For the New Cook
Here are some Cool Tools to help the new cook discover the fun and joy of cooking.
- Norpro Last Drop Spatula / Spoon--Blue onlyWhy It's Cool: Reaches into the corners of jars to get the last dropYou know how tough it is when you’re almost at the bottom of your favorite jar of almost anything: whether it’s mustard or preserves or some other delicious condiment, if you...Progressive Fruit and Vegetable BrushWhy It's Cool: Both soft and firm bristles to clean all kinds of fruits, vegetables and mushroomsBefore you can cut, slice, chop or dice your beautiful produce, you need to wash it. I know we sound like your mother, but regardless of where you got the produce - your garden,...Chef'n StemGem Strawberry Stemmer - C34Why It's Cool: Grabs and removes strawberry stem and hull easily...fun and safe for kids to useIt's summer... and we're surrounded by wonderful strawberries! And if you have strawberries, and if you’re going to serve them over a dessert like Guilt-Free Panna Cotta or...Progressive Collapsible Mini FunnelsWhy It's Cool: Large enough holes for most jobs, stores easilyThe funnel is the Rodney Dangerfield of the kitchen--it gets no respect! But if you don’t have one, you wind up chasing peppercorns around the kitchen counter or wiping up a lot...Norpro Stainless Steel Scoops-1 TbspOne of my favorite hors d’oeuvre to make when I have company is gougères: those airy, cheesy puffs that melt in your mouth. The hardest thing about gougères is dealing with...Charles Viancin Silicone Lids - CV28Why It's Cool: Use instead of plastic wrap for a better seal and greener kitchen...and it's a universal lid on the stove or in the oven or microwave.I’m pretty much a disaster when it comes to plastic wrap; it seems to stick to everything except the bowl I'm trying to cover. And the green side of me hates to use it once...OXO V-Blade Mandoline SlicerA mandoline is both awesome and scary. Awesome, because it really can do things a knife can’t (at least not when wielded by a mere amateur), like julienning a couple of pounds...Gefu Flexicut Vegetable Splitter (Cutter) - G30Why It's Cool: Easily cuts round things (fruits or vegetables) into quarters or eigths, without risk to life or limbOne of the most difficult categories of things to cut a lot of are round things. Think about it: Brussels sprouts, carrots, small potatoes, cherry tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers,...Norpro Grip-EZ Mango Splitter - N11Why It's Cool: Best tool we've found for cutting and peeling a mango.We don’t often go for tools that are single-taskers. Sometimes however, if they do the job so well, then it’s worth it. One tool that falls into this category is the mango...Norpro Stainless Steel Herb and Kale Stripper and Chopper - N12Why It's Cool: Not only does this strip all different kinds of herbs and kale, it has a blade to chop them as well.OK - you know you love the special flavors that herbs can add to a variety of dishes. But the ‘dried’ stuff in bottles doesn’t deliver the punch you want, and the effort of...