Induction Burners An induction burner generates energy from an electromagnetic field below a glass cooktop surface to a pot or pan above it. It has one massive advantage for cooks of all ages; it’s safer since it creates heat within the pan itself—no pan, no heat, no burning yourself on the glass top, which during …
How to Defeat the Electric Stove Top’s Worst Fault
Turn the knob up or down on a gas burner and the flame and temperature changes immediately and you can continue controlled cooking on it. Not so on an electric burner where a knob change has no effect, as the burner stays too hot or cold for a minute or more. That’s why gas is …
Can One Cookbook Author have Two Magnum Opus’s?
In 2015, Kenji Lopez-Alt published The Food Lab, arguably the best and most comprehensive science-heavy cookbook since the five-volume Modernist Cuisine came out in 2005. I’ve read both tomes cover-to-cover and they have confirmed most but changed some of my cooking techniques. Now Kenji has done it again with The Wok. I love cooking with …
Universal Lids
Save for my popcorn popper and double boiler, these two so called universal lids are all I have, the rest, seven or eight, have been tossed as unneeded. It’s fine if a new pot or pan you’re looking at comes with a matching lid, but don’t pay for one. Buy a universal lid instead. Al …
Electric Cooktops Never Look Clean
Not much experience with glass cooktops other than to notice that they never look clean. This little bottle of cleaner was on the stove when I moved in, so I assumed it was part of the GE Profile stove package, since all the kitchen appliances were newly installed. This stuff really cleans when generously applied …
Car Battery Minders for Geezers
Today’s cars are computer chips with wheels. Even when parked, there is usually something running in the background. Leave it parked for a week and the battery is run down but will recharge if you drive it for a while. Leave it for three weeks while on travel or because of some dreaded post-op scenario …
No Kitchen Vent? Here’s One Solution
Dyson is best known for their vacuum cleaners, but they make other expensive stuff including air purifiers. Pictured is their Model TP-09, which is a beautiful, compact, well-designed and engineered smart air purifier. Just set it to AUTO and it sits there 24/7 purring and filtering until it senses odors and spins up. However, I’ve …
In Praise of the Wok (again)
The wok is a perfect cooking tool to combine heat and motion. 1.5 billion Chinese eat from it most every day. This a new wok. My old one from Hong Kong, where I purchased it for $13, was left for the new owners at the old house, as it had a proper round bottom designed …
This Thing Works
This is Theragun by Therabody.com. It is a percussion massage device that is very powerful yet quiet. Well designed and engineered, it reeks of quality. As a geezer, there are few body areas that don’t benefit from stimulation (OK, don’t go there). I use it mostly on a chronic lower back and an arthritic right …
Two Very Different Knives Designed For the Same Purpose
We’re all familiar with the western style boning knife. This one by German Wustof is 5 inches long, machine-forged from 2 mm thick stock. and double edged. It’s a classic because it is light and nimble and very well designed to break down and debone poultry. The Japanese boning knife is called a garasuki. This …