The Right Timer Makes a Huge Difference in the Kitchen



Adam and Julia discuss the importance of the right kitchen timer.

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41 Comments

  1. Trying to find a decent kitchen timer has been driving me CRAZY! Both of my timers (from the late 80's) bit the dust around the same time. One was the old standby grandma used, with the twisty dial that maxed at 1hr. It was a workhorse and was fairly accurate.The other was great, (Galleon) it had individual # buttons, not just a button you have to press a million times. No luck finding a replacement. So of course I come to ATK and search for a solution. My next stop is Amazon…..hope they have the OXO you raved about.

  2. Thank you. Good kitchen timers are rarer than hens teeth where I live. I am not able to find anything good in my country.
    A good kitchen timer is crucial for having a good time in the kitchen cooking.

  3. I bought the winning Oxo and been using it for a year or two. I'm not happy. Perhaps mine is defective, but the alarm just isn't loud enough to be heard over boiling water, exhaust fans, or perhaps a radio. There is no sign that the volume is adjustable. Also, suppose I want to time the first side, flip, and then repeat the same time for the second side. Four steps. Stop with the right button, rest to zero with the left button, reset to the time it used last with the left button, start with the right button. My old time was not versatile at all, but it was so much simpler to repeat a time: stop, start.

  4. They did not mention the 'Single Ring' issue. i.e. if I just want it to alarm loudly for a few of seconds, then automatically stop alarming. That way I don't have to tend to the timer with a manual turn-off…., instead I can get to my task at hand.

  5. I bought the winning timer a year ago and it has some flaws.
    It takes two hands to operate comfortably, it slides around as you press the button and it's not really intuitive to use.
    I'm still looking for the right one.

  6. Except their Good Grips Timer. It has 3 timers and the alarms ring one or two or three times per pass unfortunately the timers number of rings does not correspond to the timer number. So you ave to get used to the strange decision they made on number of pulses per ring. Why not make one pulse for the first timer two for the second and three for the third. What that would be to logical? Oxo makes great stuff but the timer NOT SO MUCH because of the insane choice of pulse to timers.

  7. I was happy to find a segment devoted to kitchen timers. This has been a frustrating problem for me, for years. I had mostly used the simple rotary dial, one hour timers. About 20 years ago, I found that they simply STOPPED working, after a few months of use. (My parents had the same kitchen timer from my first memory, to my going off to college.) One "died" on me, yesterday … "GRRRR."

    I'll look into the OXO that ATK found to be superior. However, there is one feature that you didn't mention as being taken into account … SOUND! I do not have a hearing problem. The one OXO digital timer that I tried was convenient in every way.
    — It was easy to program.
    — It was magnetized on the back, so it easily stayed on the hood of the stove.
    — It was very precise.

    Hearing it, if I was out of the kitchen (or,even IN the kitchen, with simple conversation going on), was "iffy." Others, agreed that my complaint was valid. I didn't even bother to give it to The Good Will. I just tossed it. If I couldn't hear it, it would be of no use to no one.

    Thank you. ATK is a great channel.

  8. The yellow Taylor timer is easy to use and the sound (having a volume adjustment) is perfect for a noisy restaurant setting.
    Four channel feature makes it a perfect timer for a restaurant kitchen! You can simultaneously run 4 different timers. A little pricey though.

  9. Have you tested it against an Alexa/ Google home? I use my Alexa all the time for my timers. "Alexa set a tea timer for 5min" "Alexa set an oven timer for 45 min" etc… I've had 5+ timers going on at the same time for different things and when it goes off it tells me what i should be checking on.

  10. I have the OXO that is recommended. The alarm is so low in volume it's difficult to hear as you are working around the kitchen. I leave it in the drawer and use a cheap but effective twelve buck timer. Don't waste your money on the OXO.

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