Cooking Tool Reviews

Do you see in the picture that the forks are PLASTIC with little metal tips sticking out of it? That's the style I wanted. Instead, they sent me a model where the entire forks were stainless steel. DAMN IT.

Even with a fresh battery, the display goes blank the moment I stick it into the cooking meat. I am not able to get the temperature reading that I need when I need it. In fact, the only temperature reading that I was able to successfully get with this thing is of ambient outside temperature. In my humble opinion, this product is a waste of money.

I am the barbecue king. I use this often. It works, it's easy, it simplifies the task.

This is the kind of silly gadget that is harder to use and clean up than just doing the task the old fashioned way. Storage is also a problem. Waste of time and money

I made cut-out cookies this Christmas using the traditional wooden board and rolling pin with handles and spacer bands to determine height. Today I used the Dobord Set instead. What a difference! I was finished in half the time. I was skeptical about the dowel-style rolling pin as I had never used one. However, together with the Dobord, it flattened and rolled much quicker than the traditional style. It also took less effort which anyone with arthritis can appreciate. The Dobard is easy to set up and the entire process worked exactly as described by the manufacturer. I couldn't be more pleased. I didn't find clean-up any more involved than cleaning the usual wooden board or whatever surface one is using. Storage could be a problem for someone with limited space. I was concerned about this as well. However, after using the Dobord it is well worth finding a place to store it.

This is one of those "Gee, why didn't I think of that" products. I have never had so much fun baking. Everything is perfect. The adjustments are a no-brainer and it cleans up really easy.

I used this maybe a dozen times before I stopped using it out of disgust. The surface is fragile and hard to clean. I reheated pizza and the residue stuck so tightly it could only be scraped off with extreme care. I did a bone-in slow roast and the weight alone pierced the surface so the juices bled into the matting layer. What's the point if you can't clean it or let anything harder than Jell-O come into contact with it.
Just to clarify--the mat was used to line an air-bake cookie sheet for the pizza and to line a baking pan with the roast on top of a bed of carrots and celery.

My first experience with a silicone mat was nothing short of a revelation, so I went on a mission to see if the several brands available offered anything the others lacked. In my opinion, this one performs as well as the others that I have used (which is to say it's fantastic). I use them for pastry, cookies, and any other baking that normally threatens me with over baked bottom sides, and breakage due to sticking. I have not used them for candy, but sugar that has fallen from cookies, and carmalized on it's surface doesn't stick in the least. This is a great product.

For roasts, I use a roasting pan. I like to make my own gravy, and I don't see how a silicone liner would help the process.

For pizza, I use an air core pizza pan that is riddled with holes to ensure a crisp crust by allowing moisture to escape rather than turning the bottom of the pie into mush. The same holds true for reheating a pizza. To put a silicone pad between a pizza and the heat source is inviting pizza disaster.

I suspect the bad review was due to a combination of operator error and misunderstanding of cooking concepts, rather than a defective product.

The previous reviewer seemed to have mistaken a baking mat - replaces parchment paper or grease on a baking sheet - with a baking sheet. What it does is provide a surface to which almost no baked products adhere. Why you'd do a roast or pizza on top of it is beyond me. I've used it for cookies, various candied desserts, and a number of things where you'd otherwise have to line or grease the baking pan. In each case it performed superbly. It's also incredibly easy to clean (unless, apparently, you do something ridiculous like puncture it).

After rolling dozens of rolls using a traditional mat, I bought this item due to its claim to help with inside out rolls. It turns out that the help it provides is the advice that you buy a teflon mat. I did...and I returned this overblown piece of junk. Unfortunately, I then got hit with Amazon.com's restocking fee. A very unsatisfactory experience all around.

This is a great and simple way to make sushi. It took me 30 minutes to learn and now I can make all types of sushi at a quarter of the cost of getting it from my local store.

If you like sushi, then just get one. The Nigiri machine is even easier to use and great entertainment for my friends and family.

Well done Sushi@home.

I got this item from a store as I didnt know amazon stocked it.

It took me about 5 minutes to learn to to use it and now Im making maki and california rolls all the time. It is a very cool looking gadget and it goes in the dish washer. I threw my bamboo mats away.

When I get some more money, Im going to get the Nigiri Rice Press too.

I bought this All-Clad stainless spoon and was very excited to use it but it was very disappointing (and heartbreaking!) I used it on my brand new All-Clad stainless pan and it scratched up the pan really bad with just one time of light use! Hence, I have put this spoon away b/c I don't want to ruin any of my other metal pots and pans. I guess I could use it to serve but it defeats the purpose of me spending this $$ on it.

This spoon looks nice but it is very heavy. My arm got tired from using it to stir-fry. I don't recommend buying it. Cooking shouldn't be this painful. =(

My mother had a squared-off spoon ever since I can remember. It is great for cooking, getting the corners of the pots, and completely covers the bottom of the pan! No need to use a spatula and a spoon with this one! I have been looking for years to find one for myself and am greatful to find one here. I would encourage all cooks of all ages and experience to get one for themself and anyone they know!

The product is very "gripable" and would earn 5 stars if the width of the 'pliers' were not that darn big. As they are, it's unlikely you'll be able to use that for more than 2 out of every 3 filberts...

A friend of ours had a pair of these seafood crackers. Its design is perfect to getting to that delectable meat in lobster claws. My husband and I had looked for them in local stores but to no avail. We've bought a countless number of other crackers that do not remotely compare to the ease and durability of these.

I finally received my very own pair from my sister for my birthday.

Here are a few details.

The non-slippery handles are ideal when your hands get all greasy from melted butter.

The width of the teeth allow a nice break in the lobster shell without having to resort to physical manhandling.

The heaviness of the cracker helps the jaws close when you get an oversized piece.

The hinge allows for natural opening and closing of the breaker as compared to the built-in spring of other crackers.

Last, but not least, these crackers can withstand being put in the dishwasher without rusting or cracking.

They are a great buy for any seafood lover!

This product bends where the handle meets the spoon portion. When the spoon is made, too much metal is ground away right at the bend in the spoon. It makes it weak. I've looked at several at many stores-all the same. I thought mine was made wrong. It's a bad design. It does its job but it could be made sturdier.

Honestly what can I say. Its a spaghetti server, it does what it was made to do, has a comfortable handle like most oxo products, and is just the right length for serving up mean pasta dishes. No problems at all to report thus far, I am happily pleased with it.

This product has a cute name, but it is very difficult to use. I constantly have to take the nutmeg out and re-adjust it. Larger nutmegs do not fit in the storage area. It's a lot of work to get a little bit of nutmeg - disappointing.

I have owned this nutmeg mill for over 2 years - a gift from my wife. The mill is good-looking and has the great advantage of keeping the nutmegs together with the tool. Its storage capacity is 4 to 5 average size nutmegs under the acrylic, plus one nutmeg being grated.

However, outside of being a handsome storage box for nutmegs, it is not greatly useful. The center spring which pushes against the nutmeg being grated is not very strong, and the cutting mechanism is not strongly abrasive. As a result, the mill will stop working before a netmug is fully processed, and leave you with about 1/3 of a nutmeg which cannot be milled. Also, because of the way the spring grabs the nutmeg (through small triangular teeth), it frequently start slipping against the nutmeg it is trying to hold in place. When that happens, you can grind as much as you want but nothing will come out, since the nutmeg is not being rotated.

Altogether this is quite frustrating. It requires constant adjustment. When the nutmeg is 2/3 down you still try to get it to grind but it won't, and you feel bad about throwing the remmant away. The worst, for me, is that I don't want to stop using it since it was a gift from my wife. So I am bound to use this ineffective tool forever...

If you are interested in a nutmeg mill, check out the spring-loaded Zyliss, I don't own it (obviously) but I have heard good things about it. Either way, unless you intend to have it for display only, stay away from this mill.

I received 2 different nutmeg grinders as a gift last year. This one is absolutely fabulous! Smooth action of the handle and makes short time of grinding. I go through one nutmeg pod a month at minumum. Just unscrew the top, pop another down into the middle hole, put the top back on and you're in business.
There is no comparison between fresh ground nutmeg and the already ground nutmeg. Excellent product!

I was so disappointed at the first time I used this machine. Rices got stuck inside and it needed a lot of power to take them out of it. The rices that came out was formed like cube and too small to put any sashimi on top.
The other problem is cleaning. I can not figure out how to clean rices sticked inside it after uses and did not even bother cleaning it because I do not think I would be using it again.

BUT...it's a bit of a problem to clean up. All in all it was really easy to use...rice goes in, Nigiri comes out! I would've given this product 5 stars if clean up wasn't a problem. There are alot of components to it. But lemme tell you, you can make LOADS of Nigiri with this. Definately worth the effort (or lack there of) since this device makes it so easy to make! go for it! you know you want it! LET THE SUSHI PARTY BEGIN! :)

I couldn't believe how easy it was to make it nigiri, especially when i never tried making sushi before.
The pieces came out even every time and cleaning was easy too.
I just threw it in the dishwasher and it was done!!!!
Defenatly recomended to anybody that loves sushi but don't know how to do it. Great for Parties and entertaining kids.

I bought this tray on a Gold Box special as I needed new trays and this one sounded like it would solve a couple of problems with the lid feature. Well, the lid works to keep the ice from evaporating (subliming) and makes stacking easier, but filling the tray and getting it to the freezer makes a mess! The shape does not allow multiple ice pockets to fill, and the V-center makes a perfect ditch for water to run down, out and onto the counter, floor, and into the freezer. Luckily, the item was inexpensive as it went into the trash can following one use.

When I first saw these tray I bought them IMMEDIATELY! I was so excited because this is a great way to keep things out of the water while it's freezing. I thought this was a fabulous idea.

But the covers are difficult to get on and off. When you pull them off theyre stuck at first, so you pull harder, then I usually end up with a fast jerk, causing the water to spill everywhere, or cubes to fall out.
The cube shapes themselves are half moons, so the water just falls out of them so easily and all over the floor

EVERYDAY when I refill the trays with water and put the covers on I end up having to wipe water off the floor.

I ended up throwing them away and getting normal deep cubed tray.

This is an EXCELLENT idea, but I think they need to go back to the drawing board with this one.
I hope they do because I'd love to buy an improved version.

Every other Good Grips product I own was designed thoughtfully: they're high quality, attractive, and very easy to use. Unfortunately, this ice cube tray is an exception on every count.

The single biggest problem with this product is the tray cover. OXO started with a good idea: use a cover to keep the cubes fresh and to make it easy to remove just the cubes you want. Unfortunately, this tray's cover is so poorly designed that it's not nearly worth the trouble.

First, it's very difficult to remove the cover to get your ice cubes out. The cover supposed to slide off easily, but it usually gets stuck, because it doesn't fit properly and because little bits of ice easily obstruct the path.

Getting cubes out is bad enough, but the cover is even worse when you're filling the tray. Again, because it doesn't fit very well, it requires a lot of force to push the cover on. Inevitably, you'll have to force it into place and end up splashing a lot of the water out of the cube compartments. This makes your cubes smaller, and the splashed water freezes into little bits of ice that make the cover harder to get off later.

As for asthetics, the tray isn't as good as other OXO products either. It's missing their signature black-rubber grips and offers little else in return.

So, my recommendation is to wait for version 2 before you leap for this product. But, in the meantime, check out other Good Grips products. Fortunately, this product's poor design is an exception for OXO.