Holland Houseware

Anyone can tell you that the best thing about setting up a home bar is being able to buy all the latest gadgets. Recently, we heard about a company called Oxo, which produces dozens of handsome bar gadgets for every budget. The Oxo good grips mirror-like stainless steel with black rubber accents transform ordinary bar accoutrements into miniature artworks. Read on for our top picks.

1. The Oxo 7-piece Barware kit: the perfect starter set for your home bar. The barware kit also makes a great gift for anyone who loves playing barman. Bar gadgets included in the kit include a small cutting board, bar stand, strainer, mixing spoon, jigger, and bottle opener. All the gadgets sit in an elegant stainless steel bar stand for easy access. This kit really cannot be beaten for style, quality, and price.

2. Even bar will need a device to open various bottles, and this winged corkscrew will meet every such need. For wine bottles, this model easily and comfortably removes the cork, and tucked away in the knob is a foil cutter as an extra bonus. We review many corkscrews and openers, but this one is a stand out for ease of use and features.

3. POP containers: these great little bins provide storage for food in visually-pleasing, clear, cubical containers. Available in every size you could want, they provide attractive storage for such items as condiments and garnishes. Using these containers will help turn your home bar into a truly delightful area in which to snack, drink, and relax.

4. Turnable Condiment Tray: while a turnable condiment tray may not be one of those kitchen gadgets you consider necessary in your kitchen, it does make an attractive and functional addition. The “Turnable” is a stainless steel lazy susan with a gorgeous mirrored shine. This lovely work of art provides elegant storage and accessibility for such items as napkins, condiments, and other tabletop accessories.

Fifth, while the shaker seems a rather humble gadget, Oxo’s shaker is outstanding. The stainless steel shaker has a novel double-wall construction to ensure that you keep a good grip on it while making your drinks. It has a rubber grip, like Oxo’s other bar gadgets, to make it easier to shake. The high-quality strainer included with the shaker is also good.

Oxo is a company that produces bar gadgets and kitchen gadgets in every price range. Oxo good grips make these gadgets the finest in bar accessories. Try the Oxo 7-piece barware kit, which includes a cutting board, bar stand, strainer, mixing spoon, jigger, and bottle opener all placed in an elegant stainless steel stand. Oxo’s winged corkscrew is a top-of-the-line bottle opener, made of stainless steel and comfortable to hold. Oxo also offers a clear cubical food storage container called the POP container and a stainless turntable condiment tray that rotates quietly and smoothly. The Oxo shaker remains cool and comes with its own strainer.

- Robin Holland-Smith

A set of stainless steel pots and pans will provide several pans of various sizes which will give you just what you need for any purpose or occasion. If you are struggling with unsightly, mismatched cookware, and having trouble finding a size that is appropriate for what you are trying to do, you might want to consider replacing them with a new set of cookware that will give you just what you need any time you need it.

With durability against scratching, corrosion resistance, and an invulnerability to damage from acidic or alkaline foods, stainless steel is the choice of many professional chefs the world over for their cook ware and utensils. When properly cared for, the chef’s kitchen displaying stainless steel makes a strong statement about your commitment to fine cuisine. Many other cooking materials just can’t compare to its value and beauty.

The best quality stainless steel cookware will include a special disk of heat-conducting material on the bottom. So make sure to look for this feature. Stainless steel is a great material for cookware, but it does not properly conduct heat without the addition of either aluminum or copper. Copper is the best choice because it has the most appropriate properties necessary for cooking.

Secondly, you will want to select the right non-stick coating. If you choose well, a non-stick coating will not only help you produce beautiful browned crusts and to ensure your food lifts out with ease, but will also extend the life of your cookware, since it provides an extra barrier against damage.

A good name in non-stick coating for cookware is Teflon. It is durable, inexpensive, and widely prevalent. If used and taken care of properly, Teflon is harmless and keeps food from sticking to your pans and helps them brown to perfection. A lesser-known but equally good alternative is a coating known as Silverstone. It is more hardy than Teflon and stands up to tougher scratching and scrubbing with sharp instruments, but it is of course more expensive and harder to locate in retail stores.

When you’re in the market for stainless steel cookware, don’t base your decision on price alone. Try checking out brands and reviews of products you’re considering. Cooking and chef magazines, as well as consumer sites on the Internet, hold plenty of information about different brands of stainless steel cookware.

A set of stainless steel pots and pans will provide several pans of various sizes which will give you just what you need for any purpose or occasion. If you are struggling with unsightly, mismatched cookware, you might want to consider replacing them with a new set. To look for the best stainless steel cookware, make sure your cookware has a special disk of heat-conducting material on the bottom. Stainless steel is an excellent material, but needs a small amount of either aluminum or copper to help it heat up properly. Copper is usually preferred as the best non stick cookware.

- Robin Holland-Smith

Wedding gifts once were based on the assumption that a young couple would need everything from friends or family to set up a new home, but in the present, this is often not as true. Couple may already have many of the items they need, but don’t forget that some furnishings are still needed. Electrical kitchen appliances still are an excellent choice for a wedding gift to replace older “bachelor” ones or to provide the most modern versions.

A good place to start is the gift registry. If the bride and groom have registered at a department store for any kitchen electrical appliances, then it is simple enough to purchase one from their list. This way, you know you are buying something they want.

Electric kitchen appliance may be given as a gift, even if the newlywed couple did not register for them. Many young couples do not have a well stocked kitchen, and small appliances can help fill the void. Even though the couple may not recognize the uses of the gift upon receipt, they will learn how helpful the items can be in time. Your practical gift will be well appreciated when they start cooking in their new home. Your knowledge of the couple should guide you in your gift giving purchase.

If you know that either the bride or groom loves to cook, then electrical kitchen appliances make an especially fitting wedding gift. Not only will you be addressing a practical need, but will be giving a personal gift related to their hobby. As cooks would probably already own many appliances, better gift ideas would be higher end, quality appliances that they may want or specialty appliances that they do not yet have.

Mixers, electric food processors, slow cookers and the like are the most requested wedding gifts. These are popular kitchen appliances that would get frequent use, unlike specialty items like bread makers and rice cookers. If you plan to give one of those, make sure they fit the bride and groom’s lifestyle first. Another expensive, but popular gift is an espresso maker too.

Lastly, if you want to give a kitchen appliance as a gift, but are unsure as to what kind to get, there is always a kitchen store gift card. While gift cards were once not considered a good gift idea, this rule does not apply in today’s more informal and relaxed times. Better yet, buy a kitchen appliance and include a gift card with it as a nice surprise.

Electrical kitchen appliances make great wedding gifts. Check gift registries online or in various department stores for kitchen electrical appliances, which are practical wedding gifts and also very apt to be part of the couple’s cooking hobby. They need to equip their kitchens, and they usually don’t have a good supply of small appliances, since these are easily overlooked when moving into a new home. Popular choices are stand mixers, waffle makes, electric food processors, slow cookers and espresso makers. A kitchen store gift card comes to the rescue if you don’t know which one to pick.

- Robin Holland-Smith

Replace with 1st Bathroom article

Americans throw out over two thirds of all the food they buy, according to a study surveying over 5000 households. Spoilage is cited as the primary reason that Americans throw food away. This article includes ways that you can reduce the wastage of food at your house, by making better use of your home’s plastic food storage containers to preserve food for longer periods of time.

1. Freezer-proof storage bags: these special plastic food storage containers are sealed against freezer-burn. Freezer-burn is a nasty chemical process that dehydrates your food and makes it develop an “off” taste while stored in sub-zero temperatures. These special bags keep your food the same as the day you bought it - for up to three years!

Secondly, breathable vegetable bags have been introduced to help keep fruits and vegetables fresh. They allow a little bit of air to circulate within the bag, but continue to seal the contents away from large amounts of oxygen that can produce spoilage. Fruits and vegetables kept within these breathable bags can last for up to six weeks, or much longer than the contents of regular plastic food storage containers.

Third, consider using multi-compartment plastic food storage containers to store small quantities of leftovers, soups, fruits, and vegetables. They are remarkably convenient because you can open a single cube of frozen food without having to deal with the rest of the cubes. This makes it much easier to freeze individual servings of soups or fruit.

4. Vacuum food storage has several advantages, from taking up less freezer space to extending the storage time with great quality. Air causes foods to become stale or spoil, and removing it using special bags and a special vacuum machine reduces volume and keeps foods fresh much longer than any other method. Special attachments allow you to remove air from your plastic food storage containers as well. Vacuum storage not only takes less space in the freezer but also protects against the damage of freezer burn.

If you’re like most people, you’re interested in long term food storage techniques. You’re tired to throwing expensive food into the garbage because there’s no way to preserve it. Or you find a great buy at the store but know you don’t have the room to store the extras you’d like to buy. You’ll be glad to know that now there are special food storage containers available that work with your freezer and refrigerator to extend the life of your groceries and help you get more for your food dollar.

A study found over 5,000 American households throw away almost 70% of the food they buy due to spoilage. Plastic food storage containers can help control food waste and save money. Use freezer-proof storage bags to stop freezer-burn which dehydrates food and causes a foul taste. Use breathable vegetable bags which circulate air around fruits and vegetables for long term food storage up to six weeks. Freeze small portions of fruit for smoothies or broth for soups in cubes. Vacuum food storage takes up less freezer space and prevents freezer burn. Save money and freezer space and extend the life of your groceries with special food containers like these.

- Robin Holland-Smith

Although I’m not completely sure about this, but I personally think that the first cooking implement created by man was the knife. Ages ago, man used knives to hunt and gather their food, and later on used to prepare food when fire was discovered. Today, the knife remains as one of the most important tools you could have. The ubiquitous knife is used everywhere, from homes to restaurants to cruise ships.

But although we can all agree about the importance of this versatile tool, it’s sad to see that very few people know how to properly handle and care for a knife. Perhaps it’s because knives don’t have manuals when we buy them.

One of the things that really annoy me is watching people use knives wrongly. But then, no one showed us how to use knives properly whe we were little. Our parents just told us that knives were dangerous and to keep away from them. There may be no instruction manuals for knives, but it’s not a reason why people shouldn’t learn to use them properly.

You have to learn how to correctly hold a knife. Basically, there are three ways to hold a knife, depending on the knife and what is being cut. For cutting against a board, a knife should generally be held with the thumb and forefinger gripping the blade. The handle should be held with the other fingers. When cutting hanging meat, for example, the knife should be held like a dagger to get proper leverage. And when turning or peeling with a small knife, it should be held with one or two fingers gripping the blade, with the othersthe rest around the handle.

Learn also how to care for your knives. A wooden board should be used for chopping and cutting. Plastic boards require more cleaning, and they are not quite as gentle on the edge of a knife as wooden boards. It’s also better to use one where the cutting surface is end grain, rather than side grain. Why? The end-grain is the least abrasive surface to cut against, so your knife’s edge will last a longer time.

Always store a knife in a way that protects the blade, such as a plastic sleeve or a paperboard. Clean a knife after using it, then dry and store. Do not wash knives in a dishwasher, no matter how convenient it may seem. Remember that you have to protect the edge from other hard surfaces. To properly sharpen a knife, the best way is to use a knife sharpener with an abrasive, diamond surface. Of course, you can always use a whetstone, but it takes a lot of experience to be able to sharpen a knife to razor-like sharpness with it.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of AfterKnife.com, which provides high-quality knives and supplies. Visit our website to get all the case knives and supplies you need.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of AfterKnife.com, which provides high-quality knives and supplies. Visit our website to get all the pocket knives and supplies you need.

- Azlan Irda