Pros

• Sits in pot with eggs and changes color as the eggs cook
• Graduated scale shows when eggs are soft, medium, hard and in-between
• Sensing heat instead of time just like the eggs
• Sensor accounts for number of eggs, amount of water and even altitude
• For best results use room temperature water and bring eggs and egg timer to a medium boil

Cons

• Can be difficult to see scale when under boiling water
• Allow to cool on counter; do not immerse in cold water with eggs

Queen’s Review

Works perfectly every time. Instead of a timer that relies on eggs taking a specific amount of time, the egg shaped timer sits inside the pot and determines doneness by sensing the heat. This is superior to a timer because it can compensate for variables such as number of eggs, amount of water and altitude.

One drawback is that the scale can be difficult to see under boiling water. And you need to check the timer regularly as there is no sound indicator to remind you that it has reached your desired degree of doneness.

Pros

• Ideal for holding rolled joints while roasting
• Easy to use – similar to office elastic bands
• For roasting, grilling, BBQ or rotisserie cooking
• Different colours can be used for food identification e.g. well done, medium rare meat
• Heat resistant to over 300C/600F
• Suitable for deep frying (according to packaging)
• Food safe and freezer safe
• Re-usable

Cons

• Not to be used over a prolonged direct flame
• Not an exact fit like twine – can be too tight, too loose
• Difficult for hard to reach places

Queen’s Review

If you find tying string around food difficult, then these stretchy bands are ideal. Simply place around food and you’re done.

About the only difficulty I’ve encountered is that it can be too tight and sometimes they are not practical for difficult to reach places. But they easily loop around chicken legs, roasting joints and vegetables such as asparagus.
Once cooked, food can be lifted out using the bands with little chance of breakage.

Silicone Stretch Cooking Bands (Kitchen Collection and Le Gourmet Chef)

4.99

Pros

• 4-inch blade, great for peeling, cutting, and shaping fruits and vegetables; also suitable for preparing meats and larding
• Slim knife with strong blade and fine cutting edge
• Made of high-carbon stainless-steel; blade ice-hardened for superior strength, maximum no-stain properties and improved resistance to corrosion and pitting
• SIGMAFORGE 1-piece, precision forged construction providing perfect geometry, high precision, and improved stability of the blade and steel structure, thus improving cutting edge retention for lasting sharpness
• Sturdy, black molded polypropylene handle
• Dishwasher safe
• Lifetime guarantee

Cons

• Regular sharpening (as with all good knives)

Queen’s Review

Peels, cuts, cleans and garnishes fruit and vegetables. An extremely versatile knife in any kitchen.

The 4-inch utility knife has a fine-edge blade with a slight curve on both the back and cutting edge with a center tip. The bade is strong and firm.

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS is a market leader of modern design products with a timeless appearance and are made of high quality materials. The Four Star Series is a popular knife line and was first introduced in 1976. Resulting in a safe handling, proven design that is hard to find fault with.

The excellent quality and standard lifetime warranty makes it an ideal choice and well worth the price. Truly a knife that will last a lifetime.

Henckels Four Star - 4 Parer/utility Knife (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)

39.95

Pros

• 6-inch blade, great for cutting and slicing medium sized foods and most culinary cutting chores
• Slim knife with strong blade and fine cutting edge
• Made of high-carbon stainless-steel; blade ice-hardened for superior strength, maximum no-stain properties and improved resistance to corrosion and pitting
• SIGMAFORGE 1-piece, precision forged construction providing perfect geometry, high precision, and improved stability of the blade and steel structure, thus improving cutting edge retention for lasting sharpness
• Full tang giving the knife proper balance and greater strength
• Sturdy, black molded polypropylene handle
• Dishwasher safe
• Lifetime guarantee

Cons

• Regular sharpening (as with all good knives)

Queen’s Review

A well balanced, multi-purpose utility knife. It is easy to grip and has a good weight.

The 6-inch blade is useful for most kitchen tasks. The smaller size and narrower blade than a chef’s knife often makes it easier to handle and a better choice for beginners. The blade is slightly curved on both the back and the cutting edge.

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS is a market leader of modern design products with a timeless appearance and are made of high quality materials. The Four Star Series is a popular knife line and was first introduced in 1976. Resulting in a safe handling, proven design that is hard to find fault with.

The excellent quality and standard lifetime warranty makes it an ideal choice and well worth the price. Truly a knife that will last a lifetime.

	J.a. Henckels Twin Four Star 8-inch High Carbon Stainless-steel Chef's Knife (Amazon)	88.99
	J.a. Henckels Twin Four Star 6-inch High Carbon Stainless-steel Chef's Knife (Amazon)	57.96
	Henckels Four Star Ii - 6 In. Chefs Knife (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	103.95
	Henckels Four Star Ii - 8 Piece Knife Block Set (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	359.95
	Henckels Four Star Ii - 6 In. Utility Knife (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	87.95
	Henckels Four Star Ii Chefs Knife 8-in (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	129.95
	Henckels Four Star - 4 Parer/utility Knife (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	39.95
	Henckels Four Star - 6 Utility/sandwich Knife (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	64.95
	Henckels Four Star - 8 Chefs Knife (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	94.95
	Henckels Four Star - 6 Chefs Knife (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	59.95
	Henckels Four Star 7 Piece Knife Block Set (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	259.95
	Henckels Four Star Ii - 4 In. Paring Knife (Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA)	54.95
	J. A. Henckels Twin Four Star Ii 6 Inch Utility/sandwich Knife (Kitchen Collection and Le Gourmet Chef)	90.99
	J. A. Henckels Twin Four Star Ii 18 Piece Knife Block Set (Kitchen Collection and Le Gourmet Chef)	999.99
	J. A. Henckels Twin Four Star Ii 8 Inch Chefs Knife (Kitchen Collection and Le Gourmet Chef)	129.99
	J. A. Henckels Twin Four Star Ii 4 Inch Paring/utility Knife (Kitchen Collection and Le Gourmet Chef)	54.99

Pros

• Hands free stirring tool
• Aid to preparing all sorts of sauces, custards and soups
• With a touch of a button, Stirr turns by itself helping to prevent food from sticking to the bottom of the pan
• Heat and nonstick pan safe
• Legs are dishwasher safe; battery unit needs to be hand washed

Cons

• Never leave unattended
• Missed areas in the pan as it was moving
• Packaging says, “Beware hot liquids can burn”

Queen’s Review

An ingenious product to help prevent food from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After turning it on, Stirr moves around the pan and helps move your food so you can do other kitchen tasks.

Despite wanting it to work and thinking it was a great idea for foods like risottos, unfortunately, it failed to move all the way around the pan. Even reducing the pan size didn’t seem to allow it to get all the way around the pan.

Given that foods that need constant stirring tend to burn easily, this isn’t a good product. My experience with it showed that it tends to miss large areas of the pan and food especially in the corners could burn.

Pros

• Large-sized 8-inch multipurpose chef’s knife for chopping, mincing, slicing and dicing
• Made of high-carbon stainless-steel; blade ice-hardened for superior strength, maximum no-stain properties and improved resistance to corrosion and pitting
• SIGMAFORGE 1-piece, precision forged construction providing perfect geometry, high precision, and improved stability of the blade and steel structure, thus improving cutting edge retention for lasting sharpness
• Sturdy, black molded polypropylene handle
• Dishwasher safe
• Lifetime guarantee

Cons

• Regular sharpening (as with all good knives)

Queen’s Review

A well balanced, multi-purpose chef’s knife. It is easy to grip and has a good weight.

The 8-inch blade is useful for everything from chopping onions to preparing meat. The blade is solid with minimal flexibility.

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS is a market leader of modern design products with a timeless appearance and are made of high quality materials. The Four Star Series is a popular knife line and was first introduced in 1976. Resulting in a safe handling, proven design that is hard to find fault with.

The excellent quality and standard lifetime warranty makes it an ideal choice and well worth the price.

	J.a. Henckels Twin Four Star 8-inch High Carbon Stainless-steel Chef's Knife (Amazon)	88.99
	J.a. Henckels Twin Four Star 6-inch High Carbon Stainless-steel Chef's Knife (Amazon)	57.96

Pros

• Designed to reduce the likelihood of cross-contamination of different food types
• Four tabbed chopping boards clearly color coded and illustrated with icons of different food types – fish, raw meat, cooked food and vegetables
• Tabs are staggered for easier access
• Storage case made from high quality ABS plastic, the case is easy to clean with a non-slip rubber base
• Cutting surface made from high quality, durable polypropylene that won’t blunt knives
• Dishwasher safe

Cons

• Best suited to be displayed on countertops which may have limited space

Queen’s Review

A multi-award winning chopping board categorization system to help prevent cross-contamination of different food types.

Anyone who is concerned about hygiene in the kitchen should really consider this easy system. The color and tab icon system on each of the boards makes its use obvious to even the least attentive person in your family.

The only problem is making sure you have space on your countertop for the box. And I was a little disappointed with the silver plastic case as another material like metal could really have made this set special.

The added convenience of multiple boards comes in handy when preparing dinner. Each of your prepared ingredients can be left on its separate chopping board until needed.

Joseph Joseph - Index Chopping Board Set (multi) - Home (Zappos.com)

65.00

Pros

• Made from high quality, durable polypropylene
• Durable, knife friendly cutting surface that won’t blunt knives
• Squeezing the handle folds up the sides of the board, forming a chute to neatly guide food
• Hanging hole for space saving storage
• Ergonomic comfortable, easy-grip handle
• Folding hinge design allows it to be folded an almost infinite amount of times
• Dishwasher safe
• 3 year warranty against breakage

Cons

• Locking feature to ensure the board stays flat whilst chopping still moves slightly

Queen’s Review

Easily get your food into your cooking pot. Unlike thin, flexible polyurethane mats that fold up, the Chop2Pot provides a hard surface to cut your food. And once chopped, the board folds into a chute shape to help direct food into any bowl, pot or pan.

The concept and design works well. My only niggle is that while the locking feature helps to keep the board flat while chopping, I disliked the slight up and down movement that occurred as pressure was exerted and released from the board.

Pros

• Patented angled surface lets you read measurements from above
• Eliminates the need to fill, check and adjust
• Imperial and metric measurement markings
• Convenient tablespoon measurements
• On the outside cup, ounce, and milliliter markings
• Dishwasher safe

Cons

• Not recommended for use in microwave or stovetop
• Slightly awkward to stir contents in

Queen’s Review

At first glance, I thought the mini measuring cup was a joke but nothing could be further from the truth.

Ideal for measuring liquids for marinates or sauces, this one tool has become a replacement for a whole set of measuring spoons.

Oxo Good Grips Mini Stainless Steel Angled Measuring Cup (Amazon)

6.29

Pros

• Patented angled surface lets you read measurements from above
• Eliminates the need to fill, check and adjust
• Standard and metric measurement markings
• On the outside cup, ounce, and milliliter markings
• Available in 1-cup, 2-cup and 4-cup versions
• Good Grips soft, comfortable, non-slip handle
• Dishwasher safe

Cons

• Not recommended for use in microwave or stovetop

Queen’s Review

A revolutionary design for a kitchen staple. The angled measurement markings on the inside of the cup allow you to accurately see the amount of liquid while you are pouring.

This ingenious design is ideal for all your measuring needs. And it would have been perfect if it could also be used in the microwave like a standard glass measuring cup.

	Oxo Good Grips 2-cup Angled Measuring Cup (Amazon)	6.65
	Oxo Good Grips Mini Stainless Steel Angled Measuring Cup (Amazon)	6.29
	Oxo Good Grips 3-piece Angled Measuring Cup Set (Amazon)	19.95 Used : 17.99
	Oxo Softworks 4 Cup Angled Measuring Jug. (argos.co.uk)	8.49
	Oxo Good Grips Angled Measuring Cup Set (HSN.com - Home Shopping Network)	19.90
	Good Grips Angled Measuring Jug, 1l (John Lewis)	9.00