Foolproof Cooking Kit

WINNER - RECOMMENDED

Our former inexpensive winner had another strong showing. It was dead accurate and extremely fast. Compared with fancier models, this model felt like driving a standard car. The display does rotate and has a backlight, but you have to stop and press a button for both functions. You have to be more careful when holding its small lollipop-shaped head, but it makes the best of its size with a grippy, ergonomic design that's reasonably secure and easy to push and pull out of dense foods. Because the head is so small, this model did put our hands a little closer to the heat.

We maintain strict objectivity in all testing.*

SPEED ★★★

ACCURACY ★★★

DURABILITY ★★★

EASE OF USE ★★

KEY: GOOD ★★★   FAIR ★★   POOR ★

WINNER - RECOMMENDED

This compact triple-event timer is accurate and easy to use. The screen displays all three events at once (no scrolling required). It’s easy to set and adjust the individual events because each one has its own button, and a pair of horizontal bars on the screen brackets the event being modified. We like that each event makes a unique sound—one beep for the first event, two beeps for the second event, and three beeps for the third event—and that the volume is adjustable. Our only quibble is that the digits on the screen are slightly smaller than ideal.

We maintain strict objectivity in all testing.*

CLEANUP AND DURABILITY ★★★

ACCURACY ★★★

DISPLAY AND ALERTS ★★½

EASE OF USE ★★★

KEY: GOOD ★★★   FAIR ★★   POOR ★

WINNER - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A larger sibling of our longtime favorite kitchen scale, this version accurately weighs ingredients up to 22 pounds. (The everyday OXO scale tops out at 11 pounds.) It shares the smaller version’s super-handy pull-out display, so you don’t have to peer under big bowls and plates. Very easy to use, this product has a simple “unit” button on the front that lets you switch between ounces and grams (no turning it over to find the hidden switch, as with other scales). At just 1¼ inches tall, this scale stores compactly; a steel platform pops off for washing by hand. Though it’s best for large-batch cooks, this scale does weigh in increments as small as 1/8 ounce or 1 gram, hence it can be used as an all-purpose scale, too.

We maintain strict objectivity in all testing.*

ACCURACY ★★★

EASE OF USE ★★★

KEY: GOOD ★★★   FAIR ★★   POOR ★

The first book entirely on technique from America's Test Kitchen features 100 innovative techniques that will transform your cooking life, paired with more than 200 innovative recipes that put the techniques into real-world, home-kitchen applications. From making the most tender burger patties to grill-roasting an entire ham; from making pan sauces to dry-aging your own beef; and from griddling the fluffiest pancakes to tempering chocolate, making caramel, and baking French pastry, the test cooks of ATK show you the way.

Includes:
Thermoworks ThermoPop
OXO Good Grips Triple Kitchen Timer
OXO Good Grips 11 lb Food Scale with Pull Out Display
100 Techniques Cookbook
Item Number: ATKBCCR
Item Weight: 3.2 pounds