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 made for straining liquids in the kitchen. Watch as he tests each device and assesses them for effectiveness and usability, commenting on what works, what doesn't, and how he would improve their design with a few tweaks.

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0:00 Introduction
0:33 Tofu Press
3:58 Spinna
7:08 Clip Strainers
10:47 Pickle Lifter
13:59 Teafu
16:55 Final Thoughts
17:12 “Dreams feel real while we're in them.”


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[hundragant]

He's getting tired of oiling his hands and having to wash them over and over. Choosing to opt out of the oil test as much as possible. XD

[mrscrappz]

Dan is the only reason why I'm subbed to this channel,
though they only let him out of his cage once a month to do a video.
I wish this was a weekly series.

[TheKorbacek]

I have always thought those clip strainers are rather for steaming than cooking. That would make actually more sense like cooking pasta in pot and steaming some veggie clipped on side to save energy/another dish to wash

[littleblindbean]

As a disabled person with dexterity issues, I really appreciate the left hand with oil test because it does really simulate how it might be difficult for someone without much dexterity or strength.

[jameslabbe]

I think it is so great to see all of the people coming out of the woodwork to defend the Pickle Lifter

[saturnianalir]

For those who eat tofu, tofu press is far superior to items in your house. I have mine done in about 15 minutes. No worry about breaking items or having them off balance and falling. I also find mine does a really good job getting all the water out. I use the EZ Tofu Press.

[JustinThomas]

That "Pickle Lifter" is originally Tupperware and has been around since the 70s. It's meant for sliced / small things. In Australia they are usually used for pickled beetroot (national delicacy) - which comes in a can, and that answers why you need to transfer it to another container. I think you missed the brief on this one! The modern tupperware ones come in smaller versions and can be used for olives / pickled onions etc.

[rebasack]

My family actually had one of those pickle lifter things from tupperware when i was little, it didnt have the plastic tongs though. We used it for sliced pickles not whole ones. It made it much easier for us as little kids to get all the pickle slices we wanted for sandwiches snacking etc without the risk of dropping a glass jar and shattering it. After we all reached an age and size where us handling large glass jars wasnt a risk of broken glass the lifter vanished into a cupboard and this is the first time ive seen one since then.
Because of this i would argue it does have a small niche for small kids but its not something most able bodied people need.

[SavageGreywolf]

Since people always ask about items Dan's designed:
Dan helped design the OXO Good Grips kitchen tools. He also worked on the Smartgauge instrument cluster for Ford hybrids and the Sirius XM radio interface.

[liiainda]

I think you missed a test on the pickle lifter that is mobility related. Opening a pickle jar is rough for some people with arthritis or other mobility/strength issues in their hands. The pickle lifter would absolutely be easier for someone with those issues than having to open a pickle jar every time. Food for thought.

[callmeandoru]

I wonder if there should be a test on these products' shelf life. Like how long will they last or how many times they can be used before breaking down and losing their intended function?

[binaryagenda]

The pickle lifter is really useful (5/5) for sliced pickles, especially for storing pickles that come in a tin like sliced pickled beetroot does here. Even if you had a spare jar to store the tinned beetroot, try getting the last slice from the bottom of a jar full of red liquid that you can barely see through. The pickle strainer makes it effortless to lift the slices up out of the liquid so you can easily see and pick the size slice you want or get to the slices when there's only one or two remaining.

[mrsgunsoul]

I actually have the Clip Strainers! Though when I bought them they were sold for steaming stuff :D I wonder if they were meant for boiling at all, but for steaming they work well when making small portions :)

[toriibarlow]

we use what you call the pickle lifter for the metal cans of pickled jalapenos and carrots just store it into the fridge because they come in big cans and they're used at every meal. That contraption is typically found at just about any Hispanic store in the US.

I have no idea that people used it for pickles

[danielleking]

Epicurious needs to go back through all of Dan's videos and read the comments on gadgets he may have used incorrectly and have him retry them Who else is with me?!

[argonautilus]

We used the “pickle lifter” for sliced carrots before baby carrots were ubiquitous. We called it the “carrot elevator, ” and getting to play with it genuinely encouraged me to eat more vegetables as a kid.

[thraximundar]

The teafu thingy is a "modern" take on a tea infuser, which has been around for a long time now; the original one has a metal mesh basket and wire handles and is designed to stir while in the cup to circulate water (eliminating the bitterness from squeezed tea). I have several old tea infusers (some quite ornate) and love them all.

[mattputnam]

I might actually get the Spina. I don't have a salad spinner because it's a huge unitasker, but the fact that it also works as a regular colander really ups its value.

[Justitius]

The pickle lifter is quite similar to an old Tupperware product that was popular in Australia. We tend to use ours for keeping pickled beetroot and it makes it a lot easier to avoid stains

[ToxicSpork]

I had no idea the pickle lifter was still made. Those things were a staple of tupperware parties back in the 80's. I loved that thing when I was a kid. Its effectiveness really came through with sliced pickles. Instead of reaching way down into the jar to get those last few pickle slices, you just lift them up with no problem.