Here at Kitchen & Cook Shop we love Disney’s ‘Frozen’ and when we saw these excellent sets for children we knew that they would make fantastic gifts for the youngsters we know. They can enjoy eating with the characters from Disney’s Frozen at home with this stylish 6-piece cutlery set, and also at school when they carry with them this 3D design Frozen lunch bag and drinks bottle!
Both products include images of your Frozen Disney favourites: Anna, Elsa and Olaf the Snowman. The best thing is that the little ones might actually stop singing “Let It Go” for 5 minutes while they are using these fabulous Frozen dinnerware. Enough with that song already!
If you’ve worn out your copy of Disney’s Frozen, you can always buy it again! For Blu-Ray users we recommend Frozen on Blu-Ray or if you have a DVD player you’ll need Frozen on DVD.
The movie Frozen makes an excellent gift for young and old alike. Even if you’ve seen the film before, you’ll still enjoy watching it again due to the superb animation, wonderful soundtrack and funny moments. I know that it’s on my Christmas wish list!
Christmas is a time when families and friends come together and eat and enjoy each others company around the Christmas table, but amidst all the joy we sometimes forget that someone has to cook the meal and then clean up afterwards! Why not give these wonderful people a Christmas gift of a festive apron to keep their clothes clean. It’s sure to put a smile on their face as they sink their hands into a bowl full of washing up!
Are you the kind of person that handles Christmas dinner with ease? No burnt turkeys in your household! Whilst others rush around, you have everything organised and prepared – A true Masterchef. If this sounds like you or someone you know, then we consider you to be a classy cook and deserve a stylish apron to wear on the 25th of December! Makes a perfect Christmas present for the cook in your household. Check out these quality aprons below:
Christmas is a time to spread good cheer to your fellow man (and woman of course) so why not wear a Christmas apron that not only protects your clothes, but also makes you and those around you laugh!
It’s Christmas and you’re bound to pile on a few pounds which may make you feel not quite as sexy as normal, but who cares – show the world that you are still as desirable as ever by donning a cheeky Christmas apron. They can look, but not touch… unless you want them to of course! Also makes a naughty Christmas gift for your loved one.
Barbecues and food cooked on the grill is a pleasure that we enjoy every summer, but with such unpredictable weather for the rest of the year, wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy that ‘outdoors’ cooked taste whatever the season? With these electric grill and griddle appliances it is completely possible!
Below are three electric grills with griddle plates that we shall quickly compare for you using feedback from buyers on the UK Amazon website.
All three of these electric grills have RRP of less than £65 and often they can be found for less in the sales making them excellent value. They are excellent for all year round use and perfect for using when camping or in a caravan, campervan or motorhome. Importantly they are all created to cook food healthily, have non-stick surfaces and are easy to clean.
George Foreman Large Variable Temperature Grill & Griddle 23450
Let us start with the most expensive, the George Foreman 23450 Grill and Griddle. George Foreman grills have an excellent reputation and they have produced many different models of various sizes and capabilities. They began the small healthy grill revolution and today continue to manufacture superb products. The George Foreman 23450 Grill and Griddle has a four portion grill and six portion griddle, and both the grill and griddle have their own independent temperature controls which allows you to adjust the temperature of each surface dependent on the type of food you are cooking. This electric grill and griddle is well sized, thus allowing you to cook for 10 people all at once. Imagine that! Of course, George Foreman grills claim to be very healthy and the non-stick surface in this grill means that by not adding any extra oil, you can reduce your fat intake when cooking as up to 42% of the fat from food is removed in the cooking process.
The 23450 model is a replacement for the George Foreman 18603 model. On Amazon.co.uk the George Foreman 23450 Grill and Griddle receives in the most part very good reviews, however some people have had problems with the product failing after just a month or two. The other thing often mentioned is that this new model is slightly smaller than previous and it is not possible to fit as much food on as before.
Quest 35490 Large Teppanyaki Grill
The next product we have chosen is the Quest 35490 Large Teppanyaki Electric Grill. It is the cheapest option here so it does have less features, however it is still a great product. It has no ridged grill area but a big flat griddle for all your cooking needs. Quest expect that you will want to use this Teppanyaki Grill for gathering with your friends and family and they include 8 mini wooden spatulas so everyone can get involved in the cooking! It has an adjustable temperature control and a removable drip tray to make cleaning easier. The Quest 35490 Teppanyaki Grill has a large non-stick cooking surface of 47cm x 26cm and cool touch handles for easy movement of the grill when hot.
The reviews on Amazon.co.uk for the Quest 35490 Large Teppanyaki Electric Grill are positive overall. Some buyers have complained of machine failure and even dangerous goods, and some say that their product arrived having been already used or in a very bashed box. Generally though, purchasers like this Teppanyaki grill. Many people have used it for parties or camping they say that it’s great!
James Martin by Wahl ZX833 Table Top Grill with Flat Plate
The James Martin ZX833 Table Top Grill with Flat Plate is made by Wahl and has a large cooking surface with both ridged grill and flat griddle areas. It has an adjustable temperature control and easy to clean removable parts, something that the neither of the other grills here have, much to some people’s dismay! This grill and griddle is smaller than the other two compared in this article but I can see it easily cooking enough for 2 to 4 people. Wahl say that James Martin has personally designed and tested this grill and griddle, and included is a book with some of James’ recommended recipes.
Reviewers on Amazon.co.uk are very impressed with the James Martin by Wahl ZX833 Table Top Grill in the most part. The few complainers state that this product does not get hot enough. Perhaps they have faulty items because most people are very happy with their purchase. Quite a few reviewers have compared this to George Foreman grills and are claiming that this is not only much better, but that they would not go back to using a George Foreman electric grill again – high praise indeed! The point that most people make is that this electric grill is easy to clean, and for many this is an important fact. Is it enough to sway you towards buying a James Martin Grill over a George Foreman one?
Grill and Griddle Conclusion
Which of the three grill and griddle machines above would we buy if we looking for this type of product. To be honest, they are all excellent, and all seem to do a great job of healthily cooking a wide range of foods. I think I would probably buy the James Martin ZX833 Table Top Grill. It’s a bit smaller than the other two which suits me and the removable plates for easy cleaning sound great to me, however in all honesty I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these grills!
Freshly ground coffee smells and tastes lovely, and for those of us on a budget or with small kitchens, a compact electric blade coffee grinder is the perfect answer to achieving that freshly ground flavour. Blade coffee grinders are known to be not quite as good for grinding coffee beans as burr coffee grinders, but these items are generally bigger, more expensive and not capable of grinding anything other than coffee beans.
Below are three coffee grinders that we shall quickly compare for you using feedback from buyers on the UK Amazon website and from our own experience.
In our kitchen, we have the Bosch MKM 6003 coffee grinder in black colour. Although this electric coffee grinder costs more than the others shown here, it matches our Bosch kettle, hence the reason I purchased it – and I like the Bosch brand too. I actually use our Bosch grinder solely for grinding the chillies that I have grown in my garden and dried using the excellent Severin Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs Dryer.
I find that this coffee grinder perfectly chops up my chillies to both coarse or fine flakes, all the way up to a fine powder. It can also be used for grinding nuts and other spices and it does the job really well. The Bosch MKM 6003 coffee grinder is easy and safe to use and is available in black or white. It is quite easy to clean, but for obvious reasons it must not be submerged in water. The blade is very sharp so take care when cleaning this coffee grinder. The black colour is very classy, but I feel that the Bosch White Grinder doesn’t look quite so nice. I’m not keen on the green coloured switch, but that’s just a matter of taste.
At the time of writing, the Bosch MKM 6003 coffee grinder has received over 2100 reviews on Amazon.co.uk achieving an excellent 4.5 out of 5 star rating. A few people have experienced some minor quibbles but overall this a quality product made by a dependable manufacturer.
Because I use my Bosch grinder for hot chillies, I dare not use it for coffee, even after cleaning, so I am thinking of purchasing a coffee grinder solely for coffee beans. Two of the best value coffee grinders that have caught my eye are the VonShef Coffee Grinder and the Andrew James Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder. Both are made by manufacturers we like, are excellent value, compact in size, and would be great for grinding coffee beans and nuts and spices. Let’s take look at these two coffee grinders shall we?
Andrew James Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder
As with the other coffee grinders compared here, the Andrew James 150W Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder has sharp stainless steel blades and capacity of about 70 grams. The Bosch has a 75 gram capacity whilst the VonShef coffee grinder falls behind with a 45 gram capacity. Many people that have bought the Andrew James grinder use it for nuts and spices and they are very happy with the results. A 2 year manufacturer’s warranty is included.
Most reviewers of the Andrew James 150W Coffee, Nut and Spice Grinder are happy with their purchase. The overall feeling is that this coffee grinder is a good buy, with its only fault being that it does not always produce an even coffee grind on just one attempt. Two or more whizzes are often required.
VonShef Coffee Grinder
Finally we look at the VonShef Electric Coffee Grinder. This is a very nice looking coffee grinder with a stylish design. Like the Andrew James coffee grinder, it has a 150 watt motor (the Bosch is more powerful than the other two with a 180 watt motor) and it also has stainless steel blades. The VonShef grinder has non-slip feet and an ‘easy-store’ power cord – both of which sound very handy.
In the past VonShef grinder models were prone to failure but it would appear that VonShef has sorted out these problems and quality control has been vastly improved with this VonShef Coffee Grinder, the very latest model. The 2016 model had great reviews and this 2017 grinder is even better. It has had less buyers than the other two electric blade grinders here but current ratings stand at 4.4 out of 5 stars. Well done VonShef!
Coffee Grinder Conclusions
The Andrew James and VonShef grinders both cost less than £17 at the time of writing so I consider both to be great value and both worthy of my hard-earned cash! Those that are happy with the VonShef Electric Coffee Grinder have no complaints, especially at its excellent price, and the Andrew James Coffee, Nut & Spice Grinder has been for sale since 2011 so it has a very solid reputation for reliability.
As I mentioned earlier, I am very happy with my Bosch MKM 6003 Coffee Grinder. It is more powerful that the other two here, but also costs a fair bit more than the VonShef or Andrew James Grinders. Is it worth the extra money? No, I don’t think so, but I have no complaints at all with it!
I hope that this short product comparison helps you if you are looking to purchase an electric blade coffee grinder.
When I was a youngster making cupcakes they were called fairy cakes, perhaps that shows my age! This is the simple recipe I learnt from my mum that I still make today covered with the traditional ‘hundreds and thousands’ topping. It makes a good fluffy cake that you can decorate as your fancy takes you.
Ingredients:
110g Butter/Margarine
110g Granulated Sugar
75g Flour
35g Coco Powder
2 eggs
1tsp baking powder
Decoration: icing, hundreds and thousands, whipped cream, etc.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Make ready approx. 16 paper or silicon cake cups on a tray.
Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. This can take approximately five minutes and the mixture will lighten and become cream-like.
Add the two eggs to the mixture and mix for two or three minutes until it is well mixed and creamy. If the mixture starts to curdle add a little of the flour.
While still mixing slowly add the flour, coco powder and baking powder to the mixture and mix well.
The cake mixture should thicken slightly and stay in peaks when you lift out a spoon. If the peaks fall over add a little more flour, mix and test again.
Spoon out the mixture in to the cake cups and fill each one only half full. This allows space for the cake to rise during cooking.
Depending on how you are decorating your cup cakes you can add some decoration now, e.g. sugar, hundreds and thousands etc.
Place in the centre of the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. After 15 minutes check to see if the cakes are cooked by lightly pressing the top, if it bounces back into place they are done, if the dent from your finger remains they need a little more time. Keep checking to make sure they are not overcooked.
Once cooled you can decorate in many different ways for all manor of occasions, there are plenty of ideas online. Whipped creamy tops covered with ornaments are a favourite way to go. This recipe I find is a good base for cup cakes.
Below are some things you will find here at Kitchen & Cook Shop that help make scrumptious cupcakes!
A ceramic knife is constructed out of very hard and tough ceramic, zirconium dioxide, also known as zirconia. Zirconia is rated at 8.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which is a little higher than hardened steel at 7.5 to 8 Mohs but less than the 10 for diamond. The edge of a ceramic kitchen knife rarely needs sharpening due its hardness.
Ceramic knives are a great kitchen tool for slicing boneless meat, vegetables, fruit and bread, and they are known to have some advantages over traditional steel kitchen knives. They are non-magnetic, don’t conduct electricity at room temperature and do not corrode in harsh environments. They are resistant to natural acids and caustic substances and they can retain their cutting edge for longer than forged metal knives.
There are some drawbacks though. Ceramic knives are often brittle and they may break if dropped on a hard surface. They are not recommended for cutting through bones or frozen foods, or in situations which require prying. Chipping, snapped points or catastrophic failure can be the result of not following the recommended guidelines for ceramic kitchen knives. The good news is that higher quality brands now produce ceramic knives with blades created via an additional hot isostatic pressing (HIP) step, which improves the toughness of the ceramic knife.
One of our favorite manufacturers of ceramic kitchen knives is Kyocera. Unfortunately Kyocera have updated their range of knives since we wrote this article and the FK Black Series Ceramic Knives range is no longer for sale. However, Kyocera still make an amazing choice of ceramic bladed kitchen knives and below are a few of the great options available to buy today.
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