Dec 09
It’s not every day that I start a review with an expletive – and I especially didn’t expect to do so with the OXO Salt and Pepper “Good Grips” shakers we were sent.
Long story short, these shakers looked wonderfully smart and modern. Black and brushed silver,
they would without a doubt compliment most dining experiences and settling down for my evening dinner, I looked
forward to just that.
Of course, I decided to undertake the review without reading the instructions. Picking up the pepper shaker
first, which felt reassuringly solid, I puzzled for a moment at the cap on the base. It must be
for storage, I thought, so pepper didn’t spill out. Not bad. I twisted it lightly to release it... and
several handfuls of peppercorns spilled across my food.
Hence the expletive.
Taking a deep breath and disposing of my dinner, I headed to the sink to investigate these devices further
– and indeed read the instructions.
It transpires that the grinding mechanism is at the top of the device. You need to turn it upside down to use
it – and it is by that that you avoid pepper and salt granules gracing your table top. Great but not
brilliant for avoiding dust capture?!
Further investigation showed something I did appreciate hugely however and that was the ability to
adjust to coarseness of the salt and pepper. As a keen cook, I liked that very much!
The shakers feel as good as they look – solid with a sense of longevity about them and
I’d not hesitate to get them out for use be it cooking or sitting down to dine. I think the “good
grip” option makes them imminently suitable for children and the elderly too. However I
would watch carefully to ensure no-one else makes the same mistake I did, first time round. That could ruin an
individual’s dinner party!
The price of Salt and pepper shakers has always floored me and taking that into consideration in my judgement of whether these are good value, I’d have to err to a ‘yes’.
Pro’s
- they look good
- Love that you can adjust from fine to coarse
- Love how easy they are to hold
- Love that they feel and look like good quality
- Miffed there’s no dust protection
- Bit concerned someone else would end up with salt all over their carefully prepared dinner the first time they used them...