Dan (3)

Ah, Madeleines. Still considered a gourmet treat in the US, although as common as cookies in England and other European countries. I was smitten from my college days in London. On the way home I'd buy a bag full, still warm and fragrant from the corner Patisserie to enjoy with ...

Chicago Metallic has a long history providing commercial bakeware for the foodservice industry, including many specialty pans. This Sweetheart Pan is sized for the home oven, and can make a full dozen heart-shaped confections.

The pan is constructed from a heavy grade aluminized steel, which is said to ensure even heating as well as ...

Let's face it: One of the benefits of life in the twenty first century has got to be the astounding selection of high-tech devices all designed to make a slice of bread hot and crunchy. Ah, the future.

This model, the Esclusivo Pro-Metal 4-slice Toaster, certainly satisfies the desire of those ...

Have you ever enjoyed a thick creamy soup at a restaurant, marveling at the texture and wondering what culinary magic could produce such a treat? Wonder no more. The cook simmered up a pot of ingredients in stock, seasoned it just so and blasted it into a puree with an immersion ...

This generous sized pan from Calphalon is really three pans in one. I use the saucier pan itself for cooking up large batches of gumbo and stew, plus it's the fastest way to boil up a batch of pasta due to the large base and wide shape. The steamer insert ...

I inherited my mothers old stand mixer and used it for years. The coolest thing about it was the streamlined appearance and aerodynamic shape. It finally died and I had to shop for a new model. What I love about the mixers of today is that they still have that wonderful ...

We all have that one pan that we use to cook just about everything. The one that we'd grab if the house was burning down rather than risk losing it.

This saucepan from All-Clad is the one I would be rescuing, although there's a good chance it could survive the fire with ...

Cookbook holders can be a real asset in the kitchen, especially ones that help to shield the cookbook from getting dirty such as this version.

This under cabinet style cookbook holder is robust, made from American maple, with metal hardware and an acrylic splatter shield which also helps keep the pages flat ...

From a coffeemaker perspective, this setup gives you everything you could ask for to get the job done. That is of course as long as you don't mind being woken up every morning to the sound of cats with their tails caught in a garbage disposal.

What could be better than ...

From a convenience standpoint, these are great. Fresh hot coffee dispensed as you like it. Soon enough, these will come standard equipment with the water and ice dispenser on your refrigerator door. (Heard it here first.)

Apart from the convenience, this is just another coffee maker. With a 12 cup capacity, programmable ...

Aah, the venerable slow cooker. Much like a tea kettle, this appliance does not need the latest breakthroughs in technology to do its job well. A large pot and a steady controlled heat source are all you need to prepare awesome meals well ahead of time.

This model from West Bend has ...

The Stainless line of cookware has been the leader of the pack for the All-Clad company since their start in the 70's. Professional chefs and restaurant kitchens have been using these pots and pans for that long, and over the years the reports have been overwhelmingly positive for the quality and ...

Ask a room full of coffee fanatics the best way to grind coffeebeans and the answer will be shouted out as one: "BURR GRINDER!"

Burr grinders, as the name indicates, use a pair of ceramic or steel "burrs" to carefully grind the beans. Think heavy gears meshing together and turning while the ...

This is known as a "semi-professional" coffee machine. What that means is that this shares many features with the professional machines you would find at your local coffee shop while keeping the size and price more suited to the consumer.

Rancilio has been in the coffee machine business since 1927. They have ...

If you are tired of dinner constantly getting cold while you wait for the family to join you at the table, perhaps one of these might help.

The sole function of this tray is, as the name so subtly implies, warming food items. This is not to be confused with an ...

This is a fairly complete set of the most common kitchen utensils, all featuring the trademark OXO handles. Ergonomic handle design and a soft, non-slip grip are the features that typify this brand, all meant to provide a more comfortable user experience in the kitchen.

The spatulas, spoons and ladles ...

This blender from KitchenAid is among the more heavy-duty blenders available for the price. It features a diecast metal base, meant to sit solidly on your counter. Also featuring a steel reinforced coupler, and one piece stainless steel blade for durability.

The motor on this blender is advertised as .9 horsepower. ...

This combo blender/food processor may be the ideal candidate for anyone who values versatility over volume in their food processing needs.

This unit features a 3 Cup food processor bowl, complete with the standard chopping blade and a reversible slicing/shredding disc. The blender attachment is a bit less, um, compact. The glass pitcher ...

This is Krups latest entry into the "combo coffee/espresso maker" market. The XP2070 appears to have all the necessary high-tech features. Pushbutton controls and a blue backlit digital display promise to take any guesswork out of your morning coffee fix.

The fully programmable coffeemaker has a 10 cup capacity along with a removable ...

Here is a useful addition to the kitchen arsenal, excellent when you need to prepare substantial quantities of chopped, sliced or shredded products for your recipes.

This unit, available in blue, white or red, has some convenience features unique to the genre. There is a storage drawer right in the unit's base for ...

If you have the space in your kitchen to hang a pot rack, I would recommend investing in one. You'll find it far easier when cooking to just reach up and grab the pot or pan you require than to go rummaging around in a cupboard for it.

Kitchen design is ...

The All-Clad company has been manufacturing stainless steel professional cookware for over 30 years. They have more recently incorporated hard-anodized aluminum to the extensive product line.

The process of hard-anodizing aluminum results in a very durable finish, actually harder than many steels, as well as nonstick and easy to clean. Of course, ...

This is a very practical set of everyday cookware, complete with tempered glass lids for the saucepans. The All-Clad company created these in partnership with Celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse, with a few details customized to his specifications.

These are constructed of 18/10 Stainless Steel. That number is a technical way of saying there ...

The lowly Toaster Oven has really matured over the years. I remember mine in college, a lowly metal box, good only for melting cheese on toast and the formica counter beneath it. Today's models can replace your standard oven quite practically, for all but the largest baking and roasting needs.

Case in point, ...

I have this feeling that we are getting back to our roots in the kitchen, due in large part to a shift in values, and the crappy economy of course. Less prepackaged micro-convenience foods, and more emphasis and time spent preparing meals from scratch.

Enter the OXO ...

The home Pressure Cooker was all the rage in the years following WWII. Then, with the advent of frozen meals and TV dinners it fell out of favor as the best way to prepare a speedy, substantial meal. Well, that and the reputation of older, shoddier models to blow ...

This scale is compact, sturdy, and has all the handy measuring features common to kitchen scales. Choice between ounces or grams, generous 11 lb. weighing capacity, and a zero out feature, also known as tare, which allows you to set your empty bowl on the scale ...

Aah, cast iron. It is really heartening to see that the durable cookware that fed the pioneers is still with us. You can thank the Lodge company for that. This Dutch Oven is the perfect vessel for chilis, casseroles, soups and the like. You'll want to avoid cooking ...

The immersion blender may seem like one of those specialty tools that the average cook doesn't have a need for. Trust me, once you use one in the kitchen you will be hooked, and finding more uses for it all the ...