KNHR's Top Drawer

Making Potato Chips in the Microwave!

We've all got a favorite food, maybe even multiple favorite foods, depending on the season and the reason. For instance, on stressful days, when I'm bored, or when I just need a bit of a pick-me-up, I turn to potato chips. French fries, too, but they're not quite as useful because you either have to make them or worry about them getting cold. The thing is, eating potato chips comes with a hefty guilt factor. Potatoes deep fried in oil and loaded with preservatives. 

But as it turns out, someone at Mastrad was looking out for me and my potato chip addiction. Now I can make homemade potato chips in the microwave anytime I want with the Chips Maker. It sounds so simple! Wash and dry potatoes, thinly slice, place in a single layer on the maker, sprinkle with olive oil and season, then cook 3-5 minutes in the microwave. It really doesn't get much easier than that. And you can test it out with other types of veggies. Carrot chips, sweet potato chips, zucchini chips.

The Chips Maker will be available in spring 2011, and consumers can choose from a two-tray set or a one-tray with mini mandoline set. The Chips Maker has an MSRP of $20. 

To learn more about Mastrad, you can visit them at IH+HS at booth S1240.

 

Homemade Ice Treats With Back To Basics

Did you ever make homemade popsicles when you were a kid? My mom and I would make them every once in awhile, and it was always one of my favorite treats. It's a great kid-friendly activity and kid-friendly treat. Making them at home is way better than you too since you can control the ingredients, sugar, no processed ingredients, etc. Here's a couple products to help bring some fun treats into your freezer.

Back to Basics is introducing at the Housewares Show the Arctic Pops Ice Treat Mold, the Jet/Rocket Ice Pop Mold, the Flute Pops Ice Pop Maker and an Ice Treats Party Pack. Fill them with juice, yogurt, flavored syrups and more for delicious, icy homemade treats. See these new products at Back to Basics' booth L11702.

 

See the Chop-A-Lot at Housewares Show 2011

Here at Kitchenware News & Housewares Review, we've been gearing up for the March Housewares Show, and you'll be able to prepare yourself for the show with our February issue. It's got a great article from Editor Joanne Friedrick about the programming you can expect to find at the show, as well as a section chock-full of products. And since you know how I love to share new products with you, I'm going to spoil the surprise on a couple of them before the magazine hits your mailbox. I never was very good at keeping a secret.

This is the Chop-A-Lot from VTT Products. It's a cutting board, food tray, strainer, serving tray, cutting board all-in-one. I'm sure like most of you, I am all about convenience, functionality and easy storage, and this product meets all of that criteria. Pull the trays out and store food items easily as you chop and prep, and then you can easily arrange a cut veggie platter on the serving tray, straight from cutting board to table. The trays are microwave and dishwasher safe. And, the Chop-A-Lot is available in fun colors—red, lime, orange, black and white. To see this product in person, stop by the Inventors Corner at the International Home + Housewares Show, South building booth S4566.

A Microplane Herb Mill, please.

I’ve become completely obsessed with the thought of owning a Microplane herb mill. It’s mentioned a couple times in our upcoming November issue of Kitchenware News, deemed one of the best new products of the year by various retailers, and called Microplane’s biggest innovation this year by Microplane’s Marketing Manager, Tracy Panase.

Let’s be honest, readers, despite my love for cooking, baking, and all things kitchen, your blogger is sorely lacking in knife skills. I’m an at-home trained cook, and I haven’t worked very hard at being technically great; I just want to be able to make delicious, home-cooked meals. So sometimes, my julienned basil isn’t very consistent, and leafy herbs like parsley and cilantro define the term “rough chop.”

This is why I’ve placed the herb mill from Microplane at the top of my wish list this holiday season. The herb mill works similar to a pepper mill, allowing you to insert herbs into the mill, and then twisting it to cut. The blades at the bottom of the mill cut your herbs quickly and consistently. I’m fairly certain this is a win-win for me and my meals (though probably not my knife skills).

 

Glass Water Bottle Trend?

Recently I blogged about new glass water bottles from Lifefactory. Now I’m wondering if we’re going to give up our aluminum and plastic water bottles for glass—Takeya USA appears to be betting on the glass water bottle trend, too. They just debuted two new glass water bottle collections.

Eco-conscious consumers can appreciate these reusable bottles, made from naturally organic and recyclable materials. The bottles are encased in colorful silicone jackets that provide a non-slip grip to prevent accidental breakage. The jackets have see-through windows to check fluid levels, and the jackets and bottles are dishwasher safe. Consumers can choose from the Takeya Modern Glass Water Bottle, a streamlined design available in 16 ounces or 18 ounces, or the Classic Glass Water Bottle, inspired by the American milk bottle with substantial walls and a smooth, rounded spout and available in 16 ounces and 22 ounces. Suggested retail price is $19.99 or $24.99.

Lifefactory Glass Water Bottles

I've already mentioned to you once or twice that I reside in Arizona. Our average temperatures these days are ranging in the 105-degree range, and no matter how much you like the heat, that's really freaking hot. An endless refrain during an Arizona summer is to always keep some water with you and remember to stay hydrated. Really, this is a good rule of thumb the whole year, anywhere.

So today I'm showing you Lifefactory's glass water bottle with silicon sleeve. The bottle is BPA free and secured in a silicon sleeve that is 100 percent non-toxic and helps prevent breakage. The sleeve can be boiled or put in the dishwasher for easy disinfecting. The nice thing about the glass bottle is its see-through quality (you'll know what's floating in your water!), it is reusable, and you don't have to worry about a metallic taste to your drink. The bottle is also 100 percent recyclable. Colors available are pearl white, midnight blue, sky blue, spring green, orange and red. They retail for $22 and can be purchased through the Lifefactory website.

Relaxing with a Lifefactory glass bottle...

Wishing for a Mortar and Pestle

Have I ever mentioned my kitchenware wish list? On my fridge hangs a list of kitchenware products that I want. I managed to cross a few things off the list in April, after my birthday, but it’s still a pretty long list. The items on the list range from the very small and relatively inexpensive (icing spatula) to the larger, significantly more expensive (Le Creuset Dutch oven). A few months ago, I decided to add a mortar and pestle to my list. I think I was trying to break up coriander seeds, but a sandwich baggie and rolling pin were not doing the job. And, I think I’ve discovered a mortar and pestle from Emile Henry that would be very satisfying to have in my kitchen.

The bowl of the Emile Henry mortar is 5.5 inches in diameter, giving plenty of room for grinding and crushing spices, herbs and garlic. The unglazed ceramic interior offers the friction needed to properly grind spices. The exterior is glazed in the Mediterranean colors of citron, cerise, vert, azure, and blanc. The mortar is accompanied by a 7-inch wood and ceramic pestle that sits comfortably and securely in the hand while crushing and grinding. Like all Emile Henry’s products, the mortar and pestle come with a three-year guarantee. The suggested retail price is $35.

Spice Up Your Kitchen with Nambe

Do you remember receiving your first spice rack? I do, but that’s only because I just got my first one last year as a birthday gift. (Moment of disclosure: your fearless KNHR blogger is hours away from the age of 25, just in case you were thinking, why did it take her so long to get a spice rack). So my best birthday present last year (shhh, don’t tell my friends I said that) was a spice rack. It’s a fairly simple design, with about 15 or 20 spices on it, including ones I have no idea what to do with, but I love it. I love the way it looks on my counter, and the way it adds to my kitchen, and the way it makes me feel like someone who takes her cooking seriously. In case you haven’t thought about your spice rack in this way in quite some time, might I suggest that you fall in love with the Nambe Twist Spice Rack? The rack is made of Nambe alloy and acacia wood, and comes with 16 engraved spice bottles. Retails for $200.

Frozen Delights with Cuisinart

A packet of pr information came across my desk this morning featuring Cuisinart’s new spring 2010 products. One of the items that really caught my attention was a Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker. It’s mid-April in Arizona, and we can just sense the heat of summer creeping up on us. Plus, there’s been all of this amazing fresh, seasonal fruit. I’ve been drowning in strawberries for the last two weeks, and I just can’t help but imagine how amazing and fun it would be to make my own ice creams and sorbets this summer. A scoop of homemade ice cream on the porch while I watch the sun set? It sounds just lovely, doesn’t it?

The Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker will have you eating ice cream in 20 minutes or less. This is thanks to the unique mixing paddle and the 1½ quart freezer bowl with cooling liquid between a double-insulated wall, eliminating the need for ice and ensuring fast, even freezing. There’s an easy-lock lid and a large spout to make clean-up a snap, according to the press kit. The ice cream maker’s suggested retail price is $49.95 and will be available in June.

Strawberry sorbet, pineapple ice cream, chocolate ice cream, mango sorbet...we could be great friends.

Celebrate 75 Years of Fiesta

I love to cook, but I don’t love to bake. Baking just seems to be such an effort, and I don’t even have a sweet tooth to make that effort worth it in the end. However, this two-piece baking bowl set just might persuade me to whip up a batch of cupcakes or throw together a (hopefully tasty) yellow cake.

The bowls are a 75th anniversary piece from The Homer Laughlin China Company, makers of the Fiesta Dinnerware brand. The larger bowl is 2 quarts and the smaller bowl is 1 1/8 quarts and nests perfectly within the larger one. They also nest within Fiesta’s already released, anniversary three-piece mixing bowl set. Coordinated nesting bowls are so cute, aren’t they? And, of course, the bowls come in fun Fiesta colors. The picture below is of the bowls in the 75th anniversary color marigold, but they are also available in scarlet, cobalt, tangerine, sunflower, peacock, shamrock, white, ivory, turquoise, and lemongrass. The anniversary bowls will only be available for 75 weeks, April 1, 2010-September 1, 2011. Suggested retail price is $58.

 

You know you want to mix cake batter and frosting in us.