Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

OK, here's the deal. My husband is a total disaster in the kitchen. I seriously considered taking Rita Rudner's advice and putting up barbed wire, but he has wire cutters. Therefore, I am stuck with him sneaking in to the kitchen and heating something up (I won't go so far as to call it cooking). Many of my pans are cast iron, so he can't do much damage to them, except it took me awhile to make him understand one doesn't soak them in hot, soapy water. Ditto my stainless steel cookware - pretty much husband proof. My copperware is off limits - period. BUT - the man just can't stay away from the pasta pot. Most people snack on cookies - he snacks on pasta. My favorite pasta pot is a cheap thing I bought at Walmart, with a thin coat of Teflon (or something like it) and a locking drain lid. Somebody could make some big bucks if they replicated this pot in better quality but that's another story. Anyhoo.......hubby was begged NOT to use the stainless utensils in said pot but to use the wood or nylon. Being a cheerful sort, he complied. Sigh.....he has managed to destroy an entire set of bamboo spoons by leaving them in hot, soapy water to soak - plus he stirs so hard, he scratched the pot. So then I went to nylon and quickly found out he had an affinity for melting nylon utensils - and still scratching the pot. The pot is no longer made but I had bought several of them. I'm down to only 2 replacements, so it was time to take charge and ensure no more damage to these pots. I had one Kitchenaid spoonula and was pretty impressed with the performance - and lack of scratching. But they don't, to my knowledge, make an entire silicone set. Trusty Amazon had this set featured and the reviews were very thorough - and very encouraging. Could I have finally found the tools to defeat the mad pot scratcher??? When these arrived, I washed them and then immediately tried them. Well made utensils with a nice heft to them. The turner slid very nicely under fried eggs and gooey quesadillas. The spoons stand up to heavy stirring and the spoonula does a nice job of stirring and scraping the side of the pot - without scratching. The soup ladle is sturdy and handled a heavy bean soup Sooooooo - the last of the bamboo spoons and nylon utensils hit the trash and hubby was asked to use the silicone. The reaction was "but they're red - aren't they for special?". Yes, yes - they're red and they're special all right - just not how you think.......... So then the ultimate test. Surveying the scratches on the pasta pot, tossed it and retrieved one from my stash. Sure enough, hub wandered out to the kitchen and made himself a batch of butter noodles. I surreptitiously watched - and he was stirring with a vengeance. I must report total success - the pot scratcher has been foiled - and foiled in style..Not one scratch in sight, despite his best efforts. PLUS - the greasy traces of butter slid right off the spoon with a quick swirl in hot, soapy water.. FINALLY - utensils he can't destroy and maybe I won't run out of pasta pots while waiting for someone to bring this particular pot back to market! In all seriousness, these are quality tools - for ANY cook (or heater upper). They are the right length, they are well built with a solid feel to them, no nooks or crannies for food to get into, and they can take the heat - literally and figuratively. And did I say they don't scratch? I have only 2 observations. I would like a bit more size to the bowl of the ladle and I would love to see these in black. However, the red is growing on me and the ladle size is just a personal preference. These are some seriously hardworking tools and I am very glad I bought them. I have added the spatula set, the tong set, the baking mats and the baking set. I find myself reaching for these tools, regardless of what pot I'm using, so I sent a set off to my brother - he's an outstanding cook but he too has an affinity for scratching pots. Thank you StarPack - you have invented the cure for the dreaded pot scratcher disease! Edited to add: someone posted that these got dull in the dishwasher. I ran them through my dishwasher 10 or more times, with no similar issue. But then, last night, they DID come out dull looking - almost like a grey film on them. I immediately washed them down with Dawn and that removed whatever the film was. Then it hit me - I changed dishwasher detergent brands. I had been using Cascade gel but opened a bottle of Finish. That got me looking at everything else in the dishwasher from that load - and everything looked dull. In my case, it was the dishwasher detergent and NOT the silicone. Ran out and got a bottle of Cascade, ran everything through again, including the silicone utensils - NO problem. Might not even be the brand of dishwashing detergent, but how it's particular ingredients react to your water. For me, problem solved.