If you are finicky about your brownies, Rapid Brands’ Rapid Brownie Maker is not for you.

But if you enjoy a fudgelike, chocolaty treat, give the product a try.

I tested several brownie mixes — Betty Crocker Low-Fat Fudge, Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge, Pillsbury Gluten-free Chocolate Fudge with chocolate chips and Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate — because the brownie maker boasts “Perfect brownies in 4 minutes vs. 30 minutes in the oven!” every time.

While all the boxes delivered chocolaty goodness, they lacked brownielike texture. Hot out of the microwave, all the mixes produced a crumbly cake (yummy with ice cream) instead of a brownie.

After they cooled, five to 10 minutes later, the dark brown pieces were more dense and brownie-ish than cake-like.

About 30 minutes later (about the time it takes to bake brownies in an oven), the pieces varied in denseness. Some of the testers didn’t mind, saying the firm treat was super fudgelike. Some likened it to the hard edges of oven-baked brownies. But one said the brownie was hard and rubbery, refusing to eat it. You’ll have to be the judge.

How it works: The kit comes with a pan and measuring box. Pour water, oil and brownie mix into the labeled compartments of the measuring box, filling to each appropriate line. There is also a compartment for the egg, but I didn’t use it. Instead I dumped the three basic ingredients into the baking pan and then added the egg. Stir, then microwave for 3-1/2 minutes.

Pros: There’s no wasted brownie mix; all of the brownie mixes I tried made two pans of brownies. Even when the amount of mix was a little short, that didn’t affect the outcome. The handles of the pan didn’t get hot, so as long as I didn’t touch the pan itself, I didn’t need potholders. Dishwasher safe and BPA free.

Cons: It’s a little cumbersome to flip out all the ingredients into the pan. It would be better to have separate spoons for the oil and water and then a “fill brownie mix to here” line in the pan. Also, I overfilled the water compartment after measuring out the brownie mix and oil, so I had to get a small spoon (an eye dropper would have been better) to remove the extra liquid.

Cost and availability: I bought mine from Wal-Mart for $5. Also available online at target.com (around $5), amazon.com (about $7) and other sites.

Worth it?: For $5 it’s well worth it.

Got a gadget that you love? Or, are you curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813.