The winner of last week's review and giveaway: Sarah Hirsch
Sarah has won a copy of Sue Spitler's 1,001 Best Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook. Congratulations Sarah!
Kitchen Gadgets from Microplane
In our family, we have two wonderful, energetic little boys who are five and three years of age. And like most little kids I know, my boys love anything with cheese on it. In fact, cheese is one of my favorite secret weapons when it comes to getting my oldest to eat his veggies. We grate every type of cheese you can imagine on every type of vegetable you can think of. And, most of the time, my tactic works and the veggies disappear. We also love homemade pizza, pasta, quesadilla and other cheesy dishes.
Muffins and loaves are another staple in our house. We like to make the kind that contain carrots or zucchini or carrots and zucchini. (See above). Needless to say, we do A LOT of grating so when Microplane offered to send us some of their products to test for review, we jumped at the chance. I've had the same old grater for years now, and I've sworn a few times (literally and figuratively) that I was going to replace it. My knuckles have suffered more than a few times because, like most utensils that involve cutting, the kitchen tool in hand must be sharp in order for it to work well.
The items to be tested: The Microplane 4 Sided Box Grater, the Cut Resistant Glove and the Gourmet Parmesan Grater.
On to the next tasks. I wanted to try out each of the other blades so here is what I did:
- Sliced potatoes using the slicer blade (also good for other hard root vegetables)
- Zesting an orange using the fine/zester blade (also good for hard cheese, nuts, ginger and garlic)
- Grating some chocolate on the course grater (also good for hard cheese, coconut, ginger and garlic)
Each task was performed easily and quickly and again, I loved the stability of the grater. Clean-up each time was also quick and efficient due to the removable sliding plate feature. I really appreciated being able to slice my potatoes quickly and thinly on the slicer blade but I would definitely advise wearing the glove for this. The blade is very sharp! I did also try to slice some carrots and while the thinner carrots sliced just fine, some of the thicker carrots from the pile did get stuck a couple of times. Once finished, I took my clean grater and put the protective cover back on it before placing it into the cupboard for next time. (And I am glad for the cover, because I sometimes reach into my cupboard without looking...)
The glove was something upon first glance I giggled at. I must admit, knighthood and Camelot came to mind when I first tried it on and I felt kind of silly using it but that feeling quickly faded away and I instantly saw the glove's benefits. I use my very sharp mandolin often, to make different root vegetable chips (beet, carrot, potato, etc) and I am always nervous that I am going to slice myself. Since having the glove though, no worries. While making beet chips, I was able to be less cautious as I usually am and slice faster than my regular slow methodical pace. As a result, I did hit the blade a few times but it was no big deal. I liked that the glove can fit either lefties or righties, which means my husband can use it if he feels up to cooking (hint!) and it was easy to wash then hang to dry after using it. Now if only Microplane could make a kids' size! What a great way to help your kids learn to cook without fear of cutting themselves and spend some quality time together!
Finally, the Gourmet Parmesan Hand Grater. Again, the blade on this kitchen tool was super sharp making it easy to use. I loved being able to have it at the kitchen table with the parmesan or romano cheese so that everyone could grate their own desired amount of cheese over top of their pasta (or vegetables). The cheese pretty much made it to it's required destination and I'd say the only "downfall" of this kitchen tool is that your young ones will have so much fun grating their own hard cheese, you may need to buy more than usual.
What to buy it?
For those interested in purchasing any of the above Microplane products, browse our "store", visit your favorite local kitchen store or purchase it from one of many online retailers including:
- Microplane Online Canada and USA (Box Grater- $34.95USD, Glove- $24.95USD, Parmesan Grater- $16.95USD)
- Amazon.com: Box Grater - $33.68 USD, Glove - $23.87 USD, Parmesan Grater - $15.95 USD (Free Shipping Over $39)
- Metro Kitchen: Box Grater - $34.95, Parmesan Grater $16.95 USD (Free Ground Shipping to Continental USA, Shipping to Canada available with duties/tax charges calculated before payment)
One lucky Can I get the Recipe? subscriber will be receiving their own set of Microplane Goodies! You must be a subscriber of Can I get the Recipe? to enter. (Use the Subscribe box on left of page to receive weekly email updates!)
How to enter:
Go here to the review/giveaway page at Can I get the Recipe? and follow the directions at the bottom of the review. Enter using the entry form, not the comment sheet!
Giveaway Rules
•Contest will close at 8:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday, February 23th, 2010. Any entries after this time will not be considered. Giveaway Rules
•Name to be chosen randomly by random.org at the end of the draw date. Winners will be posted on the next giveaway page and notified by email.
•Contest open to Canadian (excluding Quebec) and continental U.S.A. residents only who HAVE NOT won a Can I get the Recipe? giveaway in the last 3 months.
I received the Microplane 4 Sided Box Grater, Cut Resistant Glove and Gourmet Parmesan Hand Grater from Microplane to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine. Please read the disclaimer posted here for more information.
