Victorio VKP1013 Round Three-Tray Kitchen Seed Sprouter
by Victorio Kitchen Products
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List Price: Our Price: $10.00 You Save: $9.95 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Victorio VKP1013 Round Three-Tray Kitchen Seed Sprouter
Customer Review: Garden of Miracles
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased one of these sprouters to include in my provisions for a 4-month bicycle trip from Mexcio to Panama. At first I was a bit concerned about the ruggedness of what seemed like clear brittle plastic. All but one survived to the end, enduring all kinds of stresses. And it performed absolutely great! See the additional product pictures of mung bean sprouts.
Those who gave it lesser reviews either are not keeping it level, are watering too frequently, have it in a place that is too hot or cold, and/or have chaotic kitchen cleanup programs wherein they lose any of the the four identical "little parts". No doubt these people have other problems involving lost and misplaced items. For cleaning the drainage grooves, simply use a toothbrush and some organic citrus based dish soap.
When treating your sprouting operation with the reverence of a garden... which it truly is... it works wonderfully. I now own three sets and use them produce sprouts including: kamut, buckwheat, winter wheat, mung, radish, fenugreek, broccoli, pea, sunflower. My advice is to think about the seeds would like if you were planting them in the soil. Broccoli, radish, mustard and kale and even peas, for instance, like it a bit cool. Sunflowers and basil like it a bit warmer, but you do not want direct sunlight shining on your operation for long.
Do not use municipal water. Always use the purest water you can obtain, filtered in glass. Mineral water from a well free from agricultural and other run-offs is good too. Give the sprouts the best you can offer and they will return the favor.
Happy sprouting!
Customer Review: Great sprouter -- but not fully automatic
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, first let me admit that I'm a science geek. I love the physics behind a well-designed product almost too much! Therefore, I find this product to be really, REALLY cool for different reasons than most people might care about.
I *love* the siphon technology used. In short, it allows each tray to fill (fully covering the seeds each time) before the time-delayed drain kicks in and passes the water down to the next level. I admit that I sat and watched the whole process each and every time. TOO COOL! (Again... geek speaking here!)
Now, it's not perfect or fully automatic. Sometimes the siphon caps don't dry between waterings, which means they remain "primed" and will drain immediately, not allowing the time for the tray to fill. Also, as another reviewer pointed out, small seeds like alfalfa can drift in and get lodged, also breaking the siphon seal. So, before each watering, I separate all levels, remove the caps, dry them, brush the seeds away from the hole, then replace the caps and restack the trays. This allows the watering to work as perfectly as it did the first time. The whole process takes less than a minute, so it's not a big deal. Then I sit and watch the watering process. BTW, did I say it was WAY COOL to watch? TOO COOL!
Oh, and if someone cares, after a few days, the sprouts tasted great, too... I have a "black thumb" and usually kill things I try to grow (don't even ask me about my Topsy-Turvy Tomato disaster!), but these sprouts were a complete success!
Customer Review: It is a good clean sprouter but takes long to sprout
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been looking for a sprouter for over a year, and I bought this one finally. It is a nice equipment - very clean, and easy to get the seeds to sprout. You need to soak the seeds overnight, then drain the water away and put the grains/seeds in the 3 containers. Fill the top container with water and set it on the kitchen counter. It takes about 18 hours atleast for the seeds to start sprouting. I usually start eating them after 24 hours, by which time, they are about 2-3 mm sprouted. To get to the length shown in the picture would probably take 2+ days.
Before I had this, I used to soak the seeds (Indian terms - "moong", "Chana"), drain the water, and tie them very tight in a cotton cloth, cover that bundle in a container so the heat starts the sprouting and put this container in the oven (oven is not turned on, but is warmer than the open kitchen). I got longer sprouts that way, but compared to the effort I go thru now, I can live with the shorter growth.
I would recommend getting this for anyone that loves to eat sprouted grains.
*** Update: The trays are NOT dishwasher safe. I put them in dishwasher and the first 3 or 4 washes were fine, but during the last wash, one of the trays came out warped. I would have given it 3 or 4 stars for this problem, but gave it 5, because it still works perfectly, though not as nice looking on my kitchen counter.
Customer Review: Great little sprouter!
Summary: 5 Stars
I read all the reviews before deciding on this sprouter. I've had my sprouter for about a month now, I use it daily and love it. I'm thinking about getting another so I can add more variety. I was re-using those clear plastic produce berry trays and such for sprouting prior to getting the Kitchen Crop Sprouter and it was messy, consumed a lot of space, held too much water, attracted gnats, was time consuming to maintain. With the Kitchen Crop Sprouter, I can adjust my sprouting by adding/removing trays. Once the sprouts are older and getting green I do tip the containter (block the sprouts from falling out with one hand) and drain any remaining water that didn't drain from the siphoning action. They are clean, not moldy on top or rotting roots at the bottom. I have edible, green sprouts within 4-5 days. My old method was taking a 6-8 days. The trays are easy to use and clean and I like that when stacked the sprouts are covered protecting them from insects and the ends of the roots drying out. When I'm not after the added chlorophyll the green sprouts offer I will use the sprouts when they have just gotten the tails in my smoothies and can obtain this level of sprout within 2-3 days. So far I've sprouted small alfalfa size seeds to sunflower and wheat berries with equal ease and success. Did I already mention... I love my new little sprouter!Customer Review: don't wait get one
Summary: 5 Stars
Off and on I've sprouted for years.
It works great, put in a tablespoon of spouts in a section, pour water in the top until about half full, it drains down. Each section has ridges to keep some moisture there but not enough to lead to rot. Water it twice a day.
Keep it clean, use fresh water each time, and check it about 15 minutes after putting in the water to make sure the water has drained down. A couple of times the water got stuck and tapping my finger under the hole got it flowing.
Typically the seeds start sprouting within a day, and by day two or three are ready. The instructions say to put in one tablespoon of seeds and that is the right amount. It seems like such a small amount but more really is too much.
Chances are your local co-op food store will be a good source for seed.
March 27, 2011 update
Still using it, and still recommend it. Experience has shown that depending upon the type of seed and need it is best to adjust the quantity. If you use too much it grows into a tangled mess, too little and you run out of sprouts. Keeping it clean is real important and let it dry before starting the next batch. After some experience it is easy to keep a variety of fresh sprouts on hand. My favorite use is in sandwiches, and then salads.