from superior American materials by American craftsman. Not so any more. All-Clad has become another cookie-cutter distributor selling "Made in China" goods at inflated prices.

To think that I tossed my previous metal tongs to buy these "Made in China" tongs! Without the All-Clad trademark, these tongs are worth [not as much].

I've purchase many All-Clad products in the past. I won't be buying more All-Clad/Made in China products in the future.

These are probably the most beautiful set of tongs I have ever seen. They have a mirror-bright, high polish and they are so sturdy and well-made that they should last a lifetime and then some. They are so good-looking that you should not keep them hidden away in the kitchen. Put them out on the table or buffet to serve up your gourmet delights.

The locking mechanism is clever but a bit too difficult to handle if you have arthritis or other difficulties with pain and weakness in your hands and fingers (speaking from experience, here). Because the locking mechanism is difficult to move from the locked to unlocked, and vice versa positions, it could prove too difficult for anyone with painful hands. The weight of these tongs could also be a problem. If you must hold and manipulate them for a prolonged period of time, like a lengthy cooking session, they could prove to be too heavy. My fingers and thumb joints get rather painful from holding these heavy tongs. I gave up trying to unlock and relock them whenever I need to. I just keep them in the unlocked position and keep a rubber band around them when I have to keep them closed to store them in a drawer.

I hate to give these wonderful tongs a 4-star rating instead of a 5 as they otherwise deserve. But a word to the wise: If you have any hand pain or grip problems, you might want to look for some less well-made (and much lighter!) tongs.

These tongs are great. I use them all the time with my All Clad cookware. They are perfect for tossing sautéed spinach, turning chicken cutlets etc. The locking feature is great. I keep them in the locked position when they are in the utensil crock, drying or by the stove. The polished stainless steel is so beautiful you could definitely serve with them as well. It is excellent quality that will last a lifetime. An All Clad must have! Highly recommended! A+ !

I got this mill as a Christmas gift last year, and with only moderate home use the plastic (not ceramic as in most good mills)grinding element inside the mill cracked last week. I must say, however, that while it was working, i found it to be a sturdy, versatile, functional mill, the best i had ever owned. That said, one would expect the mill not to break down in less than a year.

Note: if anyone has the address for Trudeau so i can sent my mill back, please email me privately. Thanks.

it took me forever to find, but here it is. 1800-878-3328. it must be a super small company. they don't even say that they are trudeau corp. when they answer the phone. they don't have parts for the pepper mill, but they will send you a brand new one. it has a lifetime warrrenty!

I have a similar model Trudeau grinder, which failed after a couple years of heavy use. True to their word, Trudeau replaced it no charge with a new one. Needless to say, I was stunned.

Although this pizza pan is a bit thin, it works well, but do not expect the same crispy crust as you get with a stone. It is fine for the money and washes very easily. The non-stick coating is well made.

I've just bought one more for myself and two for my daughter.

I've been baking pizza from scratch for almost thirty years. I've owned one of these pans for about five years and I wish I had owned it all along.

I especially like to use it to make super-thin, super-crisp crusts, but it's also great for baking pizzas with thick crusts, because the crusts don't remain soggy. If I form a rim on the edge of any thick crusts I bake, no ingredients drip over the edge.

I also use it to heat frozen pizzas and to reheat homemade cinnamon buns.

It's easy to clean, easy to store, and its size and shape don't impede air circulation in the oven.

This is one piece of cookware I would hate to do without.

I am online right now because I am looking at more Chicago Metallic items which I might be interested in buying. I've been very happy with their products.

My first Chicago Metallic purchase was a set which included a deep dish pizza pan and a crisper. I was most interested in the deep dish pan, but it turns out I am most pleased with the crisper.

Believe it or not, I've recently bought 3 more of these crispers. Two for my newly married daughter and one more for me.

I like to be able make 2 pizzas at once when I bake pizza from scratch. Having two pans saves me time.

My oven is smaller than most, so heat circulation can be poor when I use cookie sheets. The crisper's shape and composition help insure even heating.

I bought my original one on a whim at TJ Maxx's. As other reviewers have written, it is great for heating frozen items and store bought rolls. I especially use it for items that I might ordinarily put directly on my oven shelf like frozen pizza.

I've made a fair number of pizzas over the past 25 years and wish I had owned this pan decades ago.

My only problem with the pan is preventing the dough from going through the holes while I am spreading the dough by hand right on the crisper. Now I set the crisper on a cookie sheet while I am spreading the crust by hand. I then run a paper towel along the underside of the crisper to remove the bits of dough that are sticking through.

This may sound like an annoyance, but I often like to make super thin crusts and I REALLY do get the results I want.

When I bake a thicker crusted pizza, I make sure to form a raised rim around the crust so the ingredients are not "pushed" over the edge of the pan as they heat.

I sometimes use a fork to lightly prick a thicker crust if I am going to precook it without the toppings.

If you buy this pan, I hope you enjoy using it as much as I do.

This huge set is a real bargain at 100 cutters for [the price]. I especially was drawn to these because it contains all the letters of the alphabet and all the numbers. I had been looking for letters and found one set that was nearly $30 for just the 26 letters. You can easily see why this set is a bargain.

I have used this so far on cookie dough only, traditional homemade sugar cookie dough intended for use with cookie cutters. I found the cutters with the solid back part (such as the cone part of the ice cream cone) were very hard to separate from the dough, rendering the imprint/cookie cutout completely ruined. This was the case for all the ones that had a solid backing section. The cutters with clear backs (such as the letters) were fine. I was dipping them in flour first...to no avail.

Another problem that causes me to give this a three star rating is that some of the detailed (and interesting to my children) cutters such as the transportation vehicles have such tiny sections--the dough stuck to them and would not release them and it broke off and therefore was ruined. I put the offending cutters aside and plan to go through it (alone) and take out the ones that simply don't work to save the children disappointment and tears, which did happen with the above mentioned incident.

I have not tried this on inedible play dough recipes yet so I don't know if the above problems are unique to cookie dough.

Usually bakers only use cookie cutters at Christmas. But this set is so diverse that it can be used the entire year. Of course it also includes holiday themed shapes for Christmas, Halloween, etc. No matter what the occasion, there is sure to be some cookie cutters in this batch to fit the theme. Since these are plastic and very durable, kids will have tons of fun using them. There are also so many shapes and colors that kids will easily stay interested. Very reasonably priced, this set is a big investment in a lot of fun!

My daughter & I both love these cookie cutters. A variety of shapes and objects, as well as numbers, letters & shapes! Great for learning! Also, product is very well made-high quality!!!

I used my new sifter yesterday for the first time. What a disappointment! It was extremely slow to sift 1 2/3 cup of flour, taking about 4 minutes. The side to side, shaking motion was tiring, so much so that I had to move the sifter to the other hand. I was surprised at that as I think I have strong hands and wrists, typing a lot and being a keyboard musician.

I quickly ran downstairs to the trash and retrieved my old, reliable and fast crank-style sifter. I'll try the new one again but suspect it will end up in a garage sale!!

This sifter works just as it claims to. Because it has caps on both the top and the bottom, it stores neatly (no floury mess all over the place). It is a bit stronger-gauge metal than you might think from the picture, so it should last. The handle is very comfortable, which is of course what OXO is famous for.

The best feature is that unlike traditional "trigger" style sifters, there is no hole in the side of the unit leaking flour while you are trying to sift. Nor is there any need to squeeze your fingers over and over, which is important if your fingers are prone to discomfort, such as from arthritis or fatigue.

The product's only weakness is pretty significant: it works slowly. If you want to sift two cups of flour, be prepared to shake it back and forth dozens and dozens of times. If you shake hard, it does sift faster, but then your hand and arm are sure to get tired.

Like a squeeze-handle sifter, it can be used one-handed, and has that handy little scraper thing at the bottom to break up lumps.

If you only sift occasionally, buy this product. If you sift many times a week, choose a product that will work faster, such as a squeeze-handle sifter or simply a wide sieve filled with flour and bumped against your other hand.

Like most OXO products I've tried, this sifter is solidly constructed and has a comfortable handle. Other sifters I've used are operated by squeezing a trigger-type mechanism behind the handle, but this one has a hinged handle that swivels back and forth when you shake it. I find the shaking motion is easier on my arm if I'm sifting a large quantity of flour. The sifter also comes with plastic lids for the top and bottom which are nice for storage.

Worked fine for about a dozen bottles, then broke. Same thing happened with one my mother-in-law bought for herself. I would not recommend.

Traditional wine bottles are sealed with corks. The Screwpull does a fine job with only two simple lever movements of removing the cork. Wax-sealed corks are another matter. Wax is a challenge for all types of conventional wine openers including this one. For operation with wax I recommend removing the screw every 10 bottles and cleaning off the wax in order to preserve its slippery Teflon surface. When the screw gets coated with wax it is resistive to penetrating a cork, thus it exerts vertical pressure on the cork and drives it inside the bottle - not a good thing when your guests are wearing a white top and you're opening a bottle of red - keep those screws clean, Teflon or not.

Other than the wax issue the Screwpull works great and is a nice tool to have in the kitchen. If we all stayed away from high production wines with those waxed bottles the world would be a better place and the Screwpull would be an absolute dream. The Screwpull is well-built and sturdy - highly recommended!

This is it--the end of the wine opener line. It takes about 2 minutes to get the hang of gracefully gripping the top of a wine bottle with the handles, and when to flip the lever up (which leads the teflon screw to do an effortless swan dive through the cork) vs. flipping it down (to extract the cork), but once you have it down, all other openers seem skimpy and pale. To pop the cork off the screw's tip, you repeat the same motions, with the handles in "closed" position: lever up, lever down. The cork plops onto the nearest surface. The humble foil cutter may seem like an accessory, but it's an essential: it usually takes about a half twist around the top to lift foil; if the cork is capped with wax instead, you don't even need the cutter--the screw slips right through wax. From foil to cork-plop takes about 10 seconds. It works on the nastiest, most resistant corks (even crumblers and stubborn synthetics). If you're entertaining, and opening more than one bottle, let your guests see you open the first--without fail, they'll want to try it. Designers love it. Engineers like to figure out what the gear mechanism is up to. Wine connoisseurs already own it. I received mine as a gift, but if it ever disappears, I'll spring for the high-altitude price. Individual pieces in this gift set are also worth owning, including the spare teflon screw--which is one of the keys to the opener's success. (After 6 months my original screw is nowhere near needing replacing.) I only wish the name of this wonderful thing matched the elegance of its design. Note: the Metrokane Rabbit is based on the same design for a notably lower price, so it's a good option--but I've tried both, and for me this is just It--it's sturdier, has a great hinged storage box that fits in a drawer, and there are no ifs. (The one time I used a Rabbit, it wouldn't let go of the extracted cork.)

I purchased this set since I was an avid buyer of OXO kitchen utensils/products. I do think they are having quality problems. My garlic press broke when I was pressing a medium sized garlic clove. I wrote to OXO and have never received any reply. They say they have an unconditional guarantee on their products and this is the 3 item which I have had problems with and when I write to them they simply do not answer. The products are pleasant to use, but having used a garlic press less than 1 year (as well as their silicone spatula and angled measuring cups which show micro-cracks after a while)and a manufacturer who simply disregards customers, I think it better to purchase someone elses products.

I owned this press for approximately one year and was happy with it until it broke yesterday. I would expect a well-made press to last several years. My other complaint is that when it is placed in the dishwasher, water seeps into the handle covers, so dishwashing is not recommended. I will not buy another kitchen utensil by this brand because it does not last.

I received this set as a gift about 3 years ago, and I think it's great! The pizza cutter, which has fins on the rubber handle, is particularly comfortable, and it does a great job of slicing through thick Boboli pizzas. Unlike more cheaply-made versions, this garlic press feels firm and weighty in your hands, and it does an excellent job of producing finely minced garlic. The red rubber fingers ensure that the piece cleans easily and thoroughly. I did experience a problem with the garlic press, however: recently, the red cleaning fingers would no longer line up with the holes, and after I continued to use it this way for a few more weeks, the press eventually broke in two. Luckily, when I contacted OXO via email, they told me that they stand behind their products 100%, and so I have a new garlic press on the way as we speak. You can't lose with OXO!

I have used my rings for solo eggs and a quartet of pancakes. The eggs are great on a muffin, but they are difficult to flip over with the rings and since I like my eggs over easy, I end up pulling off the ring and having the egg run out anyway. It does start out as a perfect circle and is still greater than an abstract egg if you like order. As for the pancakes, I let my batter sit for awhile before making the pancakes and they looked like crumpets when prepared. Very tasty, light, fluffy and perfect circles. No problem removing the rings from the pancakes before flipping them.

I love all kinds of yeast raised breads, and recently I discovered British crumpets. These are a kind of thick pancake batter raised with yeast, and cooked on one side until the top is dry. The top is covered with holes, which suck up the butter when you toast them. Crumpets can be made without rings, but they end up thin at the edges and thicker in the center - less than perfect for soaking up that butter. I readily found crumpet rings galore in UK and AU, but finally discovered that they are called 'pancake rings' here in the states. I've never needed rings for pancakes, and several other reviewers are equally mystified as to why anyone would want perfectly round pancakes.

So buy these and try one of the many crumpet recipes online.

Several reviews said these were not practical for pancakes, but I think they are perfect! I like mine with a little thickness, but could never get the consistency of the batter just right. If too thin, the pancakes spread out and are also thin, but with the rings I can make them as thick as I want. I also like the size, like dollar pancakes. For those who said it leaked out from underneath, it was probably because their pan was warped. I had no trouble. Just be sure they are cooked through before flipping. (I used a lower temperature so they didn't get too dark.)

We're still deciding whether to just return the item for a refund or get a new one. I kid you not, this thing arrived in (well halfway in) a thin plastic envelope. No packing material of any kind. The envelope was shredded and the pastry board looked like it had been dropped, run over by a truck, and who knows what else. If you order this, call and/or e-mail and ask them to pack it for shipping! In fairness, the board looks like it would be very nice if it arrived in good shape.

I love having the edge measurements as well as the circular measurments. I wish I had a cabinet big enough for this wonder tool, but like some of my favorite baking sheets, this will have to live on top of the counter. After use, it cleans up very nicely, and a coat of mineral oil makes it look like a million dollars. I'm very satisfied.

I agree with the other gals reviews. This pastry board is the ultimate! A great value for such a low price. It's huge, is double sided & is easy to move around without breaking your back! You won't be dissappointed! I love mine & highly recommend it to everyone!

I don't understand the fascination with All Clad products. While I like the turner part of this fish turner, it has THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE HANDLE of any tool in my kitchen. What is All Clad thinking? Don't their designers ever use their equipment.

Beautiful to look at and high quality from All Clad are good reasns to buy this item. But, another purchaser wrote it was uncomfortable to use and that's right. I thought it didn't matter so I bought it. It isn't just uncomfortable, it feels terrible in your hand even if you are only using it for a few seconds. However it does the job and it isn't expensive.

I bought this fish turner for my step-dad who is a commercial fishman. He loved it, and uses it almost every day. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who cooks fish often.