Some years ago I catered a very special 60th wedding anniversary and needed to serve a smoked trout pate as a part of the menu.  I went out and bought the trout and paid $5 a pound for the trout.  I had previously checked and discovered that smoked trout was for sale at $16 a pound so I figured I would save some money and get it smoked at a local restaurant.  Then when I checked, they wanted $50 to actually do the smoking. I said whoa this is too much money for a mere 10 lbs of fish.  I then went over to my local Home Depot and discovered that for a $100 something I could buy a double decked smoker and do fish or anything else that I wanted, and have it available any time I needed it.

The smoker pictured below is the same model that I bought although it is much newer than mine.  The smoker gives you the ability to add water and do a moist smoke or leave it out and dry smoke the product.  You can use a variety of hardwoods to achieve different flavors.  I am fond of applewood myself, cherry, oak and mesquite will also work quite nicely.  You simply put the wood in a bucket of water and soak it for a couple of hours. Then you place the chunks of wood on the electric element, spread our your fish on the racks above, close the lid and go away.  The smell will drive the neighbors crazy, 30 minutes later you have a fantastic batch of smoked trout.  Most smoked fish takes very little time if you are doing beef or pork plan on 4 to 6 hours depending on the thickness of your product.

Brinkman Smoker

Brinkmann 810-7080-4 Gourmet Electric Smoker and Grill, Red

An electric smoker has its own unique style and features. The 3 basic features in using electric smokers are temperature control, extra capacity and safety.

Most electric smokers have temperature control settings just like an oven. It is calibrated to preset a temperature and hold it without maintenance. Others have enough control for cold smoking to flavor the food. This technique uses smoke in order to flavor meats without actual cooking.

Electric smokers come in various sizes. Some can be as big as a trashcan or a large grill, depending on one’s food needs. Large units can smoke a bigger volume of meat and looks like a cabinet or refrigerator. Others can be as big as one entire room with a smoking system installed in it.

Many electric smokers process smoking without any fire for safer use. Some have time control features to prevent over smoking.

A Luhr Jensen smoker is a box-typed electric smoker. The fifty pound capacity is called the Big chief. The 256 pound capacity is the Little Chief. These maintain a 165 degree temperature automatically, particularly when full. It also maintains 70 degrees for outdoor temperature. Little Chief can smoke up to 15 pounds of fish and meat. The Big Chief can smoke up to 50 pounds.

Luhr Jensen smokers are easy to use since it comes with an instruction guide and a recipe book. The first part of the smoking process ensures pasteurized food being raised over 146oF. Food will finish cooking at a very low temperature with no controls or thermostats used.

Bradley smokers are versatile smokers that can be used for cold, hot and dry smoking. You can also use it for dehydration and roasting purposes. The smoker is ideal for all types of fish, meats and vegetables. The temperature can be set to 320oF maximum, for hot smoking and roasting. This appliance looks like a refrigerator. You put the food inside the shelves and let it stand until it finishes. It is very easy to use.

A smoke generator produces smoke and heat, with the ability to operate for 8 hours, unsupervised. Automatic smoke generators have infinite controls. It has two separate heating elements. One is for burning the flavor bisquettes and the other is for the inner part or the smoker cabinet. Bisquettes can be placed one at a time. Low temperature can be controlled.

Cookshack Smoker lines have adjustable temperature set for about 100 to 250oF. It requires small amounts of wood for the flavor of smoke. The temperature can be adjusted to warm when the food is done. This can be used outdoors in the park just by the backyard.

Brinkmann 810-7080-8 slowly cooks and smokes barbeque. The two chrome-plated steel grills can hold up to 50 pounds of food. Top and bottom grill cooks are set at the same temperature. You can place the meat that cooks faster on top for easy removal. There is also a separate base pan for easy cleaning and set up. Brinkmann 810-7080-8 is also good in smoking turkeys.

Author: David Urmann

For more information on ELECTRIC SMOKER REPAIRS and ELECTRIC SMOKERS RUBS please visit our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Urmann

Eating foods with salt and smoked fish.

Eating foods with salt and smoked fish. Part 1. showimage6 Snack – it’s not necessarily what is believed by some that made jam drunk.

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As I have eluded to in previous posts, keeping your knives sharp and well maintained is crucial.  Today I want to explore the best ways to maintain your cutlery.  For the person who cooks one time a day and uses a knife that often or less per week, the emphasis should be on proper storage.  A good knife block or sleeve and cutting on a firm but soft board (wood or neoprene)  will protect the edges and require sharpening once in a while. Maybe twice a year or so would be plenty. By sharpening I mean using a two sided stone and grinding the edge at a 15 degree angle to put a new sharper edge on the blade. For the average homemaker this is a daunting task.  I have had several people ask me to put an edge on their knives, and if you don’t know someone who can sharpen your knife what are your options?

Personally I rarely use a stone.  I do however, use a steel on a daily basis.  I reccommend that every kitchen have a good steel to re-align the electrons on the knife edge and keep it sharp.  Using a steel is fairly easy, hold it upside down by the handle in your left hand and slide the blade of your knife alternately at a steep angle down the steel. 10 strokes on each side is enough to get the job done.  The normal steel is magnetic and you are simply lining up the electrons on the edge of the knife.  There are some dry diamond steels out there that actually cut into the knife blade and put a new edge on the blade.  If you own one of these be careful to keep the angle of attack steep (15 degrees) or you may wind up making the knife more dull than when you started.  Also with the diamond style you need fewer strokes.

When it comes to actually sharpening the knives there are several alternatives available.  You could buy a nice electric knife sharpener.  The Chefs Choice knife sharpener pictured below is an example of a high end kitchen gadget with the capability of putting a fine edge on your blades.  Once again a caution is important, don’t slow down as you draw the blade through the sharpener or you will grind too much off in one spot of the blade.  Several light pressured strokes to take a tiny bit each time evenly through the length of the blade is the best approach.  On a french style or santuko style knife remember the curvature is important for the cutting motion (rocking up and down), so be careful to keep from getting a straight blade the whole length of the blade.  

Another option for knife sharpening is what I call the draw type sharpener.  There are several brands on the market, Henckels, Wustof and Kershaw besides many others make this type of manual sharpener.  This type has two opposed very high carbon steel blades sitting in a special holder.  You hold the sharpener with one hand and draw the blade back toward yourself from the heel of the blade to the tip.  Here you need to apply much more pressure than an electric knife sharpener.  If you do it correctly you will raise a burr on the blade of your knife.  The same cautions apply, it is almost too easy to take too much off of the center portion of the knife blade, and not enough off of the heel.  You wind up with a convex curvature instead of a concave and cutting is suddenly not fun because your blade doesn’t touch the board in the center of the knife. 

The third type of sharpener is of course the trusty stone type.  There are several opinions about this that need to be taken in to account.  The stone itself, American made, pressed together or japanese made fine grade whetstone.  Depends on what you are grinding.  High rockwell number hard steel knives should probably use the japanese type stone whereas softer steels will sharpen fine with the standard American made or natural hones.  Should you oil the stone?  The evidence on this site says no! The edge will be finer if you do not oil the stone and clutter up the pores of the stone itself with fine metal particles which interfere with the sharpening process.  Several others say yes and sell the oil.  I trust the dry method myself; why make an oily mud on your stone?

For stone sharpening  you need to secure the stone to the counter or bench surface, a wet towel will work just fine.  Lay the knife on the stone at the heel end of the blade, take a wooden pencil and put it between the top of the blade and the stone.  This is about 15 degrees and gives you an idea of the proper angle to hold the blade during the sharpening process.  Now in a sideways cutting motion push the blade from heel to tip away from you, do this three or four time on a side until you see a burr begin to form and then turn the blade over and do the opposite side.  Now turn the stone over and perform the same movements this time changing sides with every stroke.  Some say you should be able to run the blade up your forarm and shave the hair off as you go, I have never been that brave, I just slice a piece of paper from the top down.

The finishing process for all of the above is always the steel to knock off any remaining burr and line up those trusty electrons.  A super sharp knife will always cut the way it is supposed to and reduce the chances of cutting your self.  You may view some of the options I spoke about on this page at   Sur La Table  .

Kitchen Knife Maintenance

Proper care of your fine stainless steel and forged kitchen cutlery is easy if you follow a few simple steps. This article outlines some basic techniques for ensuring a long life for your kitchen knives.

Owning a set of kitchen knives, regardless of their type, requires certain use and maintenance in order to keep them sharp and working correctly. Whether you invested in quality kitchen knives or own a set of discount knives, you will want to keep them sharp and handling well.

The first rule of use for your kitchen knife is to be sure that your blade lands on a soft surface, such as wood or plastic, instead of a hard surface like ceramic or metal. Striking your kitchen cutlery against hard surfaces will rapidly dull the blade and hinder the performance of your kitchen knife, even if you are using high quality ceramic or stainless steel cutlery.

It’s sometimes tempting to use the kitchen knife to pry something, use it as a screwdriver or chisel and many other actions for which the kitchen cutlery is not intended. Even using the handle of your knife as a hammer is not recommended, unless it is specifically built for that task. The pins, springs and handle can loosen or break, rendering your kitchen knife useless.

You should keep your kitchen cutlery away from sand and gritty materials. Be especially aware when you are using your knives outside, for instance if you are camping, fishing or just barbecuing outdoors. Be aware of your kitchen knife and if it gets wet, you should immediately dry it. When you are washing your kitchen cutlery, do so in mild, soapy water and then dry it completely with a towel, instead of allowing it to drip dry. You should always wash your kitchen cutlery by hand and dry it immediately after.

Wood tends to swell, so it you have wooden handled knives, it is best not to immerse them in water for any period of time. You can rub mineral oil on wooden knife handles to help them keep their luster. You can also increase the lifetime of your wooden handled kitchen knives by rubbing lemon oil or furniture polish into the wood handle occasionally.

Stainless steel cutlery should not rust in the humidity and it can withstand acids that it is exposed to in daily use. However, stainless steel does not mean 100 percent rust proof. The coarser the stainless steel surface is, the more likely it is to corrode. To ensure your stainless steel cutlery is corrosion resistant, you want to purchase knives with finely ground or polished surfaces.

Another option for kitchen cutlery is ceramic knives which are durable and long lasting. However, ceramic knives should also not be put in the dishwasher. They are very easy to clean; a wipe and a rinse is all that is needed to keep them in great condition for years to come.

When storing your knives, it is best to choose a knife block to protect the blades. Never put your knife into the wooden knife block wet – wood absorbs water and you could introduce mold and mildew into your knife block which could effectually ruin your kitchen knives. If you are going to keep them in a drawer, be sure that they are not tossed around too much. Jostling against other knives or instruments could cause your knife blades to chip or dull unnecessarily. It is fine to keep them in a drawer, but they should be sleeved or in compartments to avoid colliding with other utensils or inadvertently cutting you as you search in the drawer for the knife you need. Forged cutlery or stainless steel cutlery should be properly stored to ensure it lasts a long time.

Taking care of your kitchen knives is quite easy if you follow the steps outlined above:

– Keep knives out of the dishwasher
– Wash kitchen knives right after use and dry them immediately after washing
– Store them in a wooden knife block, in sleeves or in a compartmentalized drawer

Taking good care of your knives and using them properly will ensure that you will have great kitchen knives for years to come.

Ben Anton lives in Portland, OR and writes for DLK.
We invite you to read more about the latest in kitchen cutlery at our wholesale knifes website.

Knife Sharpener Reviews: Warthog Knife Sharpener

Knife sharpeners we know under the name "Warthog" are made in South Africa. Yes, that’s right. We do not only get ivory to make knives from there, they are delivering complete sets and kits for knives and knife sharpener is one of their …  

Easy Methods for Sharpening 17 Kinds of Tools | information-overload

When sharpening a knife such as a RAT Knives Izula, remember that the edge will last longer if not honed too thin. #4. Hone knife edge wedge-shaped for easy cutting, long use without dulling. Stroke one way, then rotate knife for

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While I seem to be on the subject of kitchen gadgets recently it occured to me that there are a few tools that I use regularly that due to modern technology are vastly improved.  The top of the list would have to be the new high temprature rubber spatula.  This $5 common item is a tremendous improvement over the spatulas yesteryear.  It was not that many years ago that in a proffesional kitchen the rubber spatula would be burned on the end.  I hesitate to mention this but the fact of the matter is that the industry as a whole fed a lot of rubber to its patrons.  Not a pleasant thought but true none the less.  So using these new high temp spatulas is a distinct improvement.

Another new favorite toy of mine is the pump up spray bottle called the “Misto”  it enables you to put what ever type of oil you like to use in cooking inside, pump it up a couple of times and then spray your pan or baking dish.  Have you ever wondered what exactly is in the can of pam or whatever spray you use for that purpose? Now I can know for certain.  In my case it is olive oil, I even cook my eggs with it.

Spring loaded tongs are a definite must.  I keep mine in the drawer next to my stove for easy access.  Held closed with a simple 1″ key ring to conserve space in the drawer.  The newer innovation in the kitchen is the “Kitchen Tweezers” 12″ long, it will help you to extract eggshell from the omelet pan or pick out a thin piece of toast that has wedged itself incorrectly in your toaster.  Great little toy and only about $8 at your local gourmet shop.

When the recipe calls for the juice of half a lemon do you want to dig through the cupboard looking for the juicer?  Why not use a reamer?  Oxo the “fat handled” company makes a rubber handled reamer that fits perfectly in the palm of your hand.  When I got mine it slipped past the particularly hard lime that I was juicing and found its way into my my hand. So i would recommend that you file the tip of the reamer just a tiny bit, the tips are sharp.

Then there is the “Offset” Bread knife, until I used one I had no idea what I had been missing.  Slicing bread or little cocktail rolls without dragging your knuckles on the bread board.  What a joy!

Finally, though not so new the most important cool kitchen gadget for my kitchen is my red Cuisinart coffee Grinder/Maker with programmable timer.  When I have to be out early as I do on most days it is absolutely awesome to climb out of bed to a cup of fresh ground, freshly brewed coffee that just finished brewing as I come down the hall.  Time to go set that up right now.

Nine Kitchen Gadgets That Have Changed the Way We Cook

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This list of kitchen gadgets has all the things I would recommend for a well stocked kitchen.  I learned the art of bread making from the Tasahara Bread Book, which is probably out of print by now so I have never gotten into making bread in a machine.  Just stir up some flour, honey and yeast in a bowl and you are good to go.

On the other hand the Immersion blender is an absolutely fabulous toy.  In the catering business we use a commercial size immersion blender to pump out 5 gallons of Cranberry/Champagne vinaigrette in about 20 minutes as we slowly incorporate the oil into the cranberry shallot mixture.  On a smaller scale you can take a few sprigs of cilantro, a small shallot, half a jalapeno seeded, a peeled orange, 2oz of white wine vinegar and blend it to pulp then slowly drizzle a cup of oil into the mix.  Season with salt pepper and garlic and you have a great orange cilantro vinaigrette in a few minutes.

Sauces like marinara or bechamel no longer need to have finely chopped ingredients now because you can simply go back into the sauce with the immersion blender and make them smooth in about three minutes instead of spending several minutes mincing your ingredients prior to cooking.

Everyone who cooks can use some of these practical, time saving kitchen tools. While you can get by with a bare bones kitchen and a few old pots and pans, a lot of dishes are harder to make or more time consuming to prepare. The items in this list can free up some of your time, help you make delicious meals, store leftovers and even make the kitchen a fun place. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite kitchen gadgets. I hope you like them.

1. Bread Maker

Imagine getting up in the morning to the smell of freshly baked bread, ready for you to take out of the machine and slice up for toast or for lunch sandwiches. And all you had to do was load the ingredients the night before, then set the timer.

2. Automatic Coffee Maker

This goes well with the bread maker. Add coffee grounds and water, set the clock and have coffee waiting for you when you stumble out of bed in the morning. Rise and shine!

3. High Quality Knife Set

I used to make do with an old set of mismatched knives given to me without a knife block. Some of the handles were loose, and they had to be stored in a drawer. The new set sits on the counter top. The edges stay sharp longer, and the set contains knives for most needs. More room in the drawer, too.

4. Plastic Food Containers

With a set of containers for food storage, saving leftovers is much easier. Many have lids with vents, for use in microwaves. Another way to use them is to freeze food for future use. They look better than old margarine and yogurt containers, too.

5.  Immersion Blender

These hand-held gadgets can be placed in large drinking glasses, pots, or mixing bowls. You can mix drinks, baking ingredients, gravies or even whip potatoes. They take up less space and are easier to clean than traditional blenders as well.

6. Toaster Oven

A toaster oven can cook toasted items with toppings, like garlic bread and mini pizzas, as well as make toast. Small baking projects are possible too, if you don’t want to or can’t use a larger oven.

7. Sandwich Grill

For grilled cheese, tuna melts and patty melts, these grills seal the edge of the sandwich so cheese and other things can’t leak out.

These are some of the kitchen gadgets I like to use myself. For the larger items, maybe you can borrow one to test drive it before you buy. That is what I did with the bread maker. Our food containers, coffee maker and hand blender see daily use, and the toaster oven and sandwich grill once or twice a week. All in all, a good investment for my family. Happy cooking!

Author: Tim Ebl

Tim Ebl likes to cook a variety of foods for his family and friends. His kitchen always has some new cooking project under way or in the planning, and he likes to try out new cooking tools. For more kitchen gadgets, check out Kitchen Gadgets

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Ebl

Your Place Gourmet: Points-Friendly Soups

I just add the can of beans, red pepper flakes, and cumin to the pot with the onion mixture and blend until smooth with an immersion blender.

For The Love of Cooking: Taco Salad

1 tbsp red wine vinegar. Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp oregano. Use am immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the dressing.

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In today’s busy world, it is often necessary for the once traditional stay-at-home mom to go out into the workforce just to make ends meet. That does not mean that the responsibilities of keeping a home have become obsolete; it means that mom’s day got a lot longer.

In past decades, working a full time job, then coming home and doing the housework, and preparing dinner would leave mom totally exhausted at the end of the night.Herb_Container

Fixing meals that were healthy and nutritious often led to families eating dinner late at night because the preparation time for the meals took almost as long as cooking the meal itself.

Over the past few years, the dilemma of food preparation time has changed drastically. With the invention of kitchen gadgets, it is now possible to create wonderful healthy and nutritious meal in the fraction of the time that it took in years gone by.

One of the most popular kitchen gadgets that have ever been created is the slow cooker also known as the crock-pot. With this gadget, it is possible to create an incredible meal and cook it while you are at work. It saves a lot of time, because it cooks the food slowly throughout the day. Your dinner is ready when you get home.

The prep time for these meals has also been reduced to a fraction of the time with the invention of the food processor. With this incredible machine, you can slice, dice, chop and shred any food that you need for your dinner.

Of course, a popular kitchen gadget that no home can do without is a mixer. Whether it is a stand mixer or a hand mixer, no home should be without one. With a mixer, you can create fabulous whipped potatoes or decadent desserts in no time at all.

New gadgets are being introduced everyday. The assortment can leave a person bewildered and they can get carried away with the purchasing everything that they see.

Take for instance, The Magic Bullet, this astounding little gadget, can produce everything from salsa to sorbet in literally seconds. You can make ice cream, slushies, dips and even soup in this popular kitchen gadget in less time than it takes to turn on your stove.

Imagine peeling a potato in less than a minute with a pair of gloves! It can be done! There are so many different gadgets to make our lives easier, that you will want to fill your kitchen with all of them.Krupps_Ricecooker

Whether you believe it or not, there are kitchen gadgets in every home in the world. They do not have to be a big clunky indoor grill, or a rotisserie oven, it can be something as small as a hands free can opener that fits in a drawer, if you look around your kitchen, you will find that you have more than one kitchen gadget that you cannot live without.

By: Hunter Pyle -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Hunter Pyle wrote this article to talk about popular kitchen gadgets. Check out Kitchen and Much More for more kitchen gizmos and gadgets.

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Today I want to look at another couple of odd kitchen gadgets that comprise part of the garnish set of a catering kitchen. When you need a frilly border for your platter or large tray, the spiral cutter is the way to go. Using this toy, you can easily crank out (pun intended) a lot of spiral-cut carrot, beets (both purple and yellow) or diakon. There are two parts of the machine, the cutter with 2 knife blades and the crank end with a handle and protruding points to hold the vegetable. This little toy grips the vegetable on one end with a hollow cutting tube and on the other end there are some sharp points that stick into the vegetable. After you have mounted the carrot you simply crank the handle as you squeeze the handle mechanism toward the cutter with your other hand. It sounds complicated but it is really very simple when you get up close and personal.  The only place that I have seen this on the web is through Amazon

(Editor's note…OOPS I live in Colorado, My Amazon affiliation has been terminated. If you want a turning slicer you will have to find it from another source.)

The results you get are fantastic. You can get a triple strand of carrot that is 10' long if you are careful. This same thing is of course used for spiraled potatoes.For garnishing purposes this toy enable you the ability to put several different colors on the platter to compliment your foods and the garnish itself is edible. I use them to surround the border of platters and serving trays and sometimes I will nestle strands into a crowned bell pepper of an opposite color. These strands can also be used to make nests for apple birds, or melon swans.

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The listings in this article are only a small sampling of the many thing to see at your local restaurant supply store.  There are all kinds of cool kitchen gadgets available.  The tomato shark mentioned below costs about $3 and is invaluable for topping tomatoes, or even scooping out a cherry tomato ready to stuff with your favorite crab filling. Similar to a melon baller the tomato sharkhas a serrated cutting cup which gets through the tough outer skin.  You can also find inexpensive zesters and other toys, as well as an assortment of chef knives.  Typically these knives are name brand knives like

Victorinox with more durable handles for the tough use they experience in a commercial kitchen.  Also you don’t necessarily need to be in the restaurant business to buy from most of these outlets.

Specialized Restaurant Supplies: Kitchen Gadgets You Never Knew You Needed

Even the most experienced professional chefs sometimes overlook the value of specialized restaurant supplies. If you have ever inherited a box of unidentifiable kitchen contraptions from your grandmother, you have probably seen some strange-looking, specialized tools. Decades have passed since these gadgets were common to the majority of households, but do not throw out your grandmother’s treasures. A lot of these tools are just as useful today as they were then, and other specialized items have been developed that you can purchase from a restaurant supply store. These utensils offer a great addition to both residential or commercial kitchens. With a little creativity, you can find all kinds of ways to use them.

Melon Ballers
Using a knife to cut a melon is messy and time-consuming, and the end result is lacking in presentation. Melon ballers offer the perfect solution. They resemble a small spoon with a hole in the middle to allow air and water through. Simply twist the baller to scoop out the melon flesh. If you believe that you do not prepare enough melon to merit the purchase of a melon baller, think again. They are perfect for forming a spherical garnish out of just about anything, including the following:
Papaya
Pear
Ice cream
Butter
Cooked potato

There are a variety of other potential uses, including scooping out the cores and/or seeds of other fruits and vegetables. When making stuffed cherry tomatoes or mushrooms, use a melon baller to remove the unwanted cores. Just be careful not to go too wild with your baller, or you might find yourself serving little spheres of every food imaginable.

Baking Mats
Anyone who does a lot of baking, whether at home or in the commercial kitchen, should invest in a baking mat. If your grandmother knew you had one, she would be jealous. Baking mats are reusable, non-stick pan liners made of laminated silicone. They are oven-, freezer- and microwave-safe. Since they can be used thousands of times, they are cost-effective and good for the environment, eliminating the need for greasing the pan or lining it with single-use parchment paper. The mats also serve as the perfect non-stick surface for kneading and rolling dough. They are an essential addition to your restaurant supplies, but make sure you store your baking mats flat or rolled-up, rather than folded, since any creases will ruin their functionality.

Potato Ricers
Although rotary models exist, a simple potato ricer looks like a giant garlic press and functions similarly. It processes food by forcing it through tiny holes about the size of a grain of rice. Originally, potato ricers were designed for cooked potatoes, producing creamier, more velvety mashed potatoes than a mere potato masher could ever achieve. However, they can be used to process a huge variety of other foods, including the following:
Roasted garlic
Pumpkin
Grapes
Spaetzle
Liver

You can use a ricer to puree any cooked vegetable, like cassava and carrots, or to make baby food, chopped liver or pumpkin pie. It is also perfect for creating butter dots to cut into flour, squeezing the water from thawed or cooked spinach, cutting eggs for egg salad, and, of course, making hair out of Play-Doh.

Pie Markers
Everyone wants a fair share of the pie. Using a pie marker will guarantee even slicing. The metal teeth on the tool ‘mark’ the pie so that it is easy to cut into uniformly sized pieces. While pie markers represent one of the most specialized tools, they are not just for dessert pies. You can also use a pie marker to evenly slice the following:
Cornbread
Cakes
Quiche
Pizza
Flat breads

Pie markers are available in restaurant supply stores with as little as five cuts or as many as twelve. Any pizza place or bakery should have a variety of pie markers available at any given time for slicing pizzas, pies and cakes of all sizes. Pie markers are also useful for creating perfect slices in the home kitchen, and they are always a good excuse for the houseguest that ‘just wants a little piece’ to take a temporary break from dieting.

China Caps and Chinois
China caps and chinois, which is French for ‘Chinese,’ resemble their name-sake: a conical Chinese hat. A china cap is made of perforated metal and is suitable for straining seeds or large chunks out of sauces, juices and soups, while a chinois is made of mesh that is fine enough to strain custards, drinks or sauces into a smoother texture.

Use a dowel, a matching cone or a small ladle to apply pressure on the mixture and force it through the strainer. For the smoothest possible consistency, you can use a cheesecloth in conjunction with the chinois. This is perfect for making smooth drinks, like almond milk. The chinois or china cap can also be used to evenly dust food with a layer of powdered sugar. Just make sure any children lurking nearby know that it is not actually a ‘cap,’ or they will have a finely powdered mop of hair.

Corers and Slicers
A modern day food processor simply cannot cut with the accuracy of a traditional hand-held slicer or cutter. When it comes to cutting fries or coring an apple, there is no substitute for a manually powered utensil. The following kitchen gadgets can save a lot of labor in the kitchen:
Tomato corers, or ‘tomato sharks,’ and tomato wedgers
Melon peelers
Onion wedgers
Egg slicers
French fry cutters
Apple slicers, corers and peelers

These tools speed up the process of coring and slicing, and they are also safer than using a knife. Whether you are preparing food in a commercial kitchen or at home, specialized corers and slicers will save you a lot of time, and maybe even a finger.

Reasons to Purchase Specialized Supplies
Specialized restaurant supplies open up new opportunities. Without an onion slicer, you probably would not realize how much time you waste cutting onions, and you certainly would not consider serving a blooming onion. You never thought you needed one, but if a melon baller is not available in your kitchen, you may not even think to add spherical cuts and garnishes to your menu items. The more specialized tools you add to your residential or restaurant supply, the greater your opportunities for culinary creativity.

By: Ashley Howard

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Ashley Howard is a contributing writer for FoodServiceWarehouse.com. She writes about restaurant supply, restaurant supplies, and how to choose the perfect restaurant equipment for your commercial kitchen.

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