by Kitchen Utensils on September 26, 2009
When reviewing this month’s super tools for the kitchen, the Oxo Good Grips line grabbed our attention as top-of-the-line kitchen tools. Oxo tools are innovative in design and include such features as soft rubber grips, user-friendly design, and a great deal of functionality. We enjoyed using these products so much in our own kitchens that we’ve listed our top five Oxo Good Grips products in this article to share with you.
1. Angled measuring cups: talk about genius – these measuring cups let you check the accuracy of your measurement by looking straight down into the cup. Measurement marks inside the cup are clear and bright. The innovative angled design not only works for ease-of-use, but is also attractive and visually interesting.
2. Snap-lock can opener. This ingenious gadget actually makes opening cans fun! To open a can, you squeeze the opener so that it snaps on the can, locking it in. After you finish opening the can, press the lock to remove the opener. What’s also so great about this item is that anybody can use it because it requires very little force or strength. So it’s a great choice if you have arthritis or have any problems with gripping items.
3. Fat separator: separates fat from any liquid, using a devices that looks like a measuring cup. Heat-resistant,, the fat separator can easily de-grease gravy and hot soups. The device has a rubber stopper on the spout that prevents fat from leaking out the spout’s top. It also includes a strainer to catch food particles that you’d also like to keep out of the final product.
4. Folding cutting boards: Oxo Good Grips are the latest thing in great cutting boards. They are made from heat-resistant polypropylene and have rubberized side panels to prevent them from slipping. Oxo Good Grips cutting boards fold easily for storage and will not move no matter how much heavy-duty food chopping you do.
5. Manual slicers are available in either the mandolin or julienne varieties. They are readily gripped because they possess excellent handles. They will prepare thinly cut fruit or vegetables very quickly. The area around the blade is transparent allowing you to see precisely what is being cut.
The Oxo Good Grips line of advanced kitchen utensils sport rubberized grips, Great Handles, easy to use designs, and are highly functional. Our top five favorites include: angled measuring cups that let you check your measurement by looking down into the cup instead of having to squat to look at the calibration written on the side; the snap-lock can opener; a fat separator for removing fat from liquids; the folding cutting boards made of heat-resistant polypropylene; and finally, manual slicers, available in either the mandolin or julienne varieties, for preparing thinly cut fruit or vegetables very quickly. These are simply super tools for the kitchen!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_Holland-smith
by Kitchen Utensils on September 26, 2009
When choosing kitchen gadgets, such as spatulas whisks etc., you’ll first need to figure out what your needs are. If you cook Chinese food you need a very different set of utensils than if you make pizza. Once you know what kind of cooking you will do, make a list of what spatulas whisks etc. you will need. You can consult a cookbook relevant to that type of cooking and find out which spatulas whisks etc. are required, which gadgets aren’t required but would be useful, and what properties to look for in spatulas whisks etc.
You don’t necessarily need to own the best spatulas whisks etc. for your kitchen. While they have many outstanding features, you quickly hit the point of diminishing returns when comparing price vs. performance as you increase the price. Also, cooking surfaces and knives are much higher priority kitchen items than utensils. That said, spatulas whisks etc. are typically inexpensive, and you can find top quality cooking spatulas whisks etc. at reasonable prices.
Spatulas
What set of spatulas whisks etc. would be compete without an adequate selection of spatulas? Spatulas come in many sizes and are made from various materials including wood, stainless steel, nylon and plastic. A giant spatula, about ten inches by ten inches, is especially useful. You can use it to move around freshly rolled dough, and you don’t have to risk having the dough tear from its own weight, as might happen if you wrap the dough around a rolling pin in an attempt to move it.
You will have a thousand uses for spatulas, ranging from scraping cookies off baking sheets to frosting cakes. You’ll want narrow ones for loosening your baked creations from the pan. The perfect utensils for getting baked stuff loose from pans are narrow spatulas. They’re good spatulas whisks etc.for applying frosting also.
Whisks
The standard metal whisk is ideal for such typical kitchen tasks as whipping cream or beating egg whites by hand. You may also want some additional types of whisks, such as a small flat whisk with a spiral coil around a single wire, an elongated balloon whisk, and a full-sized silicone flat whisk. The small flat ones are excellent for beating a single egg or mixing a powdered beverage, whereas the elongated ones can mix stuff in deeper containers. A full-sized flat whisk, on the other hand, is the ideal choice of all spatulas whisks etc. for sauces and batters.
Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons
Measuring cups and measuring spoons are another essential element of your collection of spatulas whisks etc. Your measuring spoons should be flat and narrow enough to easily slip into spice jars. A curved handle is also a significant advantage as it will allow your measuring spoon to sit on a counter without tipping over, thus allowing you to fill the spoon and set it down.
When choosing measuring cups, you will most likely want a set of simple measuring cups and a Pyrex measuring cup. Pyrex is special heat and microwave proof glass, and thus a very versatile addition to your spatulas whisks etc. You will want to have more than one of these, as you will find that you often use more than one at a time
There Are Other Helpful Gadgets You’ll Need
A reliable timer is among gadgets you can’t do without. Don’t’ count on your ability to watch the clock. Let a timer remind you and avoid turning your cookies and pastries into charred little cinders. You will also want to have a pair of kitchen scissors amongst your gadgets, as they’re handy for trimming pie dough, cutting paper to line pans and snipping pieces of dried fruit.
You’ll also want vegetable peelers and apple corers, especially if you’re inclined toward baking pies or fruit tarts. As odd as it may seem to the inexperienced baker, a ruler is a gadget you’ll need among your pastry and pie tools. You will use it for measuring pan sizes and pastry shapes, but also as a straight edge when cutting pastries and dough.
Shop our large selection of Cooking Utensils Spatulas, Whisks etc, all at affordable prices.
And for all your kitchen needs from knives and cutlery to dinnerware go to Kitchenwareinc.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Zee
by Kitchen Utensils on September 25, 2009
In past decades, working a full time job, then coming home and doing the housework, and preparing dinner would leave mom totally exhausted at the end of the night.
Fixing meals that were healthy and nutritious often led to families eating dinner late at night because the preparation time for the meals took almost as long as cooking the meal itself.
Over the past few years, the dilemma of food preparation time has changed drastically. With the invention of kitchen gadgets, it is now possible to create wonderful healthy and nutritious meal in the fraction of the time that it took in years gone by.
One of the most popular kitchen gadgets that have ever been created is the slow cooker also known as the crock-pot. With this gadget, it is possible to create an incredible meal and cook it while you are at work. It saves a lot of time, because it cooks the food slowly throughout the day. Your dinner is ready when you get home.
The prep time for these meals has also been reduced to a fraction of the time with the invention of the food processor. With this incredible machine, you can slice, dice, chop and shred any food that you need for your dinner.
Of course, a popular kitchen gadget that no home can do without is a mixer. Whether it is a stand mixer or a hand mixer, no home should be without one. With a mixer, you can create fabulous whipped potatoes or decadent desserts in no time at all.
New gadgets are being introduced everyday. The assortment can leave a person bewildered and they can get carried away with the purchasing everything that they see.
Take for instance, The Magic Bullet, this astounding little gadget, can produce everything from salsa to sorbet in literally seconds. You can make ice cream, slushies, dips and even soup in this popular kitchen gadget in less time than it takes to turn on your stove.
Imagine peeling a potato in less than a minute with a pair of gloves! It can be done! There are so many different gadgets to make our lives easier, that you will want to fill your kitchen with all of them.
Whether you believe it or not, there are kitchen gadgets in every home in the world. They do not have to be a big clunky indoor grill, or a rotisserie oven, it can be something as small as a hands free can opener that fits in a drawer, if you look around your kitchen, you will find that you have more than one kitchen gadget that you cannot live without.
About the Author: Hunter Pyle wrote this article to talk about popular kitchen gadgets. Check out Kitchen and Much More for more kitchen gizmos and gadgets.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hunter_Pyle
by Kitchen Utensils on September 25, 2009
We have all heard the saying “If you cant stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” and it is true, the kitchen is a stressful place to work in. Perhaps you get harassed with the high levels of noise and heat in the kitchen, struggle to make a dessert, or find that your culinary dishes are bland and uninteresting. Whatever is causing your stress, there is bound to be a nifty kitchen gadget to help you out!
Do you have children that seem to excel in making crumbs magically appear after a meal, no matter how many napkins, clothes and baleful glowers you give them? Rather than going to the time and expense of polishing the table after meal….why not use Crumb Pets? Crumb Pets are miniature vacuums shaped like an animal, so this makes cleaning up for young children a more tolerable task.
Are you a real whiz with deserts, perhaps you want to experiment with some slightly more adventurous deserts such as Baked Alaskas or a crème bulee? It sounds extreme, but you will really need a cook’s blowtorch in order to caramelize the sugar most effectively, to give that special finishing touch.
Are you a keen gardener, want to do your bit for the environment or are a keen recycler? Well why not use the waste food and organic material of your kitchen as compost, a task made all the easier by a ceramic compost crock, an innovative device that will allow you to store you kitchen waste for use as a compost without having to worry about the nasty smell rotting material can produce. The compost crocks make use of a carbon filter to help reduce the smell, and also has an air vent specifically designed to maintain the proper circulation of air throughout the crock to help retard decay. Please note however that cooked food and meat are not suitable for composting.
How many times have you struggled to open a bottle of wine? Corkscrews can be exceptionally awkward to use at the best of times, and seem to require a complete workout of the arm muscles, in areas that would be best suited for a professional rower. With an electric cork screw all of the hard work and effort is totally eliminated, and is remarkably easy to use. This handy gadget simply requires you to place it above the cork and press a button, and the cork is suctioned out of the bottle!
Perhaps you are health conscious and want to reduce the fat in your diet, well let a Microwave Fat Free Browning Plate help you in all cooking. The Fat free plate is a great way to fry food whilst removing the fat meaning the same great taste without the health risk, whether it be steaks, French fries or pork chops, this great device removes the need for any oil or butter. Keeping the fat free plate is very easy, with its built in splatter proof guard you wont need to worry about constant cleaning.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Hinkley
by Kitchen Utensils on September 25, 2009
Everyone who cooks can use some of these practical, time saving kitchen tools. While you can get by with a bare bones kitchen and a few old pots and pans, a lot of dishes are harder to make or more time consuming to prepare. The items in this list can free up some of your time, help you make delicious meals, store leftovers and even make the kitchen a fun place. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite kitchen gadgets. I hope you like them.
1. Bread Maker
Imagine getting up in the morning to the smell of freshly baked bread, ready for you to take out of the machine and slice up for toast or for lunch sandwiches. And all you had to do was load the ingredients the night before, then set the timer.
2. Automatic Coffee Maker
This goes well with the bread maker. Add coffee grounds and water, set the clock and have coffee waiting for you when you stumble out of bed in the morning. Rise and shine!
3. High Quality Knife Set
I used to make do with an old set of mismatched knives given to me without a knife block. Some of the handles were loose, and they had to be stored in a drawer. The new set sits on the counter top. The edges stay sharp longer, and the set contains knives for most needs. More room in the drawer, too.
4. Plastic Food Containers
With a set of containers for food storage, saving leftovers is much easier. Many have lids with vents, for use in microwaves. Another way to use them is to freeze food for future use. They look better than old margarine and yogurt containers, too.
5. Immersion Blender
These hand-held gadgets can be placed in large drinking glasses, pots, or mixing bowls. You can mix drinks, baking ingredients, gravies or even whip potatoes. They take up less space and are easier to clean than traditional blenders as well.
6. Toaster Oven
A toaster oven can cook toasted items with toppings, like garlic bread and mini pizzas, as well as make toast. Small baking projects are possible too, if you don’t want to or can’t use a larger oven.
7. Sandwich Grill
For grilled cheese, tuna melts and patty melts, these grills seal the edge of the sandwich so cheese and other things can’t leak out.
These are some of the kitchen gadgets I like to use myself. For the larger items, maybe you can borrow one to test drive it before you buy. That is what I did with the bread maker. Our food containers, coffee maker and hand blender see daily use, and the toaster oven and sandwich grill once or twice a week. All in all, a good investment for my family. Happy cooking!
Tim Ebl likes to cook a variety of foods for his family and friends. His kitchen always has some new cooking project under way or in the planning, and he likes to try out new cooking tools. For more kitchen gadgets, check out Kitchen Gadgets
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Ebl
