Last week I asked everyone for opinions about registering or not registering for china. I couldn't believe the number of responses I received! One of the arguments that stuck with me is that many of those who didn't register for china chose that path because it was passed down from a mother or grandmother. This is not the case for me, so I've made the decision to register for china (but only for dinner plates -- thanks to Jodi for that useful idea!) I also like the idea of a simple, clean pattern that will do double duty both for special occasions and everyday use, so thanks to everyone for chiming in.
Onto my next conundrum -- cookware! Do I register for a set or individual pieces? At first, I planned on solely registering for the All-Clad Copper Core set, but then I started having second thoughts. Sets, especially All-Clad, can get pretty pricey. What if someone wants to buy me a pot and something else? Am I limiting the options for my family and friends?
If I register for separate pieces, I can switch up the sets -- say by purchasing the Copper Core sauté pan, but also getting the less-expensive stainless-steel stock pot.
If you were to see individual pots and pans on a loved one's registry, would you be as inclined to buy them? Or would you navigate towards something else?
I am a huge sucker for kitchen equipment. I've enjoyed shopping for just about every piece in my kitchen (whether it came from a thrift shop, yard sale or bonafide kitchen supply store). However, I know that not everyone out there wants to invest the time in putting together a working, well-equipped kitchen. There are starter sets of pots and pans out there, but oftentimes they are flimsy, overpriced or missing keys pieces.
However, recently a new company arrived on the scene and they have created a set of kitchen tools that is thoughtful, solid and affordable. Called My Pro Kitchen, the 36-piece set sells for $279 and contains two pots, two pans, one lid, a cookie sheet, a big roasting pan, two kitchen knives (with sharpener), a set of stacking mixing bowls and colander, a peeler, a box grater, a cutting board, a strainer and an assortment of useful and necessary utensils.
Have any of you encountered this set? If so, what do you think about the quality and usefulness?
If you haven't discovered the joys of cast iron, now's the time to start. It's cheap, distributes heat evenly and, if properly seasoned, is nonstick. Seasoning the pan involves filling in the invisible cracks and pores in the pan's surface by sealing on a layer of grease. Here's a quick method for seasoning a new pan:
Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Rub pan with a thin layer of lard or vegetable shortening. Place pan upside down in oven with rack positioned beneath it to catch extra drippings. Cook for 2 hours.
Repeating this seasoning method several times helps create a better nonstick surface. Also, try to wash out the pan while it's still warm and dry with a paper towel to preserve the seasoning.
My parents have a pretty happy marriage. They've been together for more than 37 years now, without too many major controversies. However, there is one issue that continues to stick in both of their craws and it stems from the fact that my dad is a lover of cast iron cookware and my mother can't stand the stuff. You see, in the first couple years of their marriage, my mom gave away a cast iron pan that my dad had lovingly scrubbed and seasoned. She didn't think that cast iron was hygienic and so banished it from the kitchen. He still mourns the loss of that pan, even now.
I don't have a ton of cast iron in my own cookware collection, but the few pieces I do possess are rapidly becoming beloved. I adore the 7-quart Dutch Oven I acquired a couple of years ago, and my 13 inch skillet is finally starting to develop that shiny black finish that is prized by cast iron fans. If you happened to receive any cast iron pots or pans this holiday season and you're looking for tips on how to season your booty, look no further than this post from The Kitchn, which will guide you through the process, step by step (it even includes helpful pictures).
Personally, I just adore my Calphalon frying pans and have no plans to swap them with anything else in the future, but I will admit that they are a little bit plain, since they are all black. Black, silver and copper are all common colors for cookware and most chefs don't expect to see color on their stove top unless they are using an enamel-covered piece of cookware, such as a Le Creuset dutch oven. At Target, however, they have started to carry a line of frying pans that have vibrant designs painted on the sides and bases. The pans are made in Italy by Esprit and all measure 10-in. across. They have a nonstick coating on the interior, "stay-cool handles" and are dishwasher safe.
The pans are only $13 each, so you may not want to run out and replace some of your more expensive cookware, but they're certainly appealing to the eye and I can see them working well as a much-used piece of equipment in a college apartment.
When the holiday season comes around, I find myself pulling out plates with snowmen and little colored lights, as well as variously shaped cookie cutters and a few other choice holiday pieces. I don't usually intend to let the holiday spirit bleed into my regular cookware collection, however. After all, a spatula is a spatula is a spatula - right? Well, that may be true, but the snowman and snowflake spatulas that Williams-Sonoma is offering this year are pretty tempting. They have nylon heads that are heat resistant to 400°F, stainless steel handles and are dishwasher safe - just like my standard spatulas, but with the added bonus of an adorable design on each. A snowman and snowflake seem like seasonal icons that could be enjoyed all winter, as well as for much of fall and spring, without seeming inappropriate, so it might not be a bad idea to tuck these into someone's stocking this year. I know I wouldn't complain if I saw one.
Sure, we can't help but think of heavy stockpots simmering with stews and deep dark caramelized root vegetables braising in wine-stained casseroles when the month of October hits. It's autumn, right?
Ah, but October is also National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and to show your support for the cause, think pink! Sure, we know all about wearing the little looped pink ribbon, but you can go even further to show your support in the kitchen. We've already started the morning with the Sip for the Cure line of teas from the Republic of Tea, and as we come across more of them, we'll point you to cool, pretty, delicious pink things that are on sale specifically to support breast cancer research and awareness.
These pots and pans are covered with pink porcelain enamel and are available from Neiman Marcus for $140 for the set. Neiman Marcus has a whole area of their online Home catalog dedicated to the pink ribbon products, too.
If you haven't already seen your local market transform into a haunted castle and pumpkins falling all over themselves in giant displays, well, you must not be living in the US. Halloween is upon us, and technically, it's still September.
Nonetheless, I fell in love with these adorable pumpkin-shaped cakes, which are turned out of a mini pumpkin pan from Williams-Sonoma, and had a burning desire to bake pumpkin bread this instant. Whatever cake or bread batter you put in there comes out looking like the top (or bottom) half of a pumpkin. You can decorate and serve just the halves, or put two together to make a whole pumpkin.
However, I did realize, of course, that if you were to buy this pan just to make mini pumpkins, that would be a waste of $32. Why not get the mini brownie bundt pan instead and use it every season? They are the exact same product.
Oh, those tricky product marketers at Williams-Sonoma! They almost had us!
Well, now you don't have to rely on divine intervention to see Jesus in your food. The Jesus Pan allows you to cook anything you want, and imprint the image of Jesus on it. The pan is made of steel with a non-stick coating, so you can make "Heavenly Hotcakes" for the next pancake breakfast fundraiser for your church.
I don't have any kids of my own, and my brand new niece is a little too young to be joining me in the kitchen when I'm making lunch, but when there are kids around who are old enough to hang out in the kitchen, I'd love to get them this six-piece of set of cookware from Ikea made especially for them. I don't know how functional they truly are, since Ikea's website says that they must be handwashed and are not oven-safe, but at the very least, they're better than the candy colored plastic ones that really do look like toys, and you'll save your own pots and pans from getting dented, dropped, and all around banged up.
There are a lot of cooks that will tell you all you really need is some good nonstick cookware in your kitchen. There are an equal number who will tell you that all you need is a cast iron pan. Cast iron heats evenly, quickly and lasts nearly forever. The pans can go from the stovetop right into the oven and, once it is seasoned, the pan should be fairly stick-resistant, too. They're all-purpose pans, to say the least. Cast Iron Cooking is a book that is dedicated to the cookware, with fifty recipes that will all be at their peak when prepared in cast iron.
Frankly, this book is a great resource for people who regularly use cast iron, or want to use it more, since so many current cookbooks call for nonstick pans and confusion can occasionally arise over what is the best cookware to use. The book starts out with some basic introductions to those unfamiliar with the material, including a section explaining how they can be used for open-flame cooking outdoors. The recipes range from main dishes to desserts, and once you develop a relationship with your pan, dutch oven, etc., you'll find yourself using it for a lot more.
It is not clear what the people at Berndes, a German cookware
company, were thinking when they designed this pan. It is clear, however, that they did not agonize over the name,
calling it simply the Fat Bug Cake
Pan. This is not the usual shape you expect to find in a cake pan. You expect roses,
hearts and maybe even a butterfly.
You definitely do not expect to see a cast aluminum larvae mold. I give them full credit for originality, and the pan is
no doubt of high quality, but I still can't see spending $25 to buy a pan shaped like, to put it generously, a "fat
bug."
When you have a tiny apartment or a tiny kitchen, space is at a premium. You just can't cram all the good
kitchen gadgets and cookware into one little room. The two time-honored storage traditions involve either limiting your
kitchenware collection or turning the living room into storage. Chefn' Sleekstor has a line of collapsible kitchen tools
that will make storage a breeze. The measuring cups fold up to
be completely flat and cone in seven colors, making it possible to match them to your color scheme if you are forced to
store them on the counter for lack of space. Another space-saver is the collapsible
funnel, which is a fantastic idea since funnels are rather awkwardly shaped and difficult to store.
If you haven't discovered the joys of cast iron, now's the time to start. It's cheap, distributes heat evenly and, if properly seasoned, is nonstick. Seasoning the pan involves filling in the invisible cracks and pores in the pan's surface by sealing on a layer of grease. Here's a quick method for seasoning a new pan:
Personally, I just adore my Calphalon frying pans and have no plans to swap them with anything else in the future, but I will admit that they are a little bit plain, since they are all black. Black, silver and copper are all common colors for cookware and most chefs don't expect to see color on their stove top unless they are using an enamel-covered piece of cookware, such as a Le Creuset dutch oven. At Target, however, they have started to carry a line of frying pans that have 
When the holiday season comes around, I find myself pulling out plates with snowmen and little colored lights, as well as variously shaped cookie cutters and a few other choice holiday pieces. I don't usually intend to let the holiday spirit bleed into my regular cookware collection, however. After all, a spatula is a spatula is a spatula - right? Well, that may be true, but the 
Sure, we can't help but think of heavy stockpots simmering with stews and deep dark caramelized root vegetables braising in wine-stained casseroles when the month of October hits. It's autumn, right?
If you haven't already seen your local market transform into a haunted castle and pumpkins falling all over themselves in giant displays, well, you must not be living in the US. Halloween is upon us, and technically, it's still September.
Every so often, we see miraculous, holy things in food. Apparently, 
I don't have any kids of my own, and my brand new niece is a little too young to be joining me in the kitchen when I'm making lunch, but when there are kids around who are old enough to hang out in the kitchen, I'd love to get them this 
It is not clear what the people at 
When you have a tiny apartment or a tiny kitchen, space is at a premium. You just can't cram all the good
kitchen gadgets and cookware into one little room. The two time-honored storage traditions involve either limiting your
kitchenware collection or turning the living room into storage. Chefn' Sleekstor has a line of collapsible kitchen tools
that will make storage a breeze. 
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