Category: Prep Tools

Better Building Of Measuring Spoons

Foldable Measuring Spoons at Sur La Table

Measuring spoons. Handy little devices–when you can find the one you are looking for. Even the ones that come attached to a plastic ring tend to get separated and subsequently lost. Forget building a better mousetrap, at least when it comes to baking essentials, it’s all about corralling those measuring spoons.

This set of Foldable Measuring Spoons at Sur La Table would do nicely. Including four of the more commonly used measurements of ¼ tsp., ½ tsp., 1 tsp. and 1 Tbsp, the one you are looking for is always at hand. Assuming, of course, you don’t misplace the entire set. For $3.95, maybe picking up an extra set isn’t a bad idea.

***UPDATE 5/12/2014***

Looks like the folding measuring spoons from the link above got lost. Luckily that isn’t the only place to get measuring spoons that don’t wander off. Check out the Talisman Designs Flip’n Good Measuring Spoon available on Amazon in a variety of colors.

Talisman Designs Flip'n Good Measuring Spoon

Make Your Own Stuffed Olives with the Olivator

Olivator Olive Stuffer by RSVP International

Olives are great and all, but there is no reason why we can’t make them greater. As we all know, adding one food item to another only makes for a greater food item. Any items that have been wrapped in bacon or dipped in peanut butter are both good examples. Well bacon and peanut butter may be the kings of combination, but that doesn’t mean the little ol’ olive can’t get its due.

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Capturing the Cooking Storm (Or at Least Some of the Prep Work)

Oneida 7pc Mandolin Slicing Bowl

Kitchen life is messy. There is good reason, after all, that ‘cooking up a storm’ evolved into an expression. If you prefer to keep your tempest in a teapot, you’re going to need a teapot… or in this case, a bowl.

The Oneida 7pc Mandolin Slicing Bowl comes with four slicing blades and a 1-quart stainless steel bowl. The combination of a mandoline slicer with a bowl makes for a convenient and efficient prep tool. Simply snap the lid over the bowl and slice away. The results are captured in the bowl for easy transport or storage. Currently priced at $19.99, the prepping gadget is one kitchen item that is as affordable as an umbrella–not that you’d need rain gear in the kitchen or anything.

Cookbook of the future

De Dietrich interactive kitchen guide

It’s coming: the future of the kitchen is coming. We may not have jetpacks and flying cars yet, but the connected kitchen is right on the horizon. Kitchen appliance manufacturers still see a future where the refrigerator talks to the microwave and tells people what to eat for dinner, but for the meantime, a more realistic goal seems to be popping up.

Small internet-friendly devices are going to be key to the kitchens of the future. Companies have been producing small ‘cookbook readers’ for some time, but so far it doesn’t seem to have taken hold in the public’s imagination quite yet. After all, with laptops and netbooks being so small and portable (along with Bing now offering recipe searches), a new recipe or an old favorite is only a click away.

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Twist Whisk promises more than hot air

Twist Whisk 10" Egg Whisk Twist - Red by Cuisipro

Air turbulence isn’t always a bad thing. While the aerodynamically sensitive industries surrounding planes, trains and automobiles may disagree about that, cooking is all about moving air. One might think that usually cooking concerns the movement of hot air in particular, but not in this case.

The Cuisipro Twist Whisk may look like loopy red licorice vines sticking out of a handle, but these silicone-wrapped wires aren’t going to be very tasty (or easy to eat). Designed to create more movement of air while mixing, the textured nature of the of the wires carry with them the promise of increased efficiency, resulting in reduced whipping and mixing time. Forget the mysterious black box material, if Red Vines licorice makes things go faster, maybe they start making airplanes out of candy.