KitchenMade™ was kind enough to send the Cuisine Diva a set of their stainless steel measuring cups so I could test and review them for the blog.
I am a bit of a kitchen gadget nut so I'm always looking for the latest and greatest products to test. What I really like about this set of measuring cups is that they come as a set of 6. Most measuring cups come as a set of 4. The KitchenMade™ measuring cups come in the following sizes:
1/4 cup
1/3 cup
1/2 cup
2/3 cup
3/4 cup
1 cup
You don't normally find the 2/3 or 3/4 cup sizes in a set of measuring cups. That was a nice addition and what makes this set stand out from the rest.
I also prefer stainless steel measuring cups, over plastic or other materials. Stainless steel is the best material, in my opinion, for a commercial or home kitchen. I have stainless steel measuring spoons and 2 stainless steel mixing bowls that I use all the time.
The Cuisine Diva recommends this set of stainless steel measuring cups by KitchenMade™.
A set of 6 nesting measuring cups in mls and cups engraved on the handle and side of the cup so markings will never rub off.
This sturdy set will suit home bakers or commercial kitchens.
With pouring lip so great for measuring liquids or dry ingredients.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
The Cuisine Diva recently got to try out some organic, green cardamom. Jiva Organics was kind enough to send me an 3.5 ounce (100 gram) bag of their cardamom pods.
This is how I use whole cardamom pods. I open a few of the green pods and extract the seeds, which range in color from brown to black. The black seeds are the most aromatic/flavorful. Discard the outer green pod and place the seeds in a coffee grinder and grind to the desired consistency. I like to grind cardamom seeds in my marble mortar/pestle set.
I've been a HUGE fan of cardamom for many years. My favorite way to use the spice is to add a bit of the ground cardamom to my coffee grounds then add the spiced coffee to the filter basket of my drip coffee maker. I've also used a bit of cinnamon to make spices coffee but sometimes that is a bit too sweet.
Cardamom is one of the main spices used to make Chai tea. I've made my own chai tea blend using black tea leaves, cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and black pepper. I guess I should write-up the recipe and instructions for making chai tea in a future article on Cuisine Diva.
You can find organic, green cardamom pods on Amazon.com.
Above Left: green cardamom pods and ground cardamom. Above Right: green caradamom pods with one broken open showing the individual black cardamom seeds.
Green Cardamom Product Description
Jiva Organics is a line of certified organic spices that offer a tremendous value over mainstream alternatives. This is a USDA certified organic Green Cardamom that is of extremely high quality and perfect for your next dish or tea! The 3.5-ounce bag size is almost a quarter of a pound, which contains the same product, and provides almost 3-4x more than what you get in a traditional grocery store.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
The Cuisine Diva recently had a chance to try Skinny Noodles Shirataki. Genki USA was kind enough to send me a box containing 10 packages of their skinny noodles. They sent me 2 packages of each of their 5 noodle varieties:
Shirataki rice
Shirataki angel hair noodles
Shirataki spaghetti noodles
Shirataki spinach fettuccine noodles
Shirataki macaroni noodles
The noodles are made from the konjac root and are the perfect addition to your diet if you have diabetes or are trying drop a few pounds of extra weight. The noodles are gluten free, vegan and have 3-4 grams of fiber per serving.
What Are Skinny Noodles?
Skinny noodles are made from the root of the konajac plant. According to the Konajac Foods website: "Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a water-soluble dietary fiber derived from the root of the Konjac plant. Konjac foods, also called Shirataki Noodles In Japan, are traditional Chinese foods with a history spanning over two thousand years."
Shirataki skinny noodles remind me of clear cellophane noodles, the ones made from mung bean flour, found in Asian-style cooking. I liked the angel hair, spaghetti and fettuccine style noodles but did not care for the macaroni or rice style skinny noodles. The macaroni noodles were too thick for my taste and the rice style reminded me of tapioca, not rice.
Skinny noodles are packed in water, and need to be drained and rinsed off before using. You can cook the noodles by heating them in the microwave for a few seconds. The angel hair noodles are the perfect addition to a homemade soup and I liked the angel hair and spaghetti noodles mixed with a bit of marinara sauce. Skinny noodles have a faint, earthy scent. I'm not entirely sure this earthy scent went away after rinsing.
Skinny Noodles Shirataki are low calorie, low carb, gluten-free, and soy-free pasta and rice alternatives. Available in five varieties (spaghetti, angel hair, spinach fettuccine, macaroni, and "rice"), Skinny Noodles are made from a root native to Asia called konnyaku or konjac. The products are weight loss and diabetic friendly with 3-4 grams of fiber per serving. To prepare, simply drain and rinse thoroughly; then parboil, microwave, or pan fry for 2-3 minutes. Skinny Noodles are a healthy alternative to traditional pasta, in soups, salads, or stir fry and made in America.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Are you looking for a cool way to jazz up your cocktails? How about adding a giant, round ice-cube to your favorite frosty beverage? Infernal Innovations was kind enough to send me a set of 2 of their round ice sphere molds to try and review for the Cuisine Diva blog.
Each mold makes a huge, 2.5" round ice-cube. It's a neat way to cool down your beverage without watering it down. Large ice spheres, like these, take longer to melt down than regular ice cubes. You can get creative with the ice sphere molds and use fruit punch or your favorite fruit juice instead of plain water. Place the resulting fruit infused ice cubes in your punch bowl for a bit of fun.
The ice sphere molds are easy to use. You simply fill them with water to the fill line, snap on the lid and place in your freezer for 4 to 6 hours. To unmold the ice spheres, run them under warm tap water, peel off the cap of the mold then squeeze the sides of the mold to release the giant ice ball.
• Distinctive ice molds are sleek and stylish and are a 100% sure crowd pleaser • Each ice sphere is the EQUIVALENT OF 5+ STANDARD ICE CUBES so to you can stop running to the freezer end enjoy your party • ULTRA SLOW MELTING premium 2.5" ice spheres are sure to outlast your drink • Quickly cools ANY BEVERAGE like juice, iced tea & lemonade so throw a few ice balls into a pitcher on HOT SUMMER DAYS! • Ice balls have less surface area than cubes and won't dilute your expensive Scotch or Bourbon
FEATURES • Neatly stackable so they won't tip-you can find room for them in any freezer • BPA free and dishwasher safe for quick & easy care • Quality materials consist of a durable plastic base & Infernal Orange silicone top, specially designed with grooves to catch excess water & prevent leaks • Clearly indicated FILL-LINE takes the guesswork out of how much water to pour • INFERNAL flame logo freezes into every sphere to certify authenticity
Infernal Innovations' Ice Sphere Molds Create Each Ice Ball Individually To Produce Better Results Consistenly So You Can Sit Back, Relax & Enjoy!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Above: yacon tubers look a bit like sweet potatoes.
Have you heard of yacon syrup? Yacon syrup comes from the tuberous root of the yacon plant, Latin name Smallanthus sonchifolius. The plants are indigenous to the Andes Mountains from Columbia to Argentina. According to the Yacon Syrup Health Benefit website, "Yacon is considered one of the most preferred natural sweetener because it contains about 50% FOS or Fructooligosacharides, which do not in any way increase blood glucose levels." This fact makes the sweetener safe for diabetics to use.
Life & Food Inc. was kind enough to send me an 8 ounce bottle of their yacon syrup to try out and review for the Cuisine Diva blog. The syrup is a thick, brown liquid which reminds me of black strap molasses. In fact, the syrup is so much like molasses that I wasn't sure I liked it at first. It is an extremely sweet and extremely thick syrup. But after a bit of experimenting I ended up making a blueberry pancake syrup with it.
I placed a small sauce pan on low heat and stirred in about 1/3 cup of yacon syrup, 1/3 cup of agave syrup, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup of blueberries. I let the blueberry syrup simmer for around 20 minutes then turned off the heat and left the syrup cool to room temperature. The resulting blueberry syrup makes a terrific pancake syrup substitute - I use it on pancakes, waffles and French toast. Leftover syrup can be placed in a container and stored in your refrigerator.
So if you are looking for a low-calorie, low sugar sweetener give yacon syrup a try.
You can read my review of Life & Foods Garcinia Cambogia weight-loss capsules on the Beauty Diva blog..
100% pure Yacon syrup has shown to assist in weight management, increase fiber intake and promotes good bowel function.
Other benefits include: Lowers blood sugar. Prevents and controls hyperglycemia (over activity). Restores renal activity. Is a powerful Antioxidant.
High in prebiotics and probiotics, this syrup contains up to 50% of FOS (fructooligosacharides). It has been found that consumption of FOS does not increase blood glucose, and helps boost your bodies metabolism.
Naturally grown and sourced from the fields in Peru. Organic certified by our manufacturing specialists.
100% pure raw organic syrup formula with no added preservatives. Bottled and tested in a FDA certified GMP facility in the USA.
Life & Food 100% Pure Raw All Natural Yacon Syrup
Our Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) Syrup is sourced from naturally grown organic Yacon fields in the country of Peru. We use the HIGHEST quality Yacon plant to make a premium pure syrup formula. Yacon syrup has shown to remains low in calories and low on the glycemic index scale. This is due to the fact that the sugar contains high levels of oligofructose (inulin), a form of sugar that is not metabolized readily by the human body. For this reason, Yacon is ideal for diabetics and acts as a great alternative to conventional low calorie sweeteners.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I've wanted to get a new bamboo cutting board to add to my kitchen gear. Premium Bamboo was kind enough to send me their bamboo cutting board set to test out and review for the Cuisine Diva blog.
Premium Bamboo sent me a pack of 3 cutting boards: small, medium and large:
small 8" x 6"
medium 11" x 8.5"
large 13" x 9.5"
I had an old, wood cutting board that's seen better days so I was pretty stoked when this set of 3 cutting boards showed up in the mail. Like regular wood boards, your should regularly apply mineral oil to the bamboo cutting boards to extend their life and prevent them from drying out.
The bamboo boards also make great serving platters. Arrange a selection of cheese and crackers on the larger board and make it the start attraction at your next dinner party.
A Thick and Stylish Cutting Board Set Guaranteed To Stay With You Forever
Premium Bamboo set out to design and manufacture a thick and stylish cutting board set that will solve all the issues customers have with cheap and unusable cutting boards. You will not be disappointed with this cutting board set.
What Sets Premium Bamboo Extra Thick Cutting Board Apart From The Rest? - This thick bamboo cutting board is eco-friendly and biodegradable - Very light yet extremely durable thanks to bamboo's natural benefits - Extra thick and large cutting boards great for cutting vegetable, fruit, and meat - Strong and thick cutting boards which will not dull your knifes - Less porous, there are fewer spaces for the bacteria to get trapped unlike regular wooden cutting boards - Cleans easily, just wash by hand with soap and water, and let them air dry - Cutting boards has rounded corners and edges which looks great and makes for easy safe carrying - Stores easily anywhere in your kitchen due to their great size - FSC and FDA Approved - Antimicrobial
What You Get This 3-Piece Set Premium Bamboo Cutting Board Includes 3 Sizes: - Large: 13" x 9.5" - Medium: 11" x 8.5" - Small: 8" x 6"
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Cuisine Diva Reviews Grazia's Silicone Mini-Muffin Pan
I've been testing Grazia's silicone mini-muffin pan for the Cuisine Diva blog. I reviewed their full-size muffin pan a couple of months ago and was happy to hear Grazia was sending me one of their mini-muffin pans.
I have an old, metal mini-muffin pan that I've used in the past. It's a pain in the butt to clean up after using - it has 24 mini compartments that have to be cleaned. I always use non-stick cooking spray to coat the bottom and sides of the muffin pan but I still end up with a bit of batter stuck on the bottom.
The silicone min-muffin pan comes to the rescue! The 24-compartment pan is light-weight and a breeze to clean up. The muffins literally pop out of the pan - just let the muffins cool off a bit after taking them out of the oven - then turn the pan over and let them fall out onto a large serving platter.
The only downside of using a silicone muffin pan? Silicone bakeware is a bit floppy. You need to place the pan on a metal baking sheet before you fill it with batter for stability. But because the pan is so flexible and light-weight, you can fold it in half and shove it in a kitchen cabinet when not in use.
Another plus? Silicone pans don't rust! Some of my older, metal bakeware looks like it's time to retire. I plan on adding more silicone bakeware to my kitchen gadget collection in the future. Silicone bread pans? Silicone cake pans? Silicone pie pans? Hook me up!
Above: blueberry muffins made in the Grazia silicone mini-muffin pan.
Silicone Muffin Pan Product Description
Grazia® Silicone 24 Cup MINI Muffin Pan is a non-stick food grade silicone muffin cupcake baking pan that is extremely easy to clean, safe to use in the oven, microwave, dishwasher, or freezer. It is heat resistant for up to 450°F.
--FDA Approved --High Quality Construction --Manufactured in Socially Compliant Facility
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
Do you take supplements as part of a daily health regime? Have you ever tried curcumin supplements? Curcuma longa is the Latin name for Turmeric, a plant that's related to ginger. The rhizome of the plants are harvested to make the culinary spice turmeric.
Turmeric is also available in capsule form and is thought to have a variety of health benefits. It is supposed to be an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and beneficial to your heart and liver. I take turmeric to help reduce the pain associated with my osteoarthritis. I am 50 years old and do a bit of running and cycling. My doctor says just about everyone will wind up with osteoarthritis as they age - fantastic!
Cooking with Turmeric
Besides taking turmeric capsules, I also have a jar of the spice in my pantry. Turmeric is one of the ingredients I use when making curry dishes. Turmeric is often used with ginger, cinnamon, coriander and cumin for a variety of culinary creations.
Nutraviva's Turmeric Curcumin C3 Complex comes in a 120 capsule bottle, which equals a 30 day supply. The Premium Natural Turmeric Supplement is available on Amazon from Nutraviva.
Product Description
Turmeric is considered and been used for centuries as an antioxidant and anti-flammatory supplement, for people wanting a natural arthritis treatment for joint pain relief, and even as a liver detox supplement and cardiovascular/cholesterol treatment.
Turmeric has been used for 1000 of years for its incredible health benefits, and in particular it's the bioactive elements known as curcuminoids, the main three being curcumin, bisdemethoxyl-curcumin and demethoxyl-curcumin and have been clinically tested and widely used.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
I am a bit of a food nut. I love trying out new recipes and testing the latest and greatest kitchen equipment. I just had a chance to try Kitchen Guru's glass top digital food scale. The scale is available in 3 colors: black, red and silver and can be bought from Kitchen Gurus on Amazon.
A kitchen scale is a really great tool to have on hand, especially if you do a lot of baking or are trying to stick to certain portion sizes for dieting purposes. Professional bakers often use weight measurements for accurate recipe creation. You can view a video on Weight vs Volume Measurement on the Joy of Baking website. Professional bakers recommend weighing both your liquid and dry ingredients for the best, most accurate results.
How to Use a Kitchen Scale
I use a large stainless steel bowl when measuring out the dry ingredients in a recipe I'm making. I place the bowl on the kitchen scale, turn it on and let it set itself to zero. You can then start measuring out and weighing each of your dry ingredients. The Kitchen Gurus food scale can measure dry ingredients in either pounds or kilograms and liquid ingredients in either ounces or grams.
I find this scale really helpful as every so often I find recipes online from a UK website. In fact, most of the world uses metric measurements, vs imperial measurements that are used in the United States. So unless you are using a USA or Australian cookbook, you are going to have to follow the metric system of cooking measurements.
Easy to read Easy to read 2.4" high contrast LCD display.
Accurate 4 high precision sensors provide reliable, accurate measurements every time.
Weight loss and Diabetes Management Let our scale assist you in tracking your special diet requirements such as calories, carbs, sugars or fat. Measure portion sizes to know what you're really eating.
Bake By Weight Cook like a pro, and measure ingredients perfectly every time when baking. Make your own nutrition-packed breads and foods
Hassle Free We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and stand by our product with a 5 year warranty. We're not perfect and occasionally a product is defective or broken in transit. Those times is why we're here! Just email: [email protected]
Product Specs: 1. Easy to Clean, Durable Tempered Glass Construction (11lb capacity) 2. Measures Grams (g), Ounces (oz), Fluid Ounces (fl oz), Kilograms (kgs) 3. Tare / Zero feature to add additional ingredients or remove container weight. 4. Designed in the USA! 5. Easy to Read, Large 2.4" High Contrast LCD Display 6. Auto-Off Technology 7. 4 High Precision Gauges with 0.1lb resolution 8. 1 Lithium Long Lasting Battery (included) 9. Touch Sensitive Buttons 10. Low Profile Design (15mm thin) 11. Responsive Customer Support 12. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
Non-Stick Pans Are the Bomb
I use my non-stick fry pan almost every day. I cook eggs, grilled cheese, stir-fry and more in the pan. I've been using a regular, no-stick pan I bought from Wal-mart last year, but like most non-stick pans the coating eventually begins to scratch and peel off. It's probably not a good idea to keep using the pan once the coating starts to flake off.
I've seen ceramic non-stick pans advertised on-line and you can find them in stores such as Bed, Bath and Beyond. I wasn't sure if I wanted to pay the price to buy my own ceramic pan, as they are bit more expensive than a regular no-stick pan.
Green Earth Pan by Ozeri
Fortunately, as a freelance writer and blogger, I am contacted by many companies asking me if I would like to receive samples of their product to test and review for my blogs. I recently got a chance to try one of Ozeri's Green Earth Pans. They sent me their 10", textured non-stick pan. The pan is also available in 8" and 12" versions.
I wasn't sure about the honeycomb texture on the bottom of the pan. To me it looked like it would cause everything to stick to the bottom. But I went ahead and made an omelette for the first test of the pan. I was surprised but it worked really well! The omelette cooked evenly and didn't stick at all. I didn't use any butter or oil and the omelette slid right out of the pan.
Ozeri recommends you season your pan before using it, by rubbing no more than 1/2 teaspoon of olive or vegetable oil on the bottom of the pan. They DO NOT recommend using non-stick cooking spray. Clean up is easy using hot soapy water and drying with a soft cloth.
Green Earth Pans are Uber-Cool
Ozeri says their Green Earth Pans have an ultra-safe, 100% PTFE and PFOA free ceramic non-stick coating. PTEE (Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) and PFOA (Per Fluoro Octanoic Acid) are known to release toxic chemicals at high temperatures and are known as a s pollutant to the environment. The green earth pan has a ceramic coating, so even under high temperatures, no harmful toxic fumes will ever be released into the environment. Ozeri's green earth pan is oven safe to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
A friend of mine saw this pan and just about walked out of my apartment with it! He discovered you can order the pans from Home Depot and have them delivered to your local store or directly to your home. You can also purchase the Green Earth Pan, which has a limited lifetime warranty, on Amazon.
DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.