Smart Weigh Culinary Kitchen Scale

When this scale arrived all I could say is “Wow”, it felt like Christmas and I was like a kid with a brand new toy.  I never used a kitchen scale and then when I finally got one I wondered how I possibly lived without one.  So what exactly do I use a kitchen scale for?

Repackaging Meat
I buy most of my meat from a local butcher shop that has great sales.  So when things like lean ground beef go on sale I will order large 25lb bags of it and then repackage it into 1lb packages and store them in vacuum sealed bags in my freezer.  I used to guess what 1lb of beef looked like but I was always off, usually by up to 1/2 lb!

Weighing Dough
I make homemade rolls often and the only way I have found to get all the rolls the same size is to weigh the dough like bakeries do.  Having your rolls all the same size also means they are all cooked evenly.

Recipes
Many recipes from Europe that I try list their ingredients in weight rather than volume and having a scale is an absolute must.  I also cook bulk recipes I have scooped up from some bakeries that are also listed in volume.  Having a scale allows you to try out many recipes from other countries!

General Food Weighing
I make up individual meals for the freezer and know about how much in weight we generally consume so I will weigh it out to make sure there is enough in each serving without have leftovers.  So I weigh out things like Chili, Pasta, Chicken Fried Rice to then pop in the freezer.

Weight Confirmation
Sometimes I will purchase prepacked quantities from things like the market like apples, small potatoes,grape  tomatoes etc. and I will sometimes weigh them when I get home to verify their weight.  There are now certain vendors at the market I no longer buy for because they will offer a 3 lb package of tomatoes for $3 but when weighed at home there will be significantly less than a pound.

Postal Meter
When making up little “care” packages to send to my daughters I am aware that with a given size box,  the cost will remain the same if it is within a certain weight range so I will add items to it to get it close to the maximum weight.  Over time I am able to send my daughters far more items because I weigh things than if I didn’t.

Ok, so now that I have told you why I use a scale in my kitchen, let me tell you why I am so excited about this kitchen scale.  This scale has 2 sides to it, one larger than the other.  I can use each side separately, or if you like you, it will give you a combined weight of what is on both scales.  It has a Tare function for both scales so I can put a large container to weigh things like flour and sugar and put a small container on the small side to weigh things like spices.

This scale not only looks great, it is highly accurate and offers far more than I have ever had in a kitchen scale.  I am also pretty amazed with how economical it is and I feel completely spoiled having it in my kitchen.

You can purchase this scale on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com

UPACKE Storage Container

Like the Bento Boxes, but far more economical

It is important in this hectic world we live in, that we take time to just enjoy life and that isn’t always easy to do.  With jobs, homes, kids, playing taxi and all of our other jobs, there often isn’t enough time to just enjoy life.  Then poof, the years go by and you look back and say “if only”.

Now you are probably wondering why all of this is coming up in a discussion about storage containers, well, I’m getting to that.  If you add up all the time you spend on grocery shopping, food preparation and clean up in the kitchen, it amounts to a significant amount of time each month.  If you can cut down on that time, while still providing delicious and healthy food, that gives you more time for the important things in life, like enjoying time with your children.  Now if you can get your children involved in cutting down that time, that’s even better.  So this is where the storage containers come into play.

Cooking in bulk is an easy way to cut down on meal prep time and kitchen clean up.  When ground beef goes on sale I will buy it in bulk and then, along with my daughter will spend a couple hours “processing it” as we call it.  I will see what we are running short of in the freezer such as hamburgers, meat loafs, meat balls etc. and use the meat to replenish our stockpile.  Then when dinner time comes around I can just pop a meatloaf directly from the freezer into the oven or throw some meat balls directly into a pan and brown them.  You get the idea.

Well, what I also do is make dinners that just need to be popped into the microwave.  For example if we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn for dinner and there are leftovers, I will grab a storage container like this UPACKE 3 compartment container and make up a dinner for the freezer.Even if all I have is say meatloaf and gravy left, I will just put that in the freezer and the next time we have left over potatoes or a vegetable, I will finish off the dinner.  I have even cooked an extra meatloaf and potatoes to make several ready made dinners for the freezer.

These dinners save money because they make use of small amounts of leftover food and also save time on busy nights.  They also come in handy if I am going to be home alone, I can just heat one up and have a nice dinner ready in minutes.

You can also use these to make up a fresh lunch to bring to work and put salad, fruit and yogurt in the trays or anything of that nature.  Make up a couple at a time and keep them in the fridge for you to bring to work.

I am addicted to these types of containers and the UPACKE ones are very well made with snug fitting lids and come 12 containers to a box and it also comes with plastic utensils that look like silverware.  There are 12 each of forks, knives and spoons.  They are microwave safe and withstand temperatures up to 260°F.  They are also dishwasher safe.

These storage containers are available on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com

Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

I often see people put glass containers on their bathroom vanities to hold things like cotton balls, ear swabs etc.  Some people even use mason jars because they are cute, and cheap (usually under $1 each).  Well, this Mason Jar Soap Dispenser would go perfect with other mason jars filled with bathroom essentials.  It will also save you money if you buy those plastic pumps filled with hand soap, because you can buy hand soap in bulk containers and just fill this up as needed.

This is a simple little soap dispenser that holds a lot of soap so you won’t have to refill it that often.  One trick you can do is to buy clear refill soap and then add a couple drops of food coloring in a color that matches your bathroom decor.

This will also work with hand moisturizer, so you can pick up a second one, or put one with the moisturizer by your sink in your kitchen so you can moisturize your hands after each hand washing to keep them from getting too dry.

This Mason Jar Soap Dispenser is available on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com

Whip It Whipped Cream Maker

To say I am addicted to kitchen gadgets would be an understatement.  My dream would be a huge kitchen like the super rich have and untold amounts of storage space as well as pantry space.  I would fill it up with every useful gadget I could get my hands on.

Unfortunately, I, like most people are not rich, and I don’t have a huge kitchen either, but I make do.  I still manage to get my fair share of gadgets and this has forced me to come up with creative storage solutions!

I have wanted a Whipped Cream Maker for about as long as I can remember.  Sure, I can go to the store and by real whipped cream in a can, but it is expensive, and you are limited because you can’t change the amount or type of sweetener, nor can you change the flavor of it.

The Whip It is actually a dream come true for someone like me.  It is super simple to use and you can make whipped cream exactly the way you want.  You simply add 500ml of 35% (heavy) cream, sweetener if you like (I like to add a bit of confectioners/icing suger) and flavoring if desired and coloring.  You can add a couple drops of food coloring and some caramel flavoring to top a caramel flavored desert, or a couple drops of red food coloring and strawberry flavoring to top a bowl of sliced strawberries.  The choices are endless.

After you add the ingredients it’s just a matter of replacing the top, adding an N2O cartridge and screwing it on, giving it a few shakes and you have instant whipped cream.  It is not over whipped, it is stabilized and perfect.  The N2O is what bonds with the cream and stabilizes it.  If you don’t know what N2O is, it’s actually Nitrous Oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas.  N2O not only fluffs up our whipped cream, it inhibits bacteria from growing.  So when you make up a can of whipped cream, it will last as long as the “Use by” date on the original cream container which is often a couple of weeks or more.

Having whipped cream on hand makes it easy to add a little dollop of cream to make even the most simple desserts like jello or pudding extra special.

You can purchase WhipIt on Amazon.ca as well as Amazon.com

Ice Coals 3 Section Food Containers

Let the savings begin

My philosophy is that unless you are financially independent with no debts and enough to retire in the bank, they you need to look for ways to save money until you reach that goal.

Saving doesn’t have to be hard, it can be as simple as using these 3 section food containers.   So how can you use them?

• Pack lunches in them rather than buying lunch every day.
• If you don’t have enough leftovers from a family meal to make a second dinner for the family but have enough for one meal, fill up a container and use it as a quick dinner or snack for someone, or even to bring for lunch on another day.
• If you have a bit of extra time, make double the amount you need for dinner and fill up these containers so you have enough to feed your whole family on a busy night rather than ordering take-out.

Since these Bento style containers are freezer safe, microwave safe (take the top off first) and dishwasher safe they make saving easy and convenient.

What I often do is batch cook meals when meat goes on sale.  For example when ground beef goes on sale I will do meatloaves, meatballs and hamburger patties for the freezer.  Sometimes I will then cook 2 meatloaves for dinner and then divide up the rest into containers for instant meals for the freezer.  Other times when chicken goes on sale I will make Chicken Pot Pies and big batches of Chicken Fried Rice for the freezer.  I will cook a turkey and make turkey pies and and frozen turkey dinners for the freezer.  At the end of the day you have good food, at significantly less cost and you don’t waste food.

You can buy a 10 pack of Ice Coals 3 Section Food Containers on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

A sample of this product was provided by the manufacturer

NOTMOG Unbreakable Wine Glasses

NOTMOG means Not Made of Glass

I have never fancied plastic cups because they always seemed to look cheap and in some cases downright tacky.  This means that on numerous occasions we have taken our glassware outside, but accidents happen sometimes and whenever one was dropped it shattered.  This not only created a mess but a safety hazard because you couldn’t always see all the glass and at some point my step on it with bare feet.

Well I have to admit that these NOTMOG glasses do look like glass, but obviously they are not.  They are made from a BPA and EA free Titan plastic which has many of the characteristic looks of glass but they are break proof and shatterproof which is perfect for outdoor use or during parties when accidents are most likely to happen.

These particular glasses however are such an awesome shape that they lend themselves perfectly for making individual desserts in them.  They looks simply lovely especially with layered desserts which is what I will probably use them for most often.

You can purchase the NOTMOG Stemless Wine Glasses on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com

 

A sample of this product was provided by the manufacturer.