The Kitchen Accessory NERD

Digital Scales

Tim — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:32:59 +0000

Kitchen scales are pretty much essential for any nerdy cooking pursuits but in particular, baking calls for the precision measurements offered by digital kitchen scales. There are dozens of styles, brands and models out there and today I spent a good hour researching before I bought myself a new set of scales to replace a worn set. Here’s what you will want to consider when buying:

Durability

I bought a cheaper set of scales which had a circular glass tray that screwed into the base. I wouldn’t get these again or recommend them as the plastic screw holding the tray down was subjected to regular strain and broke in a few places. Better are the flat trays that are secured to the body of the scales.

Here's my last set of scales. Note the weak point in this design - a loaded tray stresses the attachment point

Cleaning your scales

If you are weighing flour or anything else messy, you will want to be able to clean your scales easily. When choosing scales, look for cracks or crevices around the tray. Any gap will get filled with food, and if not removable this will build up and jam the scale – not to mention it will look disgusting.

Accuracy & increments

All decent digital scales should have a choice of weighing in grams, ounces, etc, but the precision of the reading varies. 1 gram increments are common for good kitchen scales and in most cases are all you need. For fractions of a gram, more specialised scales are needed. I use a small set of scales like these ones that measure in 0.1g increments for measuring things that need to be very precise or have strong flavours.You might see scales marked like 100g x 0.1g or 5000g x 1g. The larger number is the maximum capacity and the smaller number is the increments used.

While on accuracy, consider the placement of the digital display. Some scales place the display close to the tray, so if you are weighing a large bowl it is hard to see underneath to read the weight. If you are likely to weigh items like large mixing bowls, look for scales with the display on the front of the scale rather than the top so it’s easy to read.

Minimum/maximum capacity

Consider how much you will want to be weighing often. Many models offer a maximum weight of up to 5kg. I mix very large batches of dough sometimes so looked for a 10kg capacity scale. Scales have a minimum weight too, but this is most often 1 or 2 grams for a normal kitchen scale.

Batteries

Not a major consideration but I always find it a bit harder to find those small round batteries in the size I want. If you buy scales with the little round lithium batteries as opposed to AAAs, stock up with a bulk pack so you don’t get stuck without batteries during a late night baking session (been there).

So what did I choose? After a lot of deliberation I got a set of Salter digital scales, the Aquatronics model. Salter is a pretty good name in scales, and mine came with a 15 year warranty – which sounds good but I don’t know how likely I am to not lose the receipt until 2026. The key features of these scales for me were:

Quick power on – some scales I looked at had a lot of features like kitchen timer, temperature and so on but took a long time to actually power on.
Location of display – the front display isn’t hidden by a large bowl
Easy to clean – flat stainless tray (There’s also a glass tray model in the range) is easy to wipe down. There’s a gap under the front of the tray so you can clean there more easily too.
High capacity – they can measure up to 10kg in 1g increments.

Salter Aquatronics Scales - excuse fingerprints

The Vegetable Peeler

Tim — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:15:23 +0000

This Stainless Steel Vegetable Peeler is the design I favor, featuring a straight blade that makes peeling around curves easy, and a strong join between handle and blade. Equally good for right or left handed peeling.

Aah the vegetable peeler. Of all the kitchen gadgets, peelers are the ones I have broken or thrown away the most of! Not because I hate them, but because I love them so much that I am constantly searching for a better model, and when I find one I peel my little heart out till I break it!

There are a lots of varieties of vegetable/potato peeler out there but the chief distinction seems to be those with a blade mounted perpendicular to the handle, kind of a T shape like the Samurai Speed Peeler at amazon. These are OK but I always find that you have to use a ‘drawing back’ motion across the surface of what you are peeling, making it hard to adjust the angle as you peel. If you are peeling an apple using this type of peeler, you have to constantly turn the fruit.

The other type has the peeling blade continuing on from the grip, a far better arrangement in my opinion. This lets you use your peeler left handed or right alike, and it works just like a knife. You can maneuver the blade to get into the crooks and crannies of anything – sweet potato, asparagus or anything!

Of the straight blade variety, you will find either swivel blades or fixed blades. The common plastic version uses a one piece plastic blade that is loosely mounted, allowing the blade to change angle as it cuts. I have never mastered these, finding that the blade drags itself flat while peeling. A better design is the fixed blade as above. When you are looking to buy a peeler, if you do choose to go for the fixed, straight blade design, make sure you choose one that has a lot of strength at the join between handle and blade. I have broken several that had a weak mounting, with any vigorous peeling doing them in! In fact I just broke one tonight.

Mango splitter

Tim — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:27:48 +0000

I was given a Mango splitter / Mango Slicer at Xmas and was skeptical at first. Once mango later and I’m an instant convert. This is one handy gadget for anyone who lives in the tropics!

The mango slicer is a cup shaped base, with a groove running through it. You site a mango in the cup, and then press the top section down through the mango. There is a cutter blade that is shaped to fit around the stone of the mango, making sure that you get the maximum amount of flesh from the fruit. Anyone who eats a lot of mangoes will know that after slicing off the cheeks, you usually end up with a strip on either side of the stone which you have to messily eat. Not so with this device, which could be good or bad subject to how messy you like to get.

After running quite a few mangoes through it, I’ve been surprised that the size of the mango stone is so consistent. The cutter always seems to slice through without leaving any flesh on the stone, and the stone never gets stuck either.

So what to do with your freshly cut mango cheeks? Well, it;s hard to beat fresh mango all on it’s own, on your muesli, or with ice cream. However I was recently told about an interesting recipe for barbecued mango. Not something I would have thought of, but apparently it is delicious!

There are various methods of barbecuing the mango but most authorities seem to agree on using some kind of sugar, honey, or mixture of either plus a sweet or fortified wine like marsala to coat the mango before cooking on a hot grill plate until done. Give it a go, and let me know how it goes!

Mortar and Pestle

Tim — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:34:20 +0000

I don’t know where I’d be without my mortar and pestle. This is one item in my kitchen that gets used at almost every meal and makes so many difficult things so easy!

The mortar is usually a deep bowl shape, so that the things you are crushing don’t jump out. The pestle is a blunt ended stick that is used to bash and crush things in the mortar. As with many other kitchen gadgets, the mortar and pestle come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. Mine is a very heavy – at least a few kilos – lump of black stone. I would recommend a heavy one for most uses as you can get quite vigorous and the weight stops the mortar from sliding all over the place. However a trip to an asian supermarket will reveal a whole range of delicate little ones too. These are used for grinding spices among other things.

Cleaning your mortar and pestle

I have seen others recommending that if you have only used dry ingredients in your mortar, you can remove tastes and odors by filling the mortar with salt when not in use. Personally, I prefer to give it a quick scrub with detergent and hot water.

Uses

The most common use for my mortar and pestle is for grinding spices. Particularly for curries, which require a range of spices to be dry fried and ground together. Anyone who has ground up toasted cumin seeds will agree that the fumes released can be pretty potent!

I also use it for mashing up cloves of garlic as an alternative to cutting them. I find that if I am doing this, adding a good pinch of salt makes it much easier to grind – the same can be said of any wet item that you are grinding.

I often make a quick marinade for steak or vegetables to be roasted by mashing together a few cloves of garlic, salt, peppercorns, a small sprig of fresh rosemary, and sometimes a little paprika. Once this is a fine pulp I pour in a good glug of olive oil, stir together, and coat my ingredients with the mixture. This is just sensational on a good T-bone that is headed for the char griller!

Whisks

Tim — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:43:26 +0000

Like hand mixers, whisks are kitchen accessories that are sometimes superseded by modern electrical versions. This is a shame, because whisking by hand gives you that much more of a connection to the thing you are whisking, allowing you to judge the consistency of your mixture.

It’s good to have a selection of whisks, small medium and large, for different jobs. I have found that the cheaper metal ones as pictured here have a nasty tendency to rust, and they are a pain to clean when this happens. Now I prefer to use the silicon coated variety which are much easier to clean.

Whisks are used most often to whisk separated egg whites or yolks to incorporate air. They are better than the hand held beater for this purpose because of the many fine wires.

Here’s a really cool recipe which might be anathema to a pastry chef who has been told never to mix chocolate with water!

Delicious Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate of your choice (use good quality, I haven’t got this to work with white choc either)
Water

Method

Break up the chocolate and drop it into a saucepan.
Add water weighing the same as the weight of chocolate that you have used. You can add slightly more water for a less thick mousse.
Stir until melted together.
Half fill a large mixing bowl with ice and water. Sit a smaller bowl inside this.
Pour the chocolate into the small bowl and start whisking like crazy.
Be patient, it might take 5 minutes for this to work, but it will. Eventually you will notice te mixture become thick and a little pale. Once it is nicely creamy, it’s ready to eat!

Because there is no milk or cream the flavour of the chocolate is intense and delicious. I like to serve this with frozen fruit yoghurt and stewed fruit. Mmmmm…

Egg Beater

Tim — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:04:51 +0000

Nobody beats eggs anymore like we used to back in the good old days. When I was a little tacker I remember helping to make cakes with the hand operated egg beater, also called a hand mixer. You turn the handle, the blades spin. No motors, dials, or switches. And marginally safer to stick your tongue into when you are licking out the cake mix.

Of course you can also beat eggs and batters by hand using a whisk, but this style of hand mixer is capable of mixing slightly firmer batters and doughs.

Here’s a little recipe that you might want to use this mixer for:

Pancakes

200g White Flour
300ml Milk
30 g Melted Butter
10g Baking Powder
10g Sugar
6 g Salt
1 Egg

Method

In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter. Blend with your hand mixer until the mixture is smooth.
Heat an oiled skillet or frying pan over moderately high heat.
Pour pancake mix into the pan, using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Once the pancake has started to cook through (the top will start to lose its moist appearance), carefully flip with a spatula and cook until the othre side is browned.
Adjust the heat between pancakes if they are over or undercooking. The first pancake never turns out quite right, and should be eaten by the cook to see if the rest will be ok!

Mixing Spoon

Tim — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:50:10 +0000

The humble mixing spoon might be overlooked among the shinier and more fashionable kitchen gadgets. A good quality mixing spoon is an essential item for anyone who bakes cakes, bread, etc. There are lots of basic designs – I have one just like the picture here but sometimes I think I’d prefer one with a smoother handle. The problem with the defined joint where the spoon head merges into the handle is that if you are working with sticky doughs it is just a little bit harder to scrape all of the dough out of the crevices. It’s not a deal breaker though.

I would avoid cheaper mixing spoons made of pine, and steer towards a nice hard wood. You will quite likely bash it around mixing bowls, saucepans, etc for years to come. Mine is French oak, but increasingly I have seen bamboo spoons in the shops. These are great because bamboo is a very hard wearing wood and it is also quite environmentally friendly.

Olive Pitter

Tim — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:25:09 +0000

The Olive Pitter is a useful beast. As the name implies, it pits olives! I had never imagined such a thing could exist, but there it was wrapped up in brown paper in my hands, presented by a lunch guest who knew my tastes. This is one accessory that gets a good workout as we all love olives!

There are lots of varieties of olive pitter. this is one of the most basic designs, but it works perfectly well. The only downside that I have found with this model is a small amount of tearing in the bottom of the olive.

The principle is very simple – you place the olive, pointy side down, in the receptacle and squeeze the handles together. The prong pushes through the olive, and the pit is pushed out of the hole in the bottom of the receptacle.

Once you have pitted your olive, you can either stuff them with your own fillings, or serve as-is or use in cooking. The great thing is that unlike commercially pitted olives you very rarely find shards of the stone inside the olive, because the mechanism is so much gentler. It’s easier to keep an eye on the process as you do it by hand as well.

Don’t confuse the olive pitter with the cherry pitter! They look similar, but running a cherry through an olive pitter just won’t work – although you can pit olives in a cherry pitter.