Category Archives: Kitchen

Food Processors and Mini Choppers

July 22, 2014 Vikki 3 Comments

I am so glad that I waited to write this blog because Kitchen Aid just recently came out with their new model, so we can include that in the review. Huzzah!

cuisinarts-mini-food-processor — Cuisinart mini choppers

Food processors can be pretty expensive, and a lot of the time you can do the same thing by hand or with a blender, so it’s a tough call deciding on whether or not you really need one. If you do a lot of food preparation, a food processor can save you sooooo much time in the kitchen, and it can do a lot of things a blender can’t do, so that’s a plus.

Mini Choppers

I want to start out by discussing mini choppers. A lot of people refer to these as food processors, but the distinction is that it only has a chopping blade, no discs for slicing or shredding. Most of these you’ll find are in a $20-50 price range and will usually just have two speeds. It might say “chop” or “grind” but in all honesty, they are just “fast” and “faster”. I mentioned these in my “Coffee Grinder” blog because a lot of people buy these to grind their coffee beans with.

Mini choppers are usually 2-3 cups in size, and like most larger food processors, can’t handle a ton of liquid. They are quite handy for small jobs, like chopping up veggies really quick or making a small batch of hummus or salsa. With the limited abilities of the mini chopper, I don’t think that brand really matters. Like with a big food processor, I don’t think any of these will work unless all the pieces are properly snapped into place, meaning you can’t accidentally chop your fingers or splash food everywhere. (If there’s too much liquid, that will probably escape and make a mess.) This is actually the one item Cuisinart does NOT put a 3-year warranty on because people so often misuse them. (Read: they should have purchased a blender or a real food processor and burned it out.)

Some immersion blenders come with a mini chopper attachment that the stick’s motor can power. These are usually one cup and not very useful, so I wouldn’t base your purchase of the immersion blender solely off of that optional feature.

Salad Shooters

I noticed a few of these while image shopping, so figured it was worth a mention. The term “salad shooter” is trademarked to the original product by Presto, so everyone else seems to call these “salad makers” or “mini food processors”. These machines contain rotating discs that “shoot” the end product out and you have to have a bowl or something to catch it. These only slice and shred, they cannot chop, but nonetheless, pretty handy.

Food Processors

Alright, so moving along to the big machines, the ones that do it all! Obviously there’s a larger motor, meaning a heavier base, so keep that in mind if you don’t have counter space! Having to get it in and out of a cupboard or pantry might be too much effort.

Any brand of food processor will come with a metal chopping blade, a stem piece to attach the discs, and a slicing and shredding disc. Sometimes these are combined in a reversible two-sided disc, meaning you’ll only have one disc; one side shreds, one side slices. You will have buttons that say “On”, “Off”, and “Pulse”. “Pulse” will spin once and you have to keep hitting it repeatedly to keep the blade going. There will also be a feed tube and some sort of pusher to help push your items into the machine as well as prevent splashing. Sometimes they also include a plastic dough blade, as well. Like I mentioned with the mini choppers, they make these super safe, as they won’t work unless all pieces are properly snapped into place.

As for brand, that truly does matter with the larger food processors. The only choice, in my opinion, is a Cuisinart, and you can’t go wrong with any model. The motors they put on these things just don’t die! The kitchen store I worked at does a trade-in event annually, where you can bring in your old chopper or food processor, working or not, and get money towards a new Cuisinart. People would bring in 20 year old Cuisinart food processors and tell us that they still worked, they were just finally ready to upgrade to a newer model with more features. Color me amazed!

Remember my mantra: Kitchen Aid for stand mixers, Cuisinart for food processors.

Cuisinart also puts astounding warranties on the motors of their food processors. The warranties vary by model, but none are less than 5 years, most are 10, and some are as much as 20! Nobody else in the industry puts more than a 1-year warranty on their motors, so to me, it’s worth the money!

I’m not going to say one model is better than any of the others, with the exception of their newer models in the Elite collection! Those are the best, just because of the amazing features they have, which we will discuss very shortly. If you don’t have a need for all the new features on the newest models, older models still have amazing motors that won’t disappoint. You’re basically comparing what size work bowl you need for your home since they all pretty much do the same thing. There’s a 14-cup model that is less expensive than some of the smaller bowl models because it has a very basic design and no “Pulse” button, just two paddle buttons for off and on.

Ok, ok, so these Elite food processors. They’ve been around for a few years at this point, and I really don’t see the need to make any improvements. The standard food processor hasn’t changed much other than aesthetics and feed tube sizes getting larger or being multiple pieces. But the largest complaint about all food processors has always been the liquid fill line always being about an inch from the bottom of the work bowl, making it really hard to make soups and other liquidy things. Kitchen Aid had come out with a multi-bowl food processor, but using the small bowl always made a big mess in the larger bowl anyway, so what’s the point?

Cuisinart fixed that! They put a silicone ring in the lid so that the liquid fill line in both the large bowl and the mini-bowl (nonexistent for the mini-bowl in previous Kitchen Aid models) was almost to the very top of the bowl!! No mess in the bigger bowl if you wanted to use the small one for a little job. The Elite comes in a 12-cup model, which includes a 4-cup, as well as a 14-cup model, which includes both an 11- and a 4.5-cup bowl. The bowls all also contain a slight pouring lip to make it easier to pour the liquid out. Genius!

The next thing Cuisinart did was combine the slicing and shredding discs into multi-discs so customers didn’t have to a) purchase multiple extra discs and b) have extra clutter for all the different discs they owned. So the slicing disc has an adjustable knob that gives you 6 different thicknesses on the blade and the shredding disc is reversible with coarse on one side and fine on the other.

They also made the motors even stronger, so the largest size, the 14-cup, has a 20 year motor warranty. I should note that Cuisinart has always offered the largest feed tubes on their lids. Speaking of feed tubes, a lot of the brands now have multi-piece feed tubes, which confuses people. There’s multiple pieces so you can choose which piece is large enough for your food to fit through. That way if you have something small, you don’t have to potentially get splashed by using the largest opening to drop it into the processor. All two or three pieces have a flat base to act as a pusher for the food you’re dropping in, as well.

Kitchen Aid’s new model has copied all of these new ideas, which is great. I haven’t seen one in person yet, but have watched some demonstrations on TV and the silicone ring doesn’t look as thick as Cuisinart’s. Since they obviously couldn’t copy everything exactly, the way to adjust their slicing disc is a lever on the front of the base of the machine, not on the disc itself like Cuisinart (they’re calling it ExactSlice), so you can adjust the thickness mid-slice.

New Kitchen Aid ExactSlice food processor

Looking at specs of the Kitchen Aid machine online, I’m also noticing that their liquid fill line is only a little over the halfway point of the work bowl, whereas Cuisinart’s is almost to the top. I can’t see it on the mini-bowl, but it does say the smaller one can handle liquids, too. I was so excited by the prospect of them copying Cuisinart I almost bought one. Who can resist those fun colors?! But, it’s still expensive. And so, looking back at the warranty issue, I was convinced, personally – you might not care – of the quality and paying a bit more to have the luxury of knowing I will never have to make this purchase again in my lifetime.

Last (bad!) model of Kitchen Aid food processors

One thing to note is that the Kitchen Aid food processor is extremely new and a lot of stores aren’t selling it yet. The last model of Kitchen Aid food processors were performing so badly that the kitchen store I worked at stopped carrying them, and looking at all of the big kitchen stores now, it looks like nobody currently carries any Kitchen Aid food processors at all. I am wondering if with all the aesthetic changes that Kitchen Aid bothered to fix the technical issues with this new model and stores will renew their faith and start selling them again. Time will tell!!

The Cuisinart food processor/blender 2-in-1 was mentioned in my “Blenders” blog, but I will mention it again, almost verbatim. I am always leery of anything that is a 2-in-1 as it calls to mind those TVs that had the VHS player embedded in them, and the VHS player ALWAYS broke. I love Cuisinart, and I’m sure this is a solid machine, but I wouldn’t put my trust in the performance of either being as high caliber as a stand-alone. Personal opinion, only, of course!! 😛 The food processor is only 3 cups like a mini chopper, however, it can slice and shred, which a mini chopper cannot do, so that is definitely a plus. This does not come with the same motor warranty as the other Cuisinart food processors, so again, I don’t think it’s in the same realm when comparing.

There are accessories you can purchase extra with most of the brands, including specialty cutting discs (like french fry and julienne) and cases to store your discs in.

Hamilton Beach, Black and Decker, and Delonghi all make various models of food processors, as well.

Gift Guides

Gifts for Newlyweds

July 14, 2014 Vikki Leave a comment

This can sometimes be tricky nowadays, since a lot of couples are already living together for quite some time before tying the knot. A lot of people are fearful of straying from the bridal registry wish lists because of that. If that is the case, I recommend not waiting until the last minute because items in your price range might all get grabbed by other people by the time you get around to shopping!

If you pay attention to their wish list, you can generally get an idea of any color schemes they are going for. Ask a sales clerk to show you some of the linens that another person already purchased so you can find them something unique that still matches their theme. Believe me, couples LOVE when their family and friends think outside of the box and put extra thought into their gifts.

The items I am listing here are classic gifts that no sane couple would say no to, and will often impress them compared to what they have put on their bridal registry. Avoid gadgets or appliances that seem like a fad and/or something they might use once and shove in a cupboard and sell in a yard sale years later. You want to get them something they will treasure and want to keep for a lifetime, and they will always think of you when they use it, of course!

I am also listing higher quality items that they probably already registered for, but since you are an avid reader of this blog, you might notice that what they’re asking for won’t last them as long as some of my recommendations, or if they aren’t sure what brand is best for them.

Riedel Wine Glasses – These glasses are for serious wine drinkers who aren’t clumsy! Riedel glasses are tasting glasses, made from real lead crystal (yes, you can make music on the rims!). They are definitely not dishwasher safe and are very fragile. It’s also good to know what style of wine your newlyweds prefer so you can get a glass that fits what they drink most, since these are tasting glasses and are very specific to the wine. Their stemless “O” series wine glasses are stronger and dishwasher safe, so that might be a fun, but still fancy, alternative.

Schott Zweisel Wine Glasses – The majority of Schott Zweisel wine glasses being sold in retail stores now are all titanium enforced, but it never hurts to double-check the label. These bad boys are strong! You can bang them together pretty forcibly and they will not break, so these are great for boisterous toasting! Also dishwasher safe and made in Germany. These are a little more expensive than regular wine glasses, but less expensive than Riedel; and the ‘bang’ test really impresses EVERYONE! (*Bonus tip for Oregonians – they make a special Oregon Pinot glass, the only time they’ve ever made a glass specific to a region!!*)

Wine Accoutrements – While we’re talking about wine, let’s look at some wine tools!

Decanter – A glass decanter has different shapes for wine or liquor . A wine decanter will have no lid, as its not used for storage like a liquor one would be. It will have a skinny neck that opens into a wider base, normally.

Aerator – This is a device you can pour your wine through into a decanter to help speed up the aeration process after opening a bottle of wine, versus having to swirl it around in individual glasses to increase the oxygen exposure.

Vinturi – A revolutionary little tool, this is a newer form of a wine aerator that allows you to pour directly through the gadget and into your glass. No downtime! Normally you don’t have to decant white wines, but the Vinturi works so well that they recommend using it on whites, too. If your newlyweds are big into white wine, consider getting the one they created specifically for whites – it’s ever so slightly different!

Lever Wine Opener – A lever-style wine opener is a more expensive, but easier way to get your cork out. The devices are pretty large, but make the task practically effortless. The most well-known brand name for a lever-style wine opener is the Rabbit; the highest quality (with the best warranty and easier-to-find replacement parts) brand name is Screwpull. Screwpull is actually under the Le Creuset umbrella. Most people usually don’t have issues, but some of the less expensive brands (and by that I mean in the $40-50 price range; a lot of these can be over $100) specifically state on the packaging that they are not intended for use on synthetic corks and can break.

Foil Cutter – If the wine opener you are purchasing doesn’t already come with one, this can be a handy little gadget to get past that layer and on to the cork!

Wine Charms – Cute little markers for wine glasses so guests can keep track of whose glass is whose.

Wine Stoppers – Decorative stoppers are always a nice touch, but in my personal experience, nothing works to actually stop the wine so you can lay the bottle on its side in a rack. The Vacuvin vacuum sealer pump is very inexpensive and a highly rated ‘must-have’ gadget. You can buy replacement corks (the pump comes with one) for about $5 for a set of two.

If your couple is truly into wine, there are so many more accouterments you can consider, like wine racks, refrigerators, or journals. The possibility of gadgets is really quite extensive! I’m not going to list them all here, what’s listed above are the basic ‘essentials’.

Bar Accouterments – I suppose I should also mention bar accouterments, too!

Classic Bar Tool Set – You can find a plethora of different sets that will include some combination of a cocktail strainer, a double jigger, bottle opener, stirrer, ice tongs, and a citrus slicing knife… You can also consider buying these pieces individually based on what types of beverages your newlyweds like to concoct! Of course there’s this cool Bar10der all-in-one tool to consider, too.

Cocktail Shaker – Sometimes you can find these with a built-in measuring jigger as part of the lid. Oggi also makes this cool one that comes with a glass (with recipes printed on it!) that has a silicone seal to make drink mixing even easier!

Riedel Single-Malt Whisky/Whiskey Glass – For the serious whiskey drinker in your life, grab a set of these beautiful glasses, which bring out the full flavor of that expensive bottle of liquor he enjoys. Approved by a panel of Scotch whisky experts and master distillers in Scotland!

…or just find some really fun cocktail glasses like these ones that look like ice from Bormioli Rocco or these ones that look like they are toppling over!

Whiskey Stones – Milled from a particular type of soapstone found in Vermont, this is a centuries-old Scandinavian way of keeping your liquor cool while avoiding watering down your beverage as normal ice would.

Alright, moving out of the bar area…

Epicurean Cutting Board – I cannot say enough good things about these cutting boards. They are wood, but compressed wood, which means they can go in the dishwasher and get washed with soap; and you don’t have to oil it!! They are thin, so very easy to store, too. And made in Seattle, Washington!

Electric Espresso Machine – If you get them the best one (assuming they are connoisseurs), yours will be the one they don’t return. Otherwise, I would file this in the “Don’t Buy” category down below. And by best one, I mean Nespresso. If they aren’t that into coffee, don’t buy them a little espresso machine because they will never use it. And it’s a sure bet that they will be gifted a a couple of Keurig machines, so don’t even bother!

Quality Chef Knife – Okay, maybe it’s time to grow up and get a really nice everyday knife or two. Read my “Buying Knives” blog to learn what might work best for your friends. Stray from their wish list if it looks like they don’t know what they are asking for – they will be thankful that you did!

Quality Cookware – If your newlyweds are in search of a nice new set of cookware but aren’t sure what to get, read my “Buying Cookware” blog to get some ideas based off of what type of cooks they are or aim to be! A Le Creuset enameled cast iron oval or round oven will be a treasure they keep and cherish for a lifetime, of course.

Flatware – Flatware can be a touchy subject, so if they’ve chosen something already, stick with it. If they don’t have a preference, the world is your oyster! 18/10 steel is usually standard but not always, so make sure it is!!

Ceramic Dinnerware – Read my “Ceramic Dinnerware” blog for ideas on what brands to consider!

Tea Kettle – A really nice, classic-looking teakettle will last them a lifetime and probably live on their stovetop, so it will always remind them of you! I’m partial to a few by Chantal since they are made from the same material as their cookware, which means they also have a lifetime warranty like the cookware does. The Classic model has a timeless look but more importantly, a Hohner harmonica whistle, which just sounds beautiful when the water’s ready! I also like the Loop kettle because the trigger to lift the lid is in the handle.

Soda Stream – This is a fun gift that they probably wouldn’t think to ask for, and it’s not quite made it to the “Don’t Buy” list just yet. I’m sure in another decade that will change, but for now, get them something that’s a fun treat! Make sure to get a sample pack of flavors if you can!

Don’t Buy!

Ice Cream Maker – most couples get 3-6 of these per wedding. I’m not kidding! Whenever I did bridal registry returns there was always at least one, or else they’d mention they had to return one to a competitor store, haha!

Waffle Maker – see “Ice Cream Maker”

…and like I mentioned above, pretty much any single-use “fad” appliance is probably just going to sit in a cupboard unused. Unless you know they want it!!

Keurig – I already explained this above, if they are a coffee connoisseur, impress them with a Nespresso machine. Otherwise, forget about coffee and look for something else!

Cleaning, Kitchen

Product Review: Scrub Daddy

June 27, 2014 Vikki 2 Comments

Scrub Daddy original

I kept seeing these cute little smiley face scrub sponges, the Scrub Daddy, on QVC, and wanted to know how well they worked but didn’t want to pay the shipping and handling fees since I already found my perfect scrubber in my favorite Spaghetti Scrub that I rave about in ‘My Favorite Cleaning Gadgets’ blog.

Well, didn’t they come out with a larger ‘brick’ version of the cute little smiley face, meant for bigger jobs called Scrub Daddy Heavy Duty? This was back at the end of winter/brink of spring and I knew my grill really needed a deep cleaning for the season. It was on a special one-time value and my mom said she’d split the pack of 5 with me, so why not?

The inventor of these was on that Shark Tank reality show, and these sponges are made from a special material that’s not supposed to scratch. What specifically caught my attention was he kept saying it was good on grills and grease. I then watched him clean a filthy oven with nothing but water, and it looked amazing.

The inventor and his invention…

Scrub Daddy Heavy Duty; one cut in half

It did scrub extremely well, I will not deny that by any means. And it did not scratch anything I’ve tried yet. However, the special material does NOT like grease whatsoever. I purchased a nice, used cast iron frypan at an estate sale that had been recently sandblasted and re-seasoned. Beautiful! (I have no patience with new cast iron so it is my new goal in life, to find nice, used pieces like this that are already broken in for me! :P) It was pretty clean, but of course I wanted to test out my new Scrub Daddy and see how much more grease it could pull off of this frypan. And it worked! Cold water, no soap, and it got a good little bit of grease off of the pan. (You can’t use soap on cast iron, remember, so another reason I wanted to try this.) After I was done, however, I couldn’t get the grease stain out of the sponge and it was literally the first time I used it. These are advertised as working and lasting for months. Hmm…

I tried another sponge on some old caulk that needed to come off the edge of my shower. For this task I used a bucket of cold water, the Scrub Daddy, and a paint scraper. I did get everything off, but I think the paint scraper did most of the real work. It was a tough call, but I was mostly annoyed that the Scrub Daddy wasn’t staying firm, as I felt like it would have done a better job if it had. They are supposed to stay firm in cold water for coarse scrubbing and soft in warm water for gentle. My experiences have all been that they are flexible in both warm and cold water, although it was a little more firm with the cold water than the warm.

Scrub Daddy Heavy Duty box front

The next thing I tried the Scrub Daddy out on was the car. It did much better than the soft sponge I have at getting the bugs off the front! That is one area I do recommend using it. I used cold water and Armor All Car Wash & Wax.

Alright, the time has come to try it on the grill. I have washed a couple of small grill baskets I put veggies into with the same sponge I used first on the cast iron skillet, so a little bit more grease has built up on it at this point. I’m really sorry I didn’t take a picture of it before using it on the grill because afterwards it had to go directly into the trashcan and I couldn’t touch anything because my hands were so caked in grease. So, yeah…again, the Scrub Daddy really did scrub most of the grease and grime off of the grill and grates. It just would NOT come off of the sponge, even using the ‘jet’ setting on my outdoor hose. And by the time I was done it was just pushing the grease around on both my hands and the grill so I did have to take an old Spaghetti Scrub and some paper towels out to finish the job. I have to say I have never gotten so much grease on myself scrubbing the grill before. And the Spaghetti Scrub or honestly, even the scrubby side of a regular sponge don’t collect grease like that until they are a bit more used and abused at the end of their life cycles.

My friend purchased the original Scrub Daddy (smiley face version) and really liked it for her dishes. She used it to peel zucchini (another thing they advertise about its scrubbing power is that it scrubs the skin off of your vegetables!) and said little pieces of zucchini are unfortunately now stuck in the sponge material that she can’t get out so she will not be using it for that again. You might be able to see in my picture the tiny flecks of white caulk that are stuck in mine.

Another thing I feel I should mention was that they advertise that you can cut the Heavy Duty “bricks” in half. One of the sponges I immediately did so with because I was splitting a set of 5 with my mom, so we decided to split the 5th one literally in half. Well, there was a huge air bubble in the middle, so the sponge was going to break down faster than normal. Luckily QVC’s customer service took care of it and sent me a new one immediately. Let’s hope you’d get that same service if purchased elsewhere, too!

Back of Scrub Daddy HD box

My overall feeling is that if you don’t have access to the Spaghetti Scrub (I did see these at World Market!!) and you do have access to the Scrub Daddy, I would totally go for it. Their site says they are sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, and a few other retailers. I would think it would be great to use the same way that I already use my Spaghetti Scrub on the dishes, and I think it would also be good for cleaning soap scum in the tub. Like I said before, I also liked it on the bugs on the car!!

I would just make sure to keep the Scrub Daddy away from anything that has any amount of grease on it, particularly from a grill. I am curious to hear if the original one works any better than the large one since they are supposed to be the same, and I also wonder if the grease inside of the oven will do the same as the items that had grill grease since I watched him clean the oven on TV with no problem!!! Looking at the Heavy Duty product description on their website I now see in parenthesis “solvents, grease, oils and other substances may resist rinsing”. Ugh!

Have you tried the Scrub Daddy? Which one? What do you like to use it on? Did you have any grease troubles like me?!

Gift Guides, Kitchen

Gifts for Grads

June 13, 2014 Vikki Leave a comment

This list can be for both high school or college graduates; things that they will need in a future dorm or apartment, especially good for cooking for one person. My brother also mentioned these would all make good gifts for someone going into the military. After they graduate from boot camp, they move into barracks that have small kitchen setups with nothing in them!

Electric Water Kettle – A great item for heating water safely in a small space. Good for making ramen noodles or tea/cocoa/coffee.

My favorite, the Bodum cordless
electric kettle. Comes in 2 sizes!

Ways to Make Coffee – Read my Coffee Maker Basics blog to learn more about what type of coffee brewing system works best for your graduate!

Aeropress – This little guy is consistently hailed as making the best cup of coffee using regular coffee grounds. A lot of people used it at my last office with the grounds the office provided to make a slightly stronger cup. Brews right into the mug by adding hot water, and the filters come in packs of 350 so they last a really long time!

Aeropress

French Press – There are other brands, but Bodum is the most well-known. They make a variety of presses, from the classic glass, to stainless steel, thermal, and travel. Can also be used to brew hot tea, but you cannot brew both in the same vessel as the coffee taste will remain in the mesh filter. These can also be utilized to make cold press coffee.

Bodum glass French press

Single Cup Brewer – The most popular single cup brewer is Keurig, but there are many other brands by the usual suspects. Make coffee one mug at a time, sometimes taking special pods and other times allowing you to use your own coffee grounds, or both!

Keurig single-cup brew system

Electric Espresso – These can get tricky because the inexpensive ones usually don’t produce an authentic cup of espresso. Luckily, most American coffee drinkers don’t know the difference, so base your purchase off of whether you’re buying for a connoisseur or not! Nespresso makes the smallest footprint models at a lower price than larger household models that produce as good a cup, but it’s still a tad spendy, so this might be more for the college grad and a cheaper one for your high school grad!

Nespresso electric espresso machine

Travel Mug – Most coffee shops take a few cents off the price of your drink if you bring your own cup. Or just to bring their homemade coffee to class with them. Either way, save them some cash and keep their coffee warm!

Contigo travel mugs have become one of the
most popular brands – easy to sip from and seal tight!

Inexpensive Dinnerware and Flatware – A couple of plates, bowls, forks and spoons will be very helpful to have in a dorm room. I recommend cheap and plastic or melamine! Walmart, Target, dollar stores, etc. to find these for low prices.

Plastic dinnerware!

For someone graduating college, getting them their first real set of dinnerware would be a great next step. Read my ceramic dinnerware blog for ideas on what brands to consider!

Small pot and frypan – If this is going to be their first time cooking, I would recommend something really inexpensive and nonstick. Nonstick for at least the frypan – it’s a little harder to burn/stick things in a pot than a frypan based on what is normally cooked in both.

A small frypan and a small saucepan are all you need!

Shopping for someone who knows their way around the kitchen a little? Consider Cuisinart or Calphalon’s less expensive lines. Feel free to check my Buying Cookware blog for more in-depth information on how to choose what’s best for your cook!

For someone graduating college, it might be time for their first nice set of cookware! Consider the Cuisinart Multi-Clad Pro as a very solid set that will last them forever.

Round it out with a set of cooking utensils. Cheap plastic ones from the dollar store should work well for our college-bound and military group; maybe spend a little more on some nicer ones for our college grads.

Plastic cooking utensils

Don’t overlook the importance of a can opener!

Microwave – An essential tool for the single person!

Microwave!

Microwave Cooking Acoutrements – Nordic Ware is made in America and they produce the best microwave-safe dishes and cooking items! Your will have a hard time NOT finding something useful for dorm/single-person microwave cooking, and I find their products in every type of store as they are a very popular brand name.

Nordic Ware microwave egg cooker

Electric Countertop Grill – These may or may not be allowed in dorms. Another essential cooking tool for the single person! Can make grilled sandwiches or use as a small grill to cook meat, fish and veggies.

Cuisinart Griddler

Soda Stream – Not a necessity, but a fun gift that will save them a little money.

Soda Stream home soda maker

Gift Guides, Kitchen

Gifts for Dads

June 9, 2014 Vikki Leave a comment

Shopping for your father or partner? Of course there are always going to be something new and gimmicky out depending on the season, but I have compiled a list of tried-and-true ideas for gifts for the special guy in your life that you should be able to find at a regular kitchen store. Shop locally, if you can!! 😉

BBQ Tools

Who doesn’t love to grill? And giving more grill utensils equals more delicious summer BBQs for you, right?! 😉 Check out whatever is new for the season! Brands tend to change at even the big-name stores season-to-season, so keep that in mind.

Probe Thermometers – CDN, Polder, and Maverick Redi-Chek are all good brand names in probe thermometers and there’s quite a variety, so pay attention to what he grumbles about when cooking! The Maverick Redi-Chek probes are actually remote so you can take the receiver piece with you as you walk around the party and not have to stand by the grill to keep checking the temperatures. There are some that have multiple probes so you can measure different types of meat at the same time.

Maverick Redi-Chek dual-probe remote thermometer

Usually you can use probe thermometers in smokers, but they also make specific thermometers for smoking, too, like this Redi-Chek remote smoker thermometer.

Grill Lights – Make evening grilling easier! A huge seller is this kind of cool, little light that is attached to a magnet that you can attach to your metal spatula to get an even closer look at your burgers! (**Be careful – the ones I have utilized had a little plastic tube around the batteries that most people assumed was to ensure no battery power was wasted prior to purchase, but it actually required the plastic in order to work!)

Magnetic mini LED grill light attaches to any metal utensil!

Smoker Box – A smoker box is something you put pre-soaked wood chips into to infuse flavor into the meat you are grilling. Some are large enough and have a liquid compartment to pour water, beer, wine or whatever you want to infuse them with. There are now even “platform” smoker boxes that are large enough for the meat to sit directly on top of them.

Weber cast iron smoker box

Himalayan Salt Block – Another cool thing to infuse flavor into your meats or veggies when you grill. You can cook on these multiple times, and some people use them to serve on, as well. And how about a Salt Block Cooking cookbook to go with it?

Himalayan sea salt block

Grilling Planks – Yet another way to infuse flavor into your meat or veggies on the grill. Put them right on top of the plank to get the wood flavor directly in. These are single-use only, but you can add it to the fire afterwards to infuse a little flavor into whatever else you are grilling. You can usually find them in the same ‘flavors’ as other wood chips, like cedar, alder, and hickory.

Cedar grilling planks

Grill Gloves – High heat resistant gloves are a must-have if your guy owns a smoker or uses a really large charcoal grill. They are long to protect your arms, as well.

A variety of different grill gloves

BBQ Apron – Find a fun apron that says “Kiss the Cook” or “King of the Grill” or something else fun and cheeky. There are a lot of websites that will personalize an apron for you, too. Keep in mind most standard aprons are about $25-35 unless you are getting really serious about fabric and design, which obviously ups the price. You can also go the other way if your guy is more of an indoor chef and find him a nice chef’s coat.

Fun apron for dad!

Great Grilling Cookbooks

Steven Raichlen – www.barbequebible.comSteven has several books now since his first, the Barbecue Bible, as well as hosting TV shows on PBS and teaching his Barbecue University classes.

Steven Raichlen’s ‘The Barbecue! Bible’

**Personal favorite!!** Elizabeth Karmel’s Soaked, Slathered, & Seasoned: A Complete Guide to Flavoring Food for the Grill. She has two other books, as well, but I am partial to this one because it’s smaller than Steven Raichlen’s book for one, and it is seriously a complete compendium for how to put meat on the grill, even with just oil, pepper and salt!

Elizabeth is the Executive Chef at Hill Country Barbecue in central Texas and has also leant her grilling prowess into a line of grilling tools under the name Grill Friends that can be found in a lot of kitchen stores.

Elizabeth Karmel’s ‘Soaked Slathered & Seasoned’

Bar Accouterments

Riedel Single-Malt Whiskey Glass

…or just find some really fun cocktail glasses like these ones that look like ice from Bormioli Rocco or these ones that look like they are toppling over!

Sagaform wobbly whiskey glasses

Whiskey Stones – milled from a particular type of soapstone found in Vermont, this is a centuries-old Scandinavian way of keeping your liquor cool while avoiding watering down your beverage as normal ice would.

Whiskey Stones

Other Kitchen Goodies

My dad loves to make soups and stews in the winter, so another personal favorite is the cookbookThe Big Book of Soups and Stews. Pretty much any recipe you can think of is in this book, and I ended up buying it for myself, too, and use it very regularly!

Bacon/Grill Press – A heavy cast iron grill press will help eliminate the curl from back or ham when cooking on the stovetop or grilling. Works great as a sandwich press, too!

Lodge cast iron grill press

Food Dehydrator – Know someone who hunts and likes to make their own jerky? Or just loves appliances that are fun to play with. 😉 For the serious, I recommend L’Equip’s 6-tray dehydrator. For the less serious (read: less expensive) you can probably find one starting at around $40-$50 price range, like this Ronco model.

Ronco food dehydrator

…

I will try to think of more goodies, but this is a solid list of staples to think about year-to-year. The more tools you arm him with, the more delicious food you might receive in return!! What are your favorite gifts for Dads? I would love to add more to this list to help people out!

Your Ultimate Kitchen