The thin wire is not very sturdy, it isn't well made (wire ends to poke you) & will bend easily, perhaps burning you if you try to lift something heavy out of the pot & it breaks. Once it gets a little bent, it will not fold flat. If you know anything about cooking, you know you can't jam pack the thing with fries or chicken like they do on TV and expect it to cook evenly or within your lifetime- even a professional quality deep fryer won't do that. When it's stuffed like they do on TV, you can't stir the food either, so the bottom can burn & food won't cook evenly. Given that & the size (it looks bigger on TV), it won't really cook that much of anything.
Perhaps the worst thing is that the mesh is so large you can't cook anything but big food in it. It will not cook macaroni, spaghetti, or noodles nor will it cook fries except for the big fat wedge ones. It will only cook large whole vegetables & you will lose a lot as pieces of stuff like broccoli tend to break off. It would be useless for potato chunks to make potato salad or mashed potatoes as pieces will break off w/ the wire & then you will need to strain the water w/ your colander....so why would you need this???
I just laugh at those infomercials that try to make you think something you already have that works just fine (i.e. your colander) are so dangerous & hard to use. If you can't use a colander, you probably shouldn't go near the stove & you also probably bought a Snuggie because you couldn't figure out how to work a blanket. TeleBrands Original Chef Basket, Deluxe
It's a shame that this isn't a better made and designed product. The spaces are so large that the pasta falls through the basket so you still need to strain the pot. And it is a little flimsy - it's a shame that it isn't sturdier.
I did not buy Chef Basket from this vendor, so am commenting on the product only. The Chef Basket I received arrived lopsided, bent, shallower than shown on box, with sharp wire ends sticking out to catch your hand. Fortunately Carol Wright Gifts credited my charge card in full, and did not require me to send it back.
This is a great concept and I really wish I could love it more, but I can't. I agree with what another reviewer said that the holes are too large. They are great for large pasta, but not for regular spaghetti, macaroni, etc. Also, after just one wash, we are already starting to see signs of rust around the top rim.
I'm 52 years old and this item has been in my mother's kitchen all my life. In fact, it still is, in her cabinet under the colanders. We used it as a lettuce dryer when I was a kid. Wash the lettuce, load up the strainer, take it outside and swing it around until the water flew off! I loved that.
It was never sturdy enough for even half the uses claimed in the infomercial. I wonder if the original patent expired and someone else picked it up an repackaged it as the "newest tool for your kitchen." Hilarious.
I bought this from another vendor but I buy most of my baby supplies off here, so I decided to give my point of view on this product. First it's very flimsy and it can't hold strawberries because it folds to the pressure, Second,the holes are big so it can't hold anything smaller then the width of your thumb. Green beans, sea shell pasta all fell through the holes and I don't think this product is worth the price.
Waste of money IMHO. The noodles fall through the mess and it doesn't fit well in all pans. So unless you have elephant huge pasta in a particular size pan, this really isn't a good item. Back to my $1 collander.
The chef basket is a useful culinary tool and collapses nicely for storage but I don't think it will replace your colander. The construction seems ok but when one of the wires breaks, it may just fall apart.
I had such an awful experience ordering this product that I had to warn prospective buyers.
1) I tried to order the product online, but the website would not recognize my zip code (???!!!), so I called the 800 number and it got worse. Not only do they have no live customer service representatives (their order process is all automated), they lock you into a never-ending cycle of upgrades and additional offers with no escape. I must have been held hostage on the phone 30 minutes waiting for my order confirmation. I finally gave up and hung up the phone not knowing whether or not my order was actually placed or not.
2) Today I got a call from a Chef Basket salesman trying to sell me more products. The RUDEST person I have ever spoken with in my life. Just plain nasty. When I finally asked to be removed from their records the salesman said, "I will be happy to never speak to you again." Great salesmanship.
My Chef's Basket has not even arrived yet, but I intend to send it back unopened. I have no use for any product, company, or representative that operates in this manner - plus - according to the reviews, this is a sub-standard product at best anyway. - Colanders'
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