Have you tried this cooking tool?

2008-07-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

Nutmeg Grinder

Memories of Mom in the kitchen over the stove with a nutmeg in one hand and a small grater in the other.
Years later, I received this Nutmeg Grinder from one of my sister & a dear friend and it has been a favorite kitchen tool of mine since.

The mill has razor-sharp blades that finely grate whole nutmeg as you turn the crank. The acrylic top doubles as a storage vessel, holding whole nutmegs in reserve.

Try some in your pancake or waffle batter. Nutmeg is also great for ground meat dishes like meat loaf or meatballs. A little goes a long way.

Side note: The base of it reads, "Made on the Third Planet From the Sun Torrance CA US"...gotta love whoever made that statement happen.
This blog post goes to my favorite Las Vegas flair bartenders who turned me on to this...thanks Little C and B.

2008-07-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Melon Scoop

Not much explanation needed here.
Melon scoopers are great to use this time of year.

Summer Sunflower Dessert idea.
Make a melon & ice cream sunflower dish by scooping 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream on a plate and place smaller melon balls around the ice cream.

The Melon Scoop is also good for creating neatly formed cookie dough balls that baked into consistently shaped cookies.

Other uses: Butter balls, cream cheese

Here's an after thought: I'm joansing something savory and sweet...I might wrap the melon balls with thinly sliced Prosciutto for a quick summer time friendly appetizer or snack later on tonight.

2008-07-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

If you have ever notice the tendency for your baster brush to fall out of your sauce bowl, this tool will end that frustration.

The stainless-steel pot comes with a brush built right into its lid. The brush is made from silicone and is heatproof to 550° F. It has a long handle and guard to protect hands from heat.

It comes with two brush heads one that is thick and round the other is flat and thin.

Priced at $29.95 and is dishwasher friendly.

The wallet friendly version comes with a mug and standard kitchen spatula, hand guard not included. ;)

2008-06-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

If you follow Bravo's Top Chef and LOVE Padma Lakshmi you should check out KCRW Guest DJ Project. Padma is one of the listed guest DJ and she tells DJ Garth Trinidad about the music that inspires the creation of her culinary masterpieces.

It's only 09:12 minutes and in the end, you might catch yourself replaying it again hoping to hear more from Padma.

Here's a transcript quote about cooking to Led Zepplin's "Ramble on".

"I love this song because it never ceases to make me happy, happy as a dog’s tail. You know, in the kitchen, barefoot, with the music up, with a big, wide wok in front me and all my spices. I think of my spice box as a painter’s palate, and I often I just go to the market and buy vegetables or some protein. I usually have tomatoes or coconut milk or something like that, and then I just do what I refer to in the book as “MacGyvering” in the kitchen. And what I mean by that is just taking what you have and really creating something spontaneously. And I love the kind of tooling, rambling on, you know, attitude of this song. It just makes me want to keep humming, keep on my path, and really inspires me to kind of just keep creating -- whatever form that creativity takes shape in is fine".

To listen to the entire show go to:
http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/gd/gd080618padma_lakshmi

2008-06-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

With the weekend quickly approaching, here is a suggestion for the grilling meats.

A dry rub is a great way to gain flavor without adding a gazillion calories.

Williams-Sonoma recently came out with a dry-rub called Adam's Steak Rub.
The blend consist of roasted garlic, black pepper, Moroccan cracked coriander, dill seed, yellow mustard seed and red pepper.

Just mix together your choice of protein, olive oil, rub mix & cut up onions and your ready for the grill! If you're going for a true dry rub crust, omit the olive oil.

This also goes great with chicken and pork.

2008-06-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Mesh Grill-Top Chef's Pan
(Available @ William-Sonoma)

This mesh fry pan is AWESOME and if your grilling veggies your thing, you may want to pick this up before the weekend!

Because it has an open mesh bed pan, your vegetables will get that delicious summer smoky flavor. I personally love grilling asparagus and this pan makes it easy to get the job done without having any stalks casualties!

Made from stainless-steel and dishwasher friendly. ;)

2008-06-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have been mostly blogging about cooking tools, but this is what this time of year is really about.

BEAUTIFUL FRESH ORGANIC Southern California grown produce!

These BEAUTIES were freshly picked from Cynthia's Garden in Redondo Beach, CA.

Tonight I'll have the opportunity to enjoy these juicy German Tomatoes, beautiful Summer Squash and freshly picked Basil...YUMMM, can't wait!

2008-06-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

All-Clad Electric Indoor Grill

I have mixed opinions about this BEAUTIFUL grill.

Pros: The grill lets you control temperature easily. The two sides of the grill have their own dial control so you can have two different temperatures going. The surface is made of a nonstick surface and All-Clad includes a cleaning brush.

Cons: The cleaning brush is not substantial enough to get the job done. I used a clean kitchen towel to get into the ridges which is time consuming and not really convenient. But when considering alternatives, the towel seemed to be the best option because it wouldn't compromise the nonstick surface.

It also has a large drip drawer and stainless steel splatter guard. Both are dishwasher friendly.
Make sure you have good ventilation before using this product.

This particular product can only be found at Williams-Sonoma. Retail price $299.95.

2008-06-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

Agave 15 Margarita Salt

Earlier I mentioned the Margaritaville Maker and I also want to mention a good salt rim option.

Salts seem to be popular subject of discussion lately and for those people who like having salt on their Margarita's the usual go to product is kosher salt. Williams-Sonoma has an Agave 15 line which also includes salt options.

My favorite BY FAR is the Lime flavor. It has a nice tart-salty-sweet taste.

The Agave 15 line also has a Tangerine and Plain salt mix, but I'm in no rush to have the Tangerine again...EUWAAA!

2008-06-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

The Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker...

Normally, you'd reach for you blender to make Margarita's at home, but this is a fun toy to have if your free time involves several on going homemade Margarita's.

Pros: Makes shaved ice, rather than chopped up ice...nice.
It has an ice reservoir and a water reservoir to collect any melted ice. Mostly easy to operate. Great for entertaining.

Cons: Bulky and pricey.

It also good for making daiquiris, pina coladas and smoothies.

2008-06-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! It's summer time and if KRUPS has come out with a BeerTender product that makes it easy to enjoy draft at home. (Think of all the mula you won't need to spend on taxi drivers).

Yes, anyone can have a full size keg at home, but I personally don't need that much beer at home.

Technically this product uses a dicarbonated pressure system in a mini-like keg. I watched a demonstration of how this BeerTender works and was impressed. (Maybe because I really love beer and the thought of a pouring a cold draft at home just thrills me).

I'm aware of two model of this product. The better model has a digital display that indicates temperature, days of freshness and beer level. It hosts a 5 liter canister, which once open will stay fresh for 30 days.
Currently Heineken is the only available canister that is intended for this product, but a reliable source tells me that next year we can also look forward to additional beer options including New Castle beer.

Ultimate Citrus Zester...seriously

2008-05-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Microplane makes amazing graters and the Ultimate Citrus Zester does mostly live up to that name.

Every active kitchen should have grater for smaller items. They are great for grating lemon zest, nutmeg, chocolate, and a host of other food items.

I'm recommending the Ultimate citrus grater because of it's a great item to have and use. This model comes with a nonslip grip and it even includes garnishing tools. So cool for shaving curls!

One more thing to note: Microplane graders are made from surgical steel and are dishwasher safe.

Microplane products can be found at several retailers. I found the "Ultimate Citrus Grater" at Williams-Sonoma and it was priced at $12.95.

Fish Spatula

2008-04-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

If you are a minimalist with your cooking tools, this is one for consideration.

It is called a Fish Spatula. This tool slips underneath fish and prevents breakage.

What makes it great It can also be used anything that is happening in your pan. It is perforated to allow any liquids drain back into the pan. Unlike most nylon or plastic spatulas, it won't bubble up when exposed to higher temperatures.

Made from 18/10 stainless steal, it is great for cast iron or stainless steel pans.
Note: This tool is not for nonstick cookware users.

Potato Ricer

2008-04-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

If you like your mash potatoes light and creamy, this tool makes it easy to get the desired results!

I tried a few different types of potato ricer and this by far is my favorite.

Williams Sonoma's Potato Ricer is worth every penny if you plan on making mash potatoes more that once! Here are a few reasons as to why.

1) The extra large potato hopper is perforated on four sides. Most potato ricers only have one side for the potatoes to be extracted. The four sided model allows you to rice more potatoes without having to readjust the ricer.

2) It has rubber-coated ridges which add to the stability and prevents scratching while applying pressure.

3) The construction is made from stain-less steel and cast-aluminum making it dishwasher safe.

This cooking tool is a keeper and makes a great gift for the mash potato afficianado!

24 Cupcake Carrier

2008-04-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a useful and well priced food solution for transporting the popular cupcake.

The 24-Cup Cupcake Carrier from Crate&Barrel comes with 2 trays (12 count each) for neatly carrying cupcakes on the go. The base tray is made from pressed steel with a non-stick finished and is oven friendly. The upper tray is sits neatly able the base tray. The tiers are held together by a plastic cover with handle and side latches. The steel pan is dishwasher friendly, however I opted to wash by hand with the other plastic parts to prevent premature wear and tear. The 24-cup cupcake carrier beats bakery boxes any day of the week.