Fire makes everything taste good.
(Credit: Williams-Sonoma)In a perfect world, all food would get cooked on the grill. Our modern kitchens make that dream impractical if not impossible. Walls, and a ceiling overhead do little for open fire cooking. Not only would it be difficult to achieve, but downright dangerous. There's a reason why bags of charcoal always insist upon outdoor use. So while it may be difficult to bring the grill inside, the next best thing is to bring the kitchen outside.
Burgers and hot dogs may be what most people think about when they think about firing up the grill, but times are changing. The Meatball Grill Basket is another step in the evolutionary chain that has slowly but surely migrated the kitchen into the backyard. A foldable stainless-steel tool, the grill basket features 12 recessed wells in which to cook meatballs. Each reservoir is perforated allowing smoke to get in and fat to drip out. With the lid closed, the meatballs are held in place and a simple flip allows both sides to cook evenly.
Fire adds a whole other dimension to familiar meals. Consider spaghetti and meatballs, if the meatballs were prepared on the grill: smoky, slightly charred goodness. I don't think I've ever had that, but it sounds delicious. Of course, with this grill basket you can use any type of meat (or veggie) mixture such as lamb, beef or pork, so you can transform your everyday meals into something new and exciting. No walls needed.
Al Dente Spaghetti Tester: Hoping to hook the perfect noodle.
(Credit: retromodern)Huh, what? A spaghetti tester? For what? Determining if my cooked spaghetti is al dente? Hmm. I didn't know I needed such a thing, but now that I think about it... yeah, an Al Dente Spaghetti Tester would make a great addition in my kitchen. I'd be able to test spaghetti. I'd be crazy not to get one. Wait. What am I saying? Nobody needs this--especially because the price is almost $50.
Ridiculousness aside, the Al Dente Spaghetti Tester from POTT actually does look nice. The sleek, hook-like shape with a slotted end appeals to my aesthetic sense. However, my common sense insists this is one contraption that does not have a place in my kitchen.
The tester works by fishing out a single strand from the boiling cauldron of pasta. The plump noodle only fits so far into the slot, which I imagine allows you to test the doneness of the noodle with certainty. If the noodle falls all the way to the bottom, it hasn't absorbed enough water, while if it sticks to the top, it may be too done. I suppose a perfectly done al dente noodle would fall somewhere in between.
Of course, I'm probably completely wrong about how it tests spaghetti for doneness. For all I know, it may be just a single-strand spaghetti plucker, with no actual testing abilities integrated, but then that would make the most sense; nothing beats actually tasting spaghetti to see if it's done. (Yes, yes, I know: throwing spaghetti at a wall is fun, too).
(Via Cooking Gadgets)
Imagine you're on a road trip and that inner stomach clock starts ticking. You peer along the horizon searching for quick, fast, and easy road food. With visions of previous stops of greasy burgers and suspect tacos, you roll into a gas station unable to make a decision. Perhaps another bag of chips or a cellophane-wrapped sandwich will quell the rising hunger. You make your way past the nacho cheese and the perpetually rolling hot dogs, and suddenly a bright, oddly shaped contraption catches your eye.
The award-winning Cucina 2000 Vending model
(Credit: Twirl Pasta)Not only does the Cucina 2000 look and sound like a robot, it acts like one too. According to the manufacturer, Twirl Pasta Company, "Customers insert paper currency or credit card and then select a pasta meal by pushing a single button. The Pasta Carousel turns and drops an individual portion of spaghetti into the enclosed cooking kettle. Spaghetti is cooked to al dente perfection and automatically dispensed into the Twirl Pasta bowl in less than 90 seconds!"
Much more than a gimmick, the machine recently won a 2008 Kitchen Innovations Award from the National Restaurant Association. The company has created three versions of its spaghetti maker under the Cucina 2000 moniker and hopes to see its product in everything from cafeterias to bars and full-service restaurants.
Soon, we may have another popular choice competing for our traveling on-the-go hunger. Knowing from past experiences that it usually takes two hands to eat spaghetti, please don't eat and drive.
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