Value for money

Salad tongs

Muji Salad Set €9.95

We are normally well-disposed to this shop on Dublin’s Chatham Street but on this occasion, we felt let down. For this price you get a four-piece set of bamboo implements which include salad spoons, a weird tongs thing that Pricewatch broke in the shop. We obviously felt mortified but the lovely staff just laughed and gave us a fresh set which a colleague broke the moment she picked it up – which suggested to us something of a design flaw. The actual spoons are nice and light but we would have concerns about the longevity of such a product.

Verdict: Lightweight

Star rating: **

Joseph Joseph €11

Initially we were drawn to these because of a funky design which sees the fork bit clip into the spoon bit which means they should take up a lot less space in your drawers. The lurid colours also appealed to us as did their nice lightweight nature. While the first impressions were good, we ended up being not entirely convinced these would do the job. The spoon has no back so if you want delicate coating you will have to look elsewhere and the transparent purple plastic is a little on the cheap looking side. While €11 is hardly a fortune to spend on a piece of kitchen kit, we still think these are overpriced while plainer but equally functional options are out there.

Verdict: Style over substance

Star rating:***

T & G Salad hands €6

These are amazing. Ridiculous, obviously but still amazing. They are the size of a small person’s hands and are great for tossing salad as long as you don’t mind getting your actual hands a little greasy. While it is probably possible to keep your hands completely salad dressing free when using these, we did not manage it and we can’t really see how that could be done if you are to be sure every leaf is properly coated.

These normally sell in BTs for €12 but when we bought them last week they were just €6 which is, by our reckoning, great value for money.

Verdict: Give these a hand

Star rating: *****

Alessi €32

These are undoubtedly the most high-end salad tongs we came across – they are to be found in BTs – and while we have serious issues with paying so much for something so simple, there are circumstances in which we could justify it. We reckon that they would make for a nice (and cheap) wedding gift for someone you were not particularly close to. They are very solid and chunky and have a nice embossed pattern on the back. These are a little on the heavy side, particularly if the leaves are delicate and we’d end up bruising our basil if we were too rough. The stainless steel is highly polished but that does mean they will attract grubby fingerprints. They also make a bit of a clang when going through the salad tossing motions.

Verdict: An upmarket effort

Star rating:***

Mepal salad tongs €7.50

While this Dutch brand may not be as well known as Joseph Joseph (or indeed as funky), these are, by our reckoning, much better value. They are cheap, functional, long lasting and pick up salad leaves better than any of the competition. They are sturdy and are made of good solid plastic and will, we reckon, last forever or as long as we want them about the place.

Verdict: Great value

Star rating:****