Posts filed under 'Utensils'
How cute are these cupcake kits!!!! What a simple solution to make you look like a baking rock star! Meri Meri has something for just about every occasion and the quality is just beautiful. Now that the coldest months are rolling into the city I like doing cooking projects in the afternoon to deal with those often painfully long hours between the “end-of-school” and the “start-of-dinner”. There are tons of other really adorable and creative things on the website as well — invitations, thank you cards and notepads. And speaking of cupcakes… I want one.
-Dina
Dina in New York
February 10th, 2010
With Valentine’s Day approaching soon, I couldn’t resist purchasing this amazingly cool heart shaped frying pan. I’m not yet sure whether I’ll serve the pancakes or the eggs, or maybe both… But I’m positive my family will love them (and me)!
I got mine from this shop here in the Netherlands, but it’s — among other places — also available from this UK website.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 9th, 2010
My family is in the grip of ‘Masterchef’ fever! My kids are so enthused by this reality television program that I practically have my youngest deriding me for not making the terrine for his school lunch. And while the downside for me is that the bar has been raised (my rather unspectacular cooking now looks even more… unspectacular), the show has reinforced the value of good eating, team-building and the importance of accepting constructive criticism. My daughter particularly has been caught by the cooking bug. This morning she made us a lovely, albeit slightly burnt dish of scrambled eggs, grilled tomato, and baby spinach — we devoured it… every char-grilled morsel!
A friend recently introduced me to a great children’s cooking website called Wholesome Productions which creates a fabulous range of children’s cooking kits. They also sell party cooking kits for those brave enough to host their own kid’s cooking party.
The Pizza Baking Kit (pictured) is particularly adorable because it comes in a genuine pizza box and includes an apron, chef’s hat, a pan, rolling pin and an easy-to-follow washable recipe book… a great present for this holiday season! I have also found a ton of kid’s cooking utensils and baking sets at Mini Whisk and these are worth a mention because they come in a range of cool themes (Australiana, love hearts, flying etc.) and they are really well-priced too. Alternatively, add a cute little recipe book to some mini-sized cooking tools, or a little chef’s hat to a pint sized rolling pin and there you have some practical and fun gift ideas for all the aspiring master chefs out there!
-Sara
Sara in Melbourne
December 23rd, 2009
Cookie baking is big in our house, especially when the weather is grim like today, and as you can see from the picture we’ve started to collect quite a variety of cutters. My son loves picking out which ones to use (currently the bear and the lion are particular favourites). I pick cutters up from all sorts of places but I do find Cakes Cookies and Crafts Shop a corker — especially as they usually offer 4 for the price of 3. Cox & Cox also do some good ones (but more on them later as they definitely deserve their own post).
Today however we used our new kid-friendly cutters
by Swiss cooking brand Kuhn Rikon. They are brilliant because they have handles for easy pressing, and the shapes are less fiddly for transferring from work-top to baking sheet. In fact the whole Kinderkitchen range is fantastic for young cooks and is a big feature in our letters to Father Christmas (I’m personally yearning after the Mouse Measuring Cups
).
I’ve tried various cookie recipes that are suitable for using cutters on and I find most to be a bit bland and dry, so I usually stick to using Jane Grigson’s recipe for shortbread (see below), which is delicious, easy to ‘cut’ and particularly good splattered with melted chocolate. If you have a fab cookie recipe that works with cutters then please let me know!
Jane Grigson’s Recipe for Shortbread (taken from her book English Food
):
-225g Plain Flour
-75g Corn Flour
-200g Butter
-100g Caster Sugar
Sift the flours together into a large bowl, add the butter (at room temp) and sugar mix to combine into a dough (a good 4 or 5 mins). Roll out, cut into shapes and then bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 12 mins (or until very slightly browning at edges).
How easy is that!
For a printable version of this recipe, click here.
(NB1: if you do decide to take a look at English Food check out the Parsnip Cake on page 318 (of Hardback version) – it has become a firm family favourite in our house).
(NB2: Again if you do have a look at the book I must warn you it is not very glossy as there are no pictures but it is a fascinating history of English recipes and every recipe I’ve tried from the book turns out great!)
-Mo
Mo in London
December 1st, 2009
Aren’t these personalised plates just fabulous? My kids get a real thrill from seeing their name on things so I think they will be super excited when they receive theirs. The perfect Christmas or birthday gift for someone special — personal, functional and a lovely keepsake for when they grow out of them. What’s more, they are BPA-free, made of a lightweight yet durable melamine and are dishwasher safe. So, they tick all the boxes in my opinion! I bet they could even entice the fussiest of eaters.
You can order them from BébéOnline or, if you are local to Melbourne, from ‘Bebe Boutique’ in South Yarra.
- Sara
Sara in Melbourne
November 30th, 2009
Over the past five years since the time my first baby was born so much has been learned about the dangers of toxic plastics. It is now an undeniable fact that BPA, PVC and other like chemicals are dangerous for our babies. In fact, just this past Monday, the BBC reported another study which highlights the dangers of plastic chemicals. Scary!
Thankfully, the newly launched UK website, VUPbaby has come to the rescue of the growing population of concerned parents. VUPbaby is entirely dedicated to providing parents with non toxic baby products from around the world. Whether it’s bottles, soothers, toys, or utensils, everything is non toxic and carefully vetted, many of which are exclusive here in the UK.
Now, instead of trekking half way across London to find the BornFree baby bottles, I can easily order them. And they even sell the cool Foogoo Thermos that Dina raved about a while ago.
To receive 10% off your first order at VUPbaby, just enter promo code CCINO at check-out!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
November 21st, 2009
The only thing marring the great pleasure I get from my take-away morning coffee is guilt… and I don’t mean the guilt I feel when I add my two teaspoons of sugar! Rather the guilt I feel when I toss away my disposable, un-recyclable paper coffee cup. Australians use approximately 500 million disposable cups a year and discard 1.36 million disposable cups a day into landfill! Staggering isn’t it? Indeed, our love of take-away coffee is costing our environment dearly. Now, imagine this on a global scale!
With guilt in my heart and these figures in mind, today I purchased a KeepCup.
Designed and manufactured in Australia, the KeepCup is made of recyclable propylene and has a life span of four years. It is dishwasher safe, microwaveable, stackable, BPA-free and unlike those of the porcelain variety, very lightweight (so it is easy to tote around). It doesn’t leak and comes in three ‘barista standard’ sizes, so even your barista will love you for it!
Sustainable coffee cup consumption means zero guilt …now I just need to address my excessive sugar consumption!
- Sara
Sara in Melbourne
November 17th, 2009
The lunchbox. So much at stake. Such a reflection as to the type of parent you are. Such a public declaration of the inner core of your child’s personality.
While some parents opt for the simple, eco-friendly lunch “satchel” (yawn)… others may opt for a more elaborate plastic one in the shape of say, Hello Kitty’s head. And yes….there are even those who will simply throw lunch into a brown bag and call it a day (oh, the humanity!). Whatever the choice – just know that you are being judged. I am not sure why this happened but I have amassed quite a bit of lunchboxes over the last few years — none of which really seemed to work out. They were either too big and bulky or too small and flimsy. This one from Pylones however seems to have hit the right spot on all fronts — and it’s cute! It fits nicely into a small backpack and it has a detachable interior wall to separate hot from cold items.
From the cubby it quietly whispers: “Dina is a good parent, she cares very much that the grilled cheese does not heat up the juice box, and her kids are really cool because they like bright colors and good quality products…..”
In all seriousness, I have road tested a bunch and this one is far and beyond the best for the pre-school years. Not to mention the Foogoo thermos fits perfectly!
-Dina
Dina in New York
November 10th, 2009
There have already been quite a few discussions about bibs here on Babyccino, and Esther has already revealed that the two of us are slightly obsessed (or nerdy, whichever you prefer). All that aside, here is a bib that blows all other bibs out of the water: the Bavetton Original.
It’s a bib and also a tablecloth. It allows your messy little eater to eat as he/she pleases without spilling on the floor or making a mess of the table. With two snap fasteners, the Bavetton bib creates a pocket between the child and the table, collecting all sorts of wonderful surprises! The bib (created by a mom, of course) is a wipe-clean material and is light-weight and easy to roll up and take with you wherever you go. And, it comes in loads of cool colors — I have the fun multi-colored one.
This ‘bib expert’ gives it two thumbs up!
You can buy the Bavetton bib from SitOnDesign, or visit the website for other retailers.
-Courtney
Courtney in London
October 30th, 2009
I thought these plates were absolutely genius and I am totally beside myself that I did not know about them earlier! I will admit, I had the highest of hopes when I purchased ALL of the Annabelle Karmel cookbooks (you did too, admit it). It all seemed so simple… make an ocean of steamed kale with a fishstick sail boat and voila! dinner is inhaled! First of all, totally not true, doesn’t work… and secondly — I barely have time to brush my hair, let alone struggle to make a chicken kebab look like a caterpillar. Who wants to eat a caterpillar anyway? Anyway, the Food Face plate seems to make the whole try-to-get-your-kid-to-eat process easier and you will get a laugh out at least.
The website is a bit clunky but if you just take a look around there are some really clever things for adults (like the pacman oven mitt or the voodoo doll toothpick holder).
-Dina
Dina in New York
October 14th, 2009
In the Netherlands, it’s quite normal to reuse your shopping bags. Plastic bags are available at the supermarkets, but you have to pay for them them and they’re not even that cheap! For as long as I can remember, I have brought my own bags to the supermarkets, and even as a little girl I recall my grandma and mum bringing their big canvas shopping bags on their weekly trips to the supermarket.
Imagine my surprise when I first went to the States as a teenager, and there were people at the end of the conveyor belt packing our groceries in an endless stream of plastic bags! Not only didn’t we have to bring our own canvas bags, we also were spared the trouble of packing everything! Such luxury, I thought!
Looking back, now that our world is overflowing with plastic bags, our Dutch system of bring-your-own-bags isn’t too bad. Although I wouldn’t mind the help at the end of the conveyor belt, especially now that those cashiers or so SUPER fast — I can’t keep up with them, it’s seriously stressful!!
I while ago I blogged about ZPM’s Trolley Dolly, and I’m still religiously bringing my Trolley Dolly to the supermarket every week. It’s SO handy! The fifteen-or-so bags are great: big, sturdy and colour coded might you wan to go that far (I’m too stressed about the race-packing everything to even consider colour-coding).
ZPM now also has a baby version, the Bagz, with 3 or 5 bags in a pouch. As they state — there’s no excuse anymore to be caught without a bag!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
October 7th, 2009
Courtney and I have had more than one discussion about ‘which bib is best’. Amongst the two of us and in the past 4 years we have tested a fair amount of different varieties and in the end we have both agreed on our all-time favourite bib. (We also talk about other things, BTW, but we seem to have a strange interest in bibs).
The advantage of our favourite bib is that it’s so big it covers a lot of your child, including the shoulders. It is made of terrycloth, which makes it ideal to use as a napkin during dinner or to wipe faces and hands with afterward. It can be washed at high temperatures, doesn’t require ironing at all and still looks great. It is super durable – it is well possible that my grandchildren will be using these bibs! And last but not least, they are easy and cheap to make yourself: you can use any old towel you have around and for the binding you can use any old piece of fabric you have left over from previous sewing projects. You’re free to make your own colour combinations — the possibilities are endless! And you can make plenty – I always have a nice, clean stack of these bibs on hand.
Now, even though I love sewing, I’m not at all an expert in this field, so forgive my clumsy way of explaining everything… But I made a bib for my son, Pim, from a kitchen towel and photographed the different steps in the process to give you an idea of how to do it…
Step 1:
Print these 2 download-able patterns: here (1) and here (2). Cut out and stick together following the directions.
Fold fabric (if there’s a print, make sure it will look good) and cut out bib. Don’t cut where the fold is! Don’t worry about seams — there are none.
Step 2:
Cut out 4 cm (1,6″) strips from any cute fabric you have laying around. Iron strips in half lengthwise, then iron edges to fold as shown in pictures. You need about 120 cm (47″) and 90 cm (35″) of binding. (You can also use store bought binding.)
Step 3:
Pin binding around bib at straight edges. Fold binding at the corners as shown in picture. Sew binding to bib. Cut off excess binding at neck part.
Step 4:
Pin binding neatly around neck part of bib. Start in the centre of the circle (with the middle of the binding) and work towards edges. Sew. (The neck part looks sort of tiny but it’s correct!)
Step 5:
Presto!
Step 6 (optional):
I made a little doll bib from the leftover terry cloth and binding, here’s the free download-able pattern. You need about 15 cm (6″) of binding for the neck part, and 82 cm (32″) for the bib part and tie strings. In this case you first start with the neck part and after sew on the bib part (including tie strings).
I hope this explanation is clear enough — the bib is really easy to make! Honestly, it took me much longer to write these instructions down than to make the bib and the doll’s bib together!
xxx Esther
P.S. For on the go: fold bib lengthwise, roll up starting from bottom, tie with tie strings.
P.P.S. These bibs are more suitable for 1+ than for babies!
Esther in Amsterdam
October 5th, 2009
You know it’s kind of a slow day at home when I am sitting here trying to write something creative about a thermos… but I must spread the word about this particular one as it will change your life. The ante for the lunch standard in New York City has changed quite a bit since the ’70s and a boring old sandwich is simply unacceptable. We now send our kids with “food jars” so that we can offer them variety. The Foogo thermos is perfect for packing pasta’s, soups, fruit, cheese, etc; and it keeps food hot or cold for up to five hours. It’s the perfect portion size and fits nicely into a backpack. Let’s just say it is a far cry from the Thermos from back in the olden days when I went to school. All I’m saying is that mine totally leaked, always smelled like rotting apple juice and rolled around in my lunchbox crushing my sandwich. Kids today….they don’t even know how good they have it.
-Dina
Dina in New York
September 25th, 2009
I went to Ikea today to get some frames and came back with some frames (although I nearly forgot them), two Lidan laundry baskets, cute paper napkins, a plant for in the bathroom (Pogonatherum, an old favourite), two little stuffed mice for the children, a dish-washing brush, a set of three small wooden boxes with lids for in the bathroom (it desperately needs to be re-organized – as always), a selection of cool looking Swedish juices and knackerbröt, a wicker basket to keep my herbs on the balcony, and the apple slicer ‘Charm‘ (pictured), that I’ve already tested and I can truly recommend.
I kept myself from buying another Norrebo storage bench (on sale now), 4-for-the-price-of-one Daim chocolate bars, more hooded towels and the Plocka plates that have a space for a small bowl and would be super-cute for breakfast.
I might go back tomorrow…
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
September 8th, 2009
An important factor in raising children is, as we are all well aware, teaching them to eat healthy and responsibly. Offering your kids a varied diet with fresh, organic ingredients (and trying to make them eat it too) is one of the big challenges of parenthood! These days however, we have discovered that ’eating healthy’ isn’t just limited to the food ingredients we use. No, the tableware we all serve it on is absolutely of equal importance!
The bowls and utensils from Bambu are completely toxic-free, extremely beautiful AND non breakable, which makes them very suitable for use with children. All the products are made from 100% organically-grown bamboo, and the bowls have a natural, matte lacquer in wonderful bright colours, derived from, who could have thought, the cashew nut tree. A safe bet, and cool looking too!
The very stylish Joslyn from the hip eco-boutique Shakshuka has kindly offered a complete Bambu set to one lucky Babyccino reader. The set will contain (as pictured): a mini-me bowl of your colour choice, a spork (we love it), one set of infant utensils and one set of kid’s utensils.
Just leave a comment below by Sunday, July 26th in which you give us your best tip for eating healthily (weather it’s a recipe, a trick or simply a product). The best tip will win, AND will be published on Babyccino!
Good luck!
xxx Esther
THIS GIVE-AWAY IS NOW CLOSED!
Esther in Amsterdam
July 12th, 2009
Although she says she´ll be a princess, I think my 4-year-old daughter might become a chef. She loves going to the supermarket, she loves helping me prepare the food, and she loves to eat (most of) it. When I brought home a few items from the Berghoff children’s cooking line the other day I must have nurtured this thought; I’ve rarely seen my daughter more excited!
The Berghoff children’s cooking line is one of the coolest kids’ products I’ve seen in a while. The concept is simple: there is a little induction stove, super-easy to use (on/off, high/low). There’s a selection of pans in different sizes, all with big, plastic handles that won’t get hot and with a big plastic Sheriff Duck knob. Very sweet. And there’s a selection of cook’s utensils, like a chef’s hat, an apron, a knife block (plastic) and more, all equally cute and decorated with the signature Sheriff Duck character. Now, of course the principle of induction is smart because the plate heats only the pan, not the plate itself (although it will be hot for a short while because of the heat of the pan above it). A parent should always be supervising, obviously, but I’ve been cooking with my daughter and she can do a lot herself! Yesterday for instance she made a salad of green peas (which she cooked herself), goat’s cheese, raspberries and basil, with a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Very yummy, I must say!
I think this concept is so cool. We can teach our kids how to prepare fresh, healthy food in a fun and safe way. They have fun preparing food for us (my daughter is so very proud of her dishes), and they love eating their own creations. It’s a win-win situation for all of us!
If you’re interested in purchasing the Sheriff Duck cookware, I suggest contacting Rowela of Sheriff Duck, as her web-shop is still all in Dutch!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
July 9th, 2009
Courtney wrote about Bambu bowls before, and I always thought they were really pretty until I saw one in reality: they are actually REALLY BEAUTIFUL. The shapes of the bowls, the colours, and the matte lacquer — all extremely attractive, I must say.
Bambu also makes another very cool gadget: ever heard of a spork??
A spork is obviously a cross between a spoon and a fork and it has quickly become one of our favourite food utensils. It’s fun, and really handy! I like to pop it in my daughter’s lunch box — great for yogurt and fruit! My son loves it at the dinner table and I like it because it looks so cool. And because it’s completely eco-friendly, of course.
Available at the Dutch eco-boutique Shakshuka, and guess what: if you order at Shakshuka and quote ‘BAMBU’ as a discount code, you will receive a 20% discount!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
July 2nd, 2009
A while ago I was sitting in my neighbour’s kitchen and spotted some brown bananas. Thinking of Courtney’s delicious banana bread recipe, I asked her if I could have the bananas if she was planning to throw them out (I knew she wouldn’t make banana bread herself – it’s not common at all here in the Netherlands)! She kindly refused, explaining that they had a family addiction to smoothies, so every over-ripe banana was very much needed!
Smoothies? It started to make me think:
- Smoothies are yummy
- Smoothies are healthy
- I finally found the excuse to buy one of those cool blenders!!!
So, the next weekend I convinced my husband that for the health of our family we needed a KitchenAid blender. (I admit, I completely went for the look of it; I didn’t read one review and didn’t compare prices!) And I love it.
Now, having just entered the world of smoothie making, I’ve discovered it’s an art by itself! There are a million recipes to find; you can use fruit, (soy)milk, yogurt, frozen berries, nuts, tofu, cereal, even egg whites!
A search on Google proved that smoothies are not always that healthy: stay away from sugar (honey is better), too much frozen fruit (less healthy and too cold for your body) and too many of them a day (makes you fat). I guess the ice-cream I was using is better left out as well.
Do any of you have good tips for great smoothies?
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
June 24th, 2009
I love this motto from one of the greatest architects of all time: Mr. Mies van der Rohe. It counts so true for most things in life, and is the basis of all good design. It also happens to be a very positive thought in times of crises — learn to appreciate the little things in life to live it big!
This T-shirt by Smiling Planet says it all. It is also very cute! I’m usually not big on slogans on kids’ clothes, but with one so tasteful as this one you seriously can’t go wrong!
Smiling Planet also makes lovely tableware made from the good sort of plastic (no BPA, no phthalates, no lead, no toxic inks). All the plates are made from 100% recycled, high grade polypropylene plastic, and are 100% recyclable for true cradle-to-cradle manufacturing. Impressive, don’t you think?
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
June 19th, 2009
I am from the cloth-bib-front; I just don’t like the plastic ones. I like cloth bibs, and I like them to be big so they cover the shoulders properly. I suppose my kids are messy!
After dinner I like to use them to clean the kids’ faces with, and I like to hang them over the back of the Stokke chair waiting for the next meal. So they better look good.
These serviettes from Supernana are really, really cute, and really, really practical!
They are actually just a royal square of good quality cotton, which close behind the childs’ neck with a pretty mother-of-pearl snap. Ingenious, I know. Simple is best!
They make kids look cool too. My son looks like a cowboy wearing his bib!
xxx Esther
P.S. Make sure to check out the rest of the Supernana goodies. I love her stuff!
Esther in Amsterdam
April 20th, 2009
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