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My 10-year-old is spending more time in the kitchen as an actual helper these days. Last week, she made brownies from a mix all by herself. It was a proud moment.
This week, she wanted to make baked beans, which, of course, entails (1) opening the can, (2) dumping the contents into a bowl, and (3) heating the bowl in the microwave. But we got stuck on Step 1, because I wasn't thrilled with the idea of my daughter's fingers being snagged by a sharp can lid.
The Orbi Safe Cut can opener claims to "revolutionize" can opening, and some Amazon reviewers agree.
The cutting wheel cuts into the side of the can and leaves the can and the lid completely smooth. You can, in fact, use the lid as a cap on the opened can (although you should never store food in opened cans in your fridge).
Some reviewers noted that the opener only lasts a year or two before it becomes ineffective, but maybe Good Cook will address that in a newer model.
(Credit:
Appliancist)
If you've been a reader for a while, you may remember the Cook-N-Dine teppanyaki-style cooking table, whose patented design allowed you to sear and saute meats and veggies on the same surface from which your guests eat. The trick to the Cook-N-Dine was in its reaction to being heated: the center of the table turns slightly concave when it's heated, trapping all of the juices in the center as the food cooks.
CDS, inventors of the Cook-N-Dine, have redesigned its patented line in this new family of indoor cook tops. The features that made hoards of customers fall in love with the Cook-N-Dine are still there, but one has received a significant upgrade: the heating element has been redesigned to double the effective heating area.
The table, made of 304-grade stainless steel, reaches temperatures from 120 up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Foods are seared quickly, retaining their juices and staying moist. The surface reverts back to its even shape after it cools, making it easy to clean, and because it operates using electricity instead of gas, there are no open flames.
If you need a reminder of how the patented system works, or if you're just interested in learning more, you can visit the Cook-N-Dine Web site here.
(Credit:
Appliancist)
If you've been to enough backyard cookouts, then you've probably borne witness to the unspoken competition between barbecue hosts that has them gushing about "whose grill is biggest."
The conversation generally plays out as follows:
"Hey, Jim. I see you bought the Cookout King 2000. How many dogs can you fit on it?"
"Thanks, Steve. Four packs at a time."
"Not bad, Jim. I just bought the Grill-O-Matic 3500. I can squeeze on four packs plus a roll of hamburgers and a bag of buns."
"Wow, Steve. You're feeding a crowd that size?"
"Well... no... but why do I care about that?"
As this PLEK 66 Compact Barbecue Grill by Rocal proves, in the world of grilling, bigger isn't always necessarily better. The grill is designed to occupy a smaller footprint next to a wall, but don't let the smaller size trick you into thinking it lacks storage: under the grill, there is a drawer for charcoal and another for utensils, and you can use the included magnetic shelves if you need additional horizontal space. True, you won't be able to fit an economy-size package of burgers on its smaller surface, but it's the perfect size for a small collection of burgers, steaks, cedar plank salmon or vegetables.
Rocal specializes in fireplaces and grills that serve both as functional pieces and beautiful centerpieces. The grill pictured here is the PLEK 66, but you can find information about Rocal's other fire-related products on their Web site.
Sure, you have mad skills in the kitchen, but how does that translate to the small screen--particularly the Nintendo DS screen? Find out with Cooking Mama 3, set to launch in just a few months.
Like the other games in the Mama series, Cooking Mama 3 uses the stylus as "the ultimate cooking utensil" and lets players create 80 all new dishes. But unlike previous versions of the game, now you'll start by shopping for your ingredients. Only then can you explore the 200 minigames that have you chopping, grating, slicing, and stirring up your culinary delights.
Of course, you can create your own dishes by combining ingredients in new ways. And Cooking Mama 3 lets you enjoy multiplayer cooking challenges. Majesco Entertainment is releasing the game for the 2009 holiday season. So if you'd like to try your hand at cooking something a little more virtual, go ahead and add it to your shopping list--er, wish list, now.
(Credit:
Sky Mall)
When I was a kid, I used to read volume after volume of the Guinness Book of World Records. In my later years, this quest for knowledge of the world and the people in it developed into a love of science and experimentation, Trivial Pursuit, and Ripley's Believe It or Not. If, like me, you grew up loving random bits of trivial knowledge, you'd be just the type who'd love this Equal Measure measuring cup.
Not only does the cup provide you with the measuring accuracy needed for premium baking and cooking, it teaches you a few fun facts about the world and the human body, volumetrically speaking.
OK, so the prospect of finding out how many body cells die on an average day might not be the goal you had in mind when you began to bake chocolate chips cookies. But the cup also tells you how much water is in a cloud the size of a bus, how much corn oil you can use to run a biodiesel vehicle, and how much salt is in an average human body (you can even try to bake a human body if you can find the other ingredients).
Bake some serious pizza with the Beehive Pizza Oven.
(Credit: Williams-Sonoma)Pizza is an amazingly complex thing for a food item so seemingly simple. Bread, cheese, sauce, that's it. That's enough to get you going. Oh sure, you can drown your pizza in a sea of toppings, but the essential structure starts from basic everyday ingredients. The deceptively complex nature of pizza is both a good thing and a bad thing. Endless varieties abound, and there are certainly great pizzas to be found, but it is all too easy to order up a lousy pizza. Good thing you can bake your own.
But don't pick up that pizza peel just yet. Most home ovens have no hope of reaching the high temperatures needed to attain that special level of deliciousness that pizza can achieve. The Beehive Pizza Oven is one possible solution. The terra-cotta outdoor wood-fired oven is a domed device specifically created for capturing that elusive high heat and transferring it into quickly baked pizzas. Set the fire, and when it's good and ready, just slide back the coals and pop in the pizza. The superheated oven floor will create that special crispiness, while the pizza bakes to perfection.
With the capability to attain temperatures up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, the pizza oven is an artisan cook's dream. An easily installed hardwood-lined door is included, which also allows for the capability to bake bread or even smoke meat. With such versatility, even the nonpizza fanatics out there (if you exist), can find use for this beautiful outdoor oven.
This grill goes to 11.
(Credit: Chef's Catalog)Once upon a time, children, teenagers, and young adults alike carried around with them portable record players. The idea was to pack up your player along with some 45rpm records, head over to a friend's house, and you had an instant dance party. This was before my time, but I always held a certain appreciation for the portability this afforded. Of course, now we have MP3 players and portable speakers galore that have streamlined the whole portability of music into a whole other realm, but that original appreciation is still prevalent in other fun devices.
While this Solaire Infrared Portable BBQ Grill won't play any tunes (unlike this one), to me it is reminiscent in design of an old-school record player. Like the instant dance parties of old, this infrared grill lets you get your groove grill on in mere minutes. Infrared burners heat up more quickly than that of conventional grills, and deliver a more powerful punch. The 14,000 BTU burner on this model heats up in three minutes and cooks food at a 50 percent faster rate. Drippings are instantly vaporized as they hit the heated surface creating delicious smoke flavor with less flare-ups.
The option to choose infrared over traditional grills is a relatively new phenomenon with a key patent that expired in 2000 leading to the recent trend. With the capability to have high heat uniform cooking along with delicious grill flavor assures that you'll keep the party going well into night (or at least until the propane bottle runs out).
Move the kitchen into the living room.
(Credit: Plow & Hearth)Nothing beats sitting by a nice, warm fire when it's cold outside. That is, nothing except sitting by a nice, warm fire while cooking food. We have our grills for outside use, but options are limited for harnessing flames indoors. Luckily, the common fireplace can easily be used for cooking up some goodness. All you need are the right tools.
The Fireside Cooking Irons are perfect for stoking the comfortable flames associated with food and fire. The irons are constructed from heavy cast iron and feature stay-cool wooden handles. Simply place your food in the iron and nestle it into the glowing embers of your fireplace. The heat from the fire will cook your food while the iron keeps it entirely enclosed and safe from direct flame. No ashes to bite through; only warm delicious foods, directly from your own fireplace.
A variety of irons are sold, each designed for individual tasks, although there's no reason you couldn't fill your panini iron with hot dogs. After all, it's your fireplace. So, gather the family 'round, sit down, and have a nice fireside chat. And meal.
(Via Cooking Gadgets)
Simple, but effective.
(Credit: Williams-Sonoma)Cutting boards are an essential item in any kitchen. There is no denying any cook needs a good place to safely cut meats and vegetables. Anybody who is doing any amount of cooking will have to be doing some cutting too. Cooking and cutting simply go hand in hand. The problem is not only finding the perfect spot to set up your prep station, but finding the perfect cutting board too. I know when I prep foods, often more than what should ends up on the floor. When it comes time to carve things that are a bit trickier, say a juicy roast, watch out; things can get messy rather quickly.
The Curtis Stone Juicy Carving Board is a solution for those in need of a proper cutting board. A Williams-Sonoma exclusive, the cutting board features a removable tray for collecting scraps or juices. Additionally, the board is tapered in such a way so as to facilitate the juice into collecting toward the tray. Made from ecologically friendly bamboo, the cutting board is elegant and useful all at the same time.
Sure, many cutting boards feature grooves or wells to handle juice collection, but having a removable option is perfect for many applications. Anybody who has ever tried to balance a roast while pouring accumulated juices back into a saucepot would have to agree. With the simple addition of a removable reservoir, cleaning up after prep becomes a little easier, simply because there is less mess to clean up.
Kitchen scale and probe thermometer in one.
(Credit: Bed Bath & Beyond)It's always nice to find an appliance that merges one necessity with the other. It saves time, effort, and money when you can use one thing to do multiple tasks. Learning how to cook can be a daunting challenge, but with the proper tools and accessories, anyone can cook. Having the capability to properly weigh foods and monitor temperatures goes a long way in the kitchen. As cooks experiment with kitchen tools, eventually they find some items that are indispensable. Many would be lost without the aid of a kitchen scale and a thermometer.
The Breville ikon Kitchen Scale combines these two items into one sleek design. The scale has a 7.5-inch hygienic stainless-steel weighing platform and displays results on an LCD screen accurate to 0.1 ounce or 1 gram. The included probe thermometer is used for measuring temperature ranges from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to 302 degrees. When the probe is not plugged into the unit, ambient temperature is displayed. Other features include a timer, automatic shut-off, and programmable alarm.
The scale has a maximum capacity of 11 pounds (or 5 kilograms) and measures 9.5 inches by 7.5 inches, with a height of just over an inch. Available for $49.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond, the combination device is an easy and friendly way to dive deeper into the kitchen.
