Cute, Quality Gadgets

I have always liked to look at gadgets at culinary stores such as William Sonoma so that I can get familiar with the quality of kitchen gadgets. I recently replaced some of my old gadgets and they are so cute and easy to use. The can opener that looks like pliers is useful when opening a can for you can do it without much effort for a "semi-lefty" like me.  I love this cake server because it can be displayed like a high heel shoe and the heel is magnetic so it can be removed when you are using it.

I  love serving my guests with this 2-piece hostess serving set which are styled with beads.  My favorite gadget is the scented candle (which is battery operated). It flickers and glows like a real candle but without the fire hazard. I have tried the Elastomoule silicone muffin mold, and it is so easy to pop the muffins out. The grater is so sharp and grates as well as a professional culinary grater. After using these good-quality gadgets, I am definitely going to look carefully at whatever I buy in the future.

Fancy Crepes

We love crepes and I usually made them on no school days for the kids.  On Sunday,  I was busy working on my accounting book, my daughter was very nice to make brunch for us.  This is how she presented it, isn't it beautiful?

 

 

I saw this orange ceramic container last year and loved the color.  I later found out it is supposed to use for keeping the cooked tortillas warm.  I thought it would be nice to use it on crepes too. It did keep the crepes warm while we ate. I love these square plates I bought from Z Gallery last year and I have been using them daily at dinner time.  The simple food just look delicious when you have good presentation!

Unique Gift Idea - Claypot

An idea that just popped in my head is that you can give this Chinese claypot as a Christmas gift if you still need a last minute gift.  All asian supermarkets carry this item.  Many of the claypots have designs on them. The Japanese ones are usually expensive, but they are beautiful.  The one I have is a very traditional claypot.

You can either buy a small bag of long grain rice or measure 2 cups of rice and put it in a plastic bag. Add in the Chinese sausage package with a copy of the cooking instructions I posted earlier. Some claypots come with a box, but if not, you can just get a paper box and stick some styrofoam in it, gift wrap it, and voila--you have a unique gift to give for the holidays.  Come to think of it, it can also be a great housewarming gift.

All About Knife

As a housewife of 20 years and even though I cooked Chinese food most of the time, it's strange that I have never thought of purchasing a Chinese chef knife until now. I guess it is because of my own recent interest in learning to cook new Chinese dishes that prompted my desire to own one. The knives I have at home are all in this set of knives which was purchased 20 years ago (and have been using them since). It came with a bread knife, paring knife, a few steak knives, scissors, a chef knife, and a knife sharpener:

This is another chef knife I use daily for slicing meat and cutting vegetables. It is a J.A. Henckle's twin signature chef knife:
Here's is the new knife I bought from the Chinatown in San Francisco. It's a No.2 (No.3 is smaller) stainless steel chopping knife:
I have experimented with it by trying to debone and trim the fat off meat. It isn't heavy at all and can cut very easily. I love it! It is just as my husband always says to me: "Half way to success is when you have the right tool in hand!"