Chef Tony's Smart Lidz: Does it Work?
By: Lauren Keith
Chef Tony's Smart Lidz promise they'll vacuum-seal any container, made of any material of any size! That's a pretty big claim&so is IT full of hot air? I head to Sikeston to the home of Jennifer Yarbro, one of many viewers who requested this product for Does it Work Wednesday.
"Looks cheap, I think!" Jennifer says as she pulls the set of four lids out of the box.
Both Jennifer and I weren't expecting much for the $10 price tag. We do expect Chef Tony's Smart Lidz to hold up to their big claim though.
I flick the funny-looking plastic-type material they're made of. They sound like a child's drumset. We start with a small, tin soup can.
Jennifer presses down on the Smart Lidz and we hear a sealing sound.
Wow! The Smart Lidz work so far&and it's a tight seal leaving the soup can hanging in mid-air!
"Good for one try, but I don't know if it'll hold, " predicts Jennifer.
Our next test features a glass measuring cup with an uneven surface because of the pouring spout, just like the one seen on the Smart Lidz' box.
"It's not working!" laughs Jennifer.
Yup—and Smart Lidz say they'll seal any surface.
"Oh! Good thing it was on the counter!" says Jennifer as all this pressing and sealing causes the liquid inside the measuring cup to spill out creating a mess!
We also notice the lid is getting pretty dirty and wrinkled after just a little bit of testing. Meantime, our next test gets us thinking Smart Lidz actually seal better on plastic. The Lidz form an airtight seal on an uneven mixing bowl with no problems.
"Wow!" I say as I hold it up into the air and the seal stays tight. While Jennifer and I are impressed with this particular test, but not so pleased at how much space these lids take up in the fridge&a lot of excess hangs off.
"These aren't great for stacking either... Pretty wobbly. I've got a family of four, and I need all the space I can get in the fridge. I don't like that you can only get four lids total. One small, two medium and one large. You end up using the large lid on most everything so it can form seal. It's just not very practical, " says Jennifer.
As the mother of two little ones, Jennifer also wants to know how durable these lids are. She wants to know what happens if these lids get knocked off the counter. She knocks one of the bowls off the edge of the deck. It flips over and water pours out. That makes us question just how airtight this really is.
"It feels really flimsy now, " she says.
In fact, the more we use the Smart Lidz, the less durable they're becoming. You're supposed to rinse off each lid with hot water to help strengthen the lid surface, but it still wrinkles and is loose.
"After an hour of using it, it's not holding up!" says Jennifer.
After rinsing, we use one of the lids for only the second time on a small bowl. It won't even make a seal! The Smart Lidz also didnt' hold up well in the microwave&and we just used it as a splatter guard, per the directions. Jennifer also put them in the top-rack of her dishwasher, just like the directions said. And now, she's ready to put these "lidz" back in the box for good.
She also sent me some digital pictures of various foods she stored for a few days with the Lidz in her fridge. After a few days, she said the Smart Lidz popped off!
"I'd give it an "F." I'd tell people to buy $10 worth of Rubbermaid containers. I've tested and dropped them time and time again, and they hold up. The Smart Lidz may work at first, but not for long. They also take up too much fridge space, " she says.
It's time to let the air out on Smart Lidz - they fail this Does it Work test.
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