Very sharp Christmas gifts

ceramic-knife0

It was while watching the first season of Junior Masterchef Australia that my family was introduced to ceramic knives. The bright colorful handles fascinated us and I was intrigued at the idea of blades that will never ever rust. The day we bought the silicone mini-tube pans at The Landmark was the first time that ... (more)

When buying a silicone pastry / basting brush, look for the grooves

silicone-brush

I love silicone. For cooking and baking, that is; not for breast augmentation as I certainly don’t need one. Over the past few years, I’ve been gradually shifting to silicone baking pans. I have discarded the old metal kitchen tongs and have been using silicone tongs for two years or so. I have also thrown ... (more)

How to zest a lemon, orange or lime

lemon-zest2

When a recipe calls for lemon or orange or lime zest, which part of the fruit do you need? Let’s differentiate between the zest and the peel. When we talk about citrus fruits, as far as I know, the peel is the entire skin of the fruit, including the white pith, while the zest is ... (more)

Bamboo chopping boards with rubber feet: set of three

chopping-boards

I really don’t like mentioning brands unless they’re relevant because I don’t like readers to get the idea that I’m endorsing a product. I don’t endorse. I recommend when I product is worth recommending but that’s it. In the case of my chopping boards, I’m going to make a recommendation. Why? Because the price is ... (more)

World’s best cook award

worlds-best-cook

If this had been given by some other person, I’d have taken it with a smile and thanks. But coming from my mother-in-law? It’s priceless. What does it say? Best Cook Award The greatest of all arts is the art of cooking and you are a true artist. Your talent in the kitchen is golden ... (more)

Home fried potato chips: use a mandoline (mandolin slicer)

It was Alex who started it. She loves French fries but, after recently discovering the mandoline (mandolin slicer) and how easy it is to use, she decided yesterday that she’d make potato chips. And she did. I must admit that we have a terrible weakness for potato chips. I can say “pass” to all other ... (more)

Garlic chopper, with a twist

I’ve seen a lot of tools for pressing, chopping and mincing garlic but this is the cutest, so far. And the best thing about it is that it does the job well. Speedy got this as a birthday gift from his mom last year. It’s a garlic-shaped plastic tool with top and bottom parts. Lift ... (more)

Mezza luna

In Italian, mezza luna means half moon. In the kitchen, mezza luna refers to a double-handled knife with a curved blade (or, blades, as there are there double-bladed mezza lunas) for chopping herbs. I especially find it useful for chopping onions — since the blade is never too far from the chopping board, there is ... (more)

Kitchen mallet

It looks like a hammer and it works like a hammer because you pound with it. There are many kinds of mallet, some are used in carpentry, others for machinery and there’s the kind used for cooking. One side of the head of a kitchen mallet is spiked to tenderize meat. The opposite side is ... (more)

Corningware, Corelle, Pyrex and Visions sale up to 80% (now 70%) off!

UPDATE on November 10, 2009 For those who have been asking for updates, there will be a sale of Pyrex, Corelle, Visions and Corningware items from November 12 to 15 at the Kitchenworld Showroom, 3rd floor, Eastwood Mall. This is the same company that held the sale mentioned in the original entry — they just ... (more)

Fondue pot and forks

If you’ve been wondering why no new recipes have been posted during the last couple of days, it’s because I’m gearing up to introduce a new kind of cooking. Last Saturday, I was able to purchase a ceramic fondue pot and a set of fondue forks. The pot with the stand and plate cost P400.00; ... (more)

Santoku and partoku knives

How many knives do you have to own to function efficiently in the kitchen? I don’t have too many knives. I have a cleaver, a chef’s knife, a bread knife, a slicing knife, a utility knife and a couple of paring knives. And that’s it. Well, until I bought this santoku and partoku set last ... (more)