Top products from r/ATKGear

From Season 9: Fish Made Easy


Testing notes

WINNER
OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer - $49.99

> Razor-sharp V-blade made short work of a variety of fruits and vegetables, with a wide, sturdy gripper guard that felt exceptionally safe. Extra blades conveniently stored beneath the frame. Measurement-marked dial sets slice thickness.

BEST BUY

• Kyocera Adjustable Ceramic Mandoline Slicer - $26.96
  
  > "It looks like a toy, but it works like crazy!" exclaimed one tester, who pledged to go out immediately and buy one. No julienne or waffle blades, but this slicer is razor-sharp, adjusts easily, and fits in a drawer. Plus the price is right.
  
  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
  
  
  
  
• Joyce Chen Benriner Asian Mandoline Plus - $49.95
  
  > Reasonably priced model comes close to the performance range of the top-rated OXO minus the safety perks. Some testers argued its julienne was the best, if you could brave the supersharp blade with the dinky hand guard.
  
  
  
  
• OXO Mandoline Slicer - $69.99
  
  > A close relative of the winning slicer, this model was intuitive, simple, and an all-around solid performer. Testers loved the "idiot-proof" dial to set slice thickness and change blades, the smoothly functioning hand guard, and the sturdy, soft-grip handle and feet. Would have been the winner, but its straight blade struggled to slice tomatoes.
  
  2 others were RECOMMENDED
  
  
• Borner V-Slicer Prima Stainless Steel Mandoline
  
• Zyliss Easy Slice 2 Folding Mandoline
  
  
  
  4 others were NOT RECOMMENDED
  
  
• SHUN Mandoline
  
• Bron Couke Stainless Steel Super Pro Mandoline
  
• Microplane V-Slicer
  
• De Buyer V-Pro Mandoline
  

From Season 10: Sensational Skillet Recipes

TESTING NOTES


**


WINNER - Electric

Rated as HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:


Black & Decker Citrus Juicer - $19.99

> With no effort, lemons were completely squeezed of all their juice. As you pressed gently, the reamer rotated in both directions to clean out the fruit half, and an adjustable pulp screen kept out seeds and let you adjust the pulp level of the juice with a simple switch. Great for bigger jobs when you want a lot of juice, but easy enough to use for just one lemon. Simple to assemble and clean.

Amazon Link

**

WINNER - Manual
Rated as RECOMMENDED:

AMCO Houseworks Enameled Lemon Squeezer, model 06-0354 - $11.95

> Surprisingly easy to use—juice gushes out. Of the squeeze-style juice presses we tested, this was the most comfortable and effective, with curved handles and a well-shaped plunger. Squeezing the rounded handles didn’t hurt our hands like others of this style, and seeds were contained. It was also attractive, sporting a bright yellow finish, but hand-washing is best if you want to keep the paint from chipping. (We tested the paint and found it lead-free.)

Amazon Link


Also rated as RECOMMENDED:

• OXO Good Grips Citrus Juicer, model 34781 - $12.99
  
  > Nice and easy, this juicer removed all trace of juice in each lemon half with its sharp-edged, open-sided reamer. Seeds stayed out of the juice in the collection cup, which was easy to pour. Sturdily constructed. Has many parts, including a larger reamer that’s inverted beneath the lemon reamer and hangs into the collection cup, making it harder to clean than other manual juicers.
  
  Amazon Link
  
  **
  
  
  
  RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS:
  
  
• Fox Run Craftsmen Wood Lemon Reamer, model 4165 - $2.95
  
• Chef'n Juicester Citrus Juicer and Reamer, model JUC-380CI - $14.99
  
  **
  
  NOT RECOMMENDED:
  
  
• OXO Good Grips Lemon Reamer, model 28281
  
• Kitchen Aid Citrus Juicer, Cast Metal, model KG070CR
  
• Norpro Stainless-Steel Citrus Juice Press, model 523
  

RECOMMENDED - WINNER

Caldrea Dishwashing Brush $5.00

Caldrea Dishwashing Brush
Although it looks delicate, the natural bristles on this beechwood brush have more friction than do synthetic bristles, making them more effective cleaners. Its handle kept hands well out of hot water. The only downside: Food gets stuck in the base of the thick bristles. You can put this brush through the dishwasher from time to time for deep cleaning, but regular dishwashing will dry it out and degrade it.


RECOMMENDED

OXO Grill Pan Brush $10.95

(ATK Gives it as discontinued, but i could find it on Amazon.)
The only improvement that we could make to this tough little brush would be a slightly longer handle, though its compact size provides great leverage for hard scrubbing. Well-spaced bunches of short nylon bristles scoured effectively and rinsed clean without becoming stained or holding odors. The built-in scraper really dug between the ridges of a grill pan or along the rim of a baking dish, and its grippy, round handle was very comfortable.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Full Circle Laid Back Dish Brush

The bamboo handle on this natural-bristle brush was comfortable, and once we got used to the bent-back angle of the head, it was mostly easy to use. We also liked the ridge on top of the head for scraping. Too bad the soft bristles often bent and sloshed around the pan, food got trapped at their base, and odors clung. We like that the head is replaceable and can be popped off to go in the dishwasher because the handle is not dishwasher-safe.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Lodge Cast-Iron Scrubber

The long synthetic bristles on this brush often bent and flexed when we scrubbed, making us work a little too hard to get jobs done, especially along ridges and lips of pans—we had to resort to using a fingernail to scrape a few spots. The bristles stained and splayed, making us fear for its longevity, though we like that it can go through the dishwasher.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Libman Big Job Kitchen Brush

Very sturdy and comfortable to hold, this brush easily removed stuck-on eggs, but that’s about it. It couldn’t dislodge glaze burned onto the grill pan’s ridges, becoming greasy, stained, and blackened; it didn’t come clean until a few trips through the dishwasher (but still smelled of fish). Scrubbing the casserole dish took a lot of elbow grease, and the brush struggled to remove food stuck along the rim.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Full Circle Be Good Dish Brush

While its rounded bamboo handle was remarkably comfortable to hold, this brush’s soft, squashy bristles were ineffective at serious scrubbing; they also held on to odors. Because it’s not dishwasher-safe, you have to take the time to scrub this brush by hand after finishing the dishes.

(Requested by /u/Scryed)

***

From Cook's Country June 2008 issue

• Testing notes
  
  
  
  WINNER
  
  
  Anolon Advanced Double Burner Griddle - $68.99
  
  > Comments: This griddle cooked up golden-brown pancakes every time. Bacon crisped quickly, and a convenient pour spout made grease disposal easy. Light construction makes this griddle cool down quickly (only 14 minutes) and easy to wash—convenient enough for everyday use.
  >
  
  
  RECOMMENDED
  
  
  All-Clad LTD Grande Griddle - $99.95
  
  > Pancakes were golden brown, but trying to fit six large ones on the surface was a challenge—as the batter spread into the well, the round pancakes warped into odd shapes. The bacon was crisp, and most of the fat ended up in the large well, making the strips less greasy.
  >
  
  
  
  RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
  
  Kitchen Essentials from Calphalon Pro Series Double Griddle - $59.99
  
  > This griddle had the greatest width, letting us use a large spatula to flip the pancakes. While the bacon cooked right over the burners crisped in a short time, strips in the middle of the pan took a few extra minutes—a minor flaw.
  
  
  
  RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
  
  Circulon 2 Double Burner Griddle - $49.99
  
  > The circular ridges on the griddle surface kept food from sticking, but tasters weren’t crazy about the ringed pattern these ridges imprinted on the pancakes. The bacon, which did not pick up the circular marks, crisped quickly and evenly.
  
  
  
  RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
  
  KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials Double Burner Griddle - $39.99
  
  > This griddle cooked pancakes pretty evenly, but bacon didn’t fare as well. Slices arranged across its narrow 7.25-inch width hung over the edges and didn’t crisp properly. The bacon began smoking after 3 minutes, which did not happen on the other griddles.
  
  
  
  NOT RECOMMENDED
  
  NordicWare Pro Cast Flat-Top Reversible Grill/Griddle
  >The lack of lip and slippery surface made flipping pancakes almost impossible, with most of them sliding off the griddle. The bacon cooked more easily, but the prospect of cleanup scared off testers, who, given the lack of handles, feared that hot grease would splash onto their hands when they tried to pour it off.
  >
  
  Lodge Reversible Pro Grid Iron Griddle
  >This griddle is a challenge to maneuver, clean, and store. Controlling the heat was difficult, with both pancakes and bacon scorching within seconds—even with the burner on medium-low. With a 35-minute cool-down time, this 14-pound griddle is a beast.
  >
  
  Kitchen Essentials from Calphalon Cast Iron Reversible Griddle
  >This griddle should come with a warning to keep a fire extinguisher close by. So small that it barely covered both burners, it also has flat handles that let flames from the stove reach the surface of the griddle, igniting a small grease fire. Only four pancakes fit at once, and batter spilled into the hard-to-clean well.
  >
  
  

I have the CDN DTQ450x mentioned and it's great. Lots of test show it being almost exactly the same speed as the Thermapen for 1/4 the price.