This is one of those items that’s been on my wishlist for awhile now, but I just haven’t gotten around to buying it. It could be because I’ve already got quite a few working graters in the drawer already… but I’ve heard a lot of people swear by this long grater / zester called the Microplane.

Interestingly, Microplane is actually the brand and not the general name of the device (like the brand Band-Aid being a general term for bandages). I think the Food Network has had some responsibility in making the general public aware of this gadget (if I had a nickel for every time Rachel Ray or Alton Brown touts it’s usability…)

The Microplane weighs about a half pound and is about a foot long, with the grater blade being 8 inches long. The plane is made of stainless steel and those micro rasps are really sharp - I think the biggest complaint among users is the fact that you need to be extremely careful with these sharp edges which go all around even on the curled edges of the blade. Occasional grated knuckles may be a hazard as a result.

If you’re careful, however, this seems like a great grater (pun intended) to churn out both citrus zest and shavings of harder types of cheese. I’ve also heard people use it to make grated onions (try grating an onion on a traditional grater, ugh) and minced ginger. It makes really fine shavings of everything though, so this is definitely not something to use in order to make decoration or presentation bits and pieces of cheese or citrus peel.

Everyone knows Pyrex, and these mixing bowls will be really useful if you do a lot of food prep. Made of the sturdy glass stuff instead of cheaper plastic, this 4 bowl set comes with colored lids for convenient storage in the fridge. One of the coolest things about the lids are that they have the bowl size imprinted right on the top.

The set comes with 4 clear mixing bowls with the following colored lids: 1 quart (green), 1.5 quart (orange), 2.5 quart (blue), 4 quart (red). The bowls can be very useful because you can serve food in them and put the leftovers straight into the fridge. Non-porous glass refrigerator storage is nice because it doesn’t pick up food odors or stains (although we sometimes have problems with the lids getting discolored or picking up odors from contact with stored food).

The bowls are also supposedly safe in both the microwave and dishwasher.

Ok, so maybe this isn’t the type of cake pan that you’re going to need everyday. This is more of a novetly item than anything else. Still, if you play your cards right, you’re going to have one pleased birthday boy or girl.

This is a aluminum pan shaped like a big ice cream cone by Wilton, with instructions for making the cakes and some design ideas as well included. The pan measurearound 14″ x 9″ and is 2 inches deep so it’s a fairly good sized cake. The picture shown acturally has baked and frosted cakes already in them, so it was a bit misleading… the actual pan is simply shaped like the cake and is plain metal.

This ball whisk might look a little bizarre at first glance - sort of like one of those children’s lighted toys they sell at amusement parks. However, they’ve certainly hit upon something as far as usability goes in the kitchen.

The thing that most people talk about with the whisk is that it’s much, much easier to clean than an average closed loop whire whisk where its difficult to scrub between the loops. Each of the 11 stainless steel ball bearings is attached by sturdy but flexible wires to the metal handle. There is a larger ball bearing in the center to give it more heft.

Continue reading “WMF Ball Whisk” …

This is a great 5 piece set of the popular Oxo brand utensils. The set comes with serving and slotted spoons, a ladle, a spatula and a spaghetti noodle scoop. They are all stainless steel with those nonslip nylon Softworks grips that make them great to have handy in the kitchen, especially when dealing with messier foods. The contoured handles all have holes for hanging the utensils if desired.

OXO Softworks 5pc. Nylon Kitchen Utensil Set - $24.99
Available at Target.com

I have been eyeing this cool kitchen knife gadget called the Ulu which was originally created by native Alaskans over 5000 years ago. It reminds me somewhat of a mezzaluna or some sort of cool pizza cutter. It’s basically a two handled curved knife that comes with a bowl like chopping block that matches the curvature of the knife.

It looks like you could take vegetables to task with this chopping blade. I’ve heard that this type of blade is also suitable for cooks who have weak wrists or arm injuries because the force of the downward chopping motion is higher than using a normal knife.

I’ve always been interested in an ice cream maker - but like many other people, this type of gadget falls into the category of “occasional gift from rich relative” or “wedding registry obligatory splurge”. Sort of like Fondue Sets…

This is a fully automatic compressor ice cream maker (no cranking required) that will do 1 1/5 quarts of your favorite frozen treat. The stainless steel housing looks commercially hefty and awfully boxy, and Cuisinart has not spared expenses in designing it. It has a 60 minute timer and a spout lid for ingredients. It requires neither pre-freezing of any parts (like a work bowl) nor any additional freezing aids (salt, alcohol, ice, etc.). Because of that, it’s easier to make batches one after the other, with the average time for a freeze said to be a little more than half an hour.

Continue reading “Cuisinart Supreme Ice Cream Maker” …

I’d been looking for something similar to this Toaster Rack by Duncan Hines for awhile since the current one that came in our cheap toaster is pretty shabby. In particular the non-stick coating seems to be a huge plus for cleanup (ever try cleaning burnt cheese out of a toaster oven?)

However, I have to agree w/ the reviews I read about this that it’s sort of funny that there’s no dimensions quoted in the product description, but they certainly tout the fact that the dimensions are embossed onto the pan! I would suspect this information is extremely important to know before ordering since toasters aren’t a standard size. This made me hesitate to buy it just yet, but I’m posting it here in case anyone’s looking for something similar.

One of the amazon reviews does say that the outer dimensions are 10.25 x 7.25 inches and the cooking surface itself is 9.5 x 6.25 inches - so keep that in mind when you think of getting it for your toaster.

If this doesn’t impress you sweetie, then I don’t know what will. Le Crueset is probably the most popular current brand of enameled cast iron cookware. The great thing about this heartfelt casserole, which comes with the standard cast iron lid with handle, is that its both functional and will add a beautiful different flair to your currrent cookware selection. It measures a good 2 quarts, so it could be easily used for a pot roast, chicken, rice or a smaller stew.

As with all Le Crueset cookware, it has a double layer of enamel on both the outside and inside which makes for easy cleaning.

It might be too late to pick it up for your special cook this year, but keep it in mind for next year’s V-Day!

What could be more special than giving your special cook a pan shaped like a heart? How about a DOUBLE Heart pan that has the two hearts stuck together to show just how close you two are?

This non-stick double heart pan is made by Baker’s Secret and measures about 10 by 9 inches. The two inch deep pan also featueres 2 ply steel along with ETP to give you extra protection against rust and wear.