Archive for the ‘Kitchenware & Housewares’ Category

SousVide Supreme SVK00001 Water Oven

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

Pros: Produces AMAZING food
Cons: A little awkward to empty and requires some arm strength; expensive
Rating: 5 out of 5

Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

My husband and I love to cook. So I got him a copy of the book set “Modernist Cuisine at Home” for the holidays, and he got me a few of the gadgets that go with it, like the Sous Vide SVK-00001 Supreme Water Oven. I know, it seems like overkill—it seems like an expensive one-use item that’ll just take up needed counterspace. And yet, it’s totally worth it if you love to cook.

First of all, if you don’t know whether it would be worth it for you, then I encourage you to try one of the water bath recipes that doesn’t require an appliance (there are a few that go for a short enough period of time at a low enough temperature that you can do them with stuff you probably already have at home)—such as How to Cook Salmon Sous Vide in Your Kitchen Sink. Try it. If you don’t think the resulting salmon is THAT MUCH better than other preparations, then the SousVide Supreme probably won’t be worth it for you. When we tried it, we made one salmon fillet with the water bath/finish on the stove method, and made one using another standard cooking method. The difference was far greater than I’d imagined. The salmon was the perfect just-done temperature throughout; there was no dryness whatsoever; the flavor was divine; the texture was buttery-flaky; and the step of finishing it off in a pan of butter and seasonings gave it just the right touch of flavor and surface texture.

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Scooba 230 floor washing robot from iRobot

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Pros: Fantastic little floor-scrubber; just make sure to vacuum or sweep first, use often, and clean the scrubber plates frequently
Cons: Takes practice to line up the virtual wall just right
Rating: 4 out of 5

Also posted on Epinions.com

 

Between my tendonitis and my husband’s work schedule, it’s hard to keep the house as clean as we’d like. Not too long ago, my awesome mother got us a Scooba 230 + Essentials Kit, one of iRobot’s floor washing robots. The essentials kit, by the way, includes a second virtual wall (takes two D batteries; keeps your robot from passing through a doorway so you can limit what it cleans) and several extra bottom plates (the part that includes the scrubbing brushes and squeegee).

You charge up the Scooba, slip on the bottom plate, open up both the fill and empty ports (so the inner bag that holds the water can expand as much as possible), pour in a small amount of non-toxic enzyme cleaner (the Scooba comes with several sample packets, but you’ll want to buy a couple of bottles from iRobot). Fill with warm (not hot) water, close both ports, put the Scooba in the middle of the floor to be cleaned, press the power button, and press the ‘clean’ button. Note that the first time I used the Scooba it gave me an error message indicating that it hadn’t been filled with water and solution even though it had; the fix for this is to give is a good shake to prime the pumps.

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Roomba 790 from iRobot

Monday, November 26th, 2012

Pros: Extremely thorough and easy to use
Cons: Needs a little help with crowded spaces or hard-to-reach areas
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Also posted on Epinions.com

 

At first, it was hard to justify buying a Roomba from iRobot. But I have asthma, our cats have asthma, the vibrations from the handle of a vacuum aggravate my tendonitis, and there’s a limit to just how much of the cleaning my husband can do around work and everything else. So, we decided it was worth it after all and made it our early holiday present to ourselves. We immediately saw we’d be limited to the most recent models, since the inclusion of a true HEPA filter (again, those allergies) was very important to us. Ultimately we settled on the 790. While the wireless controller sounded nice, that wasn’t what decided us. It comes with all the extras already included: three virtual lighthouses/walls, a convenient case with a bunch of extra filters and brushes, etc. The newer models are supposed to have better algorithms for handling clutter, and better capacity for coping with pet hair.

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The Whirley-Pop Popcorn Maker

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Pros: Makes the BEST popcorn!
Cons: Needs to be hand-washed
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

This is a review I’ve intended to write for more than a year now. A couple of years ago, we were lucky enough to receive a Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper as a Christmas present from friends. Before that we’d experimented with all sorts of popcorn makers and had never been able to settle on something. Now we have the perfect popper, and I’d never go back to a hot air-style popper after trying it.

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Calphalon 2 qt ceramic covered baker

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Pros: Dishwasher-safe; microwaveable; freezer-safe
Cons: Ceramic requires handling with care
Rating: 4 out of 5

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Emerilware Poultry Roaster

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Pros: Achieves its purpose very well!
Cons: Very single-purpose; lacking in good directions; you do have to be willing to properly care for cast iron
Rating: 3 out of 5

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Calphalon No Peek Waffle Maker

Monday, December 8th, 2008

Pros: Non-stick, sturdy, easy to clean, large capacity, nice chime, indicator light
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

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Cuisipro pastry blender

Friday, October 31st, 2008

Pros: Sturdy, strong, tough, and did I mention, sturdy?
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

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Cuisipro measuring spoons

Friday, October 31st, 2008

Pros: Handy odd sizes; balance well on counters; dishwasher-safe; sturdy
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

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Cuisipro Snap Fit Cookie Cutters

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Pros: Snap together for easy storage; dishwasher safe; strong plastic
Cons: Too-fine corners; won’t release dough
Rating: 2 out of 5

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