I've owned another "as seen on TV" stirrer that's less than ten bucks. Don't bother. But the search continued--home cooks don't have a sous chef to do the stirring, and we have a lot of things to cook at once. Freeing us from one task so that we can do everything else better is a significant gain.
This stirrer has real muscle--the motor is geared down so that it stirs with real power. Yesterday I made risotto, and it stirred the whole thing for me. It just sat there on the pan for about a half hour, stirring away instead of my having to stir.
It's adjustable, will work with a variety of pot diameters and heights. It charges quickly, in an hour or two. I've had it stir constantly for an hour without slowing down, and I'm sure it will run a lot longer on a charge. But there's no reason why you can't charge while it's stirring, so if you put it away and it runs down you can still use it as long as you have an outlet within reach of your stovetop--or an extension cord.
It also is cleverly designed so that it effectively rubs the bottom the pan it's stirring and covers the whole thing. It does a quite thorough job of stirring. Maybe even better than I do!
It's quality construction. Everything is rugged, so it will last a long time. Good news is that the stirrer can go into the dishwasher--you want that, because, of course, it gets all involved with whatever you're stirring, and needs to be well cleaned. You clean the rest of it yourself, but it doesn't get messy and is easy enough too wipe off.
The size is manageable. It won't take up a huge amount of space. The only improvement that I'd want is a better box to store the three pieces and charger in, instead of the cardboard box it comes in. I reinforced that box with packaging tape, and use it to store the StirMATE, but it's actually about twice as big as it needs to be and is not super durable.
Finally, the price. For something as sturdily built and durable, I'd expect to pay more! It's great to see a quality cooking accessory with a price that's only two digits.
If you're looking for a gift for that foodie in your life, this could be the ideal choice. It's new and isn't sold in the cooking equipment stores, so your giftee won't know about it. And when you first see it, its purpose isn't clear. But when your giftee uses it, then you'll be remembered for giving the perfect gift. And its durability will have you remembered for that gift every time it takes over a tough stirring task.
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were measured, reduced and offset.
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Carbonfree Certified
Each Carbonfree Certified product goes through a cradle-to-grave assessment to determine the product’s carbon footprint. The carbon emissions associated with the product are reduced where possible, and remaining carbon emissions are offset with third-party verified carbon reduction projects in renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry.
