Evolution of Kitchen Gadgets, Part 2 - Coconut Grater and Beyond!

Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget or "toy"? Please feel free to share with us. 

We are no strangers to using kitchen gadgets to ease the painstaking tasks such as grating, powdering, mixing and/or kneading. A couple of years ago, I blogged about one of my favorite gadgets called the Coconut grater in my post titled Evolution of Kitchen Gadgets. Gadgets such as this grater have really cut down prep time for cooking our favorite dishes and made time for other activities. I wonder how people used to perform these tasks before and how much longer it used to take. I certainly appreciate the innovative thinking and creativity behind all these kitchen tool or "toys" as some might see them as. Join me as I explore some "toys" that we have acquired and added to our collection over the years.

#1: Magic Bullet - versatile mini blender

We've used the Magic Bullet to make all our fresh chutneys and lentil podis (ground lentil mixture with spices) for several years now and it's still growing strong.

#2: The Cake Pop Maker, not just for sweets!

Cake Pops was all the craze a couple years ago. I didn't fall into the trend until I saw something similar while traveling in India during 2011 Christmas. It changed my mind about the product and decided to buy one at Target for $15. Check out my post on making Guntapongalalu or Veggie Pops; a popular dish in Telangana, South India.

#3: My Crimson KitchenAid Stand Mixer

My next and favorite gadget since the coconut grater is the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Some girls get clothes and/or jewelry for Christmas and I got the KitchenAid (can you tell I enjoy cooking and baking yet). It was my mom's way of telling me to pursue my passionate and expand my culinary horizon. Thanks, mom! I'll make you proud. As I started using the mixer more often, I realized that it was powerful enough for our Indian recipes as well. I prefer using the mixer when making Sarvapindi*, dough for pooris, parathas, and rotis, and kulfi because it really blends the ingredients well and the texture is smooth not lumpy. Did I mention that it significantly cuts prep time? I figured you already knew that. Until my next gadget update, keep it real FOODIES!!



***Quick Tip: Making the Sarvapindi dough is easy as 1 2 3 (check recipe for ingredients list):
1) Measure the ingredients, one by one and toss into the KitchenAid mixing bowl.
2) While all the ingredients are mixing, gradually pour water until the dough comes together without sticking to the edges. (Hint: not all the water will be used)
3) Finally add the oil. The texture of the dough should be smooth but and not sticky. If it is sticky, add a little bit of flour and run the mixer again.

If you have any questions about any of the gadgets mentioned in this post, feel free to contact us. We would be happy to help.

Evolution of Kitchen Gadgets

I'm always curious about the different gadgets used in the kitchen these days. Last week for Mothers' Day, my mom wanted to make a dessert that's quick and easy (according to her). So she sent my dad on a mission to find our handy dandy Coconut Grater. I don't know about you, but the grater we have is very unique, sharp and it gets the job done. Here's a brief description of what it looks like...see if you can picture it with my details: The stainless steel blade is fixed onto a 9" piece of wood rectangular in shape. We used to grate the coconut by placing the gadget on the floor and stepping on it and grating the coconut on the blade. When we moved to the United States, we realized that it would be more practical to clamp it to the counter space to keep it steady and using the gadget that way. Nowadays, there are more varieties of these gadgets that are being released to make this process more manageable.

**Indian Coconut Grater:

I know you're dying to see this baby in action. Just click on the video for a demonstration:

I just love watching my dad use this gadget. It grated all the juicy coconut flesh out of the shell. This beats chipping the coconut pieces with a knife and grinding them down with a chopper. Less work, if you ask me!

While my dad was grating away at the coconut, my mind wandered a bit and I started thinking about a few questions about the ease of culinary masterpieces created these days. Whenever I tune into my favorite cooking shows, I wonder how all their ingredients are so perfectly grated and diced and proper. Then it dawned on me that maybe they replaced the old clunky ones that got the job done but took too long with newer and faster ones...likes the ones found on the web link below:

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=47104&PageID=202311288492423

By the looks of some these gadgets, I felt that they just got fancier but can they really get the job done? If you look at the link above, there are gadgets for almost everything you can think of...even an Avocado slicer? OMG! Are you kidding me? I just use a big spoon and scoop it out. Then I mash it up myself; but hey if you are making a presentation with Avocados and want to make the dish look nice, you can use the slicer.

What Gadgets or contraptions do you use at home that you think are better than the modern/techie versions? Please feel free to share!

**FYI: The Coconut Grater in this post is from India. If you are looking for one like ours, you can inquire for one from your local Indian grocer.