Cookie Chick

Well, actually it just peels, cores and slices apples, pears, and potatoes. However, by using this nifty gadget making an apple pie becomes almost effortless.

Apple pie was one of the first things I learned to bake almost twenty years ago. My best friend’s mom was famous for her apple pies and she spent one afternoon showing me how to craft this classic pastry. We of course labored with a paring knife to quarter, peel and thinly slice enough apples for a pie. It was hard work, but well worth the effort. I was able to use my newfound skill to woo my sweetie. I made him an apple pie for his birthday the first year we were together over 17 years ago.

Fast forward a few years when I was introduced to the peeler/slicer that made the drudgery of the paring knife a thing of the past. My friend, Jennifer, showed me this amazing tool and I quickly went to Target to pick one up. The first version I purchased used a C-clamp to affix itself to a table. This worked well if you had a table with a shallow enough depth for the clamp to work. I didn’t, so I usually had to come up with creative ways to make it work.

Later I saw the suction base version, but did not want to replace the one I had. I also had my doubts that the suction base would hold. I read a review on Cook’s Illustrated that claimed it worked well, so last year I purchased a new one and donated my old one to charity. The suction base does indeed hold well and now I can use it on my stainless steel work table.

If you make apple desserts often, this is worth the reasonable price. They range in price from $22 – $28. Williams-Sonoma has a nice version. As an added bonus, it’s fun to use. You simply attach the apple to the three prongs and then rotate the handle. It cores the apple while peeling it. As it rotates through the corer, the apple is sliced in one long piece, kind of like a slinky. Both ends will still have some peel on them. I cut these off and eat them.

When purchasing apples to use in the peeler, look for ones that are uniformly round. If there is a lot of peel left, you can adjust the peeler to cut deeper. You will lose a little flesh, but you will have a nicely peeled apple. If there is any skin left on the apple, dig out that trusty paring knife and whittle away what is left.

Like many home cooks, I collect an over abundance of recipes, either in the form of cookbooks, magazine articles, Web sites, and food blogs. One problem I have with cookbooks is that they’re hard to keep clean and keep open to the correct page.

The first time I make a recipe, I use the cookbook. If the recipe is a big success and I know I’m going to make it again, I prefer to have an electronic version so I can add any tweaks, weight measurements, or notes. Having an electronic version also allows me to print it again if someone wants the recipe or if I lose it. Not that I’m disorganized at all.

I’ve tried different methods of printing recipes, including index cards. The method I like best is to print the recipes on regular letter-sized paper and store them in sheet protectors in a 3-ring binder. When I’m using the recipe, I can remove the one I need and stand it in a handy little item, called a “Page Up”

The Page Up has a footprint of about 2″ x 2 1/2″. It has a Muppet-like smile into which you insert a piece of paper. Originally, they were meant for offices, to hold documents that needed typing. They even have a line for cooks, called Cuisine. The Page Up base is clear and filled with dried corn, lentils, green beans, rice or mustard seeds.

Look for the Page Up at an office supply store, or you can find them online at Amazon.com.

I have two at home. One I nabbed from my husband’s desk. He’s a dear and gave it up willingly. He’s willing to help with anything that keeps him well fed.

Our refrigerator is about 13 years old. It’s a not-so-lovely beige Maytag which still works fairly well. My two complaints are 1) that it’s kind of ugly and outdated and 2) that the freezer seems to have a temperature fluctuation causing freezer burn to happen rapidly. We end up throwing out a lot of food due to large amount of ice crystals that form inside the containers.

It really is time for a new refrigerator, but with a kitchen remodel in the not too distant future we have waited. Both of my sisters swear by FoodSaver vacuum sealers. I have found that things that come pre-sealed this way do survive our freezer rather well. A few months ago, I researched vacuum sealers and people rave about the FoodSaver brand, so I decided to give it a try.

Costco had a nice version that included some canisters for about $135. Bed Bath & Beyond had one with a flip up design for $160. This one was chrome and black instead of white. I have very limited counter space and I knew that if it was put away I would rarely use it. I opted for the BB&B version and used a 20% Off Coupon which brought it to $128. I didn’t get the extra canisters, but I had a more usable appliance.

The bags and rolls for the FoodSaver are kind of expensive, but you can reuse them if you don’t store meat in them. Since we’re vegetarians, that’s not a problem. Costco does have a 6 roll box for $40. I bought that and still have a lot left. My best guess is that it will last me for about 6 months.

I love using it because now I can vacuum seal left overs or food I buy in bulk, including flour. We love buying the 1 pound block of Tilamook cheddar cheese at Costco. Sometimes it molds before we can eat it all. It’s a lot of cheese for two people. Now I portion the cheese into manageable pieces and vacuum seal the extra. When I made the Shepherd’s Pie this weekend, I already had most of the ingredients in the freezer sealed away for future use. This included a wonderful vegetarian gravy I made that would have gone to waste.

I’m not sure if it’s saving me all the money I’ve spent on it and the supplies, but if we count not eating out as often, we’ve saved tenfold. Besides, my husband really hates wasting food. When he found out this would help with waste, he was happy to indulge my gadget fetish.

I’ve only used the bags and rolls so far. I may get some of the canisters to see how they work in the future. This is one gadget that has lived up to the hype.

I’ve been on this bread making kick lately. Blame Cooks Illustrated who had a two page spread last issue on bread making tips. They recommended stand mixers over hand kneading or bread machines. I have a bread machine. It works well, but is hard to store so is put away right now. I also have a KitchenAid 6 quart mixer, well I actually have two now, but that’s another story. It gets used often and sits on the counter. I wanted to try making bread this way to see if I still needed the bread machine.

For my first few loaves, I used a bowl covered with plastic wrap for the first rise. That worked out well, but I’m a gadget junkie. We were at a restaurant supply store (a candy store for foodies) to pick up a few flour scoops and I was drawn to the Cambro section. Cambro makes tons of stuff for restaurants including plastic containers. I use the square ones to store flour. They work nicely. Cooks Illustrated recommended using a straight sided container with a lid for the first rise. Their illustration looks just like the Cambro 4 quart, so of course I had to have one. They’re not expensive, about $10 – $12. I tried to talk myself out of it, thinking that I don’t have room. (I don’t.) Gadget geek that I am, I bought it anyway. I am really glad that I did.

The dough is rising much faster and more consistently and it’s much easier to tell when it’s doubled. The lidded container creates a nice warm moist environment for the yeast to do its work. The trick of using a rubber band to mark the dough is excellent too. Some gadgets are worth the price and finding the storage space. If you bake bread a lot, try it out. You can find them at Smart & Final stores in the Western US or restaurant supply stores. King Arthur Flour has a similar one online if you can’t find one locally.