Archive for the ‘Gear and Gadgets’ Category
Cooling racks are an important tool in a baker’s kitchen because they allow you to cool down baked goods quickly when the come out of the oven. Wire cooling racks with a grid pattern are my go-to style of cooling rack because they offer support for everything from big cakes to small cookies as they cool. The only problem with sheet-style cooling racks is that they take up a lot of counter space and when you’re making multiple batches of cookies (or have a small kitchen) that loss of counter space can be a real problem. This is where a gadget like the Baker’s 4-Tier Cooling Rack from Linden Sweden. This four tiered rack allows you to stack your sheet pans and cooling racks vertically, quadrupling your cooling space and leaving you with a wide open counter to work on.
The rack is made from powder-coated steel and it is both strong and durable. Each of the racks is more than strong enough to handle a full-sized pizza stone, so handling light aluminum cookie sheets and baking trays is no problem. The racks also adjust to different heights to accommodate pans of different sizes. In addition to saving you counter space, this rack folds up flat (stands 13 inches high when open, and folds flat to 22 x10 x 1 inch) when it is not in use, so it doesn’t take up much cabinet space, either.
A measuring spoon set is a multi-function kitchen tool, allowing you to measure all kinds of different things when you are cooking or baking. The spoons may all work the same way, but anyone who has used a set knows that the fact that multiple measurements are offered is what makes a set so handy. Once you’ve viewed your spoons as a multi-purpose tool, it’s not hard to see how designers came up with these Swiss Measuring Spoons. They’re basic measuring spoons – 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp and 1 tbsp – set into a faux Swiss Army Knife case. This also makes a terrific gift for guys who bake (or cook, of course), simply because of the slightly masculine Swiss Army knife look. I’ve probably given out the multi-tools dozens of times as gifts over the years and like the fact that this one is kitchen specific.
Now, this funky set is made of plastic and, while it is sturdy, it isn’t going to be as durable as a metal set if you’re in the market for something that you can use for years to come. But it is a lot of fun to look at, to show off and to use – and since it doesn’t take up much room because of the way that the spoons fold up, you can tuck it into a drawer without displacing any other measuring spoon sets you might already have in there.
It may not be time for spring as far as the flowers in your garden are concerned (even during a mild winter), but with this set of Garden Cookie Cutters you can get spring started in the comfort of your kitchen. These cookie cutters are some of the cutest cutters I’ve seen in a long time because the plastic is shaped just like the finished cookies. The cutters punch out very detailed cookies not just the outlines of cookies – in eight different designs, including a rose, daisy, tulip, dahlia, ladybug, butterfly, bumble bee and dragonfly. They’re easy to grip and kids will have just as much fun with them as adults, especially since the plastic handles are more kid-friendly than you’ll find on some cookie cutters.
Once the cookies have baked, you can serve them as-is and enjoy the look of the plain designs. You can also whip up some colored frosting and fill in the details on the cookies for a more colorful array. As always with cookies like this, I recommend using a homemade butter cookie dough that won’t spread too much so that you preserve as much of the design as possible after baking, rather than using store-bought sugar cookie dough which will still work, but typically spreads enough that you lose some of the finer details from cookie cutters like these.
What could be better than a bouquet of roses on a holiday like Valentine’s Day? How about a bouquet of edible roses made from cake? The Nordic Ware Sweetheart Rose Cake Pan is a nonstick, cast aluminum pan that bakes cakes into a dozen detailed roses. Each rose looks like a bloom that hasn’t quite opened yet, and while they are very detailed, but the details of the petals are well planned out so it is still easy to get the cakes out of the pan with the design intact.
The cavities of the pan each hold a half cup of batter, which makes them about the same size as your standard muffin cavity. Recipes for muffins and cupcakes will work very well in this pan, although I recommend choosing recipes that don’t have large mix-ins (such as fruit or chocolate chips) because they may obscure the details of the pan’s design. After baking, turn the cakes out of the pan and allow them to cool. If necessary, trim the bases of the flowers so that they sit flat, with upright blooms.
A cake with this much detail is best served plain or with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar so you can see the design clearly. A thin glaze is also a good option, if you want some extra sweetness, or you could pipe a filling into the cupcakes through the base of the cake so that there is a sweet surprise in the center of each rose.
A big stack of homemade buttermilk pancakes is a wonderful way to start a weekend morning, especially when they’re topped off with a generous amount of maple syrup. You may have noticed, however, that syrup tends to get absorbed into fluffy pancakes in a matter of minutes. This means that you need to reapply the syrup as you eat, or simply pour it as you go on small portions of the pancake. Some get around this problem by keeping their syrup in a small bowl and dipping their pancakes. Still others may decide to use Pancake Plates. Designed by John Wyle, these plates have one slightly raised edge that creates a slight slope and allows syrup to run away from your pancakes and into a built-in pool on the edge of the plate. Pancake lover-Wyle felt that this design would prevent soggy pancakes by giving users a dipping pool of syrup that would form after pouring syrup onto a fresh stack of pancakes. You could use it for other foods as well, but this plate is really going to shine with pancakes, waffles and french toast.
As a side note, these plates are also great for food bloggers because having one raised edge can allow you to get extra light on the top of your plate – whether you’re eating pancakes or not – and you will be able to take some great food photos with this as a prop!
