Cookhacker » cool tools

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer…Best in Class

Tom — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:45:15 +0000

The Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen (Pink) Instant Read Thermometer, Perfect for Barbecue, Home and Professional CookingSuper-Fast Thermapen is, without a doubt, the best food thermometer available and an essential really cool kitchen tool. Sure, it’s way expensive, but sometimes it makes sense to just buy the best. The thing that sets this apart from all other kitchen thermometers (and there are some pretty good ones out there) is its speed, accuracy and ease of use…it takes just 3 seconds to register an amazingly accurate reading. Another great feature is that the Thermapen is splash-proof, with molded-in seals that protect the thermometer from wet hands and kitchen splashes. I also love the way it operates…just open it and it turns on and close it and it turns off…no buttons, cables, slides or switches (and it comes in some really great colors!). When buying things for the kitchen, I always take pricing into account, but I believe that in this case, because a great thermometer invariably leads to great results when cooking, if you can afford it, it pays to go with the best. This also is absolutely one of the coolest gifts you can buy for someone who cooks…they’ll use it and love you forever!

OXO Good Grips Scale – An Essential Kitchen Tool

Tom — Fri, 27 May 2011 15:46:03 +0000

This is one of the kitchen tools that I really can’t live without…the OXO Good Grips Stainless Food Scale with Pull-Out DisplayOXO Good Grips Food Scale. It has large, backlit, easy to read numbers and, with one click, switches from metric to U.S. (avoirdupois) weight. When adding each ingredient to a recipe, just press the zero button (tare weight) to set the scale back to zero, add your next each ingredient, repeat for each additional ingredient, and all your mixing and measuring is done in one bowl, making for much easier cleanup. One of the best features is that the display can be separated from the base (it’s attached by a long, sturdy wire) so even if you’re weighing your ingredients in huge bowl that would normally hide the readout on a lesser scale, on this one, just slide it out and you can easily see the weight. If you bake, you know how important weights and proportions are to achieve a great result. I never bake without it, and I guarantee once you try it, you won’t either…this is the real deal!

The Best Bread (and Bagel) Knife

Tom — Sun, 22 May 2011 15:52:29 +0000

If you bake your own bread and love to eat it straight out of the oven, you know how hard it is to get a good, even slice from fresh-out-of-the-oven, warm bread. This handcrafted Hand Crafted Cherry Bread Knife, Made in USAbread bow knife (another non-essential but really cool kitchen tool) has a beveled, scalloped edge (it never needs sharpening) that works like a super-sharp saw to cut a neat, uniform width slice of that crusty, aromatic freshly baked no-knead sourdough whole wheat pumpkin seed encrusted loaf that you can then slather in butter and watch as it melts into the nooks and crannies…ok, I’m getting a little carried away here, but there really is nothing better then homemade bread.

This knife is also perfect for cutting bagels, ripe tomatoes and just about anything else that you may have trouble slicing with a conventional knife…and, with the beautiful cherry wood handle, it looks really great just sitting there on the kitchen counter.

This also makes a great gift for the cook who has everything…that’s how I got it (thanks Ned and Debi)!

Oxo Pop Up Vegetable (and Chicken Wing) Steamer

Tom — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:04:12 +0000

Although I did post a technique a while back for simply steaming a small quantity of vegetables, there are times when that method isn’t practical (like for prepping my Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings). For these times, I highly recommend the Oxo Good Grips Pop-Up SteamerOxo Good Grips Pop-Up Steamer.

All you have to do is press on the handle and it pops up to make it safe and easy to insert into and remove from a steaming pot. One of the best feature is that you can unscrew the handle and it’s then perfect for steaming larger items like fish fillets (or huge batches of chicken wings!). It has foldable feet to keep the basket above the boiling water and it also expands to fit just about any pot. It’s a really cool kitchen tool with multiple uses…a practical (and inexpensive) addition to any kitchen!

And, if you really want to steam a huge batch of wings this simple, Asian-style 14 inch 3-Tier Aluminum Steamer3 Tiered Aluminum steamer is great…it’s also perfect for steaming a couple of different vegetables (or a variety of seafood) all at the same time for a quick, healthy dinner.

Sausage, Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Pizza with a Sourdough Whole Wheat Crust

Tom — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:59:02 +0000

Just wanted to post a shot of the pizza I made tonight…it tasted as good as it looks. This was, of course, made from scratch and I’ll get around to posting the recipe and technique soon. One of the most important tricks to making a great pizza is using a pizza stone…you just can’t bake a great crust without it. A pizza stone has a greater thermal mass then either a glass or metal pan and therefore holds and distributes heat better. It’s also porous, so it absorbs moisture from the dough as it cooks, all of which contributes to an amazing, crisp, uniformly browned crust. Also, definitely get yourself a pizza peel…they’re inexpensive and make putting the pizza into the oven a breeze.

Old Stone 4461 16-Inch Round Oven Pizza StonePizza stones are available just about everywhere, and come in a variety of sizes and shapes (and prices). They should be put in a cold oven, then preheated for at least 30 minutes before using. Because they are porous and absorb liquid, the stone should never be washed with soap…just a dry brush or some plain, warm water if needed. They are also ideal for baking bread.

t stone or piece of ceramic or earthenware used to evenly distribute oven heat to pizzas or other baked goods, more or less mimicking the effects of cooking a pizza in a masonry oven. Such bakeware has more thermal mass than metal or glass pans. The porous nature of the stone used also helps absorb moisture, resulting in a crisp crust.

OXO Good Grips Food Scale…a must have tool for the kitchen

Tom — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:11:50 +0000

This is one of the kitchen tools that I can’t live without…the OXO Good Grips Food Scale. It has large, backlit, easy to read numbers and, with one click, switches from metric to U.S. (avoirdupois) weight. When you press the zero button (tare weight) to set the scale back to zero, you can continue to add ingredients and then zero it out again, so all your mixing and measuring can be done in one bowl. One of the best features is that the display can be separated from the base (it’s attached by a long wire) so even if you weighing a huge bowl or plate, you can still easily see the readout. If you bake, you know how important weights and proportions are to achieve a great result…this is the real deal!

A Really Great Knife at a Really Great Price

Tom — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:09:12 +0000

Now that I showed you the best tool to sharpen your knives, let me tell you about a really great knife that has the added benefit of being very inexpensive. I love my Henkel and Wüstof knives, but for real value and exceptional quality, I Victorinox 8" Chef's Kniferecommend the Victorinox 47520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's KnifeVictoronix Fibrox 8″ Chef’s Knife. It has a stamped, high-carbon stainless steel blade and, although it doesn’t have quite the weight of a forged blade, it feels good in your hand, has nice balance and excellent edge retention. You can’t go wrong with this knife…it’s really a pleasure to use.

Knife Sharpening…The Best Tool for the Job

Tom — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:45:27 +0000

I love my knives and, as incongruous as it might sound, a sharp knife is a safe knife. When a knife is dull, more pressure is needed when using it and that increases the chance that the knife will slip and do some damage…a sharp knife is not only much easier to control, but it really adds to the joy of food preparation.

Sharpening a knife using a sharpening stone is best left to professionals. It’s a great skill to learn, but it takes a lot of practice as it’s tough to get the proper angles. The Accusharp Knife and Tool Sharpener is an inexpensive, safe and easy to use tool that makes knife sharpening a pleasure. It has diamond honed Tungsten Carbide sharpening blades set at the proper angle so you can’t make a mistake, and in about 10 seconds, you have a nice, sharp edge.

The are a lot of myths and facts about knife sharpening, but if you use the right knife for the job and you keep it sharp, you’ll find food prep to be a pleasure.

No need to go crazy buying knifes. I recommend starting out with a good quality 8″ chef’s knife (the workhorse!), a 3″ paring knife, a 5 1/2″ boning knife, 5″ Tomato/Utility Knife, an 8″-10″ serrated bread knife and a honing (sharpening) steel. Just make sure you store them properly (I love my magnetic knife holder) and you should be ready to tackle any kitchen cutting job with ease.

Cheaper and Neater…another Really Cool Tool

Tom — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:30:34 +0000

Another unessential-but-cool-to have tool in the kitchen is the simple plastic squeeze bottle. It’s another one of those diner/restaurant tricks that makes life in the kitchen just a little simpler. Filled with your favorite type of oil, just a quick spritz in a hot pan and you’re ready to sauté. The great thing about it is, not only is it much neater than pouring straight from the container (you know you hate that oil slick that always forms on the bottom of the cabinet it’s stored in) but you can also buy a huge container of oil at a really inexpensive price and just refill your squeeze bottle when needed. This is also great for ketchup. You can buy the 114 oz. restaurant-size container of Heinz at Costco for about half of the cost per ounce of the standard size you find in the supermarket. Simpler, neater and way less expensive…what’s not to like?

The Aerolatte – Another Really Cool Tool

Tom — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:40:34 +0000

Another one of my favorite unessential-but-cool to-have utensils, the Aerolatte To Go, Milk Frother, BlackAerolatte, makes a great cappuccino and really adds to the enjoyment of your morning coffee. It’s fast, inexpensive, easy to use and simple to clean. One of the cool things I do is add flavorings to the milk before I froth. This morning I sprinkled in some cinnamon and a little sugar before I frothed and it made an amazing topping for my French Roast coffee. Also, immediately after frothing, I put the mixture in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds (keep an eye on it because it will expand quickly) and then top my coffee with it for a nice warm, delicious first sip to start the morning. It also makes a great gift (that’s how I got it…thanks to my sister) for any coffee lover.