"Josh Spear" news and stories

I tend to divide kitchen appliances into three tiers in my head. There's the top tier, the ones you can't live without, that every kitchen should have (toaster oven, crock pot and blender leap to mind). Then comes the second tier, the ones that aren't vital, but do make cooking easier and more fun (stand mixer, waffle iron and indoor grill, for instance). Then there are the ones that are rarely necessary, but are appealing nonetheless. In this category, I group things like ice cream makers, bread machines and fondue pots.

I discovered another third tier appliance recently, and while it's not one that I think I'd use much, I can see how it would be fun and useful (provided you're a fan of nut butters). That's right, I'm speaking of the Peanut Butter Machine. It has a blessedly small foot print and whips up freshly ground nut butter at the flick of a switch. I can see how this would be great if you had access to large amounts of nuts or you had health concerns that precluded you from ingesting manufactured peanut, almond or cashew butter.

[via Josh Spear]

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Have you ever wished that you could make a Cherry Slurpee at home? Maybe you're a fan of Benihana's Japanese Fried Rice and want to recreate it in your kitchen. Then I do believe there's a website out there for you. Top Secret Recipes is a site that says it has broken the codes on most of the famous restaurant dishes out there so that you can make them on your own, without a trip to Applebee's, the Cheesecake Factory or Boston Market.

They've got a deep archive of recipes, although most of them require payment to access. There is a good stash of free recipes, including one for Arby's classic Jamocha Shake (which has always been a weakness of mine). It's a fun site to surf around as well, just to check out all the restaurant-style possibilities.

[via JoshSpear.com]

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I have always been a sucker for anything mint flavored. I go through phases where I drink mint tea by the gallon. I always have mint gum in my bag. And I am capable of eating mint chocolate chip ice cream by the carton (and on many occasions, I have). When I first came across a display of Metromint at my local gourmet grocery store, I immediately pick up a bottle to go with the panini I was buying for lunch. It was perfect with the sandwich, refreshing and cool, with a significant tingle of mint.

The good folks at Metromint have recently added Chocolatemint to the three flavors they already had available (Spearmint, Lemonmint and Orangemint). According to Josh Spear, this water is delicious and leaves you with the taste of chocolate long after the water is gone (and for far fewer calories). Chocolatemint should be in stores in time for Valentine's Day.

[via Josh Spear]

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At a recent outdoor wedding reception (the same one that served the faux meat), I found myself standing around talking and eating the ice cream cake that was dessert. A friend was stirring a cup of coffee with a disposable spoon and when she pulled it out of the cup she discovered that the spoon had started to melt in the heat of the liquid. It turns out that it was a compostable utensil made from corn. Good for the environment but not so good for hot beverages.

However, it looks like the newest biodegradable disposable cutlery out there might have withstood the heat a little bit better. Spudware is made from 80% potato starch and 20% soybean oil and takes but half a year (180 days) to break down. It's a little spendier than traditional plastic utensils, running $20 for a set of 50 forks, spoons and knives. If you're interested, you can get it here.

Via Josh Spear

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