Micro Easy Grab Review: 8-in-1 Silicone Kitchenware Disks

Introduction

Uses of Micro Easy Grab. Read our product review.In late 2015, Vicki was contacted for a Micro Easy Grab review to see how the silicone kitchenware disks or pads would work for professional truck drivers.

She was very clear that since Mike had gotten a local truck driving job, use of the product would be in a home kitchen, not a truck’s small kitchen.

This page contains a product review with

  • background info,
  • photos and
  • commentary

regarding Vicki’s use of two sizes of this product.

DAT TruckersEdge - Most Loads. Best Rates. Serving Owner-Operators Since 1978. 10% off your first 12 months. New customers only.

What Is It and How Is It Used?

The description of this product both on its website and on Amazon.com is a bit vague.

Although the first “use” is listed as “Stores in microwave”, Vicki does not consider that to be a “use”.

If she were to describe its primary function when used in a microwave oven, Vicki would call the Micro Easy Grab a type of “insulator” between a hot dish and one’s fingers. (More on that is below.)

The disks are said to be food grade silicone and BPA-free.

Each 10-inch or 12-inch disk has a “smooth side” and a “grooved side”, the latter of which makes it easy to “grab” (or get traction under) a hot dish in the microwave oven.

The other uses of this product are as follows:

  • Placemat
  • Splatter guard
  • Food cover
  • Trivet
  • Pot grabber
  • Jar opener
  • Utensil mat (or spoon drip)

Uses for the Micro Easy Grab

Problem: Food and Dishes from Microwaves Can Be Hot!

Each Micro Easy Grab silicone disk (or pad) is heat resistant up to 450°F and is supposed to be given a rest after having been microwaved for 2 minutes.

Vicki did not find that she needed to do that when warming or cooking food in her microwave oven.

If you’ve ever microwaved food until it is hot to the touch, you know that it can be a real challenge to handle the dish without getting burned.

Yes, one can use potholders to insulate one’s fingers and hands, but they

  • are subject to slipping,
  • may not provide adequate surface area or thickness and
  • can be bulky.

Short cooks can find it far more challenging to remove a hot dish from a microwave oven that is installed under a cabinet or above a range!

A lime green Micro Easy Grab silicone disk under a plate of macaroni and cheese in the microwave oven.Shown here is the 12″ lime green silicone disk under a plate of macaroni and cheese in the microwave oven.

The disk was placed grooved side down so that when the microwaving process was done, all Vicki had to do was reach into the microwave oven, under the edges of the disk with both hands to grasp the plate and remove.

She never burned her fingers.

It is possible (although not advisable) that the plate could have been placed off-center on the disk so that one could lap the Micro Easy Grab over the edge of the plate to remove it from the microwave oven with one hand.

(Note: the two-handed method is best, especially if the dish contains a lot of food or is heavy.)

Problem: Food Splatters in Microwave Oven

Have you ever cooked or rewarmed food in a microwave oven when it splattered everywhere?

Possibly the messiest offenders in Vicki’s experience are foodstuffs with tomato products in the them.

When they splatter, you can really see the spots — and then you have to spend time cleaning your appliance!

A lime green Micro Easy Grab serves as a splatter guard on top of a microwavable bowl with food inside.

Shown here is a lime green Micro Easy Grab on top of a microwavable bowl with food inside.

Its purpose in this position was to keep the food from splattering all over the place as it was heated.

It worked very well.

Although the disk flexes and bends very easily, it is not flimsy.

It has good thickness.

When Vicki used this product, it did not “dip” into the bowl.

Some cooks cover their foods with paper towels to reduce splattering.

One example is when microwaving bacon.

Vicki did not let the disk touch the food she microwaved (as could have been the case had the food been on a plate instead of down in a bowl).

In recent years, many silicone-based cooking products have come on the market.

Vicki tried to find information about food safety when using silicone products.

One resource is on FoodReference.com.

Users will need to determine for themselves if it is appropriate to let this food-grade silicone product touch food directly.

Problem: Delivering Food From Microwave Oven to Table

Let’s assume that your food — fresh from the microwave — is ready to eat.

How are you going to move it to the table and upon what are you going to set it to keep it from burning the table?

A lime green Micro Easy Grab serving as a placemat under a plateful of food hot from the microwave.Shown here is a lime green Micro Easy Grab, which is serving as both a trivet and placemat, under a plateful of food hot from the microwave.

It can be placed, as shown, directly on the table or on top of a table cloth or other placemat.

Utensil Mat (or Spoon Drip)

A Sky Blue Micro Easy Grab serving as a 'utensil mat' or 'spoon drip'.Shown here is the 10″ Sky Blue silicone disk serving as a “utensil mat” or “spoon drip” directly on top of a range.

Vicki tried putting a utensil on the disk with both smooth and grooved sides up.

Although it can be a bit more challenging to wash down in the grooves, she preferred putting the utensil on the disk with grooves up.

Speaking of washing these disks, they are quite easy to clean.

Another Use For Silicone Microwavable Kitchenware

Another use for the Micro Easy Grab is providing the grip or traction that is needed for opening jars and bottles.

A Sky Blue Micro Easy Grab next to a jar that needs to be opened.The series of 3 photos shows the device about to be used as jar opener.

The silicone disk on top of a jar that needs to be opened.Vicki experimented with having the grooved side both up and down when using the device as a jar opener.

Vicki's hand on the Micro Easy Grab, which she intends to use as a jar opener.Although others may have a different viewpoint, she preferred to have the grooved side up (against her hand) to provide improved grip of the jar lid. One thing about this device is that it will never be too small to fit over even fat pickle jars.

Micro Easy Grab Review: Observations and Conclusion

This table lists the 8 uses for the Micro Easy Grab, whether or not Vicki used the product that way and if so, how well it worked.

Use Did Vicki use? How well did it work?
Insulator (Vicki’s word) Yes Worked well
Placemat Yes Worked well
Splatter guard Yes Worked well
Food cover Not outside but would serve same type of purpose as splatter guard No opinion
Trivet Yes, in conjunction with placemat Worked well
Pot grabber No No opinion
Utensil mat (or spoon drip) Yes Worked well
Jar opener Yes Aided in jar opening

When Vicki received the packs of Micro Easy Grab silicone disks, she was initially surprised that they came individually wrapped.

This was because she had seen a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xplFnx3Chdc) of these products being sold on QVC in packs of two.

Updated

Vicki researched these items on Amazon.com and found that some vendors are selling these disks for around USD$30 each as of January 2016.

Upon searching further, Vicki found this product (and similar ones) for sale on sites like HomeDepot.com (search for name) and HobbyLobby.com (search for “silicone”) for much less money.

Here are two listings for Micro Easy Grab products on Amazon.com, with which we have an affiliate relationship.

Vicki likes using the Micro Easy Grab and uses them every day.

Although she did not use the disks for all of the 8 uses listed on this page, she was pleased with how well they worked and looks forward to using them in the future.

The compact nature and multi-purpose functionality of these devices make them useful for professional truck drivers who want to prepare meals and cook food in their trucks.

They should be stored with other kitchen-type products and not come in contact with truck-related products.


Return from Micro Easy Grab Review: 8-in-1 Silicone Kitchenware Disks to our Product Reviews page or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.