The Gadget Gourmet

7.27.2006

No Cookie Cutter Lunches

We've learned an important lesson about feeding our kids here at The Gadget Gourmet. When our eldest child was born, he ate beautifully. Once he started baby foods, he'd eat almost anything -- veggies, fruits, even those disgusting pureed meats. However, as he grew older and wiser (and verbal), he quickly gained an opinion and a desire to control his meals.

Our second son was born when Jacob was 2 1/2, and we were so busy acclimating to our expanded world that we sort of took it easy where food was concerned. As Jacob grew pickier, we went along with it -- occasionally pressing new things on him with varied results, but allowing him to (gasp!) choose his own dinners from an approved selection of items.

Now, he's six, and his favorite meals include either hot dogs, pizza, or mac & cheese. He never eats sandwiches. When we sent him off to school last year, all I could think to do was get him the Lunchables made of either mini hot dogs or burgers. Midyear, I asked him to branch out... and he selected the Nachos. Weak from six weeks of bedrest with boy #3, I relented, telling myself at least he liked salsa, which has some connection to vegetables.

My husband rightly put his foot down recently. We just have to get him to eat better. But what to do about his lunches? We need something easy to prepare, able to keep well for up to four hours, that he can eat quickly. I did some web research and found a note from someone who said she made "Momables" for her daughter -- cold cuts cut into shapes and accompanied with crackers. Light bulb!

Before trying the Momables out on Jake, I tried another suggestion: cutting a sandwich into a fun shape. I put honey roasted turkey on flatbread with some ranch dressing, and cut it into a star. At first, Jake loved it, but changed his mind when it showed up in his lunch bag the following day. Frustrated, I decided not to give him a choice; yesterday, I sent swiss and cheddar cheese, beef bologna and diced chicken. Everything but the chicken was cut into triangles with a Wavy Knife, and all the fixin's went into a sandwich-sized Tupperware container, along with some Wheat Thins. Toss in a cold mini-can of V8, and we have an almost-healthy lunch!

To my surprise, Jake actually liked just about everything. He declined the cheese, but ate almost all the chicken and bologna. Out I went to buy more small cookie cutters; today, he's going to have bologna stars and moons, chicken dices, and dried corn and peas, and vegetable chips. He's excited about his lunch, my husband and I feel better about his food, and my middle son has now jumped on the bandwagon --- asking the nanny to make him shaped sandwiches for lunch. Ta da!!!

7.26.2006

Magnetic Personality

Got knives? If you ever eat at home, you do.
Got chef's knives? If you love to cook, you should. All you really need to start with is one really good knife. I'm partial to the Wusthof Classic collection; I started with an 8" chef's knife almost 10 years ago, and my collection has grown since.

If you do use knives, you probably know that storage options are somewhat limited. Brides will often register for a knife set, complete with block. While the block appears to be convenient -- countertop access, blades hidden, etc. -- it's not the cleanest way to keep your knives. After all, the wood is porous so it can absorb odors, and there's no way to clean all the little knife houses.

Another option, and one I'm trying at home right now, is an in-drawer knife tray. Mine is a two-level wooden tray that holds six steak knives in addition to several cooking knives. Its slots are equally sized, so they can each hold anything from a Japanese slicer to a paring knife. Similar to the block, it's hard to keep the knife slots clean -- though not as hard as with the block. Also, I do worry a bit about my kids getting into that particular drawer and getting curious.

What to do? Well, don't give up and toss 'em in a drawer. Instead, grab yourself a magnetic knife bar, and hang it on the wall behind your counter, preferably over the area you most typically do prep work (Not behind the stove, please!). These bars are very simple, strong magnets that hold the blade of each knife securely until you slide them off. They're what most professional chefs use.

The vast majority of knife bars -- supplied by retailers from IKEA to Crate & Barrel to Chef's Catalogue -- will look pretty much the same and vary only in price. This bar, by MIU, is far more modern in style and has received rave reviews. It's price of $24.95 falls in the midrange, and is a reasonable price to pay to keep your knives handy and safe.

7.25.2006

Lean Mean Cleaning Machine

I don't know about you, but I HATE doing dishes. Hate, hate, hate it. It's not even a girly reason like "I don't want to ruin my manicure," either. I just hate having to scrub yucky dregs of food off of plates and stuff, and I don't like the smells of old food and (yikes) formula.

So while I'd never imagine I'd develop a fetish for a cleaning tool, I have. The OXO Good Grips soap-dispensing brush is amazing. Crate & Barrel sells a stainless version that's pretty heavy-duty, but I found a less expensive version at Amazon that works as well.

All you do is pour some of your favorite dish liquid in the chamber, turn on the hot water, and barely twirl your new wand. Food falls off like magic, and your hands don't get grody. I've tried other dish wands before, but they're usually pretty weak plastic with a crumbling sponge head. The OXO brush head (which is removable and replaceable) is strong enough to whisk crud away, but gentle enough to use on my precious Wustolf.

7.24.2006

Welcome to The Gadget Gourmet! We're going to ramp up to rants slowly, by introducing you to some kitchen gadgets out there you may not have seen, or thought were worth the dough. (No pun intended.)

Gadget Of The Day: Pizza? Wheeee!

The OXO Polycarbonate Pizza Wheel

I don't know about you, but I have a boatload of scratched-up baking sheets, courtesy of the vast number of frozen pizzas that are baked and sliced upon them. No matter how many times I've asked, the people in my household forget to slide the pizza onto a cutting board. I've ruined more than a few jelly-roll and brownie pans, too, trying to slice brownies or other treats in the pan.

Scratch no more! Though this clear pizza wheel looks too gentle to cut through even the freshest of Play-Doh, it really flies through crusts beautifully. Crumbs don't stick to the polycarb blade like they do to stainless, the handle is up to Oxo's cushy standards, and best of all? It's dishwasher safe!

We're seeing more and more uses for polycarbonate in the home -- in items ranging from eyeglass lenses to break-resistant water bottles. Some polycarbs are so strong, they're used to make bulletproof glass. So I don't expect this to break any time soon. I'm pretty sure the stainless wheels will gather rust before I need to replace this one.

Any way you slice it, this is a great gadget. Ring it up, baby.
Oxo Polycarbonate Pizza Wheel
$10.95
Crate & Barrel