Monday, January 26, 2009

Gadget Freak

Frank Terranova

KITCHEN GADGETS AND TOYS

Being in the food business, we, as chefs, love kitchen toys. It makes our lives easier, and fun to use. There are so many types of gadgets that take up little space and are fun to use in some cases. Think of how difficult it would be to peel carrots, apples, pears, and potatoes without that little peeler; some cost as much as $1.00. How frivolous!

Well, I have a few ideas on how much easier your cooking chores can be. Most of the ones you will recognize. There is one crazy one you will think: how unusual and what a nice little thing it is. So let’s begin. The famous micro plane for grating citrus peel, spices like nutmeg, and cheeses with their fine textures. But think about it: you only can grate in one direction with most of them. I was in the drug store and saw this display for the Ped Egg. Now this is for the feet and has a small reservoir. I picked it up, and felt its gentle but fine grating teeth. So I purchased one. Taking it to school I found it is the best micro plane around. It scrapes in two directions and it catches its filings, which are very tiny pieces. It’s now a staple in my school kitchen; we even took it to Germany and it became an instant hit with us during the Culinary Olympics . You never know what’s out there!

First of all, myself being a salad geek, I love hard, crisp greens. So I use a plastic container to keep the greens crisp. After purchasing the greens, I bought a container from one of those dollar stores with a snap on the cover; actually I purchased four of them.
Greens need moisture so I got them home, rinsed in cold water for a few seconds, and shook as much water out. Place a paper towel in the bottom of the container, put in the head lettuce, romaine or whatever I decide to use. One day covered and a greenhouse takes effect; then you have very hard, chilled crisp greens. 

How many times are there when you cannot open a jar or even a bottle with the plastic cover on it? Well it’s time to use a jar opener; saves those pain-in-the-hand messes. One of my favorite gadgets is a rotary hand grater. How many times do we buy a nice piece of Parmesan cheese or a pungent piece of Romano cheese?  It stays fresh if kept in an airtight container. Just break off a piece, place it in the rotary grated opening, and twist just like the restaurants do. Cheese stays fresher longer.

Here is a fun one. How many times do you try to squeeze the juice out of a lemon? Not bad. Then try to do the same to a lime? It’s almost like squeezing a rock! Try a lemon reamer. It’s a little wooden (and in some cases a stainless steel) cone shape with ribs. All you do is insert it in the center of a cut citrus and spin it. The juice flows easily. Let’s not forget the garlic press. At least it leaves less of a garlic smell on your hands, plus it distributes evenly in food.

Pastry brushes. Now, we have used for years in professional kitchens the type with either hair or nylon bristles.  I love the soft plastic. Rubber bristles are the best; they never get messy, they are simple to sanitize, they never lose their bristles, and they last for many years.
Last, but not totally complete: the meat thermometer. So useful for poultry and all types of meats.  It’s also useful for checking the doneness of cakes to see if they are still moist in the center; some have a probe with an attached magnet with timers. Very useful for that Thanksgiving turkey.

I can go on and on about the little toys chefs use. Some are inexpensive some very expensive. But it makes all of our lives easier and adds much more fun to cooking.
Any questions on gadgets, you can email me here on the recipe web site.