Category — Kitchen Brands

Electric roaster ovens are certainly convenient for roasting your Thanksgiving turkey.  Not only do they cook quickly, and retain moisture, but they also free up space in your oven for whipping all your other Thanksgiving recipes.

But, did you know you can use electric roasters for more than just your Thanksgiving bird?  Roasting ovens can actually double as a large slow cooker when you’re cooking for a crowd, or as a big soup pot for making chili or chowder. Some electric roaster ovens come with a divided insert that will allow you to warm and serve 3 separate dishes buffet style.

The Nesco roaster oven above has an 18 quart capacity, which is enough room to cook a 22 pound Thanksgiving turkey.  It has a nonstick finish, and heating elements in the sides of the roaster, for even cooking.  I found the Nesco roaster at More Kitchen Appliances for $89.99.

If you saw yesterday’s corn chowder recipe, you read that at the end of the cooking time, the recipe calls for scooping out half of the chowder, pureeing it in a blender, and then adding it back to the crockpot.  This was a bit of an inconvenience, and has prompted me to add one of these handheld blenders, sometimes called immersion blenders, to my kitchen gadgets list.

The KitchenAid immersion blender above is made by KitchenAid, and allows you to blend anything, including scorching hot corn chowder, right in the pot.  You can immerse the blender in up to 8 inches of liquid, and it comes with several dishwasher-safe attachments.  Sounds much easier than taking my blender apart, and washing the glass pitcher.  I found this immersion blender at FFEMAX.Com for $52.99.

You can use handheld blenders in many recipes, including soups, mashed potatoes, whipping up diet shakes, and quick milkshakes.

Whether you call them crock pots or slow cookers, these “set it and forget it” kitchen gadgets are a must have for any cook.  I recently switched from an older style, round and tall, crock pot to an oval slow cooker.  The new one is much bigger around, but more shallow than my old one.  I have to say that I’m so happy with the switch, and here’s why:

The oval slow cooker allows for  much easier, and more sightly arrangement of meats and veggies.  Rather than piling everything up, layer after layer, I can now arrange the meal (in a single layer) in the large oval crock.  This helps out with serving, too.  Instead of digging through a deep crock, “fishing” for the contents, with my new oval crock pot, I can see everything in the crock, and scoop out exactly what I want, without messing everything up.

The Hamilton Beach crockpot above is the one I recently purchased.  It is the “Stay or Go” model, and it is designed for easy travel, for taking to a carry-in meal.  Notice the metal clamps on the side that secure the lid to the crock.  There’s also a built-in spoon holder in the lid.  The Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker is available at Cooking.Com for $39.95.

Oh, and crock pot recipes include so much more than just pot roast!  I make all sorts of things in mine, including crock pot lasagna, and crock pot chocolate cake…deliciously sinful!

A well-designed set of pots and pans will last most cooks nearly a lifetime.  When selecting cookware, think of it as an investment in the quality of food you will serve your family and friends for many years.  Here are a few tips for choosing new cookware.

Conductivity:  This term simply refers to how well the cookware conducts heat to create an evenly heated cooking surface.  Copper-bottom pots and pans provides excellent conductivity, but can be rather expensive.  Another option for optimum conductivity is stainless steel pots and pans.  Some stainless cookware sets have an inner aluminum core on the bottom for conducting heat.

Handles:  I cannot say enough here.  When selecting cookware, pay close attention to the quality of handle.  Avoid plastic.  Look for sturdy, metal handles that are riveted or welded to the pan.

Avoid Trends:  As I mentioned above, cookware is something you’ll have for awhile.  So, that lime green cookware set that looks so shiny and cool right now might not give you the same thrill in 6 or 7 years.  Choose carefully!

The 12-piece Farberware cookware set above includes 2 sauce pans, 2 skillets, a stockpot, lids, and utensils.  I like the riveted stainless steel handles on this set.  The Farberware Millennium Soft Touch cookware set is available at Zappos for $160.

Although it’s hard to beat the taste of food cooked on an outside grill, sometimes you need something that’s convenient and weather-proof for making grilled vegetables, or juicy burgers in a hurry.  I’ve used two different indoor grills over the past couple of years, including a George Foreman grill.  I’m surprised at how many times I’ve reached for them when I need to cook something fast.  I use my indoor grills most often for pork chops, steaks, burgers and veggies.

This George Foreman indoor grill features removeable plates for easy cleaning.  It also has a 1-inch floating hinge for accommodating thicker cuts of meat.  What I especially like about the George Foreman grills is that they cook from both sides simultaneously- which cuts the cooking time in half. And, the tilted design lets grease drain away from the food quickly.  The George Foreman Grilleration indoor grill is available at Boscov’s for $99.

After I saw Gwyneth Paltrow and Chef Mario Batali talking about their favorite kitchen gadgets on Oprah a few weeks ago, I thought maybe I should check into getting a  Gaggenau food steamer like the one Gwyneth talked about.  (You know, because if you see it on Oprah…well you gotta have it.) Turn’s out that Gwyneth’s Gaggenau steamer is a bit –ok a lot–out of budget for me, but there are alternatives.

I like this layered food steamer by Deni, which would allow you to cook a main entree and side dishes at one time.  It has a 90-minute timer, a water level indicator, and an option for keeping the food warm when it finishes cooking.  The Deni 7550 steamer is available at Cookware.Com for $49.99.

Did you know that cooking with steam rather than boiling or frying retains as much as 50% more vitamins in the food you eat?  Here’s an interesting article which includes the benefits of steaming.

Did you know you can use electric griddles for much more than just pancakes and eggs?   Although I do use mine for breakfast sometimes, I use it more often for dinner meals, including fajitas, and grilled onions for hot sandwiches. When I make fajitas, I leave the fajita meat (and veggies) on the griddle set on the lowest setting, so they stay warm for the entire meal.

The electric griddle above is made by Presto, and it is large enough to cook 12 pieces of French toast at one time.  It also has a stay-cool border around the outside to prevent burns.  I especially like the tilt and drain feature of this griddle.  The back legs are slightly taller than the front ones, allowing any fat to drain into the collection container.  I found the Presto Tilt’nDrain Stay Cool griddle at Absolute Home for $50.95.

If you’re pressed for kitchen storage space, or you just like keeping things simple, you should take a look at some of the new blenders on the market that also double as a food processor.  On these models, the blender pitcher, and a food processor attachment interchangeably use the same power base.

The Cuisinart blender shown above comes with a 40-ounce glass blender jar, and a 3 cup food processor.  I especially like that the motor has a special ice crusher setting, because if you try to crush ice in a blender that’s not made for it, you can easily ruin it.

The motor of the blender/food processor combo has 7 speeds, including pulse.  For the food processor attachment, a chopping blade, and a reversible shredding disc are included.   I found the Cuisinart Duet blender at Cooking.Com for $89.95.

Here’s a list of food processor and blender recipes from Recipe Zaar.

Have you ever cut into a fresh tomato with a dull kitchen knife? Splat!!  The kitchen cutlery you use on a daily basis can make a big difference in the overall quality and appearance of the dishes you cook.  Sharp kitchen knives allow for precision chopping, uniformly thick or thin vegetable slices, and quick preparation of meats and veggies.

Although most of us are confined to a budget, consider the fact that well-chosen kitchen cutlery should be designed to last a lifetime in the kitchen, and is worth a little extra investment.  When choosing a new set of kitchen knives, look for quality blades which can be sharpened time and time again, and sturdy wood or metal handles.

The cutlery set above includes a paring knife, utility knife, sandwich knife, cook’s knife, kitchen shears, and a wooden storage block.  Made by Wusthof, the blades in this German cutlery set are made of a “high carbon alloy”.  I especially like that the wooden block with this set includes extra slots for expanding your kitchen knife collection.  The cutlery set is available at Cooks Plus. Com for $349.95.

Coffee makers can be a minor purchase, or a major purchase depending on how many “options” you need.  I’ve been through a few, and have finally settled on this one: the Cuisinart Grind and Brew.  I’ve been brewing coffee every day, often twice a day, with this coffee maker for the last 2 years, and it still seems to be holding up very well.  Here are the pros and cons:

The Pros: I like this coffee pot because it grinds and brews the coffee in an enclosed unit.  If you’ve ever fumbled around with a coffee grinder at 6AM, spilling ground coffee on the counter and floor- you’ll appreciate this too. I also like the thermal carafe, because it eliminates that scorched taste you can sometimes get with coffee makers that have burners and glass pots, and it keeps the coffee hot for hours.

In addition, the Cuisinart Grind and Brew has a built in charcoal water filter, something which I think makes a big difference in the quality of the coffee brewed.  And, if you don’t want to use coffee beans for every pot, you can just add ground coffee to the basket.

The Cons: Although it’s my favorite coffee pot of all time, I would change the following things if I could. First, the grinder mechanism has to be cleaned every time you grind coffee beans, because it steams up when the coffee brews.  This means a few extra minutes of prep time.  Second, the Cuisinart water filters for this model are a little bit expensive.  They’re around $5 each, which is higher than the water filters for other coffee makers.

The Cuisinart Grind and Brew is available at 1st in Coffee for $129.