Sharing today three go-to gadgets for the kitchen, with one being the oldey, but goody, for the baker.
First, this herb stripper. Sounds like the name of a male exotic dancer, but rest assured you will love the naughty way it removes all the leaves from herbs without you having to remove one. tiny. leaf. at. a. time. It’s $7.95 from Williams-Sonoma.
Next, while we are on the topic of herbs, I love this set of herb saver pods from Sur La Table. They are like terrariums for herbs. You fill the bottom of the pod and place your herbs, root tip down into the water, close the door and your herbs stay fresh and hydrated. Did you know asparagus should be stored upright in water in the fridge till you are ready to prepare it? Well, you can store it in the pod. Mint from the garden for your iced tea, now handy on the counter.
This will be a great tool with the holidays coming up to keep your herbs for Thanksgiving meals fresh. $29.95 for a set of three pods.
Last, my old/new sifter. Our little neighbor down the street had an estate sale and we picked out her sifter as a “little piece of Peggy.” Now, when I bake I will think of her.
I did a little search on the patent number…made in 1943 in Minneapolis by the Foley Sifter Company. Now, that’s vintage folks. This sifter is 73! I hope I can live up to all the cooking Peggy did.
Sifters are perfect for aerating ingredients like flour before incorporating them into your wet ingredients. But, you can also achieve similar results with a whisk. Joy the Baker has a great post about this on her blog. Powdered sugar, definitely needs to be sifted if you want a lump-free frosting.
So, there you are. Three essential kitchen gadgets and you learned how to aerate flour. My work is done here.
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
