Wusthoff Charcuterie Set

Did you ever get a cheese knife set and then need to read the instructions to see what each knife is used for? And the you lose the instructions and you have these odd knives that you're totally not sure about?

Yeah, me too. A cheesemonger might know, but my cheese needs aren't quite that finicky.

This set is different. It's dubbed a charcuterie set, no doubt because of the robust serrated knife that's supposed to be used for sausage. It's pretty darned obvious that's what it's for. It's got mean teeth. It can handle your pepperoni and your salami and your bratwurst.

The paddle-shaped knife is the perfect device for scooping and spreading pate or soft cheeses onto bread or crackers. It's nice and wide, so you can make one decisive swoop to cover a cracker instead of a bunch of small smears.

The third knife in the set is the one with the holes in the blade. This isn't some kind of metal-saving tactic. The holes are there so that when you slice the cheese, there's less blade surface for it to stick to, so it will release from the knife easier.

While these would look lovely nestled together on your charcuterie platter, that's not what my life is like. I'm more likely to be cutting cheese for a snack, not lovingly placing it on a platter. Schmears of food on a cracker might be pimento cheese or it might be herbed cream cheese, or it might be (gasp!) peanut butter. And that toothed knife? Sure, I might slice sausage, but I might also grab it for slicing a crusty sandwich.

The point (haha, knife pun) is that all of these knives will find uses in your kitchen aside from displaying them on the cheese board once a year. You'll use them a lot.

Like all Wusthof knives, these are well made, and with that comes with a price tag that's not cheap. Honestly, though, I think these are worth it. I have a set in my Amazon cart right now, waiting for Santa to press the button.

Thermoworks Signals

I got my first Thermoworks Thermapen some years ago, when I bought it as a Christmas present for myself. It was a bit of an indulgent purchase. It wasn't quite a budget breaker, but it was a budget stretcher, to be sure. But I'd been wanting one for years.

I was tired of cheap thermometers, like the one that told me that my turkey had reached the internal temperature of an active volcano.

So, I bought the Thermapen, and since then I've added to my collection of their devices When I got an email about the Signals thermometer, I decided that I had to have it, and they offered it to me at a discount. I whipped out that credit card so fast, my wallet didn't even notice the intrusion.

It arrived in record time and I tore open the box.

I'm all about the box tearing.

So, this is a leave-in remote thermometer with space for four different probes. FOUR. It's supposed to be targeted toward professional barbecue folks, but it could be really handy in a lot of kitchens. And it's not like you need to use all the probes at the same time.

One probe is designed to measure air temperature, and it comes with a handy clip that keeps it above the grill grate or oven rack. The other three probes are basic probes like you'd use for meat. But they also have other probes you can buy separately, including one that's waterproof. I might be buying that one, for sure. There is also a probe extension wire, so you can move the base unit even further from the grill or oven.

Oh, but four probes isn't the coolest thing. The coolest thing (puts on geek hat) is the app that you can use to monitor and control the thing. No matter how easy a thermometer is to set, an app can make it easier AND an app can have more features. Like, you can NAME the four different things you're measuring. So, on Christmas, you can have one probe testing the air temperature, one probe in the turkey breast, one probe in the turkey thigh and one probe in the stuffing bread pudding or the ham loaf, and you can tell which is which, because you named all of them. Bill, Joe, Fritz ... no, I mean you'd name them oven, thigh, breast, and side. So when you glance at the app or the thermometer, you wouldn't have to remember if the breast is #1 or #4.

They also included eight little silicone rings, two in each color. I wasn't sure what they were for, so I sent an email to them, and they responded quickly. The idea is that you put the rings on the probes, one on the end that connect to the thermometer, and one on the probe end. That way, if you mix up the wires, you can match the colors to know which probe is in the casserole.

Each probe can be set for minimum and maximum temperatures, so you could use it to see if your ice cream base has chilled enough (I really do need that waterproof probe) or it could warn you when the gravy is starting to take a chill and it needs a little reheat.

Setup on this thing was simple. I mislaid the instruction sheet (okay, it was right under the molded holder for all the stuff that came in the box) but I still was able to turn it on and mess with the temperatures. Then I went to the Google Play store and typed in Thermoworks and the app was right there. I installed that, it suggested that I hadn't added a device, and it walked me through the setup. Easy peasy.

There are no batteries to change. This has a USB connector on the thermometer base and it came with a cord and a plug that you use for charging, so that's pretty convenient. And this comes in several colors, so you can pick a color you like. I got purrrrrple.

This has pretty much everything I could need or want in a remote thermometer. The only thing I can think of that would be nice to have is some kind of pouch to hold all of it. Once the probe wires are unraveled from their very neat packing, they're not going to fit back into the molded plastic holder they were packed in, and I'd rather not have them loose in a drawer. I ended up tossing the plastic and put the thermometer, probes, and the charging plug and cord into the box for storage. That works well enough for now, but I might find them a decorative little box or container instead.

I paid for this, but got a discount.

Zoku Jack

Yeah, you're wondering about that title, right?

Zoku, known for their ice pop freezing gadgets, recently sent me a sweet ice cube maker set. It makes giant cubes that are so popular these days because they melt slower in drinks.

Or not cubes, actually. We seriously need a better name for ice that's frozen into small pieces for drinks, don't we?

Anyhoo, this was a set of two ice molds that were supposed to look like the jacks that kids play with. To be honest, I thought they looked more like molecules, which I think is much cooler than a jack. Bonus for me.

These were super-easy to fill, and the two halves held together tightly, so I didn't need to worry about water spillage in my overcrowded freezer. I hate when that happens!

They were also easy to pull apart when the ice was frozen and it was easy to get the ice out of the mold half. Easy, easy, easy. I mean, ice should be easy.

What I thought was funny was that the first glass I wanted to put ice in had a narrow top, so the fancy ice jack didn't fit. Yup, these are pretty big, so they're not going to fit in your teeny tiny glasses.

On the other hand, I think they'd be awesome floating around in a punch bowl, like a bunch of molecules wandering the universe. Or something like that.

I received these at no cost to me.

Work Sharp Culinary E5 Sharpener

Folks who sharpen knives professionally will sometimes use a belt sander sort of setup. My dad actually used that type of thing for sharpening drill bits and other machine tools. That method of sharpening requires a whole lot of experience, lest you grind off more blade than you mean to.

Until I saw the Work Sharp Culinary E5 Sharpener, I had no idea there was a belt system for sharpening knives at home. Unlike my dad's machine that was about the size of a human, this is a little machine, no larger than other styles of home electric sharpeners. Easy to tuck into the pantry when it's not in use.

When you're using it, this feels a lot like other electric sharpeners, possibly a little softer because the belts have a little flexibility, but the action against the knife is different. More like sanding/polishing than grinding.

Guides on both sides of the machine make sure you're holding the knife at the right angle, which is the hard part about sharpening knives at home. It's just plain difficult to eyeball a precise angle. Here, you just snuggle the knife against the guide, and slide it against the belt.

Lights on the front of the sharpener let you know whether you're in shape, sharpen, or refine mode, so you can sharpen you knife aggressively if it requires it, or you can just give it a gentle touch to maintain it.

For basic maintenance, the sharpener also includes a steel. Which is actually ceramic. But anyway, it's the thing that you use between actual sharpenings.

Along with the sharpener kit, the company sent me some dull knives along with a knife roll, so I could practice sharpening, and then have a place to store my knives.

I also touched up some of my own knives that were due for a little care.

I have to say that the whole process was easy, and the machine is much quieter than those that use grinding stones.

The really cool thing about this cutting system is that while the basic model is designed for the most common knife styles with a 17-degree angle, you can buy an upgrade kit that includes both east and west guides (15 and 20 degrees) as well as a selection of different belts. It's all pretty easy to set up, too, so you can swap from one angle to another without a lot of grumbling.

Extra belts are also available for purchase, so you won't need to replace the whole machine if the belts are worn.

I received this at no cost to me.

Burnout Travel Tumbler

There are a lot of people who want to send me coffee mugs, travel tumblers, and other drinking devices that are meant to take your beverage on the go. Mostly, I say "no" because I don't see a lot that are truly different.


Then I heard about the Burnout, and I had to give it a try.

Have you ever poured coffee from your pot into your to-go insulated tumbler, then opened it 10 minutes later to take a sip, and it's too darned hot for sipping?

The Burnout is designed to solve that problem.

When you pour hot coffee into the tumbler, it immediately starts getting cooler. The temperature drops, then levels out, and it stays warm for quite a while.

I was skeptical, so I tested it, measuring the temperature in short intervals until it stopped getting cooler, then I checked it every hour or so. Eventually, like any insulated drink container, it got a little cooler than most people would like for drinking, but if your coffee has been sitting around for three or four hours, maybe it's time for a fresh cup, anyway.

What voodoo is this?

I'm not really sure, but it seems that the tumbler first absorbs the heat, which cools the coffee to a reasonable drinking temperature, then that stored heat helps to keep the coffee at a reasonable drinking temperature.

This is a really cool thing! Seriously. I'm impressed, and I don't say that very often about tumblers.

I received this at no cost to me.

Drinkmate Spritzer

A while back, I reviewed the original Drinkmate carbonator, and gave it my thumbs up.

This time, they sent me their new Spritzer, which is a smaller, more compact unit.

Basically, they got rid of the stand, so it's just the head that attaches to the bottle you're going to carbonate, and a connector to the CO2 tanks.

It's not quite as industrial looking as that sounds, as you can see from the photo, although if you found it in someone's kitchen drawer, you might not know exactly what it is.

The Drinkmate Spritzer came with the smaller water bottles, rather than the larger one that came with the original Drinkmate. It also included two 3-ounce CO2 canisters for carbonating.

First, the operation of these two devices is nearly identical, and they use the same type of bottles, so you can swap between the two devices - for example if you have one at home and one at work. When using a small 3-ounce CO2 canister with the Spritzer, the canister is completely enclosed. The Spritzer can also use the larger 60-liter canister, but then it would be much bulkier. If you're making a lot of fizzy water, the larger canisters might make more sense even though it wouldn't look quite as sleek. But if you want to take the carbonator along on a picnic or tuck it in your desk drawer, the smaller canister, enclosed in the device, might make a lot more sense.

One of the main selling points of the Drinkmates is that you can use them to carbonate any beverage. With other carbonators, you can only carbonate water, then add flavor. That means you can't carbonate things like wine or juice or tea. While I mostly use mine for water, it's kind of fun to carbonate other things.

After I used the Spritzer a few times, I realized there were some distinct advantages to the smaller bottles. For one thing, that's a nice serving size for me. When I used the bigger bottles, I poured the fizzy water into a glass. With the smaller bottles, I drank straight from the bottle.

So I bought extra bottles. And that was even a better idea. You see, cold water carbonates better than cool water, so now I just leave filled bottles in the fridge and I carbonate them when I want them. When I'm done drinking, I clean the used bottle, refill, and tuck it back into the fridge.

Do I like this better than the original Drinkmate? Hmmm. I think I do, since it's smaller. But that's a personal decision.

Since the operation of the two is pretty much the same, I'd say that it's really a tossup as to which is better. The original carbonator doesn't take a lot of counter space, so if you want it handy at all times, you might like that better than a device that you'll tuck in a drawer.

Either way, it's a cool device.

Here's my original review.

I received this as no cost to me; I bought extra bottles.

The Chicken Hook

What the heck is this thing? How does it work?

Here's another view. Does that help?

So it 's like this.

I had a new grill on order. The old one hadn't been used in years. It was so badly rusted, I didn't want food near it, much less on it. And it didn't start without help. So there was a risk of kaboom, even before the rust problem.

I got an email from some folks who make a device called The Chicken Hook. For roasting chickens. Obviously. The hook suspends the chicken over the pan or grill, so the whole chicken gets time in the hot air.

Sure, why not, I said. I can try it on my grill.

Grill arrived (more on the grill at a later date), and I went out and bought a chicken to test the rotisserie.

Then the chicken hook arrived. Decisions, decisions. Rotisserie or hook?

I decided to test the hook, since I can cook other things using the rotisserie. Like roasts. Or other chickens.

The chicken goes on the hook breast down and butt (or tail, I guess) up. Then you put it on a pan in the oven, or in the grill. Of course I used the grill. It's hot out. No way am I turning on the oven. It looks kind of ridiculous, right?

I used indirect heat, so the bottom of the bird - which now was the breast - wouldn't cook too fast. I shoved some potatoes around it, thinking that the drippings on the spuds would be nice. Later, I moved the potatoes to a hotter spot on the grill. Indirect cooking was great for the chicken, but the potatoes weren't really amused.

After about 30 minutes, I had a beautiful golden skin, but the bird wasn't quite cooked all the way, so I let it keep on going until it was done. It didn't look quite as weird once it started cooking and wasn't sagging any more.

What would I do different next time? I think that at end of cooking, I might turn the heat on directly below the chicken to get that skin more brown. But other than that, it worked pretty well, although it looked bizarre as heck when I first put it on the hook.

The finished chicken looks pretty nice, though.

They also sent me three of their spice mixes. I've sniffed them, but haven't used them yet. All three look like they'll be pretty useful. Positano is an all purpose Italian mix, which is always handy to have on hand. Santa Clara is garlic-heavy. Yup, I like that. And Machu Piccho is a spicy Peruvian-inspired blend. Yum times three.

Who's it for: People who want to try a different way of cooking chicken.

Pros: Heat gets all the way around the chicken, and it's not as tall as with a beer-can style chicken that stands upright. Easier to fit in oven or grill.

Cons: If you put this thing away without the instructions and find it a year later, you might not have any idea what it is.

Wishes: There's really not a lot I can ask from a bent piece of metal.

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

OXO Silicone Egg Poachers

OXO Egg Poachers

No, these aren't for poaching silicone eggs ... nor are they weird looking kids toys (Although kids would probably love fiddling with them.

These egg poachers by OXO are designed for people who like poached eggs but just can't get them right.

In other words ... me.

I know the proper technique for poaching eggs, but it takes practice to get it right every time. I don't poach eggs often enough to get that practice. But I still like a nice poached egg every once in a while.

So, I like the idea of a gadget that can help get the job done.

These silicone egg poachers are different from others I've tried in that the egg is actually cooking IN the water rather than being steamed while sitting in a floating silicone boat.

Well, okay then. I took some eggs for a swim.

The idea is simple. You put the poachers in a pot (they come in a set of two) with the holey side down and fill the pot with water up the the squiggly line marked on the upper cup. You add a splash of vinegar to the water, then bring the water to a simmer.

Easy so far, right?

Then you crack an egg into the center of the poacher and watch it float down into the basket below. Buh-buy, eggie!

Then you just set a timer for the style of egg you want. The time, of course, depends on how large and cold your eggs are. And for me, there's also altitude to consider. In general, though a large egg should cook in about 3 1/2 minutes.

And that's it. Remove the poaching device and collect the eggs with a slotted spoon.

So far, I like these. They work as promised, they're made from silicone so nothing stick, and they can be tossed in the dishwasher to clean them. They collapse for storage into the size of just one cup, and they nest into each other to save even more space.

Who's it for: People who want an easier way to poach eggs

Pros: Hey, they work!

Cons: Err ... not much to complain about. It's a simple idea.

Wishes: Erm ... okay, my last resort is usually that it would be nice if they came in a rainbow of colors. Given that most folks aren't going to want dozens of them, I don't know if that would be much of a selling point, though.

Source: I bought these. You can buy them on Amazon HERE.

New Metro Pouring Chute

Do you like my hippie-dippy background? I was amused.

I saw this pouring chute at the International Housewares Show a couple years ago, when it was just a prototype, and I thought it was a genius idea.

It doesn't look like much, just a piece of bent metal with some notches cut out of it, but the New Metro Design Pouring Chute is designed well, it's super-sturdy, and when I saw it at the show I though it would be great for neatly adding things to the bowl of the KitchenAid mixer.

While I love-love-love my stand mixer, adding ingredients isn't really elegant, and I dislike the pouring attachment that came with my mixer.

I kind of forgot about the New Metro pouring chute in the intervening years, but finally got around to buying one.

I'm sorry that I waited. This thing is genius.

I mean, it's still a bent piece of metal, but it does exactly what it's supposed to do. It makes it easy to add ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer without stopping the mixer, lifting the tilt head, or making a freaking mess.

Because heavens knows I don't need help making a mess. I'm really good at doing that all on my own.

In theory, you could attach this to a regular bowl, but I'm not entirely sure why you'd need to, and it should fit the bowl of other mixer brands, but I can't guarantee that.

Yeah, you probably need one.

Who's it for: People who own a KitchenAid mixer.

Pros: It works!

Cons: It's kind of hard to justify spending good money on a bent piece of metal.

Wishes: Oh, come on! It's a bent piece of metal. What would I want it to do, whistle?

Source: I bought this.

Gadgets and Decor

Stuff. I get stuff. Mostly for free. And here are some reviews!

Air Bake Copper Cookie Sheet from T-fal

Let's be honest. I have a freakish lot of cookie sheets. When I was baking croissants for Thanksgiving, I used nine half-sheet pans, and still had more in storage. But this one, with its copper-colored surface caught my attention. Honestly, my cookies don't care all that much about cookie sheet color (although light or dark can make a difference) but cookies will look snazzy on this one. I have another Air Bake pan in basic aluminum, and it's very useful as a pizza peel. This one should be even better, because it's nonstick. I'm actually thinking about getting a whole set of these, just because the color is cool.

Misen Knives

Before I said yes to these knives, I looked them up online. Kenji Lopez-Alt loved them. Some other guy went into lots and lots of detail about the pros and cons of different types of metal that are used in knives. Somewhere along the line he said that the knives were nice but not the best he owns. So ... after living with these for a while, I like them. They're a little heavier than other knives I own, but it's a comfortable and well-balanced weight, so it's not tiring. They arrived very sharp and the edge has remained. Are they the best knives I own? Heck, I don't really know. Every knife I have has a unique shape and its own purpose because of that shape. But if you're looking for a knife, I'd suggest looking at these. Because there's no middleman taking profit from their sales, they're a good value. Plus, the blue handle is different among all the dark-handled knives in my collection. Oh, and inside the box is a diagram of how to properly hold the knife, so that's great for folks who are a little new to kitchen knives.

OXO Multi-Unit Measuring Cups

When I saw these, I thought they were a little weird, but then after fiddling with them for a while I understood the concept. When you're looking at a measuring cup that has multiple measuring options, it's easy for the eye to drift from one scale to another. Then there's a baking fail because someone looked at milliliters instead of ounces. Here, there is a window that shows one single scale while the rest of the measuring cup is covered. The smaller 2-cup measure is shaped more like a beaker and fits neatly into the larger 4-cup measure for storage. The outer cover snaps on and off easily for cleaning.

Bakelicous Measuring Set 

These are simply cute. There's no other way to describe them. They nest for storage and would look cute on display. Although I'm not so much into super-cute-pink-and-girly things, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would squeeeeeeeeeee over these. They would also be cute for kids who are learning about math, measuring, and baking. And they're real measuring cups and spoons, so they're not just for show. Squeeee. Pink.

Maverick iChef Thermometer

iChef is a remote thermometer for roasting and barbecuing. Not only is there a base unit, but there's an app that can be used to monitor what's cooking. At the Housewares Show in the spring, I saw a new version of this that worked with Alexa, and I was hoping to see that available, but I don't see that option on any thermometers at the moment. Ah well. I'm still hoping that it will be showing up on the market soon. In the meanwhile, the remotes from Maverick have performed well for me, and the app is pretty handy.

Jarware

I saw a whole bunch of these at the Housewares Show earlier this year. Lots and lots of options. The general idea is that they're special lids for standard canning jars that transform the jars into fun or useful objects. The pump jar top is great for soap but could also be used for ketchup or mustard at a barbecue. The drinking top turns the jar into a sippy cup. And the fun favorite is the kit for turning the jar into the perfect habitat for holding lightning bugs until their release later. There are more. Lots and lots more. There was a whole wall full of these, so check them out.

Melitta Cone Brewer

Oh, coffee, how many ways can I love you? The Melitta pour over thingie (I'm sure there's a name for it. I'm sure it doesn't matter) makes it easy to brew a cup of coffee at a time. The Melitta folks sent me a ceramic pour over device (which also comes in an unbreakable version as well as a metallic one) along with filters and coffee. I've actually been having fun brewing the single cup of flavored coffee or decaf or whatever suits my mood. This is super-easy to use. The coffee filters have marking for different amounts of coffee to vary the strength or the amount of coffee brewed. Then you just need hot water. Oh, and the flavored coffee was good, too.

Squish Collapsible Small Colander

When I saw this little colander, I thought it was a little odd. I mean, it's not like it's big enough for straining a pot of soup stock, which is one of the major uses of strainers and colanders around here. But then I had another idea. Instead of pouring stuff through it, it's super-easy to use it to scoop the large bits out of the pot of soup. After the big stuff is gone, I can strain the rest through a fine strainer and I'm done. Since it collapses, it stores easily, which is a HUGE bonus. It would also be fine for straining small amounts of stuff, like emptying a can of beans into it. Or for washing a hand full of berries. I'm still keeping my big colander for big jobs, but I've used this a lot more than I expected to.

OXO Cutproof Gloves

Using a mandolin or even a grater in the kitchen can be a little dangerous. Heck, some people have problems with knives. So cut-proof gloves make a whole lot of sense. And they're thin enough so you don't lose dexterity. These aren't puncture-proof, so you cans still get stabbing injuries if you happen to poke yourself with something sharp, but if you lose your grip on a potato and slide your hand along the surface of a grater, you'll be fine. These come in three different sizes.

Zak Tilt Bowls

These bowls are cute, colorful, and I've used them more times than I thought I would. The bowls nest and the rims create a flat top, so you could store something on top of them and it wouldn't wobble. These come in a couple different colors, combined with white. 

Twisted Wares Napkins and Towels

Got a sense of humor? These paper cocktail napkins and cloth kitchen towels have your name on them. Well, not your actual name, probably. But they're fun for parties or just for times when you want a little giggle. They'd also make a nice housewarming gift, tucked in with a couple other items.

I get stuff for free for reviews all the time. Like these.

Gourmia Garlic Crusher

Most garlic crushers operate by squeezing the garlic through little holes, so I was really curious about the Gourmia garlic crusher that has, for lack of better description, teeth.

The cloves go into the device and you twist back and forth and the teeth - not sharp knives, but plastic teeth - sort of tear at the garlic and shred and mangle it apart.

The result isn't like chopped garlic, nor is it like garlic that's gone through a traditional crusher. I'm not saying it's bad or good, just that it's different.

This also works better with super-fresh garlic than with the stuff that's feeling a little wilty. You know, like if you bought more garlic than you needed, and now you're using it up.

One interesting thing is that there are devices much like this sold for processing certain dried herbs - the kind that are legal in some states, but not in others. I don't suggest using the same one for your garlic and your smoking product, though.

While the garlic ends up spread inside the crusher, it wasn't terribly hard to get out, but I did have to pick around the teeth a bit to get all of it. For complete cleaning, it's dishwasher safe.

Who's it for: People who have a need to crush garlic.

Pros: Super easy to use.

Cons: A different result than normal crushers.

Wishes: I wish there was an easier way to empty it, but I have no idea what that might be.

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