Customer Reviews

Emsa Perfect Beaker with Seal

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I'm a fairly serious cook, so I need to measure a lot. I use this beaker whenever I can, for both wet and dry ingredients.

It has several advantages: (1) it's narrower at the bottom, so when measuring a small quantity you get extra accuracy; (2) it has a curved lip for perfect pouring with literally zero drips; (3) it is marked in many different units such as cups, ounces, ml, etc.; (4) it is very light in weight yet unbreakable; (5) it feels really good in your hand.

It also has disadvantages: (1) it's not a good choice for hot liquids because it's plastic (I use Pyrex for that); (2) the wonderful big foot tends to be full of water when emptying the dishwasher. I solved #2 in 10 seconds by drilling a teensy hole near the top of the foot, so water drains out of it when inverted in the dishwasher.

If you are a serious cook and you buy this item and don't use it often, I'll be surprised.

It looks weird to most american kitchens. A beaker, you say? But once you use it -- you'll never go back. Ever.

I measure things and then shake to mix. Great for drinks, but also especially for cooking. Alton Brown on the TV Show Good Eats uses a similar one (not sure if they are the same). Pouring is a snap. Measuring is a snap.

A godsend for anyone whose hands shake too much to pour into a small spoon, or measuring cup that might tip over on the counter. Its sturdy base assures free-standing pouring, even for those of us with carpal tunnel or other folk of uncertain hand movements.

Once I used this, I found that many other tools became replaced. It has some classy looks going on too -- nice as well as functional.

This would be better if it was made out of a better material. It is made out of really thin plastic. It doesn't seem like it would take much to break it. The lip doesn't act like a spout. It really could use a real spout. I find the plastic lid to be useless and easy to get lost. Other than that it is pretty cool. Getting used to it is tricky but it makes things easy. For example, if you are makeing a merinade using a recipe that calls for 1 cup of soy sauce and two tablespoons sugar, just fill it with soy sauce to the mark rotate the cup so you can see the tablespoon mark and add two tablespoons of sugar. This beaker would trully be a perfect beaker if it was made of heat resistant glass, had non hollow(solid) base, and came in a four cup size. Two cups is fine for most measuring utensils, but when you have a beaker like this one you can start making you sauce/marinade etc.. right in it because it can measure everything.

I've gone through 2 of these. Each time, a crack develops - straight down one side and up the other. I have not been rough with them. In fact, the last one broke when I was washing it with a soft cloth. Functionally, it's a great idea - smaller quantities are measured with greater accuracy. But, I'm not buying more until it is made from sturdier material.

This is a nice combination of accuracy and usability. It's more accurate than a typical measuring cup of this one's capacity and it's more easily used than one of those tall, thin graduated cylinders that you might recall from chemistry class. I think this design is a great compromise for kitchen use. However, there are two things that I wish were different. First, I wish that the base were flat rather than hollow so that water would not collect when this beaker is put upside-down in the dishwasher. This would also make it much easier for water to evaporate from under the base when the beaker is placed upright. Second, I wish this were made out of Pyrex or similar material. Although I haven't scratched it yet, I feel less confident of its durability than that of a common Pyrex measuring cup.

I also wish that these beakers were available in a larger size. I find myself measuring such foods as batter with this and need to make more than one measurement to go beyond this item's 2-cup capacity.

I bought two of these and they both met the same fate: a small crack in the bottom that rendered them useless. At this price I expected a little more. They didn't last more than a few months.

As a former chemist, among other things, I really appreciate this measuring cup as the very best improvement over the old pyrex glass cups. The shape is ideal for doing fine measurements down to around three or four tablespoons; however, I suggest you stop there, especially for oils, as you are likely to leave five to 10 percent of the measured liquid behind.

If I were to make any suggestions at all on the design of this 'beaker', it would be to release it in a glass version. I know this would be much more breakable, but I think it would also be much more sanitary, as I would feel much more confident that it would not get scratched and that it would stand up to a high heat wash.

For those who use it so much that you are tempted to use it for solids, I say don't. There are really good reasons to do solids with the stainless steel spoons and cups.

Here's a wonderful little tool for the cook: a beaker with half a dozen different measuring scales so that you can easily prepare any recipe, measure out odd volumes such as one cup plus one teaspoon (frankly I hate recipes which require that much precision, but hey, at least I have an easy way to make them now!) and even measure out ingredients in advance, cover and set them aside to use later.

The Emsa Perfect Beaker is perfect in all ways but one: It's light plastic and it gets scuffed up quite easily. Plastic also seems to hang on to fats and oils more tenaciously than does glass or metal, so that clean up is a bit harder. Still, it's light, easy to use and doesn't take up much space in the cabinet. I can live with a few scuffs and a little extra dishwashing liquid for clean-up. Try it; you'll love it.

[Edited to add: I have to concur with the reviewer who wished this beaker was made from Pyrex. Though it would be substantially heavier, I might still have it. Scuffed and weakened by constant use, it finally cracked when I used it to measure hot (not boiling) water. I will get another, but because I'll have to be more cautious with it, I'm not as wholly sold on it as I once was. No points taken away, though; it's still a great idea.]

I have used the Perfect Beaker for many years. I highly recommend it for measuring any liquid to precise amounts, big and small. Two cautions I'd pass on, though, I wouldn't recommend microwaving in it since I think it eventually etches the plastic. Second, be sure to remove it from your stovetop while cooking because I've melted two beakers by having them too close to the oven vent! If you follow the manufacturer's care instructions and only place it in the top shelf of the dishwasher, you ought to get years of service from this item. It's really one of the few kitchen tools I would not live without.

This is a great tool for measuring liquid ingredients. Since I do a lot of cooking and baking I find myself using it a lot. I am able to pour boiling hot water into it without any problems. It is best to not use it to measure oils since you tend to leave some behind. Also I find the lid that comes with it to be pretty much pointless. I just leave it sitting in a drawer and have not used it once since I purchased the beaker. My major problem with this is that over the years cracks have begun to develop along the bottom and sides of my container. It hasn't caused any leaks but I am sure I will need to buy a new one eventually. Until then it still serves it purpose well. But I do agree with a past reviewer that it would be great if they made one of these out of glass. Perhaps Pyrex could get involved.