So a few years ago, we like many invested in an online campaign like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. You see, Stace, my wife, struggles with being overwhelmed with organizing and keeping track of stuff in the kitchen. This particular item seemed to address it.
Now, anybody who has done an online campaign, is FULLY aware that what they initially invest in, may not remotely be what is received on the other end...IF AT ALL...(cough) Noria/Kapsul air. For all we knew, what we ended up getting could've just been a thick piece of cardboard with a drawing of a knife on it and a bowl and cheese grater duct taped to it smh Well, we were pleasantly surprised when what we ACTUALLY invested in came, and was EXACTLY what it hailed itself to be!
Let me introduce you to...THE PREP DECK!
The prep deck is an all-in-one system. It combines many of the basic kitchen tasks and tools into one convenient spot. Cutting board, measuring cups, storage cups, grater, trash, tablet or book holder and so much more!
Only the Generation 2 model is currently available. This is what it currently comes with:
1x Prepdeck home base with container compartments, two accessory drawers for storage or scraps and 8 essential prepping tools
1x Magnetically detachable seamless cutting board
1x XL ingredient container
3x Large ingredient containers
2x Medium ingredient containers
2x Small ingredient containers
6x Mini measuring containers
Lids for large & XL containers
2x Removable compartments for cutoffs or storage
1x Grater
1x Slicer
1x Zester
1x Garlic Crusher / Finger Guard
1x Juicer
1x 4-in-1 Peeler, Julienne Peeler, Green Striper, Bottle Opener
Functionality 10/10
This unit definitely allows you to get many jobs done at one time. From the grater to the juicer, you can place the needed attachment to get exactly and ONLY the amount you need on the actual container it's going in. The fact that you can scrape the trash from the attached cutting board straight back into an attached scrap bin, that can then be removed and discarded is a great convenience. The only downside to the attachment function, many of the pieces are a la carte. So you don't get the quantity of sizes you might need WITH the unit. With a price tag of almost $200, I would expect it to come with more of the pieces. Thankfully, we got a crowd funded special bundle. Lastly, this is great for families of 2-4 people only. Anymore and you won't have enough space for all the ingredients. Honestly, even 4 is tough if they're all adults.
Organization 8/10
There are places for everything, which is awesome. Of course that doesn't mean there aren't problems. Though the smaller pieces stack into the larger ones, if you have a recipe with many ingredients, like a tagine or Entrée with 2 sides that aren't single ingredient recipes, you can run out of space. Thankfully, you can purchase more of the storage containers, but putting the stuff in there on the side is kind of self defeating to the reduced more efficient space model they're selling. One other great features, the prep containers come with airtight lids so you can also prep in advance and store them neatly in the fridge for later. Lastly, you can also store a 6-8 inch chef knife and smaller knives like pairing knives, etc into the storage bin, which is the scrap bin while prepping.
Ease of cleaning 7/10
The pieces are simple and easy to clean and dishwasher safe. Unfortunately, the quality of the materials on the storage containers, leaves them susceptible to staining depending on the ingredients you use. For instance, we were making an Asian dish that needed ginger juice. We prepped in advance and that was enough time for the ginger juice to leave a permanent stain in the container. We also had this issue with olive oil once. Though the replacement containers are pretty inexpensive, it's a major inconvenience to not be able to prep things without this fear. Other than that, all of the pieces were extremely easy to get completely clean, including the cutting board and the unit shell.
Size 7/10
So, this definitely didn't fit in a convenient place in our old house. New house, fits right in the corner and is out of the way. If you have small counter space, I would invest in the mini version only. Also if you have issues, lifting, like my wife does due to her back issues, I would also get the mini.
Weight 9/10
It's not light, but also not too heavy. You def have to intend to move it, to move it. However, it's not so heavy that it feels like a chore to relocate it.
Overall, this unit has been a great addition to our kitchen. Now that we have the counter space for it, my wife loves the organization and I like that it can actually not be in the way when in use.
To learn more or purchase, click here.
Until next time
-Chef-