Flare Saute Pan

One of the cool things about being a blogger is that I get a lot of fun cooking gear and foods to test and write about.


Most of the time, I know what sort of things are coming. Companies will email and ask if I'm interested in their products, or they'll ask if I'm interested in a sponsored post.

But sometimes things arrive as a surprise.

Not too long ago, a really cool Flare saute pan arrived. I hadn't heard about it before it arrived, so it was a nice surprise.

It went straight into the kitchen so I could start having fun with it. The Flare pans were designed by an actual rocket scientist, with fins that channel heat along the outside of the pan.

When you're cooking with a normal pan, heat is wasted as it billows out from under the pan and into your kitchen. The fins capture that heat, or at least some of it.

After using the Flare pan for a while, I have to say that it does seem to get hotter faster, and it seems to retain that heat pretty well.

I have a feeling that the difference would be even more dramatic with a saucepan, since the heat would travel up the high sides of the pan - it would be great for getting water to boil quickly, and keeping it boiling.

The interior of the pan is nonstick, with a textured, nubby sort of surface rather than a slick one that I've seen in other nonstick pans. So far, nothing has stuck to the pan, and it cleans very easily.

Who's it for: Most people need some sort of saute or frying pan.

Pros: Nonstick, heats quickly.

Cons: Since it's made from aluminum, I don't think it will work well on induction.

Wishes: None, so far. It seems to do its job.

Source: I received the Flare pan via Nordicware at no cost to me.

Vacu Vin Cool Plate

When summer comes along, everyone enjoys eating outdoors. The problem is the uninvited guests. No, I don't mean that goofy neighbor across the street or those relatives that seem to be able to smell a freshly-grilled steak from across town.

I mean the wasps that want to nibble your steak, the fruit flies that flock to the melon slices, and the houseflies that don't discriminate.

Between those pests and the problem of keeping cool foods cool, is it really worth setting up that table outdoors?

The Vacu Vin Cool Plate is designed to make outdoor cooking and serving a whole lot easier.

Those steaks are big. You could easily fit four strip steaks.

It's a pretty simple device - lidded box with a metal tray that sits above a section where you put a reusable freezer pack.

The freezer pack is designed to fit perfectly into the tray, and to make it easier to stuff into your freezer, it folds in half.

One thing I really like about the box is that the lid lifts off easily, but if you lift it open rather than lifting it off, it stays in place in the upright position. That means you can take things out of it without having to hold the lid open. And since you don't need to take the lid entirely off, you don't have to find a place to set the lid down.

The Cool Plate has a lot of uses. For one thing, you can put food in it before you cook it, and the cooling plate will keep it from precooking from the blazing sun while also keeping flying critters away. When the food is cooked, you can use it to keep the food safe and warm. Just remove the rack and wash it - or just remove it - and take out the cooling pack.

You can also use it for keeping foods cool for serving - like those melon slices, cupcakes, or burger toppings and condiments.

This certainly isn't an ice chest or a freezer - it's meant to keep foods cooler than if you left them out in the open. But if you leave this sitting in the sun for a couple hours, it's not going to keep your potato salad completely safe. If you need to keep things cool for a longer serving time, you could refill the bottom area with ice from your cooler or other freezer packs. And of course, try to keep foods in the shade rather than in direct sun.

While the Cool Plate isn't the most attractive thing ever, it's also not ugly. It's marketed to be used outdoors, but you could also use it indoors to hold foods that you want to keep cool but easily accessible during a party, like deviled eggs, cold cuts, or lox for your bagels.

If coolness isn't an issue, it's still a nice serving container with that lid that lifts and stays in place.

Who's it for: People who want to keep foods cool indoors or out.

Pros: It's a low-tech device. I liked the size - big enough to hold enough, but not super-bulky.

Cons: This is going to be one more thing to store.

Wishes: Some folks might want a variety of sizes for different purposes.

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

Duke's Mayonnaise

I love trying new ingredients. I'm always looking for new and odd things to try. Sometimes that means seeking out a new fruit or spice, and sometimes it means hunting down a new brand.


After seeing several cookbooks in a row that were emphatic about the need to use Duke's Mayonnaise, it seemed like a sign. I had to try it. But of course it's not sold where I live. That would be too easy.

I checked online and I was about to pull the trigger on buying a bunch or jars - it's the only way to buy it to make the shipping costs reasonable - and then I had an idea. Maybe they'd be interested in a review.

A mayonnaise review.

Not too long after that, I had my very own jar of Duke's, waiting for me to do something interesting with it. But first ... a taste test.

I sampled it plain and I sampled it along with some tomato - because what's better in summer than a tomato and mayo sandwich? And I compared it to the mayonnaise I usually buy.

So here's a midwesterner's view of a Southern staple: I like it.

That's the short version. It's got a nice smooth, creamy, and not-weird texture, which is a plus when trying to mix it with anything. And it's got a little more tang than my standard mayonnaise. That tang is much more noticeable when I was using it plain, like on a tomato-and-mayonnaise sandwich.

On the other hand, when I used Duke's in a recipe, like mayonnaise or deviled eggs, the difference was, well ... maybe not noticeable. That's because I cook everything to taste, and I tend to add my own tangy flavors to salads. So maybe I'd learn to do less adjusting with Duke's.

Maybe with some recipes, I could even get away with just Duke's if I wasn't getting fancy with lots of other flavors.

But I think where Duke's really shines is when it's used as a condiment on a sandwich where it's the only condiment. Like on that tomato and mayonnaise sandwich, or a ham sandwich or a turkey sandwich.

And, dang, now I want a sandwich.

Who's it for: Mayonnaise users.

Pros: A little more tang, good texture.

Cons: If it's not sold in your area, shipping is expensive; it can't be shipping in freezing weather.

Wishes: I wish this was sold at my grocery store. Really. That shipping is a big deterrent.

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