Cooking – Page 9

Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker review

REVIEW – I used to have an offset barrel smoker, and I just couldn’t get the hang of it. Managing the fuel was a pain, and temperature control was difficult. The Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker offers an experience for those who are new to the meat smoking game, or those (like me) who just want an easy plug-and-play solution. How did it do in my tests? Let’s cook!

What is it?

It’s a vertical smoker that uses an electric heating element. It also works nicely as an outdoor oven.

Hardware specs

22″ wide by 19″ deep by 37.5″ tall
51.5 pounds
584 square inches of cooking space
1500 watt heating element with a heat range from 100 to 400 degrees

What’s in the box?

The package contains the smoker, 3 cooking racks, a water pan, a drip pan, a wood chip box, and the power unit. Some assembly is required.

Design and features

The Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker utilizes a simple, no-fuss design that can not both smoke meats & vegetables and do double-duty as an outdoor oven. After several cooking sessions during my test, I can attest to the convenience and ease-of-use. Let’s explore the details.

Setup

Before we start, know that the Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker is a big beastie. Cuisinart claims to use some lightweight materials in the construction, but it still weighs about 50 pounds. You may want to recruit a friend to help with assembly if you’re not accustomed to maneuvering big items by yourself.

Cracking the box reveals all of the components needed for assembly. I had read some reviews that indicated problems with damage during shipping, but my box came in perfect shape, with everything well-packed:

There are a handful of parts that you need to install that take just a few minutes with a screwdriver. The door and heating element are already set up. You’ll attach the legs, the side handles, and the thermometer. Once that’s done, she’s all ready to go. Here are some shots of the finished assembly. Note that this will be the first and last time you’ll see this unit in shiny, pristine condition:

Before we start, it’s important to note that Cuisinart recommends that you season the unit before first cooking. You’ll want to give the interior (except the burner coil) a wipe down with oil, or a coating of cooking spray. You’ll then close the unit and crank the heat up to 275 degrees, and let it run for about three hours. That seasons the interior and burns off any oils or dust that could have accumulated in the manufacturing/shipping process.

Key features & design details

The Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker feels like a solid build for the price point. The walls of the unit are insulated and about 3/4″ thick, and all the hardware looks pretty durable. It’s nice and stable when set up, which is critical for safety.

The heating element is an electric element at the base of the box. Immediately above that burner is the rack for the wood chips and water pan, followed by three cooking racks spaced 5″ apart. You’ve got 10″ of space above the top rack for large hunks of protein (like a turkey), but you can certainly adjust or remove the middle rack if you were going big (like a couple of pork shoulders). Options for hooks at the top could be nice for hanging ribs, but I wouldn’t expect that in a basic unit like this.

Here’s a closeup of the lower pan rig. The pan on the left is for water, which is essential for long slow cooking. The pan on the right is for your wood chips, and sits *just* above the burner to get those chips roasting. It’s also got a lid, which can be used to control the flow of smoke. Both the pans are stainless steel, and look like they will Stan up to long-term use.

Speaking of smoke… see that tiny little port up in the corner? That’s your smoke exhaust. The unit is well-sealed, so this little port allows you to concentrate the smoke in the firebox. We’ll talk more about that in a minute.

Exterior hardware is all good. It’s got a nice burly grab handle for opening the unit, and the lock uses a clever reverse-pivot system that unlocks and opens (or closes) in one motion. This is very handy for keeping your fingers from getting singed when the unit heats up:

Side handles allow you to lift & move the unit about. They’re just fine given the weight of the smoker. It is 50 pounds, so keep that in mind if you have back issues. Wheels might be more convenient, but I’ll trade them for the stability the solid legs offer.

There’s a drip tray that slides under the unit in premade slots. It’s also a solid piece of metal, which I think will last a long time.

And last but not least, the power element and control. This plugs into the unit, allowing you to store it (and the chord) elsewhere. I like that quite a bit. You’ll set the coil to heat with a dial. That light-up arrow to the left is the measuring point. The light will be on when the burner is in operation.

How do you control the temperature, you ask? Well…

Performance

Let’s start by talking about temperature control. You’ll start by adjusting the burner to get the hot box to the desired temperature. Close the unit, fire up the burners, and let it run for 10 minutes or so (without opening the box!) to get it to temperature. Check the built-in thermometer to see where the heat is sitting, and adjust until you get it where you want it:

For my first cook, I was doing barbecue chicken rubbed with my own dry rub (salt, brown sugar, paprika, and spices). I set the internal temperature at 250 degrees, expecting a 2-3 hour roast time. Mesquite smoke was the wood chip choice, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained prior to roasting. I also threw in a pan of salt to smoke while I was at it. Here’s all the product going in:

And here’s the cook at about the two hour mark:

I flipped the chicken at the 75 minute mark, and added another handful of chips to the smoker box. It does take a while to get the wood chips burning at low temperatures, so that extra round of wood chips was important to getting the smoke flavor. It also seems that the hotbox might run a bit hotter than the thermometer indicates, as I was done the whole cook in just over two hours. The finished results were amazing, however. Good smoke flavor, and a nice even cook. Check out the crust on these samples:

For my next cook I was going for a longer, slower cook time to smoke some fresh sausage. I set the hotbox to 225 degrees, and tested dry apple wood chips to see what the difference would be. I also added some chicken breasts done up with a dry cajun rub at the halfway point. Here’s a shot at the 90 minute point of cooking. Note that the sausage is just starting to brown up here:

At three hours of cooking all told, we’ve got nicely done sausage and chicken breasts. The smoke flavor was much less apparent in the final product, however. I suspect that the lower cooking temp has something to do with this. In future tests, I’ll probably start the unit at higher temperature for the first thirty minutes to get the smoke going, then dial it back for low & slow cooking. I’ll also test out some alternatives like smaller wood chips to see if that makes a difference.

In both cases, the smoker did a great job of maintaining a consistent temperature despite some cold, windy, and wet December days. Even if I wasn’t smoking my meats, I believe that the Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker is ideal for use as an outdoor oven given the consistency in heat control. I’d happily roast vegetables or just about anything else in this unit while hosting a deck party.

If there’s a downside to the design, it’s in cleanliness. There’s no mechanism in the design to collect drippings and/or fat runoff, so most of that stuff just splatters and collects wherever it falls. Check out the bottom of the unit after two cooking sessions:

With no system for collecting runoff, the drip pan underneath really doesn’t do much good. It does catch some drippings, but only once it gets past the water tray and smoker box. I’ve noticed that grease and oils collect all around the base, and even run down the legs. I’ll probably buy a pad to put under the smoker to avoid a greasy deck, and play around with some different tin foil options to solve the drip problem. Either way, cleaning will be a challenge in the long run.

So… would I recommend the Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker? It depends on what you’re looking for. Compared to my old barrel smoker, it’s far easier to use and manage. I do smoke meats on my trusty Weber charcoal kettle grill as well. And there are more expensive dedicated smokers out there that include more well-rounded designs, digital temperature management, and bonus items like feeder chutes for your wood chips or pellets. But if you’re new to smoking meats and/or want something a bit simpler to use that also offers some additional versatility, the Cuisinart offers a great option at a sub $200 price point. It also adds some great convenience for those with limited space who want to do outdoor cooking, but don’t want to have a propane tank or bags of charcoal lying around (you can buy a small bag of wood chips at most hardware stores). I’ll be putting this baby to good use over the next year, and I’ll keep you updated on my discoveries.

What I like

Easy to operate
Consistent heat control
Well built for a smoker at this price point

What needs to be improved

Smoker box not as effective at lower temperatures
A bit messy, and difficult to clean

Final thoughts

Smoking meats can be intimidating for those that are new to the process. The Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker offers a great & easy-to-use option for those that want to try smoking, but don’t want to invest in a more expensive piece of equipment. The additional versatility as an outdoor oven is an extra bonus. It’s also great for those that want an outdoor cooking solution but have limited space to work with or can’t have propane or charcoal grills (like apartment balconies). And at a price point under $200, I think it’s a good buy for the quality.

Price: $149.99
Where to buy: Available at multiple retailers. Visit the Cuisinart product page for a full list of buying options..
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Cuisinart.

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Tagged: Cooking, Food, Grilling, Home and Kitchen

Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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The Instant Pot is one of my fave products of 2018 and it’s on sale now!

NEWS – I reviewed the Instant Pot back in January and continue to use it regularly because I love how easy it is to use and how it makes my favorite foods taste so much better. The one that I reviewed was the Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt but the one that is currently on sale is the 8 Qt sized version which I actually wish I had because well… bigger is always better! The Instant Pot DUO80 8 Qt is a 7-in-1 multi-use programmable pressure cooker, slow cooker (like a crock pot), rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, warmer, and more. I use mine to make the BEST pot roast I’ve ever eaten and I’m not exaggerating. Check out my review (linked above for more info on that) and quickly head over to Amazon where over 80% of the 28,000 +people who submitted reviews gave it 5 stars. You buy an Instant Put right now while it’s on sale for only $79. Trust me, you will LOVE it. Buy on Amazon.

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Tagged: Cooking, deal, Home and Kitchen

The Instant Pot is one of my fave products of 2018 and it’s on sale now! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 29, 2018 at 10:02 am.

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Edge of Belgravia Gallatine Knife Set review

REVIEW – Today, Bob is slaying vegetables with the Gallatine Knife Set from Edge of Belgravia. It’s a set of award-winning cutlery that features a stunning avant-garde design. But there’s more to the story… these blades are made for cooking, and do that job extremely well. Trust me on this: when you see these babies you’ll want to go hunt down some dragons. For safety’s sake, however, we’re going to stay in the kitchen. To the review!

What is it?

It’s a 7-piece knife set and cutting block that adds some style to your kitchen while you’re dispatching produce, breads, and proteins.

Hardware specs

The Knives:

All steel construction
3cr14 Stainless Steel
HRC 53 hardness rating
17.5 degree bevel for single-edges knives, 35 degrees total for double-edged knives

The Knife Block:

Accommodates up to 11 knives.
11.2” by 9.2” x 6.3”
2.55 pounds

What’s in the box?

I’m testing the 7 piece knife set and Black Diamond Knife Block bundle. In addition to the knife block, the following knives are included in the package:

7.5″ Slicing Knife
7.5″ Chef Knife
7.5″ Bread Knife
6″ Chef Knife
5″ Deba Knife
4″ Paring Knife
6″ Fish Filleting Knife

Design and features

Oh, my… just look at these beauties. The single-piece construction, black finishing, and elegantly contoured profiles make a for a knife set that wins all of the style points. But looks aren’t the only thing going for these blades, as we’ll see shortly.

Let’s start with the build. The Edge of Belgravia Gallatine Knife Set utilizes single-piece stainless steel construction, with a black coating on the Gallatine set. The handle is consistent across all the knives, with a diamond shape that tapers towards the base:

The grip is notched towards the bolster, which is beveled and transitions smoothly into the blade. The nice thing about this design is that it easily accommodates a “pistol grip” (where you wrap your hand around the handle), or a “pinch grip” where you pinch the bolster with your thumb and pointer finger:

The blade shape and style vary based on the knife. The 7.5″ chef’s knife, the 6″ chef’s knife, and the 4″ paring knife use an identical shape, with a 17.5 degree blade angle on each side for a total of a 35 degree blade angle. Like a Japanese-style knife, the blade is thin for optimal maneuvering & slicing:

A 7.5″ slicer and a 7.5″ bread knife are also included in the 7 piece set. The slicer uses a thicker wedge-shaped blade, with grantons along the length of the blade to reduce friction when cutting proteins. The bread knife is sharpened on one side, thin like the chef’s knives, and is serrated with large teeth. Closeups below:

Next up are the wild cards in the set. The 6″ fish filleting knife is a double-edged design, with a thin shape appropriate for working with our oceanic friends. It’s similar to the chef’s knives in terms of thickness. The deba is a very different beast. It’s a short wide blade, sharpened on one side, that forms a thick wedge for the cutting angle.

Finally, we have the Black Diamond knife block that’s included in the bundle. This cool-looking piece of geometry is designed to hold to 11 knives. It’s is made from a beefy coated plastic (I think) that’s looks to be stable & durable as well as rocking looks that complement the knife set.

Performance

The Edge of Belgravia Gallatine knife set is a dream to use. The blades are all well-sharpened out of the box. The balance is really interesting, incorporating a nice heft in the handle (like a German knife), with a lean & lightweight blade (like a Japanese knife). The balance is weighted towards the ergonomic handle, making the knives feel very agile in your hand but retaining the confidence you feel with heavier blades. You won’t get tired of lengthy prep sessions with these knives. They just feel great to use.

I really like the handle design and construction. Despite the fact that there’s no grip material, the grip design feels is solid and composed. I’ve been working with these knives for a month, and never had a concern that they were going to slip (even with wet/slick hands). I can switch between grip styles easily depending on what I’m up to. The one-piece construction also leaves no places on the knife for bacteria or water to collect.

After a month of daily use, I will say that there are some designs in the set I liked better than others. Let’s walk through the collection.

The paring knife is nimble and makes quick work of smaller jobs (like coring a pepper). The handle works great here, allowing for dextrous work around tight corners:

Same for the chef’s knives. I really like the balance and grip on these when you’re doing the big work like slicing, chopping & dicing. The thin blades slide easily through all kinds of produce and proteins. Here are some shots of me carving up a collection of peppers, onions and celery for Gumbo. They make quick work of your standard kitchen tasks:

Both sizes performed equally well. I lean towards the 7.5″ chef’s knife, because I like a larger blade. The handling and balance is similar in both sizes, though:

The bread knife is also nice and sharp, but your satisfaction with this blade will depend on your personal preference. The long teeth do more damage to crusts, resulting in a slightly more ragged edge & extra crumbs on your cuts. I tend to prefer a bread knife that has a less aggressive edge, which also benefits delicate work like cutting tomatoes:

The slicer is a mixed bag for me. It’s got a significantly wider angle on that wedge-shaped blade than the chef’s knives, so it wants to push away from your cut. If you’re cutting soft proteins you won’t notice it, but I found myself having a tough time getting clean, even slices from tougher proteins like a cooked steak or pork loin. I used it to portion out raw chicken for my Gumbo, however, and it cut like a dream:

I’m not familiar with using a Deba knife, so this was a new experience for me. Because it is a one-sided wedge-shaped blade, it really wants to push the cut away from that angle. That means that getting clean slicing or even mincing with this blade is a no-go. I do recognize that a Deba is a bit of a specialty weapon designed primarily for descaling fish… you’ll want to be aware of how to use it properly if you choose this set. The thick blade and short, wide shape make it ideal for breaking down a turkey, however! Here I am trimming extra bits off a bird, but I also used it to get in and separate the legs from the body on this meal.

I’ll note that I did not do any fish during my time with these blades, but I found the fish filleting knife to be useful for lots of delicate slicing operations.

Finally, let’s discuss the Diamond Knife Block. I really like the weight and material of the block for stability and durability, and it doesn’t seem to be picking up any nicks or scratches as I am tossing my knives into it. All good there. The design does not accommodate 11 thick handled knives cleanly, however. I had to alternate them in the block to get them all to go:

You also have to watch the way you place your knives in the block with a full set. The slots get slightly smaller as you go down the line, and shorter knives need to go towards the front of the block as they tend to angle backward. This means that some knives may be touching if everything is loaded up, as you see below:

Blade length can also be an issue. Check out how the slicer pokes out of the back end of the stand. It actually works fine here, but a longer blade would be scratching your countertop:

The solution to this problem with the set is simple: remove one blade. I keep the bread slicer in a sheath in my drawer, and everything lines up nice and pretty. And looks amazing on the counter!

One last note: I’m not sure how that black coating is going to work when I go to sharpen these blades. I’m going to have to do some research on that one. They’ve held their edge well so far, but I’ll keep you updated when the time comes.

Before we go, let’s talk a little bit about the value here. I’m normally a fan of buying individual knives and building a set to meet your needs. I think there’s good value here either way you go based on the quality of the knives. Individual knives price out between $15 and $37. The knife block itself retails for about $100. You can pick up the whole 7-piece kit (including the block) on their web site right now for $234, and partial sets are available at a range of prices. For an avant-garde (and award winning) design that works as good as it looks in practice, I think this is a good price.

What I like

Quality construction in both the knives and knife block
Excellent grip and control, even with wet hands
Great balance and nimble handling that inspires confidence in the kitchen
Solid, stable, durable knife block
Killer modern design

What needs to be improved

Knife block won’t fit all styles of blades, so check your measurements
Thick, wedge-shaped slicer is not ideal for denser proteins
Deba knife is fun to play with, but doesn’t have that much practical use

Final thoughts

The Edge of Belgravia Gallatine Knife Set and Diamond Knife Block have earned a permanent place in my kitchen with functional usability that goes beyond their good looks. They handle extremely well, are easy to clean, and perform just about every required task with grace and style. Some of the specialty knives could use some refinement, but not so much that they detract from the overall excellence of the set. The gorgeous & functional knife block puts a cap on the collection.

Price: $234 for the full kit, with varying pricing for smaller sets
Where to buy: Check out the Edge of Belgravia web site, or their page on Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Edge of Belgravia

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Cooking, Home and Kitchen

Edge of Belgravia Gallatine Knife Set review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 27, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Turbo defrost your frozen meats with this premium defrosting tray

NEWS – Tired of using drippy plastic bags and warm water or even worse a microwave to thaw out meats or fish. The THAT! Inventions defrosting tray takes the hassle out of defrosting frozen meats. No heating, batteries, or electricity required.

The tray is made of highly conductive food-grade aluminum with a proprietary thermal liquid inside. The bio-safe liquid absorbs cold from the surface on contact. This significantly cuts the defrost time on things like beef, chicken, fish, and pork. And because the defrosting process is natural, the meat is more flavorful.

A slight tilt to the tray allows run-off from the defrosting meat to be captured into a drip tray.

Silicone gel strips on the bottom give the tray extra grip on your countertop.

The sleek, elegant design of the tray has a wood-grain finish and comes in copper or silver.

The THAT! Inventions premium defrosting tray sells for $79.95 and is available on The Grommet.

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Turbo defrost your frozen meats with this premium defrosting tray originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 21, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Make perfect rice in your microwave with Sistema

NEWS – My husband can make perfect rice on the stovetop, but I always seem to end up with rice “soup” unless I use a rice cooker. The problem with the big rice-cooking appliance is that we don’t eat rice very often, but we need to set aside a lot of precious cabinet space in our small kitchen to store that appliance. We could save a lot of cabinet space by replacing our rice cooker with the Sistema Microwave Rice Cooker.

The rice cooker is made of 100% virgin plastic that is both phthalate- and BPA-free. It is designed to cook rice, polenta, and couscous in the microwave. The rice steamer minimizes mess in the microwave with a pressure-chamber plate that collects overflow and then drains it back into the base chamber. It also comes with a lid with cool-to-touch, easy-lift tabs and a nonstick rice spoon for serving.

The Sistema rice cooker is top-rack dishwasher-safe and fridge- and freezer-safe. It holds 87.2 ounces / 2.6 liters, and measures 8.5″ x 7.7″ x 6.3″. The Sistema Microwave Rice Cooker is $12.93 at Amazon.

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Tagged: Cooking, Food

Make perfect rice in your microwave with Sistema originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 12, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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