Cookware Reviews

Why You NEED the Rachael Ray Stoneware

Not Just Want, NEED!

by Joi

Rachael Ray Bakeware

For my recent birthday, my husband gave me the Rachael Ray Stoneware 1-Quart and 1-1/2-Quart Oval Bubble & Brown Baker Set, Red shown above. He knows I love, love, love Rachael Ray cookware, bakeware, cookbooks…. okay, Rachael Ray anything. I’d seen these beauties online but I was delighted to see that they’re even more beautiful in person.

The first thing I used mine for was Spinach Artichoke Dip.  They’re also ideal for potato casserole, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, baked spaghetti, chicken casserole, etc. I LOVE that they make your food even more beautiful and the handles are simply a stroke of genius.

Product Features

  • Multiple Use Stoneware – Dishwasher, microwave, freezer safe and oven safe to 500-Degree F for convenience and versatility; The glazed interior is nonporous so foods won’t interact
  • Contemporary Design – Contemporary, playful shape in a vibrant and fun color goes directly from oven to table
  • Wide Handles – Extra wide handle holes allow you to get a good grip from any angle
  • Easy Storage – Both items conveniently nest together to save space in your cupboard

I have mine sitting out on a baker’s rack because they’re too beautiful to hide in the cupboard.  These gorgeous stoneware casserole dishes come in a variety of beautiful, vivid colors.  I wanted red first because I go primarily with the colors red, purple, black, and white in our kitchen. Also, how beautiful will they be at Christmas?!

Make no mistake about it, though, I want all the colors! The orange and yellow dishes would be stunning on a Thanksgiving table but they’re also summer-y too.  You can’t go wrong with any of them. I love the personality of Rachael Ray cookware and bakeware.  They’re bright, colorful, playful, and refuse to take life too seriously.  Put these at the top of your Christmas wish list.  No, scratch that…. buy them for yourself today.  They’ll add even more color and beauty to the holidays that are just around the corner!

Take a closer look at these beauties: Rachael Ray Stoneware 1-Quart and 1-1/2-Quart Oval Bubble & Brown Baker Set, Red

George Foreman Healthy Cooking Grill

Like All George Foreman Grills, It's Excellent

by Joi

George Foreman Grill Review

Yesterday I bought a George Foreman GR144 144-Square-Inch Nonstick Family-Size Grill.

My previous George Foreman Grill was recently broken (by my own clumsiness) and I was EAGER to replace it.

Before I get to the new beauty, let me tell you about my original George Foreman Grill. It was THE original George Foreman Grill… as in the first in the entire impressive line. As in Born in 1994 and still working in 2011. It was a big boy, but I loved it ever so much. And it lasted forever and a week. In fact, it’d still be plugging along if I hadn’t dropped an iron skillet on it. Don’t ask. Suffice to say it gets crazy in my kitchen.

Yesterday, when the adorable store clerk asked if I wanted to pay $3 for a one year warranty, I swallowed a laugh and told her, “George Foreman grills don’t break.” I told her how long I’d had my original grill and her laugh escaped (I didn’t ask if she’d been alive that long, didn’t want to know). She also said she’d been thinking about getting her parents one for Christmas and I gave her the go ahead. You’re welcome, parents.

Naturally, I had to try it out the very day I bought it. Why do the words kid, new, and toy come to mind?

I made Bruschetta Chicken because it seemed like the thing to do. (Recipe in the next post.)

If you don’t have a George Foreman grill, I guarantee you this: You need to buy one asap. When it comes to making chicken, shrimp, burgers, fish, pork, steak, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, or even kabobs – George Foreman grills are simply excellent. They allow you to make magic in the kitchen, and feed your family healthier meals in the process.

Product Features

  • Electric countertop grill provides 144 square inches of cooking space
  • 2 fixed grill plates with double nonstick coating; sloped design
  • Signature Foreman heating elements for fast, even heat distribution
  • Stay-cool handle; on/off switch; drip tray and spatula included
  • Measures approximately 20-4/5 by 15 by 7-4/5 inches
Clean up is such a snap with George Foreman Grills and this particular one seems even MORE simple to clean.  It comes with a long tray that you position near the bottom to catch all of the grease that runs off of the heating surface and away from your food.  It also comes with a handy little plastic device for using to clean the grill plates. It’s ingenious.
If you’re serious about cooking and even more serious about giving your family the healthiest meals possible, I HIGHLY recommend George Foreman grills.  They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Simply find the one that’s right for you.  I chose the George Foreman GR144 144-Square-Inch Nonstick Family-Size Grill because I have plenty of beloved faces to feed.
It feels extra good to know I’m feeding these faces healthier foods.
The pig in the picture at the top of the post?  She…..
  1. Was not on the menu.
  2. Doesn’t come with the grill.

I love pigs, I collect pigs and I completely get my jollies out of posing them with products I’m reviewing.  I don’t know, maybe it’s a Kentucky thing.

Why Aren’t You Eating Your Food in the Raw?

The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book

by Joi

The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book

The last book I wrote about, The Everything Mediterranean Diet Book, was one of two books I recently received to review on Get Cooking. The other is a book that has completely fascinated me, The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series). What’s more, it has opened up a whole new way of looking at food – something I wouldn’t have thought possible after this many years in the kitchen.

I would say how many years in the kitchen but who wants to get depressed on a Wednesday? We’ll save that for a Monday.

Increased energy. Clear, glowing skin. Decreased risk of cancer.  Reads like a self help guru’s dream come true. These are only a few of the benefits of a raw foods diet; some studies have even shown that this diet can actually slow down the aging process! Whether you’re looking to go completely raw or just incorporate some raw aspects into your diet, this book is your one-stop guide to a health lifestyle.

In The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series), you’ll find the information you’ll need to begin your love affair with raw foods. If you’re like me, you probably think of a raw food diet as consisting of apples, corn on the cob, and cauliflower – all piled on a plate that someone stands proudly behind and says, “Look! I made this just for you!”

A diet consisting of raw foods includes more foods, food combinations, and recipes than I ever imagined. Lots more than a plate with an apple, corn on the cob, and cauliflower not that there’s anything wrong with any of the three!).

In addition to detailed explanations of why this diet is so extraordinarily healthy, you’ll find the tools of the trade you’ll need if you’re really serious about taking up this type of eating (even if only incorporating raw foods into the food you regularly eat), and 300 recipes.

The recipes include:

  • Cherry Pomegranate Smoothie
  • Curry and Pumpkin Seed Crackers
  • Banana Vanilla Ice Cream with Blueberry Sauce
  • Raw Vegetable Lasagna
  • Pad Thai with Almond Sauce
  • Spicy Coleslaw with Cashew Mayonnaise
  • Fresh Vegetable Soup
  • Marinated Zucchini Strips
  • Cool Cucumber Salad Dressing
  • Peach Cream Crepes
  • Cinnamon Oatmeal
  • Tortillas
  • Zucchini Hummus
  • Garbanzo Bean Hummus
  • New Orleans Beans and Rice
  • Spinach Pie
  • And many, many more

I admit, although I’m intrigued with the recipes, the concept, and the healthy side effects of eating a raw food diet – I couldn’t even consider devoting myself to eating this way exclusively.  The great thing is, the authors completely understand that!  This book doesn’t try to convince you to take up a certain way of eating or try to convince you to leave behind your favorite foods.  It simply presents a colorful, fresh, and flavorful new option.  After all variety is the spice of life and, when it comes to such a healthy option – it isn’t just the spice of life, it’s the enhancement of life!

From Page 5: Reduced Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease

The following research bears out the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables:

  • Researchers at Harvard Medical School tracked the health of more than 22,000 physicians.  The study found those who ate at least 2-1/2 servings of vegetables a day lowered their risk of heart disease by almost 25 percent.
  • At the University of California, Berkeley, researchers found that a high intake of fruits and vegetables also reduces the risk of cancer on average by 50 percent.
  • A recent study on diabetes at the University of North Carolina reported that a vegan diet rich in vegetables reduces diabetes indicators.
  • In Stockholm at a Swedish university hospital, researchers found that a vegan diet also increases immune protection against arthritis.

The following is one of the great smoothie recipes in the book.

Vanilla Almond Milk Smoothie Recipe (page 22)

2 cups Almond Milk
2 cups pear, chopped with peel on
1 cup banana, sliced
1/2 cup cherries, pitted and chopped
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Add the almond milk, pears,banana, cherries, and nutmeg to the blender.  Blend until smooth.
  • Cut the vanilla bean open.  Scoop out the inside pulp from the bean and add to blender.  Discard the vanilla bean pod.  Blend again to incorporate vanilla for another 20 seconds.

 

Learn more about The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series) by clicking the link or check your local bookstore.  Fascinating.  Positively fascinating.

Simply Calphalon Nonstick 12-in. Jumbo Fryer Review

There's Nothing I Don't Love About this Pan

by Joi

Simply Calphalon Nonstick 12-in. Jumbo FryerAs I said in a recent post (appropriately enough, another post about Calphalon), if you want to be the best cook on the block, you’d better surround yourself with the best tools on the block.  If you surround yourself with second, third, or fourth best – guess where you’ll fall in the lineup.  Honestly, a serious cook MUST arm himself/herself with quality cookware, bakeware, and other cooking tools.  They last practically forever and allow your creativity and know-how to shine through.

One of the best things a quality pan has going for it is the fact that it isn’t a cheap pan.  Cheap pans (the kind hanging in your department store that are priced so low you think, “This is too good to be true!” – you nailed it) are nightmares to clean as everything seems to stick to them and refuse to let go.  Calphalon Nonstick pans are the complete opposite – they practically wash and put themselves away.

The only thing is, my Calphalon pans are so darn handsome, I refuse to put them away!   It’s like, “Here. Sit out and show off your beauty.”  Besides, they’re used daily, why bother letting them get out of reach?

The Simply Calphalon Nonstick 12-in. Jumbo Fryer shown above is my newest obsession.  I honestly use this gorgeous beast for everything under the sun – make that under the kitchen light.  I don’t fry that many foods, actually, but when I do break down and revert to my southern roots, the shape of this pan is deep and contoured enough to hold plenty of oil without making a spectacular mess.  It’s ideal for frying shrimp, chicken wings, okra, squash, corn nuggets, doughnut holes, and just about anything you can dream up.

I use my new obsession for…

  • Spaghetti Sauce
  • Taco Filling
  • Fried Rice
  • Baked Beans
  • Risotto
  • Squash
  • Asparagus

I named the recipe below in honor of the Simply Calphalon Nonstick 12-in. Jumbo Fryer.  After using this pan to make asparagus this way for a dozen times, it seemed only fair.

Simply Delicious Asparagus Recipe

1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

Heat olive oil in the Simply Calphalon Jumbo Fryer.   Add garlic and the salt and pepper.  Heat the minced garlic for almost a minute,  and make certain you don’t let it brown.  Turn the heat down a little and add the trimmed asparagus.  Cook for 8 – 10 minutes.  Frequently turn the asparagus to ensure even cooking. Also, you may want to adjust the cooking time to suit your own taste. Some people like for their asparagus to be almost noodle limp (not me, not me, not me!) while others want it to have a lot more gumption. I’d rather mine have a little snap to it, actually.  Since stovetops and food preferences vary, always remember to test the asparagus as you go along.

Another tip: When I made Simply Asparagus recently, I added a tsp of Land O’ Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil to the pan before the olive oil.  It gave an extra flavor that was outstanding.

Simply Calphalon Nonstick 12-Inch Jumbo Fryer Product Description:

Deep-fry a few chicken wings, sauté a steak, or pop a casserole in the oven. Deep enough to hold hot oil and even certain stews and sauces. Simply Calphalon makes choosing cookware a simple proposition. Everything that counts in cookware: delicious results, good looks, easy clean-up and durability is built right into it. An ideal choice for cooking enthusiasts of every budget, Simply Calphalon is constructed to meet Calphalon’s strict standards for performance and durability. Designed with an eye toward simple elegance, capturing the essence of Calphalon style. – From Calphalon’s Website

Features:

  • Vessel Construction: Drawn construction.
  • Crafted from a disc of virtually pure, medium-gauge, hard anodized aluminum for even heating.
  • Hard anodized aluminum exterior will not chip or crack.
  • Key Performance: 2 layers of nonstick coating for extended performance.
  • Cooks with little to no oil or fats.
  • Effortless food release.
  • Non-reactive with foods.
  • Safe for use with nylon, coated or wooden utensils.
  • Handles: Contoured, cast stainless steel with silicone for added comfort and heat-resistance. Double riveted for durable performance.
  • Covers: Tempered glass. Allows easy monitoring of the cooking process. Domed shape returns moisture to foods. Stainless steel bands reinforce glass and complements handles.

Everything that counts in cookware; delicious results, good looks, easy clean-up, durability is built right into it!

  • Calphalon’s signature hard-anodized aluminum construction for excellent conductivity and even heating.
  • Tempered glass covers
  • The interior surface is double-coated with Calphalon’s sturdy, reliable nonstick coating.

This is one extra-special pan and you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.  Don’t let the name “Jumbo Fryer” fool you, though.  This guy does it all, and beautifully.  Clean up could not be easier – but the real beauty lies in the performance.  Calphalon pans will not let you down.  With Calphalon by your side, you’ll be the cook you always wanted to be.

Click HERE to read more about the Simply Calphalon Nonstick 12 inch Jumbo Fryer.  The price is so extraordinary, I’m tempted to buy a second one.  While asparagus is cooking in one, I can make German Fries in the other.

Man, am I getting hungry….

Calphalon Unison Nonstick Omelette Pan Set

You Will Be Mine, It's Just a Matter of Time

by Joi

Calphalon Nonstick Omelette Pan Set

Is it acceptable to buy yourself a Mother’s Day present?  It could sort of be like a declaration of, “I love being a mother!  In fact I love it so much, I’m going to celebrate by buying myself a _________!”   The blank could be filled in accordingly, with whatever has caught the happy mom’s eye and captured her heart.

Okay, I’m ready to vote – I’d say it’s more than acceptable to buy yourself a Mother’s Day present.  In fact, it should become a tradition.  Okay, maybe I carried it a little too far.

Be that as it may, I know what I’d fill my blank with: Calphalon!  My newest pan is a Calphalon and I use it every single day. The little beauty is a 12  inch glass-covered jumbo fryer and I sing it’s praises each time it helps me whip up magic and all but insists on washing itself.  These pans refuse to make a mess!  It boggles the mind.

I visited Calphalon’s website this morning to see if there was anything new I needed to know about.  They come up with so many different ingenious pans and products on a regular basis, I want to stay in the loop.  Bless their  sturdy little hearts, they had something waiting for me on the front page.  It was as though they KNEW that I’d been lambasting my old-as-the-hills smallest skillet,  the one I use for omelettes.  I’ve never been overly ecstatic (or should I say eggstatic?) about this pan but it means well.

In fact, the last time I made omelettes, I vowed to never do so again until I had an official omelette pan.  From my mind to Calphalon’s mega minds. The beauties pictured above and described below make up the Calphalon Unison Nonstick 8” & 10” Omelette Pan Set.  A set of omelette pans.  How perfect is that?!?!

When it comes to many things in the kitchen, your success will not surpass the tools you use.  Whether they’re ingredients, utensils, gadgets, or cookware – if you want to make the best, you have to use the best. Simple.  This is never more apparent than when making something like omelettes.  The pan has to be just right, otherwise what you have is basically flat-ironed scrambled eggs.

Product Description:

The flat, heavy-bottom pans have wide surfaces to provide even heat. The sloped sides are designed for easy tossing and rolling. Set Includes: 8-in. Skillet 10-in. Skillet The revolutionary Calphalon Unison SLIDE NONSTICK surface releases foods effortlessly, making even the most demanding culinary creations simple to prepare. Cook with little or no oils, butter or fats.

Features Include:

  • Slide nonstick interior
  • Heavy-gauge, hard anodized aluminum
  • Handles stay comfortably cool on the stovetop
  • 100% Dishwasher safe
  • Oven safe to 500°F / 260°C

You can, of course, find Calphalon pans in stores – if  your favorite store doesn’t carry Calphalon, feel free to find a new favorite store!  However, there’s a very good reason to shop for Calphalon from their website – a little something they call SPECIALS.

Calphalon amuses me.  They make superior, standard-setting products.   They set the bar in their industry.  They put the price very much within reach (click through and check out the savings on the omelette pan set – the set is on sale now… just in time for Mother’s day shopping – and it’s not just a sale, it’s a SALE).   THEN, after all of that, they don’t rest on their laurels – they insist on rewarding you for buying products you should be honored to buy already!

Visit Calphalon‘s website right away and check out the amazing specials going on.  They seem determined to give us better than we bargained for and more than we pay for.

Wow. Don’t you wish all companies were like that?


T-fal and Ingrid Hoffmann? I’m So There!

The Tale of the Cookware Giant and the Simply Delicioso Beauty

by Joi

T-fal Simply Delicioso Paella Pan from Ingrid Hoffman

I love what I do. I love, love, love what I do. As a web publisher and food blogger, I’m frequently sent pans, kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, chocolate, coffee beans, and appliances to review for Get Cooking.  Everyone knows that I will post my own opinions, for better or worse.  I will always let my readers know exactly what I think about a product.

The wonderful thing about the arrangement is this: If someone is willing to send their products to someone they’ve never met, and trust them to give an honest evaluation to their readers/friends, they have great, great confidence in their product.  Almost without fail, the confidence stems from the fact that…

  • …what they have is outstanding
  • …. they want everyone to know about it

It’s my honor to take part in the process.

This past week I received a pan in the mail that made me 25 kinds of happy – and I didn’t even know there were 25.  First of all, as you know, I’m a TOTAL Food Network fanatic.  Yes, I can list all of the chefs and television personalities.  Yes, I can tell you where Guy has been on Triple D. Yes, I can tell you what Ingrid Hoffmann will be making on the next Simply Delicioso.  Yes, Sunny Anderson lights the room up with her smile.

Another reason the package had me skipping into the house was the fact that I’m a fanatic for something else: T-fal.

  • T-fal = flawless
  • T-fal = quality
  • T-fal = gorgeous
  • T-fal = never gonna let you down

I tore into the box and pulled out a gorgeous T-fal Simply Delicioso by Ingrid Hoffmann Hard Enamel Paella Pan – Red (14″). I wasn’t sure which was prettier, the pan, the picture of Ingrid Hoffmann, or the delectable looking food Ingrid was holding.

I made up my mind that it was a three-way tie but did not (repeat did not) ask my husband for his vote. Why invite trouble, right?

I’m really excited about Ingrid Hoffmann’s T-fal line.  When you combine two names that are at the top of their game, how can you get anything but outstanding?  The Paella Pan is a real beauty.  I know that the true worth of a pan is in how it performs – if it allows you to wax brilliant and impress your loved ones with your dishes – but I’m sorry, I can’t help but notice just how gorgeous it is!

As for the performance……. Well, it’s T-fall so it’s impeccable.  If I loved my Paella pan any more, I’d have to rename one of my daughters Paella.

The T-fal Simply Delicioso by Ingrid Hoffmann Hard Enamel Paella Pan – Red (14″) features a wide, shallow design that’s ideal for preparing paella. However, it has many more tricks up its sleeve. It’s also ideal for braising meat, warming tortillas, making large omelets, and so on. It features a unique Thermo-Spot indicator that turns solid red to let you know when the pan is preheated.

Brilliant!

The pan’s stainless steel buffet handles offer comfortable lifting and handling – from stove to table stylishly and safely.

The T-fal Simply Delicioso by Ingrid Hoffmann Line of Latin-Inspired Cookware

Columbian cook and TV host, Ingrid Hoffmann partners with top cookware and kitchen appliance manufacturer T-fal, to develop her first line of products, T-fal Simply Delicioso by Ingrid Hoffmann. each designed with her Latin recipes in mind, Ingrid is proud to introduce the first 6 pieces to the collection. I know that, like me, you’ll want the entire collection! See the widget below – click through to read more about each wonderful piece.

T-fal Simply Delicioso Open Paella Pan Features

  • From the Simply Delicioso line by Ingrid Hoffmann
  • Heat indicator shows when pan is perfectly preheated
  • Beautifully decorated base provides even heating
  • Non-stick interior is exceptionally durable and scratch resistant
  • Hard enamel exterior is stain resistant and easy to clean

I have a series of Ingrid Hoffman-themed posts, recipes, and articles planned, so be sure to keep an eye out for those.

Click the following link for more information and to take a closer look. Believe me, you’ll want to order the T-fal Simply Delicioso by Ingrid Hoffmann Hard Enamel Paella Pan – Red (14″) right away.

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