For the New Cook
Here are some Cool Tools to help the new cook discover the fun and joy of cooking.
- Cuisipro Convertible Dual Roasting RackWhy It's Cool: Takes up no more room than a traditional roasting rack, but converts to a vertical roaster for 2 chickensWhy use a roasting rack? The main reason is to elevate the food above the fray--or in this case, above the fats that drain out of it while it’s cooking. The second is to allow...Tovolo Flexible Cutting Mats (Set of 4) - T33Why It's Cool: Sturdy enough to stand up to a dishwasher without curling, yet flexible enough to deliver your chopped food to a bowl or panWe all have cutting boards of various sizes and materials … and sometimes we have and stick with one favorite … that large professional wood board is a favorite: looks like a...Tovolo Pancake Pen V2.0 - T39Why It's Cool: Delivers batter exactly where you want it--whether in a mold or on your griddle.When I first read about the Pancake Pen in Cooks Illustrated, I thought...really? We don’t have kids and so we don’t spend much time making pancake shapes. But Cooks...Progressive Zip Slicer - P14Why It's Cool: Zips through a lot of small round things (grapes, cherry tomatoes, etc) in one quick movement... saves time with great results!So we recently learned something we didn’t know: small round things are not good to let toddlers put in their mouths. Duh! But small round things, in this case, include healthy...Chef'n Hullster Tomato Huller (Corer) - C33Why It's Cool: Cleanly and easily removes the hull (core) from the tomato, so it's ready to use!It almost tomato season, it’s almost tomato season, it’s almost tomato season!! I keep telling myself that, as I wait for the tomatoes to ripen in our garden. We actually had...Oxo Measuring Beakers - O30Why It's Cool: Measure small amounts of liquids and spices without spillingSetting up your mise-en-place before you start cooking is one of those steps that can make you a more efficient (and often calmer) cook. But what do you do about all those small...Joie Citrus Squeeze and Spray - J30Why It's Cool: Juices, sprays and stores your citrus to make it easy to brighten your dishes with a dash of citrus.We’re big fans of the way that a little bit of citrus juice can brighten the flavors in almost any dish. But sometimes getting a little bit evenly distributed throughout the...Nuance Hot Guard - N33Why It's Cool: Sleek stainless steel design with a dual function: heat your food and protect your table.We all need trivets for handling or serving any hot dish: to protect your countertops or your dining table. If you have ever forgotten to use one, then you’ve never forgotten...Lékué Rice&Grain Cooker - L14Why It's Cool: Cooks rice and grain quickly, easily and with less mess and easier clean-upAs many varieties of rice, as well as a wide variety of grains, have come back into fashion from both culinary and health perspectives, the question now is what’s the easiest...Progressive Microwave Grill - P15Why It's Cool: Makes crisp bacon in less time with much less fat and messWe all love bacon, right? So I’m a Southerner by birth - a true Son of the South - and I grew up with that container of bacon fat next to the stove. Bacon was a staple in our...