A Good Stockpot is a Thing of Beauty, but this One's Just Cute

Le Creuset 16-Quart Stockpot

A good stockpot is a thing of beauty, a symphony of the compromise of form and function. It's heavy enough for good heat distribution but not too heavy to lift; it's large enough for a generous pot of stew or soup, but not large enough to deep-fry a moose. Our white Le Creuset Enamel-on-Steel Stockpot fits both bills. The pot's 16-quart capacity makes it roomy enough for brewing up good, rich stock from a 17-pound Thanksgiving turkey, though it will obviously handle smaller batches as well.

New Baster, New Technique. Happy Thanksgiving!

OXO Good Grips Turkey Baster

When Thanksgiving rolled around, I was devastated to learn that my super-cool Tovolo turkey baster had somehow gotten crunched in our gadget drawer. That meant I had to make an emergency trip to the local store for a new one. The pickings, sadly, were kinda slim (at Kohl’s, if you must know), but I found an OXO Good Grips Turkey Baster for the surprisingly high price of $14.99 (the only other model cost even more) and brought it home with me.

Grind Your Own Coffee: Little Muss, Little Fuss

KitchenAid BCG111 Blade Coffee Grinder

The fact is that, while I drink as much or more coffee than many people, I’m not that “picky” about the stuff. When push comes to shove, my coffee needs are pretty basic: I want it dark, and I want it strong. Froufrou infusions of vanilla or hazelnut need not apply, nor do I want artificially-flavored creamers. French roast, though? Bring it on…

We quit buying ground coffee a while back and went to whole bean, mostly because we were buying three pounds at a time and could taste it going “stale.” That switch necessitated a new grinder, since the one we’d had for more than thirty years was basically shot. Pretty much all we could find in the local stores was the KitchenAid  BCG111OB, in "onyx black" (it's also available in "empire red" as the BCG111ER). We’ve had good experiences with KitchenAid in the past, so it was pretty much a no-brainer.

Let's All Do the Corkscrew Two-Step

Le Creuset Waiter's Friend Corkscrew

Some time ago, one bottle of bubbly flummoxed every corkscrew in the house. It had a a muffin-top like a champagne bottle, but too small to “thumb” it out. The lady of the house liked the stuff enough to buy more, but mentioned the problem to a liquor-store clerk who claimed to have just the solution. He sold her a corkscrew he claimed would "open any wine bottle." He was pretty much right: the Le Creuset Waiter’s Friend may well be the king of all corkscrews.

Le Creuset's version modifies a typical folding waiter's corkscrew: you know, the kind that levers the cork out by propping a folding arm on the lip of the bottle. Their modification is a corkscrew with a "two-step" function: the levered arm has two positions based on a spring-loaded catch. You use position one to start the extraction, while position two finishes pulling the cork.

Forget the Cheap Plastic Cutting Mats!

Progressive Prepworks Cutting Mats

In the age of bacteriaphobia – when the average homemaker douses every surface with antibacterial soaps, consumes antibacterial wipes like… like Kleenex®, and sprays Purell® as if it were air freshener – wooden cutting boards are, apparently, passé. Silly people, don’t you know your gut is full of bacteria?? In reality, though, cross-contamination between meats and raw vegetables can be a problem, so even the most bacteriophilic homeowner (that's be me) uses different knives and cutting boards for meat and vegetables, even if the veggies will be cooked.

Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches: I Scream with Delight!

Cuisipro Mini Ice Cream Sandwich Maker

We're (fairly) hardcore about watching weight at our house, but we still cling to one vice: ice cream. We both love the stuff so much we eat it almost every day, though we try to stick to low(er)-fat versions whenever possible. While trying to cut back even further, we started eating an occasional Skinny Cow® ice cream sandwich, which – unfortunately – aren’t all that great. But wait: there’s a way to make your own at home: the Cuisipro Mini Ice Cream Sandwich Maker. Not only are the results yummy, making your own is fun!

There are Foodpod People at My House

Fusionbrands Silicone Food Pod

We love silicone! Not because of those…because of the great silicone products that are cropping up in kitchens these days. It’s not just hotpads and trivets, though; once in a while there’s a product we’d never thought about, products like the Fusionbrands Foodpod from HIC (Harold Imports Company). 

Description

There’s no way to be nice: this thing is weird-looking. It resembles a collapsed balloon with lots of holes torn in it plus a thick plastic stem like a pumpkin. The basket is 6” in diameter and about 3” high; made from translucent silicon. The stem is 6” long and ends in a hook.

The top comes off for an opening about 2½ to 3” in diameter. It closes simply: the stem is attached to a hard plastic disk that has prongs matching holes around the opening. The basket’s surface is covered with oval holes, some as much as 1” long.  It’s about the size of a 3-quart saucepan, but will fit into something smaller if needed. 

A foodpod is designed to use when blanching or boiling foods like greens, eggs and potatoes. Because the holes are fairly large, it doesn’t work for small vegetables. We’ve used ours to boil eggs and potatoes; and to blanch beans and sugar peas. The small pieces leak out the holes and into the pot, so a skimmer or strainer may be necessary. We clip the hook over the pot’s rim, or let it stick out the top of smaller pots.The hook doesn’t get hot, even when the pods dunked in boiling water. All those holes allow for good water circulation, and the long handle means it’s easy to swirl in hot water and then pull out the basket and drain off excess water. 

The silicone material won’t pick up color or flavor from foods boiled in it, and it’s definitely dishwasher-safe. Around our house, it’s been a useful, though not essential tool to have. 

Using the FoodPod Just drop in whatever and close the lid, then dunk the whole thing in hot or boiling water. When the time is up, pull it out by the handle. With most foods, excess water drains off quickly. I might like it better if the holes weren’t this big, but I’ll overlook the occasional floater ‘if it means fewer singed fingertips.  Summary PLUS: easy to use, strange-looking kitchen conversation starter MINUS: holes large enough that small stuff falls through What They're Saying: A Fusionbrands Foodpod can be handy for boiling and blanching. Small items will slip through the holes, however, so be prepared.

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