Spring 2019 Issue
OF KITCHENS AND HEROES
Years ago, I met a lovely woman who had exchanged her McMansion in the Midwest for a railroad apartment in Manhattan. Which also meant that she had spurned her glorio...
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Gadgets and Gizmos for the Home Cook
As every home cook knows, a kitchen is not a kitchen if it’s not stocked with at least a few fundamental tools and appliances. Humans have fashioned tools to ameliorate the process of cooking since the Stone Age, when hunter-gatherers sharpened flint stones to use for cutting and mashed vegetal plants with mortar and pestle–like means. Though we have the same goal of cooking as the hunter-gatherers did, our tools of choice are a bit more advanced, to say the least. From the indispensable chef’s knife to the extravagant espresso makers on the market today, we have the gizmos and gadgets to perform just about any culinary task.
Here, a few members of the Edible Jersey team share their most treasured kitchen tools and appliances:
HAND-CARVED SPOON/SPATULA
by local woodworker Nic Esposito
“It’s versatile, functional and beautiful to the touch.” Not to mention, the purchase supports the craft of a local artisan.
—Debra Trisler, design director
KITCHENAID FOOD PROCESSOR
“The plastic bowl is cracked and the yellow base is dull and faded. Yet, this ancient KitchenAid food processor is the workhorse appliance in the Politano kitchen. It was a moving- day giveaway from a friend. ‘You want this?’ she asked. We didn't realize how much.”
—Teresa Politano, editor
SPANEK VERTICAL ROASTER
“The turkey is especially moist because the roaster simultaneously cooks it on the inside and the outside. The big added benefit is that, while upright, the bird is easy to carve.”
—Ray Painter, publisher
VITAMIX 5200 BLENDER
“Nothing and no one can part us. I even took it to college. That’s because it purees soups, smoothies, dressings and nut butters like no other blender—anything you put in there will be instantly pulverized into smooth, creamy bliss.”
—Hanna Cox, intern
CUISINART GRIDDLER GRILL AND PANINI PRESS
“It’s very versatile, and my kids can use it. I feel more comfortable having them use it than the gas stove. You can cook up anything from ribs to pancakes.
—Chrissy Hummel, bookkeeper
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