A what?
The bloom stage is something baristas like to see. It happens in the intitial pouring of water over the grounds – just enough – to allow that special “thing” to happen.
If you are into that sort of thing, Oxo has a coffee drinder(brewer for you! Wired gives a review.
Two main complaints – it is a big machine on your counter, and it makes relatively small cups (around half of a mug). That may be a deal breaker for power drinkers.
Did I mentione that I am a sucker for kitchen gadgets?
Do you need a cutting device that makes it easier to dice veggies? Proably not, especially if you are Jaques Pepin or his skills with a knife. But do you want something that does this job very well?
I do. I will get one and let you kn ow how it works!
`I have to agree with Max Falkowitz.
The perfect little things in life make the crappy big things in life less of a bother. And that means, finding the perfect ice cube maker is worth our attention, if just for a moment.
I do have a set of these for single huge round ice cubes. They are delightful for keeping a cocktail cool. But ice cube trays? I am deficient in ice cube trays! I admit it!
Max has the solution from Oxo. Now where is my credit card …
When I first saw the headline, I was skeptical.
This May be the Best-Designed Drip Coffee Maker Ever!
To be clear, I am a french press guy. Have been for decades. Every now and then I pull out my espresso maker. But pressed coffee won me over long ago. And I never bought into the electric drip machines. Which is surprising, since I am a sucker for kitchen gadgets.
But perhaps it was because the drip coffee machines I have tried were not properly designed! Perhaps it was because they were not … adjustable!
That is the pitch for the December Coffee Dripper.
Unlike other drip coffee makers, the contraption has three settings that control the speed with which water is released into the mug. Nicholas Cho, one of the designers of the December Dripper, explains in his Kickstarter video that how fast or slow water is let out from the maker depends on how many cups of coffee you’re making. Too fast for one cup and you won’t get the full flavor of the roast. The maker was also specifically made to have a flat bottom to encourage even distribution of water over the grounds.
Of course! Will I join their kickstarter campaign? Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, check out the video at the above link. It is fun … with coffee.
Enjoy!
If you are into Danish design, and who isn’t, then you might want to check out this article from Saveur about kobenstyle.
Each season, I like to take on one cooking project. I like to try to master one new fairly complicated thing. This summer it will be marquise au choclat, a la Dorie Greenspan. Her’s look like this
It is essentially a frozen chocolate mousse. with a chocolate icing. Other variations might look like this
I will be most grateful if mine come out anywhere near this level.
Onward!
Today appears to be expensive kitchen gadget day. Below, I posted on the Hestan Cue, and here the Prep&Cook. Yes, it costs errr … $1k. And yes, it is big. Here is the pitch from Epi
Prep&Cook is identified as an “all-in-one” appliance, and it appears to work just like the Thermomix does: you chop or purée ingredients using the 12-speed food processor, then keep those ingredients right in the bowl as the appliance heats up and cooks them.
Not enough?
the Prep&Cook also kneads doughs, whips cream, steams rice, slow-cooks meat, and stir-fries vegetables. (Over at the New York Times, however, the always-exacting Florence Fabricant found something the Prep&Cook can’t do, noting that “it cannot make neat shreds or slices.”)
Hmmm … does one really need such a thing? No. Would it be fun to try it out? Yes.
