Can't quite afford to renovate your kitchen? If the heart of your home is in need of a wee facelift, funky gadgets and colourful appliances will do the trick with an instant, easy update until you're ready to take on the big job.
Cuts like a knife
Kiss herb-chopping goodbye with these Westmark Krauterschere herb scissors. They have five stainless-steel blades for quick and gentle cutting. Find them for $19.95 at Linen Chest stores.
Then try out these two Kuhn Rikon Swiss products available online at kuhnrikon.com. Hull and cut strawberries with this foldable fruit knife with a super-sharp steel blade ($12.99), and for young ones, Kinderkitchen duck snippers will get the job done with safety ($17.99).
Fizz it up
Go green and turn tap water into sparkling H2O in under 30 seconds with the Soda Stream drink maker, which eliminates lugging heavy bottles from the grocery store. The newest model, called Fizz, includes a carbonating machine, a 60-litre CO2 cylinder, one-litre carbonating bottle and a "fizz chip" to allow you to monitor the level of carbonation added to the bottle and the remaining amount of gas left in the cylinder.
The Fizz starter kit retails for $150 to $180 online at yachtinggourmetstore.com or soda-maker.com
For good measure
Measure and weigh up to four cups at the same time in the efficient two-in-one Ricardo measuring-cup digital scale. It's $29.99 at Linen Chest stores.
Chop chop
Save counter space with the snazzy organized Index Chopping Boards by Joseph Joseph. Each board is conveniently marked for specific foods so you can separate flavours while cooking. Find the boards for $60 at josephjoseph.com.
Little helpers
When young chefs enter the kitchen to help, it's always handy to have child-friendly items on hand. At Grace in the Kitchen, you'll find an array of items, including these two child-tested ones from the Kuhn Rikon line from Switzerland.
The Kinderkitchen cookie cutters are an ideal size to work with and boast good grips ($8.99). Held together by a spatula used to level off dry goods, the rainbow measuring-cup set fits into most jars and containers and the cups sit level for filling with liquids without having to hold them. Rest assured, individual spoons won't disappear on the measuring set. It's held together by a silicone line (both sets together are $12.99).
Grilled to perfection
This pizza stone by Emile Henry has a reputation for producing crispy crusts. Able to withstand exceptionally high heat, it can be used in the oven, on the grill and over an open flame and doubles as a cheese plate or trivet. Made of Burgundian clay, it's dishwasher safe and measures 37 centimetres in diameter (think large takeout pizza). Find it for $49.95 at Grace in the Kitchen.
Have a java
For coffee lovers, try a cup made in Bodum's Original French Press, which makes about four cups. Choose from colours including bright red. It sells for $19.95 (buy a smaller, one-cup version for $14.95) at Linen Chest stores.
New from IKEA
Here are a few items, most of which we haven't seen before in the store:
The interchangeable domes on the SPRITTA citrus squeezer ($3.99) allow you to squeeze any type of citrus fruit, and the fruit garnishing set ($3.99) makes it easy to core apples and rewmove the zest of citrus fruits in strips for salads or beverages.
Crush, grind and mix solid substances with the RORA marble mortar and pestle ($14.99). The SLUKA vacuum flask, with a long, rounded handle, holds up to 1.8 litres of hot or cold drinks ($24.99).
And have that roast ready on time with the STEM Timer in assorted colours ($2).
-- Postmedia News
