MYS Salt and Pepper Grinder Set

It might seem superfluous to have more than one set of grinders on your counter, but in this house, even two sets falls a little short. Because for us, we have 3 different salts and 4 different peppers to grind depending on the meal, so it can get a little crowded on the counter at times. What that also means is I get to compare and contrast MYS’s Grinder set versus, say, the previous set from Q’s Inn. They look alike, but do they perform alike?

Sadly, no. Not that the MYS set performs badly, it’s just not as butter-smooth as the Q’s Inn set. There’s some binding in the grinding action, as well as a squeal or two. Occasionally they stick a bit. Other than that they function identically. What was absolutely superb was the collapsible silicone pouring spout for refilling. That’s a bonus that has unexpectedly made filling my grinders a joy instead of a chore. The julienne peeler is neat, but I have a few of those, and none of the are as dangerous. This one as sharp blades that are right out there for my soft, pink digits to get sliced and diced on, so have a safe place to store it. The included cleaning brush is also an inspired inclusion that is one of those “Well, duh!” tools that I should have had much sooner. But the meat and potatoes of this set are the grinders, and they’re decent, not great.

The stainless steel is also slightly thinner, and not as “polished” so I would be wary of putting in salts that have high moisture content. The ceramic burrs are adjustable and should last a while. The glass bases are easy to clean, grip and use. And the included goodies are mostly awesome, but the action on the grinders, which means the most important part of the set, is lacking and problematic on my set, so I have to knock a couple of stars off for that, but I’ll add one back because the silicone funnel for filling? Inspired. And MYS states on the Amazon listing: “100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE; we aim to keep you perfectly happy with our products and want to know if there are any concerns or questions; please contact us as we will make it right!” So it’s up to you, but for my money, Q’s Inn gets my business instead.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from MYS Homeware. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

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Orblue Angled Spatula 3-Pack

I’ve never been one to believe that one always needs specialized tools to do specific jobs. It’s usually after I’ve found that using the right tool for the job makes the job infinitely easier that I become a believer. Such was the case with these quality angled spatulas from Orblue.

Content in the past to use a cheap-o plastic job I got as part of one of those new homeowner “gotcha” sets that include a plethora of cheap plastic tools for some unbelievably low price. You know the ones, the ones that clutter up the drawer until you break down and buy a quality version? Well, these Orblue angled spatulas are the good versions you’ll use to replace the cheap-o’s. They’re made from durable stainless steel, but with enough flex in them to be useful for more than just icing a cake. Long 5-inch plastic handles fit nicely in the hand but have enough grip to them to keep a secure hold. The offset design will also do wonders to keep fingers and knuckles out of icing. And while they are dishwasher safe, I’ve found that the best way to extend the life of my quality stainless steel kitchen tools is hand washing and either wipe with a towel or air dry.

At just $15.87 shipped (at the time of this writing), for a three pack?! You’re going to be hard pressed to find a better set for less money delivered right to your door. The set comes with plastic sleeves for drawer storage, and I’m ashamed I took this look to add something so basic, yet so necessary, as these Orblue Angled Spatulas to my kitchen arsenal. You should get a set right away!

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Orblue. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Ozeri’s GreenEarth Fresh Spin 4.24qt. Salad Spinner

Around here we consume a lot of greens. Well, I should say that I consume a lot of greens. Hubby somtimes acts as if they might cause him some harm. But I eat more than my share, probably more than anyone I know. Kale, lettuces of all shapes and sizes, broccoli, squash…you name it, I eat it. And one thing they all have in common is a need to be washed, prepped, and stored dry. I’ve tried other brands of spinners, all of which fell far short of my beloved OXO spinner. And then Ozeri went and offered me their Swiss-designed GreenEarth Fresh Spin Salad Spinner. I may just swoon.

With a fast-spinning ergonomic pump handle, non-slip base and table-ready BPA-Free clear bowl, this spinner has displaced my OXO and become my go-to for big heaps of lettuce. It’s size is deceptive from the pictures…It’s huge, at 4.2 quarts. Before what took me several rounds of “rinse-spin-pour-repeat” now is all done at once. The spin action also doesn’t cause the entire bowl to become unbalanced and threaten to wobble off the counter and scatter my greens to the four winds. It’s quite and only takes 2-3 pumps to achieve maximum velocity. And the brake button brings everything to an immediate halt with no issues, squeaks, squeals or noise. What I love best, and had become a major gripe with my OXO, was the spinner shaft that comes down and takes up valuable real estate inside the bowl. That’s a thing of the past with Ozeri’s GreenEarth Fresh Spin Salad Spinner. All that space in there is free to use, and use it I did.

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I never thought anything would take the place of my OXO. And yet here I am, with my OXO in a closet and My Ozeri GreenEarth Salad Spinner under my counter and waiting my next batch of green goodness. With Ozeri’s 2-year warranty and stellar record of outstanding customer service, this GreenEarth Fresh Spin Salad Spinner is going to see a lot of miles in the coming years.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Ozeri.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Kuuk 3-in-1 Vegetable Spiralizer Review

Every now and again, you see and hear about a product that intrigues you. The idea seems sound, and it has the possibility to open up some new horizons for you. And then you get that product, and you feel that crushing disappointment of potential squandered. That pretty much sums up my experience with the Kuuk Vegetable Spiralizer. And then, to add insult to injury, their after sales support was atrocious. So let’s go over what went right and what went so very, very wrong.

For starters, the idea is pretty neat. In theory, you have a wonderful hands-free way to make healthy, vegetable “pastas” and your own home-made fresh curly fries. It’s made from BPA-free plastic, and it’s under $15. Then you try it and the wheels come off this little red wagon pretty quick. For starters, it’s made with the absolute cheapest materials available. Not “cheap”  as in “affordable”, but “cheap” as in many corners were cut. The metal shaft that holds the crank handle to turn the vegetable holder bent while trying my first potato. Bent. While turning a potato. Yikes. Second, for the product to even work, you need to cut some of the end off for a flat surface for the teeth that hold it to bite into, and the other side flat as well to make good contact with the blades. So you’ve wasted a good potion of food before you even start. The teeth are also plastic, so they don’t bite or hold well. 3 times we had to put the potato back on the teeth. And then to add insult to injury, we had a long potato “tube” from the center of the tater that we could do pretty much nothing with. The blades did their job fairly well, though. They even shaved off a portion of the plastic teeth that held the potato, so you know they’re sharp. I would have liked to try all three styles of blade they advertised, but alas, Kuuk only put two in the box. When I contacted them about this, their sole solution was to blame Amazon and send it back to Amazon for a refund. This was a sealed box. That’s not Amazon’s fault. When I pointed this out and that I received this item for free for the review, iHeadphones (the company that apparently handles distribution for Kuuk) said they’d look into it and then ignored all subsequent emails. Ooooookay then. If that’s how they treat someone who is supposed to be promoting their brand, I don’t hold out much hope for them giving a rat’s behind about the people who gave them money.

In the end, this product was a giant disappointment. From the poor quality of the build, to the missing parts, to the shoddy after-sales service I received, I can’t think of a single reason to recommend this product. It’s one of the few I’ve ever received for review that went straight in the trash. I still hope to one day try a spiralizer from a reputable company, so hope is not entirely lost for the idea, but I have no hope for Kuuk or iHeadphones. I would avoid their products.

 

Connect with Kuuk (Though I don’t recommend you do!):

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Kuuk via iHeadphones.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Kuuk Salad Spinner Review

It’s no secret that many heads of lettuce have met their demise here in our home. In fact, a great many type of produce have, and the one thing they all had in common was being washed and spun dry. I’ve put many a miles on my old OXO salad and herb spinner. So many that the brake no longer worked, and the top started falling apart. Shortly after replacing it, I got an offer to try a version from Kuuk, and boy was I jazzed. Two is always better than one and imagine how much produce could be run through our little cleaning assembly line with 2 spinners going at once!

Sadly, it was not meant to be. While this Kuuk spinner really tries to look like many of the leading brands available in stores, it falls way, way short in design, quality and function. For starters, it’s made quite cheaply. It’s priced competitively, at only $19.95, but it just isn’t made with materials that will last a long time. The major pluses for this are it’s price point and large size. It goes quickly downhill from there.

The design, though, is really where things fell apart for us. From the “latching” lid, to the spinning crank, to the entire unit being unbalanced, it’s just awkward and difficult to use effectively. While most of us have, at one time or another, pressed down the plunger on a spinner, the Kuuk spinner uses a crank lever to spin the mesh strainer inside. And heaven help you if you don’t hold the container firmly on the counter, because it’ll wobble like an unbalanced washing machine and fly right off the counter. And the latch on the side that is supposed to keep the lid on is difficult to line up if only because the plastic the lid is made from has so much flex in it.

In the end, I was disappointed in this product. I wanted to like it, and wanted to really be able to use it more often, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t meant to be. Also, my experience with the company with another of their products left much to be desired, and I’d be lying if I told you that that didn’t factor in more than a bit when it came to how I felt about this product. Nobody wants to buy products from a company that won’t stand behind them.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from iHeadphones. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Ozeri’s Artesio Soft Touch Electric Grinder and Mill #Review

I cook. A lot. Hubby grills. A lot. One thing we both use in great quantities is black pepper. Whole peppercorns make for a robust, flavor profile with almost anything. One thing we both hate? Constant grinding. It’ll wear out your wrists and forearms quicker than you’d think. So when I got a chance to take Ozeri’s Artesio Soft Touch Electric Pepper Mill for a spin, I was thrilled. Let me tell, you, friend, it’s a good thing.

Whether you want a powder fine grind for mashed potatoes, or a big, chunky grind for a grilled pork loin, Ozeri’s Artesio Pepper Mill has you covered. Thanks to the Infinitely adjustable ceramic grinding mechanism, the choice is yours. It is also covered in a non-slip, soft grip texture that means it’ll never slip through your fingers. Powered by 4 AA batteries (sadly, not included. Insert sad smiley here) it has enough power for peppercorns, spices or herbs, even dry sea salts. The clear reservoir holds plenty of anything and is perfect for keeping tabs on when you need a refill.

One month in and we have yet to experience a single issue with Ozeri’s Artesio Grinder. No battery changes yet for us, and we’ve used it almost daily. But rest assured, Ozeri backs every product they sell with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. But, to be honest, I’ve had several Ozeri products, from food scales, blood pressure monitors, frothers and bathroom scales, I’ve yet to have a problem with a single product. Give Ozeri’s Artesio Soft Touch Electric Grinder a try. You’ll be happy you did.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Ozeri.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.