The Spifter is a spoon-sized sifter. It would take you forever to sift flour with this for your cake, but it's ideal for neatly spewing paprika onto deviled eggs or sprinkling colored sugar onto cookies. Since it's small, you get more controlled placement of whatever you're sprinkling. More
Microplane's star grater is now my favorite for grating hard cheeses, no doubt about it. Before this, I was using a fine grater, but this one definitely is easier to use and I'm pleased that the cover it comes with holds a reasonable quantity of cheese. More
If you already have a kitchen full of measuring devices, this isn't going to be an essential addition to your kitchen. But for someone with a less-comprehensive setup, or who measures a lot of small amounts of goopy substances or who needs to measure 1/4 and 1/2 tablespoons a lot, this could come in handy. Since it's adjustable, it takes the place of other measures. More
Although it's not the most innovative product on the planet, the new dry herb storage jars from Ball ($6.95/4) are pretty handy. They're small—just four ounces (1/2 cup)—and the lids have built-in shaker tops. More
If you don't have super-fresh eggs and you don't want to lose half the whites while draining the eggs, egg poaching cups might be the answer. I tested a pair of silicone egg-poaching cups ($7.99 for two) from Mastrad and I have to say they worked pretty well. More
This unitasker isn't an earthshaking, innovative device, but someone probably needs it. If you have egg-separation anxiety issues, this product is for you. Otherwise, I'm sure you've got your own favorite method already. More
No electric sharpener is going to match a skilled expert, but this sharpener does a good job. It's so easy to use, you can get a sharp edge even if you don't really know what you're doing. More
While this isn't the most earthshaking gadget I've seen, I have to say these magnetic knife guards are a nice improvement over the slip-on plastic guards. More
I must have a bazillion measuring devices—spoons, cups, beakers, jars, pitchers, and, of course, a scale. But the measuring colander from Chef's Planet ($10 for 2-cup; $13 for 3-cup) is unique among its brethren because it has holes. Lots and lots of holes. The idea is that you can use the colander to measure, drain, and rinse foods. It may not be essential, but it's pretty handy. More
Not everyone's going to need a food dehydrator, but if you're in a market for one, this unit's got a lot going for it. More
These little measuring beakers from OXO make perfect sense in my kitchen. It's more convenient—and less messy—to measure liquids into a container with graduated measurements. It's also more accurate. More
This hands-free, clip-on pot strainer is a genius idea, and it works really well. More
I like the way the Blomus Tea Stick looks, but I'm less enthusiastic about its function. With some teas—the ones that had pieces just the right size—it worked perfectly. With other teas with larger or smaller bits, it was much less successful. More
This cutting board isn't so outstanding that I'd suggest you throw out the ones you own, but if you're looking for a new board this one is a good choice. More
Using the Hightailer is a bit quicker than cleaning shrimp with just your fingers and a knife, but I didn't find it efficient enough to be a must-have gadget. More
Does the world need another zester option? Edgeware says yes with their Better Zester ($14.95), featuring a nonstick finish on the grating side, v-shaped teeth, and a container with measurements on the back side for holding the zest. More
You might guess that I have a lot of...stuff...in my kitchen. One thing I don't have a lot of is space, so I'm always happy when a product comes along that stores neatly. The collapsible funnel ($6.99) from Ginsey Home Solutions fits that description. It's soft and flexible and accordions down to a much more compact size. More
The vacuum canisters and domes ($35-$50) from NewMetro Design are great for things you want to seal but also have regular access to, like a cake or loaf of bread, or maybe that bag of whole wheat flour you're always dipping into. More
When the GIR spatula ($22.50) arrived, I looked it over and didn't see anything that made me say, "Wow." It's molded in one piece with nothing particularly fancy about it. It's not super-stiff, nor soft and mushy. One might say that it's juuuuust right. I was skeptical about all the hoopla, but found that I really liked using it. More
Over the past year, I've tested many gadgets. Most were a lot of fun to play with for a short time, but others earned a coveted spot in my permanent kitchen arsenal. My top eight picks range from stocking stuffers to more sizable appliances that would look good wrapped and waiting under the tree. More
The Japanese grater from Chubo Knives ($49) is different from the usual American-style grater. Instead of the grated material falling through holes in the grater, with a Japanese grater, called oroshigane, the grated material stays on top. This type of grater is designed for grating wasabi or ginger, but it works just fine for any vegetable with a similar texture, like garlic, horseradish, or even carrots. More
The Ball FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker heats and stirs jam or jelly for you. Dedicated jam-and-jelly makers may scoff at this machine because of the small batches, but folks who want to make a few foolproof jars at a time will love the simplicity. More
@Sobachatina, they're not loose when you're using them, they snap in and out. The mesh sifters aren't much different than tips for pastry bags, which are also small, removable parts.
If you don't have a use for something like this, then yeah, it's not worth the drawer space. But I'm betting there's a good market because there are a whole lot of people who want to take photos of their finished food. You know. Like bloggers.
@doubleo, it seems like a small company, so I'm betting the production costs are high since they're not cranking out millions of these. They're well-made (much better than I expected) and should last a long time unless you drop the thing down the garbage disposal. Which is totally in my realm of possibility.
@bobcatsteph3, I've got plenty of canning jars, too. Or I do when it's not canning season. Then I never seem to have enough :-) Have you seen the new vintage-inspired blue jars? They're so pretty!
@cjsksn, they must have sold out since I posted. There are some on Amazon (but more expensive when I looked - I always post the cheapest I can find), but I'd suggest checking whatever local stores sell canning supplies since shipping on glass stuff is usually expensive.
@Scott569, I get what you're saying. A lot of the things I review would be great if you have an empty kitchen that you want to fill, but for people who have almost everything they need, they don't need another one.
And while I (sort of) agree with Alton Brown, if a unitasker does a job better, then it's worth owning. A lot of people own those Swiss Army things with corkscrews and three screwdrivers, and a nail file and all that. And they're handy to have to keep in your car or for a quick fix. But if you really need to build something, you're going to go get a real screwdriver.
Some unitaskers are simply ridiculous. I'm still shaking my head about a kitchen appliance that steamed and mashed potatoes. That's all it did. I saw a whole pile of them at a discount store and I couldn't believe something like that was even manufactured.
@TSDGuy, I've never heard of that. I'm going to try that next time!
@RagingRio, I dont' think you'd get enough heat from the top if you didn't cover the pot.
Good question. They're heat resistant up to 570 degrees.
Nope, just a sharpener.
Oh, and as for a disclaimer, it's a standard boilerplate that means that the company sent it as opposed to Serious Eats paying for it or me pulling it out of my junk drawer. Some stuff goes back to the manufacturer and some doesn't, but they all have the option to have it back after the review. No one ever asks for the cheap stuff back.
@mwainer, it looks like the Chef's Choice, but so do a lot of other electric sharpeners. My understanding was that there were improvements in the "precision edge" grinding on the Wustof-branded model. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. Someone would have to take 'em both apart and inspect and know what they're looking for.
@djmsalem, this one doesn't do the 15-degree angle. As far as know, this is the only one branded by Wusthof. The 15-degree angle one is Chef's Choice.
@guycooking, I thought I was pretty clear. I, personally, prefer to hand-sharpen my best knives, but I'm perfectly fine with running the rest of them through a device like this. I honestly don't think this would ruin a good knife, it's just my preference. Just like there are some kitchen items I always hand wash, even though I could throw them in the dishwasher.
For someone who doesn't know how to sharpen a knife, they need options. This is a good one. I know some people think that electric knife sharpeners are the devil in disguise, but it's better than never sharpening a knife, which I'm betting is pretty common in a lot of kitchens.
If you know how to hand sharpen and that's what you prefer to do, then you don't need an electric gadget to do the job for you.
I agree that the base price is high, but there are always sales and coupons. If someone's got a chef's knife and a slicer and a couple paring knives and they're paying $2/blade-inch to have someone sharpen them, this would pay for itself after a few uses. Not to mention that if you have an electric knife sharpener, you're probably going to sharpen all the knives instead of just the "good" ones. Those super-cheap grocery store knives get a nice edge with this machine. I'd never spend the time sharpening them by hand, and for sure I wouldn't ship them off somewhere to be sharpened, but being able to run them through an electric sharpener means they're still useful.
As far as sharpening serrated knives, the instructions are to just run the knife through one side of the fine-grinding pair. I ran one serrated knife through, and it came out sharper than before and it sharpened all along the pattern of the serrations. I'm mildly skeptical whether this is really good for a serrated knife long-term, but the only way to test that would be to dull the knife and resharpen over and over again and that's not really practical. And again,it's better than just letting the knife stay dull if you don't have any other way to sharpen it.
Actually, I tried it with ceramic a ceramic knife and it held on just fine. The only issue would be that the guard is flexible, so it wouldn't protect a certamic knife from bending or cracking, so you wouldn't want it loose in a bag of stuff.
*grabs popcorn and waits for real show to begin*
@Lemonfair, I agree on the temperature control, because you'd want to dry different foods at different temperatures, and it makes it a little more of a multi-tasker, since you can adjust the temp to use it for other things.
The teaspoon is pretty narrow, but usually for small amounts like that, I'm measuring lemon juice or vanilla or vinegar or something not-thick.
@Lorenzo, sometimes it really is. A colander is big and bulky and if I want to save the liquid, that means the colander is sitting on top of a big bowl or another pot. Then the liquid goes from the big bowl/pot to the small container that I'm going to put in the refrigerator. Then I have to wash a big colander and a big bowl. With this, I clip this thing to the side of the pot and slowly pour into the container I'm going to use for storage. Then I've just got this one smaller thing to wash.
Or, sometimes I use a spider to pull out the big pieces of stuff I'm going to discard, then I strain the rest. I'm pretty much guaranteed to make a mess in the process.
For draining noodles or vegetables where I'm going to be getting rid of the liquid, I don't usually us a colander - I've been using a strainer gadget that you hold against the side of the pot while you're pouring. Sometimes it works well, but it puts your hands in the way of hot liquid, and if it slips, you end up dumping the good stuff into the sink.
I've used it to drain a pound of spaghetti. You can't just flip it over, you need to give it time for the water to drain through the holes.
Yup, it's rigid. There's a little silicone bit on the clip so it grips the pot better, but the rest is rigid.
Nope, no need to melt it. If you happen to have melted or softened butter from some other recipe, you can use it, but I toss it in straight from the fridge.
@coppertone, there was a database update that ate some of the recipe posts. I'll notify the powers that be so they can fix it. Meanwhile, the whole recipe is here: http://www.cookistry.com/2010/07/botd-olive-rosemary-and-feta-loaf.html
@DrGaellon, I think you've hit the nail on the head when you said "frozen once." There's a big difference between shrimp that was frozen on the boat and brought to market, and the stuff that I get here that was frozen and then taken on a tour, allowed to drive the truck, and then re-frozen.
I'm not saying ALL the shrimp here is in that condition, but you have to pay attention. Since I had so much trouble finding un-cleaned shrimp, I took what I could get.
@Osomatic, I haven't a clue what you're talking about, but it's making me laugh. Points for that.
I've had it for maybe two months. I'd imagine that if it's going to go bad, it's going to take a while longer than that.
It's all silicone so it's rated for 464F. Past that, they say it might discolor, but it's still not going to melt.
It's the MC 700 or MC 701. I think the units are the same but one of them might be a special for one of the box stores. When I was looking at them a couple days ago, I found a bunch of places where the price was a lot lower, but Amazon is still high.
The flour is flying, the turkey is there,
Please, dear Aunt Tillie, don't serve that thing rare!
There are a lot of different rye flours available, including light rye, medium rye, and pumpernickel flour. However, my local grocery chains tend to have one brand and one type, and that's stone-ground rye. It's a coarser, grittier rye than most of the others that I buy online, but it still makes a nice bread. If your local markets have other varieties of rye flour, use what's available or what you like best. More
In this bread, instant mashed potatoes create a softer, fluffier texture. I almost always use them in dinner rolls for that reason. The instant potatoes I buy are little more than dehydrated cooked potatoes, with no strange preservatives, chemicals, or flavors. The resulting bread is a very pale yellow, and very soft and fluffy with just a hint of flavor from the egg. More
In the Best Thread Overall nominations post some folks were asking about the top threads of 2009 in terms of most-favorited or most-trafficked. I'm going to list most-favorited first, since that's probably a truer reflection of popularity among SE'ers than... More
The other day, my FIL was marveling over some kitchen gadget I was using, and he asked me if there was anything I didn't have. Well, of course. But when he put me on the spot, I couldn't think of... More
Me? Shredded beef with hot peppers and black bean sauce from Chin Chin and some white rice. You?... More
Spiffy sister?
I think it's supposed to be a contraction of spoon and sifter, but I keep thinking about hipsters.