How we research
An honest account of what we do — and what we don't.
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What we do
- Compare specifications side-by-side — steel, dimensions, construction, and features from official product pages and retailer listings.
- Track real pricing — MSRP and street prices across major retailers, updated as the market moves.
- Read real user reviews by the thousand — across retailers and cooking communities, looking for patterns rather than cherry-picked praise.
- Rate honestly — our scores weigh build quality, value, and consistent user evidence. No product starts with a perfect score.
- Revisit regularly — products evolve and prices move; we update our comparisons when the market shifts.
What we don't do
- We don't claim hands-on testing we haven't done. Our comparisons are built on specifications, pricing, and aggregated user evidence — never on tests we didn't perform. When a claim would require hands-on use, we rely on documented evidence instead.
- We don't accept paid placements. A rating cannot be bought, and rankings are never for sale.
- No paid rankings, ever. Nothing decides a score except documented specs and real user evidence.
How to read our ratings
Ratings run from 1 to 10 and reflect our research-based assessment: verified specifications, construction quality, value for money, and the consistency of real user feedback. A 9+ means exceptional across the board. An 8+ means excellent with minor trade-offs. We publish the pros and cons behind every score so you can judge for yourself.
Why trust this?
Because we show our work instead of asking for blind faith. Every comparison lays out the specs, the evidence, and the trade-offs — so you can examine everything yourself.