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

Fred's guide to the best Kitchen Tools and Gadgets

Some recommended products based on long term use.

Updated 31st March 2013

Best Quality Non Stick Pans tested
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 Martin 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 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. I found that they did stain and even when I followed the 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. I asked why my pans are stained and wont clean. The salesman asked if I had used Olive Oil in them? As this will cause the fixed on stains.
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't cope with hot olive oil?
My Woll pans are 3 years old now and one is badly stained . Despite being heavy, and expensive, I do like them and especially love the easy removable handles that save space and make washing up easier.
p.s A couple of readers have recommended 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 horrible.
I am yet to be impressed with Revive Power Paste, even though my friend said it was the best thing for her hob.
Best kitchen Cleaning Products
I have also tested Cilit bang against a range of other products and found that it cleans the best.
However I also found that many kitchen items can be cleaned to perfection by using soaking in hot water and baking soda for burned on stains or just soaked in vinegar - for glass and limescale.
TOP TIP FOR LONG LASTING NON STICK PANS
I have been told by experts in the field that the 2 main reasons for wear and degradation of non stick surfaces is
1 overheating
2 washing in dishwashers
3 using metal utensils - (so buy this silicon spatula below)

So despite what you may read on the labels and how you see the celebrity chefs cook if you want your non stick pans to last a long time then wash them by hand and don't get them too hot!

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
Top Gourmet 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.

After 3 years my Top Gourmet chopping board has been in the dishwasher many times and is showing some cut marks but still in one piece.

I think the main advantage of the Top Gourmet chopping board is that it is thin and easy to store.

My 15 year old Sabatier chefs knife
Note the funky black hi- Tec chopping board, see report below.

Magnetic Knife rack in 3 lengths

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 vegetable 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. A notable feature of this peeler is that it takes off the thinnest slither of peel so will save you a lot of money in wasted food in the long run. Other peelers in my test removed thick layers and waste a lot of food.
Sold on its own the OXO good grips peeler as a very good peeler due to its comfortable design, fast performance and quality build. It is available in 2 different forms and has one of the highest Amazon 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, and also grubby rusty ones that can harbour bacteria.

Over the last 20 years I have tested many different makes and my favourite scissors for the kitchen are the type that come apart in an instant for cleaning.

The German manufacturer Wusthof has made this type of Chefs Scissors and knives for decades.

These scissors are so well made and seem to cut everything from fish, small bones, bacon, Pizza, and they are especially good at cardboard, which is handy for packaging materials and something that a lot of flimsier scissors dont 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 and the Wusthof scissors are designed to be dishwasher safe.

If you think £20 is a bit steep for a pair of kitchen scissors ( I don't ) then Oxo Good Grips 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.

You can see from the image opposite that the Oxo scissors are slightly longer and have larger handles. This makes them more comfortable to use, especially if you have large hands. However the cutting action of the Wusthof scissors is more precise and I am sure they will last longer due to their very high standards of materials and manufacturing. "You pays your money - you take your choice!

Non Separating Kitchen Scissors

I am currently testing the latest Fiskars and Kitchen Devils Scissors. Both are made by Fiskars of Finland who have made over 900 million scissors since 1967 and are also one of my favourite manufacturers of garden pruning tools.

So far I am most impressed with the Kitchen Devils Control Kitchen Shear as it is so comfortable to use and its curved serrated blade cuts through chicken and fish so easily. The safety catch is suitable for left and right handed users.

Great for fish, meat and packaging.

They come apart in a click for easy cleaning!

Wusthof vs Oxo Kitchen Scissors

Coming soon - Under Testing

Fiskars Kitchen Scissors

& The Kitchen Devils Kitchen Shear

Orca Silicon Oven Mitt & other Silicon Kitchen Products

I first saw this glove being demonstrated by a 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, so I now use the red materclass model.

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

Space saving fold down silicon bucket

I first saw this product a couple of years ago as a prototype and am thrilled it has now made it into production.

Silicon is an amazing material that I use frequently in the kitchen as it is so flexible, but durable and easy to clean.

No-one has enough room in their shed or cupboard so a bucket that folds down after use for easy storage is such a useful tool.

Another nice feature of a silicon bucket is that it is soft so if you are someone who bruises easily it

is a nicer bucket to use than the hard plastic types. These 7 litres silicon collapsible buckets come in a range of colours, and there is also a small 1.5 litre version.

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

I now use the Master class Seamless model shown below which is longer and more flexible.

A silicon spatula is easy to clean and also protects your pans from scratching and its fine edge leaves no debris when you slide it around the sides. The silicon spoon rest is another good product that is dishwasher safe as well.

Collapsible Silicon Bucket

now you see it

now you don't!

KARCHER WV50 ELECTRIC WINDOW VACUUM

A Totally New Way To Clean Windows

This excellent new invention from Karcher of Germany is a sort of cross between a wet -n-dry dustbuster and a window squeegee.

Firstly you soap up the window using a sponge (or the spray gun and sheepskin supplied) and then swipe down the window with the vac and in seconds you will have a perfectly clean window with no smears or mess. All the dirty water is sucked into the integral tank and kept away from the window.

The Karcher WV50 window vacuum is great on tiles and cars too. I now use the Karcher every time I wash my car to dry it off quickly after rinsing. This stops those annoying water spots appearing. I find that the new smaller 170mm head is best on my cars as it copes with the angles of the glass better.

I am a pretty hard person to please when it comes to new gadgets but this one beat my expectations and also impressed my window cleaning friend Chris and Polish cleaning lady ,who calls me MacGyver, due to the enormous amounts of gadgets in my house.

You can see a short video of the Karcher WV50Electric Window vacuum being used at my house by clicking here.

The Karcher WV50 did come with a spray bottle with a built in cleaning head and can be used with just a drop of washing up liquid or you can buy special Karcher window cleaning fluid , designed for this gadget.

The spray bottle/soaping head is now an accessory and one you don't really need as any old sponge or cloth with do.

Its a Squeegee that vacuums the soap and dirt clean away!

Great on car windows too!

Now available with a narrower head for small Georgian type windows!

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

Portable, cheap air purifier for Kitchen Smells

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. These easy to fill pots are well made and have ceramic grinders that are supposed to last years. 3 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.

These mills are easy to turn.

Battery Powered Salt & Pepper Mills

Whilst this may sound like a good idea in practice these products are hopeless and a waste of money.

Firstly to have the power to crush salt or pepper they need at least 6 batteries.

Then you will find that salt attracts moisture which will not only clog up the grinder but it may corrode the batteries and terminal.

Thirdly, many of these products are cheaply made rubbish and the gear cog just breaks.

New Page -Coming Soon

WHICH IS THE BEST ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH?

Results from my long term trial of the Philips Sonicare Vs the Braun Oral B

Undoubtedly I prefer the Philips Sonicare as the high speed vibration of the head is light on your gums but leaves a great shiny finish and feel to your teeth.

The Philps Sonicare vibrates at a very high speed whilst the Braun brushes rotate relatively slowly.

I have used different versions of the Philips Sonicare toothbrush for over 10 years. I also occasionally try the Braun Oral B brushes to see if they have improved.

Whenever I go back to the Oral B my dentist notices that my teeth are not so clean.

The Oral B toothbrushes are cheaper to buy and so are the spare heads.

Some people don't like the high speed and vibration of the Philips Sonicare so prefer the rotation of the Oral B brush

I think that the expensive versions of both are a waste of money. Why pay another £50 for a timer or a flashing light.

The links below will get you the best prices, way cheaper than Boots and genuine parts.

Beware of cheap knock offs from China sold on ebay!

USE LINK BELOW TO GET THE BEST VALUE ON MY RECOMMENDED VERSION OF THE PHILIPS SONICARE

Use the links left and right to save £££s on genuine toothbrush heads

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