baking

Give peace a chance

We've all been asked what we would do if we could change one thing about the planet. In my experience, answers to this question have ranged from simple requests, like making the grocery store down the street stay open 24 hours, to impossible, but virtuous, desires like undoing the invention of nuclear warheads. When I was growing up, my answer was always that I would eliminate war. Naturally, though, as I got older and more experienced in the ways of this life, I realized a world without war is next to impossible.

For as long as we've lived … Read more

Peeling, pronto

As a sophomore in college, I moved into the first home in which I had complete creative control of my own kitchen. I reveled in my newfound cuisine freedom by teaching myself how to cook from a series of cookbooks that I either borrowed or bought. The easiest thing to learn to do was bake--baking was like solving a math problem (a blessing for an engineering student), and I was able to turn my new hobby into gifts by giving away batches of cookies and cakes to friends.

By the end of college, I was preparing four-course meals inspired by … Read more

Mixer attachment stops senseless spatula death

After a long break for the holidays, I returned to work Wednesday to an even longer list of things I'd intended to write about way back in 2007. In the spirit of living up to resolutions for at least the first week of the new year, I'll attempt to get some of those things published in the next few days.

The SideSwipe Mixer Blade is an accessory for stand mixers (which were being pushed hard by retailers over the gift-giving holidays and no doubt turned up under quite a few trees in December). It's a blade similar … Read more

Flexible spatula will bend for your brownies

With the winter holidays rapidly approaching, everyone seems to have baking on the brain. I'm already plotting which pies are on the docket for me this winter, and as the weather turns colder, big plates of lasagna are starting to sound mighty good.

While you think about what kinds of pies, casseroles and other baked dishes you might whip up, it's also a good time to make sure you have all the right equipment--ahead of time, of course, so you don't find yourself stuck at the last minute.

This flexible stainless steel spatula is pure genius. It'… Read more

'Is there an edge piece left?'

It's a fact: cool people like the crust of the brownies (the part you find around the edge of the baking pan). One can think of these as the patriots of brownies: just enough hard cookie edge before they meld into warm gooey goodness. But in a conventional pan, unless you can secure a corner piece you're often left with one of those 'socialist' pieces. The Baker's Edge solves this dilemma with its innovative 'no corner piece left behind' design.

The unique pan equals one rectangular 9x13 or two 9 inch round pans, and will get your … Read more

It's a Webcam, not a blender

When we first saw a picture of this USB Webcam on I4U news, we almost passed it up after mistaking it for a countertop kitchen appliance. Instead, we learned that it's a Cam Optia from Creative, a plug-and-play device with a "precision lens" that can be mounted on just about any type of monitor or a flat surface. It also comes with a stereo headset and a swivel base to make it more versatile--but not versatile enough for baking or any of this, so far as we know.

(Photos: Creative Technologies, KitchenAid)