Best Stainless Steel Cookware

We have a winner!

We found what we think is the best stainless steel cookware set on the market

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Best Non-Stick Cookware Set

For Lovers of non-stick cookware

This non-stick cookware set is excellent value for money and we rate it highly

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Best Dutch Oven Overall For Quality and Color

This will be no surprise

There is no doubt about it, we had to rate the as our number 1 choice for Dutch Ovens.

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Archive for October, 2009

How to Choose a Steamer – Cook Healthy Food Without Fat

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 12:30 pm  
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Steaming your food is one of the healthiest ways to cook. You don’t have to worry about food drying out when you steam. Another benefit to steaming is you don’t need to use oil when you cook, cutting calories.

With steaming, vegetables keep their nutritional value, they don’t get boiled away. So whether you’re looking to just make up a pot of rice or steam some vegetables there are a few things you need to think about with how to choose a steamer.

The first thing to consider with how to choose a steamer is if you want a stove top steamer that you can just use with another pot of water like a double boiler or do you want a stand alone plug in unit. There are benefits to both types.

  • Double Boiler: You don’t lose storage space with another kitchen gadget.  You can control how fast an item steams simply by using the range controls.
  • Countertop Steamer: Dedicated unit specifically designed for steaming. It cooks faster than a double boiler. You don’t need to wait for the entire pan of water to start boiling.

Once you’ve figured out whether you want a range steamer or a countertop steamer you’ll need to figure out how large the dishes are you plan on preparing. If you’re only cooking for yourself then you can choose a much smaller steamer. If instead you’re cooking for a large family look for stackable steamers. These let you add one or two layers on top of the steam unit doubling or tripling the amount you can cook.

Whether you want a range steamer or countertop steamer you’ll be thrilled with the results you get from steaming your food. Just pick a unit sized right for your family and you’ll be enjoying great tasting rice, vegetables, and delicate fish dishes in no time.

Blog of the Week – Months of Edible Celebrations

Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 9:45 pm  
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Months of Edible CelebrationsThis week I have a real treat for you.

 Our blog of the week is

 Months of Edible Celebrations

This blog by Louise is  a exactly what the title says, edible celebrations by month.

I thought this title was intriguing and  I was totally sucked in (no pun intended) when the first story I came across was called ‘Nibbling my way to Count Dracula’s’.

The tale of Dracula and Transylvania is interspersed with recipes such as Chicken Paprikash and Oszre Valo Ecetagy Keszitese (a wine vinegar for Autum). 

Louise tells us what the celebration days are for each month,  and then she gives us a beautiful narrative along with recipes to cook for the day.

And just as I finished reading about United Nations day via Argentina which includes a recipe for Humita Mendocina – a tasty creamy corn pudding; up pops a post all about pumpkin days, just in time for Halloween.

I love this blog.  Louise has included  lots and lots of great reading,  she keeps you up to date with all the celebration days that you may like to cook for and there are many excellent recipes included.

Thoroughly recommend that you visit Months of Edible Celebrations, I just know you will end up like I do, totally engrossed in the stories.  A worthwhile way to take some time out for yourself.

Relieve Blunt Knife Frustration – Review: Wusthof 2 Stage Knife Sharpener

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 6:02 am  
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Wusthof 2 stage handheld sharpenerBlunt Knives = Frustration

Here you are in the middle of your latest culinary creation only to find that your favorite knife has lost its wonderfully sharp edge and needs to be sharpened.

Talk about frustrating.

Many people take their knives to someone to have this job done, so that means your knife is out of commission for a while.

Well, this  doesn’t have to be the case. If you have the Wusthof 2 Stage Knife Sharpener you can sharpen you knife yourself right there and then in the convenience of your kitchen.

The Wusthof 2 Stage Knife Sharpener is a simple device that will work  wonders on your kitchen knives. It is made with carbide steel for the coarse sharpening side and then when you are ready for that fine sharp edge, you will switch to the ceramic rod side of the device.

Using this knife sharpener is easy. With one hand, hold the handle on the sharpener to keep it steady. You will get a little help with this as it also has rubber grips on the bottom to aid in keeping it still, then pull your knife through the carbide steel site 3-5 times. Next, move to the ceramic side and pull the knife through another 3-5 times or until the blade has as sharp of an edge as you would like.

What We Like

  • The Wusthof sharpener is an easy to use device that beautifully restores your kitchen knife edge.
  • This sharpener is a fraction of the price of our favorite kitchen knives and will extend their usefulness making it a smart spending decision.
  • The rubber grips holds it firmly in place and the handle on the side of the sharpener lets you be in complete control.

The Wusthof 2 stage knife sharpener is available from:
 Cooking.com
 Amazon.com


Blog of the Week – Noshtalgia

Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 4:46 am  
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NoshtalgiaOur ‘Blog of the Week’ this week is Noshtalgia.

 And here, once again,we have another  blog chock full of tasty  recipes to tempt your taste buds.

What a great name for a blog – Noshtalgia. 

When I first found Julie’s blog I was captured by her Hats off to A Special Lady post, for a couple of reasons. Firstly it brought back memories of the era I was raised in where my grandmother and all her friends would never dream of leaving the house without their hat and gloves, and immaculate hair.

I too belong to the big hair brigade and find it hard to accept the flat look of today. I can’t help it, I like big ‘Fran Drescher’ style hair.

The second reason was the clam sauce, in fact there are two beautiful recipes for clam sauce – Aunt Lena’s Red Clam Sauce and Julie’s White Clam Sauce.  You see I love clam sauce over pasta and these recipes really appeal.

And if you are anything like me, you will find Julie’s ‘ No Knead To Thank Me’  post on no knead home made bread recipes a godsend.

You will find a wealth of great recipes on Noshtalgia that you will really want to get right in and try. The recipes are accompanied by interesting anecdotes which give the recipes a homey touch.

So its that time again – grab a coffee, put your feet up and browse through Noshtalgia for some inspiration and a pleasant read.


A Guide to Visions Cookware

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 8:23 am  
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Vision cookware - saucepan with lidIf you are in the market for a new set of cookware, you may have considered Vision Cookware as a part of your kitchen selection. But you want to know more about Visions Cookware. Well, look no further, here’s a guide to the cookware that has piqued your interest

What is Visions Cookware?

Visions Cookware is cookware that, as the name implies, lets you see through it. From the cooking vessels themselves to the lids you will put on them, all of the pieces of these sets are clear glass and therefore easy to see through.

Visions Cookware is See Through

This serves a number of benefits. First and foremost, if you are a regular cook you know that as you prepare meals, you often need to check on the progress of those meals. The problem here is the more you lift the lid, the slower it is going to cook as you are letting out a some of the heat and a lot of the juices that have built up in the pot.

Vision Cookware Gives You  Versatile Cooking

Another benefit of the all glass construction is that Vision Cooking ware is really all-purpose cooking ware. It can not only be used for stove top cooking, but also go in the oven or even in the microwave, something none of your metal pans will ever be able to do!

Corning Visions 1.5 qt Double Boiler with lidUse on the Stove Top and  in Fridge or Freezer

What do you do with your leftovers after a meal? Perhaps you take them from the pot and put them in leftover bins to put them in the fridge or freezer. This just means more clean up in the long run.

With Vision Cookware you can put that same pot in the refrigerator or freezer and store the meal you just cooked in it.

Important Note - if you are doing this, you should always let the food get to room temperature before doing this.

That means both hot foods should be allowed to cool to room temperature before freezing or putting them in the refrigerator and cold or frozen foods should be allowed to get to room temperature or thaw out before heating them in the pans.

Cleaning

A final great thing about Vision Cookware is that the pieces are easy to clean. Just toss them in the dishwasher, pull them out when the cycle is done and they’re ready to go.

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