Escali Measures up!
Scales, Thermometers, Timers

Most baking requires precision and accuracy; consistent measurements are often essential to the success of the finished dish. Over the years, we have found that all measuring utensils are not created equal, and methods of how we measure ingredients vary. Even the weight of different brands of flour can affect the outcome of a cake. If the gravy is too thick or too thin, the home cook can usually remedy the problem by adding a little extra "this" or "that". With baking, that luxury is often not an option.
Using a scale and a thermometer are the only truly accurate kitchen measurement methods. Enter Escali, a company in the forefront of measurement innovation in quality, accuracy, value and style. Escali offers a full line of measurement tools and technology, including kitchen scales, body scales, kitchen thermometers and timers.

The company is located in Burnsville, MN, and founded in 1999 by Theo Prins, who is still the President and CEO. Prior to starting the company, Mr. Prins spent 20 years, mostly in Europe, in the digital scale industry. He felt that improvement was needed in the manufacturing and design of digital scales and he based the Escali designs on that premise. Initially, the product line was for professional and restaurant chefs, but it has expanded to providing measuring tools for the home cook.

Several years ago, KosherEye featured Escali, and its Primo Digital kitchen scale. The Primo remains a bestseller, highly rated twice as a best value by a leading independent consumer magazine. Its two-button design makes it is easy to use; it also has the Tare feature and displays weight in grams, pounds or ounces. Its simplicity of use and style make it a winner in the kitchen. (Approximately $23)
Escali has some new innovations, and we feel that each type of measurement tool listed here is essential for the kitchen! Do note that they are value priced, and quite affordable for most cooks.

For additional product information, visit Escali.com. 
To purchase Escali products, click HERE.

The Escali Mako Scale
The Escali Mako Black stainless scale features an easy to clean and maintain platform that complements kitchen appliance trends. The slim design is easy to store and features touch sensitive controls and an easy-to-read display. Approximately $49

• Fingerprints wipe off easily
• High Contrast Display
• Touch Sensitive Controls
• Liquid and dry ingredient measures
• Tare Feature
• Automatic Shut-off
  
  
  

Escali Digital Refrigerator/Freezer Thermometer
Why do you need a refrigerator/freezer thermometer? We think that this is a no-brainer. It can save hundred of dollars in food spoilage costs. It also ensures that food is preserved and maintained at optimum safe temperatures. Approximately $7.00. To purchase, click here:

• Large Display, Compact Design
• Monitor Cold or Dry Storage
• Easy to Read Digital Display
• The large digital display is easy to read and features both Fahrenheit and Celsius measurements.
• Stand, Hang or Mount
• Stand the thermometer on a shelf, hang it from a rack or magnetically mount it to an interior wall.

Escali Deep Fry/Candy Paddle Thermometer
We use this to make our parve caramel and to fry chicken and fish.

• Dishwasher safe stainless steel.
• Easy to read display with quick reference confectionary cooking temperatures.
• Hands-free Vessel Clip
• Stainless clip holds the thermometer in a pot for continuous hands-free measurements.
• Heat Resistant Handle
• The heat resistant handle makes it easy to move the thermometer through the cooking process.
• Easy to Read Measurements
• The temperature column is easy to read and features both Fahrenheit and Celsius measurements. Approximately $14

Escali Gourmet Digital Thermometer

The Escali Gourmet Digital Thermometer is ergonomically designed with a comfort grip handle, featuring a long probe for easy measurements. It is NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) health certified, and available in multiple colors. Approximately $15

Ankarsrum --The Original Assistent
A Creative Kitchen Companion

You may not yet be familiar with the brand Ankarsrum, or even able to pronounce the word, but it has been around since 1940, previously sold as Magic Mill and the Electrolux Assistent. This stand mixer was originally launched by Swedish manufacturer Electrolux, and is now available for purchase in the U.S. as the Ankarsrum Original Assistent. Thw Assistent can work with  5 lbs. of flour, and is the largest non-commercial capacity mixer on the market. It is beloved by challah and bread bakers across the world. Unlike other stand mixers, the Assistent rotates the bowl rather than the dough hook

The motor and most of the machine have been developed, manufactured and assembled in Ankarsrum, a mill town in Småland, southern Sweden. The mixer has a unique roller and scraper design that mimics the action of kneading by hand. For heavier doughs, a large dough hook comes with the Assistent. Along with being a powerful all-purpose stand mixer, its strength also makes it a world-class bread dough mixer and kneader. It's renowned for long term reliability and quality results whether making a cake, whipping a meringue, or preparing as many as six or seven one pound loaves of bread.

We discovered The Ankarsrum “Assistent” (yes, assistent IS spelled with an “e”) at the Chicago International Housewares Show. The concept of the Assistent® Original is to meet as many kitchen needs as possible with the help of a single machine -- it can be used for kneading, mixing, squeezing and grinding. Available attachments include a grinder (or as its Swedish manufacturing calls it, “a mincer”), a juicer, cookie press, and more. There are actually twelve different accessories for The Assistent, with more planned in the future. The goal…to make life in the kitchen simpler and more efficient.


We found that making a large batch of challah and bread is so convenient. And, we have an ongoing experiment happening with grinding our own meat for hamburgers, meatballs and more. We have been using chuck roast for the burgers, but are planning to try brisket burgers this summer. See our short grinding video by clicking here. 
Along with discovering this exceptional kitchen appliance in Chicago, we met the U.S. distributor, Ashley McCord, who happens to live in Woodstock, GA. She represents Ankarsrum as part of her family business, The Bread Becker housewares store. Ashley became a proponent of The Assistent because her mom used it at home and sold it in the store. Over the years, the Becker clan (9 kids) realized the longevity, reliability and ease of use of this mixer, and they reached out to Ankarsrum to become the authorized U.S. distributor. Amazingly, Mrs. Sue Becker (Ashley’s mom) made six 1 lb. loaves of bread every other day for her family of 11, and now her daughter Ashley follows in her footsteps for her 3 children.

The Ankarsrum Assistent Original has been around for more than 75 years. What started as a kitchen machine for professional use is now a part of households around the world. Stay tuned, you’ll be hearing a lot about this versatile machine.

For more information, visit Ankarsrum.com. Visit the Ankarsrum YouTube channel, and watch the machine in action.

•  Proud Swedish quality
•  Outstanding bowl access;infinitely variable speed
•  Tremendous torque for heavy loads
•  Large 7.5 quart stainless steel mixing bowl
•  Low profile to fit under overhead cabinets
•  Doesn't walk on counter
•  Timer for automatic shut off
•  Exceptional kneading action
•  Wide range of quality accessories; 
• Available in multiple colors

Enjoy these recipes from Ankarsrum:
Bread of the World
My Favorite Yeast Bread
Potato Kugel
Video: How to make challah in the Ankarsrum Original Assistent

To purchase the Ankarsrum Original Assistent online, click here:  Ankarsrum Assistent 
To locate a dealer, click here: Ankarsrum authorized dealers

Ankarsrum supplied their latest model (the N30) for our testing. We rate it a WOW!

 
Lékué Microwave Corn Cooker (uncovered)

The Lékué microwave corn popper and the Lékué microwave rice cooker have become time saving, easy care, and indispensible kitchen helpers. We use both at least once weekly. So, when we had the opportunity to try the new Lékué Corn cooker, we were interested!

This little tool is another winner. We simply shucked and cleaned our corn on the cob, put 2 in the cooker, and placed the gadget in the microwave for 5 minutes. So simple, so delicious. The corn steamed itself. The built in corn holders made it quite easy to pick up the steamy hot corn, and allowed us to shake on the seasoning and butter while the corn was still too hot to touch.
Although summer is a perfect time for grilling corn, this microwave set from Lékué provides an even easier, faster way to enjoy corn on the cob. It cooks two ears of corn in just five minutes!

• Includes four knobs to flip corn for easily distributing butter or seasoning
• Steam outlet ensures crisp, fresh-tasting results
• Corn can be rotated using knobs to evenly add flavor
• Dishwasher safe for easy cleanup
• BPA-free

For more information, visit Lékuéusa.com
If you are interested in purchasing this tool, click here: Lekue Microwave Corn Cooker/Corn Steamer. Easy & Fast Way To Cook Corn In The Microwave, 2 Corn, Yellow

Monkey Business
Clever, Functional and Fun
Kitchen Accessories from Israel

   
                                   Monkey Business Corkers

We plan to share our favorite finds from the recent International Housewares Show. We have been testing lots of new and exciting kitchen tools and accessories. We start with a brand that makes us smile!
Monkey Business is a unique kitchen brand and an Israeli family business. Industrial designer Oded Friedland, who is a graduate of the Bezalel Art & Design Academy in Jerusalem, and now a teacher at the school, founded the company in 2005.

For more than a decade, the Monkey Business design studio has expanded, and now collaborates with a team of talented young Israeli designers and inventors. Monkey Business kitchen helpers are both innovative and functional. And, best of all, they make us happy! Some standouts (look below) are a unique fried egg shaper named Gregg, a silicone farfalle hot pot handle holder, a silicone spaghetti shaped pasta fork, and the adorable wine corkers (shown above)!
So clever! See the entire 2017 collection at monkeybusiness.co.il