Rosle, Emile Henry, And Cuisipro: An August Kitchen

If seeing some of the best chefs in action, and being able to taste their wares, isn't enough to inspire you to new feats in the kitchen, then maybe some new tools will be just the ticket. Over the weekend, we set aside our gear to attend SF Chefs, but for the past few weeks heading into the event we were busy cooking (and drinking, as we'll soon discuss). Our staff came together for some meals, and a chance to try out some nifty new products from Rosle, Emile Henry, and Cuisipro.

We'll start with the simple and widely applicable. Everyone needs a colander (or several, we have five of them in various sizes handy). The Rosle Red Foldable Colander is cute, and space-saving. We liked the bright colors- it's available in black, green, and purple as well- and is nicely sized at eight inches. It's a bit small for bigger family use, but handy for couple or individuals especially. And it's dishwasher safe. Priced at $35, it's more expensive than some, but the silicone is easy to clean and the stainless steel means it's sturdy and classy. It gets the job done, with no mess or fuss, and then folds away!

And while talking about Rosle, we've also been trying their Digital Roasting Thermometer. We wanted to like this one, but it failed to excite. To be fair, it does it's job well- the screen was just too small and busy and hard to read. We've got a review of the iGrill coming soon, and while this one boasted some features that were handy (the magnetic back especially), it just looked and felt a bit dated. Yes, when tested against other thermometers, it seemed mostly accurate. There were two modes, which was a bit confusing at first but then helpful- tip-only (for meat) and whole handle (for testing your ambient oven temperature). The probe is a good length, and can go up to 482°F, and there are alarms you can set to various meats with the appropriate standards already built-in. In other words, the Rosle Roasting Thermometer is sturdy and handy in a pinch, but lacked the style to match the price ($40).

Rice gets boring- there's only so much you can do with the grain. Pasta, despite it's many shapes and sizes, can also begin to seem commonplace and a bit standard. When other hearty starches have left you muttering, we suggest looking beyond the basics and trying some risotto. One of the frequent comments that we've heard about risotto is it can be annoying to cook in a normal pot, as it can stick to the sides and requires a bit more even heat on the edges (like a rice cooker). This is where ceramics- like clay- come in handy. The Emile Henry 2.5 Quart Risotto Pot offers excellent thermal conduction, but is much lighter than cast iron, and looks prettier as well. Ours came in Olive, but Figue, Red, and Black are other color options. We don't make a lot of risotto typically, but it's a flexible dish, and we recently tried out a new way of cooking it. Stovetops, both gas and electric, work fine with this pan, as do conduction stoves when used with a special heating disk that is sold separately. And of course, you can put this pot in the oven- but we tried it on our outdoor grill to great effect. It's a great fall and winter grain, but as we head into late summer it can still be a perfect complement to things like olives and nuts (and soon squash and apples). Two and a half quarts is plenty large, but they also make a four quart model- like with rice, you get a lot for the volume. And Emile Henry offers a ten year warranty, which we liked. Dishwasher safe, lid included, our only issue was the slightly small and slick handles. Their official site seems to suggest some difficulty in purchasing, but we found it on Amazon for around $100- well worth it, and for more than simply risotto (try other stews and Mediterranean as well)!

Finally, you can never have too many sets of tongs. That was our realization, after using the nifty non-stick silicone Cuisipro pasta and locking tongs, both in red. Sure, you might have others already- but we have a hefty set for the grill, and another small pair for baking and over work. And yet, we found ourselves enjoying having a set of pasta tongs as well, since they were easy to clean and locked to keep small, tidy, and out of the way. The loop for hanging was a bit sharp on both sets, but it was a nice inclusion. They held up well over the course of a few rounds in the dishwasher, and were simply fun to use. Cuisipro offers many types- if you can only get one, we suggest their basic locking set, though others include tongs for fish, ice, and even paninis. About $20 a pair, available widely.