Kitchen Gadgets Maven - Page 2 of 6 - Kitchen Gadgets Reviews by Chef Carolyn

Best Coffee Grinder For Your Moka Pot

High-tech espresso machines and drip coffee makers may be all the rage, but making espresso the old-fashioned way — over your stove — still has a rustic appeal.

Stove top espresso makers, otherwise known as Moka pots, have been around since the 1930s. They’re still used for coffee brewing in multiple kitchens and cafes worldwide.

Why hasn’t this brewing method fallen out of style? Because a Moka pot lets you brew an incredibly strong cup of coffee quickly and easily.

If you’re going to brew your perfect cup of coffee with your Moka pot, you’ll need to pick the right grind and type of coffee.

Best Cast Iron Griddle for Your Gas Stove

by Carolyn

How can you pick the best cast iron griddle to use with your gas stove?

All cast iron griddles are compatible with a gas stove. When you’re picking out the right one for you, you’ll need to decide what best suits your needs.

Best Bread Box For Homemade Bread

by Carolyn

There has been a distinctive movement away from store-bought bread and baked goods. The simple truth is that you don’t know what has gone into making them. Store-bought bread will look and taste as good today as it will a week later.

Which is convenient, but also means that there are many preservatives used in the making of it. Which is the main reason that so many people have decided to start making their own bread. The problem then becomes eating the bread before it goes stale or storing it properly to help it last better.

Using a great bread box can help to keep your bread fresh for longer. Which model do you choose, though? We reviewed many different models to come up with our top three picks. Want to see which models made the grade? Let’s get started.

Best Blender for Kale Smoothies

by Carolyn

It’s no secret that kale is considered a superfood, packed full of nutrients and antioxidants. Nutritionists, doctors and health enthusiasts are all singing the praises of this incredibly healthy vegetable.

Unfortunately, the drawback of kale is that it is not that tasty by itself. Although you know it’s good for you, the only way to really enjoy it is to mix it up with other, tastier ingredients so it masks the distinctive kale taste.

One of the best ways of all is to blend it up into a kale smoothie along with other ingredients. There is an almost limitless number of recipes for kale smoothies – just look it up on Google! – from the ultra-healthy green smoothie to the slightly sweeter berry smoothie with kale.

These smoothies are the perfect way to get your morning off to a healthy start, or a great afternoon pick-me-up if you want a bit of an energy boost.

Whichever flavour you prefer, the key to a great experience is to get the best blender for the kale smoothie.

A good blender will make sure that the smoothie has a smooth, rich texture that locks in all of the nutrients. A bad blender can lead to the smoothie not blending all the ingredients properly, leading to the awkwardness of little kale pieces that taste bad and get stuck in your teeth!

You might be thinking that you already have a blender, so what’s the big deal about getting on for kale smoothies? In truth, the factors that make kale so healthy (such as being very high in fibre) also mean that it is hard to break down.

Many blenders – even good ones – struggle to blend kale properly. That’s why you really need to make sure you get the best blender for kale smoothies.

To help you make the right decision and start enjoying delicious, healthy kale smoothies, here are our picks for the best blenders for making kale smoothies.

Best Bread Maker For Sourdough

by Carolyn

What’s better than freshly baked bread? What about sour dough bread in your bread machine? Find the right machine, and it’s easy enough to do. In this review, we have narrowed down the top choices when it comes to bread machines that can handle sour dough.

Be warned; these are not the cheapest options on the market. We’re not saying that a less expensive machine wouldn’t do equally well, but these four have offered consistently good and reliable results.

Are you ready to get started?

Best Burr Grinder for Aeropress

by Carolyn

For years, the Aeropress has been the gold standard for coffee drinkers. Despite its elegant and simple design, the Aeropress has more complexity than you might think

Yes, the device was created by a person who designs toys. But that doesn’t mean you should immediately break all your brewing method rules.

You should use freshly ground beans each time you use your Aeropress. With this in mind, it’s helpful to consider getting a grinder, which will allow you to enjoy the full potential of your beans.

Best Pot For Cooking Oatmeal

by Carolyn

Oatmeal is a very satisfying breakfast option and easy to come across. Unfortunately, it also notoriously difficult to stop it from sticking to the bottom of your pot. There are alternatives, like instant cook sachets that you just add water to, but these are high in sugar and preservatives.

You could, alternatively, zap it in the microwave or use one of the overnight “cooking” methods, but neither is particularly enticing to eat without a lot of toppings. They are no substitution for a nice bowl of warm oats with some butter and a touch of honey.

But how do you cook your oats and clean them up easily? By sticking to the right range of cookware. A great pot won’t stop the oats from overcooking, but it will ensure that they are more evenly cooked. High quality cookware is going to improve your chances of perfect oats.

In this review, we’ve narrowed down the choices to our three top selections. Will any of them be right for you? Why not have a look and see?

Best Meat Grinders for Wild Game

by Carolyn

There’s definitely a sense of satisfaction that comes from hunting or catching your own food. Unfortunately, often the taste of this meat does not live up to your expectations as wild game can be tough or chewy. It’s always a shame if, after the hard work that has gone into hunting, the meat is not up to your standards.

One of the best ways to prepare wild game is to use a meat grinder. This can make your meat more tender, juicy and delicious, likely to impress everyone who gets to try it! With a suitable meat grinder for wild game, you can make dishes such as sausages, hamburgers and stews easily.

However, you do need to find a suitable appliance as not all will lead to the best results. Therefore we have taken a look at what is available and put together a comparison of the best meat grinders for wild game available on the market.

We have looked at features including capacity, speed and motor power, as well as practical considerations regarding price and warranty to decide what is the best meat grinder for wild game.

Best Ovens for Baking Cakes at Home

by Carolyn

Baking and cooking are two very different things. Baking is an exact science, requiring perfect temperature control and timing. As such, convection ovens tend to be different from run-of-the-mill ovens.

A convection oven’s job is to heat and bake your convections evenly. Some ovens have a convection setting in addition to other cooking settings, while others are designed specifically for convections.

The best oven is one that’s intuitive enough to do the job you need done without any hassle or fuss. The most important factor is the ability to bake properly.

However, once you’ve established that, you might want to consider what other features you’re interested in.

Do you want a smart oven that can remember your temperature settings? What about LED indicator lights and backlit displays? Do you want a number of pre-programmed settings to choose from? And how big a factor is budget?

We’ve picked out our favorite 5 convection ovens and broken down why they’re great.

Best Rice Cookers Without Teflon

by Carolyn

If you’re looking for a rice cooker, it can be hard to decide where to start. Different cookers offer different features and settings.

To help with your decision, we’ve put together a list of our favorite non-Teflon rice cookers, all of which use basic smart technology.