Ergo Chef Knives - A Review

I love knives.

After cooking pots, they are my biggest kitchen obsession and I often try to pick up knives as varied as possible. I did get 2 knives from the US during my recent trip but that's for another post because today I am going to talk to you about Ergo Chef Knives.



Pros:

- They are gorgeous
- They are ergonomic and that's great for people who spend a lot of time chopping
- They are super sharp, as knives should be
- The cutting blade is very thin and this allows for very smooth and thin slicing. I don't think I have ever sliced onions this pretty before or minced up coriander leaves so fine before
- The knives are heavy at the front so it naturally lends more weight on whatever you are chopping up. That's clever.
- They don't cost a bomb. I have ogled at Wusthof knives for a long time but I just can't afford them at this time. I am not sure how these compare to that brand but honestly, I am happy with Ergo Knives.



Cons:

- If you like light knives that are easy to hold in hand for chopping (the Kerala way, will post pics soon) or peeling, then the chef knife is too heavy for that job
- They look serious and don't come in colours. May not be a con to you but is somewhat of a boo for me
- You only get them in the US at this time and shipping to your country if you live outside it may prove a bit expensive. But then again, now you know what you can ask your friends and family in Amrika can bring a food-lover like you next time they visit!

Here are the two knives I picked form the website and have been using for the past 2 weeks.



The 6" Chef Knife and the 3.5" Paring Knife

Leave a comment if you have any questions on best uses, or any other details.

    













**disclosure - I have received no monetary compensation for this post. I did, however, get to pick two knives from the website and got these for free but under no obligation to review or say nice things about. All opinions are honest and my own**

Joseph Joseph Scoop Colander

Probably one of my better purchases from the US during my last trip. The scoop colander from Joseph Joseph. I use it regularly for deep frying chips and also when I cook pasta or boil vegetables.

Super handy! I bought the green one, btw :)

Claypot from Tamilnadu

These clay pots are extremely popular in Kerala for making Kerala fish curry, but Sudha got it from Tamil Nadu and uses it exlusively for her vegetarian dishes. Note from Sudha below:

My wish to submit a kitchen thing of mine to your blog 'meet my kitchen things' has finally come true!
I wish to submit a clay pot that I got it from India.

Its price is Rs 20, after bargaining (less than 50 cents USD)

I bought if from a stall put up during a Marriamman festival in my husband's native village near Kumbakonam - Tamil Nadu. (The best places to shop, in my opinion)

I use this clay pot to prepare vegetarain dishes like puli kuzhambu, pulisherry and mooru kozhambu.

The first dish I prepared it was red gram lentil curry.

Prestige Dual Frying Pans

Although TH does the cleaning up after cooking, I am still very conscious of how many pots and pans I use during cooking. In the interest of saving time, water, detergent, and energy, it just seems the logical thing to do. Here's something that can make your job easier if you are anything like me.

They are great not just for breakfast. I can easily think of 10 different uses for it, starting with making the same dish but without one or two ingredients that someone doesn't like, less sugar for a diabetic in your family, less salt for mom 'cuz she suffers from hypertension.. the list goes on. A fantastic idea, yet so simple. Love it!

Seen at Debenhams UK. 

Fasta Pasta Microwave Cooker

Pasta is usually a quick weeknight dinner for us. What its not is a one pot meal. I use a wide pan to cook the pasta, a colander to drain it and another saucepan to make the pasta sauce. That's 3 pots to clean, apart from the plates and forks of course.

Here's something that can make it easier - Fasta Pasta Microwave Cooker. Works best for spaghetti.

The Beauty of Brass

Isn't this gorgeous? Brass has such beauty and class, unmatched by any "modern" utensils, me thinks. It has a lot of health benefits too. Here's an excerpt.

In Britain, researchers filled brass and earthenware vessels with a diluted culture of Escherichia coli bacteria, which can cause illnesses such as dysentery. They then counted the surviving bacteria after 6, 24 and 48 hours. A similar test was carried out in India using naturally contaminated water.

The amount of live E Coli in the brass vessels dropped dramatically over time, and after 48 hours they fell to undetectable levels. The key to the result is copper, which can disrupt biological systems. The element acts by interfering with the membranes and enzymes of cells; for bacteria, this can mean death.

Pots made of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, shed copper particles into the water they contain. The amounts that circulate into the brass water vessels could not harm humans. Even a person drinking 10 litres of such water in a single day would take in less than the daily recommended dose of copper or zinc.

Brass water pots also easily outperformed plastic ones, the researchers discovered.



Need more encouragement? I am getting brass water jugs next time I head to India. Huge thanks to Purnima for sending in these beautiful pictures of her brass tableware.

In her words "I bought these from Pune, Maharashtra. There is a very popular market called Tulsi Baugh which has plenty of shops selling all kinds of copper utensils, metal decorative pieces, bells, statues etc. It must have cost me not much just Rs.450/- for one piece. These are not used for cooking just for water and fruits."

Edited to add: The vessels featured in the pictures are both copper and not brass. According to Purnima, they are lighter and easier to carry. Either ways, the benefits still remain the same, so time for a change, people!!

Herbs Scissors - A Handy Kitchen Tool

I keep a clean pair of scissors in the kitchen for my herbs. Although I have seen herbs scissors in stores, it has never occurred to me to try them since I just used to think "ah they are just another pair of scissors."

Apparently not.

In Priya's words "Recently I bought this pair during my vacation, in a super market after the vendor's demonstration. Usually I never trust these sorts of gadgets but once I bought these I got hooked to them. It works tremendously well for chopping any sort of herbs, sometime garlic cloves and even onions. Its really very handy and now I cant stop chopping herbs with them!"

Thanks for sending these in Priya! Any converts or users out there?

What? Herbs Scissors

Where? Super Market Vendor

Price: 10 Euros

Everyday Knife from Ikea - Make your food look professional!

When I saw the Vegetarian Fried Rice recipe on Raks blog, I knew I had to get the details of the knife she used to cut the vegetables so beautifully. The answer was even better, its cheap, its from Ikea and its a great every-day knife.

IKEA 365+ GNISTRA

"Molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel blades with a full tang - the metal goes all the way though the handle - for better balance and durability. 

Specialty functions : Raks uses this for all her clhopping, mincing, slicing, julienning, etc. The handle is plastic and synthetic rubber, offers a great grip.

This knife proves that good quality knifes don't have to cost a fortune! With affordable prices of these professional quality knifes you will have more money for groceries"

What: Ikea 365+ Gnistra Everyday Knife

Where? Ikea

Price: SGD 12

LG Convection Microwave - Review

I can't believe its been a month since I updated something in here but I am super happy I have a fantastic review sent by Madhuri on her LG Convection Oven.

Before you read on, here are a couple of articles you may find useful:

- Types of Ovens
- Samsung Convection Oven Review

Over to Mads!

"Hello there y’all! It feels good that I have finally kept my promise to Nags, and sent her this read to share with you all here on MMKT. Nags, a big, heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to you for giving me an opportunity to share this article about my LG convection oven with your readers. I’m tickled pink!

I’ve spent a better part of my life baking, thanks to the baking bug running in the family. It goes right back till my great grand-mom, and am I glad I inherited those genes or what?!! Thank you fore-mothers! When I was little, I used to see great-grandmom and grandmom bake in their stove-top oven, filled with sand, and a cake would take what felt like eons to bake in it. The taste was great nonetheless. Later, when I was old enough to help Amma with baking, she got a round electric oven, which was treated with more love and care than anything else around the house back then. It was a piece of treasure to Amma and me. God, how many baked goodies we’ve made in that oven…I can’t even remember. Come Saturdays, and Nani (my maternal grandmom) would come over, and the three generations of women in the house, would be huddled in the kitchen, baking away! I couldn’t care less about getting in their way, but that is how I’d say the bug latched onto me like a leech, and hasn’t let go till date. We baked with the round oven for a good 15 years, and then Amma got a MW Convection Oven to save space in the kitchen. And ever since then, I’ve been in love with MW Convection ovens, ‘cos they work like a charm!

So when I had to set up my house, I opted for a 26 litre, LG Convection MW Oven (Model No - MC
7648WH) after a lot of market and internet surveys on price/features/capacity. It fit the budget that wehad set, and I was happy with the features. So it was a win-win situation for both the hubby, and me! He still wins hands down ‘cos he gets to eat all the scrummy stuff I churn out from the oven, doesn’t he? ;)

My LG Convection oven I should say, has never failed me (knock on wood) and I’ve never once regretted buying it. It is one of the best deals in the market if I could say so, without sounding partial to LG. Every baked goodie featured on Cook-curry Nook has been made in my LG oven, and I’m proud of it.

The first time I baked in it, I made these Chocolate Fudge Brownies, and they were simply yum-de-dum! Apart from the regular Microwave mode, and having a convection mode to bake in, the oven also boasts of grill and combination cooking modes.

Key Features:

• Intellowave Technology
• Multi cook Tawa
• 36 Auto Cook Menus
• Indian Auto Cook Menu
• Next Step Guide
• Quick Start
• Steam Clean
• Health Plus Menu

Where we bought it: Devi International Electronics, Jayanagar, Bangalore.

How much it cost us: INR 11990 was the quoted price when we bought it in December 2009; however, since we bought 4-5 of our big electronic gadgets from the store while setting up our house, we got it at INR 10,000, which was quite a steal. I’m sure this model costs a tad less now. For more information, you could also look it up on the LG website here."

Thanks for sharing your review on your LG convection oven Mads. I am sure people will find it useful :)

Mini Porcelain Jugs from Thailand

Another cute find by Sala

Mini Porcelain Jug

"I saw these cute little creamer jugs on the plane to Bangkok; they were being used for the airlines dinner service. It was love at first site. I just had to find these little cuties when I got off the plane in Bangkok! Luckily, I didnt have to search hard. I found them at a kitchen goods store in the Emporium Mall. The sweetest part was they were just over a buck!

These jugs are perfect for serving milk along with tea or coffee. Ive also used them for honey, sauces etc. Here's a post where I've used it."


Cute stuff, we like!

Submit your own Kitchen Things. 

Samsung CE1031L Convection Oven - Aparna Prabhu

Since a lot of people are now moving to convection ovens and even upgrading their existing ovens (like I did), I am thinking of doing a few posts featuring their experiences. 

Before doing the post on Types of Ovens - How to Choose an Oven, Aparna had reached out to me to talk a bit about her convection oven. Aparna blogs at Aps Kitchen and from her the cakes and cookies on her site (the last few baked in her new convection oven) you can see that she is using her new convection oven well. 

Here's what she has to say about her new oven which is a Samsung CE1031L:

"Hello I am Aps from Aps Kitchen. When I was requested by Nags to write about my oven, I was happy indeed but never knew what exactly to write about. Anyway, here goes:


I am not an expert in baking yet but I would like to share some information about my oven.We had an electric oven before but as we shifted homes we had to buy a new one. I always wanted to bake goodies at home and I have tried out cakes but when it came to cookies, I always had some problem or the other so I was waiting for a convection oven. 

After a long long thought process on which oven we should buy, when to buy it, and going through all those discussions and reviews from the  Internet, we decided to go for the Samsung Convection 28ltr Model Number 

CE1031L. The first things we were looking for is time-saving in baking and an affordable price. This was the final choice as it had many features like Bio Ceramic Cavity which is scratch resistant which saves time and energy in cleaning, 6 variable power levels which helps in cooking different type of food items, auto deodorization and yes,  after all Its Lovely.... :).  

The first thing which i prepared in this oven is Wheat Nan Katai and believe me, it not only tasted good but crusty and cruchy. Waiting to try more of baking goodies.

There is the next model of this oven which is really good too. it has an extra feature of auto cleaning which is not there in my oven ... and thts becoz i never found that one here... Now I can strongly recommend Samsung convection oven to any one. Its not only good but also affordable.  I got to know more about this as I bake."

What? Samsung Convection Oven cum Microwave

Where? Siddesh Electronics, Mumbai, but widely available in most kitchen appliances stores. 

Price: The Actual price was 11,200 INR and Apsgot a discount and paid 9550 INR. But the prices have gone down now and it costs INR 10,790. 

Please leave comments if you have any questions for Aparna and if you already use a Samsung Convection Oven, do leave your thoughts.

Easy recipes to get you started on that new convection oven!


Toblerone Shortbread
One Banana Banana Bread
Eggless Chocolate Melting Moments
Rich Dark Chocolate Cake

Lemon Reamer (Err.. What's a Lemon Reamer?)

Yep! That's pretty much the reaction I had when I saw Sala's email. When I saw this gorgeous lemon squeezing thingy on her Jalapeno Lemonade post (which, btw, have kickass photos!), I knew I wanted it to be up here in MMKT.

In Sala's words:

"When I first went looking for this kitchen tool, I asked the store assistant for the "thing you squeeze lemons with". "What thing?" she asked. I made a vigorous juicing gesture with an imaginary lemon on one hand, and this tool in the other. Thats all it require for her to point me in the right direction. Its called a lemon reamer or citrus reamer. It makes squeezing juice out of citrus fruit really easy. It comes in aluminum as well, but I like the wood one better."

(sidenote: Sala's pics are so gorgeous!)

What? Lemon Reamer / Lemon Squeezer
Where? Sala got it from Bed, Bath and Beyond. You can buy Online from Amazon (wooden reamer) or buy using this link on Amazon (aluminium reamer).
Price: USD 5.99 for the wooden one and USD 9.99 for the aluminium one.

Small Vegetable Chopper

Chopping vegetables is probably the most frustrating part of the cooking process for me. Since I am quicker than TH in chopping, I take it on usually and never let go of a shortcut to get it done sooner.

Here's a cute little chopper that Sharmilee shared.

It can dice up vegetables and even whip eggs for baking!

What? Small vegetable chopper

Where? Rathna Stores, Chennai

Price: INR 1000 / USD 22 approx

Pyrex 1 Litre Glass Bowl with Lid

I have quite a few items sent to me by readers but I am being lazy and posting from drafts. From next week, the posts will be mainly from contributors and less about what's in my kitchen.

So, let's talk Pyrex bowls. This one was a hasty purchase because there was a sale and 50% off. I wish I had picked up one more because I use it for everything now. 

By everything, I mean, mixing batter for bajji, storing cut vegetables before cooking, freezing batches of dal, you name it. The nifty lid really helps transfer the glass bowl into a storage bowl in a jiffy. 

Its thick, its microwaveable, its Pyrex. Need more reasons?

What? Pyrex 1 Litre Glass Bowl with Lid

Where? Tangs Orchard, Singapore

Price: SGD 4 (at 50% off)

Microwave Egg Cooker

Cute kitchen tings always gets my attention, even more than cute babies do (sorry parents!). If the cute kitchen thing can also cook eggs in the microwave, even better. 

What? Microwave Egg Cooker

Where? NTUC FairPrice

Price: SGD 2

The one I have has a base and a lid with few holes on the top, for steam to escape. 

Its very simple to use and although it says 20-30 seconds, in my microwave, it took closer to a minute. 

I wish I had a picture of the cooked egg, but will post soon, I promise. 

Microwave Steamer / Cooker

Cooking in the microwave has become quite normal now. What started off as a luxury kitchen item (atleast in India) has now become a necessity, especially for the working men and women. Although I still cook my rice in the pressure cooker, I do use the microwave occasionally for boiling potatoes and other vegetables or to boil some eggs (a cute little microwave egg cooker coming up soon!). 

Thanks to Raks for sharing this nifty little microwave steamer with us. In her words, "This is a three piece steamer - bottom to pour in the water, middle container to place the item that has to be steamed, and a lid with a steam vent."

"Its excellent for steaming corn, vegetables and also other things such as rice noodles, dumplings. We can save time compared to the electric or stove top steamer (cooking time for corn- 4 minutes, rice noodles - 2 minutes)"

Wow! That is quick! Thanks Raks :)

What? Microwave Steamer

Where? Mustafa Center, Serangoon Plaza, Singapore

Price? Between 10 and 20 SGD

Measuring Cups Mania

Thanks to Durga who persistently asked me for measuring cups information, now I have a post on it! MMKT is all about fulfilling your kitchen needs. Or something like that.

Anyway, here's what Mriganayani uses.

In her words, "My measuring spoons and cups - these are a must for baking - but I love the colors in this and also that they can be bunched up together and stored so that they don't just disappear like a lot of my other measuring cups!"

Cost - 12 USD for both the sets

Reema has pretty green ones, check them out!

She says "These come with the universal standards embossed on them - 1, 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4 cup. They are super easy to use and I havent taken their tag off because it helps me keep them together. Imagine not finding one of them when you need it! The brand is Ebano, which is possibly why they seem a bit pricey but they are heat-proof so it is okay to dunk them into stuff that is hot."

Where? Hypercity, Inorbit Mall, Hyderabad

Price? 170 INR

Sailu has pretty ones from Ikea. I have the ones on the left because.. well.. they are from measuring cups from Ikea! Check them out. 

 

In Sailu's words, "the red measuring cups and spoons you see above are standard American measurement from IKEA. I use the cups for both Indian cooking and baking while I use the spoons only for baking which requires precise measurement. They are convenient to store requiring less storage space and have the measurements embossed on the handles."


Where? IKEA
Price? Around 8 USD for both

Now lets dream, shall we? 2 Measuring cup sets from my wishlist. 

The beautiful cups that Nigella Lawson uses in her videos, they are simple, handy and come in gorgeous colours. 


Price: USD 18 - USD 25















My absolute drool-list has these measuring cups from Anthropologie.

Price and other details are here.

So, what do you measure with?

Wooden Spoons - Dress Up Your Kitchen & Photos!

Sometimes you need to take a step back in life and appreciate the small things. Smallness that brings in joy and beauty - like wooden spoons do to a kitchen. I started using them mainly on my non-stick cookware but now I use them with pretty much any cookware. They are handy, easy to maintain and add a special touch to your food pictures.

Here's an example of that. Sala's gorgeous picture of her disposable wooden spoons, priced at 99cents (USD) for a pack of 6 from the World Market.

This pretty looking stack was sent by Mriganayani. Here's what she has to say about her collection. "No matter what kind of pan I use, I always use wooden spoons for cooking and stirring and scraping. I bought some of these from the shops in Guruvayoor temple when I visited there last time. The container that holds these is actually a wooden pickle jadi with a cover. But, I love to use this as a wooden spoon holder! They stay on my counter and look pretty. Each of these wooden spoons cost about Rs. 15  each. And the base was about Rs.600".

Here's a picture from my archives of Tomato Spinach Pulao featuring the coconut shell bowl and fork (the spoon is missing in the pic) that I bought for about Rs. 50 a pair.

Ikea Egg Slicer

Here's a nifty little tool for mess-free slices of hard-boiled egg. In Sig's words, "It cuts hard bolied eggs into attractively thin slices and wedges for salads."

What? Egg Slicer
Where? Ikea
Price? Less than 5 USD

The egg slices look so pretty! And all it takes is a second with this slicer. You can see these egg slices in action on Sig's Curried Pork Belly Sandwich Recipe. 

Thanks for sharing your Kitchen Thing Sig!