Kitchen Tools & gadgets tested and reviewed by Fred In The Shed

Fred's guide to Kitchen Tools and Gadgets

Some recommended products based on long term use.

Updated 12th December 2011

Woll Saucepans - Are they the best?
After buying dozens of non stick Teflon coated pans from companies like Tefal I got fed up with having to replace them after 3-4 years as the Teflon wore out. I even bought the best Tefal pans from John Lewis with a "lifetime guarantee" but even they got fed up with replacing them eventually.
Then I saw the German made Woll pans at at the Ideal home show and was impressed with their durability. They looked like the ones that are used by James Martian on Saturday kitchen so I guessed they must be good.
At the show a gobby scouser attacked one with a knife and bragged how tough and durable they are. (He was alarmingly good with the knife) He also said that they are so slippery that you can cook without oil and nothing will stain them. Suitably impressed I bought 3 for £160 and thought my saucepan woes were over.
Within 2 months one developed rusty bobbles and had to be replaced. Also they do stain and even when I followed their advice of soaking overnight in biological washing powder the stains remained.
At the grand Designs show I found another gobby geezer selling Woll pans, using the same patter. In front of the adoring crowd I asked why my pans are stained and wont clean. My new best friend, (not) asked if I had used Olive Oil in them?
Silly me! I only followed Jamie Oliver's advice and the thousands of years of tradition in the Mediterranean and used Olive Oil in my saucepan.
Seems like the super hard wearing , top quality pans can cope with hot olive oil!
Morale of the story, don't listen to Gobby Scousers!
p.s A couple of readers have recomeneded Circulon Pans as the best ? think I might just have to try one...

Revive Miracle cleaner - does it work?
Whilst visiting the Good Food Show I was drawn to a demonstration by a gobby geezer. This time it was revive miracle cleaner.
Mr Gobby demonstrated it cleaning black carbon off an old cooker using a mere feather touch so I duly bought some, and left the show immediately to clean the carbon off my Woll frying pan.
Call me stupid, but after 20 minutes rubbing and no result I gave up!
What did I do wrong? answers on a postcard please.
So are Woll pans the best and worth the megabucks? and why was my Revive so useless?
Let me know what you think so I can share it with my readers.
I have spent 15 years testing and reviewing gardening and DIY tools, so now I will use the same skills to test kitchen tools.
Watch this space for further news

I rubbed this pan for 20 minutes with Revive.
not only did the Genie fail to appear but my pan was still black and orrible.
I am yet to be impressed with Revive Power Paste
I have also tested Cilit bang against a range of other products and that was good.

The best kitchen knives

At shows and" in store demonstrations" you will often see a gobby geezer, selling a wonder gadget that will change your life.
Some 10 years ago I saw a gobby scouser in Debenhams demonstrating the worlds sharpest knife. He used it to cut through a can of corned beef and then a steel bolt! In the South of England we use something called a hacksaw for that sort of thing but suitably impressed I purchased several of the worlds sharpest knives, one for myself and others as gifts.
I also got - not one , not 2 but 3 other little knives totally free!
10 years later I still have my "worlds sharpest knives" and my family still have their incredibly practical Christmas presents.
The knife is still sharp and is great for cutting bread and frozen pizza.( it probably stayed sharp as I never used it to cut steel bolts.)
It has a serrated edge so is not so good at most other kitchen tasks.
I have no idea where you get one and the company was listed as being in the World trade centre. Ooops.
In my kitchen I use a 15 year old Sabatier chefs knife for most tasks. It cuts better than anything else I have tried and will probably last longer than I will.
The Chefs knife is the most versatile and useful of all kitchen knives. Mostly you can use it to do all jobs. Specialist knives for bread , fish, etc are great but I think these sets with 15 or so are over the top. I have 7 knives I use frequently.
The secret to fast, easy, cutting and making your kitchen knife last as long as possible is careful sharpening, avoid the dishwasher and store it properly.
Best Way To Store Kitchen Knives
The most practical way to store kitchen knives is on a magnetic strip. There is no contact or wear on the blade edge and your knives are easy to identify and access .I much prefer a magnetic knife holder to a wooden block and if you buy a long magnetic holder you can also saw it down and make a smaller one too or cut it to the perfect size for your kitchen.

The best chopping boards

Wooden chopping boards are truly tried and tested and very-eco friendly. However they are hard to clean easily as they are not suitable for dishwashers.

I use the top gourmet boards that are made from natural fibres and are dishwasher safe. They also look extremely cool, especially the black ones.

One year later my Top Gourmet chopping board has been in the dishwasher dozens of time and is showing some cut marks but still in one piece.

My 15 year old Sabatier chefs knife
Note the funky black hi- Tec chopping board, I will be reporting on this soon.

The best kitchen knife sharpeners tested and reviewed
To sharpen my 15 year old Sabatier kitchen knife I use a tungsten carbide V shaped sharpener.
On the TV you see the chefs wavy around furiously with a big steel rod and hear lots of grating and gnashing sounds. Whilst this makes good TV it is not really necessary and can be dangerous if you slip.
A modern alternative is this specially designed "wipe twice" tungsten carbide knife sharpener that has a V shaped blade to give you the correct angle.
This is the original, top quality, American made Tungsten carbide knife sharpener and not one of the many cheap and nasty Chinese copies that may ruin your knives. Another great knife sharpener that uses the same tungsten blades is the Anysharp Global which sticks itself down on your worktop by suction. It claims to be the worlds best knife sharpener - I would say it's pretty good.

The small tungsten blade in the USA made Accusharp is reversible and replaceable. So I think its better than the Anysharp.
Sabatier knives are made in France and refer to a family of knife makers from one area and not a specific company.
Buy a good quality Sabatier knife and you will grow to love it.
The small tungsten blade in this USA made product is reversible and replicable. Beware of cheap Chinese copies !

.

The best vegetable peeler?
I am currently testing a range of kitchen peelers including the OXO good grips peeler, some cheap plastic ones, some Swiss plastic peelers and even a peeler with a ceramic blade.
I am also testing the much hyped Swiss made , stainless steel Titan vegetable peeler with it "ingenious" (not) plastic board thingy.
The Swiss made Titan peeler was too brutal and removed so much peel that I hardly had any veg left!
The 3 plastic Swiss made peelers from Kisag came in a set for £12 and are designed to give different results. The green one is a standard peeler and was overall the best I have tried. The red and orange ones gave a coarse peek and were good for making colesaw and even grating cheese.
If the Kisag green peeler was available on its own I would say it is the best and worth buying.
So I declare the OXO good grips peeler as the best peeler due to its comfortable design, fast performance and quality build. It is available in 2 different forms and has one of the highest reader review rating of any product I have ever seen. This is a real must have kitchen tool that every home should own.

I tested these 5 peelers as well as the OXO good grips peeler, and a totally useless designer peeler with a ceramic blade.

Ceramic blade peelers are rubbish because the blade is brittle and can easily be damaged, it is like using the edge of a plate

so imagine how fragile that is if they try and make it as thin as steel!

Peelers with ceramic blades are a gimmick - don't waste your money.

The best plastic storage boxes since Tupperware

Lock & Lock plastic containers

I still remember my sister having Tupperware parties in the 70's and the incredible excitement caused by a plastic box. (or was it the free cheesy watsits?) Tupperware was great but they don't party like they used to. Today my excitement is caused by a new plastic box.

Having used these boxes for 5 years I can honestly say they are the best I have tried. (and I own dozens of different types)

I am - sadly, a plastic food box Anorak!

The precision made mouldings are easy to secure and undo as they have four good sized clips.

The boxes are sealed airtight by a silicon seal that has lasted well even after constant dishwasher use.

I bought some cheaper "knock offs" from Tesco to test and the blue seals in these fell out after a couple of months and the lids warped, rendering them virtually useless and a total waste of money.

The picture opposite shows some of my Lock and Lock collection. I have 10 different size containers but there are many more.

The best kitchen Scissors

Scissors are such an essential tool in the kitchen but I am surprised at how many people put up with really hopeless ones.

Over the last 20 years I have tested many different makes and so far my favourite are from Wusthof of Germany.

These scissors are so well made and seem to cut everything from fish, small bones, bacon, and they are especially good at cardboard, which is handy for packaging materials and something that a lot of flimsier scissors wont handle well.

The "killer application" on the Wusthof scissors is the quick and easy way they come apart so you can clean them thoroughly and properly.

With so many nasty bugs on raw meat is it essential that kitchen scissors are cleaned well and I think this is the best and safest way to do it.

If you think £20 is a bit steep for a pair of kitchen scissors ( I don't ) then Oxo Goodgrips make a similar pair that are cheaper and are good quality too.

Separating Kitchen scissors

The Wusthof ones have a crusher between the handles whilst the Oxo Goodgrips ones have a herb stripper.

Great for fish, meat and packaging.

They come apart in a click for easy cleaning!

Orca Silicon Oven Mitt & other Silicon Kitchen Products

I was given this mitt by a very nice man at a Trade show. At first I thought he was a lunatic with a glove puppet but soon I discovered that it was a new type of oven glove.

It protects more of your arm than most oven gloves and is easier to keep clean but the silicon is a bit thick and makes gripping anything a little tricky.

My smaller more flexible silicon oven glove is better, but could do with being a bit longer.

I am also testing a new silicon collapsible funnel and collapsible snack boxes.

This silicon glove protects your wrists but this one was a bit too stiff to enable a good grip on the pot.

Best Way to Make Toasted Sandwiches

Toaster bags vs the George Foreman Grill

I just love toasted sandwiches and many years ago had the very first dedicated sandwich toaster. it was great but a nightmare to keep clean. Things have moved on now and the ubiquitous George Foreman Grill has taken over as the de- facto sandwich toaster of the nation.

Whilst the George Foreman grill is a super design and can be used for many other cooking functions a cheaper option is the non-stick - re-usable toasted sandwich bag.

These little black bags fit in your toaster and do a great job. The original ones last for years but beware of cheap and nasty imitations.

Use my link opposite to get the real ones and also support my work researching the best products.

Toasted sandwich bags are cheaper than a grill, take up less space, and are dishwasher safe

Home-Tek Steam Mop

The chemical free way to clean lino and tiled floors

I have owned 2 of these handy gadgets or over 4 years now and would not be without one. As a wheelchair user I tend to make a mess of my floors and taking my shoes off when I come home does not help!

A steam mop is basically a kettle on a stick pushing its steam through a microfiber pad. My first one came with small pads but these have now been improved and are larger and better. The hi Tec pad and hot steam make a superb job of cleaning away dirt and grime. I have 5 pads and put them all in the washing machine after using them

The home-tek steam mop is great on sealed surfaces like vinyl, lino and tiles. However I don't recommend it on laminate or thin wooden floors as the heat of the steam can damage the surface coating or warp the material

It comes with a carpet cleaning attachment with bristles on it but I found this did not work effectively on my carpets.

Some early y models like my ones suffered from a minor fault that caused leaks. One of my ones developed this but was easily repaired by my friend who opened it up and re-attached the small tube from the tank to the outlet. Despite this, the small tank capacity and short cable I do think the Home-Tek steam mop is a superb bit of kit that will pay for itself eventually by saving you money on cleaning fluids.

The best and easiest to use kitchen bin

This is my stainless steel one touch bin that graces my kitchen and adds a touch of style and sophistication to my rubbish disposing activities.

Whilst I acknowledge that plastic has advantages when it comes to kitchen hygiene I generally don't like to see much of it in my house.

This high quality and well designed bin has a removable plastic liner and the top skilfully covers the bag inside.

The best feature is the one touch mechanism which works using a spring mechanism so there are no batteries to replace.

Simplehuman Products make a range of these bins in every shape and size as well as other stainless steel kitchen accessories designed to make

simple tasks easier. What I like about the products from this company is that they ingeniously practical and unusually well made.

Click to See Simplehuman products

Get steamy on your kitchen floor!

Best Water Tank Air Fresheners, Purifiers/ Ionisers

Goodshpere, LuminAire and Purair models tested and reviewed.

Is this the answer to smelly kitchens?

These strange looking gadgets are often seen at shows, exhibitions and on the shopping channels where some of the salespeople make astonishing claims. If you believe the sales hype then this is one of those must have gadgets that will truly change your life.

I bought and tested 4 models over 4 years and I would say my health was not improved but my rooms smelled better.

However, to be fair and impartial, I can say I do like these products and use them a lot. What you are buying is very basic. Its a bowl of water that is agitated by a fan driven blade. In the process air is dragged in and filtered through the water, thus reducing smells and removing some particles. . Also you can put in essence ( or chemicals) so that the out going air smells nice. Some models also have built in LED lights to add "mood" to your room.

What you are not getting is a medical grade ioniser or air filter that is proven to cure your asthma , insomnia, allergies or any other ailment.

Call me the worlds worst salesman but I like to tell it as it is. I am happy to recommend these products to help make your kitchen smell better or to reduce the smell where someone smokes. There will be an element of extra humidity during use but technically speaking I don't think Ionisation is correct.

So which model is best? That depends what you want.

Most have plastic bowls which are ok but can melt in the dishwasher. All of them make noise!

The Goodsphere has a glass bowl and a separate (colour changing) LED light plate. The Goodsphere was the original product and is the most expensive. My one lasted 3 years then the motor wore out. It is great if you want the choice of colour of light and want to wash the bowl in a dishwasher.

The home Iconic or Pureair is the cheapest, it is large, has a plastic bowl that melted in my dishwasher and no light. It also comes in random colours so you might end up with a green one when you wanted a white one.

The LuminAire has a built in blue LED light, plastic bowl and is reasonably priced. It is simple and effective, but appears noisier than the Goodsphere. The LED light can be turned off if you don't like it.

The JML globe air refresher appears to be a knock off of the Goodsphere and the one I purchased arrived with a power supply fault so I sent it back for a refund and did not try it. It has a plastic bowl and is cheper looking than the Goodsphere but arguably more stylish.

What is the best Essence for your Goodsphere, Luminair, PureAir ?

The original Goodsphere essences seem to be the best. The original essences that came with the other 2 were ok.

A word of warning! I bought some replacement PureAir essences on promotion at the ideal Home show. I discovered that they were not as potent

and on testing discovered that they were diluted when compared to the original ones supplied with the machine.

I also accidentally bought fake Goodsphere essences from ebay that where highly diluted.

Recently I bought these new Goodsphere samples, (pack of 5) they are small but potent.

Use my links to be sure of getting the best quality products and please let me know what you think.

Goodsphere Essences

The LuminAire (shown central in this image) gives off a nice blue glow. The Goodsphere (right) has a range of colours.

I also tried to test the JML Globe but it arrived with a fault, peeed me off so I sent it back.

The essences below are cheaper than Goodsphere but not as potent in my opinion.

PureAir Essences

The best salt and pepper pots

(also known as salt mills)

T &G Stainless steel ceramic grinders

I have bought so many salt and pepper pots in my life I was beginning to wonder if I had developed some sort strange fetish!.

The main reason was that most of them fell apart, wore out , went manky or leaked particles all over my table.

Finally I think I have found the ultimate long life, stylish salt and pepper pots. There easy to fill pots are well made and have ceramic grinders that are supposed to last years. 2 years on all is looking good and I can honestly now say these are the best I have found.

The clear glass means you can always see when you are running low of salt

The stainless steel is top quality and cleans well.

DID YOU FIND MY PAGE HELPFUL?

If you would like to support my work please use the search box below when buying any products from Amazon as the small commissions generated help pay my running costs, thanks, Fred

click on the shed to return to the homepage

other pages

Builders bits cordless chainsaws Decorating Tools Spork tool forks & Spades

DIY products garden shredders lawn tools new products mowers

cordless hedgetrimmers Powered garden equipment Robot Mower s

pruning tools Weekly tips page Workshop tools

vacuum cleaners Torches

site plan