Most helpful customer reviews

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful.
Jamie's Shaker
By M. Weaver
I was given one of these shakers as a Christmas gift while in Australia. It is really good, but you do have to be very careful to make sure it is connected together properly before shaking. I didn't - I was crushing some flax seeds and the ball smashed pieces of the plastic case away. It was VERY easy to make this mistake, and now the locking mechanism is badly damaged. However, it is great for crushing seeds and nuts; making a 'paste' from parsley or coriander (cilantro) leaves etc. I recommend it - but do take care it is 'locked' before shaking!

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful.
kind of sort of works
By R. Cane Questions
I bought this based partly on the glowing review in Cook's Illustrated, and partly because it looked like a way to control how finely I ground my spices. Some four months later, after extensive use, I find myself throwing up my hands because it does not do what I'd like it to do. For example:

Peppercorns or coriander: I wanted to get coarsely cracked corns. What I find is a mix of pulverized corns and uncracked corns. I suppose that they average to coarsely cracked, but averaging is not what I had in mind.

Garlic or fresh herbs (such as rosemary): bruised rosemary would be fine; unblemished rosemary after 3 minutes of shaking is not. Garlic does not turn to a paste (as desired), but emerges slightly bruised. A chef's knife would have done that better and faster.

Star anise and cumin seed: apparently the equivalent of kryptonite for the shaker.

Fennel seed: finely ground power. This one worked!

Juniper berries: somewhat mashed; not as efficient as the side of a cleaver, however.

All in all, the hype and the reality did not match. The principle sounds fine; I wish reality kept up with thoery. If you listen to music while you cook, it does give a good back beat, so all is not lost.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful.
Cracked after 3 uses...
By Rawhide
I like Jamie, but mate, this thing cracked after 3 uses. First 2 times use was garlic and green chilli, then I tried some cumin and noticed a crack in the bottom. This is likely a one-off or batch issue with the molded plastic, but very is disappointing nevertheless. Its expensive too - $25!.