Easy Chop, Toss, Slice
Leave it to a stay–at–home mother to invent a gadget that would appear on two of Oprah's O Magazine's lists — the O List and Why Didn't I Think of That!. The stay–at–home mother is Wendy Silver and the gadget is the Toss & Chop™ Salad Chopper.
Her desire to recreate a chopped salad recipe, with ease and in one bowl, was the inspiration behind this very unique scissor designed chopper. "I am always trying to eat as healthy as possible and chopped salads are my absolute favorite healthy dish, but they are a pain to prepare at home," says Wendy. "I thought it would be easier if I could just put all of my salad ingredients right into the bowl and mix and chop everything at the same time."
Along with her husband, Michael Silver, they perfected the design and established their company, Silvermark. "We wanted to create a product that exceeded everyone's expectations," says Michael, "and I think we succeeded."
The Toss & Chop™ was launched in January, 2002 on QVC television and sold out in 6 minutes. What a way to start! Wendy and Michael have expanded the product line to include additional high quality, patented food preparation tools, utensils, and food storage containers.
Toss & Chop™Salad Chopper
The item that started it all, and their best selling product, the Toss & Chop™ is very unique and we were fascinated with it. It looks like a scissor, works like a scissor but is so much more.
Made of high-quality, heat-treated stainless steel with micro-serrated edges, it easily slices through fruits and vegetables and never needs sharpening. A lock on the handle provides for safe storage when not in use.
Just put the ingredients into a bowl, we used lettuce and tomatoes, work the chopper and presto - a chopped salad. The handle was comfortable to grip and we just chopped away.
Available in white, grey or green, the Toss & Chop™ is a welcome addition to our kitchen and we look forward to enjoying healthy chopped salad. Oprah said it best, "I love my Toss and Chop!" and so do we!
Folding Cutting Board
Another clever way to make prepping food easier is the PREP-2-PAN cutting board. This folding chopping board eliminates the problem of transferring the chopped ingredients to a pot or bowl. After chopping, slightly raise the sides of the cutting board and the items easily slide off of the board and into the pot or bowl. So easy!
Made of polypropylene, with rubber pads on the underside that make the board skid–free, a locking mechanism holds the board closed for flat storage. The dishwasher safe boards are available in two sizes: the Large board,13 x 16–inches (folds to 6 x 16–inches) and the Mini, 8 x 12–inches (folds to 4 x12–inches) and two colors, light green and white.
Classic Santoku Knife & Utility Paring Knife
Silvermark produces both ceramic and resin–coated stainless steel knives in several popular styles and available in a rainbow of colors.
We tried the 6–inch Santoku and 4–inch Paring resin–coated stainless steel knives and were pleased with the performance of both styles. Like many people, we become accustomed to using our favorite knives to perform most kitchen cutting functions. Both the Santoku (the most commonly used kitchen knife) and the Utility Paring knives happen to be our "go to" knives of choice.
We were very pleased with both styles; each knife cut through everything effortlessly. The handle on the Utility Paring knife has a slip–resistant grip that makes it comfortable and user–friendly. Both knives come with protective sheaths for safe storage and easy portability.
The wide range of colors – red, blue, green, orange, and fuchsia (our favorite) – and the reasonable pricing allow for multiples of each style.
Herb & Garden Snips
This is actually a very versatile and functional addition to your kitchen gadget collection. It can be used to snip herbs (both from the garden or purchased from the grocery store), trim flowers, mince dried fruit, cut marshmallows – the list goes on.
The blades feature a patented "herb stripper" that quickly removes fresh herbs, such as rosemary, from tough stems and come apart for easy cleaning. We especially liked the ergonomic, soft-grip rounded handles that are designed for comfort and better control.
Available in green, gray and fuchsia, the Snips have found a home in our kitchen gadget drawer.
Try the following recipes from Silvermark: Broccoli & Cauliflower Chopped Salad, Cranberry Apple Chopped Salad and Chopped Egg Salad.
The Silvermark products are well constructed, easy to use, available in fabulous colors and are economically priced. A great way to "gift yourself and gift others".
For more product information, additional recipes, or to order, please visit Silvermark.com. Also available on Amazon.com