cooking
Throw away your measuring spoons
For the chef who likes to keep their kitchen clean as they're cooking, traditional measuring spoons are a pain in the neck. Especially if you use them when you're baking, having to repeatedly wash your set of measuring spoons in between half teaspoons of baking soda, cinnamon, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper gets really annoying. I have the kind of measuring spoon with a slider that can be set to different increments, so I have to wash mine every time it's used while I'm cooking.
What's an elegant solution to this kind of water-wasting … Read more
Where to cook: Al fresco or in casa?
Inside or out? That's the question millions of Americans will be asking themselves as they head to the voting booth next month. Not what candidate to vote for, but where they want to cook their dinner that night. For far too many Americans the choice does not exist. Families across this great nation are confined to cooking inside their own kitchens, whether they want to or not. Well, no longer! Cast your vote for this Nomad-Cook mobile-induction cooking unit and you'll be able to take your mealtime wherever you want.
Stylishly clad with glazed lava stone and available … Read more
Portable teppanyaki grill takes the cooking to the people
There are lots of foods that benefit from being prepared on a flattop grill. While this Portable Teppanyaki Grill from Cook-n-Dine may have Japanese food at the heart of its design, the reality is anything can be prepared with ease and delicious results.
I have in mind one particular street food of which I happen to be fond: the bacon-wrapped hot dog. Hot dog carts selling these tubes of pork delight have been gaining in popularity in recent years. (I first remember seeing them in Mexico many years ago, but that's a different story.) However, creating the ultimate form … Read more
A cook top that lets you keep your counterspace
Cooking in small kitchens is no easy task, and manufacturers have valiantly attempted to make things easier for space-challenged chefs by creating gadgets that keep counters clear. Tupperware has become more stackable, bowls have become collapsible, and scales are wall-mountable. But did you predict the addition of a removable cook top to that arsenal? I certainly didn't, at least in this capacity.
The Vesta Cook Top designed by Matthias Pinkert of Germany solves space issues by letting you fold it up into a vertical position when it's not in use. This means that you can lay down your … Read more
Public paper towel convenience now private
The kitchen tool I have to replenish most often is paper towels. Thankfully, most brands now have the "select-a-size" half-sheet towels, so I can wipe up without being as wasteful, but it seems as if I still use more than I need. Although most of them are put to good use, many paper towels inevitably fall victim to accidental spoilage, like when I steady the roll with my left hand to tear off a sheet, leaving saucy fingerprints on the row of towels that are going to be used next. If the point of paper towels is to … Read more
A sink your sous chef will thank you for
Just when I thought we had run out of ways to eliminate the need for us to do the dirty work in the kitchen, I stumbled into the completely foreign land of the prep sink. Until seeing the Kohler Crevasse Prep Sink and its cousins, I was under the impression that a kitchen sink is a singular, possibly double-basined place for all rinsing, draining, disposing, and soaking needs, with some allowance for shapes and colors.
Not so, apparently. I should preface the following post by explaining how I currently deal with my food scraps. Living in New York in an … Read more
Fume hoods leave the stove and join the unemployment line
Strikingly unpretentious, the kitchen's subdued colors could easily be integrated into a broad range of existing homes without becoming boring, and the additional accents are functional and inviting. Virtually all of the elements … Read more
In the moooood for a cow-shaped grill?
Vegetarians and animal lovers might want shield their eyes.
Produced by Traeger Pellet Grills, the Lil' Pig and Longhorn Steer are here to remind grill masters that what they are cooking was once in cute farm animal form. And yet, who can resist a novelty grill that boasts digital thermostat control, EZ-drain grease system, and 418 square inches of cooking space?
Yet cooks who aren't thrown by the campy eyelash-clad, smiling-animal grills, may be deterred by the price tag. Most wood pellet grills are expensive (ranging from $600 to $2,500) and the cow and the pig grills will … Read more
Why does Google think I know about the American Idol winner's private parts?
I am fascinated by Stephen Shankland's post concerning Udi Manber's speech to the Gilbane Conference.
No, of course I have no idea what the Gilbane Conference is, but Mr. Manber is apparently Google's Vice President of Engineering in charge of search.
In his view, while the 20th Century was about conquering nature, the 21st is about understanding people.
About time someone did, if you ask me.
The most interesting part of Mr. Manber's speech was when he described the difficulties in understanding even searches that seem abundantly clear, like "hairstyles for ears that stick out.&… Read more