Showing posts with label kitchen gadgets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kitchen gadgets. Show all posts
Friday, November 2, 2012
These are a few of my favorite things... zester/grater
A zester beyond all zesters.
The Microplane grater; I love this thing. It is SUPER sharp, pretty inexpensive at about $12, and is incredibly versatile. It will grate Parmesan into fluffy mounds (bye bye Kraft cheese-like dust!), grate chocolate into a gorgeous powdery topping, grate fresh nutmeg (WOW!) or ginger (I hate mincing), and zest any citrus to perfection. Take care when cleaning; the back is very sharp because it is such a thin piece of metal, so don't slice your hand open!
Monday, October 1, 2012
These are a few of my favorite things... Dutch Oven
Le Creuset, eat your heart out.
I so badly wanted a dutch oven. I NEEDED a dutch oven. I had to have something that I could start on the stove and transfer to the oven to finish without worrying about what temps were okay and handles that might melt off. Not to mention a large pot that wasn't non stick. I needed to create a fond once in a while, like for a soup or something, but I just can't bear metal pans that I burn everything to. I wanted an enameled version instead of the traditional cast iron, so I didn't have to worry about acidic foods reacting with the metal and making an icky taste. At the size I wanted (5.5 or 6 quarts at least!), a Le Creuset would run me about $300. Even at the discount "seconds" store. Ouch. So I did some sleuthing and found another company that has made the cast iron version for a long time, and recently did an enameled version. I actually bought it at Walmart for $50 (not available there anymore, but amazon has them on prime) and I have fallen in love. It may not last for 4 generations as the famed french version, but I can afford to buy 6 for the cost of one frenchie. The Lodge Color dutch oven has worked amazingly well, and I have not been kind to it. Against the manufacturer's recommendation, I even took it camping and used it over an open fire. I have had it at least 3 years now, I use it at least once a week, and no chips. There is some staining and the enamel has crackled inside, but it is only cosmetic. At first, the cracking of the enamel on the bottom worried me. I wasn't thrilled at the idea of chunks of enamel coming off in my food. However, it has had all that for at least 2 years, and it doesn't affect performance at all. I think its just the look of the finish that has cracked and not the actual enamel. Bottom Line: a must have for every home cook, I swear! (I also broke down and bought a traditional cast iron version for about $30 I think, and it rules, too!)
I so badly wanted a dutch oven. I NEEDED a dutch oven. I had to have something that I could start on the stove and transfer to the oven to finish without worrying about what temps were okay and handles that might melt off. Not to mention a large pot that wasn't non stick. I needed to create a fond once in a while, like for a soup or something, but I just can't bear metal pans that I burn everything to. I wanted an enameled version instead of the traditional cast iron, so I didn't have to worry about acidic foods reacting with the metal and making an icky taste. At the size I wanted (5.5 or 6 quarts at least!), a Le Creuset would run me about $300. Even at the discount "seconds" store. Ouch. So I did some sleuthing and found another company that has made the cast iron version for a long time, and recently did an enameled version. I actually bought it at Walmart for $50 (not available there anymore, but amazon has them on prime) and I have fallen in love. It may not last for 4 generations as the famed french version, but I can afford to buy 6 for the cost of one frenchie. The Lodge Color dutch oven has worked amazingly well, and I have not been kind to it. Against the manufacturer's recommendation, I even took it camping and used it over an open fire. I have had it at least 3 years now, I use it at least once a week, and no chips. There is some staining and the enamel has crackled inside, but it is only cosmetic. At first, the cracking of the enamel on the bottom worried me. I wasn't thrilled at the idea of chunks of enamel coming off in my food. However, it has had all that for at least 2 years, and it doesn't affect performance at all. I think its just the look of the finish that has cracked and not the actual enamel. Bottom Line: a must have for every home cook, I swear! (I also broke down and bought a traditional cast iron version for about $30 I think, and it rules, too!)
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
These are a few of my favorite things... garlic press
My garlic press.
I admit, I stumbled on this one. I was at a kitchen store and just happened to pick it up. It RULES. The Zyliss garlic press has a hinge on it so the garlic doesn't squirt out the sides or the back where there is a gap because of the arc in the pressing motion... If you don't understand what I am saying, go try your grandmother's garlic press. Then come back when you are covered in garlic juice and still have to mince it, and buy one of these. Its not the easiest to clean as it doesn't have one of those plug backs that forces the garlic back through all the little holes so you can remove the leftovers, but I just force it out with water pressure by putting it flush with the faucet or use a brush. I don't care if there are tiny bits left. It only gets used for garlic after all. Truly this is a staple of my kit hen. Seems like everything I make has garlic in it!
These are a few of my favorite things... cookbooks
It occurred to me the last night as I murdered yet another can with my crappy (and new... and expensive) can opener, that I have some strong opinions about products. Like most people, I'm often dismayed by items that don't perform, and a little put off by the sea of crappy choices in many categories, like appliances (both big and small). Places like amazon are great because you can read product reviews, but reading hundreds of reviews on 10 or 20 items is exhausting and leaves me with information overload, and often no clearer picture of what to buy. Personal references from friends are great but sometimes I don't know anyone to ask or my friends don't have the same needs from a product. So I thought, maybe by listing stuff I like here and why, I can help people who are like me to find reliable products that fill their needs. I am really lame, I know, but I have to try... manufacturers suck... So here is the first in a series of many (hopefully).
My favorite cookbook.
The New Best Recipe from America's Test Kitchen is fabulous on so many levels. First of all, it is HUGE (over 1,000 recipes). There are very few recipes for "normal" food that aren't in there. Second, it reads like a book, not a cookbook. Each recipe has an introduction telling a little about their expectations for the dish (which is good because if yours are different you can modify to suit you; ie: spiciness), many have preparation tips or tips on how to choose ingredients, and interspersed are product reviews on the best kitchen gadgets and tools. If you have ever seen their TV show on PBS, it reads like an episode (if you haven't, check it out!). Third, it teaches as it gives you the recipe. I have become SUCH a better cook after cooking with this book because I understand the science of food, I know new terms, and I know new techniques. Dishes I used to think were hard are commonplace meals for us now, like beef stroganoff or french onion soup. I will issue one slight word of caution. If you fall in love with this book, don't buy any more in the series. I am not sure about the light and 30 minute books, but I bought the baking book and it was all the same recipes as in this one, with maybe a handful of new ones. This book is all you need. My friend recommended it to me and she lovingly calls it "the bible" and its kinda true. Its a reference book as well as a recipe book. I LOVE IT!
Note: I don't get money from these people. Although I do GIVE them a lot, buying these things for myself and as gifts for people I like...
My favorite cookbook.
The New Best Recipe from America's Test Kitchen is fabulous on so many levels. First of all, it is HUGE (over 1,000 recipes). There are very few recipes for "normal" food that aren't in there. Second, it reads like a book, not a cookbook. Each recipe has an introduction telling a little about their expectations for the dish (which is good because if yours are different you can modify to suit you; ie: spiciness), many have preparation tips or tips on how to choose ingredients, and interspersed are product reviews on the best kitchen gadgets and tools. If you have ever seen their TV show on PBS, it reads like an episode (if you haven't, check it out!). Third, it teaches as it gives you the recipe. I have become SUCH a better cook after cooking with this book because I understand the science of food, I know new terms, and I know new techniques. Dishes I used to think were hard are commonplace meals for us now, like beef stroganoff or french onion soup. I will issue one slight word of caution. If you fall in love with this book, don't buy any more in the series. I am not sure about the light and 30 minute books, but I bought the baking book and it was all the same recipes as in this one, with maybe a handful of new ones. This book is all you need. My friend recommended it to me and she lovingly calls it "the bible" and its kinda true. Its a reference book as well as a recipe book. I LOVE IT!
Note: I don't get money from these people. Although I do GIVE them a lot, buying these things for myself and as gifts for people I like...
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Food slicer fun
I think I mentioned that I like kitchen gadgets. Well, the newest one in my repertoire is my food slicer. It is a totally fluffy, unnecessary kitchen gadget, but holy crap has it proven its usefulness. I was a little skeptical at first, driven away by high prices and bad reviews. But hubby and I were at JC Penney the other day and I decided to go ahead and take the plunge (on sale of course) for around $55.
I have long had a v-slicer (a cheapy version of a mandoline) which essentially does the same thing, but did not have an adjustable blade, has a much narrower blade, and takes a lot more muscle. The v-slicer faced some serious limitations. For one, I had to cut things down to make them fit the limited width of the blade. One of my favorite dishes is French Onion Soup, and slicing 3 lbs of onions into 1/8" slices with a knife with ANY kind of consistency is near impossible, not to mention the strain on your tear ducts. A v-slicer makes this much easier, but large red onions are too big to fit in the handle or over the blade, forcing me to cut them in half, which ruins the aesthetics of my soup (I never claimed to be sane), not to mention, an onion cut in half tends to pop out its inner rings, making wrangling the things even harder. Another, more significant limitation was its inability to cut things like meat and cheese. For anything that caused major friction across the blade, it took more force than I was able to give it to get a slice, and even if I did manage, they came out all wrinkled up and uneven. And of course, because I did not have a true mandoline, my slice width was not adjustable. Rather than spend $70 for a nice mandoline that still suffered from the first two limitations, I decided to try a cheap version of an electric slicer.
I got the Cook's brand from JC Penney (their house brand I believe) because it was on sale and I saw it on display and it looked reasonably sturdy and useful. It adjusts from about 1/8"-5/8" slices, and is on a dial, so although each number on the dial corresponds to a 1/8" increment, it can do anything in between as well. I think if I tested it with something a little more sturdy I could even get less than 1/8", but I have not tried with success yet. To test it out, I made French onion soup which requires the aforementioned sliced red onions as well as sliced swiss cheese for the yummy broiled topping. I didn't try slicing the baguette that is also used for the soup since it is cut on the bias and would be a pain to keep even in the slicer and I only needed 4 pieces, but bread is supposedly sliceable as well.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are my results:
Beautiful, even slices. Quick, simple operation. It worked like a champ. I had all the onions done before the butter foamed in my dutch oven. I had all the cheese done before I even thought about it. And of course, I was jumping up and down, squealing with joy at how cool it was the whole while. Poor hubby... Intrigued, I tried it on some provolone I had wanted to slice for sandwiches.
Cutting the round food was a little harder, but other than some slightly jagged edges, I couldn't see any fault with them, either. I wanted to try it on some meat, but I didn't have anything handy, so I will have to post again with some ham and roast beef.
All was not perfect, though. There is some waste for each item you cut, because the slicer cannot get in that last slice very well (that's the one you lose fingers on with a knife). Also, because the back of the slicer is made of silver plastic and not metal, it flexes under pressure and can make some uneven slices, although it was well within the limit of acceptability for me. This did result in awkward shaped rinds left over though. The v-slicer has the same issue, so I wasn't too dismayed. I also did have a little problem keeping even pressure on the pusher so that it fed evenly without bending that plastic piece back too much. I needed an extra hand almost so that the food stayed in place and slid back and forth correctly. I did manage to wedge a piece of swiss down into the mechanism once when I tried to get that one last slice. It was easy to retrieve, but I felt like an idiot for getting it stuck. (of course I turned the blade OFF before sticking my hand in there!)
As for everything else, it was pretty great. The blade comes off for easy cleaning, as does the plastic pusher, and everything else just required a wipe down with a washcloth or sponge. The cheese left a little film of cheesy goodness on everything, but unless you let it dry on there, I don't see it being an issue to wipe off. All in all, it outperformed my expectations. I half expected it not to cut through cheese without leaving a mangled mess. I am sure it works better on harder cheeses than the softer ones I tested it on, so I am glad to report even the softer ones held up pretty well.
My main motive was to save money by slicing my own lunch meat and cheese with this machine (and make it myself since I am not allowed to have deli food during pregnancy. Stupid food-borne illness). At $55 it will take a while to pay for itself, but the simplicity of the design makes other kitchen slicing tasks less of a bear and much faster, so it was totally worth it. And then of course there is its inherent coolness. I mean, who doesn't want to use a power tool? As Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor would say, "More power!" Oh, and grunt grunt.
I have long had a v-slicer (a cheapy version of a mandoline) which essentially does the same thing, but did not have an adjustable blade, has a much narrower blade, and takes a lot more muscle. The v-slicer faced some serious limitations. For one, I had to cut things down to make them fit the limited width of the blade. One of my favorite dishes is French Onion Soup, and slicing 3 lbs of onions into 1/8" slices with a knife with ANY kind of consistency is near impossible, not to mention the strain on your tear ducts. A v-slicer makes this much easier, but large red onions are too big to fit in the handle or over the blade, forcing me to cut them in half, which ruins the aesthetics of my soup (I never claimed to be sane), not to mention, an onion cut in half tends to pop out its inner rings, making wrangling the things even harder. Another, more significant limitation was its inability to cut things like meat and cheese. For anything that caused major friction across the blade, it took more force than I was able to give it to get a slice, and even if I did manage, they came out all wrinkled up and uneven. And of course, because I did not have a true mandoline, my slice width was not adjustable. Rather than spend $70 for a nice mandoline that still suffered from the first two limitations, I decided to try a cheap version of an electric slicer.
I got the Cook's brand from JC Penney (their house brand I believe) because it was on sale and I saw it on display and it looked reasonably sturdy and useful. It adjusts from about 1/8"-5/8" slices, and is on a dial, so although each number on the dial corresponds to a 1/8" increment, it can do anything in between as well. I think if I tested it with something a little more sturdy I could even get less than 1/8", but I have not tried with success yet. To test it out, I made French onion soup which requires the aforementioned sliced red onions as well as sliced swiss cheese for the yummy broiled topping. I didn't try slicing the baguette that is also used for the soup since it is cut on the bias and would be a pain to keep even in the slicer and I only needed 4 pieces, but bread is supposedly sliceable as well.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are my results:
All was not perfect, though. There is some waste for each item you cut, because the slicer cannot get in that last slice very well (that's the one you lose fingers on with a knife). Also, because the back of the slicer is made of silver plastic and not metal, it flexes under pressure and can make some uneven slices, although it was well within the limit of acceptability for me. This did result in awkward shaped rinds left over though. The v-slicer has the same issue, so I wasn't too dismayed. I also did have a little problem keeping even pressure on the pusher so that it fed evenly without bending that plastic piece back too much. I needed an extra hand almost so that the food stayed in place and slid back and forth correctly. I did manage to wedge a piece of swiss down into the mechanism once when I tried to get that one last slice. It was easy to retrieve, but I felt like an idiot for getting it stuck. (of course I turned the blade OFF before sticking my hand in there!)
 |
| Oops. Stuck cheese. Luckily that front part flips toward you for easy retrieval. |
As for everything else, it was pretty great. The blade comes off for easy cleaning, as does the plastic pusher, and everything else just required a wipe down with a washcloth or sponge. The cheese left a little film of cheesy goodness on everything, but unless you let it dry on there, I don't see it being an issue to wipe off. All in all, it outperformed my expectations. I half expected it not to cut through cheese without leaving a mangled mess. I am sure it works better on harder cheeses than the softer ones I tested it on, so I am glad to report even the softer ones held up pretty well.
My main motive was to save money by slicing my own lunch meat and cheese with this machine (and make it myself since I am not allowed to have deli food during pregnancy. Stupid food-borne illness). At $55 it will take a while to pay for itself, but the simplicity of the design makes other kitchen slicing tasks less of a bear and much faster, so it was totally worth it. And then of course there is its inherent coolness. I mean, who doesn't want to use a power tool? As Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor would say, "More power!" Oh, and grunt grunt.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)