Recently a coworker showed me the CrunchCup, a portable device that keeps your cereal crunchy even as you eat it with milk. I was so excited to try it that I put it to use right out of the box, ignoring the tiny paper of instructions. After all, it looked self-explanatory.

You’re supposed to be able to get a bite of cereal from one compartment and a sip of milk from another. On my first try, I got a mouthful of milk but no cereal. I was so disappointed. I’d had such high hopes.

My cousin tried next, also without reading the instructions. She instinctively used her lower lip to cover the hole where the milk came out, poured some cereal into her mouth and then moved her lip to let the milk flow.

After trying my cousin’s method I started getting the hang of it, to the point where I could get some cereal and a slow stream of milk into my mouth at the same time. I was beginning to love this cup.

Then I read the instructions. I am such a doofus. All we had to do was place a finger “over the breather hole opposite the milk spout” to regulate the flow of milk. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Now I do love this cup!

HOW IT WORKS

Fill the cup’s outer chamber with milk. I found filling it to the bottom or middle of the N in the word “crunch” will give you a full glass of milk once the inner chamber is inserted.

Pop out the white cap in the lid and screw the inner chamber to the lid. Fill with cereal (it holds slightly more than a cup, or one single-serve box). Replace the white cap by fitting the three grooves in the cap over the tongues in the lid. Make sure everything is screwed on tightly.

Kept separate from the milk, the cereal stays crisp.

DOES IT WORK?

Yes! Especially if you read the instructions first.

PROS

Portable. Fits in standard car cup holders. Easy to clean. Dishwasher safe. BPA free. If purchased from thecrunchcup.com, 5% of profits goes to the hunger relief agency Feeding America, and in October 10% goes to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The lids come in pink, blue and yellow. For most of my tests the milk- to-cereal ratio worked out.

CONS

No cover, so if tipped it will spill. My cousin didn’t love the cup because she said it only works with certain cereals. We tried it with Cocoa Krispies, thinking the smaller kernels would pour out easier. But some of the cereal spilled outside my mouth.

It worked great with Fruit Loops, so cereals of similar shape should work the same. Raisin Bran did OK, too. With Corn Pops, three pieces got stuck and I had a hard time shaking them into my mouth.

My cousin also noted that with cereals such as Raisin Bran or Lucky Charms she wouldn’t have control over the raisin- or marshmallow- to-cereal ratio. She said getting a lot of raisins in one mouthful would make it too sweet.

COST AND AVAILABILITY

The pink-lid cup is on sale for $16 at thecrunchcup.com, while the yellow is $18.95 and blue is $20. Note: While the site says shipping is free in the United States, I was charged $6 shipping for two cups. Amazon.com offers the yellow-lid cup for $20 plus tax and shipping.

WORTH IT?

I think so. It might be pricey, especially since we’re not really on the go right now. But I’ll be ready when the world goes back to normal. I can use it to tote other snacks, too, such as blueberries with iced tea.

Got a gadget that you love? 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.