Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Steamer

I included this egg cooker in my holiday wishlist, and then I decided to make my wish come true. I mean, it was under $10, so it wasn't that much of a splurge.

This microwave hard-boiled egg cooker lets you cook the eggs without piercing the egg or yolk (which can explode in a microwave). The deal is that the egg compartment is shielded with aluminum, so the eggs don't actually get micro-cooked. The water in the bottom gets heated to boiling and the eggs are steamed, just like what I normally do on the stove.

I cooked my first batch of 4 eggs right after the cooker arrived. The instructions said to cook the egss for 8 minutes for in 1000 watt oven, which is what I did. But that doesn't account for high altitude, so my eggs weren't quite done. Oopsie.

The eggs were cooked through enough to eat, but the center wasn't that flaky yellow like you'd want for deviled eggs, which is what I usually prefer. They peeled just as easily as other steamed eggs.

This thing is a lot smaller than it looks on the amazon page, so it's not like a giant soccer ball. Cleanup is basically a rinse unless an egg cracks - which can happen no matter how you cook them.

So far, so good. I'm going to be experimenting until I get exactly the right cooking time for hard-boiled and soft-boiled eggs, which will take just a few more tries. But at least this is faster than my usual steaming method. I'll still steam eggs on the stove if I need a dozen, which doesn't happen often. Four or fewer eggs are pretty much all I ever need. Yup, I'll be keeping this for sure.

Who's it for: People who like cooked eggs that are easy to peel.

Pros: Works really well. Fast.

Cons: It cooks 4 eggs at a time, maximum.

Wishes: I wish I found this sooner!

Source: I bought this.

Sansaire Searing Kit

When I went to the housewares show last March, one of the things I wanted to get into my kitchen was the searing kit from Sansaire. Basically, it's a torch. But not a wimpy little torch that refills from the same canister you'd use for a cigarette lighter. This is a serious torch that runs off of a small propane tank, the size you'd use for a camping stove.

And, since it's designed for use with food, the torch tip is designed for searing foods rather than ... doing whatever else you'd do with a torch in the garage.

The first thing I used it for was ...

Not creme brulee.

I know that's probably one of the first things people think of when it comes to torching. Instead, I used it to blacken some red bell peppers so I could peel them. I love roasted red peppers, and it was fun using the torch rather than roasting the peppers on the stove top, which is a bit less precise.

While that was successful, the searing kit is meant for searing meats after cooking them via sous vide. So my next test was some pork chops.

The kit, by the way, includes a pan and rack that are really handy. If you're throwing flame around, you want to have a safe, fire-safe place to put the food on.

So, anyway, I got a nice browning on the outside of those pork chops and just a little char to get that smoky flavor you'd get from a grill or grill pan. It was really easy.

I still haven't used the torch for creme brulee. I'm not sure if I will, since I don't make a whole lot of creme brulee. But it's sure fun for other things. Marshmallows should fear me.

Who's it for: People who want a large kitchen torch.

Pros: Fire! Flame! Hot! Also, the replacement propane tanks are inexpensive and easy to find.

Cons: My dog barks when I use it. Seriously. It's weird.

Wishes: Can't think of any offhand.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Le' Cook Spoonula

I get tons of emails from people asking me to write about their Kickstarter projects. Mostly I say no, because it's hard to have an opinion about something I haven't actually seen or used. Some things look good in concept, but the execution isn't that great.

This time, though, I got a chance to get my hands on the product while it's still on Kickstarter. And as soon as I saw it, I wondered why it took so long for this to exist.

The Le' Cook spoonula is a silicone spoonish-spatula with a hook. Literally. A hook that lets you hang it on the edge of a pot.

That's it. That's the concept. And it makes so much sense. If you want to leave the spoonula in the pot, you can. If you want to hang it, you can. If you take it out of the pot, the hook keeps the spoon-end off the counter.

Speaking of the spoon in spoonula, this isn't a deep spoon. You won't be using it to serve soup. But it's got a gentle curve to it that makes is spoonish rather than a flat spatula.

Who's it for: People who stir things when they cook. Seriously, it's a basic item.

Pros: Simple concept that actually works.

Cons: Like any startup these are more expensive than what you'll find at the dollar store bargain bin.

Wishes: I imagine they'll make more styles eventually, so I won't even mention that.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Measuring Citrus Squeezer

I've been a fan of the Mexican-style citrus squeezers for a long time. They work well, they get a lot of the juice out, and I don't end up with citrus juice all over my hands.

You can find the basic squeezers all over the place. Som are sturdier than others and they're made from different materials, but they're basically the same thing.

The new squeezer from Crisp is a little different. instead of just being a squeezer, it also measures the juice - and keeps it confined - while you squeeze.

It makes sense. I mean, if you know you need the juice from one lemon or lime for your glass of lemonade, it's no big deal. But if you need 1/4 cup for a recipe, it sure is handy to be able to just squeeze that amount.

There are measurements on the cup as well as little spouts on two sides for easy pouring, so you can pour out the juice and then keep squeezing if you need to.

The squeezer is made from a hard plastic and it's dishwasher safe.

If you don't already have a squeezer that you love, or if you get annoyed at trying to squeeze juice into a cup without having it spill and splurt all over, then you might want to look at this one.

Who's it for: People who squeeze fresh lemons or limes.

Pros: It measures!

Cons: Doesn't seem quite as sturdy as metal ones. Then again, you're squeezing fruit and not rocks.

Wishes: The largest marked measurement is 1/3 cup. It would be nice if it had one more, for 1/2 cup.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Maverick Bluetooth Thermometer

Photo courtesy of Maverick

Is there anything your phone can't do for you these days? We've come a long way since it was a thing tethered to a base or wall that was only used to call people when you really needed to talk to them. Because, of course, you could always write them a letter. With pen and paper. And mail it.

Are you laughing yet?

My latest techy gadget that works with phone, iPad or iPod is the Maverick Bluetooth Thermometer. The base unit functions like a regular remote thermometer, but ... there's an app.

Once the app is downloaded to your compatible device, it connects via bluetooth so you can monitor your baking remotely.

The alarm on the base unit is fairly loud, so I think it's likely you'd hear that unless you wandered pretty far. But I have to say that it's nice to be able to be away from the oven and be able to check how the temperature is progressing, so you know when your food is 20 or 10 or 5 degrees away from being done.

I used this thermometer on Thanksgiving, and it worked perfectly. When the temperature was reached, but the base unit and its paired bluetooth device beeped.

The thermometer has a bunch of preset temperatures for a variety of meats, or you can set a custom temperature. It accepts up to 4 probes (but only comes with two; you can buy more), so you can monitor several items you're cooking, or you can monitor the food and the temperature of your oven or barbecue at the same time.

Overall, it's a nice thermometer, even without the bluetooth component, and with the bluetooth, it's even more useful. I like that it can monitor several things at once - like the white meat and the dark meat of a turkey.

Who's it for: People who want to monitor their baking, roasting, or grilling remotely.

Pros: Works well.

Cons: Make sure you have a compatible device - this didn't work with my (admittedly older) phone. While bluetooth is nice, a wifi connection might be the logical next step for these sorts of devices, so you can monitor from a computer and from a much greater distance.

Wishes: It would have been nice if it came with all 4 probes. I doubt I'll actually need to monitor 4 things at once, but people who do a lot of barbecuing or smoking in large quantities might want to monitor several meats, plus the smoker temp, so they'd be wise to buy the extra probes when they buy the unit.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Kabob Skewer Rack

Do you kabob?

What kind of skewers do you use?

Do they work?

One thing I've learned about cooking anything on a skewer is that sometimes they spin. You turn the skewer, and the food spins so that the same side is always facing the heat. It's annoying.

One other little problem is that depending on what you've got on the skewer, sometimes the whole skewer turns. It's hard to get all sides evenly cooked.

So when I got the Kabob Skewer Rack from a company called Cave Tools, I was happy to see they addressed both of those issues.

To keep the food from spinning, the skewers are flat instead of round or square, so the skewer can hang onto the food better. They're thin enough that they're easy to insert and remove from the food. There's also a little round ... hmmm ... let's call it a washer, that you can use to push the food off of the skewer.

To address the uneven cooking, the skewers come with a rack they sit on, and the rack has special indentations that hold the skewers in different positions at 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 degrees - eight different positions, so the food will cook on all sides.

The one downside to the rack is that it lifts the food higher if you're using it on a grill. But it's not super-high so it should be fine on most grills. And, seriously, you don't have to use the rack - you could just use the skewers.

The upside to the rack is that since the food isn't resting on the grill grates, you won't end up with food sticking to the grill. And, you can use it in the oven on a cookie sheet and the food gets heat from all sides.

Use the coupon code LHWJZQMZ to get 15% off your kabob rack on Amazon.

Who's it for: Kabobbers.

Pros: Nice idea.

Cons: The set has 5 skewers and they're not super-long, so you'll need multiple sets if you have a large family or want to use these for parties.

Wishes: It would be nice if there were extra skewers included.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.