Vegetables are so healthy that we want our children to regularly eat them. However, they do not seem so appealing that it becomes a challenge feeding them with this very nutritious food. Good thing there is the spiral vegetable slicer that can make wonders. It can come up with thin and spiral slices of raw vegetables that encourage kids to eat them even with just a little amount of dressing.
These are the top reasons why you should get a spiral vegetable slicer:
- This can produce fine spaghetti-like strands or incredibly thin, long ribbons out of any firm vegetable
- It can make professional-looking garnishes, onion rings, potato nests, elegant salads, vegetable pizza toppings, and so much more.
- Vegetables can also be turned into thin, uniform slices, julienne strips or tiny cubes by adding cuts prior to slicing
CookMan Kitchen Appliances kitchen tools, vegetable slicer
As the name implies, a deep fryer is a cooking instrument that is used for deep-frying foods. It is a technique that requires the food being cooked to be completely submerged in hot oil. At home, we often use a deep saucepan for the purpose. We don’t call it a deep fryer, but that is exactly what it does – deep fry. What most people are not aware of is that there are several types of deep fryers.
Aside from the trusty deep saucepan, there are electric and propane deep fryers used in the home. There is also heavy duty fryers used for commercial purposes. Electric fryers are cool in that they have built-in thermostats for measuring temperature. Propane fryers are used mostly for outdoor cooking. The commercial types are those that we see in restaurants.
CookMan Kitchen Appliances deep fryers, outdoor cooking
There are basically about half a dozen kinds of vessels where we cook food. Stainless steel cookware, Teflon and other non-stick cookware, cast iron and aluminum and its improvements are the major ones. We also cook in glass pans and the late entrant silicone cookware by way of baking. All of these different kinds of cookware have particular uses. A kitchen will probably have a combination of all of this in use.
Stainless steel cookware is a difficult piece to use. It can heat up fast and burn food if you are not careful. Non-stick cookware is my favorite. It is good for simple frying and sautéing but should be avoided when you have to cook at very high temperature. Cast-iron is good for grilling and stewing. It can stand long cooking time. However, cast iron can be a pain when clean up time comes around. Another favorite are glass and silicone bake ware. It saves you time by cooking food in the oven with very little intervention.
CookMan Cookware non stick cookware, stainless steel cookware
What is food without seasoning? Bland, right? Seasoning enhances the flavor of food, making it more delicious to eat. A small sprinkle of salt and pepper on a serving of steamed vegetables for instance, can make all the difference when it comes to flavor. With seasoning, food becomes more palatable.
Seasonings bring out the best in food. That’s why you need to have a few seasonings in your house when dining. Salt and pepper should be on top of the list. But to get the best flavor for your salt and pepper, you need a good pepper and salt mill. Freshly ground salt and pepper can definitely bring out the best flavor in any food.
CookMan Kitchen Appliances kitchen accessories, tableware
Much as I dream of a modern kitchen, I can only come up with a more organized version of the Julia Child kitchen. I have long ago come to the realization that as long as I have all the things that I need in my kitchen and that they are in the right places, I am happy. I also try to keep a green kitchen. I have discarded all my plastic cutting boards even if they were of such pretty colors when I read somewhere that they were the most unsanitary pieces to keep in the kitchen. I have replaced them with boring natural bamboo cutting boards. I would rather have uninteresting self disinfecting pieces of bamboo than pretty plastic bacteria condos.
It is the kind of kitchen that you love one day and resolve to burn down the next. I think I will take pictures of my kitchen – some on days that I love it; others on days that I’d rather just close the door. Will the pictures evoke the same emotion from me years from now? Wouldn’t that be a nice experiment? Ok, where’s the camera?
CookMan Kitchen Appliances kitchen accessories, wooden cutting board
Cookware is made of different kinds of materials. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Cast-iron is considered very durable and cooks evenly, but it is quite heavy and not very practical for day to day cooking. Aluminum is the best heat conductor. It is also light and inexpensive. A set back with aluminum is that it can react with some kinds of food.
Stainless steel is very popular because it is light and easy to clean. However, it can heat up easily and burn food if the cook is not careful. Ceramic, glass and silicone are also popularly used in cooking. Anodized cookware has come to fore as a practical everyday cookware. The process of anodizing is an electronic process that thickens the surface of the cookware to make it hard and non-reactive. This process is usually applied to aluminum cookware.
CookMan Cookware Cookware, high quality cookware
It seems that we are having a renaissance of sorts. Cast iron cookware was used by our pilgrim forebears and improved over the years. With the discovery of non stick cookware you would think that cast iron cookware will just die a natural death. Not so. They are here with a vengeance, just as durable and definitely better looking.
Take a look at enamel coated cast iron cookware. They decorate our kitchen shelves with their bright colors. Because of the enamel coating, seasoning is not necessary. Furthermore, they have done away with all the time consuming washing procedures. They can now be washed with regular soap and water. This is the modern cast iron cookware that is just as durable and versatile as their older cousins.
CookMan Cookware Cast iron, enamel coated cast iron cookware
Wheat bread is definitely healthy but could be considered very expensive. You can, however, choose to prepare your own cornbread wherein you could easily prepare a quickbread that contains cornmeal. This is best cooked with cast iron cornbread pans. These come in different sizes ranging from 5 stick to 9 stick pans.
Cast iron cornbread pans are very popular for their conductivity making them perfect for browning. These are so durable that they can even hold up campfire cooking. They are responsible for the evenly cooked cornbreads because they do not have hot spots, which can cause burning of some parts of the bread. There are pre-seasoned pans that are very resistant to rusting.
CookMan Bakeware cast iron pans
The quality of food we prepare can greatly depend on the type of cookware that we use. It should be able to conduct and distribute heat well. This is the reason why aluminum cookware set is widely preferred by most households. Aside from producing nice quality dishes, it is also known to be very affordable.
Aluminum cookware has two types: cast and rolled. Cast is more expensive but superior in terms of quality because it is not prone to warping. Rolled aluminum on the otherhand, is lighter in weight and does great in terms of heat retention. It is important, however, to find the set that is hard anodized. This will make the cookware non-reactive or resistant to scratching and corrosion.
CookMan Cookware aluminum cookware, light weight cookware
You probably have one of these in your mom’s kitchen while growing up. You’ve gotten cookies from this when you visited your grandma for the summer. And you’ve probably gotten some lasagna from this the last time you and your friends went to the park for a picnic. They are called Corningware sets. And they are probably present in every home.
These are definitely classics when it comes to baking. Very elegantly designed, Corningware sets are also very convenient to use. You can bake and serve food with it. What’s more, these can be used for storing food in the freezer. Use Corningware to bake and serve cakes, cookies and breads. Make delicious lasagna, baked scallops and spinach quiche in a baking dish that will also look good on top of the table.
CookMan Bakeware baking dishes, baking sets