easy to use (Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker)

Member Name: belailie

Product:	Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker
Date:	01/02/09 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: makes dressings and pastes with minimum of mess

Disadvantages: slight concern about rubber seal

after the hard sell adverts and ubiquitous promos on his programmes, i thought Jamie Oliver's Flavour Shaker was a bit of a gimmick and pretty defunct in a kitchen with a pestle and mortar in it. However, i was given one as a present and haven't looked back since.

what makes this product different to the traditional pestle and mortar is that because it is a sealed space, you can grind and mix up liquids, sauces and pastes without running the risk of splashing all over the work top.

the little ceramic ball which you put inside basically breaks down the ingredients and, depending on how long you shake or wave it about, you can end up with a fine paste or a roughly bashed up seasoning. a little plastic spatula is also provided to help spoon out whatever you've put into the shaker, but to be honest, i lost this after a week and have been using a teaspoon ever since to no ill effect.

the shaker is a good shape and size - not too heavy and easy to use. the only problem i've had with this is when washing it - if i use water that is too hot then the plastic seal which locks around the top lip of the bottom of the shaker can come off. it still seals, but i'm a little unsure if over time this will degrade or fully come off.

the shaker i was given came with an instruction book and what was proclaimed to be a range of recipes to use. i was a little underwhelmed as the thick booklet was actually the same 5 or 6 pages of instructions and 4 recipes repeated in a number of languages. i thought this was a bit of a swizz! you can get more recipes from the obligatory website, or just use your imagination.

i use this for making up pastes or dressings for salad but when it comes to crushing herbs and spices, i'll stick to my trusted pestle and mortar. the flavour shaker is a useful implement but it isn't an essential kitchen tool.

Summary: useful but not essential