Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks

I write a lot about how my Mom taught me to cook, how I spent hours with her in the kitchen learning the fine art of the casserole, how she fostered my life long love of cooking. However, it seems as though my Dad is the one who has influenced my kitchen gadget fascination! In a Father’s Day tribute, I present 5 kitchen gadgets that I have received from my Dad, and use regularly, and recommend for your kitchen:

Garlic Peeler

Avocado Slicer

Whip Cream Maker (well not really from Dad, but we had one growing up)

Misto Olive Oil Sprayer

Knife Sharpening Stone

What is the best kitchen gadget your father gave you?

P.S. All these would make great Father’s Day gifts, if you are a last-minute sort of shopper!

Images courtesy of Amazon

Suzy was thinking about buying a Le Creuset Dutch oven, but wasn’t sure how she could use it in her everyday kitchen. Here are my favorite ways:

1. Making any kind of soup. For example, Green Garlic Soup with Potatoes.
2. Any kind of stew, including Lamb Stew with Leeks and Baby Artichokes
3. Perfect Popcorn
4. Easy Cassoulet (really, it is easy!)
5. Short Ribs with Baby Turnips
6. Pot of Beans (perfect for summer BBQs)
7. Bread in my oven (Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day)
8. Anything I would make in my slow cooker or pressure cooker
9. I can also use it as a double boiler, a pudding steamer, a spaghetti sauce maker, a risotto cooker, a jam cooker, and for boiling water.

Did you really expect 41? Come on folks, I am not even close to being that creative or having that much time! What is your favorite way to use a Le Creuset (i.e. how would you justify the $234.95 price tag?). BTW, did you know that Le Creuset comes in a new color? Cassis. Purple in my crayon box. I. Am. In. Heaven.

I finally broke down Santa brought me an iPhone for Christmas, so I am now exploring all the iTunes App Store has to offer. Naturally, I am quite interested in the food apps, as there are so many great possibilities. Here are a couple I have downloaded and tried (all free apps, I am cheap like that):

Epicurious has made my mobile life that much easier with the Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List app, and I have to admit, this was one of the reasons I bought the iPhone. One of my big cooking hassles is when I put together a whole menu, and then go shopping, only to find the ingredients I want (usually a meat protein) are not on sale (or in season). Oh, but something else is. And, I feel stuck, since I don’t have a encyclopedic memory for recipes. The Epicurious app allows me to change things on the fly – Lamb Chops are on sale, I want to cook them for dinner in a Mediterranean style. Great, 13 recipes fit that profile. And I am back in business.

My Shopping List Lite, the free version of My List, is a great grocery shopping tool. As I go through my day, I usually run across one or two things that I need at the store, but going every day is a total time sync. So, I use My List to create a shopping list of reminders. The list is set up by Categories, which helps as you cruise through the store. You can even email the list to someone else (spouse, maybe) for pickup on their way home.

Spring, in my mind, is the start of the strawberry season in California. I should know – my birthday is in the spring and my birthday cake growing up was always Angel Food with fresh strawberries and whip cream. Thankfully, spring is right around the corner and the California Strawberry Commission has just released this STRAWBERRIES app offering a collection of more than 50 hand-selected strawberry recipes from some of the most popular food bloggers and chefs from around the web. My friend Lydia, of the Perfect Pantry, has a recipe in there, for Nutella Quesadillas with Strawberries! I can hardly wait for the first berries of the season!

On those days when I am just not interested in cooking, and looking to make a restaurant reservation while waiting for a kid, OpenTable has just the solution. The app is streamlined from the online tool, and allows you to connect easily to restaurants in your local area with open tables for your desired date. You can also do a more detailed search by region, and add refinements based on cuisine and expense.

Aimee of Greeblemonkey turned me onto AroundMe, an app which helps find services in the immediate area, based on your location. Very handy if you find yourself hungry while in the middle of a walk around downtown San Francisco. With a few quick clicks, you can be on your way to a nearby restaurant for a pick-me-up.

BTW, for more great iPhone apps, go check out Aimee’s End of the Year iPhone App Show ‘N Tell, where she really does show her mastery of this device!

What is your favorite food/cooking/grocery shopping app? Please share…

P.S. Things I had to learn for this post include creating a link to an app in the iTunes store and taking a screen shot with my iPhone. The last worked best by holding down the Sleep/Wake button, then clicking on Home. Love a day with learning!

After bringing home the Progressive Collapsible Salad Spinner, I wanted to know more about what was new from Progressive. Many of the kitchen tools and gadgets I have seen lately from this line seem to focus on storage and organization, making it easier to keep your kitchen in order. But they also have a couple compact slicers that caught my eye (I am Kitchen Gadget Girl, after all!)

I have an older slicer, which I use when I need thin potatoes or onion slices, but it is large and up high in storage, and difficult to clean (I always worry about slicing off a digit or two). Progressive offers a Julienne and Slicer, which is just the kind of tool I was looking for.

Right off the bat, I notice it has a locking mechanism so you cannot accidentally remove an important body part. In addition, it is dishwasher safe, which makes cleanup easy. And since it is relatively flat, I can store it down among my other kitchen tools and gadgets and access it as often as I want.

With three different thickness settings, for both slicing and julienne, the tool is easy to use. Grip it with the handle, set it over a bowl if you desire, and slice away. Also includes a finger guard for further protection.

The nice folks over at Progressive sent me a Julienne and Slicer to check out, as well as a Julienne and Slicer and Mince ‘n Slice for two lucky Kitchen Gadget Girl winners!

THE CONTEST!!

The contest is easy. One person will win one (1) Progressive Julienne and Slicer and another winner will win one (1) Mince ‘n Slice. That is right, two (2) winners! Deadline to enter is Friday, December 18, 7pm PST. To enter, you have a few options:

1. Leave a comment (does not require a blog)
2. Tweet about the contest on Twitter “@kitchengirl is giving away awesome Progressive kitchen tools and gadgets http://ow.ly/KjNs #gadgets”
3. Post the link to this contest on your Facebook page
4. Tell a friend by sending them an email
5. Blog about it on your site with a link back here

For items 2-5, please be sure to leave another comment when they are complete. More chances to win, don’t you know. Only residents of the United States are eligible. Using Random.org, I will chose the two winning comment numbers. Winners will be drawn and notified on Friday, December 18th, so please be sure to leave an email address (in the secret field) when you comment.

Photo Courtesy of Amazon.

A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to replace my old salad spinner with something new. The old one was great – 15+ years old and still going strong. No cracks in the bowl, dry lettuce the norm, all good. But, it was feeling a little gunky and had some cracks around the lid. My intention was to replace with exactly the same brand. Off I went to Bed Bath and Beyond with my 20% coupon to buy a new one.

However, when I arrived and looked at the possibilities, I realized I had a new criteria in mind. I needed the salad spinner to dry my greens, but I also needed something easy to store. My old salad spinner was large and bulky, and frankly, a pain to put away.

Fortunately, Progressive International offers a salad spinner almost specifically designed for me!

The feature I love the most on the Collapsible Salad Spinner is the collapsible part. It shrinks down to 50% its original size, which makes storage a breeze. I can now put it inside a big pot, or on top of the waffle iron, and get the cabinet doors closed.

It uses a retracting cord pull, with an integrated brake button to stop the spinning, which allows nice control. Mostly, I am drying lettuce, so I crank it as fast as I can. However, when I want to dry greens for cooking, a little water left on the greens is helpful for steaming, so I don’t pull quite as fast.

The basket is quite big, and holds lots of lettuce and greens. I have also used it as a colander, to wash greens and lettuces before spinning.

A couple downsides – even though the lid is clear, water can still get in between the plastic and is a little difficult to drain. And, at $29.95, it is one of the more expensive salad spinners on the market.

Overall, a well-made product good for space-conscious consumers.

Not sure how it works at your house, but pancakes and waffles are a big deal around here. I think my kids would probably have them every day of the week, they love them so!

A few years ago, I was introduced to the Danish treat of Aebleskiver, (also written as Ebleskiver) a round puffed-pancake. These pancakes are light and fluffy, similar to a popover, but made in a special pan (wahoo! Another kitchen tool!) on the stove. The pan allows the Aebleskiver to come out round, and traditional Aebleskiver have little nuggets of goodness inside the pancake. Apple is common (Aebleskiver means apple slices in Danish), but my family also enjoys brown berries (chocolate chips). Savory Aebleskiver can include ham and cheese, or any thing else your heart desires.

At Foodbuzz earlier this month, I met Chad Gillard, one of the founders of Aunt Else’s Aebleskiver, from Minnesota. We got to talking and Chad shared with me the reasons Aunt Else’s Aebleskiver pans are so great:

1. The cast iron pan is made in Minnesota
2. Their special mix is hand-mixed using organic Minnesota grown flour and organic buttermilk from Wisconsin
3. The nine-whole square pan allows the home chef to make enough for two (or three) hungry kids!

Chad also shared the Aunt Else’s YouTube video, which makes the process of cooking Aebleskiver so much clearer:

Following these instructions, my kids and I whipped up a batch this afternoon for snack. After a few false starts, and some less than puffy rounds, we got the hang of it and turned out some masterpieces. Heed the instructions about low-medium heat, that is important. And remember, powdered sugar is a perfect disguise for less than perfect pancakes!

If you are interested in an Aunt Else’s Aebleskiver pan of your own, Chad has extended a special offer to readers of Kitchen Gadget Girl! Mention “Kitchen Gadget Girl” in the “Add special instructions to the seller” during the checkout process, and receive 10% off your purchase. And if you follow Aunt Else’s on Twitter, Facebook or Foodbuzz you can also receive 10% off your order. Mention your follow in the same area during checkout. Plus, free shipping on orders over $50!

And if you, like Alton Brown, are worried about the pan being a uni-tasker, check out these pictures for Japanese Takoyaki and a recipe, as well as this recipe for Sand Dollar Cakes with Pork or Shrimp (Vietnamese)! It is possible you could use your Aebleskiver pan to make these tasty treats as well!

And yes, Chad did send me an Aebleskiver pan for review. What does this mean for you? Well, if you live close enough, you are welcome any weekend we are making these delightful Danish pancakes.

Ableskiver Pan

And we have a winner!

Heather C

Thank you to everyone who participated, and be sure to check back soon for more kitchen gadget review and giveaways.

In my post last week about my favorite Thanksgiving gadgets, I realized that I own quite a few Cuisipro and VacuVan kitchen tools. So, I contacted the public relations company for the two companies to find out what is new for the 2009 holidays. And the good news? There is a giveaway!

The Cuisipro Flour Sifter is easy and smooth to use, and the single hand scoop lets a baker scoop up measured flour right into the sifter with one hand. Many of my recipes for baked goods call for sifting the flour, as it fluffs the flour which allows for easier absorption of liquid, and sifting sugar or cocoa is a great way to garnish finished baked goods.

The curved handle is designed so the flour sifter can hang over the edge of a mixing bowl so a baker can use both hands to add other ingredients. And the angled mesh opening releases the sifted ingredients neatly into the bowl, making cleanup much easier. And with a retail price of $14, it would be a great stocking stuffer or gift for your favorite baker (hint, hint!)

A few years ago, my sister gave me a lovely nutcracker set for Christmas, and it brought back loads of memories of cracking nuts in front of the fireplace during the holidays. The new Vacu Vin Nutcracker is a contemporary take on this old-fashioned tool, providing a stylish update.

You crack whole nuts by pressing the two ergonomically formed handles together and catching the nuts in the base tray. The nice part is, you don’t have to be a body builder to crack the nuts (Brazil nuts spring to mind), the nutcracker requires very little strength even on hard-shelled nuts. Retail price is about $25.

And finally, if the cold, cold winter has you thinking about tropical islands, then the new Pineapple Slicer from Vacu Vin might be just the ticket. I had heard about a tool like this before, and the Vacu Vin model is just as easy as can be. You cut the top off your pineapple, then use the slicer just like a corkscrew to remove the flesh in perfectly formed rings. The core is removed at the same time. All this sounds much easier than opening a can of pineapple pieces!

The Pineapple Slicer retails for $14, another great stocking stuff price. It comes in white or stainless steel. And now….

THE CONTEST!!

The contest is easy. One person will win all three of these exciting new tools. Deadline to enter is Monday, November 23, 7pm PST. To enter, you have a few options:

1. Leave a comment (does not require a blog)
2. Tweet about the contest on Twitter “@kitchengirl is giving away awesome Cuisipro and Vacu Vin kitchen tools and gadgets http://ow.ly/CM43″
3. Post the link to this contest on your Facebook page
4. Tell a friend by sending them an email
5. Blog about it on your site with a link back here

For items 2-5, please be sure to leave another comment when they are complete. More chances to win, don’t you know. Only residents of the United States are eligible. A winner will be drawn and notified on Monday, November 23rd, so please be sure to leave an email address (in the secret field) when you comment.

Oooh, Thanksgiving is right around the corner and already I am counting the days. Is it too early to contact Julie to find out what I can bring? Yeah, probably.

But, I have been thinking, especially after Women’s World Magazine asked, about my favorite kitchen gadgets and tools for Thanksgiving. I compiled my list of 5, based on what my family likes to eat for Thanksgiving. Your list of tools might be different.

Of course, there are certain basics, including a turkey roasting pan, turkey platter, even a can opener. For those of you who are looking for a hostess gift or new addition to your own kitchen, I offer these 5 essential kitchen tools for Thanksgiving:

Turkey Lifters by Cuisinart. I have seen a few different versions of these, chose the ones that are most comfortable in your own hand. Much better than trying to heft the turkey bird out of the pan with a mish-mash of random kitchen tools (I see you reaching for the slotted spoon and pancake spatula!)

Browne Cuisipro Stainless-Steel Potato Ricer. Again, there are a few different manufacturers that make a potato ricer. I have found using this tool the easiest way to ensure consistently fluffy and mashed potatoes. You force a cooked potato (or two) through the chamber, and out the other side comes evenly mashed potatoes. I like this version because it comes with 3 interchangeable disks, to allow you different consistencies of mash. In the off-season (i.e. not Thanksgiving) this ricer is also good for making Spaetzle!

Taylor Digital Instant-Read Thermometer. Taylor has a couple different styles of instant-read thermometers. Last year I was hot on the $10 instant-read from Taylor, which comes in many different colors. This year, Taylor is out with something new, and the waterproof digital thermometer looks good. No matter what you do, or how awesome a cook you are, a thermometer is super handy for ensuring your turkey is cooked to the correct temperature. With loads of food born bacteria around, do yourself (and your guests) a favor and serve a properly cooked bird.

Henckel Four Star Boning Knife. Since Julie cooks the big items for Thanksgiving for our family (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, oh, and cleans the house!), I asked her what she could not live without. A quality boning knife was on her list for carving and serving the turkey. Using a knife made for the job means your final product will come out nicer – who wants a turkey who looks like it was carved with a hack saw! As usual, most every knife company offers a boning knife, so chose the brand that works best for you.

Hamilton Beach Crock Pot. You might be wondering if I have gone off the deep end – a crock pot for Thanksgiving? Isn’t the holiday all about Cooking. For. Days? All together in the kitchen, with your closest relatives and friends? Well, yes. But, sometimes you run out of space in the oven. Or maybe you only have 4 burners on your stove (can you feel my pain?). A slow cooker can solve many of those problems, especially if you check out the CrockPot Holiday Food at A Year of Slow Cooking. Stephanie has loads of excellent recipes including Cornbread Stuffing and Green Bean Casserole!

I have told you my favorites – what are your I-can’t-possibly-even-begin-to-think-about-Thanksgiving-without-these-kitchen-gadgets gadgets?

Photos courtesy of Amazon.com

In my mind, no party is complete without a Bundt cake. Really. They are that special.

And Bundt has a fun kitchen gadget that makes the cakes even that much better. The Nordic Ware Tunnel of Bundt, aka, Bundt Tunnel!

The Bundt Tunnel is a handy tool that allows you to bake in a tunnel to your favorite Bundt cake. Then, you can fill the tunnel with whatever your heart desires, making your dessert a true experience.

I used my Bundt Tunnel to make a birthday cake for Christy, and it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. I followed the instructions for the cake on the inside of the Bundt Tunnel box. The tunnel works with both a 10-cup and 12-cup Bundt Pans, and the recipes included Chocolate Bundt Tunnel Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Vanilla Bundt Tunnel Cake with Chocolate Ganache (the one I made). If you don’t have a Bundt Pan, I recommend the Nordic Ware Pro Cast Original Bundt Pan.

Vanilla Bundt Tunnel Cake with Chocolate Ganache
original recipe on back of Bundt Tunnel box from Williams Sonoma

(for 10-cup/2.5-l Bundt pan)

For the Cake:

• 2 1/3 cups (295g) cake flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 14 Tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks/220g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups (375g) sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup (160ml) milk

For the Ganache Filling:

• 10 ounces (315g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick/60g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream

For the Chocolate Glaze:

• 3 ounces (90g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 6 Tablespoons (90ml) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325F. Position rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a wire cooling rack on the oven rack, perpendicular to the oven rack wires, forming a grid. This will allow the cake to bake evenly.

Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan; tap out excess flour.

Prepare the cake: sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (if you use a Beater Blade, you won’t need to stop and scrap down the sides of the bowl!). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla.

Reduce speed and add in the flour, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition until just incorporated.

Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading batter on the side slightly higher than the center. Position the Bundt tunnel on the center tube of the pan. Set the pan on the wire cooling rack in the oven and bake until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool, upright, on wire rack for 15 minutes. Then lift off Bundt tunnel. Let the cake continue to cool upright for 1 hour more.

Invert the pan onto to the rack and lift off the pan. Let cool completely for another hour.

Make ganache filling: In a bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. Warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, until bubbles form around edges of the pan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and butter. Let stand 2 minutes, then gently whisk until smooth. Cool 5 minutes.

Invert cooled cake onto a large serving plate. Fill the hollow of the cake with the ganache and smooth the top. Refrigerate the cake until the ganache is firm to the touch, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Invert the cake again onto another large serving plate so the ganache is on the bottom.

Make the chocolate glaze: In a bowl, place the chocolate. Warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, until bubbles form around edges of the pan. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes, then gently whisk until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake. Let the glaze set for 30 minutes before serving.

Bundt Cake Pan

You might be thinking to yourself that I am off my rocker. Can pizza really be made on the grill? I am pleased to announce that yes, it can!

Last Friday, I felt like pizza for dinner, but wanted to make my own. Using Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes, I whipped up the easy Olive Oil Dough in the morning and got things ready for pizza baking in the evening.

As luck would have it, Friday night was the start of another heat wave in our area, and by dinner time, it was about 90F outside. There was no way I was going to crank up the oven and make pizza.

Fortunately, a little note in Artisan Bread indicated that pizza making on the grill is easy. On the gas grill, they recommend heating your pizza stone for 20 minutes then cooking the pizza like you would in your oven.

My pizza stone has been a little temperamental in my oven, so I was not expecting it to do that well out on the grill. Turns out, the pizza stone needed a change of scenery! It got nice and hot and our pizzas turned out great.

I made two kinds on Friday – pepperoni and caramelized onion/Gorgonzola. We had a lovely Peterson 2003 Sangiovese, which worked well with all those flavors.

Pizza on the Grill

• Favorite pizza dough (Trader Joes has a good one, or you can make one from scratch, recipes here, here and here)
• Favorite pizza toppings – tomato sauce, sliced tomatoes, pepperoni, caramelized onions/Gorgonzola cheese, mozzarella, ham/pineapple, whatever floats your boat)
• Pizza peel
• Pizza stone (round or square, your choice)
  
• Cornmeal
• Olive oil

20 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat your pizza stone on your grill. Gas grills work best, IMHO, as you can easily monitor the inside temperature. However, if you are an expert with your charcoal grill, then set your grill up to maintain a heat of 450F-500F.

On a wooden cutting board, stretch and roll your dough until it is 1/8″ thick. You may need to let it rest for a minute and then roll some more.

When you are ready to bake, liberally spread cornmeal on your pizza peel (I mean, liberally), then top your dough with toppings. For pepperoni pizza, I used a 1/4 cup of crushed tomatoes as the base, then mozzarella cheese, then the pepperoni. For the caramelized onion, I sprinkled the onions over the pizza, topped with Gorgonzola cheese, and a little mozzarella. Right before putting on the grill, I drizzled a tablespoon of olive oil over the whole pizza.

With a quick snap of the wrist, propel your pizza off the peel onto the stone in your grill. Close the lid and bake for 10 minutes. Turn pizza and bake 4-6 minutes more, until the desired crispiness is achieved. Remove with peel and allow to sit 3-4 minutes, then slice and serve.

More pizza on the grill ideas:

Whole wheat flour (recipe: grilled pizza) from Lydia at Perfect Pantry
Grilled Pizza from Pete at Pete Bakes
Fruit Pizza on the Grill from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day