KochBlume Stretch-ii Lids

At the Frankfurt show in 2014 I came across Charles Viancin and his lids. They were made of silicone and in a variety of sizes. It was such a simple product that it almost took my breath away in how effective it was (and is) and in what it did: why hadn’t someone come up with something like this before? Anyway, the link with the Stretch-ii lids is that they are also silicone and fill a gap not really filled by the excellent Viancin product.

Multipurpose lids

When I saw these Stretch-ii lids in London a few months ago they immediately appealed to me. I love colour and they come in 6 colours and 6 sizes, a different colour in each one. So, what’s so good about a lid that stretches? It performs the task that a missing lid does, it stops you having to use cling film, the small ones work as bottle stoppers, in Banstead Jeanne half-filled a mug with water, put a lid over and made a leak proof seal. You can also use them on half a lemon or onion, grapefruit or even avocado, and the larger size will cover quite large bowls (although here you are entering Viancin territory as well).

There is a knack to putting them on at first, but using the natural “stickiness” of silicone, you’ll soon get the knack. So they have an advantage in some ways over the smaller Viancin lids (their main competition I think) because they grip the jar or bowl with an airtight, liquid tight seal that can’t be knocked off. I mention that because when discussing this earlier with Vicky and Paul in Reigate, Vicky made the valid point that in a crowded fridge you can sometimes knock off a Viancin lid. The Stretch-ii will not only remain firmly in place but allow you to put another bowl on top.

Now, Babette has just reminded me that when she does Mediterranean Peppers there’s a requirement, after charring the peppers to leave them in a moist environment that later allows her to peel the peppers effortlessly, thus saving her lots of money (Med peppers are expensive!) and gives her huge satisfaction.

The stretchy lid here is just the right thing to do this with. These lids come in 6 sizes from a modest 4cm right up to 20cm and price wise start at £1.99 and go up to £15. So not cheap, I think, but are very “Green” being made of silicone (no plastics here) and indeed no packaging, just to make the "Green" point, though it makes labelling them difficult as nothing sticks to them! They are also very tough and although not indestructible they do stretch a long way before you’ll tear one.

An all-round good product that is well thought through, convenient and ecologically sound…ticks lots of boxes for me.

Shop KochBlume Stretch-ii Lids