12 OXO Employees Tell Us the Products They Can’t Live Without — Starting Under $5
At Kitchn, we’re huge fans of OXO. Their products are reliably designed to perform cooking tasks and obsessively engineered down to the tiny details that make using their products not only effective but also delightful. As it turns out, there’s another group of people who really agree with us: OXO’s own employees. Okay, maybe not the most surprising fact in the world, but their enthusiasm for the brand is truly infectious. And their knowledge? Exhaustive. Which is why we had to ask the following question: What are their favorite, can’t-live-without, use-it-every-day type products?
Ahead, 12 employees share their favorite products. Bonus: Most are $20 or under.
“I use it each morning for my first cup of coffee before heading to the office and again around 2:00 every afternoon. I love that I can just fill the tank up and then spend a few minutes catching up and chatting with whoever is in the [OXO office] kitchen at the moment. It’s the one moment during my crazy schedule that I can simply slow down for a few minutes. If there is nobody in the kitchen I just look out the window at the NYC skyline and Hudson riverfront while taking a few relaxing deep breaths, and before I know it my coffee is ready. I grab it, take a sip, and head back to the passionate hustle and bustle that is OXO all day every day.” –Larry Witt, President
“It’s just absolutely perfect and thoughtful and convenient. The storage case becomes the receptacle for what you’re grating or slicing, the blades are colorful and stack up so neatly and nicely, and it grates and slices and stores like a dream.” –Karen Schnelwar, Vice President, Global Brand Strategy and Marketing
“I’m loving the Steady Paper Towel Holder right now. It’s a clean, simple but elegant form. It fits my paper towels perfectly. And I love that it’s so easy to tear a single sheet every time without the roll unraveling.” —Mike Delevante, Vice President, Product Development
“It is one of those products that you don’t think you need until you have it, and then you can’t live without it. I love ground meat and make Bolognese and stuffed peppers, as well as Asian dishes (Thai, Japanese, Korean) that use ground meat.” –Hideyo Hayami, Senior Director, Global Business Development
“It’s one of my most-used OXO tools and something that I give to my friends and family all the time. The strainer holds back the pulp and seeds while you are juicing citrus, and it has helpful measurement markings so you know how much juice you have. Certainly cuts back on dishes, rather than using a squeezer, measuring cup, and strainer!” –Colleen Cleary, Public Relations Director
“This product is worth its weight in gold. I never realized how much space my dish drainer took up until I got this beauty. The brilliance of it is multi-layered: It takes up zero space (it’s flat!), but is as functional as its large, complicated brethren. It instantly makes your kitchen look twice as big (only a slight exaggeration). It rolls up and disappears into your sink cabinet instantly, for those nights when everyone gathers in the kitchen for fun. It’s also the largest trivet on the planet, sitting right there near the stove to accept the hot pan of pizza, fries, etc. straight out of the oven and negating the need to clear off multiple burners on the stove. –Maryann Mitkowski, Creative Director
“This is one of my favorite products right now, because, well, ground coffee is the beginning of any great cup of coffee! The work we did on cutting down on the amount of static that comes from grinding coffee means grounds don’t fly everywhere, keeping my kitchen cleaner!” –Claire Ashley, Category Director OXO Brew
“Before discovering this product I had no idea how gross water bottles can get. It’s the best for cleaning straws, caps, and tall, hard-to-clean bottles. No water-bottle-owner should be without one!” –Rebecca Clayton, Director E-Commerce Sales
“It is without exaggeration the best ice cream scoop in the world. It is made from solid investment cast stainless steel. It will never rust; it has no coating that could be damaged. The edge is thin enough to scoop easily, but it thickens up towards the middle so you can scoop the hardest, chunkiest ice cream without a chance of bending or breaking. As soon as it hits the surface you know the ice cream doesn’t stand a chance.” —Mack Mor, Senior Product Engineer
“I use garlic frequently when cooking, so I love how quick and easy it is for me to throw a few cloves into the hopper and slice directly into the pan. No more sticky knife and fingers! I also like how the flavor tends to be a bit smoother than when I mince, plus I get the bonus of enjoying beautiful slices of cooked garlic when I’m digging in.” — Tom Gibney, Senior Project Manager
“I love how easy it makes mincing and mashing, and it is especially great because it is so compact and doesn’t take up too much counter space! Its fun to experiment with food in there.” —Zach Oseran, Manager, Financial Planning and Analytics
“From the minute I saw this in development I knew I was going to love it. Now it’s something I rely on every day when I’m doing my dishes. I love that it cuts down on the amount of water I use and helps me clean up the leftover food scraps in my sink.” —Joey Lozada, PR Assistant