recipephile

Product Review - The Moen Solidad Faucet

What I Tested: (Moen Solidad DIY Faucet $229.00 at Home Depot )
Moen sent an email asking if I’d like to test their high end faucet, which cost over $700 and I immediately declined thinking that I would probably have to have a plumber come over to the house to install the product.  It did not seem fair to me or to the blog to try something out that needed a professional to install it. When I told the representative that I was focusing on DIY gadgets he recommended that I test out the Solidad faucet, which I could likely install on my own. 

What I Made:
I really did make myself crazy trying to install the faucet.  This was the first time I had ever attempted something like this and I was wildly unprepared.  In the end, however, it all worked out and I now cooking away and cleaning things up with ease.

How it Rated:
Unless you install faucets every day or have done it in the past, this is no easy task, but Moen did their best to make the process as simple as possible. The kit came complete with a few tools for tightening some of the screws (you still need to supply your own wrench and screwdriver) as well as a step-by-step instruction booklet that used pictures to explain the installation.

After realizing that I did not have the tools needed to complete the installation I called on my friend Timmy for some help. He came prepared, tools and all, but when it came time to follow the instructions we both stood there a little confused. Pictures can be very helpful and so can words, but when they live on their own they can be a little confusing. This was the case with the Moen direction. All pictures and no words make Timmy and Mikey confused boys, but in the end we figured it out.

Actually, we got all of the way to the end and when it came time to connect the faucet pipes to the pipes leading from the valves to the faucet Tim realized that what existed with the old faucet would not work with the new faucet.  So we headed down to the hardware store to pick up some new, flexible pipes. With a few turns of the screw and the valves set to the water pressure desired my sink was back in business.

This product works very well and its height is perfect for filling large stock pots or cleaning an oversized piece of cookware. The removable nozzle is also very handy and allows me to thoroughly clean the sink or fill up a pot while it rests on the countertop. Although we had a few headaches with the installation the overall experience has been incredible.

Product Review - The Rival 6 Cup Rice Cooker

What I Tested: The Rival 6 Cup Rice Cooker
My friend Timmy swears by this rice cooker, but I was a little skeptical -- only because I wondered how much I would actually use a rice cooker.  But, as Tim explained to me, this not only cooks rice, but also steams veggies.  At $16.99 (you can get it at Amazon, just click on the price) I figured it was worth a try.  My goal was to really test this thing and prepare a full meal.  Since I love brown rice, and think it is very difficult to cook, I decided to opt for brown rice to see how the appliance would do.  I also wanted to steam broccoli and a piece of fish.

What I Made:
Broccoli, brown rice and a salmon fillet.  I made the rice first, removed it from the pot and covered so that it would keep warm.  Half way through the cooking of the rice, about 10 minutes, I added the steam tray and steamed my broccoli for about 5 minutes.  Once that was done I added some water to the bottom of the pan with a the juice from 1/2 lemon. Then I added the steam basket to the cooker and steamed my fish for about 6 minutes.  A little bit of soy sauce and sesame seeds and my lunch was ready to go.  The whole process took about 30 minutes.  Not the fastest meal in the world, but delicious and healthy all the same.

How it Rated:
This product is great.  It is very useful and does a great job at preparing rice and other foods (like broccoli and salmon).  There is a handy guide that tells you how long to cook veggies and the cooker just seems to know when the rice is done.  It would be nice if there was some sort of timer on the machine that told you how long the food would take to cook.  I kind of guessed based on the information in the directions booklet.  Also, the lid does not fit firmly on top of the pot so when the rice is cooking the steam escapes from a hole on the lid, and also spatters out the sides and can get a little messy.  All in all, this is a handy little product that lets you prepare a nice healthy meal with one appliance.

Thighs of a Cross Between a Wild and Domestic Duck and Leek Skewer

In the heart of Tokyo they have a covered food market called Nishiki.  This was my favorite of all experiences during my trip.  The long hallway is filled with food vendors selling everything from interesting veggies with what we think was powdered miso and blowfish sashimi (John REFUSED to let me try this at the risk of it being prepared the wrong way and poisoning me) to all kinds of pickled veggies and skewers.  The best one we had was the "Thighs of a Cross Between a Wild and Domestic Duck and Leek" skewer.  Yes, that was the name and although the it is a long one and not really localized for the potential English speaking customers, it was absolutely delicious and something I would have eaten over and over again.

Anders had the Chicken Thighs and Leek Skewer With what I believe was a teriyaki sauce. We tried the duck skewer with teriyaki sauce also.

At 150 yen this is something you do not want to pass up next time you are in Kyoto ;).  Stay tuned for a version of the duck skewer. It is something John and I vowed to make when we get home.

Recession Cooking - Dinners for Family of Three, One Month, $99.89

The recession has hit so many people. Thousands of lost jobs spreading across a number of sectors.  Once big time bankers are scrambling for jobs at places like Starbucks.  Houses that were once worth $750,000 are now half of that and "being underwater on my real estate purchase" is something many of us in the Bay Area hear all of the time.  For a good friend of mine, her situation is a little different.  She is a single mom, has two beautiful children and lives in Belmont where she works as a teacher and struggles to feed her family of three.

My friend and I care for her deeply and do everything we can for support.  For her, an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on is just enough, but we wanted to do a little more and use our skills in the kitchen to teach her how to recession shop and recession cook.  The first time we ever took her grocery shopping she lived in the frozen food section.  Frozen carrots, broccoli and prepared meals filled the cart.  When I asked her why she told me that it is the best way to feed hungry kids that love veggies.  They are frozen so they do not go bad and she does not have the time or the money to be buying fresh.

During a recent trip to Costco I walked into the veggie cave (that big refrigerator filled with fresh vegetables) and saw a big bag of broccoli for $3.99.  It dawned on me then and there -- Let's take her recession shopping and work with her to prepare the same meals she buys at the grocery store for much less.  It became a project and I signed on Jeffrey for some help.  We came up with a menu, did the shopping and cooked until she had enough dinners to feed the family for almost a month.  Not only was it easy, it was fun and we think she learned quite a bit that day.

Before I go into what we bought and made let me tell you a little bit about the money that she usually spends on dinners for her and the kids.  Usually, depending on sale items and other goods, she'll spend about $75/week or $300 a month for dinners.  Not that bad for a single mom with two kids, but imagine if you could about spend a third of that amount and still get about the same amount of food?  That is what we did.

We shopped at Costco and bought a limited number of items at Safeway and spent $99.89.  From what we purchased we prepared about 23 days of meals for her and her two children (both are under the age of 5).

This is what we purchased and prepared:

- 10 lbs of organic carrots - $4.59
- 3 lbs of broccoli florets - $.3.99
- 2 lbs of French green beans - $5.49
- 2 1/4 lbs of asparagus - $3.99
- 5 lbs of onions - $4.99
- 6 pounds of ground beef - $17.76 ($2.96/pound)
- 10 tilapia fillets - $16.83
- 1 package of 20 boneless chicken thighs - $11.17
- 6 cans of assorted beans (kidney, black and cannelini) - $7.50
- 36 eggs - $4.99
- 4 packages of Progresso Panko style bread crumbs ($2.49 each) - $9.96
- 1 bag of ciabbatta rolls (10 rolls in one bag) - $4.49
- 1 extra large can (102 oz or 6lb and 6 oz.) of diced tomatoes - $2.75
- 1 small can of tomato paste - 1.39

Note -- The recipe below includes fresh basil, which someone pointed out can be expensive.  It was left off my list because I harvested it from my garden for free.  You can buy it from the grocery store, but it will be a little costly.  The farmers market is a better place to get basil and will cost you $1-$2.  You can also use dried basil.

After shopping we headed back to Jeffrey's house to begin preparing the following:

- Assorted vegetables cleaned, chopped and packaged into the sandwich size Ziplock bags for freezing. Collectively the veggies yielded 69 servings of veggies (or 23 servings for a family of three)

- 1 big pot of chili that yielded us 26 cups of chili, which yielded us about 10.5 servings for 3

- 9 hamburgers (about a 1/4 pound each), which yielded us 3 servings for 3

- 15 pieces of breaded chicken thighs, which yielded 5 servings for 3 (the other 5 were frozen and will be used to grill)

- 10 pieces of breaded tilapia fillets, which yielded us 5 servings for 3

Now lets do some math.  The average month has about 30 days.  My friend spends $75/week or 300/month or $10/day on dinners for her family. At a cost of $99.89 for 24 dinners (this includes an entree and a vegetable) she'll only spend about $4.16 a day for a savings of $5.83.  Multiply that 5.83 by 23 and it gives you $134.09 in savings for that period of time.  These are dollars that can go towards other things, like rent, in her case medication, clothing and better yet -- even savings.

If you and your family have been hit hard by the recession, consider a little bit of recession shopping and cooking and start to change your ways in the kitchen.  No doubt you can still buy great food and prepare flavorful meals for your family and save some money while you are at it.

Here is the recipe for the recession style breaded chicken thighs.  This is the bulk version...

- 15 boneless chicken thighs
- 2 boxes of Progresso Panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup of chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
- 1.5 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsps freshly ground black pepper
- 12 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Clean the chicken thighs and set aside. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and set aside.  Combine the bread crumbs and remaining ingredients into a large bowl, mix well and set aside.

To bread the chicken dip one of the pieces into the egg.  Place it into the bread crumbs and coat the chicken with the breading. You will be breading each piece twice so repeat this process and then place the breaded piece of chicken onto a cookie sheet.  Repeat until all of the chicken is breaded.

Place the cookie sheet into the oven and cook for 15 minutes.  Open the oven, flip the pieces of chicken and cook for another 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Once cool separate into Ziploc bags, 3 per bag and place into the freezer.

When you are ready to cook em' up remove from the freezer and place into a preheated 350 oven for 20-25 minutes. You can take a piece out and cut in half to ensure that it is cooked all of the way through.

PS - I have to thank my friends Jeffrey and John. They not only let us use their place to cook, but they both helped and John saved the chili from being a soupy mess.

Product Review - The Garlic Zoom and Tasty Marinara Sauce

What I Tried: The Garlic Zoom ($9.99 - Available here.)
The phone rang and my nephew Sam barked at me on the other end, “Uncle Monkey, have you ever seen the Garlic Zoom before, because I really want to test it out with you.” Sam’s inspiration in the kitchen at such a young age (he is 13) is pretty cool and his excitement for innovative kitchen gadgets is something that I relish.

Sam instructed me to head out to the Chef’n Web site to check out the Garlic Zoom, which is a little orb like apparatus with wheels on the outside that operate little blades on the inside. This product claims to make the process of mincing garlic simpler (and faster too).  All you need to do is place a clove or two into the orb, close it up and roll it like a Matchbox car on the counter and voila, minced garlic.

What I Made: 
Minced garlic, which went into a batch of marinara dressing.

-    Extra virgin olive oil
-    Four cloves of minced garlic
-    1 medium sweet onion, chopped
-    ½ cup of dry vermouth
-    1 large can of diced tomatoes (I like using San Marzano tomatoes)
-    1 handful of parsley, chopped
-    1 tsp of lemon zest
-    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
-    ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese (I use Parmeggiano Reggiano, which is available at just about every grocery store or specialty gourmet shop)

Cover the bottom of a saucepan with the olive oil (about a ¼ cup or a little less should do) and turn the heat to medium. Sauté the garlic for about a minute (do not let the garlic brown or it will taste funny and if it does brown start all over) and then add in the onions and sauté until translucent. Turn up the heat to high, let the pan get really hot and pour in the vermouth. Once the liquid has cooked down reduce the heat to medium, add the tomatoes, taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking for about 30 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let cool for about an hour. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper if needed. Finish off with the parsley, lemon zest and cheese.

Serve over pasta or just stand over the pot with a big loaf of crusty Italian bread and have at it.

What it Rated:
Sam thinks the Garlic Zoom is pretty cool, but he was quick to point out a few things. The orb itself is a little small so you cannot fit more than two cloves of garlic in there at a time. You have to get used to the way the wheels operate and the amount of pressure you need to put on the orb to make it zoom. Once you master these the product is a breeze to use.

Getting the bulk of the garlic out is quite simple, but there are always a few stragglers that refuse to come out unless you lightly tap the orb and force them out.

All in all… Sam gives the Garlic Zoom two enthusiastic thumbs up. It is fun, affordable and helps you avoid that garlic smell that lingers on the fingers post mincing.

Ancient Noodle Shop in the Heart of Kyoto

During my trip to Kyoto last week my friends and I discovered this amazing noodle shop called Misoka-an Kawamichiya located at Fuyacho sanjo agaru, which is different from the street name, Aneyakoji St.  Not sure how they do addresses in Japan, but this is what is on their card.  The restaurant has been in business and making (soba) buckwheat noodles) since 1710.  They make their soba by hand and serve it in a homemade broth.

They have an interesting dish called hokoro.  This features chicken that is simmered together with fresh vegetables, thin slices of soybean curd (yuba), Japanese mushrooms, fried fish paste (hirousu), steamed fish paste (shinjo) and other yummy stuff. Hokoro is a big dish that feeds two and is served over a fire in a large pot right at the table.  It is served with soba and udon (wheat noodles).

We tried the grilled chicken marinated in soy sauce and sprinkled with a mild Japanese green pepper (sansho) and also Nishin, which is Kyoto-style herring with small green pimento peppers as our appetizers.  I had udon noodles with chicken and welsh onions (so did John and Kristi) and it was delicious.  We asked for some soy and wasabi and added those in to spice it up a little. Anders had his soba noodles with herring.

Product Review - Metrokane Flip Top Cocktail Shaker and Boyd and Blair Vodka

What I Tested:
Metrokane Flip Top Cocktail Shaker (Available at Amazone for $30) with Boyd and Blair Potato Vodka ($29.49 – only available in PA for now)

This was unknown an fact to me when I started testing kitchen gadgets and it surprised me to find out that the company that makes the famous Rabbit, Metrokane wine opener also makes a number of other great kitchen products. The team at Metrokane recently sent along their Flip Top cocktail shaker for me to test and I was more than happy to imbibe a few martinis with friends to find out what this shaker was all about.

The shaker has a top that flips and flops from one side to another. So there is no need to take the top off after shaking.  One side is closed and the other has slits that allow drinks to flow freely from the cup underneath.  This is a pretty neat idea as far as shakers are concerned.

Around the same time that the shaker was sent my way my mother forwarded me an article about a new vodka that my good friend Prentiss was launching. Prentiss is from Pittsburgh PA and he and his friend decided a few years ago to begin researching how to produce and market potato vodka. The vodka, named Boyd and Blair, is made from locally grown Pennsylvania potatoes and although it is only available in the state where its tubers take root as well as Cleveland, Columbus and very soon Chicago, Prentiss and his partner are busy striking additional distribution deals with liquor control boards across the country.

What I Made:
We tested the Flip Top Cocktail Shaker a few times. One of my favorite restaurants/hangouts is at the top of the stairs at Eureka Restaurant in San Francisco. My friends and I frequent this eatery for its delicious pork chop and all around friendly atmosphere.

Stephen the bartender is loved by one and all and his martinis are out of this world.  It only seemed appropriate that I bring him the Flip Top Cocktail Shaker for some thoughts on its usability.

Stephen makes a mean martini – my favorite is Grey Goose with a splash of Rose’s Lime Juice and a wedge of lime on the glass – and he was more than willing to use the Flip Top to make me one of my favorite cocktails.

We also made Boyd & Blair Martinis. My friend Timmy filled the shaker with ice, added a dash of dry vermouth and shook away.  We spritzed the glass with a teeny tiny bit of vermouth, tossed in some olives (three green ones to be exact) and poured in the shaken martini.

The drinks were great.

How It Rated:
It is always so interesting to test a product along with an expert – like Stephen. He had some pretty interesting insights.  Overall we both really liked the idea behind the shaker. It worked, but as a bartender Stephen had some thoughts. He felt that the size of the shaker was spot on, but he mentioned that the metal used to produce the Flip Top is a little thick, kind of like a thermos, so it was tough for him to gauge whether the vodka had been shaken to the level of chill he likes to feel on the shaker before pouring. He also felt that the slits on the top of the shaker were a little too thin, which caused the liquid to come out too slowly.

I am not an expert bartender, nor do I have five or six orders lined up and a bunch of whiny customers begging for their drinks. My thoughts on this product is that although it may not be right for a bartender in a busy restaurant it works really well at home and the shaker top helps to ensure that your bar area stays nice and clean. The one thing that I would change… The top is kind of hard to maneuver into the flip positions. Other than that I would definitely give this product a whirl.

The Boyd and Blair vodka was great. It is rather smooth and has very little bite, which I like.  You can tell when you taste this product that it is thoughtfully produced.

Char Siu and Japanese Proscuitto

This is one of the many things we ate during my recent trip to Kyoto.  These buns, which I usually associate with Chinese cooking (char siu bao), are soft, bread-like and filled with a mixture of pork and onions.  While John and Anders and I loved ours, Kristi was not so pleased.  I think the Kanzi says "eat this Chinese pork bun crazy Amerian."

We also saw this package of Japanese Proscuitto at the Circle K and had to give it a try.  It was not bad at all.  Maybe it could have been sliced a little thinner, but worth the try.  As we strolled the streets of Kyoto we actually noticed that a number of butcher shops were displaying pre-sliced Japanese Proscuitto.  As you can see on the package there is a nice glass of red wine, possibly a Chianti, but since the Circle K's red wine selection was so limited we opted for some bottled water instead.  Take note of the number on the bottom of the package.  It reads in the same way they present dates outside of the US.  09 - Day, 03 - Month and 29 - Year.  So if this is the "expire" date then this tasty treat will live fine in your fridge until March 9, 2029.

Product Review -- Fresh at Hand Herbs

What I Tried:
Fresh at Hand flash frozen and vacuum dried herbs (Approx $5-6) at grocery and gourmet stores.

Most of the people that I cook with are purists.  The thought of using dried herbs for some is an abomination. Many people that I have spoken to about this subject feel that the drying process robs fresh herbs of their oils and flavors.  Then I got a call from the team at The Spice Hunter, the company that makes Fresh at Hand.  Fresh at Hand herbs are picked fresh, flash frozen and then freeze dried. This process apparently removes the moisture, but retains the oil, aroma, color and flavor.  Forever a skeptic when it comes to things like this I had to give them a try.

What I Made:
I decided that I needed to make a few dishes to really test whether liquids would help to rehydrate the herbs and release the flavors.  The first was a rice dish that I prepared in my Rival 6 cup rice cooker. The rice cooker is so easy to use, all you need to do is put the ingredients in the pot, cover and turn it on. I used 1 tbsp of the Italian Herb mixture, 2 tsps garlic, 1 cup of rice and 1.5 cups of chicken broth. The rice took less than 15 minutes to cook and the Rival rice cooker has a warmer.  So you can make the rice well before dinner and keep it warm for a while.

We were having salad for dinner so I made dressing with the Spring Salad Mix (dill weed, shallots, garlic and chives).  2 tbsp Spring Salad Mix herb, 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper (about three or four turns of your mill should do). Hand blenders come in handy here because they help to emulsify the oil and vinegar mixture, but if you do not have a hand blender then place the ingredients into a jar, cover and shake very very well.  That should do the trick.

You can check out the Rib Roast that I made by logging on here.

How They Rate:
Once a skeptic, not anymore.  These herbs are really incredible and a great alternative when fresh is not available.  For even the most hard core purist, Spice Hunter’s innovation with dried herbs went over very well with me.