Have you ever seen a mashing fork before? Dorie Greenspan hadn't until recently while watching an episode of Julia Child's cooking show, The French Chef. Dorie talks about the mashing fork in the ba blog and says she successfully and easily used the fork to make mashed potatoes and guacamole. You can buy a mashing fork (also known as a food fork) on amazon.com.
If your cooking lid doesn't have a pig face on it, it's too boring. Get a pig cooking lid from the MoMA Store's collection of Japanese products, available for a limited time. The steam comes up through the pig's nostrils! That's awesome!
Even if you don't use it as a cooking lid, it would make an interesting centerpiece on a table. I'd call it, "Melting Pig Head."
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Several months ago, I spotted a slick goldenrod yellow melamine dish set at the local Salvation Army. Inspecting the pieces, I recalled childhood experiences: eating brown sugar and butter sandwiches from the plates and drinking cold whole milk from the teacups of a similar set that belonged to my mother—cool, shiny and the color of homemade chocolate pudding. Priced at under $5 and including a gracefully beautiful sugar-creamer pair, that goldenrod collection came home with me, and with it came my desire to find out more about the history and value of these artifacts of my childhood—and just about everybody else born between 1940 and 1980.
Dishes made of melamine resin (the proper name for this plastic, more commonly known as simply melamine or Melmac, a trade name) became popular after the second world war, when their affordability, shatterproof practicality, and modern appeal made them an attractive alternative to ceramics and glass. Though initial designs were essentially meant to emulate those more traditional materials, replicating relatively subdued classic tableware forms, designers soon began to draw upon the protean character of this material, producing more fluid, exotic and novel shapes—from curvaceous divided serving bowls to square tea cups.
If only the late 1980s flick was actually about a courageous electronic kitchen tool with a microwave Siamese twin! Now, that would have been an animated adventure. Twenty years later, we now have a LTM9000 toaster-microwave duo which combines two food heaters that have clearly been flirting from across the countertop. One night, when the kitchen lights were dimmed and nobody was watching, they quit the winky faces and went for it. The married life seems to be treating them well, and could open a whole new world for multi-tasking kitchen appliances. A Cuisinart mixer-cum-pepper grinder? Or lemon zester that opens cans? [Via OhGizmo!]
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One of life's minor annoyances is when your spoon falls into your bowl of cereal. You either have to dig in there with your fingers or you have to dirty another utensil to fish it out. It's a crap way to start the day. This bowl here might change all that, with its built-in spoon caddy. $21 at Uncommon Goods [via Neatorama]
When I first say Marilyn's photo of her cherry crumb pie, I thought, "Why is she eating it on top of a piece of notebook paper?" Of course, it's a plate that's just made to look like a piece of notebook paper, which she bought from Fishs Eddy. Now I want my own notebook paper plate!...and slice of pie.
Previously
Adam Roberts's Quirky, Idiosyncratic Plates
The Best Pies in America: The Serious Eats Pie Honor Roll
The Sweet Melissa Baking Book: Sour Cherry Pie with Pistachio Crumble
Photo of the Day: Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin
Photo of the Day: Pi Pie
For those who may not be receiving returns this year, a few tips for squeezing extra value out of ordinary kitchen items:
In addition to their overt purpose, standard issue rounded stainless steel measuring spoons are also excellent for neatly removing cores from halved apples and pears, balling melon and making small, perfectly round ice cream scoops (to make ice cream orbs come out easily, dip the spoon in warm water before scooping, and after scooping rub the back of the spoon back and forth across the palm of your hand a few times to warm the metal slightly).
Adam Roberts (aka The Amateur Gourmet) just bought six quirky, idiosyncratic plates. What's so special about the plates? Not much, until you read his analysis of each one, from "The Dad Plate" (a plate covered in golfers, perfect for his dad) to "The Ugly Plate" (it's ugly, which makes it suitable for ugly people). I'm quite fond of "The I Don't Really Get It Plate," which is supposed to resemble some kind of deformed face. Now I want to get a new set of random plates for my kitchen.
Previously:
Paper Plates You Can Display On Your Wall
Cutest Plates Ever
Topography Soup Plate
The erudite French molecular gastronomist Hervé This thinks that the kitchen whisk is medieval technology, particularly when it comes to its ability to aerate, and he has been experimenting with various instruments—bicycle pumps among them—to find something better suited to the task.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known written use of the term whisk—to refer to a utensil used to break up, blend, or aerate food stuff—came in 1666, and was used in describing a method for transforming egg from its naturally viscous, cohesive form to a more manageable, liquid one.
But similar uses of the word whisk, with reference to quick, sweeping motions, can be traced back even further. Being that this was a tool entrenched in the work of the kitchen—the purview of largely illiterate servants and slaves—it seems likely that whisks of a sort were in use in the kitchen well before their existence was ever recorded on paper. Such whisks appear to have been little more than bundles of gathered reeds or twigs. And though modern whisks are generally made of metal, plastic, or silicone, the essential form and function of these instruments remains largely unchanged from original prototypes.
Is your work mug just as boring as all your coworkers' mugs? Stand out with one of these: a heat-sensitive Hot Cold Mug whose colors change depending on the temperature of your beverage or this bright-yellow mug that illustrates the sexiness of reading (and, no, it does not reveal anything more than what you already see). [Hot Cold Mug via Swissmiss]
We've seen the spork (spoon-fork) and splayd (spoon-blade), but behold the glory of the Knork (knife-fork). As the Washington Post revealed today, inventor Mike Miller was just sick and tired of sawing his hot slice of pizza with a pedestrian fork. To date, he's already sold about one million Knorks ($6 each).
This Monday the James Beard Foundation Greens is hosting a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. Mind you, the deed was not officially done until December 5th of 1933, with the ratification of the 21st amendment, but by golly, if the James Beard Foundation has sanctioned the early celebration of this momentous occasion, who am I to quibble? Nobody, that’s who, and thus, I will be eagerly joining in the festivities on Monday evening. So, it is in the spirit of this event, with free flowing libations in mind, that I decided to introduce you to some of my very favorite drinking companions: bottoms up shot glasses.
Oven mitts shouldn't just be utilitarian—they can also be pretty! Check out Design*Sponge's oven mitt roundup for ideas on where to get your next mitt.
Though I rarely used it to make crepes, for which it performed rather poorly, I had always appreciated the design of my flimsy, nonstick crepe pan. As it was, it mostly just made for a great quesadilla toasting pan, its short sides making it easier to maneuver and flip without losing filling. But in my mind’s eye—much heavier and made of a material capable of maintaining heat—the pan’s wide, shallow form became a stage on which perfectly cooked pancakes flipped and crisp-skinned fish fillets sizzled.
When, a few weeks ago, I found myself in a kitchen shop looking right into the expansive face of an inexpensive carbon steel crepe pan, there was no resistance.
AZE Design's "Messy Tablecloth" celebrates the fun of a haphazard meal by featuring stitched outlines of plates and utensils along with a surprise spill. [via swissmiss]
Are you using your parchment paper to its fullest potential? If not, you will after reading The Los Angeles Times feature on parchment paper's many uses.
Show off your favorite election '08 candidate while you're cooking with these patriotic aprons over at CafePress, whether you're a Hillary, Obama, McCain or Romney supporter. [Via The Kitchn]
Kitchen double-duty: decorate and save room with these Chain-Link Cups, which conserve space conveniently by way of magnets. Check 'em out over at IN/ALT, which includes more fun and innovative tableware. [Via Fun and Food]
Preserve your creative grease stains and ketchup stick figures with Arty Party, rectangular 8 1/2” x 10” plates with "gold frame" rims made of thick, coated paperstock. [via swissmiss]
Way back in September, I wrote about my future kitchen renovation, and at long last, we’re moving forward. Our architects are working on drawings with the intention of going to the Department of Buildings for permits and soliciting contractors for bids within the next month. If all goes well, construction will begin in March, and we’ll be enjoying our fabulous new kitchen some time in the early summer.
That leaves us with, well, not a lot of time (especially considering lead times of several weeks between ordering and receiving appliances and custom cabinetry) to make all the decisions that we’d been putting off in a neat little pile to deal with at some nebulous point in the future. And, ahem, maybe it’s less a tidy pile and more a sprawling wasteland, clouded by half-remembered ideas, through which the light of a thousand poorly organized website bookmarks cast a dim glow on bottomless pools of business cards, brochures and magazine clippings. Right. So, we have our work cut out for us, but we’re determined to make progress—one decision at a time.
Here are a few that we’ve made rather recently:
Empty film canisters cleverly reborn as salt and pepper shakers are available from the MoMA store for $35. Or you could just drill holes into empty film canisters yourself. [via notcot]
Update: robfadams commented that film canisters contain poisonous chemicals from the film that you can't clean out. In other words, don't fill them with salt and pepper.
As soon as we saw Bodum’s elegant insulated drinking glasses a few years back, my husband was convinced that he’d found the perfect rocks glass for his evening whisky indulgences. When he finally got around to trying out a few of the Pavina tumblers last Christmas, he wasn’t disappointed. The delicate, clear glasses (right) showed off the honeyed tones of his whisky beautifully, and their double-walled construction insulated the contents from the warmth of his hands, prolonging the life of his ice cubes and his enjoyment.
Because my mind always runs to dessert, I soon repurposed the tumblers for serving sundaes and trifles, for which they worked rather well. We have also used the glasses as stand-ins for coffee mugs, which they outperform—insulating our hands from hot contents and keeping those contents hotter longer.
Pour some clear broth into this Japanese-designed topography soup plate, surround it with broccoli florets and you've got yourself a minimalist mountain scene that doubles as a meal. Just be careful to pick the right liquid so that it doesn't look like your mountain valley is full of mud (gravy) or blood (tomato soup). Blue Gatorade may look best. [via TasteSpotting]
The horrors of lugging overstuffed, ill-packed boxes and bags while moving in and out of my college dorm came flooding back when I saw the Kitchen in a Box Dorm Room Set. My life would've been much easier if I had simply gotten a box that contained all the necessary kitchen supplies instead of gathering random kitchen tools from around my house and then, after realizing that I was missing something as basic as a can opener or a food storage container, having to buy more stuff to fill my dorm room kitchen and inevitably schlep back home. As for how much quality $30 for 40 items will buy you I don't know, but surely the spoons and containers would adequately spoon and contain. This might be something the college student in your life could use before the new semester starts. For those of you moving into a new apartment, there's also a slightly different Kitchen in a Box First Apartment Starter Set
I had the good fortune to visit the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan last week. The huge installation of Richard Serra sculptures was impressive and well worth a stroll through the museum's courtyard and upper floors. However, it was The Modern, Danny Meyer's restaurant on the ground floor that really had me smiling. My wife and I enjoyed a great lunch in The Bar Room that offered small plates of Alsatian cuisine, including fresh poached "Egg in a Jar" and grilled diver scallops. It was just the right kind of quick yet sophisticated refresher you need after two hours of digesting modern art.
From there, it was a quick dash across the street to the MoMA store to peruse the tantalizing design objects—many of which are meant to adorn the modern kitchen. There was plenty of gear worth coveting: nesting prep/measuring bowls designed by Mario Batali, the ingenious folding cutting board, and a Richard Sapper kitchen timer that is actually included in the museum's permanent collection. Of course, you'll also find quite a few gorgeous pieces for displaying you own culinary arts—the MoMA store's selection of platters and trays is a pleasure to behold, and an even greater pleasure to purchase.
After decades of Pyrex primacy, the last ten years have seen some advances in liquid measuring tools. The arrival of the angled "view from above" measuring cup spared home cooks the neck-craning, easy-to-mess-up chore of eyeballing the level. The innovation was cause for much rejoicing, and if you haven't bought one for your kitchen yet, you won't regret springing $7 on the OXO Angled Measuring Cup with its rubberized handle. Along similar lines, the narrow base and wide mouth of Emsa's Perfect Beaker makes smaller liquid measurements easier to accomplish.
On the dry-measure frontier, things aren't quite as rosy. There is plenty of variety in dry measuring cups and spoons but really no clear-cut quantum leaps. Not to say that kitchen suppliers aren't trying. I recently spotted a set of collapsible silicone measuring cups that pop up for use and snap flat for storage. It's an interesting idea that might benefit the cook whose kitchen drawers are too shallow for the ubiquitous stack of plastic measures. Williams-Sonoma is marketing the brightly colored cups as a tool for teaching your kids about working in the kitchen, although it's hard to see the benefit that makes the $20 price tag justifiable.
What's your favorite measuring tool? Anything revolutionary out there on the horizon?
If you're looking to buy new pots and pans, Le Creuset recently launched a new colorway called Caribbean Blue and boy is it pretty. I always figured that when I bought a French Oven it would be a deep red, but the Caribbean Blue one is incredibly tempting. $79.95 to $220.00 at Sur La Table. [via Kitchen Contraptions]
(Also super cute: the Caribbean Blue Oval Skillet Grill. And it's more pocket friendly at $59.95!)
Robyn Lee (AKA The Girl Who Ate Everything, AKA Serious Eats's intern for the spring semester) is in Paris on spring break, where she found these amazingly cute salt and pepper shakers at a street fair. Unfortunately, she didn't get the name of the manufacturer, otherwise we'd be importing these like crazy.
IMG_9376 [Robyn's Flickr photo stream]
To me, there are a bunch of words that are inherently funny, but on its own the funniest of them all is the word "pants". Which is probably half the reason why I want to buy industrial designer Liz Kinnmark's Egg Pants egg cup if it ever goes into production; the other half being that it's just so darn cute.
(Never encountered an egg cup in the wild before? Here's how to use them. And there are at least two blogs dedicated to egg cup collecting: Una huevera al día (in Spanish) and egg cups.)
[via Tastespotting]
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