I love perusing cookware catalogs and websites—ogling over all the wonderful products that are on the market these days. One site I learned about recently is Tesco Direct, an online super-store that has a great selection of cookware and kitchen accessories (plus a bazillion other products). They’ve got everything from Gordon Ramsay cookware to cheese knife sets, one-touch can openers, kitchen trollies and cute aprons…just about anything the homecook would need. One thing I liked about the site is that it has a great search engine. Are you looking for a red tea kettle to complete your red-accented kitchen? No problem! Tesco Direct lets you search products by color, brand, product category and price.

For those trying to incorporate healthy eating into their diet, one product in particular stood out: the Pyroflam Casserole with Steamer. Basically, it’s a 3-piece set that consists of a white ceramic dish and a glass steamer insert with lid.  The casserole and steamer set is made by Pyrex, who is a leading brand with high quality cookware. It’s made from Vitro-Ceramic, which is an advanced material that has a non-porous surface. It will not hold onto germs or flavors from previous dishes.

The glass lid fits both the white ceramic base and the steamer insert, making it a versatile piece of cookware for steaming veggies, baking casseroles, risottos, stews and soups.

The set was designed for use on any appliance except induction heat, is safe for use in the freezer, microwave, oven and it’s 100% dishwasher safe. It’s heat resistant up to 300 degrees C, yet the white ceramic base (which is stain resistant) is stylish enough to use as a serving piece. I love products with multiple uses!

Even though it’s durable and won’t chip, scratch, stain or warp, it still comes with a 25 year guarantee (against manufacturer defect). There is no need to worry if it will last.

Tags: 25 Superfoods, Cookware, glass steamer insert with lid, Pyroflam Casserole with Steamer, Tesco Direct, white ceramic dish

If you’ve ever had a panini than you know how good they are. Warm, crunchy, often gooey (depending on the ingredients) and delicious. With all the ingredient possibilities, you could enjoy a different panini everyday. Oh, what a beautiful world it would be! I recently received a Villaware UNO ProPress Panini Grill from some girlfriends as group birthday gift. Not only was I surprised but I was also elated with my new cooking tool. I love cooking gadgetry! Anyway, my new panini grill is a beautiful little appliance. I feel like I’m working in a bistro when I’ve got it on the counter. Not only is it good-looking, but it’s functional, too. It’s got a good-sized non-stick cooking surface (11″x9″), adjustable temperature control and a commercial-style handle. You can even grill meat on it, although I haven’t tried that yet. Unfortunately, the cooking plates aren’t removable (which would aid in clean up) but that’s a small sacrifice for a delicious grilled sandwich.

The first sandwich I made on the panini grill was a simple ham & cheddar on wheat bread for my kids. They each devoured their share then asked for more, which of course left me beaming. When I told my 6-year-old that I was glad he liked the sandwich, he replied, “I don’t like it. I LOVE it.” Well there you have it…you better believe I’ll be using my panini grill on a regular basis if it continues to get that kind of a response out of a simple ham & cheese sandwich. Thank you, girlfriends (you know who you are).

Tags: Cookware, grill, panini

One of my recent kitchen purchases was a new tea kettle. I loved my old kettle, a stainless steel model made by Kitchenaid that I received as a wedding present ten years ago. Husband & I used it daily and I frequently thought about what a good and functional gift it was. Then one day not too long ago, Husband decided to try his hand at multi-tasking (I shudder at the thought). Apparently he put water on to boil then got busy doing something in the garage. Unfortunately, he didn’t hear the annoying whistle of the kettle since he wasn’t in the house. At some point Husband came back into the house to find the kettle dry. I was out at the time but came home to find my nice stainless steel kettle looking blackish and not so attractive anymore. Well, accidents happen so I didn’t dwell on it.

I did, however, jump into action and start my research on a new tea kettle since the old kettle was beyond restoration. Husband put in his two cents about his wish for a kettle that had a nice “train whistle” sound instead of the high-pitched break-your-eardrums screech of most kettles (he had seen the “train whistle” kind before and liked it). I did a quick search for “train whistle” tea kettles online and found that Chantal makes a line of kettles with a two-tone Hohner® harmonica whistle. Before long I had my very own Chantal kettle sitting on my stove.  I couldn’t wait to try it out to see what this “train whistle” business was all about. Basically, when the water gets hot enough in the kettle, the whistle does its thing and it actually sounds like someone playing the harmonica. Now I’m not talking about a rockin’ blues harmonica solo. It’s simply one pleasant note, then a few moments later the second note chimes in. I quite like my spanky new kettle and how it melodically calls to me to fetch it from the stove. Good call, Husband, on the “train whistle”.

Tags: Cookware, tea kettle