FF CHIP MAKER (MICROWAVE): If anyone is near a Pic'N'Save closeout store,
they currently have (for $4.95 .. I *think* most stores get the same things
at the same time) an exact copy of the Micro-Chip gadget, as seen on
infomercials for $19.95+s/h. I bought a second back-up one, so now have
both kinds and they are identical. I use it whenever I want tortilla,
potato, pita, bagel or whatever chips and make a small amount so I'm not
overly tempted by a bag of them. I once tried apple slices but my timing
was slightly off and some burned and warped the plastic from the natural
sugar .. can do fruit with right timing, though, I'm sure .. I use a
dehydrator for that.
It's about a 7-8 inches diameter circle with slots for the slices to stand
upright and cook on both sides at once .. and two simple, plastic
mandolin-type slicers come with it. It's worth it just to get the waffle
cutter, to be honest .. paid $10. just for that (fancier one, of course ..
same result, for the most part) at Williams-Sonoma. Corn tortillas cut in
8 wedges take 5 minutes and 2-3" to stand and crisp further. It's
brilliant. I *highly* recommend one, especially at this price. They also
have salsa in a squeeze bottle for $.99 by Hunt's that I got weeks ago on a
closeout at Trader Joe's, really liked, and lamented not finding again.
There it was at Pic'n'Save last night .. time to stock up .. YAY! Oh, they
also have large jars of roasted red peppers (no oil) for $1.49 .. and
smaller ones for $.99. "Such a deal!" (Oh, I also found there a
chair-sized egg crate-type cushion .. a real God-send so far for the only
affliction I have which is "computer seat" .. $1.99 .. oh, I *love*
Pic'N'Save on a good day! ;))
BENRINER SPAGHETTI-SHAPE VEGETABLE CUTTER: I'd still like to know if
anyone is familiar with the Benriner vegetable cutter that holds root
vegetables (that's all I've seen, anyway .. beets, sweet potatoes, etc.)
like a horizontal vice and, with a rotary handle, cuts them into very long,
spaghetti-like strands. Anyone know what it's called and where I might
find one? I'm in Los Angeles. I believe it's commonly used in Japanese
restaurants to make vegetables decorative. Michelle, you spoke of your
Benriner mandolin, I think ... do you have an address for Benriner ..
pleeeeease? Ohhh .. never mind .. just found info on the Web, searching
for Benriner .. GOD BLESS THE WWW!!! It's called a Benriner Spiral
Vegetable Shaver, $75. at Katagiri, 226 E. 59th St. in NYC (212) 838-5453
and $35. from Williams-Sonoma (800) 541-1262 (duh, why didn't I think of
asking them?!). Let's seeeeeeee .. which shall I call first ... <w>)
FAVORITE TOOLS: Also, might be fun to hear about people's favorite cooking
appliances and/or tools/gadgets .. great because of convenience, creativity
or just the result. Kind of an "I can't imagine cooking/food preparation
without my ...." type of thing. Whatcha think? :)
I can't imagine cooking/food preparation without my food processor,
blender, juicer, microwave, V-Slicer (German mandolin, moderate price,
$30-40, love it), VitaMix, VitaMix dehydrator (20 trays, love it, too),
pressure cooker, rice cooker, heating pad (to raise dough, make yogurt),
yogurt drainer, zest and box graters, wok, coffee and spice grinders,
Micro-Chip, mini muffin-top pan and other mini baking pan shapes, air-bake
cookie sheets, cookie cutters of all sizes. I guess I'm extremely into
making things in different shapes. There's more, but I look forward to
hearing your list, if you're interested in this.
RAMEN UPDATE: OHH, and I found baked ramen .. Campbell's, in a package of
6/$1 (don't like it enough to spend $1.25 or so EACH for 1 gram fat less at
the hfs, sorry). It's not ff (7%) but sooooo different in numbers than
Maruchan (37% .. youch, just calculated that ::cringe:: .. talk about
denial, not to mention the ingredients :/ (I'm a 98% veggie, not
tee-totaller). Thanks for jarring me away from a recent very bad quick
meal habit with your many suggestions.
Katja (being very chatty and still in love with Grape Nuts Bars (which are
now, I'm proud to say, almost too sweet to my palate with the raisins,
where just a few weeks ago, I thought they needed sweetening ... so glad
the list is back :))
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