Edible/Usable

Product Usability Review - Mandoline Smackdown

I've been a bad blogger:  It's been months since I last posted a food related post, and I sadly neglected Edible/Usable's one year anniversary that happened on January 30, 2009.  I've been busy at my new job, and haven't been inspired by winter cooking.  But now that spring has sprung, I've got no more excuses!  I'll get back into the action with something I've been meaning to do since I started this blog more than a year ago: a kitchen tool usability review.

I've been meaning to do a kitchen usability review for some time, but just haven't had the time to really develop my test criteria and actually do a test of different products.  I've also been meaning to come up with a kitchen tool rating methodology similar to how I did with restaurants and food web sites.  I thought that mandolines would be a great place to start, partly because a mandoline something that I've been meaning to get for awhile (there have been multiple moments when I've stood at the counter with a piece of food in my hand wishing that I had one) and they also seem to embody many of the 'judgment criteria' that I think about when I buy or use a kitchen tool:

1. Does it do what it was designed to do better than a simpler solution (i.e., a knife, my fingers, a rock).
2. Is it something that I will use fairly often.  This is kind of related to the first, but more specific. 
3. Physical attributes:  Is it easy to set up and use, does it use limited storage space when it's not being used, does it look and feel high quality and like it won't break or fall apart.  If it is something that needs to stay on my kitchen counter, is it nice looking.
4. Is it easy to clean.  For me there is a "time to clean specific tool:doing it by hand" ratio that determines whether I reach for that specific tool or just use a knife or other simple way of doing something - even if it means I'll get poorer results.  Food processors are prime examples of this ratio.

I spent quite some time reading online about different mandolines.   The most common complaints I read about were either that it wasn't sharp enough or people cut themselves on it - often both.  Based on several pages of reviews I read, within my price range (nothing over $50 bucks) it came down to two choices:  Swissmar Borner V-Slicer Plus Mandoline   or the OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer.   They are both V blade mandolines (vs. the single straight or 30 degree angle blade) and both had pretty good reviews on Amazon.

The Contestants:
Both of these mandolines do what they were designed to do really well - at least so far with the few times that I've used them.  They have similar functionality - they do straight slices, julienne slices and have a V blade that is super sharp that cuts through harder vegetables like carrots quickly and easily.    The only food item that they both failed at was a ball of fresh mozzarella (I haven't tried a tomato yet which is the .  But the OXO has additional features that I was sure would make it a better and more useful tool:
 

1. The OXO mandoline can be adjusted to slice in four different thicknesses, while the Borner only allows for two. 
2. The OXO has legs that fold down on one side so you can slice at a downward angle
3. The OXO has four different blades - straight, crinkle cut, julienne and french fries, the Borner has three blades

All of that said, after spending time with both items, the Swissmar Borner Mandoline has become the one that reach for now when I need to do some slicing, not the OXO with it's fuller feature set.  There are four main reasons for this:

1. The OXO is confusing to put together and take apart.  It's got several moving and adjustable parts that flip open, pull out and clip in.  Every time I use it I spend a few minutes trying to figure out which thing I have to flip up to use the right blade or change to a different blade. 
2. The slices don't go where you think they will.  I really thought that the standing leg would be a key differentiator between the two slicers, but because of the fold down leg, you actually can't prop this slicer over a bowl to catch the slices as they come out.  Because of the angle, the slices end up accumulating at the lower end of the slicer which means you can't even put a plate under the slicer to catch the slices as they come out.  It ends up being really messy and you have to stop slicing and clean out the slices, put them in your bowl then start again.
3. It's difficult to clean because all of the parts are stored in the slicer body.  Although the body is dishwasher safe, because all of the different blades are stored in the body, you have to remove them from the body before you wash it.  This means that you have random sharp blades lying around your kitchen.  And I always forget how to put it all back together.  Maybe if I used it a lot, I would get it eventually. 
4. It doesn't seem safe.  In the storage position, the sharp blade is still exposed and it seems like you could easily cut yourself on it accidentally.  

This slicer definitely violates my fourth judgment criteria - ratio of time to clean: do it by hand.  It takes too long to take it apart, clean it then find all the pieces to put back together.  The OXO is a great example of how feature bloat has made what could have been a really nice tool difficult to use.  Even though it does what it is supposed to do well, I don't like using it and I probably won't use it very often.

The Borner on the other hand, is really simple:  The mandoline body slides in an out of a hard plastic case that also holds the additional blades.    There aren't any additional moving parts - you simply slide in the inserts to change the slicing thickness or the blade type.  There is a square notch at the bottom of the slicer that fits over the lip of a bowl or dish so you can slice directly into a bowl or other container.   When the mandoline is stored in the plastic case, the blades are completely covered and not exposed. It is very easy to clean - even though it isn't dishwasher safe.  The Borner is a great example of how simple = usable.  The Borner has become the mandoline that I reach for, even for simple small jobs that I would have normally just used a knife and a cutting board.

There is one thing that neither of them do very well:  the food holder/guard that you are supposed to use to protect your fingers.  They both have a similar contraption - a round disk with prongs in the center that you push into the food to hold it while you slice.  This might work for some food, but for hard foods like carrots or small food like radish, this doesn't really work, which means I never actually use it.  I haven't seen any mandoline that has anything that works better than what is included with these tools.  I may end up getting one of these cut resistant gloves.

Mandoline Smackdown winner: Swissmar Borner V-Slicer Plus Mandoline

What to Eat When Your'e Camping: Shopping, Preparation and Storage Tips

Part of my  menu preparation for our camping trip required some deep thinking about what foods were "camping friendly" and convenient to have on a 8 day trip.   This meant food that didn't require more than the three days of the refrigeration we would get from our collapsible cooler, food that was relatively lightweight and compact, had minimal but sturdy packaging, and food that could be prepared before-hand so it was fairly easy to prepare in camp.  And it also had to taste good.

On our fourth day camping, we decided to take a longer day trip from the Middle Saranac Lake where we were staying, over to the Upper Saranac Lake.   On our way back, we met a family of 5 (two parents with 3 kids aged probably 9 - 15) who were on a long Canoe trek from the Raquette river to the Middle Saranac (part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trial  that goes from New York to Maine).  They were at the second of two canoe portages of the day (first one was 1.5 miles and the second .5 miles).  They had two canoes and had all of their gear packed in 5 backpacks for easy portage.  I was duly impressed with the hard trek they had, but I was really wondering what food they had to eat.    I assumed they had packaged, dehydrated backpacking/camping food and I felt really sorry for them - that after doing all of that hard work they wouldn't have any good food to eat for dinner.  As you can see from some of the menu highlights of our trip, I think we ate pretty well.  Part of it was planning, part of it shopping and part of it was actual cooking.  So here are my tips for better camp food:

Planning Your Menu & Shopping

Generally speaking, the most convenient foods for camping are foods that don't need refrigeration, that pack and store easily and that are simple to cook or heat up.  Smaller packages or single servings help reduce food waste and mean that you don't have to refrigerate leftovers.  A few of my favorites:

• Boxed milk - I bought Horizon organic in the 8 oz packages.  We used it for granola, making pancakes and occasionally for tea.
• Cured meats - Salami and other cured sausage doesn't need to be refrigerated, don't require cooking and only require a knife to cut and eat.  And they are usually delicious.  I got some Saussion Sec (french style garlic sausage).  I also got some beef jerky from Trader Joe's, (I'm actually finding it really hard to believe that here is a site of JUST reviews of beef jerky, but here it is) that we both found it overly sweet and didn't really like.
• Flat bread - I prefer this rather than loaf bread because it's easy to pack and doesn't get smashed.   It's also easy to warm directly on the fire, on the grill or in a pan.
• Instant noodle soups - Annie Chun's Korean Kimchi Noodle Soup only requires boiling water, comes in a re-usable, biodegradable bowl with a lid that you can eat the soup out of, doesn't have MSG and tastes really good.
• Tuna - We didn't actually eat any tuna on this trip, but I always bring a can or two just in case.  Cans are good for day trips, as long as you remember to bring your pocket knife and know how to use the can opener.  I've recently seen tuna packed in flat plastic envelope type packages, but I haven't tried them.
• Crackers - Alhough you have to be careful with packing, crackers go with cheese, tuna, salami or other stuff for snacks.  I brought Trader Joe's wheat crackers (similar to Triscuits) because they come in a bag in a box and don't crush easily.
• Nuts & Trail Mix - A must have for day trips and for snacking around camp.  Not to mention Trader Joe's too much, but they have great trail mixes at decent prices.  You can also make your own by buying nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
• Peanut Butter - I'd like to say that I don't go anywhere without peanut butter, but it's not really true.  I would if I could. 
• Sweet stuff - I planned on making homemade cookies, but didn't get around to it with all of the other packing and preparation I was doing.  So I just brought some Nutterbutters and some Raspberry Newtons.
• 'Smores - If you are one of those people who MUST have 'smores when you camp, a great tip that a friend passed on to me.  Instead of buying graham crackers and chocolate separately, buy some Petit Écolier - either milk or dark chocolate, warm them by the fire, then put the toasted marshmallow between two chocolaty cookies.

Keeping Food Cold

I had planned for there to be about 3 days worth of cooler coldness on this trip, but I think because of the preparations I did before-hand, and because the weather wasn't too hot, we got about four days from our small collapsible cooler.    These are a few tips that I found helpful for this trip:

• Block Ice - It's really important that you use a block of ice rather than individual cubes.  One great way of doing this is to freeze a gallon (or several if you have a larger cooler) of water (thanks Camping Blogger for this idea)  and use these as ice blocks in your cooler.  For one thing, it stays cold longer because it keeps the water close to the ice.  It also means you don't have tons of water in your cooler as the ice melts, and if you are carrying your water in, you can drink the water after it melts. 
• Make a 'Freezer Chest' -Freeze anything you can before hand (all of your meat, bread, butter).  Get a plastic container with a tight lid that fits snugly in your cooler.  The day you leave, put all frozen food together in the plastic container.  Your food will defrost slowly and will retain some of the cold as it does so.  When you want to defrost something, remove it from the plastic bin and place it at the top of the cooler, away from the ice.
• Butter, cheese and eggs keep fairly well as long as it doesn't get too hot and you have a shady place to keep a cooler.  I moved the butter and cheese into the 'freezer chest' after we defrosted and ate some of the meat, keeping all of the coldest things together.

Keeping Food Away from Animals

Unless you are camping in your living room, you will most likely encounter some sort of animal - be it insects, mice, raccoons, or god forbid, a bear.  I've been on previous trips to Saranac Lake where we were practically attacked by marauding mice, so I try to be tidy, clean up any dropped food, and store food in tight containers or put it out of reach.   Some tips for keeping animals away from food:

• Buckets with lids - Last year we hit upon the solution of bringing along two 3 gallon plastic buckets with tight fitting lids.  We use them to store food at night (I used them for the especially tempting animal favorites like trail mix, peanut butter, crackers and cookies) and they can do double duty as water gatherers and a dish sink. 
• Tree Hang - For food that doesn't need to stay dry, or simply doesn't fit in your bucket, we rigged a rope between two trees that could easily be lowered and raised.  We put food in plastic bags, clipped a carabiner clip  to each bag, then clipped the bag to the rope and hoisted it up into the air out of reach.  We hung up our trash each night and when we left camp in the daytime this way as well.
• Ziplock bags - whether it's in your cooler, the plastic buckets or just in your backpack, ziplock bags help keep moisture, dirt and insects away from your food. 
• Use your kayak - if you have a kayak with a closed hatch in the front or back, you can generally store food there away from little animals.  Just make sure that you park your kayak out of the sun so your food doesn't get too hot and spoil.

Two important notes about bigger animals:

1. It is highly recommended that you don't keep food in your tent (this actually applies to small animals as well).  I could imagine what a horrible thing it would be to wake up in the middle of the night to find mice, racoons or bears rummaging through your tent.    If possible, keep your food cooking and storage area on the other side of your camp away from your tent.  Luckily, I've only once had a bear encounter in camp (when I was a kid, and I slept through it), not including hitting one with my car a few months ago on the Taconic parkway (it was his fault, and he was OK enough to run off into the woods)
2. If you are going into an area where bears have been sighted, it's a good idea to bring a bear safe or metal food locker.   And just to be even more service-y, here's some info on what you should do if you encounter a bear  and other bear proofing tips   (excellent tip here: "Never try to move a grizzly bear!")

There are a few things that I forgot to bring for my kitchen set up and that aren't included in my previous post on Tools for Your Camp Kitchen:

• TONGS! - I can't believe that I forgot this super important utensil.  From turning meat to grabbing hot things from the fire, tongs are a must for any camp kitchen.
• IKEA blue tarp bags - If you haven't ever been to IKEA,  you may not know what I'm talking about.  But those of you who do, may understand the utility and value of the blue tarp bag from IKEA.  You used to only be able to use them when you were shopping in the store, but a year or so ago, they stopped using plastic bags for purchases and 'make' you purchase a blue tarp bag.  They are super handy and versatile.  We used them for collecting wood, storing food, and carrying tools.  You could probably also use them for collecting water if you needed to.
• Stove canister stand - Also in my previous camp kitchen tools post, I mentioned that the small camp stove I have is a little difficult to use because it's unstable.  I found this canister stand at EMS before I left, and it came in very handy.  It fits on most gas stove canisters and provides a little bit more stability than just using the can alone.

Up next, the very last camping post, the recipe for Homemade Granola.

Going Camping? Tools for Your Camp Kitchen

We're going camping in a few weeks, on what has become the annual canoe/kayak trip to Saranac Lake Islands in the Adirondaks.  The Saranac Lake islands have really nice, rustic campsites that require a boat to access.  You can take a motor boat, but we're taking a canoe, as usual.  This year we're staying on the middle lake which has much less traffic than the lower lake, and I'm really looking forward to it.   

After reading Jhumpa Lahiri's piece about vacation home kitchens in the NYT earlier this week, I started thinking about all of the organizing I'm going to have to do to pull together my 'camp kitchen.'    Camping, like many pastimes, is partly about stuff - who's got the best, most useful, most multi-purpose get-you-out-of-a-jam type stuff.  Friends and I used to joke about someone's 'kit.'  Like if someone brought a really great multi-purpose gadget, we'd all say, only somewhat jokingly, "nice kit."  So I take my camping gear very seriously and I have strict criteria about what I bring.  Especially for the camp kitchen.

My general rules are these: Each item has to have multiple purposes, or has to be something where some other object cannot do the same function.  Compactness is important, as is weight.   It has to be sturdy, hopefully unbreakable, and ideally re-usable.  The less garbage you bring in, the less you have to carry out.   I haven't gotten to the state yet where I make fancy stuff like bread or cakes, and we generally have a fairly meat-based menu, but having the right kitchen gear can make the difference between good and bad camp food.  Just to be clear, I'm talking mainly about tent camping where you are cooking on a camp fire, not in an RV or trailer with a kitchen.

The thing that I really like about canoe or kayak camping is that you have the ability to bring some of the comforts and conveniences of home - much different than backpacking, where you need to winnow down your belongings to fit in a little, heavy bag that you have to carry on  your back - but you still can get pretty far out in the woods and away from it all.  I grew up in Colorado, and we used to go on camping trips with horses - either carrying everything on our own horse, or having the luxury of a pack horse that could carry even more stuff.  The guy who used to lead our 4-H camping trips (pack trips we called them), Tom Butterfield, a true horseman in every sense of the word, had all sorts of amazing camp gear including a hand made sheepherders' stove made out of a 5 gallon drum cut in half, with a piece of cast iron welded on to the top that could be used as a cooking surface and a hot water pot that hooked on to the side that would provide hot water on demand once the stove was hot.  I went on a trip one year with some professional outfitters in Montana, and they had a fold-up kitchen that included a stove, wash basin and counter space.  Every day we moved, they would fold it up and pack it on the mule.  

I don't have a fold-up kitchen, but here's my list of what I'm planning on bringing to outfit my kitchen, and what I recommend to make any camp cooking experience a little easier. 

First, the essentials - These are all things that I consider to be mandatory in a camp kitchen:

1. Folding grill - Most campsites I've been to promise a fire ring with a grill, but you would NEVER want to cook on the grill they provide, usually because they are bent out of shape and filthy.  A grill with fold-down legs lets you grill directly over the fire, and you can also put pots and pans on it above the flame.   It's true that you can always sharpen a stick and stick your meat directly in the fire, but after a few days, that gets a little old.
2. Cooler - It doesn't have to be a big one or even one with fancy wheels and cup holders. I usually try to use the stuff that needs to be refrigerated on the first few days and nights so that we aren't dependent on the cooler when all of the ice is gone.  One important thing we learned last year - get block ice rather than ice cubes.  It lasts MUCH longer.  Camping Blogger had the great idea to use 1-gallon milk jugs to make ice blocks which seems really smart.
3. Can opener - Even if it's just the one on your Swiss army knife, you need a can opener.  Canned food is very convenient for camping.  It's heavy, but it comes with it's own cooking pot and serving dish (hobo style) and doesn't need refrigeration.  After you're done with it,  you can compress it and easily take it with you when you leave.  That said, I like to use canned food to supplement the regular menu, not just as the main dish.
4. Leather work gloves - These were a recent discovery for me.  After years of bringing a grungy old pot holder, last year I brought leather work gloves for gathering wood.  I quickly realized they are a MUST HAVE for cooking and working around the fire.  You can easily add wood, move the hot grill, move hot pots, turn food over the fire and generally just be around the camp fire doing stuff all without getting burnt.  Leather work gloves are a must.
5. Heavy duty tinfoil - Multi-purpose and often re-usable, you can wrap potatoes in tinfoil and bury them in the coals for excellent baked potatoes, you can make a makeshift pan to cook bacon, meat or vegetables, you can store and carry food in tinfoil (as long as it's not acidic like tomatoes).
6. Pocket knife - At the very least, you need a good, sharp pocket knife, like a Swiss Army knife or a Leatherman.  One with a can opener, an awl and a small pair of scissors is great.  But mainly you just need a good sharp knife.
7. Kitchen knife -  A good sharp basic cooking knife is a necessity if you plan on doing any sort of 'real' cooking besides just throwing meat on the grill.  I have a small-ish chefs knife that I made a cover for (cardboard and duct tape!) to reduce the likelihood of accidental cuts.
8. Small cutting board - Another necessity if you plan on doing real cooking that demands chopping or cutting.  Most picnic tables are pretty dirty.  I have a small plastic one with a handle that can also be used to serve food.
9. Multi-purpose lighter - One of the long ones that allow you to start fires (or light candles) without burning your fingers.  I've actually yet to find one of these that doesn't break easily or stop working after a few times, has easy-to-use child-proof features (most of them are adult-proof as well) and is refillable.  So bring a few in case you have trouble. And always bring a back-up of water-proof matches.
10. Utensil set - There are lots of different varieties of these, I have the MSR Alpine Kitchen Cupboard  which includes a plastic bowl into which the utensils fold away for storage and carrying.  Note: the utensils are heat resistant, but the bowl they come in is not.  The spoon/ladle has measuring cup markings (convenient for making pancakes), and it includes a pasta strainer and a spatula (also convenient for pancakes).  I added a metal pot grabber to my kit to grab and lift cans and metal pots off the fire or grill.  It also includes some small plastic containers, but I haven't found these to be very useful.
11. Small gas backpackers stove -  I have another MSR product, the Super Fly stove.   I definitely have some usability issues with this stove - it's just a burner that you screw onto a butane canister - so the balance is very iffy if you don't have it on a completely flat surface, and actively stirring something isn't a great idea.  You also really need a wind screen of some sort to block any wind so it heats properly.   I primarily use it to heat water for coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup, and hot Tang (yes, hot Tang).  It's great to have in the mornings when you don't feel like starting a fire, or it's raining and you can't start a fire and you want something hot to eat or drink, and it's really small and light.  Always bring an extra butane canister since it's difficult to tell how much fuel each of them contain.
12. A small kettle/pot that fits on your gas stove - Something small and light that has a lid and a handle of some sort for pouring.
13. Paper towels - At home, I try to use cloth kitchen towels more than paper towels.  But when you're camping, it's kind of pointless to bring cloth towels that may end up getting ruined.   Paper towels can be disposed of in the fire, and can also be used as kindling in a pinch.
14. Paper plates - I know this isn't very eco of me, but I much prefer to have paper plates camping than metal or plastic ones.  First, they are multi-purpose: use them to eat off of, fan a slow fire, start a recalcitrant fire, leave notes for fellow campers.  Second, you don't have to wash them.  Third, you can burn them when you're finished with them so you have less garbage to carry out.  I just get the plain paper ones rather than the wax covered ones.  If you want a truly multi-purpose plate, consider bringing a Frisbee.  You can use it as a plate (with a lip so your food doesn't slide off) or for many other things besides tossing back and forth.
15. Spoon and fork - In general, everyone is responsible for their own knife, fork and spoon.  But it is nice to have a few extras hanging around in case you have company drop by.
16. Stanley cup - I don't mean a hockey trophy.  I mean a 2 in 1 cup and bowl  made by the tool makers Stanley.  It has an interlocking cup and bowl, a tight-fitting lid and it's big enough to hold a satisfyingly large amount of tea, coffee or soup.  It also insulates drinks if you use it while the two parts are interlocked together.
17. Plastic garbage bags - Some camp sites have garbage service, but many of them don't because the garbage attracts animals.  Plastic garbage bags are a must for any multi-day camping trip.  Be prepared with some rope and hooks to hang your garbage in a tree overnight so animals can't get to it.
18. Ziplock bags and plastic deli containers - Both for keeping leftovers and for storing food in a watery cooler. 
19. 5 gallon plastic bucket with a tight lid - We actually have two of these that we bring:  1 for getting water and/or washing dishes and the other for storing food in a place that prying little animals can't get to it.
20. Cast iron pan - For eggs, bacon, pancakes, any kind of sautéing, a well-seasoned cast iron pan is the best.  Obviously, they aren't light, but the versatility is worth it.  I don't recommend cookware with Teflon, especially if you are going to use it over the fire.  There's a lot of information about toxic chemicals that are released by Teflon cookware, especially at high temperatures.
    
    Nice to have items:
21. Plastic table cloth - Where we're going, all of the camp sites have picnic tables, but they are pretty grungy.  A plastic tablecloth gives you a clean surface and adds a bit of homey-ness.  It can also double as a rain tarp in a pinch.
22. Biodegradable soap - You can actually get away without having this if you are going on a shorter trip, or if you just use your grill.  If you do get soap, just be sure that it's biodegradable and wash your dishes away from the water.
23. Candles - Not just for light, but for romantic ambiance as well.
24. Larger pot  - I'm not a big pasta while camping fan, so I generally don't bring one of these.  But pasta is really easy to make, either over the fire or using the camp stove, so a pot big enough to boil enough water for pasta for 2-4 can come in handy.  It’s also good for keeping some warm water on the go for washing and cleaning up.
25. Sponge - When you go camping, you're never REALLY clean, but you can pretend you are if you have a sponge handy.
26. Water filter - Last year we went out for a full week without making any trips back in to town to get supplies.  This meant that we either needed to bring all of the water we would need for 7 days, or find a way to filter our own.  We got the Katadyn Camp filter  that you simply fill up and hang from a tree and let gravity do the rest (many other filters require you to manually pump water).  It worked really well and I'm a big fan of this type of filter.
27. Collapsible water jug - The counterpart to the water filter.  We use a collapsible plastic jug since it's easier to pack and carry.
28. Fuel sticks - In case you haven't practiced your survivor fire starting skills, or if it's rainy and damp, these fire starters can mean the difference between having a fire and not having one.
29. The Stanley cups work well around camp, but if you will be hiking or out on the lake, a thermos is a great thing to bring to keep warm drinks while you are out exploring. 
30. A Tree Huggerz.  No, I don't mean a hippie.  A Tree Huggerz is a camp organizer that you wrap around a tree so you can keep stuff off the ground.  It has pockets and hooks that you can use to store tools, hang towels and keep stuff organized.

Here's a decent site with some tips on starting a fire for cooking and some easy campfire recipes. 

Now I just need to put together a menu...

*I've linked to a lot of products on the Campmor site because I LOVE Campmor (not because they are paying me anything).  They have a great selection of products, a nice website and really great catalogs that I get in the mail twice a year with hand drawings of many of the products they have available.  They've always been really good with customer service, and they aren't a chain store.

Sustainability and a Scrimshaw Pastry Crimper

In my search for unique vintage kitchen tools, I got this fantastic scrimshaw pastry crimper (I actually bought it from a collector friend of mine).  I secretly have a crush on this little sailor.  He is so handsome and fine-featured.  And even though I'm sure that it is perfectly functional as a tool (though I haven't actually crimped any pastry with it), to me it is much more valuable as a piece of art.  I haven't had it evaluated for authenticity, age or it's provenance (hello Antiques Roadshow!), but the basic web only research I've done about it has gotten me thinking about the (possible) history of this specific artifact, the tools we use to make food, and how this object's history relates to what's going on in the food industry right now.

Scrimshaw is the folk art and craft of carving objects out of or etching drawings into the various byproducts of the whaling industry, including teeth (whale and walrus) and bone.   Scrimshaw was originally practiced by sailors on long whaling voyages - some of which lasted for years.  It was the "pastime of lonely and often dispirited seamen far from home".  The most common forms of scrimshaw were nautical scenes etched into whale teeth (JFK was apparently a big collector of this type of scrimshaw), but scrimshanders (makers of scrimshaw) also carved many useful and decorative objects such as napkin rings, bodkins, canes, toys, spoons and pastry crimpers (also often referred to as jagging wheels) and other kitchen implements.  I think that the crimper I have is made from whale ivory, partly carved, partly constructed from carved pieces.  I'd like to think that my sailor pastry crimper, if authentic, was made by a bored and homesick sailor as a gift for his wife back home in Massachusetts, who used it to make beautiful fruit pies.

From the early 18th through the mid 19th century, the American whaling industry grew to be one of the preeminent industries in the country.  At it's peak, reached in the mid 1800's, there were 736 whaling vessels registered under the American flag in the 'Yankee' fleet alone.  Hundreds of whaling voyages each year brought back hundreds of thousands of gallons of whale oil derived from whale blubber.  Whale oil was used as lamp oil, in lighthouses, to light city streets and to make candles.   Sperm whale oil, oil derived from the waxy substance "spermaceti" found in the head of sperm whales was even more valuable and useful because it burned much cleaner and had a wider range of uses including soap, cosmetics, pharmaceutical compounds and specialized machine lubricants. 

Other whale byproducts including teeth (ivory), bones, ambergris (a flammable and waxy substance found in sperm whale digestive tracts) and whale baleen, (flexible but sturdy keratin plates baleen whales use for feeding - the 'plastic of the 1800's') were harvested and used to create multiple different products including tools, mens collar stays, women's corsets, toys and utensils.  Scrimshaw pieces were also traded and bartered in ports of call around the globe.

Most species of whales are now either considered endangered or vulnerable due to this history of commercial whaling. Whaling continued in various forms through into the 20th century when the International Whaling Commission was set up in 1946 to "provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus "make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry," but their success and influence is debatable. Greenpeace regularly documents Japanese whaling boats that are purportedly catching whales for 'scientific' purposes.

Cold Butter, Soft Bread

I've been on a low glycemic index diet for the past few weeks.  This means eating beans, meat (or eggs) and vegetables for pretty much every meal, limited fruit, dairy, and no sugar or white carbs like bread, rice or pasta.  One of the best things about the diet is that you get a cheat day once a week - one day where you can pretty much eat anything you want, including all of those delicious carbs you've been avoiding all week.  Last week I was really craving biscuits, so we went out to breakfast at Maggie Brown on Myrtle avenue where I had the Maggie Brown (eggs scrambled with cheddar cheese, chives and horseradish) along with a biscuit with raspberry butter, and a virgin Bloody Mary.  This week it's been more about craving fruit, rice, and a lovely french baguette with nice creamy butter and homemade jam.

Which brings me to what this blog post is really about:  a butter bell or butter crock.   I don't remember when I saw one for the first time, but they are now one of my favorite gifts to give to people as a house warming or 'thanks for letting us stay' kind of gift.  The idea is old and simple: before refrigeration, there needed to be a way to keep butter fresh at room temperature.  Often, butter would be kept in a clay or porcelain crock, and the crock submerged in cool water.  New butter crocks work the same way.  You fill the lid with 1-2 sticks of butter, fill the crock with a few inches of cool water, then turn the lid into the crock.  The water forms a seal, keeping the butter fresh, but allowing you to keep the crock on your counter at room temperature, so you have soft butter to spread on your bread or measure for recipes.  Change the water every 3-5 days, and your butter will stay fresh for weeks.

Kitchen Tools - Old and New

I've been thinking a lot lately about kitchen tools.  Partly because I've been working at an office that's practically next door to Sur La Table, and sometimes after work or on the way back to the office during lunch, I'll pop in and take a look around.  Kitchen stores for me are like a proverbial candy store for a kid.  My eyes go wide, my palms go sweaty and I think about what I can cook that will justify buying some fancy new tool.  And Sur La Table is full of the best and fanciest kitchen tools.  But like most people in New York, I have relatively little storage space, so I really do try to keep my kitchen tool buying to a minimum (the tools that I don't use as often have already migrated out of my kitchen cabinets and into the wall unit in my living room).

The other reason I've been thinking about kitchen tools is because I've gone out to flea markets in Pennsylvania for a few weekends already this spring.  Flea markets are always full of old kitchen tools.  Some treated reverently as artifacts of a former age, others treated like old pieces of junk, all piled together in a cardboard box with a magic marker scrawl "Anything in this box: $1.00."  I have actually started a small collection of vintage kitchen tools, but like any collecting urge, it's a slippery slope.  Before you know it, my kitchen wall will look like this:

 

What I've found especially interesting is how much kitchen tools have NOT changed over time.  Except for electric mixers superseding hand egg beaters, and the more recent use of silicone as a material that many kitchen tools are now made of, a potato masher now still looks like a potato masher did 60 years ago.  Same with a whisk, a rolling pin, a pastry mixer.   And functionally, they are still the same. 

In 1990 (I'm totally freaking out right now because I just realized 1990 was almost 20 years ago...) a company called OXO debuted a line of kitchen products that were designed using the principals of universal design - the principle that objects should be designed to be useful to the greatest number of people - with a focus on making kitchen tools that were easy and pleasant to use.  They have a great line of products, and I think definitely influenced how cooks and designers thought about kitchen tools.  (Three OXO items, the paring knife, the vegetable peeler and the jar opener, are in MOMA's Architecture and Design collection.)  But functionally, these tools are not that different than some of the tools that have existed for decades. 

(Three vegetable peelers that I have vs. the OXO Good Grips peeler:  a basic cheapo peeler that was probably the first peeler I ever bought, a peeler with a handmade wooden handle that I got at a fleamarket, a newer peeler that I bought recently.  The OXO vegetable peeler)

For me, this just goes to show that incremental usability improvements, especially ones that are based on user testing and evaluation of specific user needs are just as or more important as giant re-designs that change a product significantly. 

Why do I have three vegetable peelers?  That is another question entirely.  Possibly because the first cheapo one wasn't sharp enough anymore, so I bought the red one.  The wooden one I bought because it looks and feels nice.  But in general, my new goal is to not buy new kitchen equipment and make do with what I have.   Here are some good tips on the essential tools for any small kitchen, and ideas on how to put your kitchen on a diet.  This is obviously how many of those kitchen tools ended up at a flea market.

Ode to Mason Jars

November 30, 1858 is a date that most people don't realize changed food and home cooking dramatically - especially for rural homemakers.  It's the patent date for John Mason's machine that could cut threads into glass jars, thus making it possible to use screw-on reusable lids.  Before this, farm families and city dwellers alike relied on root cellars, smoking, salting and other forms of cold storage to keep food.  John Mason's patent made it possible for rural families to easily can and preserve fruits, vegetables and even meat for later use.

I use Mason (or Ball, or Kerr) jars in my kitchen all the time, not only for preserving (or canning, or 'putting-up') foods that are abundant in the summer, but for general storage.  For me, they are much better to use than plastic for several reasons:

1.  They don't keep the smell of whatever food you put in them, and they don't stain
2.  You can use them for dry storage in your cupboard, cold storage in the fridge or use them to freeze food as well
3.  They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but only use 2 different sizes of lids - wide mouth and regular, with two ring sizes.  No more searching through the plastics bin for the lid that almost fits.  Replacement lids are easy to find (most hardware stores, even here in Brooklyn carry them).

 

(Photo 1: from left to rigtht - pesto frozen in 4oz jar; tomato chutney in 1/2 pint jar; peach jam in 1/2 pint jar; empty quart jar; frozen chicken stock in a 2 quart jar.  Photo 2:  the two sizes (only!) of lids and rings.)

4.  They look nicer - I'm happy to display a pint sized Mason jar of dried beans on an open shelf in my kitchen.  I would never do that with something plastic.
5.  You can also argue that they are multi-purpose as well because they can be used for serving food and drinks.  I actually don't like drinking from them, but apparently it's a trend.

Obviously, one drawback vs. plastic is that they break much more easily.  Don't drop them!

I do think that anyone who likes cooking and doing things in the kitchen should learn basic canning techniques.  Acidic vegetables (tomatoes) and pickles and chutneys are very safe to can at home with simple hot water bath canning techniques.  Fruit jams and jellies are easy as well.  My grandma Dot used to spend days in the hottest part of a Georgia summer, canning everything that came from their garden: tomatoes, corn, green beans and pickles, so I learned a lot from her.  But one of my favorite resources on home canning is a little book called "The Busy Person's Guide to Preserving Food."  Organized by food type, it gives multiple ways (drying, canning or freezing) to preserve all sorts of food, gives recipes, and highlights the best method for each type of food.

And really, it's one of the best things, sometime in the middle of February, to go to your cupboard and to pull out and open a jar of home canned tomatoes.  It smells just like summer.

Useful Things I'll Never Use - ACME Egg Grader

I'm hoping that this can be a re-occurring feature here - things that I think would be useful or have something interesting and pleasant about them - specifically related to food and food things - but that I will probably never have the chance to actually use.

The thing in this case is an ACME Egg Grader:

  What is an egg grader you ask?  This type of egg grader was used by small egg producers to determine the weight of a dozen eggs.   When you put an egg on the scale, the scale reads the number of ounces 12 eggs of the same size and weight would weigh. 

This would allow a small egg producer to pack a dozen eggs of roughly the same size and weight.

In this case, 12 of these eggs would weigh 26 ounces.   Here's a handy chart of how many ounces specific egg sizes weigh (think jumbo, extra large,large, etc).  

  Egg GRADES are actually different.  Go look at the carton of eggs in your fridge.  Most likely, you've got either Grade AA or Grade A eggs.  There is such a thing as Grade B eggs, but those usually aren't sold in stores, but are sold to bakeries and food processors instead.  What's the difference between grades?  Looking at the egg grader, you would think that an egg's grade is determined by it's weight - but grades are about the quality and freshness of the egg - measured in Haugh units.

 A Grade AA egg "will stand up tall. The yolk is firm and the area covered by the white is small. There is a large proportion of thick white to thin white."  A Grade B egg "spreads out more. The yolk is flattened and there is about as much (or more) thin white as thick white." (And just in case you were wondering, "traffic in eggs is regulated under the federal Egg Products Inspection Act (1970).")

I found this egg grader at a flea market in Pennsylvania, and what I really like about this it actually has nothing to do with eggs.  I really like the way it looks, and I makes a really nice sound when you push it up and down. 

Obviously, commercial egg concerns use automated machines to sort and grade eggs.  Of course, there are a few videos of this on YouTube - I like this one because it's sort of arty and mesmerizing (though I agree with the commenter that they really need to clean their grader!)

Props to whoever can tell me what the eggs spell out at the end.

Cutting (Boards)

I don't remember where I picked it up, but I was always told that you needed at least two (if not three) cutting boards in your everyday kitchen.  You need one for smelly foods like garlic, onions and meat, one for non-smelly foods like fruit and bread, and a wooden board for cheese.  I had the requisite three (plus a few others that I kept for emergencies or bigger projects) but last year, when I was packing to go camping, I took my 'smelly' board (a smallish white plastic board) and donated it to my camping kitchen kit (hopefully another post on camp kitchens later...)

That meant I needed a new 'smelly' board,  One day I was in Whole Foods, and feeling virtuous, I picked up a Preserve cutting board.  They're made with 100% recycled plastic, are dishwasher safe, and come in really nice colors.

It took me awhile to admit it, but I really hate this cutting board.  By looking at it, you would think it would be great - it's fairly big, has a decent surface, and again, it's a pretty color (I got the red one).  But there are at least three big issues I have with it:

1.  Often, when I'm chopping something, I bang my hand against the curved lip on one side.  "Why don't you just turn the board around so that the curved part is on the opposite side" you ask?  Truthfully, I never think about it until my knuckles are knocking against it.  I keep my cutting boards in the space next to my toaster which is to the right of where I normally stand to cut things.  I grab it with my right hand, put it on the counter, and begin cutting with my right hand.  In many things I'm a lefty, but I use a knife with my right hand, so that's how it happens.

2. Also because of the curved lip, you can really only use one side of the board.  I guess you could turn it so that he curve goes over the edge of the counter (or of the sink), but that just seems weird.  I like to be able to use both sides of a cutting board.

3.  And this is the biggest one.  For some reason, it slips and slides all over my granite countertop more than any other cutting board I've ever had.  Really, since it's only usable on one side, there should be little rubber feet on the other that keep it from slipping around.  It's really a drag when you're chopping onions, and the board keeps slipping out from under you.  I end up putting a kitchen towel under it, which keeps it from slipping, but, really, it just shouldn't slip!

One other thing is that it doesn't have a groove on the inside to catch liquid.  This really isn't a fault of this particular board since some boards have them and some don't.  I just know know that the next board I get will have one.

Overall Evaluation:

1. Aesthetics - These boards are really nice colors, and look good, so I can't fault them on this metric.  And the fact that it's made from recycled materials is good.
2. Value - I don't remember how much I paid for this.  Since I got it at Whole Foods, it was probably expensive.
3. Reliability - Not very reliable!  It slips around when I use it! It's practically dangerous!
4. Task Completion - I always do end up completing whatever task I start with this, but I grumble a lot while I do it, and I always end the task by saying that I need to get a new cutting board.
5. Discovery - Not a valid metric for this particular item
6. Satisfaction  - Unsatisfying.  I can't wait to get a new board and put this in the cupboard where I'll maybe take it out and look at it occasionally then put it back.