To be fair, the site did have (as recently as September 2006) a Flash-fueled intro page that could be skipped with a click. But we prefer the current iteration, where oxo.com immediately delivers a homepage that highlights one product prominently and two others less so.

There's not much to say about the way the brand's products are displayed, and that's a good thing. The categories—and in some cases, subcategories—are organized better than the average person's flatware or utility drawer. Product descriptions include clearly written copy (such as an impressive 144 words about OXO's holder for a spare roll of toilet paper) and, in the case of products like one of the ergonomic can openers, a few images of the gadget in action. Where applicable, an icon tells you whether the product is dishwasher-safe or heat-resistant. (Apparently, I should have been washing that Wooden Turner by hand all these years.)

One can dig even further in this section to learn more about what the brand is, well, about. In fact, there's a subsection called "What We're About," which extols the virtues of universal design, which is at the heart of every tea kettle, knife, and storage container. The About section also includes a profile of OXO's founders, plus a list of the salad-spinner-full of awards garnered by the gadgets since 1991.

More important for those who actually use the products is the robust customer service section. In addition to the site's e-commerce functionality, which is helpful because not every brick-and-mortar store sells every OXO product, non-US customers can scan the list of international locations (from Sweden to South Africa to Saudi Arabia) where the products are distributed. For anyone who's filled out an online form and wondered into which void it's fallen, it's a relief to read OXO's note promising that "every effort" will be made to respond within two business days.

A surprising section features recipes from a few up-and-coming chefs you might have heard of: Mario Batali, Jacques Pépin, and some lady named Julia Child. What makes this section refreshing—besides Rick Tramonto's watermelon cube with aged balsamic vinegar—is that the recipes are not written (or rewritten) to pimp the OXO products (e.g., "scoop the watermelon flesh with the OXO Melon Baller"); they're simply there to enjoy.

Like the experience of opening a dented can of tuna, however, the site has a few noticeable skips. Though seven brands fall under the OXO aegis, one cannot search under an individual brand. That is, while the SteeL brand Jar Opener is listed with the other openers, one can't find a list of just SteeL-branded products. (More than a few of us are anal about consistency in their kitchen accessories.) Typing "SteeL" into the search box delivers not just SteeL products, but stainless steel products, too. We don't learn much about what sets apart each OXO brand.

The "What's New" section could stand a bit of pruning. While the list of more than 80 "new" products illustrates the brand's dedication to constant innovation, perhaps focusing on one or two, as the site does on the homepage, would be a better way to spread the news.

(While we're picking nits, the section on Insight tea kettles is blank. Very little insight there.)

But just as an OXO can opener will likely remove that stubborn tuna-can lid, the brand's website—despite a few harmless dents—delivers a brand message as sleek as stainless steel.