Open Source Cook » Tools

Rice Cooker

jackie — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:45:26 +0000

This is my new favorite tool to have in the kitchen and for all the wrong reasons! Have you ever had one of those cravings late at night and could do nothing about it? You know the ones, where you want a big slice of chocolate cake (or any kind)? I know I have and not getting that slice usually meant I had cake on my mind all night. At 10 o’clock at night, who wants to wait around for an hour and a half for a cake to bake and get frosted just to satisfy a craving? The rice cooker is the perfect tool to help with that craving. I was able to bake, and frost, a cake in 10 minutes flat. Now that I would have no problem doing at 10 o’clock at night.

Granted, that’s part of the reason it’s so wrong. I know I don’t need to have that cake at night, and usually the time to make it deters me enough not to have it, but now I have to rely on my will power.

On the flip side, using the rice cooker to make a cake has some other benefits. How many of us have kids who have wanted to bake a cake for some reason? To bake a cake in the oven, an adult has to be around – there’s no question about it. However, with the rice cooker, there is no use for the oven. The cake is made in the microwave and most kids can handle that on their own.

Also, how many of us know bachelors?

Featured Product: Collapsible Bowls

jackie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:21:21 +0000

I have found the perfect bowl. The Pampered Chef has this line of collapsible bowls that have been extremely useful. They are made of this soft silicon style rubber that make it easy to pop them up and down, plus they also come with lids. In three different sizes – 2qt, 4qt and 8qt – they have been great to use for dinner outside by the fire. Swarming flies are no longer issue when having picnics outside. One of my favorite perks is that I can collapse them and stick them in the dishwasher and they come out completely cleaned. Considering how much space a normal bowl takes up, I can stack them vertically and still have room for other dishes. I have even been able to use them as a mixing bowl and they haven’t collapsed on me while stirring. I’ve already determined that I’m going to get an extra set of the 2 & 4 qt bowls and I can’t wait to get the 8qt. If you’ve been looking for a new set of all-purpose bowls, look no further than the Collapsible Bowl line from the Pampered Chef.

Oven Pad

jackie — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:54:12 +0000

I have found an oven pad that I am loving. I am not a fan of the oven mitts or the glove looking things. I always feel like they are more in the way than letting me do what I need to do. However, I just got the one Pampered Chef sells and this thing is awesome. This thing rocks. My first impression when I opened it up was “damn this thing is huge”, but that’s the beautiful part. It may be huge, but on the back of the it is a place to slide in your hand and it fits to your hand like a baseball glove. You don’t have to concentrate on holding the pad and it’s really easy to grab any dishes out of the oven.

In all honestly, I will admit, it is kind of hard to explain the benefits of this pad without actually seeing it, so make sure you ask about it at the next show you go to. If you’re looking to replace your current oven pads, I would highly recommend getting a couple of these. I’ve already ordered my second one and am seriously thinking about getting another set.

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#1346 Oven Pad — $10.50
Thick, quilted terry cloth keeps hands safe. A unique elastic hand band gives you a comfortable, secure grip when handling hot dishes. 10″ x 10 3/4″. Machine washable.

The Scoops

jackie — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:16:25 +0000

Seriously, this is probably my all time favorite product so far. Yes, the garlic press is great (and they just announced it’s been redesigned), but nothing beats the Scoops. There are three different sizes – Small/1 tbsp, Medium/2 tbsp, and Large/3 tbsp – and I have been enjoying the Medium/2 tbsp Scoop so much. I’ve been making a ton of cookies and this thing has been making it a breeze.

Tonight when Jesse requested No-Bake Cookies at 10pm, my biggest concern was the time it takes to spoon out the cookies. I usually have no problem making these since they are a quick and easy recipe, but spooning the cookies onto wax paper is time consuming; however, tonight, I was able to get these out in record time. The Medium/2 tbsp Scoop not only allowed me to do this quickly, but it was a lot cleaner as well. When you use two different spoons to make No-Bake cookies, there always seems to be drippage from the pan to the table, but I didn’t have that problem this time. I only had to use the one Medium/2 tbsp Scoop and since it has an enclosed area, there wasn’t anything on the wax paper except the cookies I was laying out. It was awesome.

Now the only thing Jesse remarked on was that he would have liked it if I had used the Small/1 tbsp Scoop instead of the Medium/2 tbsp Scoop simply because of the size of the cookies. The Medium/2 tbsp Scoop is great for chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies, but Jesse likes smaller No-Bake cookies so he can enjoy them longer. So it’s all a matter of preference, but seriously, for anyone who makes a lot of cookies, this is the perfect tool to have in your kitchen. I’m already planning on getting the other two Scoops.

Handy Scraper

jackie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:30:47 +0000

When I first came across the Handy Scraper, I wasn’t too impressed with it. It’s a flat piece of plastic for $6. However, I ended up getting one and I’m loving it.

I’m one of those cooks who dices with a knife and then picks up the pieces with said knife to transfer the items to the bowl. This method has always worked for me, but I always had to do it multiple times in order to get everything off the cutting board. I can’t remember when I initially came across the Handy Scraper, but I remember thinking at the time “it’s not worth it to me for $6″. My attitude has so changed. I mean, not only did it take a few trips with the knife to get everything over to the cutting board, but I couldn’t load up the knife because I was always afraid of cutting myself. With the Handy Scraper, I don’t have that fear anymore. Plus, I can get everything in one scoop and it actually slides along the cutting board easier.

This is what really sold it for me. Running the Handy Scraper across the cutting board and not having really any friction, so it was one smooth operation. Have you tried doing that with a knife?

Cut-N-Seal

jackie — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:36:42 +0000

A feature I am going to try to do each week (or month, we’ll see how it goes) is going to be a “featured product”. Something I’ve used and love and think others will as well.

For the first installment, this weeks featured product is the Cut-N-Seal. I wasn’t initially interested in this item until I saw a post where it was featured at a show that consisted primarily of mom’s. The reason it was spotlighted – crustless sandwiches. How many moms have kids who won’t eat a sandwich with the crust on it? This is actually perfect for that mom.

The Cut-N-Seal takes a new twist on the pocket sandwich by not only cutting away all of the crust with one motion, but it also seals in all the contents of the sandwich. I just made a PB&J sandwich for my son and it was beautiful. He not only ate all of it, but the clean up was minimal compared to any other time he has had a PB&J.

I’ve also been playing around with the idea of making my own ravioli and this seems like the perfect tool to help me do it. I’m still playing with it, but from what I’ve seen, it’s going to be an awesome item to have in my kitchen.