Stylish and ultra compact

The Elevate™ 5-piece Silicone Utensil Set is a stylish and compact set that sits neatly on any kitchen worktop. The based is as small as it can be to maximise space and it has a non-slip bottom to prevent it sliding around on the counter. The tools are lightweight yet strong, and the handles are designed in on-trend colours.

Integrated tool rest and angled head

What makes these utensils special, is the fact that they have an integrated tool rest and angled head to stop them touching the worktop. This prevents cross contamination and mess from occurring. However, depending on what you are using the utensils for, mess does defiantly occur from drips, so make sure you have a plate or piece of kitchen roll underneath.

Heat resistant head and handle

The 5 tools are heat resistant with the flexible silicone heads resistant up to 270°C (520°F) and the nylon handles heat-resistant up to 200°C (392°F). Whist this seems a lot, you definitely don’t want to be leaving them inside the saucepan or, like us, resting on the top of the pan, as they will likely melt!

Joseph and Joseph give a 2 year warranty

Joseph and Joseph give a 2 year warranty on most of their products including the Elevate™ 5-piece Silicone Utensil Set which reassures consumers of the trust they have in their product’s quality.

Things we found that weren’t so good.

One the whole, this utensil set is great. However we have a small niggle though. Because of the integrated tool rest you don’t necessarily think about drips, as you would with a regular kitchen utensil. Take the humble wooden spoon. You know it’s going to create a big mess if you put it on the worktop, and so, you find an alternative, like a spoon rest. With the Elevate™ 5-piece Silicone Utensil Set though, it’s not so clear cut. We kept placing them on the worktop and coming back to a big mess from drips! I’m sure you get used to it and work something out like having a plate underneath so we’d defiantly still buy them.

What’s included?

Included in the set is: 1 x slotted spoon, 1 x solid spoon, 1 x slotted spatula, 1 x solid spatula, 1 x paddle
All are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Eco Comments:

BPA Free.
Heads made of  heat resistant silicone.
2 year guarantee.
You’ll love them so they won’t end up in landfill a month after you buy them.
However, it’s disappointing that only the glass chopping board is still made in the UK. Most of Joseph and Joseph products are made in China where working conditions are not always great!

Ratings

Design 9/10
Price 8/10
Eco factor 5/10
Quality 8/10

Overall Kitchen Gadget Geeks verdict: 7.5/10 – would buy.

What we love: space saving, items all in one place, quality and design
What we’d change: it would be great if they came with a drip tray.

If you love uniformity and perfectly shaped burgers then this Burger Press by BSF is a great tool to have in the kitchen.

It is super simple to use too. Just pop one of the included non-stick discs in the bottom, add your meat, press, and voila-a perfectly shaped burger.

To press or not to press that is the question

Although the BSF Burger Press works perfectly and is a good quality kitchen gadget, we wonder whether it is a necessary tool for the home cook? We get the need to have uniformity in catering, but at home anything goes, including the rustic, homemade look of our burgers.

When size matters

The burger press sets the size of your burger, and whilst a diameter of 11 cm is a nice size for many burger buns, this doesn’t work for them all. Plus, you may fancy a much thicker burger too.

Food handling and cross contamination

If you don’t like handling meat, then its a good option as you can simply spoon some meat into the press and turn out without ever having to touch it. The ability to not handle the meat whilst making your burgers also means you are removing the risk of cross contamination.

Top Kitchen Gadget Geeks Tip

If you don’t want to use non-stick papers, simply run the burger press under the tap before adding the meat (or have a bowl of water nearby and dip them in, between each press).

The details

Dimensions: 11 x 11 x 8 cm
Material: Aluminium
Colour: Silver
Includes: 30 round non-stick papers

Eco Comments

Good quality so it won’t end up in the bin within weeks.
Made of Aluminium which is a recyclable material.
Is it a product that is really needed or will it end up in the back of a cupboard?

Ratings

Design 7/10
Price 6/10
Eco factor 6/10
Quality 9/10

Overall Kitchen Gadget Geeks verdict: 6/10 – would buy if uniformity was important.

What we love: easy to use, good quality, perfect if you love uniformity.
What we’d change: we wouldn’t change anything about it as it’s a great product, we’d just ask if it was really needed.

Ever needed a funnel quickly to help pour liquid back into the bottle but you can never find the darn thing? Then we recommend this funky colourful silicone collapsable funnel.

The fact that it collapses and can sit neatly on your hanging rack bringing a splash of colour to your kitchen, is a bonus. Because it folds flat, it can also sit in a draw without taking up too much space.

Whilst the funnel is small at 8cm x 7.2cm it is perfect for most kitchen tasks. It’s not often that here at Kitchen Gadget Geeks we need to use a funnel, and so, in the past it was shoved to the back of the cupboard where invariably we can’t be bothered to fish it out. This led to needing a steady hand and the difficulty of trying to pour something into a bottle without a funnel. To be honest, this usually ended with a mess all over the work surface and a muttering of “I should have just found the funnel!”

No more spillages

Spillages are a thing of the past with this Space Saving Collapsable Funnel because we know exactly where it is. When we first looked at the product we wondered whether it would leak, but customer reviews state time and again that the funnel works as you expect a funnel should, so no more worries.

Eco Comments

Phthalates and BPA free
Silicone is a better alternative to plastic but there are still some eco concerns

Ratings

Design 7/10
Price 10/10
Eco factor 6/10
Quality 7/10

Overall Kitchen Gadget Geeks verdict: 7/10 – would buy.

What we love: easy to use, space saving effectiveness.
What we’d change: that you only get one as we love all the colours.

Functionality is top priority

Joseph and Joseph are twin brothers born in the UK with a family history of manufacturing. Richard Joseph explains that functionality is their top priority as they want people to use their products every day.

In our opinion they haven’t failed to deliver with their Nest™ 9 Plus Bowl Set. It’s a must for all kitchen owners that value space, organisation and style.

The non-slip bowls make mixing easy

If you’re a keen cook then you’ll know how annoying it is when your bowl slips and slides over the worktop. Or, when you’re mixing a heavy dough and the bowl tips….it’s frustrating. However, with these cleverly designed bowls the silicone base helps it to stay put, leaving you free to whisk away and stir the pot on the hob at the same time (if you are adept at  multi tasking that is?)

The smaller mixing bowl has a handy spout for easy pouring and the larger one is more than big enough to hold the mixture of a 6 egg Victoria Sandwich or the dough for your amazing sourdough loaf.

We loved that the sieve is made of stainless steel instead of plastic and the colander is easy to hold due to the durable handles.

For all those who are fanatical about a tidy kitchen you’ll approve of the fact that everything is in one place. No more hunting around for those pesky measuring spoons!

Joseph and Joseph give a 2 year warranty

Joseph and Joseph give a 2 year warranty on most of their products including the Nest™ 9 Plus Bowl Set which reassures consumers of the trust they have in their product’s quality..

Some may think that £50 is a lot for this set and you can definitely buy the items cheaper. However, in our opinion the design, stylish colours, space saving stackability, non-slip bottom and 2 year guarantee make the investment worthwhile.

Things we found that weren’t so good.

We found it annoying when we wanted just one item we had to unstack the set to access it. However, it’s a small sacrifice for the space saving and organisational element. And, if you are an avid microwaver, then this may not be for you either, as the set isn’t microwavable, (although you can bung them in the dishwasher safely).

What’s included?

Included in the set is: 1 x 4.5L mixing bowl, 1 x 3L colander, 1 x 1.65L stainless steel mesh sieve, 1 x 0.5L mixing bowl and 5 measuring cups of differing sizes.

Eco Comments:

BPA Free.
Made of good quality plastic so only recyclable in some areas.
2 year guarantee.
You’ll love them so they won’t end up in landfill a month after you buy them.
It’s disappointing that only the glass chopping board is still made in the UK, with most other products made in China where working conditions are not always great!

Ratings

Design 10/10
Price 8/10
Eco factor 5/10
Quality 8/10

Overall Kitchen Gadget Geeks verdict: 8/10 – would buy.

What we love: space saving, items all in one place, quality and design
What we’d change: a bit of a faff to get to the individual elements, not microwave safe.

In this particular pack (which we sell here) you’ve got 5 thinner straws, and 5 thicker straws. The thinner straws are about 5mm in diameter, and are great for drinking fizzy drinks, soda, pop, milk, and flavoured water. The thicker straws are perfect for milkshakes with a larger diameter of 9mm. Whilst we did try the thinner straws with a milkshake, the thicker straw does ‘feel’ better given how much thicker a milkshake is compared to water or a soft drink.

Both are approximately 25cm (10 inches) long. That means these straws are already the perfect length for tall drinks glasses. If you’ve got a smaller cup (the type of cup that many kids have), then you simply cut the straws with a pair of scissors. In my home, my son loves taking the time to pick a colour straw. When his friends come to visit for a play date, they love being able to choose their own colour too. The bright colours are really fun and really appeal to kids.

Since I have some longer straws (which I tend to use) and shorter straws (which my son and his friends use), I found that it was best to have two packs of straws. As the straws get used, and you’ve not quite washed them yet, you’ve still got plenty in the drawer to use.

These particular straws come in a canvas bag for storing them in the drawer. This helps prevent them invading the drawer and ending up everywhere! To clean the straws, you simply get the straw wet in some soapy water, push the cleaning brush through each end and then briefly rinse. There’s a thinner brush for the thinner straws, and a thicker brush for the thicker straws. Pretty easily really.

Unlike bamboo straws, there’s no after taste with these silicone straws when you’ve got a drink. Whilst paper straws are a good idea, they do go mushy after a few minutes, which isn’t very nice. I know a few people who try stainless steel metal drinking straws, but I find that these feel weird when I have a drink. That’s why I’ve settled for these silicone straws, I just like them!

If you’re based in the UK, you’re welcome to buy one of our packs. There are also plenty of reusable straws available on Amazon.

What we love: comfortable to drink from, really bright funky colours
What we’d change: one bag of straws is fine, but two packs are better!