Category: equipment
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Spice Blend Shakers
If you make your own spice blends and dry rubs, you are going to need a spice shaker.
Many of them allow you to adjust the holes being used to get that even application. Look for shakers that allow you to label the contents and/or have a viewing window.
Spice shakers are perfect for spicing biltong or applying your freshly made dry rubs to roasts:
If you don’t need adjustable hole sizes and you have some empty spice containers, you can always refill them with your spice blends.
Look for containers that have the hole sizes you need and a removeable lid:
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more posts about spices and must have kitchen kit:
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Kitchen Equipment And Gadgets
There are essential bits of kit that every kitchen should have.
Then there are tons of gadgets that make cooking easier. 🙂
If like me you love getting a new bit of kitchen kit, try a randomized selection of our posts for inspiration (or browse them all here) :
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Plastic Lids For Canned Food
In an endeavour to reduce my soft plastic use I have invested in these reusable and recyclable plastic lids to cover cans.
By popping a lid on a partly used food can I am able to store the remaining contents in the fridge without using cling film or an extra food storage container.
They clean easily with a soapy cloth so no need to chuck them in the dishwasher. I even use them to transport leftover tuna and soup, in the can, from home to office for that mid-arvo snack.
Unused soup and curry pastes last longer:
Also great for pet food cans.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more equipment reviews and kitchen kit:
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How To Fix Dry Green Buffing Compound
Your green polishing compound might dry out and be hard to apply to your strop or buffing wheel. Note: this is not a common problem when the compound is in a wax medium.
An easy fix if it does happen though is to mix it with a little bit of olive oil.
Before
It just will not load the strop.
After
Add some olive oil and try again:
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more knife sharpening and general knife info:
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Soga Citrus Lever Hand Press Review
As usual around this time of year I am drowning in lemons, limes and oranges. A great problem to have!
Apart from eating them fresh you can do so much with them. Making jars of preserved citrus, drying slices of them and making home-made salad dressings are just a few examples. I have many more here.
Best of all is making fresh juice and lemonades. I’ve had a variety of presses and juices over the years but they are either hard work and or messy. So this year I bought a Soga hand operated lever press that makes short work of any citrus glut. I am not endorsed to say this but I love it because it doesn’t use electricity, is not made from plastic and actually cleans up as easily as advertised.
The unit is well made and has a nice heavy stable base. The lever action is powerful, you don’t even need to cut the larger fruit into pieces.
Just look at how much juice was extracted from this lemon:
It breaks down easily for cleaning. The metal sieves wash up easily in soapy water and I wipe the rest of the press down with a wet cloth.
So, any negatives?
I am keeping an eye on the bolts that hold the lever in place. I noticed a bit of surface rust after a few months. So I am protecting them with a bit of olive oil after each use.
At the end of the day though I feel that I have tried everything else including electrical cold press juicers but I prefer my hand press for a steady supply of cold juice.
I hope my review helps you,
PK
Here are some more of my reviews:
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Meat Dishes, Equipment And Ingredients
I love cooking with meat and strive to use as much of the animal as possible.
Here is a breakdown by animal grouping that lists dishes and methods of catching, preparing and cooking them. If you are looking for a particular cuisine try Browse By Theme.
CHICKEN
BEEF
Browse All Dishes or try some of my favourites by clicking these images:
Enjoy,
PK
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Gravy And Fat Separator Review
I was given this OXO fat separator recently by a friend.
I accepted it in part because I love new kitchen kit. The main reason though is that while I try not to buy unnecessary plastic, I hate plastic being thrown out or wasted even more.
The two questions I think we should ask of our kitchen kit is:
- Does it work as intended?
- Is it easy to clean?
What does it do?
The jug is designed to take the meat juices from the bottom of your roasting pan so you can make homemade gravy.
You don’t want all that fat though!
That is where the jug comes in. As you pour the meat juices out the fat is left in the jug because the opening to the spout is at the bottom.
You are left with fat free juices that you can thicken into a hearty gravy by whisking in some cornflour.
Happy sigh.
The cleanup
Cleanup is a breeze. Simply wash in warm soapy water or in the dishwasher.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more of my reviews and kitchen kit:
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Revel Wet And Dry Blender
I have been using my Revel Wet and Dry blender now for 6 months! I am just as pleased with it as the day it arrived from the UK. I had to ‘ebay’ it because I couldn’t find a local distributor.
It is a must have for anyone who loves their dry spices and making their own pastes.
As you know I have to sneak kitchen kit in and pretend we always had it. That or hide it in my shed. 🙂 This product is worth it!
Note:
- This is not a paid post.
Product Review
Revel CCM104CH Wet N Dry Grinder
Unboxing is always fun:
The blades and housing feel well made.
The unit’s wet blending capabilities is why I bought it in the first place. I very happy with it’s capabilities. The volumes I work with are normally small so the bowl size is spot on.
I got all this in there making a marinade.
It is also great at grinding dry ingredients such as coffee beans, nuts, peppercorns, dried garlic etc etc.
My Likes:
- Good looking unit in my opinion (who doesn’t like chrome?).
- Bowl and lid are dishwasher safe.
- Wet and dry capabilities mean you only need one machine.
- It is quick, a burst or two usually does it.
My Dislikes:
- Bowl cover can be difficult to separate from the bowl.
My Manufacturer Feedback:
- Release them in Australia 🙂
Final Thoughts:
Whilst not cheap, this compact little unit excels at making dry masalas and small amounts of curry pastes. The later tends to get lost in larger mixers and you end up losing most of it.
I would definitely buy another one if I have to but lots of people comment (for example on Amazon UK) that they are getting years of life out of their units. I think you really have to follow the short burst only mantra (laid out rather often in the manual) to avoid damaging the motor.
I hope this review helps. Feel free to send me any comments if you want to add to the review.
Enjoy,
PK
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Ozito Power X Change 18V 13mm Brushless Drill Driver PXBDS-220
This 18v cordless drill driver is targeted at the home handy person that wants a compact yet powerful drill/screw driver combo. It is in this home use context that I am reviewing the product.
Note:
- I am reviewing the features of the brushless model and also comparing it against my old Ozito 18v Drill Driver PXDDS-200.
- This is not a paid post.
Product Review
Ozito Power X Change 18V Brushless Drill Driver PXBDS-220
I love this compact yet powerful cordless drill. It is nice to not have to get my corded power drill out for 99% of the jobs around the house and garden. It weighs a mere 1.1kg (~2.42lb) and that means less fatigue if you are drilling a lot or at a funny angle or in tight spaces.
I have had my old PXDDS-200 for over 4 years and it performs as advertised every time. It never failed me, still hasn’t, and feels good in the hand. I still use it when I need two different drills bits and or a phillips head for a job and don’t want to stop to swap bits out.
This brushless drill driver impressed me as soon as I put the battery in and pressed the trigger. It felt familiar but more powerful, faster revving and stronger built.
I ran a battery length comparison against my old Ozito 18v Drill Driver PXDDS-200 by emptying a full battery in both skins. It was without any drill bits in the chuck and trigger fully depressed.
The brushless model lasted only a few minutes longer (~40 minutes) but considering it has much higher RPMs and torque than the old model I consider that quite a deal maker. By my logic you can now do more work with the same battery.
Here is the unboxing and several pictures comparing it against my old PXDDS-200 (which is always on the right).
The unit feels really good in the hand.
Here is me using the brushless drill driver to install a door seal. Note that I had the direction of rotation wrong initially but changed it easily without needing to use my other hand.
My Likes:
- Good looking unit that feels good in the hands thanks to rubberised grip.
- 2 speed gearbox with variable trigger
- The rotation direction switch can be operated with one hand.
- Internal gearing sounds and feels strong and the trigger gives you precise speed control.
- Sturdy metal non-keyed chuck that takes a 13mm drill bit.
- Much higher torque and RPM than previous model.
- 21 settings for driving and final setting for drilling.
- Uses a fast charging battery common to the rest of the range.
- 5 year warranty.
My Dislikes:
- None
My Manufacturer Feedback:
- A lock on button/switch would be nice.
Final Thoughts:
This is a great product at a reasonable price. Suitable for the home handy person or hobbyist that wants a quality product that doesn’t cost an arm or a leg.
I think the unit is brilliant and that is saying something as I still think highly of my old Ozito drill driver with the brushed electric motor. I don’t expect to have to use it but the 5 year warranty gives me peace of mind.
I hope this review helps. Feel free to send me any comments if you want to add to the review.
Enjoy,
PK
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Ezysafe 3 in 1 Jar, Bottle & Can Opener: A GICICI Review
Recently my family looked after a dog for someone while they holidayed in New Zealand. Their owner stocked us up with lots of dog food cans and an amazing can opener. I had to buy my own when the doggy went back to their home as it simply is the best can opener I have ever used.
Note: This is not a paid post.
Product Reviewed:
- Ezysafe 3 in 1 Jar, Bottle & Can Opener
Pros:
- Exceptional build quality
- Cleans easily (we just wipe ours and put it away)
- Opens cans, jars and bottles
- No sharp edges left on can as it leaves a beveled edge
Cons:
Some might find the cost too high for a can opener. If you think it is too high, wait for a special as you won’t regret this purchase.
Availability:
Available online at www.bjenterprises.com.au/ for about $40 AUD.
The Verdict:
This is simply the best can opener I have ever used. There was always the odd can that my last openers couldn’t handle and I had to hack open with a knife.
No more!
🙂
Hope this review helps and feel free to send me any comments or corrections.
PK
Related Links:
- See more kitchen kit posts here
- See our other product reviews here
- See more growing, catching and cooking equipment here
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