Microplane Cube Grater

Those folks at Microplane ... they just keep coming up with grate ideas, don't they?
Get it? Grate?

Ah, never mind.

Microplane's claim to fame in the food world, for sure, was graters. At first they were rather utilitarian, but very efficient. Then they started getting more ergonomic and more ... interesting.

One of the latest new toys is the cube grater. It doesn't grate cubes ... it's a cube-shaped grater.

It's a cute little thing. It comes with a plastic container for storage and measuring. The grater has three grating sides, so you can flip the grater with different  grating surfaces on top, and the other grating surfaces are safely covered in the container. Then, when you grate, the goodies fall into the box.

This isn't a huge grater, so you're not going to use it to grate pounds and pounds and pounds of cheese. But it's fine for grating a cup or less at a time if you grate into the container. But - you don't need to use the container. You can just set the grater on your counter and grate as much as you need to.

And if you have leftover cheese, you can store it in that square container, since it's got a lid.

The grating surfaces themselves are exactly what you'd expect from Microplane - sharp and ready to grate.

Who's it for: Everyone needs a grater, and this is a nice small one.

Pros: The container means that none of the sharp surfaces are going to attack you when you reach for it in storage. The fact that it neatly measures as you grate is a bonus.

Cons: If you need to grate a LOT, the container might not be the best idea. But you don't need to use the container when you grate.

Wishes: Silly, perhaps, but I wouldn't mind seeing these in more colors. It's currently available in black, red, and green.

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

Back by popular demand - OXO brings back the *****

This is too fun. I'm not going to tell you what this is just yet. Can you guess what this is used for?

Take another look.

Curvy, pointy ... stabby? Grabby? It's got a handle ... but what then?

My friends at OXO told me that this was a tool they used to sell, but they discontinues it because it wasn't a great seller. They felt that part of the problem was that people didn't know what it was. They saw it in stores, and it didn't make sense.

But ...

People who bought it, loved it. They asked for it to come back. So OXO decided to revive it. This time around, they figured that people would see it online and understand it better.

Have you guessed yet?

Okay, I'll tell you. It's a poultry lifter. And it's simply genius. Picking up a whole hot chicken or duck or turkey isn't easy. I've used my hands, I've used lifters, I've used carving forks assisted by spatulas. And it's never elegant.

This goofy tool simply slips inside the cavity of the bird - whether it's stuffed or not - and then you just lift. I've done sort of the same thing by inserting a carving fork into the bird, but the balance isn't great. This thing makes it simple.

To be honest, I haven't tried lifting a turkey yet. I'll let you know how that goes after Thanksgiving. But I'm confident it will be just as sensible as lifting a whole chicken.

Who's it for: People who want an easier way to lift poultry from a roasting pan.

Pros: It works! It works!

Cons: It really only has one use that I can think of.

Wishes: Can't think of anything I'd change.

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

Apple Pie Kit #Giveaway

Did you see my apple pie recipe over at Cookistry? It's got apples, of course, and a cheesecake-custard filling.

Yup, it's pretty awesome.

And to celebrate the awesomeness of apple pie, my friends at Casabella are offering an apple pie making kit. Although it's not just for apple pie. You'll find uses for these things over and over.

First, an apple corer. ($9.99)
  

Not just the average corer, the special feature on this one is that the corer opens and closes to make it easier to eject the core, which is sometimes the most annoying part of using a corer. It locks closed for storage or for coring.


Second, the butterfly duo scraper ($7.49)

This is kind of cool. There's a rigid scraper inside a softer silicone scraper. You can use it closed so there's a soft edge on a more rigid scraper, or swivel it open (which is when it sort of looks like a butterfly) to use the softer, squishier, bendier scraper on its own, and use the rigid scraper separately as well.

Next, rolling pin spacer bands. ($6.99)

These silicone bands come in pairs of four sizes, so you can roll your pastry to an exact size. I did a full review of them here.

Last, pie crust shields. ($6.49)
  

No need to fiddle with trying to shape aluminum foil onto the edges of your pie crust- just lay these silicone shields on the crust. You can put these on at the beginning of the baking time if you know your crust is apt to brown quickly, or watch the pie and put the shields on when you see they're needed. These are really lightweight, so there's no worry they'd damage the design on a decorative crust edge.

Quick Review:

Who are these for: Folks who bake.

Pros: Handy to have. Everything is dishwasher safe.

Cons: If you're buying these all for the one pie you will bake in your entire life, it makes the pie a little pricey. But ... who bakes just one pie?

Wishes: A wider version of the pie shields might be nice if you've got one of the fancy pie plates with a giant rim.

Source:  I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review and they will also supply the products to the giveaway winner.

THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER