Posts filed under 'Must haves'
Kitchen Timers
Kitchen timers are very critical in efficient cooking methods. The timer on the stove, microwave or any small portable timer will do. They are extremely helpful to keep track of cooking time. Even if it just one or 2 minutes you might need to cook something for, its still worthwhile to use the timer to remind you when the time is up. With kids or other people in the kitchen/house, the TV, radio, phones – there is always a distraction waiting to mess up your focus. Timers are great to use, as you steal a few minutes here and there and play a quick game, or start your laundry – basically helps with multitasking more efficiently.
Timers in the appliances in the kitchen are usually very easy to use and noisy enough to hear them. If your appliances do not have good timers, then spending a few bucks to get a small portable kitchen timer. It is worth the money.
So remember, to always use a timer, as much as possible, it is a great gadget and awfully helpful in keeping track of cooking time and to get you those little precious breaks.
Keep it Smart, Short and Sazzy! – Anu
The choices for timers are endless too. From a simple mechanical 60 minute timer to really fancy and funky looking cheese& mouse or hamburger shaped or even a dancing monkey timer are available. Get something that motivates you to use it and hey it can even turn out to the be great conversation piece!
Here are some funky ones for your entertainment.
1 comment January 25, 2008
Using peelers as graters
Vegetable peelers can do double duty as graters. This is a time saver as it reduces the messy clean up involved in graters. Peelers work best to grate a small batch of cheese, make chocolate shavings and julienne cut veggies very efficiently. So for a small batch like for garnishes, julienne cut ginger or when cooking for one or two people a peeler works better than a grater to grate or make thin strips.
Grating cheese:
Hard cheeses like Parmesan will work best for this method. Hold the peeler at a slanting angle like you would to peel a potato. Then peel/grate away from your body. To make this method more efficient insert a knife 1/2″ away from the edge of the cheese and almost all the way through the cheese without actually cutting it. Stop the knife when it is 1/2″ from the base of the cheese (as in picture). Then grate the cheese as mentioned above with a vegetable peeler. This helps in producing two streams of grated cheese.
Grating veggies:
Follow the same procedure as mentioned for cheese to grate or to get thin strips of veggies like carrot, ginger, potato, parsnips and other hard veggies. Do not try inserting the knife as it may break the veggie. To grate ginger, first peel the skin of the ginger and then keep peeling the flesh to get julienne cut strips of ginger. To make long curls of veggies like carrots, and parsnips, use the peeler from the head of the vegetable (the broader part) to the base (the narrower part. To make long curls of beets, apples or other round produce start at the top and peel in a circular path around the produce and work your way to the bottom. Do this slowly in one sweep. If you pause do not take the peeler away from the produce, but hold it right where you paused and pick back.
Grating Chocolate:
It is easy to create those beautiful locks of chocolate (chocolate shavings) that are placed as toppings on pies and cakes and other chocolate deserts. A bark/block of chocolate and a peeler are what you will need. Peel the chocolate from a corner like your are trying to remove the skin. If you get powder/dust as opposed, then the chocolates is dry and/or old (lacks moisture and breaks up easily). Microwave the chocolate for 10 secs and try again. If you are still having trouble microwave it for 5 more seconds. Do not let the chocolate melt.
Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri
Add comment December 30, 2007
