Hello again lovely readers. I know this is a cooking website, but I have a special place in my heart for appliances. My friend recently told me about her daughter’s joy at getting new school shirts, because the other children made fun of her over the state of her clothes. I assure you that no […]
October 22, 2017
11 Food Processor Tips for Bakers
When my friend Efrat asked on Facebook about the best tools for making bread, most people replied that they use their hands or a mixer. It seems that many people still see a food processor as a tool for slicing and chopping and the occasional cake. But if used correctly, the food processor excels at […]
May 21, 2014
Less Is More: Review of Magimix 5200XL Food Processor
A few months ago, the metal chopping blade for my Magimix 5100 food processor overheated and melted for the second time. The first time, I salvaged the machine. Since I was generally happy with the machine, already my second, and the others on the market did not appear to be higher quality, I decided to […]
April 22, 2013
The Story of the Melted Food Processor
Check out my review of the Magimix 5200XL. If you can love an inanimate object, then I love my Magimix food processor. Intensely. It’s a useful, durable, well-designed machine. As Norene Gilletz wrote in her classic book, The Pleasures of Your Food Processor, the virtue of a quality processor is its ability to stop when […]
January 27, 2013
Get My New Book on Wise Use of Appliances
I’m excited to let you know about the publication of my first e-book. It’s called Cook Smart! Learn the Secrets of Your Kitchen Appliances and is currently available through Amazon Kindle. If you don’t have a Kindle, Amazon has a free program that will allow you to read the book on your computer. Cook Smart […]
July 18, 2012
Preparing Your Refrigerator for a Power Outage
As I mentioned Friday, I have a large amount of challah and quiche in the freezer for my son’s Bar Mitzvah. Then the electric company posted a notice that they are scheduling an outage for Tuesday from 8 am to 5 pm. The last one was at night. It doesn’t seem right to expect families to manage in the August heat with no air-conditioning, elevator, or refrigerator. But be that is it may, at least we know in advance. If I had known when I baked, I might have brought them to someone else, but I risk them thawing too much if I try that at this point.
November 24, 2011
Help! I Have No Room in the Refrigerator
Today is Thanksgiving, and that means company. Company, of course, means food and cooking. Back when I reviewed Jonathan Bloom’s book American Wasteland, I mentioned his contention that large refrigerators lead to more waste. I agree that large refrigerators tend to be wasteful. Not only because you end up storing more than you need, and […]
April 22, 2011
What Features Do You Need in Your New Oven?
Reader Ruth Kilner, interviewed here, broke her oven while cleaning it. She asked me to help her shop for a new one, by advising her what features are useful. Before writing I asked my friend Miriam F., whom I consider an expert on kitchen equipment. She said that a feature she recommends has become more […]
February 27, 2011
Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass
I tend to flip quickly through new cookbooks, skimming over all of the recipes I know I’ll never make: The recipes are too complicated, I don’t keep the necessary ingredients on hand, or the recipes are just another way of combining foods that we get enough of already. But when Yosefa got interested in pressure […]
October 5, 2010
Are Slow Cookers Really Energy Efficient?
Slow cookers, first marketed under the brand name crock-pot, are often recommended for busy cooks. You put in the food, turn it on low, and seven or eight hours later you have a delicious meal. Frugal cooks prefer slow cookers too. But are slow cookers truly energy efficient, as is often claimed? Apparently, we’ve been […]
