chickensense

What is your favorite kitchen tool? I have a few that I never knew I needed, but now I could not live without.

My first and absolute favorite tool is my 2 cup silver measuring cup. It is thick metal, and made by Cuisipro. I got it online from a company that sells roses and garden stuff, for less than $15 including shipping. (Amazon has it but it is more expensive.)

$15 may seem like a lot for a measuring cup, but it has made it so much easier to make things I use often, like bread, cornbread, rolls, pizza crust, and pancakes, that I have been more likely to make my own, instead of buying ready-made. So over the last couple of years it has paid for itself. (I’m still searching for a 1.5 cup size, if any of you know where I can get one for under $20…)

Another favorite item is my set of odd-size measuring spoons. They are thick metal, and made by Cuisipro. The set has pinch, 1/8, 2/3, 1-1/2, and 2 teaspoons sizes. The 1-1/2 teaspoon size gets a lot of use! I found this set at Amazon.com for around $15 including shipping.

I also love my combination 1 and 2 tablespoon measure. It is made of black plastic, and I found it at Wal-mart in the coffee isle for less than $2. It is a fairly sturdy plastic, but nothing like the solid-metal quality of the 2-cup and odd-size-spoons set.

My final absolutely-could-not-live-without kitchen tool is my set of plastic measuring cups that includes a 2/3 cup and a 3/4 cup size. Most measuring cups sets have only 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 cup sizes. Amazon carries a metal set of 7 measuring cups by Cuisipro ($30) that has the 2/3 and 3/4 cup size included, but since I found a plastic set at a yard sale for a quarter, I’m waiting for someone to give me the nice, metal set as a gift. Did I mention that I’ll be 50 years old on May 22?

What’s your favorite kitchen tool?

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Speaking of rice, I found a microwave rice cooker for just a few bucks at Wal-Mart (Amazon.com has it too). It’s basically just a tall bowl with a tight fitting lid. I’m surprised it works so well.

Just add 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, and microwave for 10 minutes. Much faster than making rice on the stove.

Very Cool Tool

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I want a Kindle so bad!

It allows you to download books instantly from Amazon. Most of them cost around $9, but I saw many that were less. Also, it can store books in the public domain for free, such as from Project Gutenburg, plus it can store Word, .PDF, mp3 and other documents after conversion.

You can go online from anywhere (free!) to download books from Amazon, or the internet. I read a Kindle blog that says you can even check your google email if you use Google’s .mobi site for mobile phones. The internet service is free from Amazon.

The only catch is the Kindle 2 costs $350! Ack! I could buy 100 books from www.paperbackswap.com for that much money. Hopefully the Kindle won’t take too long to come down in price, because I’m getting old…fast. (Yesterday Jesse (10 years old) asked me if they had bicycles when I was little. Ack!)

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Update: Link to a wonderful Kindle bag to make for yourself: IoniaQuiltWorks.BlogSpot.com

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I’ve kept a super-market price book since 2003. I use it to record the prices of groceries, so I could know if a “sale price” is really lower or not. I don’t record every receipt, but at least every few weeks I try to record the prices from my receipts.

I keep the “book” as an Excel spreadsheet, but you could do it with a notebook and pencil just as well. (Click on the image at left to enlarge it.) I record the name/description of the item, the price, the month and year, and the name of the store. To keep it more manageable and easier to find things, I have put meat on its own tab, fresh produce on its own tab, and then everything else on the “grocery” tab in the spreadsheet.

Now, when grocery store fliers come in the mail, I can tell if the “10 for $10″ is really a lower price or not. And when I can see that something is offered at a really lower price, I can stock up on that item, and know that it really was a good deal. I have a printed version that I take with me to the store to compare prices.

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I found a pressure canner for $35!  It was listed on www.CraigsList.com, and was only about a half hour drive from here.  I’m so happy! It is a 22 quart Presto, model 1780. It is big and very sturdy and looks to be in good condition. Yay!

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