Category: Tools of the Trade

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Tools of the Trade

4 Kitchen Gadgets that Every Creative Home Cook Needs

4 Kitchen Gadgets that Every Creative Home Cook Needs

Some of what makes cooking fun is when you get the chance to use a range of gadgets in the kitchen. There are some kitchen tools that can be stored away and just taken out when they need to be used, or there are larger gadgets that you might start to use day in and day out, with pride of place on the countertop. No matter what kind of cook you are, there are gifts and gadgets for you and for your kitchen space. It can make cooking simpler, especially on busy days, or make cooking for others something that is much more enjoyable. But what are the must-have gadgets for the kitchen these days? Here are some things that your kitchen can’t do without.

4 Kitchen Gadgets that Every Creative Home Cook Needs

Multi-Cooker: Several Kitchen Gadgets In One

There is no getting away from the fact that there is a range of multi-cookers out there on the market. Whether you choose an Instant Pot or a Ninja Foodi, there is a range of Ninja Foodi accessories and other items that can make your multi-cooker do much more for you. They can be anything from a slow cooker to a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, a yogurt maker, and everything in-between, so for busy households, it really can be a good thing for your kitchen.

Avocado Slicer

Avocados are something that can be quite hard to open. This can be very true if you’re not too confident with a knife, and don’t want to get “avocado hand” where you cut the middle of your palm open with a sharp knife! If you do like to eat them, then having an avocado slicer is so helpful, as it will make slicing up an avocado much easier and much safer. As well as having a safer knife, there is a scoop to get the avocado out with, as well as a handy tool to get the stone out of the avocado. It just fits in your drawer so is a must for every kitchen. I received one as a wedding gift and have found it very helpful.

Collapsible Colander

All kitchens need to have a colander, whether you are washing salad or draining spaghetti, it is a definite kitchen must-have. Traditional colanders can be quite bulky, though, taking up a lot of space in your home. That is why it can be a good idea to get a collapsible colander. It does the job that any colander would do, but it collapses and folds down flat so that it can be stored easily, whether that is in a kitchen cabinet or in a drawer.

Julienne Peeler

If you are someone who likes to cook and experiment with food, then you will know just how long some recipes can take. When you have to julienne some veggies, for example, it can take a long time to get them matchstick thin. A great gadget to get for the kitchen is a julienne peeler, which will cut things like carrots and zucchini up for you, speeding things up and meaning no cutting! A simple thing that is inexpensive, but can be a great addition to the kitchen.

More on Kitchen Gadgets

Find more in the Tools of the Trade category.

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Tools of the Trade

Instapot Basics

Instapot Basics

Have you been hearing a lot about instant pots lately? I know I sure have. So I did a little digging and came up with some basic information about the instapot and what you can and shouldn’t use them for.

Instapot Basics

In this fast-paced modern world, it can be difficult to find the time to do most things other than work and sleep. With the demanding schedules of daily life and the ability to reach most people nearly 24 hours a day, it can be tough to find the time to make delicious healthy food. If you’re interested in making the leap to some carefree cooking, you might be interested in cooking with an Instant Pot.

What is an instapot?

Instapot is a Canadian brand of multicooker. A multicooker is an electronically controlled small kitchen appliance that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, steamer, rice cooker, yogurt maker, browning pan, and warming pot. The idea is to reduce the number of kitchen gadgets by consolidating a few into one piece of equipment.

How is an instapot different from other similar kitchen gadgets?

Unlike a standard pressure cooker, an instapot uses its own electricity and can be programmed up to a day in advance. Therefore it clears a burner on your stove and can, potentially, be more cost-effective.

The main difference between an instant pot and a slow cooker is that it is capable of cooking your food more quickly because of its pressure cooker function.

What can you cook in an instant pot?

There are a variety of things that you can cook in a multicooker. Here is a simple list to give you an idea:

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  • Yogurt
  • Rice
  • Risotto
  • Pilaf
  • Casseroles
  • Soup
  • Stew
  • Chili

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  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Oatmeal
  • Whole chicken
  • Baked potatoes
  • Warm salads
  • Warm dips and fondue
  • Cake
  • Puddings and custards

[/one_half_last]

What can you not cook in an instant pot?

Although you can cook a lot of things in a multicooker, there are limits to what it can do. Here are 5 things that you shouldn’t attempt to make in your instapot.

  • Deep-fried foods — they won’t get crispy
  • Cookies — ditto
  • Noodles — they create too much pressure
  • Creamy sauces — dairy tends to curdle
  • Pie — the pie crust will get too soft

There are other things that you should probably shun unless you know what you’re doing, but this is a list of things to avoid that most instapot experts agree upon.

What are the top benefits of using a multicooker?

Why would you want to own and use a multicooker? Here are three of the top reasons>

Cook food while you do other things

One of the primary reasons people shy away from cooking is the time it takes to make a good meal in the standard way. It takes time to cook food on a stovetop. With an Instant Pot, you can cook food very quickly, but you don’t have to be in the kitchen the entire time. There is a warm setting you can use for when the meal is done, so you can catch up on laundry or run a quick errand. On weekends, you can set it to cook and warm food while you complete important household tasks. The kind of freedom that a multicooker can provide is only limited by your imagination.

Makes cooking meat easier

One of the best things about a multicooker is the way that it can cook meat. Usually, meat preparation involves standing over the meat and moving it around periodically, which ties you to the task, making it very difficult to accomplish anything else during that timeframe. With an instapot, you can set it to start and stop cooking at the appropriate time and pursue other activities. Also, you can choose to cook meat without having to thaw it. All you have to do is set the timer to include the thaw time, and the Instant Pot will take care of the rest.

Save money on healthy food

Another upside to using a multicooker is the potentially massive savings on food. You won’t have to eat take out or order food in. You’ll be able to easily make fresh, healthy food at home almost as quickly (possibly even more quickly) than it would take to go out to eat.

Who should consider using an instapot?

Anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time on their hands is a good candidate for using a multicooker. However, it has a lot of benefits that are special to parents. New parents can make their own baby food, even in large batches. It also lets parents prep a meal while they aren’t busy caring for their little one and program it to cook when they are busy with the baby.

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Did I miss anything? What questions do you have about instapots? Ask in a comment below and I’ll work on another post to give you some answers.

Categories
Product Reviews Tools of the Trade

Product Review: Bamboo Cheese Board by Royal Craft Wood

Product Review: Bamboo Cheese Board by Royal Craft Wood

Bamboo has become an increasingly popular cutting surface for the kitchen. And there are a lot of benefits of using this material, which I will mention in this post. However, the main focus is the Bamboo Cheese Board by Royal Craft Wood, which I received today.

Product Review: Bamboo Cheese Board by Royal Craft Wood

Product Description: Bamboo Cheese Board

This bamboo cheese board can be used to spruce up your appetizer buffet, displaying cold cuts, cheeses or both. Because it is made of bamboo, it resists absorbing the odors of various foods, so your crackers won’t taste like gouda or prosciutto.

This particular design has a drawer with a four-piece stainless steel cutlery set inside, including a chisel knife, cheese fork, narrow-plane knife, and almond knife.

Why Bamboo?

Due to the hard density of bamboo, cutting boards made from this material are almost maintenance-free. Bamboo resists absorbing water and therefore will not warp or crack as easily as other woods. To keep your bamboo cheese board for years to come, simply follow these care recommendations:

  • Wash by hand — NOT in a dishwasher. The extreme heat can damage it.
  • Don’t let the board soak in water.
  • Wipe the board dry after washing by hand.

Also because of its hardness, bamboo resists knife scaring and therefore is less likely to have pockets where moisture, food particles, and bacteria can accumulate. This makes bamboo boards much more sanitary than boards made of other materials.

Because bamboo grows so readily, it is an easily sustainable and renewable resource. That makes products made out of bamboo more environmentally friendly.

What I Liked About Royal Craft Wood’s Bamboo Cheese Board

First off, it is the look of the board. This is a beautifully crafted cheese board that I will be proud to put on display for my guests. But it doesn’t end there.

I love the design, as well. That drawer with the cutlery set is ingenious. Until I saw this board, I had no idea cheese boards had such a feature. It makes is much easier to make sure that when you want the set, you can find it.

The quality is clearly there. The board has a certain amount of heft to it, so it feels durable. And, the little design details, such as the carved-in trays at either side for easily displaying small items (and keep them from falling off). The side handles — again carved in — make it easy to pick up off the table and carry. And the drawer is so seamlessly built-in, you wouldn’t know to look for it!

What I didn’t like about Royal Craft Wood’s Bamboo Cheese Board

This is nit-picky, but I really wish it came in some nice, protective packaging. It is such a lovely board, I would like to have said packaging around to keep it safe when not in use, and, since I’m in the middle of moving, it would make me feel more at ease that it won’t be damaged in transit.

Recommendation

If you would like a long-lasting, durable and versatile cutting board that you can tastefully display your meat and cheese appetizers on when you have company, this bamboo cheese board fits the bill. It has a lovely design, is well designed, and provides you with a handy cutlery set that is perfect for those types of occasions.

Rating for the Bamboo Cheese Board by Royal Craft Wood

[one_fifth] thumbs up [/one_fifth]

[one_fifth] thumbs up [/one_fifth]

[one_fifth] thumbs up [/one_fifth]

[one_fifth] thumbs up [/one_fifth]

[one_fifth_last] thumbs up [/one_fifth_last]

Bamboo Cheese Board

Pick up your board on Walmart.com here.

NOTE: I was reimbursed the cost of this cheese board in exchange for an honest review. If you’ve read past product reviews, you’ll know that I don’t pull my punches when I believe they are warranted. I also try to provide balanced information so you can make your own decision to read or not read the book, even if you disagree with my opinion.

Categories
Creative Cookery Product Reviews Tools of the Trade

Review: Handy Baking Club

Review of Handy Baking Club

Do you like getting cook baking stuff in the mail? Me too! So when I was asked to post a video review of the Handy Baking Club in return for a free sample, I said, “Totally!”

What: Handy Baking Club – Star Wars embossing rolling pin and The Baking Times Newsletter, Dec. 2018

Where: To be announced?

Mentioned in the video:

Product link on Amazon: Embossing rolling pin Star Wars. Wooden embossing rolling pin with Star Wars

Books about the chemistry of cooking:


Categories
Tools of the Trade

7 Unusual Kitchen Gadgets

7 Unusual Kitchen Gadgets

Everyone’s kitchen drawers are full of ordinary gadgets like peelers and potato mashers. For something a bit different, check out this list of seven unusual kitchen gadgets. At first glance, you might laugh or think they’re useless, but you just might find them indispensable in the kitchen as time goes on.

7 Unusual Kitchen Gadgets

Corn Desilker

Cleaning the silk from a fresh cob of corn is an irritating chore. The silk gets everywhere and sometimes doesn’t fully come away from the food, getting stuck in your teeth. Try a corn desilker for a smooth way to complete this job with ease. The desilker is in the shape of a ring with brushes facing inward. Just put the corn through it to clean off the silk. This can also be used for cleaning any cylindrical vegetable like cucumbers or summer squash.


Scramble Eggs Without Breaking Them

It’s possible to buy a device that lets you scramble the inside of the egg without breaking the shell. The gadget spins the egg to scramble the contents. When the egg is cooked, simply crack the shell and you have a scrambled egg ready to eat. This is almost more of a magic trick than a utensil. It will provide entertainment for your family, as well as being a practical product.

Rub Away Smells

A stainless steel bar is available which lets you get rid of the smell of onion, fish, or garlic on your hands. Just rub the bar between your hands until the smell is gone. This works by binding sulfur molecules on your hands with the stainless steel. This is a great gift for anyone who loves to cook, or for anyone who is especially sensitive to smells. You will still need to wash your hands with soap and water, but the pesky odor will be gone.

No Boring Butter

If you’re bored with pats of butter, try a gadget that curls, grates, and slices your butter. It works like a cheese slicer but is sized to fit a standard stick of butter. Decorate your family’s toast, bread, potatoes, and vegetables with artful curls of butter. The curls and thin slices are also much more spreadable than a standard pat of butter, cutting down on the problem of spreading cold butter and tearing your bread.


Helping Hands with Zipper Bags

Zipper bags are a great help in the kitchen. They can be used for storing food and leftovers and for food preparation tasks like crushing crackers. Holding a bag open to pour something in can be a difficult task if you are alone in the kitchen. It sometimes requires a great deal of creativity to get the food into the bag without making a mess. This gadget has plastic arms that hold the bag open so that liquid or food can be poured in easily.

Pancake Pourer

Kids love pancakes shaped like animals and letters, but they are difficult to pour using a standard ladle or cup. For shaped pancakes, you can buy a bottle with a special tip that makes creating a pancake as easy as writing on paper. It does take a bit of skill to write clearly, but if you put a little bit of time into it, you can make beautifully shaped pancakes. Your friends and family will be impressed.

Peel Shrimp in a Snap

Fresh shrimp is delicious, but cleaning and preparing it can be disgusting and time-consuming. Pick up a shrimp cleaner and deveiner and get everything you don’t want to eat off the shrimp in one easy step. The device works like a pair of tongs that slip inside the shell and devein the shrimp at the same time.


This list of seven quirky kitchen gadgets might help you prepare your food more easily while having fun. They would be great gifts for any home cook or a fun purchase for yourself.

About the Author

KatrinaKatrina is on the content team at www.bighivemind.com. She can be found around the web writing about health, nutrition, relationships, family and other lifestyle concerns. Katrina enjoys cooking, comedy and spending time with her adorable (but exhausting) young family.

Categories
Cooking Techniques Tools of the Trade

How To Use an Apple Peeler-Corer

close up of Pampered Chef apple peeler and corer

I may not use it all that often, but I love my apple peeler/corer. It may take a little getting used to — there are peculiarities to this gadget. But once you get the hang of it, you can cut your apple peeling and slicing chores in half — if not more. In addition, your apple slices will be more uniform and, possibly, thinner than you could achieve with a knife. If you make apple pie at least once a year, you’ll want to have one of these on hand. In this post and its accompanying video, I show you how to use one.

How to Use an Apple Peeler Corer

What Is an Apple Peeler/Corer?

Pampered Chef apple peeler and corerApple peelers, once called apply parers, are gadgets that peel, slice, and core apples, making this time-consuming kitchen task much quicker and easier.

Most models of apple peeler, slicer, and corer are mechanical in nature, using a crank to push the apple through the device. However, electronic versions also exist.

They first came into demand as early as the 1700s when a growing need for apples as a winter staple for both food and drink became apparent. In order to store this fruit, they needed to be processed and peeling, coring and slicing by hand were cumbersome, slow and, in some cases, wasteful. Therefore inventors started creating a variety of gadgets that would get the job done.

You can learn more about the history of apple peelers at The Virtual Apple Parer Museum and at the Museum of the City of New York.

Varieties of Apple Peeler and Corers

apple peelerApple slicers come in two basic types: One that simply removes the core and slices the apple into eight slices, and one that peels, cores and slices to whatever width you choose. In this post, I’m talking about the latter. The one I have is from The Pampered Chef, which I mount upon their apple peeler stand. You can purchase them separately, or as a set. However other companies make these kitchen gadgets, as well.



How To Use an Apple Peeler-Corer

In this video, I show you how I use my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler-Corer.

close up of Pampered Chef apple peeler and corerStep 1: Mount the peeler to a stand or other fairly stable surface.

Step 2: Choose a firm apple. If there are bruises, it will be more difficult to peel.

Step 3: Place the apple in your peeler. Try to get the two ends of the core as straight as possible so that the three prongs go in the side where the stem was and the coring circle will meet the other end and evenly as possible.

Pampered Chef apple peeler and corerStep 4: Turn the crank so that the apple moves toward the coring circle. I didn’t mention this in the video, but the peeler can be set at different depths so you can get a thinner or thicker slice of the peel. Be sure that it isn’t so thin that much of the peel remains on the apple, or so thick that you waste a lot of the actual fruit.

Step 5: Once the apple is through the coring circle, simply remove your spiral-cut apple and cut at least on one side to create slices.

Step 6: Remove the skin that was peeled off and the core from your apple peeler and you are ready for your next apple.

This Thanksgiving I made two Johnny Appleseed Pies (it’s my husband’s favorite pie). I’ll share the recipe, along with some creative alteration ideas tomorrow.

Categories
Tools of the Trade

Keeping a Minimalist Kitchen

minimalist kitchen

One of the biggest keys to a happy life is keeping things, in general, simple — not too complicated — and free from drama. An easy-to-navigate life without erratic highs and lows helps reduce stress, too. This idea has morphed into the minimalist movement, where design is pared down to its bare necessities.

minimalist kitchen

There are many books out there that can teach you to make your bedroom simple and minimal. There are books to teach you how to declutter your living spaces so that you can live harmoniously. But what about the kitchen?

Carma's cow cluttered kitchen
Carma’s cow cluttered kitchen — Not a minimalist kitchen
Now, if you’ve seen pictures I’ve shared on Facebook of my kitchen and living space, then you know I’m not a minimalist. That said, I know that starting from a minimalist perspective and adding on from there can be a great way for newer cooks to cut their teeth and gain confidence in the kitchen.

Even if you’re not a particularly enthusiastic cook, you probably spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It’s a place to entertain, to laugh, and to eat, so simplifying the space could be an amazing decision! The trouble is that we live in a world where we are continually pressured to clutter up the kitchen space that we have with multiple gadgets and gizmos. There aren’t many people who know how to brew coffee without a coffee maker these days, and it’s because of the influx of café quality machinery that you can buy for your own home. The question that you have to ask yourself, is do you really need all these gadgets? Can you get by without them? Well, check out my tips below to take you to kitchen simplicity.

Minimalist Kitchen Idea #1: Evaluate your microwave use

If you own a microwave but you barely use it, it’s time to dump it. You may well be heavily reliant on your microwave for those quick meals, but your stovetop and oven can do the exact same job your microwave can do, and far better. (Not to mention more healthfully!) Microwaves may heat up your food conveniently and quickly, but they also zap away all the goodness from the food you’re eating. It might just be time to get used to cooking meals from scratch. I was without a microwave for two years and never missed it! I only have one now because it is built into the kitchen cabinet of the home we’re renting.

Minimalist Kitchen Idea #2: How many knives do you really need?

Did you know that knife sets are a very popular wedding/housewarming gift? We got a few more knives that we were bargaining for when we got married. But it turned out OK because that let me donate all my old ones! That said, you’re probably looking at your countertops and counting all the knives you’ve got. It might be time to declutter the knife sets that you have and invest in one good quality set instead.

Minimalist Kitchen Idea #3: Do you have too much dishware?

How many sets of dishes do you own? Do you really need that much? Ditch the dishware that you don’t use! I know you have it. You know you have it. So ‘fess up! Dishes for occasions and dishes for everyday use are a good idea, but if you have more than one set for each, that’s unnecessary. I did a dish purge when we got married. I got rid of all the dishes we didn’t need and we kept the nice new sets we got as gifts. A fresh start with fresh dishes!

Minimalist Kitchen Idea #4: Do you need all those gadgets?

OK. I know I’m one to talk on this count. I went gadget crazy when pulling together our wedding registry — and got most of what I asked for. Now I’m finding that I use some more than others and may have to pare down. The rule of thumb is to get rid of the gadgets that you don’t use. How often do you really use your spiralizer? (I still haven’t taken mine out of the box!) What about that popcorn machine you used three years ago? Don’t be sentimental about gadgets that you don’t use when you could make a little cash out of them. Get them sold and use the cash to decorate the kitchen with new lighting and another fancy décor!

Your kitchen doesn’t have to be kitted out with the latest and greatest styles to be beautiful, but it does have to be functional. Minimal gadgets and gizmos make for a spacious kitchen you can really work with.

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