17 years in bars, nightclubs and restaurants and ive never seen a square strainer 🤣

Honestly the ice crusher had great comedic timing, just dribbles of water and then _POW_ ice shower everywhere!

As a bartender I must mention that it is a damn weirdly shaped strainer

I love that he liked the muddler so much, he used it to one-up the next device.

Maybe the “left hand oiled up test” could be redesigned to be the “drunken left hand oiled up test”

Come on! Admit it! You're just trying to make him drunk. First wine, now bartending.

Next on epicurious: Dan testing gadgets to get rid of a hangover.

As someone who paralysed his left arm, which never fully recovered, I really appreciate the slippery hand test!

lets be honest, this is a reasonable demonstration on how most kitchen gadgets are absolute trash

Det. Briscoe: "Do we have a cause of death on the bartender?" Dr. Rodgers: "Blunt force trauma, probably muddled to death."

*Finally Dan has been designing kitchen gadgets for 40 years now!*

Dan should do antique kitchen gadgets! I've always see them everywhere and it seem to be a better version of current gadgets. Which I am not surprised sense they are purposely made to be cheap just so they can break and forces you to buy more.

My mom had this ice crusher. I can’t tell you how many times it fell over and the crushed ice fell everywhere.

There's a detail with metalware that wasn't explained too much, but when those get cold they contract more than plastic or glass (or, well, uncolded metal). So when things get iced, it can stuck with other pieces. In the shaker is a good thing, because it doesn't drip. But the ice crusher gets difficult to get open after used.

I love this series so much and I can't really put my finger on why. Dan is just so straightforward while still being personable.

the "woooaaahhh that's gonna be a good mojito" on the heavy pour got me 😂

He really loves that badass muddler

The last thing a faulty product hears before its death: *"Time to oil up"*

his "woahs" were the best part!

If you want a simple, cheap, effective ice crusher there's always the mallet and Lewis bag.

gotta love when "just a stick" and "just two cups" are demolishing overengineered appliances.

12:42 don’t know why that was so hilarious to me but I LOLED.

Can't really blame the seltzer bottle for lack of carbonation. That really has to do with temperature of the water, how much you shake it, how long you let it sit, etc.

Just because you seemed confused at the purpose of the spring - the spring is actually what's doing the straining here. The holes in a strainer like that are large and don't do much - So when you think about it not fitting well, you must consider the real important part is that the spring is tight & meets the sides of the shaker.

The spring on the strainer is to hold ice back. You shake the soda siphon as you SLOWLY add the CO2.

probably should have left the seltzer longer and shook it for most carbonation.

"Worse than a bloody hand is an oiled one." -Gadget Developers

When I was a kid, my parents had a similar ice crusher to that. Except it had a lever-action suction cup on the bottom and latches to hold the otherwise loose lid in place. It wouldn't move at all when engaged and would come apart at the slightest touch when you wanted it to.

Speaking as a lefty with dyspraxia, it was borderline traumatic watching him try to use/open that ice crusher, lol.

The seltzer bottle isn't instant. It takes time for the carbon dioxide to dissipate into the space of the water from the pressure. Not really a fair compare. It's the literal OG soda stream with 98% less waste.

The first test. That Bond vibes, it suits you well Mr Formosa. Just perfect.

I like how this series has devolved into "how can we get paid to drink on the job?" 😅

THIS GUY. I'm always happy to see Mr. Formosa!

If this is testing what the average person with no technique would do, it's a good test. Any pro bartender knows that you don't grip any muddler like that. The rounded top is the end you grip, and you hold it against the palm of your hand and push down to crush.

Epicurious is building up a really likeable team of people and formats. Love it.

Coming from a bartender you have to hit your shaker on the sealed edge and then it releases you can’t just try to pull them apart. The way he made the mojito really bothered me 😅

Idk why lots of the bartenders are frustrated. We’re not all professionals, or drink very often!

“Vod-cur” I love regional American accents.

"you should wear gloves" - when it's too cold to hang on to comfortably that's when you know it's shaken enough! It's a feature, not a flaw!

What I find interesting about this is that the choice of devices ranges from the exact same tools that some of the pickier pros use to hilariously bad products designed for people who are afraid to hit ice with a hammer. There are some re-designs of the cocktail shaker which have some type of improvement over either the cobbler or the Boston design, but I have my doubts as to whether any of them are worth their increased price tags given that you can get a full set of (some of) the best shaking tins in the world for under 20 bucks.

Friendly reminder that he did not need to use real booze for this he just did it because he wanted to

Just a comment on the ISI sofa siphon, if you’re making multiple drinks at once then the soda siphon is better as you don’t have to open multiple bottles and reduce plastic waste. If you also make the water cold and shake the siphon like it saids then you carbonation will be much much better

I've broken a few glasses while bartending muddling with metal muddlers. It's not even the weight, it just feels like if you knock it at the angle it'll crack a glass. I've always preferred wooden muddlers.

15:30 "HEY SQUIDWARD!" "Patrick! Your glass is full!"

CO2, like anything else you want to add to water must be dissolved into the water. You got some dissolved when the water agitated during the charging process, but you must shake the bottle to get the pressurized CO2 to dissolve into the water and create a seltzer.

The reason Bond orders his drink shaken is so more ice melts and his drink weaker, while he is on the job.

Trying to watch these videos at night is like staring into the sun with the white background.

As a bartender I have the need to tell you I'm a bartender

I've used iSi whipping siphons for carbonating drinks and it always required two cartridges. First charge with one charge, then let all the air out so all the air is replaced with CO2, then put in another charge and shake it a little bit. Then it's properly carbonated. Works great with homemade cola-syrup, water and rum for example as you get a lot more carbonation than you would get from adding regular rum to the cola. On a festival I was working we had kegs with the same principle but then with gin and tonic. The fully carbonated kegs tasted a lot better than adding gin to tonic by hand while maintaining the same mixing ratio. The carbonation really adds something to the mix.

“Vodker”

Worked with one of those manual ice crushers for years. There's a nuanced art to using it that is not immediately obvious. Momentum is important for crushing the ice. Allowing the ice to skirt the blades to allow yourself to pickup speed before the ice catches is a big part of using it quicker. It can stall out like you experienced but you can mitigate that with the power you get from experience. You need to put a decent weight onto the top to prevent the tipping when it stalls, but it's way easier to just use one as opposed to crushing ice with a muddler all the time. To dislodge the lid from the base, a palm tap along the join normally does the trick. Failing that, a slight jab against the lever. It looks built to take that abuse. They probably designed it like this because most bartenders constructing cocktails would have that muscle memory from dislodging glassware from the metal mixing cups. You need to shake the ice - palm taps on the base and give it a quick shake - before trying to pour it out. When you pour it out, you need to tap the base on the side to control the ice flow. The flared base would get in the way when attempting to dislodge ice and would reduce it's durability in a professional scenario. The curve in the handle wouldn't make a difference; we normally applied down pressure with the palm and used the finger tips to return it back to tdc. That extra flare would just hurt fingers/palms and I'd probably end up cracking it off for comfort. In fairness, the rubber pads are a good idea, and the pour spout I can picture it kind-of working but it's redundant if you're allowing the ice to remain clumped when pouring it out. Shake it apart before tapping it out using the corner of the base; that's why they're rounded. The spout, if not covered, would allow ice to fall out when the unit wobbles during use for large batches (have had it happen to me with broken units that left the base with an opening up the top). From a home users perspective your ideas definitely hold some merit, but they're counter-intuitive for the professionals, whom that item is designed for. We also had a very similar stone muddler. Wasn't a huge fan and I would *never* have used it inside of glassware at work. Always in a metal mixing cup. Thumb/index over the rim of the metal cup creates a pilot hole to guide the muddler, then use your other hand to apply good power into the ingredients. You should never risk glassware in the prep area with all your open ingredients; one shatter and you're ruined. There's no way I'd use a tea towel from a bar to crush ice - they're never clean enough.

Dan said that it was 5 o'clock some where and he was right

Are we going to just ignore Mr.Dan van the Gadget tester perfect James bond villain impression ?

It's another lockdown in my country please dan is the only being that will help me through it please keep em going

😂 That's my new favourite phrase, "its 5 o'clock somewhere "

Bartender here: - i don’t know ANYONE who uses a square shaped strainer like that. In fact, the same brand actually makes the kind of design he’s referring to; i have several of the aforementioned model, and they’re great. The spring is there to hold back ice, and also give the user a degree of control over how fine or loose they want their strain to be; this is especially helpful for drinks with egg white. - please, do not shake a martini. You over-dilute your cocktail, as well as change the texture from silky and smooth, to watery. You shake to aerate, you stir to retain the clarity of the spirits you’re using. - that particular muddler is a wonderful product and even stands up to liquid nitrogen. If you hold it properly, you wouldn’t need a redesign. Also with mint you don’t want to muddle for as long as he did; you end up extracting chlorophyll along with mint oils. Just gently press the mint and it will express the oils. - don’t use an ice crushing machine. Use a Lewis bag and a hammer. It’s cheaper, way easier, and cathartic. - just buy soda water. Or make sure your water is cold as hell before you carbonate it.

Looks like he knows his way around a bar!

I don't drink but you make drinking from the isi siphon look so fun! Where's the party at?!

“Some were created while drinking” 🤣

My dad has one of these ice crushers still from the 80s but it has a rubber suction cup on the bottom which you can tighten and release with a little lever. Excellent grip on a smooth countertop and works perfectly.

I thought he was going to walk over to the fridge and press the crushed ice button 🥶 Is the fire extinguisher thingy like a SodaStream?

Nobody: Dan in every video: Maybe they should add some shape

"no mr. Bond I expect you to die" 🤣🤣🤣

the mojito from muddler test #1 is killing me lmaooo he used Sandra Lee's two shots

"It's up to you, and the glass." Your a better comedian than you'd think.

14:34 omg no wonder its so familiar, its Squidward's soda dispenser from the Naughty Nautical Neighbors episode. As a kid, I always wondered how THAT is considered soda.

Good to see this back.. luv this

Just an advice “ don’t drink and drive after this video”.

“Lets oil em up” “My aims a little off” “could have more grip”

I feel like these would be really good segmented within the video, like how some videos on youtube are? I can't recall the actual name of it. But since they're long it gives it better rewatch ability/picking up where you left off

Lovely E. I like Dan. He tries to prove his point and gives alternatives

this man is a treasure, I love him

I love this guy so much I subscribed just for him ❤️

Dan is a national treasure!

THE SUIT! This is perfect

I love how every time something just messes up he goes "wOah!" XD

You would think with this many "left hand usability tests" he would already be good at using his left hand

We all love Dan. Anyone who dares disagree can be a solid 1 on the buy rating.

My grandmother had, probably an original, ice crusher like that. It was mounted on the wall of her kitchen and I loved it. It probably didn't work all that well, but, hey! I was 5.

The videos with you in them really are the best.

I didn't think of smashing ice in a folded towel. I wonder if it works for candy canes too!

As a lefty, I appreciate the left-handed tests!

Sometimes YT's algorithm truly nails it! This channel is awesome, Dan, my honoured namesake! Not only do I get to chuckle at some of the, ehm, interesting inventions from across the pond, you also come with constructive criticism, with a balanced amount of sass. Keep up the good work, mate -- and, yes, you did indeed just score a new subscriber! 😎😉🙂

Need more of these please.

Mom! Dan the Gadget man is drinking n redesigning stuff in the kitchen again... *keeps watching*

“5 bad bar tending products walk into a bar”

I absolutely love this guy

15:56 "It's got the Moe, Larry and Curly vibe to it" Yes! I knew he reference the three stooges with the last item

I think horizontal lines would be the way too go but placing you thumb on the top would solve the problem I think

He sometimes gives me Bernie vibes for some reason

That ice crusher with the oiled lefty test, is like trying to pick up a gold bar

The manual ice shaver reminded me of my 90s Snoopy Sno-Cone machine. Truly too difficult to use physically as a small child lol. Thanks Dad for all the manpower....shoulda just bought a food processor instead 🙃

0:44 What's "vodker"? is that like vodka but even more? Lol

When was the last time frank was here?

I have a manual ice crusher I use at my bar. It’s called a burlap bag and a wooden mallet. And the way this dude uses a Boston shaker gives me ulcers.

I'm not a bartender, but my alcoholic dad had me make his drinks so I learned to make a few. You can actually strain with a Boston Shaker without needing to use a strainer, just crack the two cups and use the gap to filter out large chunks. Better if you prefer some tiny bits of crushed ice in the drink (which my dad absolutely did). It's actually faster than the "all-in-one" because the ice travels further, having the length of 2 cups rather than just 1, so it gets colder faster. The one we had had a rubber seal around the lip of the smaller cup too which made it a breeze. Easily the best shaker I have used.

The thing for soda is called sifon in argentina

I missed this guy

my understanding of the spring on the strainer is to fit different sized vessels as opposed to being statically one size. the rounded version he brings out for the redesign has a tab on the top to help you push the device forward toward the edge of the cup. this makes sure large pieces don’t get through and sits well on the edge of the cup or shaker.

For the crusher, part of the reason it's so hard to get off is that metal shrinks as it cools. The plastic should have been on the outside lip so it would slide right off after use