Things I Love: Pyrex No-Leak Lids Bakeware

I've fallen in love with the new Pyrex No-Leak Lids Bakeware.

I Stored Leftover Orzo with Chicken and Broccoli in my new Pyrex Pan.

I've had Pyrex pans since I had my first apartment my senior year in college. I didn't have much money, but I happily plunked down my $10, (two hours of folding Gap jeans perfectly!), in order to own a Pyrex casserole.  How else would I make my sister's yummiest fudgiest brownie recipe?

I still have that casserole dish today, fifteen years and many lasagnas and brownies later, a much better investment than the $10 frying pan. Considering the same glass as Pyrex is used by NASA on the space shuttle, it's no surprise that their pans are a virtually indestructible cooking utensil.

I recently received a few samples of the new Pyrex No-Leak Lids cookware to try out in my kitchen. I quickly became a huge fan. Here's why:

• Microwave Cooking Made Easy: The No-Leak Lids have a little pop-up vent for reheating in the microwave, a stroke of genius as far as I'm concerned. I've been using them not only to reheat the roasted butternut squash I made in the small casserole, but also just to microwave frozen veggies under a microwave-safe lid. 
• Easier Storage: The lids make it so much easier to store and stack my Pyrex pans in the fridge, eliminating the need for plastic wrap, and reducing scratching of the Pyrex glass.
• Easier to Transport: I've had so many trips in the car for Thanksgiving holding a stack of Pyrex casseroles balances on my lap that are topped with flimsy aluminum foil. This year, I won't worry that I'll accidentally dent my carrot souffle when my husband takes a corner too sharply.
• Inexpensive: Still the same, low cost as the open-top Pyrex bakeware. $9.99 for rectangular baking dish, $11.99 for a Round Baking Dish. They also come in larger, more discounted sets such as a 4 piece round container set for $22.99

a Big Box of Oxo Goodies

I've always been a big fan of Oxo products. What's not to love about a company whose mission is to make cooking easier and more convenient? So when I received an email from their marketing department asking me if I would be interested in receiving a big box of Oxo products to play around with, I was thrilled. I've been playing with my new Oxo goodies for a month as I settle in to my new kitchen, and I'm ready to talk to you about my favorites.

Silicone and Cloth Oven Mitt   (Retail price: $14.99)

First off, I have to rave about the stylish green cloth and silicone oven mitt. I've been using silicone oven mitts for a few years now. I love how impervious to heat they are, even using them to plunge my hand into boiling water to remove jars of jam. But I don't love how slippery they are and hard to get a good grip on hot pans. This Oxo oven mitt solves that problem, allowing me to get a good grip, and stay better protected from heat. It's even magnetized to hang. It's a great combination between a traditional oven mitt and a silicone mitt, definitely a smart product I would expect from Oxo.

Pop Container Set    (5 Piece Retail Price: $49.99)
My second favorite were these easy to open pop-top storage jars. I hate wasting time trying to get plastic containers to shut after they've been through the dishwasher a few times and have warped. These boxes open and close easily, with just a press of the large button on the top. They're a great gift for older cooks, but I'm even finding that they're saving me time and frustration. I received them in a set of 5 sizes - from a long canister for spaghetti to smaller ones for sauces. The price tag for this set is a little steep, but these feel very durable, very thick plastic, even though it is BPA-Free.

Food Scale with Pull-Out Display  (Retail Price: $49.99)
And last but certainly not least, I received this gorgeous scale with a pull-out screen. It gives readings in both grams and ounces and lets you set the scale weight at zero with an empty bowl on top. Then, if you want to keep add the butter directly to the sugar before creaming them without dirtying another bowl, you can set it at zero again. The display is clear and easy to read. I love how easy to clean it is, no crevices to fill with spilt sugar or flour.

Most European recipes have weight measurements instead of volume measurements, so a scale is a must have in European kitchens. I couldn't imagine baking without one. It's so much easier than dealing with sifting your flour to just stick it on a scale. This particular model goes up to 11 pounds, much more than you would use in regular baking, and just in case you're nervous about how much chocolate you're piling on, the scale has a little symbol that shows you how close you're getting to its limit.

So there you have it: my three fave Oxo finds of the month. I hope you don't mind but I've decided to scrap my separate review blog and occasionally share my thoughts about my cooking tools directly here. Keeping up with multiple blogs is just too time consuming!

5 Kitchen Gadgets I Can't Live Without

I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets. I love to troll kitchenware stores for fun tools to make cooking easier. While that means that my drawers are overflowing with some fairly useless gadgets, I also occasionally find some tools that I adore.

So off the top of my head, here are my favorite 5 gadgets in my kitchen:

•  Silpat Baking Mats - When Silpats first came out, probably a decade ago, I thought they were an expensive gimmick. At the time they were close to $20 a mat. I bought a couple anyway, and soon fell in love with them. Ten years later, I'm still baking with the original ones, making them a great investment. Why are they great? They let me turn out batch after batch of cookies and meringues without worrying about greasing the pan. I've heard some rumblings about cookies not turning out as brown when cooked on a Silpat, but I'm a fan. Current price: $15 to $20 on Amazon.

• Silicone Oven Mitts - Again, these seemed gimmicky when I bought one a few years ago, but they really are incredibly heat-proof. When I'm making jelly, I literally stick my hand encased in a mitt in the boiling water to remove the cans. They are a little cumbersome to work with, especially when handling heavy pans, but I love the protection they provide. Current Price: around $15 on Amazon.

• Digital Scale - I'm not going to recommend a specific scale but I'll just throw this up on the list because you can't beat weighing things when it comes to baking. No need to sift, just put your flour on the scale and life will be less messy, and more accurate.

• Food Mill - Again, no specific brand to recommend. The one I have was passed down to us by my mother in law, but I love my food mill. I use it to rice mashed potatoes to make silken mashed potatoes that are almost as good as at Craft.

• Hand Blender - I just got a new hand blender because my old one overheated and died. A Cuisinart Smart Stick. Does this give you a sense of how often I use one? In the winter, I make a soup every week, and I just pop in my hand blender to get it to the right consistency. I love how easily it rinses and goes right back in the closet til the following Sunday. Boggles my mind how such a useful tool can be so cheap. I bought it on sale for under $30 and it still is that cheap at Amazon.

So let's keep this discussion going. What tools can't you live without?

A Lurker Steps Out

I've been lurking on Jane Maynard's wonderful blog, This Week for Dinner, for a while now. It's a fantastic food blog where every week, Jane invites her readers to post their weekly menus. This week I wasn't feeling inspired when I was planning my week, so I turned to the site for inspiration. I was amazed by how diverse everyone's cooking was, and I got inspired. It's so easy to start repeating things and get stuck in a rut.

We had a great week - once I got out of the box.


On Monday, I used some store-bought pesto to whip up a chicken and cherry tomato saute.

On Tuesday, we had taco night - nothing fancy - using the Old El Paso taco kit - but so fun!

Then on Wednesday, I made tortilla espanola which we had with some tomato and mozzarella (gotta love those Jersey tomatoes). I loved that eggy concoction full of soft potatoes when I lived in Spain. My senora used to make me sandwiches with bread rubbed with tomato and garlic with slices of tortilla espanola. The last time I attempted to make it, a few years ago, it was a messy disaster. This time, thanks to the recipe from What's Cooking America, it came out perfectly.


The tricky flip (I was too nervous and Steve handled it beautifully):