Teroforma Whiskey Stones

I picked up a set of these beautiful and useful Teroforma Whiskey Stones for my wife over the weekend! Quarried and milled in Vermont, by one of the oldest soapstone workshops in the world, the Whiskey stones are a simple solution to cooling drinks without dilution.

Simply place the Whiskey stones in the provided drawstring bag, put the whole kit in the freezer for a couple hours and when ready for a drink, just place 3 of them in a tumbler and pour your poison to just over the cubes. Let sit for 5 minutes and your drink is properly cooled, but not diluted.

Soapstone is non-porous and very soft (it's mostly talc, which is pretty low on the Mohs scale) and will not harm glassware. Great gift for the person that has everything!

Bon Appetit Lunch Box Set

I was at the art supply store Omer Desseres with my wife the other day, when I spotted an interesting looking "lunch box" (yes, I can actually find even a lunch box interesting!). The Bon Appetit Lunch Box, by Martin Blum and Dan Black, is a modern twist on the japanese bento box. Made of polypropylene and copolyester, completely BPA free and microwave and dishwasher safe, the box is a great way of packing various items for a nice lunch: The dimensions for the box and matching bag are as follows: Box: 7.5” sq / 2.25” deep.  Bag: 10.5” high / 11” wide, open as Mat: 21” length / 11” wide The box includes 2 containers, as well as a fork and a recipe book is also available separately. It's not a very large container and I know a few men that would be left feeling a little bit hungry following a lunch packed in one of the these, but the idea is very well executed and the materials are top quality. Go take a look at this and other offerings over at the site.

I am not a paper cup, really

During many of our frequent trips to Chapter's, my wife and I had often seen these great looking coffee cups, shaped like a standard paper cup, but made from a double-walled ceramic, glazed on the inside and matte on the outside and supplied with a silicone snap-on cover that mimics the standard disposable plastic covers available at most coffee shops today. Appropriately, they are named I Am Not A Paper Cup!

From what I had seen of the display model, fingerprints and smudges seemed to be attracted to the matte finish and I wondered how the cup would fare at home. I was also concerned that the disposable appearance might lead one to forget its permanent nature and attempt to throw it out. So I kept looking at it, but never purchased it.

But my wife, in her infinite wisdom and kindness, purchased it for me as a surprise. And so far, I've been very satisfied with it. After several months of use, the cup maintains its brand new appearance, although I've changed the silicone cover from the original white to a newer black version. But don't get me wrong, the original cover is in fine condition, but unfortunately, it has been stained from constant contact with coffee, which has been my only complaint thus far. I also believe that the manufacturer is aware of the issue, hence the sale of additional covers in several colours, including white, black, red and pink.

The cup performs very well, although its internal volume is far less than the cup's external size indicates. Its double-wall construction keeps contents hot or cold for quite a long time, even in colder external conditions. There is a silicone plug at the bottom, which can be removed to allow access to the hollow portion of the double wall, allowing the addition of hot or cold liquids to increase the thermal capabilities of the cup.

The fragile nature of the cup precludes its use as a travel mug, but it is a fantastic desk mug and my current favourite!

Our new kitchen gadget

My wife and I decided to purchase a kitchen appliance that I have heard a lot about, but never got a chance to try: a bread maker. And I've known several people who have had one, used it for a while, then put it in storage somewhere in the basement. Well, after doing a little research on the topic, I found one machine which met the majority of our requirements, the Cuisinart CBK-200:

The fairly large box holds several items, including:

- The CBK 200 bread maker
- The loaf pan
- The kneading paddle
- A measuring cup for liquids
- A measuring spoon for solids
- An instruction/recipe book

In essence, the bread maker is a fairly simple machine; an enclosed oven with a mixing system within the baking pan. With some simple programming, a timer and a thermostat, the bread maker can mix the dry and wet ingredients, knead them into dough, let the dough rise in a temperature-controlled environment (for as little or a long as required by a specific recipe) and finally bake the dough into delicious bread. One of the nice features is the inclusion of a convection cooking system, which allows for more even baking temperatures, and nicer shaped breads.

The CBK-200 is similar to many other bread makers. It uses a horizontal pan with the mixing paddle in the bottom to make loaves up to 2 lbs in size. Where it differs is with the exterior cladding of the machine, which in the case of the Cuisinart, is stainless steel, as opposed to the more common plastic of competing machines. Several setting buttons allow the user to vary the size of the loaf, the overall browning of the crust, and most importantly, allow various preparation methods, from basic white bread, to whole wheat and more.

We used it this evening to bake a basic white bread, using ingredients to make a 2 lbs loaf. The whole process, from start to finish was done in 3 hours and 15 minutes. Since we took the dough out at the indicated time to remove the mixing paddle, our first bread's shape left a little to be desired. But the taste was fantastic! The crust was golden and crispy, and we wound up eating half of our first bread pretty quickly!

We will continue to experiment with our new purchase, and will comment on our successes and failures at baking bread at home.

A weird obsession...

I have developed a fascination for japanese lunchboxes, also known as Bento boxes. After seeing my first bento box, I was completely hooked. I have searched the Internet to find out as much as I can about where I can procure these fabulously designed boxes. I have been looking at a specific model for some time, and have now located a source in Ottawa:

This particular model is made by the Zojirushi Corporation in Japan, and they have several other models available, apart from a wide range of products for Japanese households.

For those who have never seen a bento, it is essentially a lunchbox with separate containers, that fit together to make a complete lunch package. Very efficient design, and I believe that it can adapt well to Western cuisine. During my research, I found several types and makes of boxes:


I will let you know more as soon as I pick up my new bento!