Fit For a King?

Well, we certainly think it shall be. Next week sees the opening of the Highlands' newest hotel (as in, bar and bistro-type hotel). Resurrecting the site formerly occupied by the Port O' Call (cnr Bong Bong & Bundaroo Sts, Bowral), The Imperial is an exciting new entry into the Southern Highlands' food and entertainment scene.

The licensee, Trent Johns, has created a spanking new building on a site owned by his family for two generations. The hotel features a stylish, understated bar; a fabulous bistro; an outdoor area; the ubiquitous (but necessary) gaming area; and a verandah. The hotel has the enviable position of being the first hotel as people arrive in Bowral from the Mittagong (and, therefore, Sydney) end of town.

Trent has pitched his new hotel at a more mature and family-focussed market. As we have plenty of pubs in town which cater to the young 'uns, there is certainly a space to fill when it comes to attracting adults and families: those looking for an upmarket, safe and relaxed venue in which to enjoy a drink or meal.

While the official opening of The Imperial is next Tuesday, I have been invited to a "soft opening" over the weekend, after which I look forward to providing some further details to you. Cookshop Commercial was fortunate enough to have played a part in the fit-out of the hotel and bistro, and we thank Trent and Jamie for the opportunity of assisting yet another exciting new Highlands' hospitality business.

So, get your regal attire down to the dry cleaners, and watch out in the local press (and on here) for more details on The Imperial.

Spatula Comaneci

Yes, this spatula deserves a perfect 10. Perfectly controlled flexibility; smooth, clean finish; dishwasher- and heat-safe; a gorgeous assortment of colours to choose from. Almost as exciting and talented as a Romanian gymnast...

This spatula comes from Orka by Mastrad, who make an astonishing range of products, with the main mission being the creation of products which are innovative, ergonomic, stylish and practical. In every product I've seen from Orka, this mission has been accomplished. The spatula is, for me, a mascot!

The silicone moulding of this spatula means the construction is seamless, maintaining long-term hygiene by having no joints where bacteria can hide. Not only will the magical flexibility result in a perfectly scraped bowl or pan, but it also means the spatula is safe to use on the most delicate of surfaces, including non-stick. It is heat-resistant to 300C, and dishwasher-safe, although I find mine so easy to clean that I just quickly wash it under hot water. I also prefer to handwash it so it can immediately return to my utensil holder: love that dash of bold colour amongst its rather solemn stainless steel friends.

It is certainly worth checking out the range of products Mastrad have to offer. I have a friend who is obsessed with the silicone spoons, and has every colour. I think it would be rather easy to develop this obsession. Three spatulas is not excessive. Is it?

A Sense of Nostalgia...

Retro is all the go at the moment. From sharp shoulders in fashion to the new(ish) Mini, creating something with the advantages of modernity, but the styling of old, is all the rage. Kitchenware is no exception: Kitchenaid stand mixers, Dualit toasters, M&W Candy Store Jars…and now the Kitchencraft Classic Collection.

If you happen to be passing the shop, venture in and up to the stairs, where you will find a sumptuous display of this lovely, vintage-styled kitchenware. The pieces are impossibly practical and perfect in polkadots. Kitchencraft have also used traditional materials, with all pieces crafted from ceramic, glass, wood or cotton, to ensure the true essence of the past.

The ultimate piece in the range is the wooden-lidded bread bin, with the lid being a bread board as well as the stylish seal for the bin. The cake dome is also lovely, and in these days of environmental consciousness and recycling, who could go past a composter, complete with replaceable charcoal filter and carry handle? This is couture composting.

However, there are pieces for every application and, more importantly with the season-beginning-with-f approaching, every budget. Even a set of ceramic measuring cups would be a splendid addition to any kitchen. Why settle for simple functionality, when you can have practicality and style in one pretty, affordable little package? There’s even a tea towel, and as all kitchen-dwellers know, you can never have too many tea towels.

With a few Classic Collection pieces in your kitchen, the domestic goddess within you will be impossible to contain. You may even find yourself simpering…

A Sweet Proposition

Oooh, I love these! Completely lacking the practicality of the Olde English square-based jars (previously blogged with praise), and with lots of little decorative ridges bound to drive you mental when it comes to cleaning, there can be nothing finer than storing your sweets in these new Maxwell & Williams Candy Store jars. Really: is sweet storage supposed to be sensible?

The stout retro shapes are just so perfectly conceived, and the style is so gorgeously reminiscent of an old sweet shop display. As one would expect from Maxwell & Williams, they are made of sturdy glass, with the tight M&W seal, making them practical as well as fanciful. They come in a range of sizes, from 650ml right up to 5 litres. And they are unbelievable value, either singularly or in a boxed set.

Of course, you are obliged to fill these with equally beautiful sweets: humbugs and fruit candies, old favourites such as milk bottles and teeth, sugar-dusted jelly babies, and licorice allsorts. Need I mention the festive-related potential here? I think not...

Because deep down, we're all Willing to be a Wonka.

Razzle Dazzle 'em

Chicago Metallic is my dream bakeware. Their 24-cup mini-muffin pan is my ideal baking situation, and their biscuit sheets are simply fabulous. But while I lust after the more practical baking accoutrements which Chicago Metallic do so beautifully (even a basic round cake pan is a thing of baking beauty), I am going to give you the lowdown on their more exciting ranges: products designed to excite the imagination, and ease the creation.

A short time ago, we received a load of new CM products. While we have had the little purple cake pans in for a while, new to the shelves is the Bake-Lift-Serve Brownie Pan, the Single Square Pan, the Lift-and-Serve Sweetheart Pan, and (not seen here) the Lasagne Trio Pan. The beauty of many of the specialist CM products is that they combine the exceptional non-stick surface of CM, with a nifty little in-built "lift" function: in most cases, this is the equivalent of a loose base, so individual squares or cakes can be popped out with ease. In the case of the Brownie Pan, the convenience boat is pushed right out: the mixture is poured into individual sections (meaning 9 perfectly-cut, equally-sized brownies), and then the removable bottom and lifting platform means they will emerge from their baking receptacle in immaculate, professional condition. This is most important, as a perfect brownie will be almost undercooked in the centre, and the necessary squidginess means extra stickiness. Here, you simply cannot go wrong.

The Lasagne Trio pan is another non-stick pan, approximately 38 x 30cm, with three separate channels. Sounds odd? Not when you think of the three different lasagne flavours you can create all at once. Got some fussy guests coming for dinner? You could do a traditional beef lasagne, a spinach and ricotta one for the vegetarians, and a chicken one for the pretend-vegetarians (don't pretend there's not one in every bunch). The only limit to the possibilities with this pan is your imagination. And don't forget that the Lift-and-Serve Single Square Pan could be used for savoury as well as sweets. Perhaps little square avocado muffins? The bite-size dimensions make them perfect for entertaining.

I have never made an Angel Food Cake, but this pan is the one every customer catering for Angels seems to ask for. The 12-cup Mini Cheesecake pan comes with the highest recommendations from Susy Porter, our local cake supplier: she's spreading her mini raspberry cheesecakes all over Sydney. Chicago Metallic has the convenience of Nordicware, but slightly less "themed". While Nordicware pieces are more directed at specific events or occasions, Chicago Metallic pieces can be easily utlilised in a variety of applications, and will consequently "earn their keep" in your kitchen in no time.

Forget the Windy City: baking with Chicago Metalllic, you'll never have a hair out of place.

No More Messing With the Mangoes

Do you know what is truly annoying? Not being able to find a picture or link to the product which you intend to talk about. However, there is actually something more annoying than that: laughingly picking up a new product from the shelves, disparagingly saying you'll test it on the basis that, "If it's rubbish, I can still blog it," and then discovering it's actually fantastic. And so I find myself in a quandry over the Avanti Mango Cutter/Pitter.

I wanted to hate it. I wanted to get it home, try it, and feel smug that I was right in my assumption that it was another useless, drawer-cluttering gadget. But no: it was not to be. In fact, it's great! Perhaps I find it particularly brilliant because a) we consume a lot of mangoes in our house and b) I'm totally inept at cutting them up. I've always got pieces and slices and juices and skins and pits decorating my kitchen bench, and that's after only one mango. This little beauty makes light work of all that fussing: simply place your mango (stem side up) in the holder, and push the cutter down over the top in one steady motion. There you have it: two neatly sliced pieces of mango, one pit, no mess. It's even made from mango-coloured heavy-duty plastic (and high-grade stainless steel, for the cutting component).

I shall have to take a photo of it instead, which I will attend to tomorrow. Then you will all be able to see this mysterious mango-related device, and marvel at it's brilliant simplicity. Methinks mango season started early this year for a reason...

A New Spin on Salad

Actually, you could have salad days and nights with this salad spinner. This is a sneaky little plug from the commercial division of Cookshop Plus. I've taken quite a fancy to this salad spinner, not because I actually enjoy salad (or spinning), but because it's orange. And huge.

This salad spinner has become a talking point at Cookshop Commercial since it was ordered in by a client who didn't quite realise how big it would be. It has a 12-litre capacity, which in "real life" terms equates to 8 heads of lettuce. It has a manual centrifugal action (you spin a handle at the top which then spins the perforated internal cavity), and is made of sturdy (orange) polypropylene, standing 430mm high, with a diameter of 330mm.

The piece is made by Paderno, who craft some of the finest commercial products. Consequently, the price is almost as substantial as the spinner! However, as this is a commercial product, we are able to offer it at a trade price to our commercial customers, making all your salad dreams a little more attainable. So, if you are an ABN holder running a hospitality venue, or perhaps a school tuckshop or kitchen, or a camp or retreat, contact Cookshop Commercial (6/8 Kiama St, Bowral; ph 02 4861 5951) and inquire about the very practical, wonderfully orange Paderno Salad Spinner.

Lettuce rejoice.

Micro-what-en?

Yes...well may you ask! Microstoven. What seems an odd name, possibly that of some hippy-dippy comfort footwear originating in Germany, is actually the latest Maxwell & Williams product. In true M&W fashion, this product comes in every shape imaginable, and does everything except wash itself up.

Microstoven is actually Spodumene cast stoneware. Rather than just throw more strange terms at you, the Spodumene component is a mineral (mined here in Australia) which makes the product thermal shock resistant and flame-proof. For you, this means the pieces can be used in all cooking methods, and on any heat source. Take it from the freezer to the oven, into the microwave, or onto the stovetop. See the origins of the name now?

To this fabulous flexibility of applications, you can add the non-stick coating. Yes, these pieces all feature a double-coat of Whitford's Xylan non-stick, ensuring ease of use and perfect results every time, and making cleaning up a breeze (perhaps they do almost clean themselves, after all!).

While you won't find amphibious landing craft shapes (sorry: Fawlty Towers moment), you will find just about every other shape and size your kitchen could desire, from the small ramekins and dear little flan dishes, to 3.7L casseroles, lasagne trays and gratin dishes. There are even tajines, and all in a choice of black-on-black, or red-on-black. Of course, the use of classic, complementary colours means that this cookware will cut it in any kitchen.

It would even look great next to the Le Chasseur you all went and bought under my instructions...