I have had a general dislike and distrust for insulated bottles since my elementary school days, when the thermos that was included in my Care Bears lunch box (don’t you goddamn judge me) would routinely spill whatever was inside all […]
Tag: gear
Arbitrary: Why I love my balcony garden
Until moving to Calgary, the closest I came to balcony gardening was the flower bed in front of our old apartment in Edmonton’s Belgravia neighbourhood, which the owners actively encouraged us to plant with veggies and herbs. Try as we […]
Gear: Parchment paper
I only started using parchment paper a couple of years ago, when a recipe for macarons requested it be put down on a baking sheet before piping on mounds of sticky almond egg goop. How clueless was I? I’d […]
Gear: Wooden toaster tongs
How many times have you said to yourself, “Damn, self. I sure love toast, but I hate accidentally electrocuting myself when I remove a slice from the toaster with a fork. Isn’t there … a BETTER WAY?” Yes, my […]
Gear: Cuisinart Griddler, first look
A couple of months ago, our household George Foreman Grill gave up the lean, mean ghost. It couldn’t be saved. We mourned its loss, and we took it as a sign – it was time to trade up to a […]
Kitchen Gear: Fancy lemon zester
I’m serious about zesting. As someone who loves pure lemony flavour, I occasionally work with recipes that require lemon zest – my famous lemon blueberry muffins, say, as well as my family’s secret orehnjaca recipe*. Of course, most people would […]
Kitchen Gear: Ove Glove
Oven mitts have a rough time in my household. Between my wife accidentally burning them and the inevitable wear and tear on the lining through repeated use, they start to get ratty. And once they get ratty, your chances of […]
Kitchen Gear: Oxo digital thermometer
I’ve got a couple of different thermometers that I use in the kitchen, each for different purposes. My candy thermometer is great for high-temperature work (boiling sugar for making things like marshmallows and macarons), and my little dial thermometer adequately […]