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Entries in Product Reviews (3)

Tuesday

08Dec2009

Kuhn Rikon Paring Knife

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 12:55PM

Just in time for the gifting season, here’s a product review from Dave Utrata about a kitchen tool that should be greatly appreciated.

Kuhn Rikon Paring Knife. Photo: D. Utrata

I find myself using paring knives for a variety of kitchen chores. Their utility has led to me building an odd little collection of different knives, some of which see quite limited usage as I become jaded with their performance and look for options. However, I picked up a knife recently and find that I use it for many tasks and predict that it will stay active for a while.

The Kuhn Rikon paring knife comes in both serrated and smooth blade styles, has a protective plastic sheath, and can be found in several colors. From the photo, you see I went with safety/hazard/cool red. It works well on cutting meat, nicely cuts thin slices from tomatoes, and even tackles the peeling of winter squash.

That plastic cover is great for protecting both your fingers and the very sharp knife edge. Tossing it in a backback for working on a snack that you take hiking is no problem, either. And for about $10, you won’t have pangs of anxiety in keeping it only stashed safely in your kitchen.

Dave Utrata |

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Wednesday

12Nov2008

Lodge Logic Wonder Skillet

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 11:32AM

Skillet review and grilled sandwich recipe.

I tried out a new skillet the other day, the Lodge Logic Wonder Skillet, that was unlike
anything I've ever seen. If you don't
believe me, just check out the photo.
It's hard to talk about this pan without using the word
"cute," so please forgive me.
It is the smallest skillet ever, just about the size of a slice of
bread. We have lots of big skillets
here, but I hate using them when I just want to cook something small (like a
frozen veggie patty, or egg, or grilled sandwich). This pan fit the bill.

It comes with a big red sticker in the
middle, which made me worry because I hate trying to remove stickers, but this
one peeled right off. It is a cast iron
skillet, and there is no better surface for frying or browning things in. Usually, they're awfully heavy, but this one
is light because it's so bitsy. It's
pre-seasoned, so all you have to do is rinse and go.

I set it over a flame and added some olive oil.
Then I tossed in a frozen vegetarian patty,
and it browned and cooked through nicely in about 3 minutes per side. One warning -- the handle doesn't stay cool,
so a pot holder is definitely in order.
It would be nice if one of those made-to-fit sleeves came with it, but I
guess I could get crafty myself.

I took the patty out and put a slice of bread topped with
cheddar cheese in the hot pan, topped that with the cooked patty and put the
remaining slice of bread (spread with a bit of spicy mustard) on top of
that. The bread toasted beautifully and
cheese melted in about 2 minutes per side.
No further oil necessary in the pan.

I used a big fat wooden spatula to flip the sandwich, and
that wasn't terribly bright considering the size of the pan. It worked, but was an effort. A skinny spatula is the way to go.

Overall, I loved this cute little skillet, and
it performs like a champ. Everybody
needs a personal sandwich pan. You can
purchase one for yourself here. Also, it
makes a great gift idea for the small apartment dweller or dorm resident on
your shopping list.

Trevy Thomas |

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Friday

28Dec2007

Le Creuset

Friday, December 28, 2007 at 11:40AM

Le Creuset Pot. Photo: T. ThomasSanta brought me a beautiful Le Creuset pot for Christmas. I was a very good girl, so he made it red. I have been lusting for one of these pans a long time. I could’ve bought one myself over the years, but it always seemed an unnecessary indulgence when I already had a lesser, inferior yet useable pan of the same dimensions handy. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to toss out anything that could be called lesser and inferior and replace it with something top notch. My purse has already experienced this phenomenon. Yours should too (unless you’re a man, and then no one will notice your purse is of inferior quality, believe me). So far, I have only made one meal in it, and that was the Christmas standing rib roast. As soon as I get finished being lazy again, I’m going to make my favorite pot roast recipe in it, and will be sure to share it with you. But there are also some cornish hens waiting for attention at the moment, and I think they’d be awfully cute in a red pot.

Trevy Thomas |