My New Kitchen Toys: Chef’n Pinch+Pour

As a cook and former retailer, I have long been a fan of Chef’n – they make some really cool kitchen tools that are very high quality for a moderate price. I have several of their products that I find invaluable and superior to the competing products on the market.

(Please note that Chef’n has no idea I am making this post, and there is nothing in it for me except to share my opinion with you!)

Their salad spinners, which come in large and small, are far superior to others I have seen.  As a bonus, the basket can be used as a strainer, and the outer bowl is nice enough to be used as a serving bowl at the table.

Today I picked up one of their newer products called “Pinch + Pour Prep Bowls.”  Prep work is a priority for me when cooking, helping me not to forget ingredients and saving me time once I turn on the heat.  I never have enough little ramekins.  These handy little bowls, sold in a set of 4 various sizes, are pinch-able.  When you pinch, a lip is formed in the silicone making pouring neat and easy.  What a great idea!  I highly recommend them.

Pinch + Pour!

Here’s another favorite of mine – the “StemGem.”  It minimizes fruit removal grabbing just the stem, and it much faster than hulling a pint of strawberries with a paring knife.

Peeling? Get it done fast and cheap!

I am not one for collecting lots of kitchen tools, but there are some that make life so much easier and don’t take up much room.  Vegetable peelers are one of those things.  You can use a paring knife, but that’s not very efficient.

I have had a lot of peelers over the years.  I can tell you that they are not all created equal.  Ever had a peeler that worked great for a couple months, but gradually you were looking for your paring knife because using the peeler was like scraping the skin off the potato with a butter knife?  Me too.  Some blades just don’t hold up.  Sadly, these are usually the more expensive peelers.

Which do you prefer – the stick peeler with the blade on the side, or the Y peeler?  I’m a Y peeler girl, all the way.  It allows me to peel away from my body, thus avoiding accidents.  And if it’s sharp, I can move really quickly taking wider strips with just one pass.

I have used the OXOs, Zyliss, Kuhn Rikon, RSVP Endurance, and an assortment of cheeper peelers.  Hands down, the Swissmar Y Peeler is my favorite – and at a mere $6 (average price), it’s a steal.  I have had mine over a year now, and it is still as sharp as the day I bought it.  I don’t put it in the dishwasher, just wash it by hand, dry it, and put it away.  It still looks like the day I bought it too.  And it has a little hard plastic blade cover that prevents getting cut when rooting around in the drawer.

They are often sold in a set of 3 peelers, including a Julienne blade, for about $15.  Go get you one - you won’t be disappointed!