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Emsa Clip & Close Container
by MALU
Some time ago I bought two Lock & Lock plastic food containers at Woolworths. (Still doing business in Germany). I can only review products which are also sold in the UK, of course. So I checked the item and indeed found it. I didn't know the brand and informed myself on the web. What I found made me dizzy. The firm seem to be ... extremely successful; they've set themselves the aim to become the world's leading producer of plastic kitchenware by 2020. I learnt that they had developed and patented a double locking system with a quality silicon strip to close the containers.
You may wonder why I'm mentioning this when I'm not reviewing a container from this brand. Here is why: I was so content with the containers that I decided to buy some more. I was too lazy to walk to Woolworths, however (10 minutes), and went to the nearest supermarket (5 minutes), the biggest in town. They stock several brands of plastic containers but, alas, not Lock&Lock. I bought three containers of different sizes from the German firm EMSA instead. 'EMSA' after the small town of Emsdetten in the north of Germany where the firm was founded more than 60 years ago. It's now 'one of the leading manufacturers of household and garden items. ' (EMSA homepage) As EMSA sell their products also in the UK, I decided to review them instead of the Korean ones. Lock & Lock already export to 100 countries, so they'll get over this.
When I studied the EMSA homepage, I was puzzled. "The secret to 'fresh & healthy' is in the seal! To be specific: in the newly developed unique seal for CLIP & CLOSE. Food stays fresh longer and remains absolutely odour-free. Freshness killers don't stand a chance. And the clips are also true professional quality. They are 30% more durable than conventional clips. We back this up with our 30-year guarantee." 'Newly developed', what does that mean? Either Lock & Lock developed this super seal or EMSA did. Being the diligent researcher that I am I sent an email to EMSA HQ and asked for clarification. I got a friendly answer and learnt that Lock & Lock and EMSA developed the revolutionary sealing technique nearly at the same time. Lock & Lock for the Asian market, EMSA for the European one. The world was ready and the time for it was ripe so-to-speak.
I like the blue rim of the four clips. They give the containers a friendly aspect. They open and shut smoothly and are indeed leak-proof. I think it doesn't have to be mentioned that the containers can be deep frozen and micro waved.
I could tell you precisely which sizes I bought but have decided against it. All in all I've counted more than 20 kinds of containers, square, rectangular and round ones of different sizes. The clip & close system is always the same, so whichever specimen you're going to buy, you'll be happy with it.
My only niggle turned out to be stupidity on my side. I hate products with labels which can't be pulled off easily. I just couldn't get the EMSA labels off, no matter how long I soaked the containers in water. I checked the German internet site FragMutti (AskMummy) and found the tip to take a hairdryer and blow hot air onto the labels. It would then be possible to pull them off. I wasn't as easy and quick as described, but in the end I succeeded. I included this experience in my email to the firm which I mentioned at the beginning. To my great surprise I was informed that all labels contain the hint that they can be pulled off easily and that it isn't necessary to soak the containers in water at all. I can't tell you now if this is correct or not. I sent the friendly lady another email and told her that because of her explanation I was now forced to buy another container to check if what she'd written was correct or not. I added that she certainly didn't mind that. We're now best friends, she wrote back that I'd made her and the firm happy.
What puzzles me a bit is the 30-year guarantee. I'm already an old customer. As they don't give a 30-year guarantee for my life as well, I won't be able to test their claim. But I can't hold my advanced age against them, can I?
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The Pampered Chef Nylon Slice N Serve
by Whizz11
I'm not actually too sure how I came across this tool but its a really handy item in my kitchen and one that does so many things I 'm glad I've got it. I think my Grandma probably gave it to me at one point in time because she loves Pampered chef products and often attends parties where she picks up various things.
This slice ... looks a bit like a spatula but then has a head just like a cake slice so its a bit funny looking but very handy. It's made of nylon which basically looks like black plastic to me although it really is quite tough. The handle is very solid and allows you to get a good grip on the slice. There is a grrove running down the underside of the handle and I find this very handy to put my thumb in to get a bit of extra hold and leverage when lifting food items out of dishes and the like for serving them.
The head of this slice and serve is made of the same black nylon but its actually quite bendy and flexible and so this is really helpful again when you are lifting food items out of a dish. YOu can slide the head underneath your food and then use the bendiness of it to really get under the food and scoop it up easily without breaking the food. This is nice when you are serving up cake or pie and want to present it nicely and don't want it to break in half.
The other great thing about the head of this slice is that it has serrated edges on either side so you can cut the said cake/pie/quiche etc with the side of this slice and then scoop it out with this slice, no need for other utensils saving on time and washing up, brilliant.
The slice and serve is dishwasher safe and I have always washed this in the dishwasher and nothing bad has happened to it. It costs £8.25 from The Pampered Chef and is a kitchen tool I definitely recommend!
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Ikea Kalas Childrens Plate
by karlsm93
It was my sister that first alerted my attention to these Ikea Kalas plates. When she had her own children, she had oodles and oodles of plastic plates for them and now that I have my own toddler I can see how you need quite a few plates in any one day - from breakfast, to snacks, to dinner. Some of the cheapest plates that she got ... that were just as hardy and as durable as some of the more expensive plates she had in her cupboard where these Ikea ones. So, although we don't have an Ikea particularly close to us, we do tend to make an annual trip and stock up! On our last trip we bought quite a few things for our little girl, including a batch of these Kalas plates, which are slightly rounder than those shown above, which my sister had.
There are some great benefits of these plastic plates. Firstly the price, Ikea are currently charging 90p for a pack of 6 of these plates, which is simply unbeatable value. Secondly, the pack contains a range of colours, so would suit boy or girl, and be ideal even for parties instead of the cheap paper plates, as they are so colourful. Also, I love the fact, now that we have a dishwasher in our new house, that these plates are dishwasher safe, as well as being microwave safe - the latter being particularly useful when you are heating up spaghetti or beans for example.
These plates are stackable, so they are easily stored even if you don't have a lot of cupboard space, and each plate is slightly curved at the edge to keep food on the plate, rather than being tipped over the edge easily. This is useful for my daughter who always seems to have her toast land off a normal plate.
I also think these plates are just the perfect size for a toddler/ young child's food portion and keep everything on the plate, rather than any food overlapping because there isn't enough room. There is enough room on the plate to cut up toast etc or other food without it skidding off the plate as well.
All in all, for the grand sum of 90p you really can't go wrong with these plates. They are durable, dishwasher and microwave safe as an added bonus, and they are perfect for little children so it doesn't matter whether the whole thing falls to the ground, the plate will still be in one piece! A great buy for any house with a young child!
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