Home Cooking

Mighty, mini, manual food chopper/spinner saves room in your kitchen

NEWS – Need some help chopping and mixing when cooking, but you don’t have a lot of space in your kitchen for a food processor and a salad spinner?  The Speedwing Manual Food Chopper can chop, mix, and spin its way through food prep while using less than 6 inches of counter space.

The chopper container is made of SAN plastic, while the accessories are PP plastic, and the blades are made of stainless steel.  No power is needed; the chopper is operated by a pull cord.  Use the blades to chop up veggies or the stirring insert to mix up dressings, dips, or guacamole.  A basket insert is for spinning herbs or salad greens.  Snap on the included lid to store your mixes in the fridge.

The container measures 5″ tall X 5.5″ in diameter and is graduated in millimeters, cups, and fluid ounces for easy measurement.  Total capacity of the container is 33.8 ounces; filling volume is 27 ounces.  All pieces, except for the lid with pull cord, are dishwasher-safe.

The Speedwing Manual Food Chopper is $49.95 at The Grommet.

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Mighty, mini, manual food chopper/spinner saves room in your kitchen originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 1, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Instant Pot offers two products for sous vide cooking

NEWS – Back in the summer, we told you about a Wolf multi-function cooker that had sous vide cooking as one of its functions.  One reader asked why her Instant Pot couldn’t do sous vide.  It’s because Instant Pots are pressure cookers and are designed to cook under steam at high temperatures and pressures instead of holding water at a constant temperature below the boiling point for the long times needed for sous vide cooking.  Well, Instant Pot pressure cookers still can’t sous vide cook, but the company now offers two Instant Pot-branded devices that can.

First up is the Instant Pot 8-qt Aura Pro Multi-Use Programmable Multicooker with Sous Vide (seen above).  This isn’t a traditional Instant Pot.  Instead, like the Wolf Multi-function cooker, it is more a slow cooker than a pressure cooker.  In addition to sous vide cooking, this multicooker can sear/sauté, bake, slow cook, steam, stew, roast, make yogurt, cook rice or multigrains, and keep warm.  It has a microprocessor to control the time and temperature to ensure consistent cooking results.  The Instant Pot 8-qt Aura Pro Multi-Use Programmable Multicooker with Sous Vide is $149.95 at Amazon.

Next is the Instant Pot SSV800 Accu Slim Sous Vide Immersion Circulator, which looks and functions like another immersion sous vide cooker (Aicok SV-8001 Sous Vide Cooker) reviewed by The Gadgeteer recently.  While you can use the inner pot from the 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot, it doesn’t require an Instant Pot at all.  You can use it with any pot or vessel that allows the circulator to be clamped to its side.  In fact, most sous vide circulators I’ve seen seem to require vessels that hold at least 12 quarts, so the Instant Pot inner pots seem a bit small.  The Instant Pot SSV800 Accu Slim Sous Vide Immersion Circulator  is $79.95 at Amazon.

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Instant Pot offers two products for sous vide cooking originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 26, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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MEATER+ wireless meat thermometer review

REVIEW – In January, I reviewed the MEATER wireless cooking thermometer that I continue to use regularly to this day. Over the passed year, it has helped barbecue/cook perfect slabs of meats for me and my guests. I liked it so much, I have given several as gifts to friends and family members. The MEATER’s only limitation or weakness was its wireless range; that did not allow me to travel far from the probe without losing connectivity. Well, the MEATER folks have addressed this issue and recently released an updated version of their wireless thermometer, the MEATER+ with nearly five (5) times the range…let’s see if it works as advertised.

Since the MEATER+ is nearly identical to the original, I will be plagiarizing from my original review (so you do not have to backtrack) and focusing on the PLUS’ longer range.

What is it?

Like the original MEATER, the MEATER+ is a truly wireless, dual sensor probe created with the sole job of helping you cook your food to perfection. Not only is the hardware very well done but so is the MEATER app and ecosystem, all working together to cook your meal with much less worry or guessing.

Design and features

As you can see, they are visibly (and come to find out internally) identical. So much so, I had to keep track of them during my testing so I did not get them confused. I learned during the course of this review, the MEATER probe has not changed/been modified.

The part of the equation that has changed/been improved is the bamboo charger also acts as a repeater to boost the signal from the probe and thus the overall range.

Probe Specs

  • Stainless steel, water resistant and easy to clean
  • Wireless up to 165 feet (50 meters)
  • Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connection
  • MEATER Sense™: 2 temperature sensors in 1 probe
  • Maximum internal temperature: 212°F (meat)
  • Maximum ambient temperature: 527°F (cooker)
  • Rechargeable: Over 24 hours of continuous cooking
  • Dimensions: 130mm length and 6mm diameter

In addition to boosting its wireless range, the MEATER+’s bamboo holder securely keeps and recharges the wireless (easily misplaced) probe. There is a battery power level LED & button located on the front of the wooden holder.

Charger Specs

  • Store and charge your MEATER+ probe
  • Internal Bluetooth booster/repeater
  • Magnetic backing: Attach anywhere
  • Charges MEATER+ up to 100 times with one AAA battery
  • Real wood to match any kitchen or outdoor decor
  • LED indicator to show battery state
  • Dimensions: 157mm L x 37mm W x 28mm H

The MEATER+ is powered by a single AAA battery and can charge the probe up to 100 times before needing to be replaced. The back cover is also held in place by two small embedded magnets.

The MEATER+ probe has to be inserted into the meat beyond the line machined into the metal casing to protect the main sensor from damage due to high temperatures.

The ambient sensor is meant to monitor the cooking temperature of the oven or BBQ. It is located in the black plastic end of the probe.

Along with creating a very easy to use, high quality device, the folks @MEATER have developed a very polished ecosystem/app to make cooking with either MEATER(+) probe nearly foolproof. The MEATER’s Smart Guided Cook system walks you through every step of the cooking process. The app guides you thru the type, cut, and doneness of the meat.

The MEATER+’s dual sensors continuously monitor internal and ambient temperatures concurrently. The app also gives you elapsed cooking time and estimated time remaining until your meal is ready to serve.

The app let’s you know when to pull the meat from the cooker, finish its internal cooking (aka letting it rest), and when its ready to eat. The estimated cook time has been spot on…within 5 minutes or so. Not bad considering the roast took nearly two plus hours to cook.

Overall, the whole system is brilliant and has only gotten better. I used the MEATER+ several times over the past few weeks. And for the most part, had zero functional or connectivity issues.

Here was my only issue with the original MEATER:

The only real limitation of the MEATER is it’s range and lost connectivity. I wouldn’t even consider it a true negative just a known issue that needs to be worked around. You’re sticking a small under powered Bluetooth device into a metal box, it’s range is going to be pretty limited. I found both in the BBQ and oven, the range of the MEATER was approximately 10 feet but would quickly reconnect once back in range.

Given the same BBQ, distances, wall thicknesses, etc…the MEATER+ worked as promised/designed. During my testing, I had both the original MEATER and MEATER+ working at the same time and the PLUS’ range was excellent. I was able to leave the BBQ, come inside and sit at our kitchen bar some 40 feet away from the probe with the signal penetrating not only the metal of the BBQ but several walls too. The original MEATER lost its Bluetooth connection (left screen capture) just like before, where the MEATER+ did not blink an eye (center screen capture).

The MEATER and now the MEATER+ have yet to let me down. Every piece of meat I have cooked using these wireless probes has been spot on.

What I like

  • Well made, thought out design
  • Truly wireless
  • Excellent range (improvement over the original)
  • Water resistant, dust-proof, easy to clean
  • Built-in dual sensors
  • Excellent app/ecosystem

What needs to be improved

  • None

Final thoughts

The new and improved MEATER+ is an excellent upgrade from the original. The added Bluetooth range definitely makes using the wireless probe and its ecosystem a seamless experience. During my testing, my smartphone and MEATER+ only had a few hiccups but that easily could have been my iPhone or the new iOS. If you’ve been considering the MEATER, I would pay the extra $30 and go for the MEATER+ ($99). If you have the MEATER and been having connectivity issues, upgrading is worth considering as well. Either way, the MEATER+ would make for an excellent stocking stuffer for the cook in your family even if it’s yourself 😉 .

Price: $99.99
Where to buy: The MEATER+ is available on their website.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by meater.com.

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MEATER+ wireless meat thermometer review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 18, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Cuisinart combines a toaster oven and an air fryer into one appliance

NEWS – Actually, those countertop air fryers are basically little convection ovens, because they just use moving, heated air to dry “fry” your food. They aren’t sized nor shaped to be useful for cooking many other items, though.  And granted, any convection oven could actually do the same job as a countertop air fryer, but not everyone has a convection oven in their stove.  If you are in the market for an air fryer or a toaster oven, why not get one appliance that can do both?  The Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a full-sized toaster oven that can handle seven tasks.

The oven has heating elements on top and bottom for quick, even heating.  The thermostat adjusts from “warm” to 450°.  With this oven, you can:  air-fry, convection bake, convection broil, bake, broil, warm, toast.  This 1800W oven has a 0.6 cubic-foot interior;  it stands 15.5″ x 16″ x 14″ tall and weighs 21 pounds.  It has an interior light to help you monitor cooking progress.  It comes with an oven rack, baking pan, air-fryer basket, and a crumb tray.  The exterior is brushed stainless steel;  the interior is non-stick for easy cleaning.

The size of the oven accommodates 6 slices of bread for toasting, 3 pounds of chicken wings for air frying, a 12-inch pizza for baking, or a 4 pound chicken for roasting.  A 60-minute timer automatically shuts off cooking, and the toaster function’s light/medium/dark selector also has automatic shutoff.

The Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven (Model # TOA-60) is available at Williams-Sonoma (online only) for $199.95 with free “fast shipping”.  I’ve also seen it at Bed Bath and Beyond and at Amazon with Prime shipping for the same price.

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Cuisinart combines a toaster oven and an air fryer into one appliance originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 15, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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The CrushGrind Wooden Mill with Ceramic Grinder adds Danish style and durability to your table-top

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NEWS – If you do any cooking at all, you probably have a pepper mill or salt grinder in your kitchen. And the grinding mechanism inside is probably made out of steel. The CrushGrind Wooden Mill uses a ceramic grinder which is longer lasting and more durable than typical steel.

The benefits of a ceramic grinder are two-fold. One, it won’t dull with use, and two, it won’t corrode with exposure to salt.

The CrushGrind Mills ceramic mechanism also comes with a 25-year warranty.

Both mills are made with American wood and have adjustable coarseness to suit your taste. Plus, they’re easy to fill, just pull off the top of the mill to fill with the desired seasoning.

The Mills are available in two finishes, oak and walnut, and your choice of either a Pepper Mill or a Salt Grinder.

The CrushGrind Wooden Mill with Ceramic Grinders sell for $39.95 each and are available on The Grommet.

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The CrushGrind Wooden Mill with Ceramic Grinder adds Danish style and durability to your table-top originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 11, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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