Smart Stuff. The world's smartest gadgets, inventions and ideas for kitchen and cooking.

Ventilated baking tray for the baguette afficionado

If you're going to bake, you might as well do it right.
Have you ever wondered how they get that wonderful crispy surface on a real french baguette? Maybe not. We had, however, after a number of more or less failed attempts at le pain du France. The answer proved to be a lot simpler than we thought. It is all about steam and circulation of air. Apart from the right recipie, of course. The pro's use ovens that inject hot steam. You can do it with a flower sprayer, but be careful, hot steam BURNS. The pro's also use rigs like the one above. It is perforated to assure the circulation of hot air. You can get one of these, too. We have seen them in several stores. The one above, with room for three baguettes comes from TracOne and will set you back USD 19:99. It will probably give you baguettes that are the envy of the entire 'hood, too.

12 June 2005

Return of the tube roller.
Here is a new take on the good old tube squeezer. You know, the one your grandmother used to get the last from the tubes. The old ones are hardl to find except at contemporary antiques stores, so we were pleased to find this new interpretation from Danish Excel at Formens Hus in Hällefors the other day. It was SEK 65:- (about USD 8:70), but we got it anyway. For even though more and more tubes are plastic, good old Kalle's Kaviar is still packed in metal.

7 June 2005

The clever collapsible funnel.
We use funnels now and then. There is always something that is supposed to go into another vessel. But funnels take up a lot of room in our cupboards and drawers, and what you store is basically air. Designer Boje Estermann has gotten rid of that air in this collapsible funnel för Danish design firm Normann. It is flexible enough to be collapsed, sturdy enough to create a reliable funnel and durable enough to be folded again and again. Available in red, yellow, green and black. We got ours at Formens Hus in Hällefors the other day. It was SEK 165:- (about USD 22:-).

6 June 2005

Play the mini mandoline.
A while back we reviewed the Microplane graters, which we love for their sharpness and ergonomics. However, there is a small Microplane option that we have not been able to try; the little mini mandoline in the picture above (Microplane calls it a slider). Now that we have had a chance to use it, we can confirm what we thought. It is excellent for instance when you want to:

A. Protect your finger tips (their graters are seriously sharp)
B. Make hair-thin slices of garlic (requires the slicing grater)
C. Grate some parmesan

This little option makes an already excellent kitchen tool even better. We cannot but recommend that you get one, if you are buying a Microplane grater.

29 May 2005

GENERAL FAIR USE NOTICE. These pages may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Smart Stuff is making this material available in an effort to advance the understanding of the workings, impact and direction of various global and national issues. We believe that this constitutes a "fair use" of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use", you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The products, tips, tricks and ideas published on this website have not all been tried and tested by us, and you're using them entirely at your own risk. By reading these pages and using the Smart Stuff website you agree not to hold Smart Stuff HB or any of its publishers, shareholders, principals or emplyees responsible for any loss, injury or discomfort resulting from reading or using any of the products, tips, tricks and ideas published on this site. Although we work very hard to provide you with the most current and accurate information on our the siite, we can not and do not warrant that everything you see on this site is up-to-date, error-free or complete. While we may periodically add, modify or delete any of the information on the site, we do not make any commitment or assume any obligation or duty to do so, and you should assume that the information is current and up-to-date only as of the date it is posted to the site. Neither we nor any of the people involved in production of the site will be liable for any direct, incidental, consequential or punitive damages. © 2005-2012 Smart Stuff HB. Smartstuff.se has a Swedish publishing license and subsequent constitutional protection under the Freedom of Speech Act (Yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen) Chapter 1. 9 §. Provider, Senior Editor and Art Director: Marie-Louise Hedman. Published by Smart Stuff HB. Version 2.3.

HOME \| THE IDEA \| SUGGEST ITEM \| PRODUCT TO TEST \| NEWSLETTER \| RSS FEED \| CONTACT US \| SVENSKA UPPLAGAN
	DEPARTMENTS Apparel Appliances Bar BBQ & Grill Bike Car Children Computers/telecom Culture DVD/Video Edibles Environment Flashlights/torches Footwear Garden Home Internet Inventions A-Z Kitchen Kitchen furniture Leisure Links Meta Misc. Motor cycles Outdoors Pets Personal care Photography Readers Choice Safety and security Services Smart Stuff aStore Solar power Sound & Music Swedish Third World Travel Tools Video Water Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tell a friend about us: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TIPS AND TRICKS Apparel Bar/Drinks Bike Car/Driving Computers Culture/Learning Gardening Home Internet Kitchen/Cooking Outdoors Pets Travel Work/Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012 ARCHIVE January 12 February 12 March 12 April 12 May 12 June 12 July 12 August 12 September 12 October 12 November 12 December 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 ARCHIVE January 11 February 11 March 11 April 11 May 11 June 11 July 11 August 11 September 11 October 11 November 11 December 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010 ARCHIVE January 10 February 10 March 10 April 10 May 10 June 10 July 10 August 10 September 10 October 10 November 10 December 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2009 ARCHIVE January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 December 09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008 ARCHIVE January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2007 ARCHIVE January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2006 ARCHIVE January 06 February 06 March 06 April 06 May 06 June 06 July 06 August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005 ARCHIVE January 05 February 05 March 05 April 05 May 05 June 05 July 05 August 05 September 05 October 05 November 05 December 05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feed via Feedburner What are feeds? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	SMART STUFF \| ARCHIVE \| KITCHEN \|..<.....5..6..7..8..9.....>...................USEFUL TIPS AND TRICKS Welcome to the Smart Stuff kitchen and cooking section with some of the world's smartest gadgets, inventions and ideas for kitchen and cooking. Also browse the "Useful tips and tricks" page for some clever and useful ideas. Why can't we get zipper bags in Sweden? The question is justified, since the zippered plastic bags you can pick up at any old grocery store or supermarket in the U.S., are so smart and so useable. At least the ones we have managed to lay our hands on. We have even tested ours by filling them with water and holding them upside down. No leaks. Our bags are called "Hefty", but there are several different brands to choose from. The name is not important here anyway. The important question is why neither of ICA, Vi(vo) or Konsum has managed to find them when it took us all of five minutes at Ralph's... 17 June 2005 If you're going to bake, you might as well do it right. Have you ever wondered how they get that wonderful crispy surface on a real french baguette? Maybe not. We had, however, after a number of more or less failed attempts at le pain du France. The answer proved to be a lot simpler than we thought. It is all about steam and circulation of air. Apart from the right recipie, of course. The pro's use ovens that inject hot steam. You can do it with a flower sprayer, but be careful, hot steam BURNS. The pro's also use rigs like the one above. It is perforated to assure the circulation of hot air. You can get one of these, too. We have seen them in several stores. The one above, with room for three baguettes comes from TracOne and will set you back USD 19:99. It will probably give you baguettes that are the envy of the entire 'hood, too. 12 June 2005 Return of the tube roller. Here is a new take on the good old tube squeezer. You know, the one your grandmother used to get the last from the tubes. The old ones are hardl to find except at contemporary antiques stores, so we were pleased to find this new interpretation from Danish Excel at Formens Hus in Hällefors the other day. It was SEK 65:- (about USD 8:70), but we got it anyway. For even though more and more tubes are plastic, good old Kalle's Kaviar is still packed in metal. 7 June 2005 The clever collapsible funnel. We use funnels now and then. There is always something that is supposed to go into another vessel. But funnels take up a lot of room in our cupboards and drawers, and what you store is basically air. Designer Boje Estermann has gotten rid of that air in this collapsible funnel för Danish design firm Normann. It is flexible enough to be collapsed, sturdy enough to create a reliable funnel and durable enough to be folded again and again. Available in red, yellow, green and black. We got ours at Formens Hus in Hällefors the other day. It was SEK 165:- (about USD 22:-). 6 June 2005 Play the mini mandoline. A while back we reviewed the Microplane graters, which we love for their sharpness and ergonomics. However, there is a small Microplane option that we have not been able to try; the little mini mandoline in the picture above (Microplane calls it a slider). Now that we have had a chance to use it, we can confirm what we thought. It is excellent for instance when you want to: A. Protect your finger tips (their graters are seriously sharp) B. Make hair-thin slices of garlic (requires the slicing grater) C. Grate some parmesan This little option makes an already excellent kitchen tool even better. We cannot but recommend that you get one, if you are buying a Microplane grater. 29 May 2005 THIS SECTION HAS MORE PAGES \|..<.....5..6..7..8..9.....> DEPARTMENTS \| APPAREL \| APPLIANCES \| BAR \| BBQ \| BICYCLE \| CAR \| CHILDREN \| COMPUTERS/TELECOM \| CULTURE \| DVD \| EDIBLES \| ENVIRONMENT \| FLASHLIGHTS/TORCHES \| FOOTWEAR \| GARDEN \| HOME \| INTERNET \| INVENTIONS A-Z \| KITCHEN \| KITCHEN FURNITURE \| LEISURE \| LINKS \| META \| MISC. \| MOTOR CYCLES \| OUTDOORS \| PETS \| PERSONAL CARE \| PHOTOGRAPHY \| READER'S CHOICE \| SAFETY AND SECURITY \| SERVICES \| SMART STUFF aSTORE \| SOLAR POWER \| SOUND AND MUSIC \| SWEDISH \| THIRD WORLD \| TRAVEL \| TOOLS \| VIDEO \| WATER \| WORK TIPS AND TRICKS \| APPAREL \| BAR AND DRINKS \| BICYCLE \| CAR AND DRIVING \| COMPUTERS \| CULTURE AND LEARNING \| GARDENING \| HOME \| INTERNET \| KITCHEN AND COOKING \| OUTDOORS \| PETS \| TRAVEL \| WORK AND BUSINESS Did you find the information on this site useful? Please consider making a donation. If the information on our site has been entertaining and/or helpful to you, please consider leaving a donation. This will help us in our efforts to find and publish more smart stuff and to improve the site and its contents. By clicking the button below, you will be able to make a donation using PayPal, Visa or MasterCard. Any amount will be helpful and much appreciated. Thank you. HARD TO FIND WHAT YOU WANT? TRY SEARCH! GENERAL FAIR USE NOTICE. These pages may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Smart Stuff is making this material available in an effort to advance the understanding of the workings, impact and direction of various global and national issues. We believe that this constitutes a "fair use" of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use", you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The products, tips, tricks and ideas published on this website have not all been tried and tested by us, and you're using them entirely at your own risk. By reading these pages and using the Smart Stuff website you agree not to hold Smart Stuff HB or any of its publishers, shareholders, principals or emplyees responsible for any loss, injury or discomfort resulting from reading or using any of the products, tips, tricks and ideas published on this site. Although we work very hard to provide you with the most current and accurate information on our the siite, we can not and do not warrant that everything you see on this site is up-to-date, error-free or complete. While we may periodically add, modify or delete any of the information on the site, we do not make any commitment or assume any obligation or duty to do so, and you should assume that the information is current and up-to-date only as of the date it is posted to the site. Neither we nor any of the people involved in production of the site will be liable for any direct, incidental, consequential or punitive damages. © 2005-2012 Smart Stuff HB. Smartstuff.se has a Swedish publishing license and subsequent constitutional protection under the Freedom of Speech Act (Yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen) Chapter 1. 9 §. Provider, Senior Editor and Art Director: Marie-Louise Hedman. Published by Smart Stuff HB. Version 2.3.	This website is worth What is your website worth?