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See why.Tablet Stands and Covers
Which product would you trust to protect your iPad, Kindle, or other tablet in the kitchen?
Published Jan. 1, 2014. Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2014, America's Test Kitchen TV Season 15: Mahogany Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
What You Need To Know
Bringing slim, portable tablets into the kitchen puts online recipes at your fingertips—but also places the pricey gadgets within range of splatters and sticky hands. Tablet stands promise to protect and prop up the flat computers for easy reference. There are also plastic covers and bags that act as protective sleeves. We fitted various tablets (including the iPad, iPad mini, and multiple Kindles) with five products—stands, covers, or a combo of both (priced from about $10 to about $68)—to see how well they stood up to the challenges of a busy kitchen. And because the covers resembled the plastic zipper-lock bags we already keep on hand, we added those to the mix, too. We pounded pork chops to see if the stands would rattle; stuffed the plastic covers with paper cut to tablet size, sealed them, and submerged them in water for 5 minutes, noting any leaks; and simply used the stands and covers as directed as we read recipes.
Problems were rife. One stand hogged counter space; some protective covers failed to fit every tablet; and worst of all was the plastic guard on the bottom-ranked stand that rendered the touch screen unresponsive. But there were some keepers, too, like one stand that included an ultraresponsive stylus. One quibble: While the screen was shielded, the power and volume buttons were not.
Best of all was the combination of one particular stand and a plain old zipper-lock bag. The stand featured well-placed grips that secured every device we tried, a small footprint, and a neat foldable design, and the bag shielded the screen at least as well as tablet-specific covers (we taped back excess plastic to create a snug fit and punched holes for charger wires).
Note: Because we did not evaluate every product under the same standards—for instance, plastic bags were not rated for stability—we indicated in the chart where rating categories did not apply with a dash.
Everything We Tested
Recommended
- Value: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Usability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Protection: NaN stars out of 3.
This inexpensive stand folds up smaller than a remote control yet expands to fit everything from an iPad mini to a notebook-size tablet. Its lightweight plastic body wasn’t completely sturdy, though pounding a pork cutlet right next to it didn’t rock our tablet out of the stand. Our winning combination was pairing this tablet stand with a plastic zipper-lock storage bag.
- Value: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: NaN stars out of 3.
- Usability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Protection: 3 stars out of 3.
Everyday plastic storage bags offer at least as much protection as tablet-specific covers for a fraction of the price—they cost as much as 20 times less. The downside: Zipper-lock bags don’t hug devices quite as tightly, but they are still watertight and can be taped back for a snugger fit. Our winning solution was pairing a zipper-lock bag with the Arkon Portable Fold-Up Stand for Tablets.
- Value: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Usability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Protection: 2.5 stars out of 3.
This model is stable and compatible with many devices, and its narrow, ultraresponsive stylus clicked exactly where we pointed it. One design flaw: Exposed buttons could get grimy.
Recommended with reservations
- Value: 1 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Usability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Protection: 3 stars out of 3.
This sturdy stand was by far the handsomest we tested—but also the biggest, heaviest (8 pounds), and most expensive, thanks to an odd-size cutting board that rests behind it. It’s practical only for cooks with money and counter space to spare.
- Value: 1 stars out of 3.
- Stability: NaN stars out of 3.
- Usability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Protection: 3 stars out of 3.
Because these plastic sheaths are tailored to specific tablets, there’s nary a baggy spot in sight. That’s a nice perk, but not one that’s worth the money when regular zipper-lock bags offer just as much protection for much less money. Also notable: While the iPad sleeve fit all iPad models, the Kindle version didn’t fit newer, wider HD tablets.
Not Recommended
- Value: 2 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Usability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Protection: 1.5 stars out of 3.
This cookbook holder supposedly doubles as a tablet stand and protector—except that the touch screen doesn’t work through the clear plastic splatter guard, which requires two hands to flip down to access the device. Plus, the guard is short; only tablets less than 8 inches tall are fully covered.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
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