You're going to think that I have toasters on the brain, since it was just a few weeks ago that I posted about the toaster concept that would enable you to leave messages on your toast. But I was just glancing at the New York Times and noticed in the lower right hand corner of the screen, where they often advertise a branded product from the NYT, that they are now selling toasters that have the ability to mark you toast with the 'T' from the Times. It's certainly a fun literary way to decorate your morning meal. Toast from the New York Times
You're going to think that I have toasters on the brain, since it was just a few weeks ago that I posted about the toaster concept that would enable you to leave messages on your toast. But I was just glancing at the New York Times and noticed in the lower right hand corner of the screen, where they often advertise a branded product from the NYT, that they are now selling toasters that have the ability to mark you toast with the 'T' from the Times. It's certainly a fun literary way to decorate your morning meal. Disposable chopsticks go bling bling
Disposable chopsticks have never been thought of glamorous. And there's almost always a problem getting the wooden utensils to break cleanly at the seam. Despite their decidedly downscale image, one Japanese company has given the sticks a luxe makeover. No, they haven't been iced out by Jacob the Jeweler. Kinbashi Gold Chopsticks have a small amount of edible gold leaf between their tips. Crack them apart and even the lamest takeout sushi becomes a grand affair. Well, not really, but at least you'll have gold leaf falling on top of your lame sushi. At ¥4,515, or $40 for two five-packs, they're not terribly expensive. Nevertheless, I fail to see the point. Then again I've never quite understood Goldschläger either.[via Trends in Japan]
A microplane just for grating spices
I use my microplane to zest, grind and grate nearly every day (it would appear that I cook a lot). I started out with the basic one that came with no handle, just a flat strip of razer sharp teeth that take a nutmeg and turn it into aromatic pile of shavings. Then I moved up to the flexible set which I love because you can swap out different levels of grater blades quickly and easily (if you're tempted by that prospect, you need to act fast as this set has been discontinued). Now there's a new microplane that I've got my eye on, and it's a cutie. Designed for spices, it catches the shavings in its little case, which makes it deadly easy to accurately measure your amounts (instead of eyeballing it or trying to scrape it off the cutting board and into a measuring spoon). Best of all is that if you buy it from the Spice House, they'll throw in a whole nutmeg, cinnamon stick, ginger and turmeric root. Go forth and grate!
Thanks K.F.!
A way to cook a turkey outdoors that doesn't involve gallons of oil
Every year people get it in their heads that it would be a good idea to deep fry their Thanksgiving turkey. Although some folks pull it off without injury to themselves, many others end up in the hospital with burns (there was a reason that people used to pour boiling oil on their enemies) or the fire department has to make a special trip to put out the smoking rubble that was once their home. Thankfully, there's another option if you want to cook your turkey outdoors quickly and safely. It's called the Orion Cooker and it cooks with the power of convection, steaming and smoking the food at the same time. A 20 pound turkey takes just over two hours to cook, a huge improvement over all day in the oven. You can also cook ribs, roasts and fish in the cooker.
I can hear the sounds all over America of people putting those deep fat frying kits back on the shelves at Target or Home Depot even now.
Gadget Concept: Notes on toast
Still only existing in concept, this whiteboard/toaster could become the wave of the breakfast future someday soon. Need to leave a note for your partner, but you leave for work before they do? Just scrawl it on the toaster. If they don't see that note, then they'll surely notice it when it appears on their toast (provided they aren't following a low carb diet). I do see a couple flaws in the plan though, like the fact that the writing surface seems awful close to where the heating element would be. So you'd have to wait quite a while between toasts to write a message if you wanted to avoid burning your hand.
This isn't the first time that someone has designed a toaster that leaves an imprint on the toast. This very pink and white Hello Kitty toaster creates toast that has Kitty's image baked in and has the added bonus of being available now.
Thanks KF!
Useless utensil alert: Popcorn Fork
I admit that I have more specialty cooking gadgets than is absolutely necessary. Pickle grabbers, microplanes, whisks and potato mashers fight it out daily for the limited storage space in my kitchen. However, there are a few items that seem excessive, even to me. Take, for instance, this popcorn fork. Yes, someone has invented a utensil for one of life's perfect finger foods (with a built-in salt shaker). What do you think? Is it crazy, or does it seem like the perfect way to prevent greasy popcorn fingers?
Via Apartment Therapy: the kitchen
Trade in your microwave popcorn for a Whirley Pop
Now that doctors have found that making microwave popcorn can be hazardous to your health, I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell you about my very favorite tool for making popcorn. I've tried every method of making popcorn over the years and have discovered that the stove top Whirley Pop is the best, easiest way ever.
I used to be devoted to my air popper. The one I have used to belong to my grandparents and is so old that it has a coupon afixed to it that expired in 1985. It still works like a champ, but since I discovered the Whirley Pop, my air popper sits and collects dust. I first learned of the Whirley Pop when I went home for Christmas last year and was informed that it was the only thing my mom wanted for Christmas. She ended up getting two of them, and after closely examining the different models to see if one was made better than the other, we broke it out and started making popcorn. I stumbled across mine at a rummage sale just a few weeks later and have happily been using it ever since.
It was so easy and tasted much better than air popped (that might have something to do with the teaspoon of oil that the kernels get cooked in). You just pour in a little oil, add a couple handfuls of corn, close the lid and start turning the handle. There are two long legs inside that move with the cranking, stirring up the corn so that it doesn't stick or burn. In just a few minutes it starts to pop and soon after that it is all done. The pot keeps the kernels contained while popping, so you don't end up with errant corn all over your kitchen and it is easy to clean. My favorite way to season the corn is to give a light shower of Braggs Liquid Aminos (very similar to soy sauce in taste)
Back to School: Carrying your lunch in style
The packed lunch has come a long way since the days of the simple brown paper bag and a sandwich wrapped up in waxed paper. There were the metal lunchboxes of my childhood that are now collectibles (I still have my Strawberry Shortcake one). Then came the reusable canvas bags that were designed to look like the paper bags of yore. The insulated lunchbags arrived next and recently bag constructed from neoprene entered the scene. Here are a few places to check out as you look for something to pack your child's (or your own) lunch into. Laptop Lunches makes a really cool bento-style lunch boxes with the dimensions of American food in mind (i.e. they are designed to hold a sandwich, something that other bento boxes don't do as well). Their website also has a page of helpful lunch suggestions .
Lunchboxes.com sells lunchboxes for school, work and play. Despite the fact that these days I don't have much use for a lunch transportation devise (as I spent most of my days within ten feet of my kitchen) I am currently coveting their Chinese takeout lunch bag.
Lunch in a Box, the very cool website on which new, gorgeous pictures of creatively made bento box lunches are posted nearly every day, has an Amazon store on which you can buy many of the cute containers she uses to build her toddler's lunch.
Reusablebags.com devotes a sizable section of their website to lunch bags. Additionally, they carry lots of small, reusable water bottles that are terrific to send to school with your kids in place of disposable plastic ones.
Zucchini "spaghetti"
For most of my life I ate zucchini one of two ways. It was always sliced into rounds and then was either steamed or pan fried in a little bit of olive oil. Occasionally it was cut lengthwise and grilled, but mostly that happened at the hands of cooks other than my mother, so it was very infrequent. I was 22 before I discovered that zucchini could be cooked down to a creamy consistency over low heat or that it could be finely chopped and quickly sauteed.
Once my eyes were opened to a world of zucchini cooking options I started playing around. A while back, I hit upon a way of mimicking spaghetti noodles with zucchini that has become one of my favorite ways to prepare it. I use the fine matchstick blade on my mandoline (Amazon has some for under $10 that would do the job nicely) and slice the zuck lengthwise, so that I come away with long strings of squash that look like squared off spaghetti (don't use the inner seeded area, as it just shreds).
I heat a little olive oil in a nonstick pan, mince a couple of cloves of garlic and toss it all together over medium heat until the zucchini softens but isn't mushy. I like to eat it just like that, a sort of "pasta" alio olio that's a bit healthier than the traditional one due to the use of veg instead of starch. You could also top it with pasta sauce or toss other veggies in for a primavera. Play around, anything goes as long at it tastes good.
Toas-Tite memories
When my mom was growing up, her Aunt Doris would often make grilled sandwiches for all the kids (there were eight cousins total in that particular branch of the family) using a Toas-Tite. She would spread margarine on the outsides of the bread and tuck slices of white American cheese in between. The sandwiches would be cut to fit the mold (hers was in the shape of a shell) and laid on top of a flame on the old gas range. Some time ago, I was helping my cousin Angie (daughter of Aunt Doris) organize her tupperware cabinet, when we stumbled across that very same Toas-Tite mold.
The Toas-Tite I have is one that my mom picked up at an antique mall several years ago. It was in a booth where everything was 50% off and she was so excited to have found it and gotten it for a song. I have to admit that I've never used it, I enjoy it mostly as a physical representation of family memory. Corie's recent post about her childhood experiences with Toastie sandwiches and the picture of her own, beloved Toas-Tite has me thinking that I need to fire up the stove and make a sandwich with mine. I think I should start out with the tomato/basil/mozzarella combo she mentions.
I did a little searching and discovered that Toas-Tites trigger childhood memories for many more than just Corie and my mom. Stephen J. Lyons uses it as a way to write about the legacy his grandparents left him. Karen Haram wrote an article in the San Antonio Express-News that spurred lots of folks to write in with their Toas-Tite memories. And here's a series of pictures on exactly how to use this sandwich maker to turn out a tasty sandwich filled with leftovers.
Sportline HydraCoach helps keep you hydrated
One of my worst habits, or lack of habit, to be more precise, is drinking enough water. Now that it's on my list of "Make sure you do this," along with taking vitamins, eating more fiber, and cutting down on table salt, you know I'm going to go to my usual OCD addictive extreme and drink too much water.
Sportline's Hyrdo Water Bottle is like a portable water drinking coach that reminds you to drink water because you're carrying it with you, and tells you how much water you really need with a built-in "hydration calculator." Based on your height and weight, you may find that the optimal amount may not even be 8 to 10 glasses. The "Sip Tracker" feature can track how much water you're taking in over the course of the day, so you don't over- or underdo it.
Available from the HydraCoach website for $29.95. For that much cash for a water bottle, you better believe I'll be making good use of it!
Reviews: Ice Cream Scoopers at the LA Times
I know it's already the end of August, which means the close of the season for the quintessential summer dessert, ice cream, but let's be real here. Is there anyone who doesn't eat ice cream year round?
I didn't think so. Besides, I've always been a late bloomer, so ice cream on the patio starts now for me, especially since I got a brand new ice cream maker fairly recently.
While I have the ice cream maker, as well adorable bowls and spoons to serve the many flavors I have made thus far, I realized that I didn't have a proper scooper. I was scraping ice cream, gelato, and sorbet with a large dinner spoon and trying unsuccessfully to shape it into a perfect ball. I have now come to the conclusion that I need a proper ice cream scooper.
Thanks to the LA Times, which reviewed seven ice cream scoopers, I now know which one I should get. Though there were some fancy scoopers like the Deni electric scooper that's supposed to make it easier to scoop hard ice creams, and the Calphalon Three-Way that makes scoops into pretty floral shapes, I live the one that also got the highest rating - the KitchenArt scooper with the gel grip (the one pictured top row, middle).
Cutting board love
I have ten wooden cutting boards in my kitchen (not counting the round carved bread board and the pizza peel). This might seem excessive, but there have been moments when I've had a crowd over for a potluck when nearly all of them are in use. I use them as trivets, serving platters and bread boards in addition to normal purpose as a place to do chopping. I love that in this day of high tech gadgets and specialty tools, some of the most-used items in my kitchen are simply slabs of wood.
My mom has had the same cutting board for most of my life. Over the years it has gotten hollowed out in the center on both sides, to the point that it is impossible to cut straight down and make a complete cut. I'm waiting for the day when she calls me to report that the tip of her knife went straight through the board while she was making dinner.
Despite my abundance, I do have one board that I favor above all others. It is the smallest on in the collection, just under 12 inches long and 8 inches deep. It has that smooth patina that comes from lots of use, scrubbing with the rough side of the sponge and the occasional massage with some mineral oil. It's not great if I'm cutting something particularly juicy, but it works perfectly for cooking project where I'm transporting chopped veggies from board to pot. I imagine that in 20 years, this board will be just as worn as my mom's.
New life for old pepper mills
All five of the pepper mills you see pictured above are mine. That might be more pepper mills than the average household requires, but I like my kitchen gadgets and I like having a spice option for every necessity. That includes having coarse or fine grind pepper whenever I want it without futzing with adjustments on a single grinder. The two in the middle came my way when my great-aunt Flora downsized her kitchen several years back (that's also how I acquired my very functional 25-year-old Cuisinart). The tarnished silver one is an ancient Peugeot, that after some thorough cleaning (although I don't think I've polished it in years), has the most amazingly smooth action.
Because of my experience with that particular pepper grinder, I was really surprised yesterday when a friend asked me to recommend a new pepper mill for him. He said that he had a 30-year-old Peugeot that wasn't working well anymore and he wanted to try treat himself to a new grinder. I told him that if he really wanted a new grinder that he should head over to Fante's, which has all of their mills loaded with pepper and available to be handled before purchase (your local kitchen supply store may do the same thing). However, I also suggested he give that old Peugeot a cleansing before giving up on it. While he may still indulge in a new grinder, he sent me an email tonight saying that his old one is working so much better. Success!
Grocery Guy is my cutlery hero
Because of my post yesterday about my new knives, I got pointed (thanks André) in the direction of Grocery Guy's blog and his video on the best way to sharpen a knife at home. He offers some fantastic advice and makes the process of sharpening your steel easy to understand. Sharpening your knives at home is initially a bit of a time commitment, but is worth the effort because having good tools makes your time in the kitchen better spent. Oh, and the story of his quest to acquire the Jesus knife is worth the read. It makes me regret not buying myself a vegetable slicer or two when I was in Hong Kong six years ago. 
