Tips & Gadgets For Cooking & Planting At Home
With Thanksgiving coming up, most people will be doing more cooking than usual. From roasting a turkey and/or ham, to making soup afterwards.
The kitchen gadgets are trending faster than anything these days it seems. Air fryers, Insta Pots, food processors, and every mini gadget you can think of.
Some people are truly gourmet cooks, and make everything from pasta, to mayo, yoghurt, humous, salsa, bread, fancy pastries, sauces, etc.
For the average person, we need some good knives, and a few good pots. Recently while cutting tomatoes from the garden to freeze, I accidentally cut my index finger. It is the first time I have cut myself in many years. I usually use a fairly small Shun utility knife, but in this case used a larger knife, so I guess it was the unfamiliarity with that particular knife that caused the slip.
After cutting my finger, I started wondering about finger guards, and sure enough, you can buy all different kinds. Some of them are designed to protect manicured nails. They are individual metal guards with tops similar to nails. They are designed to help with tasks instead of using your nails, like peeling garlic, opening plastic containers, etc. They remind me of the metal finger picks used by bluegrass musicians.
Another kind has a small metal shield on one side, with a hole or two to put your fingers in on the other side, to steady it, and create a barrier between your fingers and the knife, while chopping vegetables.
You can also buy leather finger protecters, which are more commonly used in sewing. You can buy silicone finger protecters, which are probably more flexible, but may not protect your fingers from all cuts. If you do have a band-aid on your finger, you can cover it with a silicone protecter to keep it dry. Another option is to use a thimble on one or two fingers. It seems to me it is usually the index finger that gets sliced. But the finger next to the index finger is also at risk.
As with most people, I hate cutting myself. Mostly because it is a portal for infection, and we need to use our hands for almost everything. There are some very good natural wound healers without having to go to a pharmacy. You can use castor oil, or vaseline with a drop or two of an antimicrobial essential oil. Vaseline is a highly under rated topical would healer.
For those of us who worked in hospitals, we know that surgeons often ordered petroleum infused dressings, or even petroleum packings for wounds, over and above all else. A bit of vaseline keeps the wound moisturized, protects it from the migration of microbes, and promotes healing.
If you do cut yourself, you have to make sure you don’t get an infection, in spite of the fact you have to keep using your hands. This includes frequently changing the band-aid, after it gets wet, and keeping an eye on the wound for signs of infection.
The finger guards can be found on the website Temu, which I know is controversial. But it does have many inexpensive handy little gadgets to use in the kitchen. The finger guards are just a dollar or two each.
They also have coloured silicone zip ties that can easily be removed, and re-used. They are a few inches long, and are very handy for wrapping and holding small appliance cords in place. There is another kind of appliance cord gadget that sticks onto the appliance, to wrap the cord around it. I find the little zip ties work much better.
Can anyone find an air fryer with a stainless steel basket, instead of the coating that may end up in your food? This is especially a concern because air fryers cook things at such high temperatures. The oven style air fryers often have stainless steel racks, but according to all the YouTube cooks, they do not work as well as the basket types, and make a mess. They are basically a mini convection oven.
Cutting a piece of parchment paper to place at the bottom of the basket does work. The parchment stays in place. You can also add a stainless steel insert if you can find the right size. That way the food is cooked on stainless steel, instead of the coated interior. There are some concerns about chemicals in parchment paper, but not as bad as the coated cookware breaking down over repeated use. Parchment is used once and discarded. You can also try paper liners specifically for air fryers.
There are a few air fryers on the market now with borosilicate glass baskets. They tend to be expensive, and the reports on how they cook are not great. Perhaps over time they will make improvements in the design, or better yet, make a good quality stainless steel basket.
For the turkey soup, another issue is that of the all clad stockpot, versus the cheaper single ply stainless steel brands. All clad is a proprietary name for triple ply metals used in the better quality stockpots.
The prices for clad, or triple ply metals in a stockpot vary from $100-$400 for a 16 quart stockpot. These pots often have nickel free stainless steel, with one of the interior layers made of aluminum because aluminum is a very good heat conductor.
If you happen to have a cheaper stainless steel stock pot that causes food to stick on the bottom, you may not have to discard it. You can buy various different types of heat diffusers to place on top the burner underneath the stock pot.
Just check to be sure the heat diffuser is compatible with the type of stove top you have. Many of them are made for gas cooktops. There are different varieties to include stainless steel, cast iron, and aluminum.
Since aluminum is a good conductor of heat, it is a good choice as a heat diffuser, and layer underneath your stainless steel stock pot. I think it is a good idea to get one that is flat, and covers the entire burner without slipping, as opposed to one that has feet to raise it. I don’t think it is a good idea to have a 16 quart stockpot full of hot soup sitting on a base with feet, as it could create a risk for tipping and burns. You can buy a large size flat aluminum heat diffuser for $14.
If a flat heat diffuser is not sufficient, you can opt to place your stockpot inside a large cast iron frying pan. A 16 quart stockpot will just fit inside a 12″ cast iron, or stainless steel frying pan. That way the soup will not burn on the bottom, even if you don’t stir it every thirty minutes. It would most certainly classify as a clad bottomed invention, for your cheaper stock pot!
It is also time to start thinking about overwintering plants, and possibly keeping a supply of herbs on hand. If you have a metal plant stand, you can over winter quite a few plants by placing some protection around the plants, and then giving it a greenhouse effect using a plastic cover.
Once the plants are covered, and frost is expected, you can try a few different warming options. You can pick up a few cheap stainless steel leakproof water bottles that cost about a dollar each at the thrift stores. If you fill them with boiling water and then wrap them in silicone bakeware, which is also available at the thrift stores, you can put them between the plants at night.
Mini bungee cords, are also very handy. You can buy short 3″ ones, or longer 6″ ones with balls at the end, and also some longer 6-8″ ones with small hooks on the end. These are very useful for securing things, and for wrapping and storing items so they stay organized, and take less space. They are also good for wrapping, and securing the silicone around the water bottles, to keep them hot overnight for the plants.
Anytime you have something that tends to tip over, whether it is a foldable cart, or a tall foldable step stool, you can secure things in place with a small bungee. They are also handy to have in a portable grocery cart if you use one, in case you decide to buy some garden stakes, or something else that my wobble, and tip in the cart. If you use zippered bags in your grocery cart, and walk to the store, you can use them to secure the bags, so they don’t blow away on windy days, while you are walking to the store.
For those who prefer to walk to get groceries, the absolute best grocery buggy by far, is the Wadabuggy. Even though it is more expensive than most, it is ten times better. The front wheels are large, and have springs, therefore you do not get jarred every time there is a crack in the sidewalk. It is very easy to maneuver in the grocery aisles, turns on a dime, and is smaller than the in-store grocery carts.
You can fit two 17″ by 10″ zippered grocery bags in the lower level, and two smaller 12″ size in the top basket. It also has a smaller container facing you as you walk, to keep your sunglasses, water bottle, Kleenex, magnifier, or phone in.
The cart has an adjustable wrapped handle, and folds easily to put into a car. The wheels are dead easy to take off and put back on, requiring just a small clip to release them. This makes it very easy to check and maintain them as well. I use 3:1 silicone spray for the wheel components every six months or so, taking care not to spray it on the rubber wheels.
The buggy holds a total of a hundred pounds, which is a fair bit considering most carts might fail even if you have fifty pounds. The last thing you want is to have a wheel break when you are walking with groceries. After a year of steady use, this cart is still as good as new. The buggy is available on Amazon. The link below shows all the features. For those with small dogs or cats, you can get a pet carrier for the top basket, instead of using it for groceries. They also have beach buggy attachments with large wheels for going over sand.
https://wadabuggy.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopRhpdWOX6bWqV8HlTE2E7bzMt5DkeQ6pa1cZsKWKwx0ggoMdvN
The problem with the cheaper carts that you pull, is they cause shoulder and neck strain after awhile, especially if they are heavy. They are also not that convenient inside the store.
The metal carts are quite popular, and are often advertised as being able to hold 300 pounds. Don’t believe it. There is no way they will hold 300 pounds. I would not trust those carts with 50 pounds. They might be fine to use to walk around a store, and then fold and put in the car for transfer into your house or condo. But they are not good for walking because the front wheels are so small, and are attached with plastic.
Silicone bakeware must not be that popular for baking. Somehow I think metal, or glass pans are more palatable to most cooks. I don’t trust that silicone is free of chemicals when used repeatedly in the oven. By the amount of silicone bakeware seen in thrift stores, it looks like others feel the same way. But silicone is very good for certain things, and you may be able to repurpose it.
I use silicone to encase lithium batteries for storing. For instance a drill with a lithium battery inside a dedicated plastic drill box that holds all the drill bits, also has a spot for the battery. But lithium batteries are not supposed to come in contact with any metals, including coins and paper clips, let alone metal drill bits that do not always stay in their little slots. So one does wonder why the lithium drill battery is placed inside the drill box with all the drill bits, without being covered.
You can buy thin silicone covers for keyboards, and even silicone bags for kneading bread. These cost a couple of dollars. Silicone is very good for protecting lithium batteries from coming in contact with any metals.
Silicone is an excellent thermal insulator, flame-retardant, and waterproof barrier for lithium batteries. Keep in mind, lithium batteries no matter what size they are, should not come in contact with each other, other metals, or moisture. Most importantly using silicone as a barrier will mitigate issues like thermal runaway, and damage from moisture and vibration.
In the case of the drill battery, I wrap the battery in thin silicone covering (a silicone keyboard dust cover). It does not add bulk, so the lid closes easily, and you can still keep all parts together in one place. Most importantly, it protects the lithium battery from coming in contact with any of the metal drill bits.
Another idea for the plants is to use a USB coffee mug warmer, and a power bank for cold frosty nights, or periods of cold snaps during the winter. The power bank can be put inside a waterproof container, and the coffee mug warmer can be put into a small stainless steel container, to protect it. I plan to try this method for the first time this winter, because I think it will outlast the bottles with hot water and silicone. You can then recharge the power bank during the day when the sun comes out. The USB coffee mug warmers cost around $6 each.
As far as plant cuttings and indoor seedlings, there are some very complicated and expensive growing set ups. Regardless, it is not easy to compete with direct sunlight. If you place the plants in front of a sunny window, it is more than half the battle.
As far as grow lights, unless you have a major operation going, I tend to think a caged pendant light above the plants with a full spectrum LED bulb, should be sufficient for adding supplemental light over the winter. It is also uncomplicated, and poses no risk. LED bulbs use up less electricity, provide light equal to higher wattage bulbs, and do not tend to overheat. With a pendant light you don’t have to worry about clamp on lights falling over, getting wet, or getting in the way.
These tips for warmth and heat for plants have a total cost of around $20 to include the silicone wrapped bottles, mug warmer, and LED bulbs. A power bank is around $35 unless you already have one. Power banks can be used in the cold, but lose some of their efficiency. I plan to use a lined waterproof plastic camera box to help protect it, so it does not get ruined. The lid will have to be partially open for the cord, but it will still protect the power bank from the elements.
Although these are mostly inexpensive, and not elaborate tips – I hope they contribute to a bountiful, and safe Thanksgiving!