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Brabantia Steel Biscuit Barrel
by lak11
BRABANTIA MATT STEEL BISCUIT BARREL
I have purchased many products from the well-known manufacturer Brabantia over the years for my home, especially for my different kitchens. I think I mainly opt for this brand because Brabantia seem to make many matching products for each range and it's nice to be co-ordinated, in my ... opinion. Brabantia products mainly seem to be attractive.
A few months after moving into my present address (back in November 1999) we had lots of work done on this house and priority was given to creating a new kitchen from scratch, in an unfinished extension. Once this was done and the kitchen units were installed, I purchased many new accessories, one being a Brabantia biscuit barrel. This container in fact after over ten years of use still looked good but its base has rusted a little (my house is particularly prone to condensation and so rusting is often a problem with many items) and, although it still looks presentable, it seemed appropriate now we have again a new kitchen, to also renew the kitchen accessories to finish it off. Mind you, in truth it isn't yet 'completely' finished. It was towards the end of last year that my husband began a new re fit of our kitchen. He downed tools over Christmas but, as the units were all up by then I bought some new accessories to make the kitchen look nice for the festive season.
As the last biscuit barrel made by Brabantia had lasted so well it seemed appropriate to again purchase from this manufacturer. I knew what I wanted and looked on-line to see if the same or similar biscuit barrel, with other matching accessories, from this range was still available. I saw that indeed very similar containers were available.
I shopped around as I think that prices for this range are on the steep side. I did have a look at cheaper containers but when it comes to storage for biscuits I thought most barrels I saw were either massive or too small. My husband is the main biscuit eater in my house; he likes to dunk and I don't! I wanted the container big enough to keep a decent selection inside but didn't want my husband going too mad either! After looking for accessories at a busy time I thought: what the heck! Let's go for the Brabantia! By this time I had bought the tea and coffee canisters and so wanted something to look good with these but hadn't yet come across (except on-line) the biscuit container to match. Then, while visiting 'The Range' I found the barrel I wanted, so added this to my already overfull shopping basket.
The shop had both the steel and the matt design on the shelf. I chose the matt steel with a black lid. I prefer a brushed or matt steel look as I find that shinier effects need more cleaning especially in the case of fingerprints.
SIZE
I think size is important with a biscuit container, although of course, how big depends on the number of occupants or more to the point the number of biscuit eaters living in the in the home. Now my children are grown up they don't seem to get through many biscuits but I still find this one is the perfect size for my family. Depending on size of the packets of course but I would say roughly three packs will fit in here which is a good amount bout right as smaller would be a nuisance and if the tin was much bigger the biscuits would lie in here for too long. This barrel does have a stay fresh feature but more on that in a minute or two.
This round container is sold as being 'family size' with a capacity of 3.5 litres. It has a diameter of 16.8 cm and is 19.5 cm in height.
FEATURES
One very important feature for me with kitchen accessories is an easy to open and close lid, as I have problems with some lids. However, this barrel has a very easy to fit on and off lid. It can be opened the way intended by pulling off the lid from the top or from under the rim, where a fingertip eased underneath opens it with ease. The ease of opening is great for me as, although I mostly stay away from the biscuits sometimes I need sugar and to not be able to quickly get to a chocolate biscuit or a cookie is detrimental to my health.
This biscuit barrel has a useful feature in the underside of its lid; this is small removable capsule filled with crystals which absorb moisture, therefore keeping the biscuits within fresh for longer. To keep this capsule working at its best every so often it should be removed and placed into a hot oven for a short time to be dried out. To help with this the first letter of every month of the year is printed upon it the circular surround of the capsule; the capsule itself has a pointer on it which can be moved to show in which month the capsule was dried.
The barrel has a wire handle which makes it easy to move around, especially if wanting to move it to a different room when visitors arrive for a cup of tea and a biscuit or two. I mean to move it to the visitors not to hide it!
I chose the matt steel colour which is fingerprint proof. I have yet to know for sure how true this is but so far would say it doesn't seem to have any finger prints upon it.
* This product has the Brabantia ten year guarantee.
* PRICE/AVAILABILITY
* The Range £19.99
* Dunelm Mill £17.99
* http://www.electricshopping.com £28.16
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Brabantia Steel Storage Canisters
by thehonesttruth
One of the items that has been in my kitchen the longest is this set of 3 Brabantia storage containers. I was actually given these 1.4 litre containers as a house warming gift when I moved into my house some 9 years ago, and I've never changed them.
The containers themselves are in shiny stainless steel with a polisher shine, ... and come with black lids and clear windows in the front of the tubs. The black lids just pop on tightly, there are no clips,hinges, or screwing on involved. They are very easy to use, although the lids can be tricky to remove with wet hands or if, like my boyfriend, you have absolutely no nails due to a bad biting habit.
They are the same size as the sets you often see designated for tea, coffee, and sugar, although these allow you to make your own choice, bearing no writing on the front other than a small, unobtrusive Brabantia logo. I like the fact that I can store whatever I like in these - I use mine for flour, sugar, and dried fruit, and keep them on the side to hand whenever I need to bake!
The clear window is a feature I particularly like, at it allows me to see when I am starting to get low on a certain item, and to go shopping accordingly. The canister is exactly the right size for a bag of sugar or mixed fruit, but I do find I can't quite get a whole bag of flour into the canister. This isn't really a problem for me as I bake often enough for the remainder not to go stale.
The containers are easy to wash in the sink, I've never had any issues with anything sticking to the inside. Because of the shiny steel finish, I do avoid scrubbing these and wash them with a soft cloth, and find the outside can be buffed to a high shine and made to look as good as new with just a tiny dot of baby oil. After nine and a bit years, these still work perfectly - the lids still seal tightly, and apart from a couple of small dents, they still look shiny and new!
Although I plan on changing my kitchens colour scheme in my new home, I'll still take these with me, as even though they may not match my kitchens theme, they are still attractive and far too good to throw or give away. They do also sell these in different colours, so perhaps I may even buy some more of these when I move.
At around £20 the set, they are perhaps a little pricier than similar products, but having gotten nine years use out of my set, and bearing in mind that they do come with a 10 year guarantee, I think they were worth every penny.
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Brabantia Essential Line Can Opener
by trayrope
There is nothing more frustrating than finding yourself stood in the kitchen with an unopened can of Baked Beans in one hand and a broken can opener in the other. This is what happened to me a while ago, so I whipped out my spare can opener, which I then discovered was also broken.
I had in all honesty got a couple of those ... cheap and nasty can openers that can be brought from Wilkos for about 29p so I guess I got the quality I paid for.
I popped my laptop on and started browsing Amazon.co.uk as I had some balance left from vouchers, I decided now was the time to get myself a sensible can opener, one that would last me a long time so I would not be reduced to screaming in frustration trying to prise my way into the Baked Beans with a bottle opener and a knife.
What I came across was the Brabantia Essential Line can opener, like the one in the picture. I remember my mum having a Brabantia can opener that looked similar to this when I and my two sisters were growing up; if it withstood our teenage abuse then I was sure this one would be up to the job. After a few minutes of thought I decided to buy one, at the time it cost me £9.99 including delivery.
When my can opener arrived I had a good look around it, it felt nice and sturdy with its plastic handle grips and stainless steel openers, it was a good weight in my hand, and I felt quite happy with the price I paid.
So to put it to the test, the can opener was very easy to attach to the can, this can be done either vertically or horizontally, once the can opener is locked onto the lip of the can you keep hold of the plastic handles with one hand and use the other hand to turn the metal handle, the can opener then slowly munches its way around the lid of the can. When used vertically the can opener removes the lid on the inside of the can and you need to poke the lid a bit to get it out of the can, when used horizontally the can opener removes the whole of the lid neatly and it can then be lifted off.
The cutting action of the can opener is excellent, it moves smoothly and cleanly around the lip of the can leaving no sharp edges. The can opener is very easy to clean, just a quick swish in some hot soapy water (it can also be put in a dishwasher) and once dried it can then be stored in the kitchen draw or utensil jar or hung on a utensil rack using the stainless steel hanging hooks on the bottom of the plastic handle grips.
The can opener has a nifty bit on the end for prising the lids of bottles, it can do this but the can opener is a bit bulky in my hands for bottle opening and I prefer to use a bottle opener.
The Brabantia Essential Line can opener comes with a reassuringly long five year guarantee, I have had it for over a year already and it still looks and works like new.
I recommend this can opener, it is currently selling on Amazon.co.uk for £7.07 including postage.
Thank you for reading, this review may also appear on other sites under the same username xx
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