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See why.Electric Wine Openers
Are electric wine openers really handy or just another gimmicky gadget?
Published May 1, 2009. Appears in Cook's Illustrated May/June 2009, America's Test Kitchen TV Season 10: Egg Dishes with an Accent
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See Everything We TestedWhat You Need To Know
It sounds like something that Q would give James Bond: Press a button, and presto, the wine uncorks. But are electric wine openers really handy or just another gimmicky gadget? We placed three cordless, rechargeable models atop bottles with natural as well as synthetic corks. A push of the button on each model sent the corkscrew spiraling down into the cork, then pulled it out—a process that took 12 seconds or less, depending on the brand. The opener with the fastest-moving corkscrew wasn’t sturdy enough to drill straight into the cork. It entered at an angle, rattling and jerking and making it difficult to maintain a firm grip on the bottle. Our favorite has a broader base that lets the device rest firmly on the bottle, and its sturdy, quieter corkscrew minimized wobbling. This opener works just as well, and with far less effort, as our favorite manual tool—making it a great for opening multiple bottles for a party.
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
This opener had a slow but steady corkscrew that drilled straight into the cork and removed it without wobbling the bottle or making us struggle to keep it or the bottle in place.
Recommended
This opener removed corks effectively, yet it was significantly louder than the others. Slightly less sturdy than the Waring Pro, it caused us to hold the bottle to ensure it wouldn’t wobble away.
Not Recommended
The fastest-moving corkscrew was the least sturdy and couldn’t go straight down into the cork. Once it hit the cork, it went awry, causing the device to struggle and jerk the bottle out of our hands.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
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