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Chef Tony's Smart Lidz
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Vendor Commercial
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ASOTVI Review
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June 18, 2008
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| | | ASOTVI RATING:
CONDITIONALLY WORKS |
What is it? A set of lids for bowl and other containers, replacing cling-wrap.
Special Note: Many people have reported complaints about his particular product, but mostly in the context of the high-pressure “up-sell” they experienced when ordering it by phone or online, as well as excessive shipping charges. Fortunately, we found this product for sale at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, and therefore experienced none of the up-sell pressure nor excessive shipping charges of any kind that many have had to endure with respect to this product. Our evaluation below is with respect to the product’s functionality only. If this product is of interest to you, we suggest you seek it from a trusted retailer.
This product consists of 4 "Smart Lidz", one 9.25”, two 7.25” and one 4.25 inch. They each consist of a plastic rim surrounding a sheet of plastic that looks (and even sounds) a lot like a drum head.
We found this product very easy and effective to use. Just place it on a bowl or other container that the rim of the product is larger than, then simply push down on the plastic “head” to lock it down with a very firm seal. To release the seal, just squeeze the plastic by the large notch on the side and let in air. It comes right off.
It’s a pretty simple concept that alleviates having to tear off cling wrap and cover a dish, and also the expense of buying cling wrap again and again. The product is dishwasher safe on the top rack away from the lower heating element.
This product won’t replace a need for cling-wrap altogether if, for example, you have a plate of food that you wish to store in the fridge, but the food is taller than the rim of the plate. That is, to create the vacuum seal with this product, the rim of whatever container you’re covering needs to be higher than what’s inside it to allow for pressing the plastic down to create the seal.
Furthermore, for the product to work properly it is important that the rim of the dish you’re covering is clean and contiguous, otherwise air can get in and the product can’t form a tight seal. We noted that in the case of pitchers with pour spouts, if the lip of the spout was in line with the rim of the pitcher, the product worked fine; however, if the spout dipped down below the line of the upper rim significantly, then the product could not reach the entire spout and form a seal. Otherwise, for bowls, casserole dishes, cans, etc, it works fine.
The directions advise not to put the product in the oven, presumably due to a possibility of it melting; and if put into a microwave, to release the air seal prior to cooking.
This product works as advertised.
Update to Chef Tony’s Smart Lidz - 7/21/2008
 We have downgraded this product from Works as Advertised to Conditionally Works due to discovering that it failed to meet one of its more important claims. Specifically, the vendor advises that if one of the lids gets “stretched out” or loose to run it under hot water to restore it. We did this again and again on a stretched out lid, on multiple occasions, however that process had no effect.
The lid shown here – top view shows diameter of stretch, side view shows depth of stretch – occurred after using it as splatter guard in the microware. It was placed loose on top of a bowl, not sealed, as instructed. During cooking it was observed that the heat of the cooking food inside the bowl caused the lid to expand and it was observed “ballooning up” slightly and moving around a bit as steam escaped from the rim of the bowl.
When the microwave finished its cycle and turned off, the food began to cool along with the air inside the bowl and it was observed that the “softened up” expanded lid sank deeply into the bowl, stretching the plastic surface of the lid down even further. We suspect that the escaping steam of the food during cooking also served to moisten the rim of the bowl, making it easier to facilitate a seal. That is, when the bowl was removed from the microwave, the lid was found to be firmly sealed down on the bowl and had to be released the same as when any bowl is sealed. Again, the lid was placed on the bowl initially without sealing it at all.
 Please refer to the pictures again. This is the result of the lid being heated by the cooking food, steam and expanding air, which resulted in the plastic of the lid stretching out, and then the bowl itself serving to stretch the lid even further as the air inside it cooled.
The product’s instructions advise NOT to seal a bowl when using the product in the microwave, presumably to avoid this very possibility. However, in our observation, the damage that can happen to the product is possible to occur on its own, even when following the instructions and the remedy of running it under hot water was not found to be effective in restoring the stretched out lid. We would suggest you refrain from using the product in the microwave altogether.
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Product: Chef Tony's Smart Lidz
Available From: SAS Group, Inc.
Summary:
- Reusable and can replace cling wrap for most items
- Easy to clean
- Not to be used in the oven or on non-contiguous surfaces
$10.00 + S&H (buy 1 set; get 1 free)
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