Gadgets: Zoku Quick Pop Maker

Realistically, you can make ice pops in paper cups with wooden skewers for handles, but that's probably not as fun - or as trendy - as using a Zoku quick pop maker. They come in sizes to make one, two, or three pops at a time.

I tested the single quick pop maker ($25.99), but the instructions said they all work the same way.

The ice pop maker goes into the freezer, just like an ice cream maker bowl or those ice packs you stuff into your cooler. When you're ready to make the ice pops, you take the ice pop maker out of the freezer, put the chosen liquid into the mold, insert one of the provided plastic sticks, and wait.

It takes about five minutes for the liquid to freeze, depending on what, exactly, you're freezing and how many pops you've made in the same mold. You can freeze up to three ice pops in a single mold before you need to shove it back into the freezer, and each one takes a little longer to freeze. If you've got three kids, you might want to get the ice pop maker that freezes three at a time, because otherwise the last kid is going to be waiting a long time.

There are some limitations as to what you can freeze - plain water will stick. Although why you'd use this for ice, I don't know. The mixture needs to have the right consistency, but that still leaves plenty of options. My favorite was root beer. The carbonation affected the way it froze, leaving interesting streaks of color in the pops.

While this is no doubt marketed for families with kids, you can also freeze some adult beverages into ice pops, as long as the alcohol content isn't so high that it thwarts freezing. But at worst, you're scooping a slushy out of the ice pop maker. And that's not really so bad.

The instructions talk about customizing the ice pops with slices of fruit or by layering different flavors, or sucking out the center of the pop before it's completely frozen so you can fill it with a different flavor. There are also add-on kits for customizing and decorating the pops. I'm not nearly that crafty, but it could be a lot of fun for kids to make their own special pops with fruit and juices.

Since this doesn't have any moving parts, it should last for quite a long time unless it's dropped or abused; it's not dishwasher safe. There are replacement parts available if you happen to lose the extra parts.

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.

Just so you know, Gadgets posts will be changing a bit. I've been re-posting my reviews from Serious Eats, but the column there will be much different. However, I love reviewing kitchen gadgets, so I'll continue doing reviews. They might be different ... and they might be posted somewhere else. We'll see ...

Gadgets: Cuppow BNTO

Some astute Serious Eats readers suggested that I look into products made by a small company called Cuppow, and in a rare attentive moment, I decided to heed that advice.

The BNTO from Cuppow is very simple, but effective. It's a plastic cup that nestles into a canning jar, allowing the jar lid to be screwed on to keep the cup and its contents safely separate from the rest of the jar. It comes in sizes to fit either wide or regular mouth jars; I tested the wide-mouth version ($8.99/2)

The idea is that you can pack your lunch in the jar and keep two components separate. So, salad greens on the bottom and salad dressing on top. Chips on the bottom, salsa on top. Vegetables on the bottom, ketchup on top.

Okay, never mind that last one. Make it crackers and peanut butter, hmmm?

Since the top portion is sealed away from the bottom, there's no need to worry about keeping the jar upright during transport, and the BTNO comes in a variety of colors, in case you need to color-code your lunch.

Besides using this for obvious food pairings, it would be handy for storing or carrying things that aren't quite as related. For example, a snack in the jar, and that medication you're supposed to take with food in the BNTO on top.

This could also be useful for dieters who want to pre-portion their food, or for crafters who want to store related items together. I'm sure the SE readers who suggested this have other ideas, as well.

While this isn't the most earth-shattering product I've ever seen, it makes sense for folks who regularly bring snacks or lunch with them, and who want to get more use out of canning jars they already have.

The BNTO is dishwasher safe.

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.

Gadgets: Progressive Canning Funnel

Funnels are pretty basic items. I've got a few with openings of different sizes to fit narrow-necked bottles and to fit larger jars, but the new canning funnel from Progressive ($15) has a few features that make it worth the storage space it takes in my kitchen.

First, it's designed specifically for canning jars, and fits securely on both regular and wide mouth jars.

Second, because of the design, it can't tilt or wobble. Well, I guess it could, if you put a couple of shims under it. But otherwise it's very stable, and that's a big deal. Most of the other funnels I own tend to tip - at least a little bit. When I'm trying to fill hot jars with hot food, it's nice to know that the funnel isn't going to move around.

Third, it's got a collar that makes it impossible to spill food onto the rim of the jar, even if you splash or spill food outside the funnel. If you've done any canning, you know that it's important that the rim of the jar is clean before you put the lid on. Sure, you could still drip goo onto the jar when you're removing the funnel, but that's not the funnel's fault.

Fourth, the collar lets the funnel stand upright rather than rocking and rolling around when you set it down on a flat surface. Not the biggest innovation in the world, but it's a bit less messy, and it means that the parts of the funnel that actually contact the food are not going be cross contaminated by anything else that happens to be on your counters.

And fifth (and best!) it's got measurements on the collar of the funnel that shows headspace. If you've ever done canning, you know that jars are supposed to be filled to a specific level based on the recipe. If you do a lot of canning, you might be able to eyeball those measurements. Not me. I like the visual crutch.

If you already own sixteen funnels, maybe you don't need an extra one, but if you're thinking about doing some canning and need a funnel, this is a good choice. This funnel is also available in a set with two other canning tools, if you happen to need them.

There's also an all-plastic funnel in a similar design for a lower price. I haven't seen the plastic funnel, so I don't know if there are other differences that might be significant.

This funnel is dishwasher safe.

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.

Gadgets: Breville Waffle Maker

I have owned at least five waffle makers prior to testing this one - maybe more. Which is crazy, considering that I don't make a lot of waffles. But when I want waffles, I want good waffles.

My first waffle maker bit the dust when the non-stick coating flaked off. One other simply stopped working. But the major disappointment for all of them was the uneven cooking. I always ended up with uneven or spotty browning. I could do better with frozen waffles and a toaster.

The Breville Smart Waffle Maker ($199-$249) is the first waffle maker I've owned that can cook waffles evenly, from edge to edge and corner to corner and top to bottom. And to make it even easier, it has settings to control the lightness or darkness of the waffles, so there's no need to keep opening the waffle maker to see if the waffles are done.

If you happen to choose a setting that's too light, there's a button for "a bit more" to cook just a short time longer, but if you use the same recipe (or mix) on a regular basis, it's easy enough to figure out what setting you need.

A large moat surrounds the waffle-cooking area to catch any overflow. It's big enough that you'd have to vastly overfill the waffles to overflow the moat. But, to make things simple, each waffle uses a half-cup of batter, so portioning is easy.

I tried the waffle maker with a range of boxed (Krusteaz) and home made waffles and every batch was evenly browned and came out of the waffle maker with no sticking and very little cleanup. I cooked single waffles, pairs, and all four, and the browning was always consistent.

The messiest thing I cooked was a grilled cheese sandwich. It sounded like a good idea, but in reality, a lot of the cheese oozed out of the sandwich, so the cheese-to-bread ratio was a little thin on cheese.

But, I scooped the melted cheese out of the waffle-moat and had a little snack. So it wasn't a complete waste.

The grilled cheese experiment was more about testing cleanup than making an amazing lunch, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. The cheese didn't stick to the surface at all, so I just needed to mop up some grease and get rid of a few errant bread crumbs.

The downside of this unit is that the waffle plates aren't removable for cleaning, but perhaps that's the trade-off for even browning. Unless you're cooking stupid stuff in the waffle maker like grilled cheese sandwiches, there's not much to clean up.

While the price is on the high end of the scale, this waffle maker is built like a piece of serious machinery and should last many, many years. If I had bought this instead of that first waffle maker - and all the subsequent ones - I would have spent less overall. As far as reliability, I have a Breville sandwich press that I've owned for 15+ years, and it's still going strong.

Packing for a Picnic?

Recently, I conducted a completely unscientific poll and found that there were three distinct picnic food groups. First came the comfort food version with cold fried chicken and potato salad. Second was the wine and cheese picnic, and third came sandwiches.

My personal preference is probably based on my early infatuation with Aunt Bea’s fried chicken packed in a wicker basket for Sheriff Andy. But I would never turn down wine, cheese and nibbles.

First, You Need a Basket

A picnic basket doesn’t need to be wicker. Or basket-shaped. Red Envelope sells a backpack designed especially for picnicking. It comes complete with dishes, wine glasses, metal utensils, napkins, cutting board, serrated knife, corkscrew, and tiny salt and pepper shakers. Insulated storage for food is in a separate compartment, and detachable wine storage and a picnic blanket complete the set - and you can get the backpack monogrammed, as well.

The backpack basket is great if you’re doing a little hiking to your picnic space, whether that hiking is urban or back-country trails. Or, perhaps for a short bike ride. But since space (and weight) is limited to what makes sense to carry on your back, they’re probably best for wine, cheese, and nibbles, or for a few sandwiches and a few sides, rather than a huge spread.

Wicker baskets evoke that old-timey picnic vibe. From Bambeco, the picnic basket for two includes bamboo plates and utensils, embroidered napkins, wine glasses, and a cutting board. Since the interior is roomy, this sort of basket is well suited for a larger and more varied array of picnic goods.

No matter what type of basket you choose (or an insulated cooler, or canvas bags, or whatever you prefer to carry), you need to do some planning when it comes to packing – because once you get to the picnic area, you can’t run back to the kitchen for an extra spoon.

Keep Your Cool

When it comes to food storage, we probably all know the mantra that heat rises and cold sinks, so for best preservation of chilled foods, it makes some sense to have the ice packs on top (if you’re using them – but more on that in a bit). But there’s another logic involved. Put the foods you’ll want first on top, and leave dessert on the bottom. You’ll conserve more chill by having the basket open for less time.

While ice bags are useful, I found that using a freezable sports bottle filled with water worked just as well. I didn’t fill the bottle completely, since I didn’t want it to burst in the freezer, and it was the last thing to go into the basket when it was packed.

Of course, if you’re going on a long drive, you might need more chilling power, but for a quick trip to a nearby park for lunch, things will stay cold long enough. And, once you’re at the picnic, you have cold water to drink.

Another option for chilling that serves double duty is the Rapid Ice Cooler from Vacu Vin. Actually, there are a variety of these sleeves, designed to fit cans and bottles to chill them and keep them cool. You can wrap them around your containers before putting them in the basket (which has the added benefit of cushioning them, if you happen to be bringing glass) or you can lay the coolers on top of the basket for travel and let people insulate their beverages as they’re drinking. You can also use them to keep foods chilled, if you have them packed in containers of the right size.

How will you serve?

One thing to keep in mind is that your chosen picnic spot might not be close to running water, so if you drop your serving spoon in the grass, maybe you’d rather grab a clean spoon instead of trying clean the dirty one.

In fact, I suggest bringing along plenty of extra utensils. They don’t take much space. For serving spoons and random cutlery, you don’t need to go all-out with high-end equipment. A visit to a local thrift store will probably supply you with a big handful of unmatched and interesting flatware and serving spoons for very little cost. When the picnic is over, wash them, put them in a plastic bag, and store them in the basket so you’re ready to go next time.

Speaking of cutlery, bring along a few extra knives, as well. You don’t need your best equipment, but I’d suggest something better than a butter knife. A knife that comes with its own sheath is a good idea, like the Oni knife from Dreamfarm that’s designed for cutting with one edge and easy spreading with the other. A divot in the handle has a tiny sharp edge for cutting – like when you’re wrestling with one of those chip bags that just doesn’t want to open.

A few small cutting boards can come in handy, too. Remember, you might not have a good way to rinse your used boards, so it might be handier to bring a few extras. While I love small flexible cutting mats, you might be working on a bumpy surface at the picnic area, so solid board might be a better choice. The “small plates” boards from J.K. Adams are small enough to fit into your basket and the designs are pretty enough to use them as serving boards for your cheese – you did think about serving that cheese, right?

For the wine and cheese basket, don’t forget the toothpicks! I packed cheese, olives, and some pickled items, none of which really required plates or utensils to nibble – but toothpicks are certainly more civilized than poking in the olive container with your fingers. Buy a little toothpick dispenser and keep it in the picnic basket.

How about extra glasses? Sure, you can refill your wine glass with lemonade or iced tea, but why not pack a couple extra glasses? Duralex glasses are durable enough to travel, and you can use them for serving that fruit salad you brought, just in case it’s too messy to put on flat plates.

While the picnic baskets I mentioned came with their own napkins, some extras in a dispenser that will keep them from blowing away is a good idea. After the picnic, leave it in the basket or use it for back yard dining. The Simply Pull napkin holder from OXO is a good choice.

Many of the baskets on the market come in 2-person and 4-person versions. Even if you think your picnics will only involve two people, the 4-person version might be a good choice, since you'll get extra plates and utensils that can be used for serving, and you won't need to pack up as many extras.

Food, Glorious Food

I have a tendency to put way too much food on the table for dinner, but that’s fine because leftovers are easy to pack and store. At a picnic, that’s not necessarily the case. No matter how well chilled your food was when it arrived, it’s probably going to be edging towards warm if it’s been out of the basket for serving.

Are you really going to pack that food up and put it in the refrigerator to serve another day? Some things, yes. The potato salad, probably not.

OXO’s LockTop containers come in a variety of sizes, and the 4-ounce container was perfect for a single serving of cole slaw – no need to dish it out – just pop the top and eat. If you think someone will want a second serving, just bring extras in those small containers and keep them chilly in the basket.

A larger LockTop container was great for the chicken and a divided container kept vegetables and olives from getting to know each other too well.

While it’s perfectly fine to pick up olives, hummus, and pickled vegetables from the olive bar at the grocery store, don’t be tempted to use those containers for your picnic. I’ve had those flimsy plastic containers open and spill into my grocery bag, and that’s not something you want to deal with at a picnic.

Besides, if you’re packing munchies for your wine and cheese basket, you’ll probably want a small amount of many things, rather than a vat of hummus and a quart of cornichons. And think about how fun it will be to unpack and nibble on a whole array of small portions, while you slice your cheese and sip your wine.

I used an assortment of containers, including colorful Veggie Savers from Mastrad for the fruit I brought for dessert. To go with the wine-and-cheese basket, star fruit in a bright purple container looked great.

Remember that ice water in a sports bottle? I suggest bringing extra water or other beverages besides the wine. On a hot, sunny day, you might find yourself wanting to chug a whole lot of cold drinks. The Pure Fizz soda maker lets you bring your own carbonated water – flavored or not – and the Bormioli Rocco bottles are a beautiful way to carry your homemade lemonade or iced tea.

Sandwiches, Anyone?

For sandwich packing, there are two options – the pressed sandwich would be fine wrapped in foil and stashed in a plastic bag to thwart leakage, but the Compleat FoodSkin offers another option. It stretches and molds around the food inside, keeping it snug.

For the make-your-own sandwich, sturdy plastic sandwich containers would house bread nicely – one sandwich at a time – and meats, cheeses, and condiments could be stored separately, to avoid the dreaded soggy sandwich issue.

Then we have condiments. Depending on what you’re serving, you might want mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, ranch dressing, oil and vinegar dressing – but you’re only going to use small amounts. Rather than bringing a whole bottle, consider repacking, and then consider easy serving.

The travel bottle from Swissmar is designed to hold 3 ounces of liquid – which you could take on an airplane – but it’s also nice for ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise on a picnic. For dressings and sauces that are more pourable, the small salad dressing shaker from OXO holds 8 ounces and has a pour spout.

If you want hot coffee with your meal, forget about carrying it in your picnic basket. Use a insulated bottle or travel mug and carry it separately. You can even find insulated containers in bowl shapes for that hot German potato salad or the baked beans that you want to serve with your sandwiches.

Some Extras You Shouldn’t Forget

Don’t forget a blanket, if you’ll be sitting on the ground. The blue checked blanket (from Target; not online) folds and zips to form a pillow with a carrying handle, and if you forgot one last thing, you can shove it into the zipped blanket for easy carrying.

Any blanket will do, really, but keep in mind that the ground might be damp. Bring a thick blanket, one with a waterproof underside (like the blanket that came with the backpack) or a combination of a waterproof ground cover (a plastic tablecloth or drop cloth are fine) along with your own festive blanket.

Don’t forget to bring chips or crackers to go with the cheese, salsa and dips. They’re lightweight, but bulky. It would be ideal if you could fit absolutely everything into the basket … but really, why stress? It’s not like luggage. You won’t get charged extra for bringing another bag. Any sturdy tote bag will do, since we’re not worried about insulation.

While chips come in their own handy storage container to bring to the picnic, think about how you’ll take them home without spillage. Bring bag clips. Not only do they seal your bags, but you can clip one to the corner of your napkin to keep it from floating away on a breeze.

Speaking of snacking, if you’re bringing a little friend along who won’t be partaking in the main event, whether a toddler or four-footed pal, bring something a special. Snickers was amused by this shark container, designed for kids’s snacks.

Now that you’ve committed to bringing a tote bag for the chips, a roll of paper towels might come in handy if things get really messy. And it’s not like they’re heavy to carry. Toss a pack of Wet Naps in the bag, too, if you tend to get messy.

Bring along a trash bag or two, for easy cleanup when the picnic is done. Remember that running water that might not be nearby? Well, after the picnic you’ve got a collection of dirty plates, utensils, and probably some now-empty storage containers. Do you really want them dripping into your basket? Collect them and put them in a trash bag (or other reasonably large bag) to keep your basket clean, and not make a mess of the storage containers that will be heading back to your refrigerator after the picnic.

Remember those chunks of cheese that came wrapped from the store? It made sense to slice and serve at the picnic, but now that the wrapper is ripped, how are you going to bring them home? Bring a few plastic zip-top bags. They take no space to carry and you might find other uses for them as well, like carting off the chicken bones when you realize there’s no trash bin nearby.

If you drove to the picnic, there’s one last thing you might bring, but leave it in the car: a plastic gallon jug of water. Sure, many picnic areas have running water, but what if it’s not available? That jug will come in handy to wash sticky hands or rinse muddy feet, if need be.

And now you can pack up the car and go home.

This previously appeared on Serious Eats. Some products were provided be the manufacturers specifically for this post; other products came from my personal stash.

Gadgets: Lekue Silicone Bread Maker

I'm not exactly sure what to call the Lekue Silicone Bread Maker ($35). I mean, they call it a bread maker, but it's actually more of a bread pan that can be used as a bowl. It doesn't actually do any making of bread.

The idea is that you can mix your bread ingredients in the bowl, do the kneading in the bowl, close it up and cover the open ends to let it rise, then shape, rise, and bake, all in the same container.

It all makes perfect sense for me, except kneading in the bowl - if I'm hand-kneading, I prefer to do that on a clean counter top. But there might be reasons why someone prefers kneading in a container.

The best thing about using this as a bread pan is that the resulting bread is a unique shape - a cross between a football and a submarine, with slices being nearly round. I've bought plenty of baking equipment just because I like the shape, so I'm more than happy to add this to my arsenal.


A bonus is that because the bread bakes in an enclosed space that holds in the steam, you get a crisp crust - and it browns nicely.

Since the bread maker is made from silicone, it's microwave safe. Not that you'd bake bread in the microwave, but it's perfect for cooking corn on the cob in the microwave, if you're inclined to do so. If you leave it closed after cooking, it will help keep the corn warmer than if you leave them in an open container.

And of course you can cook, bake, or roast other foods in it as well, and it's dishwasher safe.

I'd like this if it was just a bread pan because I like the shape of bread baked in it, but the fact that it can be used for cooking other things makes it a little more practical.

Wondering about that bread - the recipe will be posted tomorrow!

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.

Gadgets: Casabella rolling pin spacer bands

Have you ever run into a recipe that required you to roll dough to a specific thickness? Do you actually measure, or do you eyeball it and hope for the best?

To be honest, sometimes it doesn't matter all that much. Your cookies will be fine if they're a little to fat or a little too thin.

But sometimes a specific thickness is more important, like when you're trying to make 3D cookies that are supposed to fit together. Or if you want every batch of cookies to be the same thickness.

Not only is it hard to roll dough to a specific thickness, it's hard to roll it evenly from one edge to the other. And if you do decide to measure your dough, how do you do it? Do you measure the edge, or do you cut into the dough to check how thick the interior is? Do you cut a cookie, then check that measurement?

With a lot of practice, you can probably eyeball that 1/4 inch thickness and get it close enough. Or you can do the sensible thing and cheat. Put training wheels on your rolling pin.

The Rolling Pin Spacer Bands ($6.99) from Casabella are a set of four pairs of silicone bands in 1/16-, 1/8-, 1/4-, and 1/2-inch thicknesses that you slide onto your rolling pin so you can't roll the dough any thinner than the bands. It's genius, really.

Of course, if you really put your weight on your rolling, you can compress the spacers a little, but they're pretty dense, so you won't be able to compress them a lot.

The bands fit standard (not French) rolling pins from about 2 1/4 inches in diameter to about 3 inches. They stretch to fit, and if they're a little loose on the pin it's fine.

The downside of using these bands is that the dough can't be wider than the space between the bands or you'll start rolling trenches into the dough. The upside is that if you need the dough to be a specific width, you can set the bands at that width on your rolling pin, and keep the dough between the bands.

When I was rolling pie dough that needed to be wider than my rolling pin, I used one band on one end of the rolling pin and did my best to keep the pin level. It wasn't absolutely perfect, but it was better than my usual lopsided freehanding.

I found that the thinnest bands - the 1/16-inch - were pretty handy for flatbreads, because I tend to get carried away and roll them too thin. These kept them at a reasonable - and consistent - thickness.

The bands are made from silicone and they're dishwasher safe, but they're easy enough to rinse clean if you prefer.

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.

Gadgets: Progressive Pepper Corer Duo

Is there any fruit or vegetable that doesn't have its own special tool?

Peppers have the Progressive Pepper Corer Duo ($9.69), which is actually a set of two tools designed to core and seed peppers. The larger corer works on bell peppers while the smaller is for jalapenos.

I have to admit that most of the time I simply cut peppers in half and remove the core and seeds with a knife - because usually my next step is cutting the peppers into even smaller pieces. But there are times when it's desirable to leave the pepper whole - like when stuffed peppers are on the menu.

I gave the bell pepper corer a side-by-side test. Well, actually it was a one-after-the-other test - where I cored peppers with a knife and with the corer. Of course I was able to core the pepper with the knife, but the corer was a heck of a lot faster, since you just stab, twist, and remove the core. The peppers needed to be rinsed to remove loose seeds, but it was just a few seconds of work for each pepper.

The same concept works for the jalapeno corer, but of course on a smaller scale. And, the big bonus for me, as a contact lens wearer, is that using the corer minimized right-hand contact with the peppers since I held the pepper with my left hand and my right hand held the corer at a safe distance from the pepper's interior.

The only problem I had with the jalapeno corer was with one radically bent pepper, but those with a gentle curve were fine. And I'm sure that trying to core that bent pepper with a knife would have been just as problematic.

While these are specifically marketed for use with peppers, there's no reason you couldn't use them for cutting holes in other fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes, melons, or banana cupcakes. (Wait ... banana cupcakes aren't a fruit?)

Since the corers are made from plastic, they'd be safer for kids to use, and great for adults who have knife-handling issues. They're dishwasher safe and nest together for storage.

While these aren't an essential kitchen item, they do make coring peppers a lot easier, so if stuffed peppers are often on the menu often or in large quantities, these could be handy to have. And then once you have them, you can start coring holes in your carrot muffins.

Gadgets: Mastrad Spiral Veggie Slicer

If you're itching to make fancy zucchini fettuccine, but you don't want to commit to a spiral slicing machine, the Mastrad Spiral Veggie Slicer ($14.99) might be your next best friend.

It works much like a giant pencil sharpener - insert the vegetable into the slicer and twist-twist-twist to shave ribbons off the vegetables.

There are four pieces included - three are for cutting, with blades for small, medium and very large ribbons. The fourth piece with three prongs holds the vegetable as it gets shorter - or, if you're using something small to begin with, like a radish.

Because of the size of the opening, you're limited to vegetables that will fit. So, zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, and other smaller-diameter vegetables are fine - figure 2 1/4 inches or less. Giant baking potatoes, rutabagas, and those baseball-bat sized zucchini are a no unless you cut them to fit.

Just for giggles, I cut a potato into a square shape to see how the slicer would handle non-round vegetables, and it worked just fine. The strips that it cut as it worked through the edges of the square were short, but once those points were gone I got long strips - pretty much continuous - of potato ribbons from the rest of the spud.

Just like the larger spiral slicing machines, you end up with a small uncut core of vegetable - AKA, a snack for the prep cook - but the core from this was smaller than the core from the machine I have, so you end up with more usable shaved product.

The firmness of the vegetable in question makes a difference in how well the slicers work. Carrots, zucchini and radishes were fine, but I had a cucumber that was verging on soft and it didn't slice as well as I hoped. Another firmer cucumber was fine, however, and probably more likely what I'd want to serve, anyway.

Radish, re-curled. Yes, I do play with my food sometimes.

Since the cutting blade is inside the device, you'd have to work really hard at cutting yourself while the device is in-use, which makes it safer for kids. As the vegetable gets shorter, the only sane way to keep cutting is to use the holder, so fingers are well protected then, as well.

I'm sure Chef Morimoto could carve zucchini into ribbons with a chef's knife, but normal mortals probably need some sort of a tool. The advantage of this one over a spiral-cutting machine is that it's small and simple, and the pieces nest for more compact storage. The downside is that it takes a bit more effort than a machine.

If you're going to be making zucchini fettuccine a regular part of your family's diet, then a spiral-cutting machine might be worth the storage space. But if you're looking for a fun and easy tool for making garnishes, crazy salads, fun vegetable side dishes, and an occasional veggie-pasta meal, this definitely makes more sense.

Cleanup was easy - all the parts are dishwasher safe. When cleaning the blades between vegetable types, I rinsed and used a bottle brush to dislodge bits from the blades, and that was simple enough. Although it's made mostly from plastic, it seems pretty durable - I've dropped pieces a few times with no damage - so barring any encounters with a lawnmower or pit bull, they should last quite a long time.

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.

Gadgets: Kuhn Rikon Krinkle Knife

Years ago, I bought a garnishing tool kit that included a small knife designed for making wavy cuts in vegetables. It was annoying to use and eventually it disappeared from my kitchen.

I didn't think about making wavy-cut vegetables again until I got a mandoline with that blade.

Which is fine if I'm making a large quantity of bread and butter pickles, or I'm making salad for a crowd. Otherwise, I just use a knife to make straight cuts.

Kuhn Rikon's Krinkle Knife ($14) might just change that. It has the same wavy blade as the garnishing gadget from long ago, but it's in a mezzaluna-style knife.

The rocking motion of the mezzaluna makes cutting easier, particularly with harder vegetables like carrots, than trying to push a knife straight down. This also makes the pattern slightly curved rather than straight.

For less-resistant vegetables like zucchini or cucumbers, you can easily make your cuts straight down, if you prefer.

The knife is thin, and it comes with a plastic guard for the blade so you can store it safely and easily in a drawer. But although it's thin, the handle is substantial enough to feel comfortable in use.

While a mandoline is probably the better choice for large quantities of vegetables, this standalone knife makes more sense for small jobs, like making a salad or crudites for two.

It can also handle tasks that the mandoline can't, like cutting really thick slices, or cutting vegetables in halves, quarters, or chunks, like potatoes for a potato salad. Or for cutting hard-boiled eggs for deviled eggs.

Making wavy cuts in vegetables isn't an essential task by any means, but with this knife it's no more difficult than making straight cuts. And it makes presentation more fun.

The knife is dishwasher safe, but I always suggest washing knives by hand.

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.

Gadgets: Paper Bakeware

Considering how many baking pans I own, paper bakeware was never really on my radar. But I thought it would be fun to test.

The paper bakeware from Welcome Home Brands comes in a huge variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, either in single sizes or in assortments ($24.99).

They're oven-safe to 400 degrees, and they're freezer safe, so they're great for that emergency dessert that you stuff into the freezer.

Some of the ones I tested had a brown cardboard-looking interior, while others were white inside, but in use I didn't notice any difference between them. The interiors are coated, so the pans didn't need to be greased. So far, all the baked goods I tried came out of the pan easily. Or, really, I peeled the pan off of the baked goods, like you'd remove the paper from a cupcake.

While these are sturdy enough to stand on their own (but not completely rigid), I put them on a baking sheet for easy transport into and out of the oven.

My first thought was that these would be nice for making baked goods as gifts since the pans colorful and relatively inexpensive. Size-wise, the pans range from small(ish), down to cute and tiny. The loaf pans in the photo are approximately 7x3, 5x3 and 4x2, so the smallest is about equal to a cupake, but in loaf form.

But then I realized that they're even more interesting because of the range of shapes and sizes, and many of those sizes aren't available in metal bakeware.

I'm particularly liking the round baking pan. It's about 4 1/2 inches in diameter, so it could be used make cute little pies or quiches, but it would also be a a lot of fun to use it to make miniature layer cakes.

The only downside - and it's not a big one - is that since you're working with pans that are a different size and shape than a normal cake or cupcake pan, it's likely you'll need to adjust the baking time to compensate.

Overall, I really like these pans. I'm not about to replace my metal baking pans, but I like having other options, and these don't take a whole lot of storage space.

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.

Quick note, because I know someone's going to ask ... the cakes in the photos were baked from mixes. I didn't want to be testing a recipe at the same time I was testing the bakeware, and I figured that boxed mixes would be a good "standard" recipe.

The crumb cake is Krusteaz brand, and I have to say it's pretty darned good. I'd buy it again, for sure.