Ive been using this set of four silicone trivets for about two weeks, a timeframe thats given me ample opportunity to test them under a variety of cooking and baking conditions. My verdict? There are more pros with these trivets than there are cons and they're a good value, coming it at just under 10 for the set of four.First, the trivets feel fairly sturdy and are about 14 inch thick. This provides adequate heatprotection for counters or tables, especially coupled with the honeycomb pattern that gives protection from air insulation. I placed a hot and heavy Dutch oven on the trivets but didnt notice any problems with either compaction or heat transfer.Second, a set of four in two different shapes means you can use them a variety of ways. Placing the two square trivets sidebyside works perfectly with a quarter sheetpan, while the round ones are well suited for an 8 inch skillet or small saucepan. Larger pans do need to be placed with care if theyre set offside, it risks tipping the pan or losing some of the heat protection. In those situations, its better to lay out several trivets to help spread out the load.Third, the lightgray color of the trivets is one that will blend in with the dcor of most kitchens. Its a much better choice than some Ive seen chartreuse, anyone? Aqua? I think not. Sticking with a basic color may not be eyecatching, but its good product design.On to a few things with which I have some issues.I would not consider these silicone trivets to be potholders in the traditional sense. For me, theyre not flexible enough to allow a firm grip on the pan and believe me, I tried it with both stovetop cookware and oven pans. But unless one is wearing Thors gauntlets along with having terrific grip strength it could be risky using them to try picking up a hot, heavilyladen pan.Although silicone itself is stickresistant and cleans easily, these trivets can be tough to get clean. If rather, when gunk spills into the myriad little honeycombs, it can be difficult to get out. Once I resorted to using a QTip to try to get sauce out of a bunch of the little holes. And putting them into the dishwasher isnt a panacea. Yes, theyll get clean, but it takes an eternity for the water to evaporate from the honeycombs. Dry, darn it, dry!A final aside: Id like to know where they got the miniature skillet and tiny egg that are in the product photos and featured on the box. In the image, the 7inch round trivet absolutely dwarfs a skillet thats shown holding a cracked egg ready to be fried. In reality, my smallest skillet is 8inches a bit larger than the trivet! and a chicken egg (in its shell) looks to be about the size of the tiny cracked egg thats spread out in the pan in the photo. Is it a miniature dollhousesized pan with a quail egg in it? Perhaps. Its cute, but the photo could be misleading for folks who arent paying attention to the trivets true measurements. They might assume theyre getting trivets that are larger than they are in reality.
