It’s almost summertime and, for most of the country, that means plenty of outdoor grilling, picnicking, camping and cocktailing. Even in the desert, no amount of heat can squelch our appetites for festive summer soirees and outdoor activities.
Celebrate the season by ramping up your culinary arsenal with fabulous and functional kitchen toys.
I’ve compiled a list of 13 favorite summertime gadgets — kits, appliances and utensils that not only make prep work and mealtime easier, they’re cool enough to live on your counter, in your picnic basket and with your camping gear all season long.
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1. To customize brewing: Capresso Iced Tea Maker
Few things are more refreshing than a tall glass of iced tea on a hot summer afternoon. You can custom brew an entire pitcher with the touch of a button. Brew, serve and store beverages in the same beautiful, 80-ounce glass pitcher. The machine comes with 18 recipes, such as blackberry hibiscus iced tea and mint green tea. Check out my recipe for iced peach tea.
Details: $59.99. capresso.com.
2. To carry drinks: Zoku Glass Core Bottle
Why the glass core? Because glass doesn’t hold flavors, so you can switch between drinks without lingering flavors from the previous beverage. The 16-ounce bottle balances style and functionality; and the triangular tessellation (arrangement of closely fitted triangles) on silicone pads protects the glass from bumps and drops. The locking cap system is leak-proof, so you can bring hot and cold beverages from the beach to the mountaintop without spilling.
Details: $29.99. zokuhome.com.
3. To make ice fun: Zoku Cool Moji Ice Tray
Get ready to giggle with this emoticon ice tray. Imagine the smiles as folks scoop expressive ice faces out of your punch bowl. Or how about surprising your kids with a charming emoji in their favorite juice? The ice mold comes in a handy tray that prevents spills while filling and transporting to the freezer. Once frozen, the silicone mold makes it easy to remove the animated faces — no rinsing required.
Details: $9.99. zokuhome.com.
4. To take on a camping trip: Outdoor Ceramic Camp Kitchen Knife
This knife is the ultimate cutting tool designed for outdoor food prep. The 4-inch, ultra-sharp ceramic blade is light weight, easy to clean, rust-proof and perfect for slicing fruits, vegetables and boneless meats and fish. The ergonomic, soft handle is textured for a controlled grip. The heavy-duty nylon sheath with Velcro strap safely secures the knife where you need it (which may be on your belt loop). Ideal for camping, fishing, hiking, picnics and tailgating,
Details: $34.95. kyoceraadvancedceramics.com.
5. To take on a picnic: Kyocera Mini-Prep Knife + Bar Board Set
How adorable is this set? It’s super functional too. The 3-inch mini prep knife and cutting board were created for the home bar, tailgating and camp kitchen, but consider them for your vacation rental, RV kitchen or picnic basket. This is your go-to knife for slicing fruits, vegetables and cheese, and for mincing fresh herbs. The knife comes with a protective sheath so you can toss the set into your picnic basket or cooler without worry. Attractive packaging makes this a nice host/hostess gift.
Details: $29.95. kyoceraadvancedceramics.com.
6. To customize seasoning: Peugeot Bali Mills
Details: $30. peugeot-saveurs.com. Add style to your picnic basket and campsite with these small mills for salt and pepper. The sleek contours and soft colors add a splash of pizzazz to any meal (while serving a purpose — seasoning). The slightly wider base makes for a great grip too. There are six tones to choose from: three deep colors for pepper; three pale tones for salt. Create any salt/pepper combination you want.
7. To salt and pepper in style: Peugeot Tahiti Duo
Like the color of the sea, these two ultra-blue mills say summer like nothing else. Made of lacquered wood that’s soft to the touch, these French-made salt and pepper mills have satiny mechanisms that are guaranteed for life. Peugeot creates supreme kitchen tools that respect our love of nature and desire for authenticity.
Details: $62-$75. peugeot-saveurs.com.
8. To count calories: CDN Nutrition Scale
Why is a kitchen scale a summer gadget? Besides helping with portion control, the precise measuring of weight (not volume), ensures successful cooking and baking results. The scale is programmed with 999 food codes that provide nutritional data for calories, sodium, protein, fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol and fiber. Just type in the food and the results are immediate. The tare function resets the scale display to zero to measure only the weight of an item (not the container).
Details: $39.99. cdnw.com.
9. To grill to perfection: CDN Grill Surface Thermometer
How often have you questioned the exact temperature of your grill? Especially those areas that aren’t directly over the heat? This practical thermometer sits directly on any cooking surface, from the rack of a grill to a frying pan, and has a color-coded scale that provides target temperatures for grilling and searing. Speaking of your fingertips, tabs on the sides allows you to easily pick up the thermometer from a hot grill.
Details: $8. cdnw.com.
10. To cut and peel: Kuhn Rikon Piranha Peeler Set
Add a splash of color to your summer kitchen with this set of three essential kitchen tools — paring knife, serrated knife and peeler. The swivel-action peeler has a great range of motion in either direction, allowing you to peel paper-thin layers (ideal for summer vegetable salads). At first, I wondered about the serrated blade, and then was amazed — it doesn’t slip on smooth skins, including tomatoes and peaches. The colorful, nonstick paring knives (one serrated, one not) are made of Japanese stainless steel, guaranteeing long-lasting quality. Plus, the nonstick coating ensures foods release from the blade. Both knives come with safety sheaths that keep them sharp and picnic basket-friendly.
Details: $25. kuhnrikonshop.com.
11. To make artistic slices: Kuhn Rikon Colori + Krinkle Knife
With a traditional knife shape, this blade is crinkled, so you can add artistic style to salads, vegetables, garnishes, chips and fries. The ultra-sharp Japanese stainless-steel blade is covered with a nonstick coating so professional-looking slices release easily. There’s also a secure-grip handle with finger guard to protect your priceless digits. The protective sheath ensures safe storage for home and travel.
Details: $14. kuhnrikonshop.com.
12. To open anything: Kuhn Rikon 5-in-1 Jar Opener
How many times have you gotten to your picnic site or campground and realized you’d forgotten the bottle opener? Never again! In fact, this handy gadget boasts five opening functions: jar lids, beer bottles, pull tabs, plastic bottle caps and small sauce bottles. With one tool, you can open your beer, the barbecue sauce, the pickles and that feisty little bottle of hot sauce. Leave no jar unopened.
Details: $20. kuhnrikonshop.com.
13. To give barbecue enthusiasts: Kuhn Rikon 5-Piece BBQ Set
This sleek set comes with an elegant and durable cloth-lined aluminum case that securely holds five essential barbecue tools. All pieces have long handles that allow you to maintain a safe distance.
- Slotted turner made of non-reactive stainless steel that won’t impart an off-taste when used with tomato-based sauces. The turner also has an offset handle, so turning food is easy.
- Locking tongs that turn both delicate vegetables and hearty meats.
- Fork for placing meats safely on the grill and for carving and serving.
- Silicone basting brush.
- Grill brush.
Details: $125. kuhnrikonshop.com.
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RECIPES:
Campfire-Friendly Skillet Lasagna
Robin Miller
Servings: 4.
Note: You can also cook the lasagna in a regular oven. To do so, cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, until the noodles are soft and the cheese melts. Also, this lasagna can be prepped ahead and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 8 ounces no-cook lasagna noodles, broken into roughly 4-inch pieces
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves, about 5 ounces
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Preheat your campfire coals (you need 25 coals total).
To assemble the lasagna, brush the olive oil all over the bottom of a 10-inch Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet. Top with ½ cup of the marinara sauce. Cover the sauce with a layer of lasagna noodle pieces, slightly overlapping the pieces to cover the bottom (use ? of the noodle pieces). Top the noodles with ½ cup of the sauce, spreading the sauce to cover the noodles.
Arrange half of the spinach leaves over the noodles. Top with ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese and ½ teaspoon of the Italian seasoning. Repeat layers: noodles, ½ cup sauce, remaining spinach, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, and Italian seasoning. For the top layer, use the remaining noodle pieces, remaining ½ cup of sauce, and remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with the Parmesan.
To bake over the campfire, arrange 10 coals as a “bed” for the Dutch oven. Cover the pan with the lid and place the remaining 15 coals on top.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the noodles are soft and the cheese melts.
Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Grilled Chicken with Cherry Barbecue Sauce
Robin Miller
Servings: 4.
Note: It’s nice to serve extra barbecue sauce on the side, so folks can dip their chicken in the sauce. Make sure you don’t place the spoon that has touched the raw chicken back in the sauce. If you want to prep the barbecue sauce in advance (so you can bring it on a road trip), you can make it up to 48 hours in advance. Refrigerate and/or keep on ice until ready to use.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup minced white onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- Cooking spray
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 5 ounces each
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Preparation:
To make the barbecue sauce, heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbly. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until soft. Add the cherries, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and liquid smoke and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Coat an outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high.
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the hot grill. Grill 3 minutes per side, until almost cooked through. Spoon the cherry barbecue sauce all over the chicken (to prevent cross-contamination, spread the sauce on the chicken with a spoon that won’t be going back into the sauce). Grill for 1 to 2 more minutes per side, until cooked through (an instant-read thermometer will read 165 degrees). Serve the chicken with extra barbecue sauce on the side and chives on top.
Ruffled Cucumber and Carrot Salad with Dill
Robin Miller
Servings: 4.
Note: You can prepare the salad up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. Pull from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. The vegetables will soften slightly, which is OK.
- 2 cucumbers, sliced crosswise into ¼-inch thick rounds (peeled if desired)
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick rounds
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
- Salt and ground black pepper
Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, carrots and red onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey and oregano. Add the mixture to the vegetables and toss to coat. Fold in the dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Black Olive and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Robin Miller
Servings: 8-10 (makes about 2 cups).
Notes: The hummus can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. Also, I suggest starting with 1 tablespoon olive oil and deciding if you need more as you puree the mixture. Some brands of garbanzo beans require more oil to reach the perfect creamy hummus consistency.
- 2 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ cup chopped drained roasted red peppers (from a jar)
- ½ cup pitted large black olives, quartered
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
- Salt and ground black pepper
Preparation:
In a food processor, combine the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice and garlic. Process until blended (mixture will be coarse). Add the roasted red peppers and olive oil and process until smooth, adding more olive oil if necessary to create a smooth consistency. Fold in the black olives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Iced Peach Tea
Robin Miller
Servings: 8-10.
Note: You can also make this tea with frozen peaches; no need to thaw them first.
Peach simple syrup:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 4 ripe peaches, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
Tea:
- 2-3 tablespoons loose leaf black tea, or 3-4 tea bags
- 8 cups water
Preparation:
To make the simple syrup, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water and 2 sliced peaches (about 2 cups). Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and use a wooden spoon or spatula to crush the peaches into the syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and steep for 30 minutes.
To make the tea, brew the tea in an iced tea maker, regular tea maker or large pot. Strain the loose tea or remove the tea bags (when using a regular tea maker or large pot, cool the tea completely before adding the peach simple syrup).
To serve, add as much simple syrup as you like to the brewed tea. If desired, serve extra simple syrup on the side.
Pour the tea over ice and garnish with peach slices.
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