August 26, 2008
Marinating meat or poultry and grilling or baking makes a pretty simple meal that tastes good, too, but what if your kids are screaming for dinner right away and you didn't get a chance to put anything over to marinate?
Fortunately, in this age of instant satisfaction, there's a kitchen gadget to help:
The "Automatic Instant Marinater" lets you simply dump the meat in the marinade, press a button, and get an instant ready-to-grill dinner. "The patented motor creates a powerful vacuum seal that gently opens the fibers of meat and other foods, allowing flavors to penetrate fast."
When you're done, you can pop the base and lid into the dishwasher, so cleanup is easy.
$80 from Brookstone:
Automatic Instant Marinater
August 25, 2008
Outdoor entertaining is a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening with friends and family, but if you're serving hot dogs and hamburgers, the condiments can start looking a little peaked after a few hours out of the refrigerator. If you want to keep those pickles crisp and cool (and are in need of yet another kitchen gadget), then perhaps this "Condiments-on-Ice" Serveware tray will tickle your fancy.
"This acrylic 5 compartment service bar with ice chamber below will keep everything chilled and fresh throughout the party. Just spread a bed of cubed or crushed ice in the bottom tray and position the condiment compartments above."
You can also used the ice tray in home bar settings. Keep the pearl onions, lime wedges, candied cherries, olives, and other drink dressings cool and within easy reach of party goers.
The iced out condiment tray runs $25 from Prodyne.
August 18, 2008
As busy as everyone in the family is these days, it can be hard to arrange a time to eat when everybody is home. If whoever comes home latest is tired of meals that have gotten cold, a warming tray is a nice way to keep dinner toasty. We've looked at ovens with built in warming drawers before, but unless you're buying new appliances anyway, that may be overkill for your needs.
How about a standalone cordless warming drawer that can rest on the counter instead?
"This cordless warming tray keeps foods at the appropriate temperature for 60 minutes, and it heats up in less than eight minutes when plugged into a standard AC outlet. The detachable cord is removed before use so that the tray can be easily transported indoors and outdoors, and to locations without outlets."
Just under $100 at Hammacher Schlemmer:
Full-size Cordless Warming Tray
August 16, 2008
When you're planning a kitchen remodel, lighting isn't always the first thing that comes to mind. We get caught up in drooling over those luxury countertops, high end floors, and stainless steel appliances, but it's important to incorporate good task lighting into the kitchen too.
Since today's kitchens are frequently larger rooms with higher ceilings, focusing light on work areas is crucial. After all, you want to be able to see if that's a zucchini or a cucumber you're slicing up for the dinner salad.
Consider installing task lighting above sinks and food-preparation areas. Choose recessed lights, pendants, track lights, and under-cabinet lights (you want beams that are bright but not harsh), and place them so the light is slightly in front of you as you work (so your body doesn't cast a shadow).
Use bulbs with a minimum of 100 watts of incandescent light or 40 watts of fluorescent light. You may also want to install dimmers so you can adjust the light levels to create a more relaxing mood when the work is done.
August 14, 2008
I remember helping my mom make sugar cookies as a kid, and even though I liked chocolate chip better, I had fun with the sugars since we got to use the cookie cutters on those. We had such exotic shapes as circles, diamonds, and squares (not the most creative collection, I'll admit).
Today you can do even better with animal shaped cookie cutters. The dog breed ones, in particular, caught my eye.
The one shown here is model after the Samoyed, and there are quite a few breeds to choose from at Kritters in the Mailbox. While I didn't see my dog's breed, I did spot Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters, Huskies, Rottweilers, and others. For those who want something more exotic than the family dog, you could also pick up an armadillo, raccoon, or even a llama.
Those ought to make some good looking cookies. Good luck finding the right frosting color for an armadillo though.
Prices run about $12 - $15 per cookie cutter.
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