5 Straining Gadgets Tested By Design Expert | Well Equipped | Epicurious

5 Straining Gadgets Tested By Design Expert | Well Equipped | Epicurious



Design and usability guru Dan Formosa returns for another episode of Well Equipped, this time offering up his review of 5 gadgets …

source

Recommended For You

About the Author: Epicurious

34 Comments

  1. Is it just me or dan is getting grumpier, closed minded and pickier with age? I mean, the pickle thing could work if the pickles you bought are diced… Just saying 🤷‍♂ī¸

  2. One way a tofu press is better than using things you have around your house, is that sometimes homemade rigs can fall over.

    I'm totally not speaking from experience or anything… ;P (Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't better presses out there…)

  3. As a pro in kitchen gadgets, shouldn't he know how to use a few of them? In every video he just uses at least one of the products in a wrong way and his rating is then based of the wrong usage… kinda frustrating tbh

  4. pickle lifter was inspired by iphones. you give your customer what they already have but just slightly different shaped. they will never see it coming…

  5. I can see the pickle lifter being good for not wanting kids to accidentally break the glass jars, or for those who have trouble opening the jars (even though you would need to in the first place).

  6. Dan basically drew a legit Asian noodle strainer to improve those clips. I’d recommend an Asian strainer in every kitchen. Google them. They are amazing

  7. the pickle presenter should also have a single shaft with a handle on the green bit, like a plunger.
    Watching you remove the pickles, the arched handle just gets in the way.

  8. The pickle lifter is in an odd position. Here in Australia, I've most often seen that device employed for something like canned sliced beets. They come in a tin that doesn't reseal, so you want an airtight container to store them and their liquid in. The liquid they come in is opaque, so you want a way to easily fish them out of there without blindly stabbing around and hoping to get lucky, especially when it's almost empty. Pickles aren't an ideal use case for the product, but I suppose they were aiming for a more American market with the localization

  9. While actually pressing/squeezing tea leaves I know releases bitter tannins, since you only filled the compartment halfway, I want to think that squeezing it mostly only actually promotes water flow and doesn't really squeeze the leaves. That said, it doesn't seem all that essential anyway unless that increased water flow helps to steep the tea faster without making it more bitter.

  10. We use this "pickle lifter" container (just without the tong) for olives and pickles. Where I come from those come in cans, so you can't really use the original container. It is particularly useful for the olives since they are so small and you are unlikely to eat the whole can. Dragging them out one at a time out of a jar is a wet mess, so this lifting mechanism is a real blessing.

    Also, I think jars are highly overrated as containers. They are dangerous, unwieldy, heavy, hard to open, and hard to get things out of. My hands are quite large and can never get inside of even the bigger jars without contorting in all sorts of ways. They are good for storing things for long periods of time but they suck as containers.

  11. ok guys, we need to make something BIG if we want to keep our company in business. But all the good ideas are taken. LETS MAKE UP PROBLEMS THAT NO ONE ACTUALLY HAS, THEN SOLVE THEM!!!

  12. We had a pickle container when I was growing up and it's actually fantastic, especially for sliced pickles. Still love watching this guy!

  13. That "pickle lifter" is used for storing veggies that need to be kept in water to stay fresh longer…

    Surprised Dan had zero knowledge of something that's existed for decades.

  14. That tofu press seems like it would be very convenient, though granted as long as you're able to make the stretch. It's less cumbersome the precarious and other fancy looking words than a makeshift gravity press. With the gravity method, I've got to clear some space in a part of my fridge that has high clearance. With the stretchy thing, I could put this on just about any shelf in the fridge. We saw that the gravity method with the initial squeeze got out more water in the same amount of time, but if we gave it more time, it might balance out. I do wonder, though, about the longevity of those rings. How quickly will they lose their longevity? How long before they break. Granted, they're only supposed to be used for a handful of hours per week, maybe. But that's in the fridge. Cold temperatures have a tendency to "plastic" an "elastic".

    I'd consider buying one, as long as replacement bands are available, but I do agree that the process of stretching them into place seems a little bit difficult and also a little bit pinchy if you're not careful.

  15. 12:38 – I've heard this said about me from time to time.

    If, in addition to flouring out the pickles, there were a way to lock the lifter into the flowered position, then anyone can grab a pickle (or more likely, a spear) at their leisure. Though for that, I'm really picturing 3-5 people sitting around a small circular table with a burger in one hand. That's a restaurant thing. And restaurants already have ways to serve things.

  16. Lots of other people have said it, but the pickle lifter really shines for sliced pickles. The tongs are new / not necessary. The selling point is not needing a fork to get to those bottom-of-the-jar pickles (especially if they're sweet pickles that make the fork all sticky!)

Comments are closed.