Gadgets for the Kosher Cook

I always dreamed about making my own pasta, but it seemed way too daunting.  An Italian family in our building invited us over last year for dinner and served three different kinds of homemade pasta.  My foodie son (who won’t eat dried pasta) licked his plate.  Soon afterwards, my friend David revealed that he also makes his own pasta.  Apparently, his mom used to sell pasta machines and he ended up with an extra and offered to let me try it out.

What David had was actually what they call a Pasta Extruder.  The best way to describe it is like one of those play dough machines you used to enjoy as a kid. You take the dough and push it through a tube with the shape of your choice to make ziti, penne, tubitini and macaroni.  I found a recipe and tried it out. The kids had fun, we made a mess and we ended up with a nice bowl of fresh pasta that everyone loved.  Still, it felt like a lot of work for not much more than small bowl for each of us, but I knew I had to try it again.

I was researching buying my own pasta extruder when I met Alessandara Rovati, Italianblogger for Dinner in Venice, who confessed that even Italians don’t make their own pasta all the time. Alessandra saves it for special occasions and mostly when she is making filled pasta like ravioli or lasagna.  She also explained the difference between the dried pasta in a box that you can make with an extruder and fresh pasta.  Most dried pasta does not have any eggs and the recipes I followed to make the pasta in the extruder didn’t either.  They are also meant to be dried.  Who has time to do that?  She convinced me that an inexpensive old fashioned pasta roller is all I needed.  After several memorable Italian pasta dinners, I do believe she was right.

I bought one of these $40 machines and tried it out.  There was definitely some trial and error.  It’s still a fair amount of work, but the kids can get involved and the end result is most definitely worth it!  I usually save it for a Sunday afternoon when we have extra time and I make onebatch of spaghetti or fettuccine that we cook and eat fresh and one batch of ravioli that I freeze for the following week.

To make pasta the way they do in Italy, try a fine flour called “00” which you might find at an Italian market or specialty store.  Otherwise, you can use all purpose or even cake flour.  I also sprinkle semolina flour on top when rolling the dough, to help it from sticking to the machine.  No matter what flour you use, with a little practice you will be making pasta like Strega Nona in no time at all!

Here is my Pasta Dough Recipe and my favorite Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli Recipe.

When the weather’s just right, my husband and I take the kids out to the apple orchard. Apple picking is the perfect outdoor family activity in September and October.

The Sprechers are an apple-picking family, and for that matter, we love picking any fruit or vegetable that’s in season. When we come home with  bushels of apples, what do we do with them? Well, first we eat some of them raw – delicious!

Then we get creative and make lots of tasty creations with our apple picks. And of course, we use the best tools! My favorite apple corer is the Cuisipro Red and Stainless Apple Corer. This distinctive tool easily removes the core and makes disposal quick and effortless. The unique leveler splits in half for easy release after you twist or push this corer through the apple. And it’s top-rack dishwasher safe. (See it featured in the Joy of Kosher Magazine and win it here)

If I need a corer that will wedge as well, I have been using the basic OXO Good Grips apple divider for years. If you want thinner slices the Amco Dial-A-Slice is perfect! You adjust the thickness, and voila – either 8 or 16 wedges with one swift motion.

Before you slice your apple of choice, you might need to peel them. Who needs handles on peelers anymore? The hottest peeler on the market is the Palm Peeler from Chef’n! Wear it on your finger like a ring, and peel your apples right in the palm of your hand.

And now that my apples are ready to bake – I am ready to use my charming Chantal pie dish that resembles a real crust!   Or, I can’t wait to try the silicone petite tart molds by  Tovolo – there is an apple and a pear motif.  Over the years, I have collected plenty of pie dishes and tart molds – and the tart mold does not need to be non-stick.

And, when I am ready to serve my freshly sliced apples on Rosh Hashanah, I look forward to adorning my Yom Tov table with the beautiful Apple Plate from world-renowned designer Michael Aram…  I can’t decide on the Michael Aram Apple Honey Pot (Do I want a nickel or gold tone finish?) or the Mary Jurek Honey Pot with a bee accent and a honey dipper.

You think there’s only one kind of honey? Well, you’re sorely mistaken! Believe it or not, there’s Raspberry Honey, Blueberry Honey, and many other varieties to choose from!   And, honey is available in sticks and small pourable bags to avoid a sticky mess.  If you prefer to use honey from a dish, a silicone honey dipper is available from Le Creuset in a variety of colors.

Wishing that we are all blessed with a sweet, healthy, and prosperous new year,

Summer fun is here and so are these fantastic tips to keep you out of the kitchen.

Here is a list of “Quick Hints” that I share at my Tupperware demonstrations with my customers.  I am sure you will find them very interesting and useful, so bookmark this page and save them for future reference.

Reheating Pizza : Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Devilled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg.  Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving.

Reheating Refrigerated Bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper Weeds Away: When putting in your plants, work the nutrients into your soil. Wet newspapers and put layers around the plants, overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic but they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass: Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken pieces of glass- the fibers catch ones you can’t see!

No More Mosquitoes: Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!: To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.

MINE!!!!! : If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof of ownership.

Flexible Vacuum Extension: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge, add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling: Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and – voila – static is gone.

Measuring Cups: Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield: Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening Envelope : If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.

Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass and add 1/2″ Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it “home,” & can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Baby Powder at the Beach: Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you’re ready to leave the beach, sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin.

Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 min. before baking, will bake more rapidly.  Add a little milk to the water in which you cook cauliflower, it will remain attractively white.

Toothpicks are sometimes too short to test a loaf cake for doneness.  A piece of uncooked spaghetti will work just fine.

Store all luncheon ingredients in Cold Cut keeper ( toppings, mustard, mayo in snack set) so you only have to open refrigerator once.

When camping, make turnovers…butter all sides of muffin.  Fill 1 or 2 TBS, of favorite jam.  Wrap in foil.  Put in coals 2 or 3 minutes each side.

Do you love the idea of a shot of convenience to go with your morning coffee?  I do, and I also like the idea of a no mess, one-touch single cup brew.  But to be perfectly honest, I haven’t been blown away by the quality of the coffee capsule competition.  My counter needs a little more flair and my coffee needs a little more flavor.  I’ve been using a Bodum French press for as long as I can remember and I never tasted a good reason to change.  So naturally I was curious (and hopeful) when my favorite espresso entered the single-serve coffee market.

Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffè is led by chairman and CEO, Andrea Illy, the third generation of the Illy family.  If you are on the prowly for a high-quality single-cup automatic machine for under $300, their Francis Francis Y1 machine is exactly what you are looking for.  It has a simple, one-touch design – just what my tired eyes need in the morning.  Insert a capsule (Medium, Dark or Decaf), press the button, and a concentrated, full-bodied espresso topped with a rich crema is all yours in about a minute. The Y1’s aluminum body, tempered glass cupholder and compact silhouette (9.5 inch base) and fire engine red color make it a perfect fit in almost any space.  Because extraction takes place entirely inside the capsule, the coffee and machine never come in contact, so clean up is a snap.  All in all, it is an impressive package.  Although I am not ready to throw my French press away, Italy and France are going to get along just fine together in my kitchen.

Here are some of our favorite things, featured in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine.  All are available from our favorite store, Kitchen Clique, owned by our favorite gadget girl, Faigie Sprecher.

	Charcoal Companion Pizzaque Pizza Stone Grill Rather munch on veggies while everyone else is wolfing down the meat?  Make a veggie cheeseless pizza.  “Often, non-meat eaters don’t have something filling they enjoy at a BBQ.  This PizzaQue makes brick oven pizza using your grill.”  It just might be worth getting a second dairy grill-so you can make brick-oven style cheese pizza too!
	Bodum Fyrkat Cone Charcoal Grill “Isn’t it cute?” For anyone who doesn’t have a lot of space, or is tired of gas fumes or empty canisters, this is a charcoal grill that’s easy to clean, compact, light – and stylish.  There’s two cooking surfaces, a rotisserie, and the cone at the bottom screws off so you can remove the ashes without getting your fingers balck.”  The Bodum comes in a bunch of fun colors.
	Breville Electronic Grill Removable Plates “Yes, there are less expensive indoor grills. Panini makers will also give you grill lines,” says Faige. “But this is the king of electronic grills – it’s large, state-of-the-art, and wil give food that authentic BBQ flavor. It’s just like bringing your fancy barbecue indoors.
	Camerons Beer Roaster For Chicken Lovers. Tired of dry grilled chicken breasts? For the best, most moist chicken ever—pour your favorite marinade in the middle (or your favorite beer, the inspiration for this nifty cooking tool). “Stick the chicken on top, and cook over the grill or in the oven. The fat also drips down, resulting in a healthy BBQ option,” says Faige. That’s way cooler than chicken burgers. WIN THIS! Contest ends August 17, 2011 at 9 am.
	Cuisinart Griddler Grill Centro For Shish Kebab Lovers “This indoor electronic grill has a cool feature that rotates the skewers so they cook evenly,” says Faige. “The top can convert from a grill to a griddle.” WIN THIS! Contest ends August 17, 2011 9am
	Talisman Party Picks Editor Victoria Dwek used these at a recent party she hosted to dress up the roasted veggie wraps. It’s an elegant touch with not much fuss. WIN THIS! Contest ends August 10, 2011 at 9am.
	Zak Lotus Bowl The best of both worlds! These melamine bowls are pretty and durable—perfect for summer outdoor entertaining. Keep your delicate tabletop wares inside, and throw away those cheap looking plastic platters. The lily pad is a plate, and the four bowls nested inside separate. Use them on their own, or nest one inside the other. So pretty!
	Rachael Ray Melamine Garbage Bowl Keep the trash can away and out of sight when you cook. Instead, throw those onion peels and egg shells into the Garbage Bowl. Yes, this is just a bowl. Yet, those who have it love it. Why? We suppose most people find using their regular prep bowls for “garbage” is unappealing. But a bowl set aside for the job, sitting right there on the counter? That’s convenience!
	Prodyne Salad-on-Ice Do your greens wilt and turn unappetizingly warm when you’re entertaining al fresco? Set that salad over ice. The cold air rises through the vent to keep lettuce crisp, while excess liquid drains away so your salad isn’t sitting in a puddle (no more soggy bottom-of-the-bowl!).
	Sensio Mini Cupcake Maker There’s no preheating, no opening the oven door to check those muffin tops. Who wants to do that in the summer? But we still want our cupcakes. Our favorite cupcake maker turns out moist cakes – in about 5 minutes. WIN THIS! Contest ends August 10th 9am.

Check out our previous Favorite Things.

I meet many people who are simply “afraid” to freeze any food merely because they have had bad “freezer-tasting” food in the past.  That is a false assumption.  The food they ate was just frozen and stored the wrong way.  It’s like trying to make cholent in a frying pan!

With summer rapidly approaching, we look forward to spending more time outside with our families.  Whenever my family and I would spend a great day outdoors, all I do is go to “Mom’s Diner”—my freezer—and pull out our dinner!  We never have to experience the “instant heartburn” some people get from takeout food!

You have to learn the proper technique and correct storage containers to use for that exact purpose.  In my experience, I have saved hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year by freezing and storing food correctly!  And don’t forget the hours you will save in time because you do not have to “waste” time cooking fresh food every day of your life!

Freezing is simple and the most time-efficient way to preserve foods at home.  It is important to note that freezing does not improve the quality of foods, but when properly done, it can preserve most of the quality of the fresh product.  Food stored constantly at zero degrees will always be safe.

FYI: As an aside, if you have an electrical blackout, a full freezer will keep food frozen for 72 hours, while a half full freezer will only stay for 12 hours!

One of my customers did an experiment with her family.  To be precise, she did it to prove a point to her husband who said he would never eat anything that was frozen. He had been turned off by bad experiences from his childhood years when his mother would serve frozen, dried out food to him and his siblings.  She was a working mother and had no other choice.  She used cheap plastic takeout containers and lots of foil and baggies to store the food in the freezer.  These cheaper quality containers are not meant for the vapors and low temperatures that exist in a zero degree environment.  The food lost its quality and got a “freezer burn,” thereby robbing it of its good taste and appearance.
However, this woman was desperate to find a way out of being forced to cook a fresh meal every day, so she decided to try her freezer luck. Her husband’s favorite food was meatballs and spaghetti.  She prepared the recipe as usual, but instead of freezing the meatballs with the sauce in cheap containers immediately after cooking them, she used my tricks and saved herself literally hours of time.

She made sure these meatballs remained her private secret. She served her family about 85 defrosted suppers of meatballs and sauce over a period of four weeks, and no one knew the difference!  Of course, she cooked her spaghetti and other side dishes fresh each time.

So, she never told her husband what she did and still now freezes many of her food for her family.  She recently told me she feels like a “liberated” woman!  She has more time to devote to her other interests with her newfound time.

Here’s how you can be liberated of the daily grind!

How To: Yummy Frozen Meatballs or Stuffed Cabbage

Separate the cooked meatballs/stuffed cabbage from the sauce.  Line a cookie sheet or flat board with foil.  Foil acts as a conductor and will “quick-freeze” any food sitting on it in the freezer.  Place the meatballs side by side, like rows of cookies, on the foil, (without the sauce.)  Depending on your particular freezer, it may take an hour, more or less to “quick freeze” the meatballs.   Then, place the hardened meatballs into any Tupperware freezer container. You can use either a tall or flat container, because shape will not matter.  The meatballs will pop out individually, since there is no sauce binding them together!  Freeze the sauce separately.

Sauce can be frozen in bulk or in individual smaller 2 cup Tupperware containers. If you did freeze sauce in a larger container and only need a small amount of sauce for those six meatballs you removed for a child, just run some warm water from the sink over the container.  On a cutting board, slide out the “brick” of sauce. Hold down the “brick” with a carving fork.  Run very hot water on a sharp serrated knife, and “slice” the amount of sauce you need!  The rest was not defrosted, so you may return it to the freezer safely for later use.  Remember, you cannot refreeze fully defrosted cooked food.

Here are a few more general tips for freezing:

• Reheating food properly is as important as freezing it properly.  Tupperware has the most efficient microwave line of VentnServe products that heat your food evenly and completely. No one can tell it was previously frozen!
• Make sure to label the containers on the outside, since frozen food can look alike. A customer told me that she once prepared a meal using some of her frozen unlabelled stock.   She was sure she would remember what it was. Lo and behold, she said her “soup turned to fish” when it defrosted!
• You can use the meatball “quick-freeze” method to freeze kneidelach, fish balls or raw knishes. Line balls on cookie sheet spread out, and put into a container once frozen.
• You can use the sauce defrosting tips to take off a small amount of frozen soup.

Please try my family’s favorite Sweet and Sour Meatball recipe.  I have customer’s who tell me, they have family members who literally “lick the plate” when eating this!

There’s nothing that annoys me more than not having the right tools for the task at hand. There are enough stresses and headaches cooking for Passover that I make sure my kitchen is equipped with everything I need. Here is a list of the tools I must have in my kitchen. To some they may be superfluous but for me each item is very important. The one thing I haven’t listed here that is probably the most important thing to have in your kitchen is a good set of knives. Without good, well-sharpened knives it’s hard to do anything.

1. Potato Ricer
If you haven’t used or seen one, a potato ricer is like a giant garlic press – you just place cooked (boiled or baked) potatoes into the ‘bowl’ of the potato ricer and press the handle down, squeezing the potato through the small holes that line the bottom of the press. Out comes smooth, lump-free potato. It’s perfect for mashed potatoes, making filling for potato blintzes or topping Shepherd’s Pie or Chicken Pot Pie – two of my favourite meals for Chol Hamoed.

2. Microplane/Rasp
I love my rasp. Use it for zesting citrus, finely grating ginger and ‘crushing’ garlic.

3. Small (8-inch) Non-Stick Frying Pan
I have one 8-inch non-stick frying pan that I use for blintz wrappers (bletlach) and nothing else. Non-stick is important because it releases the wrappers every time. The size is important because it makes the perfect round for a blintz.

4. 10-12 Quart heavy Dutch Oven/ Pot
Important for braising briskets, cooking meatballs and in a pinch it can be used for chicken (or other) soup.

5. Box-Grater
I know that some people use a food processor for shredding vegetables, but unless I’m making 20 dozen or more latkes at once, I’d rather use a box-grater. For latkes (which I’ll often make for Pesach), kugels, soups and salads, use a box greater for shredding vegetables. If you don’t have my #2 favourite item (microplane), in a pinch you can also use the side with tiny holes for zesting citrus and finely shredding ginger.

6. Food-Processor
A perfect kitchen has sets of bowls and blades for pareve, dairy and meat. Then use the processor for chopped liver, blintz fillings, crusts, chopping nuts, making mayonnaise, grinding fish for gefilte fish and so much more.

7. Ice-Cream Scoops
I have a few ice-cream scoops that I pull out each year. The large scoops get used for portioning blintz filling and dough for Passover rolls. The smaller scoops get used to portion meatballs, macaroons and almond cookies. They’re perfect for ensuring every little meatball is the same size.

8. Stand Mixer
For me, it’s not Passover unless I’ve made several batches of meringue cookies. For whipping egg whites, making icings and mousse or cake and cookie batters, the stand mixer is a workhorse in my kitchen.

9. Immersion (stick) Blender
This is one of my favourite tools. It’s great for pureeing soup right in the pot it’s been cooked in (quick and easy vegetable soups are great at Pesach) and it can be used for sauces or liquefying fruits for drinks.

10. Digital Scale
I use my scale for everything in my Passover kitchen. For baking, weighing out vegetables or meat — weight measurements are more accurate than volume. It’s also easy and quick to use a scale.

CONTEST!! Sur La Table is giving away a 14 inch Stainless Steel Skillet to one lucky reader of JoyOfKosher.com. Pam is also giving that same lucky reader a copy of her Passover a Kosher Collection Cookbook. In order to qualify please leave a comment telling us what your favorite kitchen tool is and why. [Contest open to US Residents only. Winner will be picked at random on Wednesday April 13 2011 at 9am.]

What is round, eco-friendly, and full of hot air? Not Al Gore.  A pressure cooker!  A pressure cooker is a pot with a locking lid that creates an airtight seal to suppress the steam created when food heats up.  It allows liquid to boil at 250°F rather than the usual boiling point of 212°F.  The higher temperature reduces the cooking time for most foods and the steam tenderizes the ingredients making it an ideal cooking method for soups, stews, rice and beans.

I’ve heard pressure cookers are a convenient cooking tool, but I didn’t know much about them.  I also heard scary stories about exploding pressure cookers!  Last year, at a nutrition workshop, I met a colleague who was raving about her pressure cooker.  It was easy to use, cooked foods in half the time and safe, she explained.  It was time to investigate.  I learned that the stories of pots exploding were decades old, when manufacturers used inferior materials to save money.  The days of exploding pressure cookers are over, the modern pressure cooker is filled with safety mechanisms that provide all the advantages of pressure cooking without the risk of sauce on the ceiling.

The pressure cooker provides many advantages over traditional cooking methods.  For the busy home cook working under pressure (I couldn’t resist), the main advantage is that food can be cooked in a fraction of the time.  A thick pea soup in just 20 minutes, a richly flavored chicken soup in half an hour, corned beef in 45 minutes (instead of 4 hours), dry beans in less time than an episode of The Office and risotto in 20 minutes (without stirring)!

Since the food is being cooked for a shorter period of time, it is less likely to lose vitamins and minerals and will retain color and flavor better than a microwave or slow stovetop cooking. The pressure cooker will save you up to 70% cooking time and with three kids, I can use all the extra time I can get.  Less time with the stove or oven on also means a lower gas or electric bill and a cooler kitchen.  The pressure cooker is particularly popular in countries where the cost of fuel and electricity is very high, and judging from my last bill, we qualify!

I went to the store and the choice was between two well reviewed models, the Cuisinart CPC-600 1000-Watt 6-Quart Electric Pressure Cooker and the Fagor Splendid 6-Quart Pressure Cooker.  I selected the Fagor and I have been very happy with my purchase.  Some models have more than one pressure setting, meaning the cooking temperature reached inside will vary depending on the pressure setting.  The amount of pressure is measured in (psi) or Pounds of Pressure Per Square Inch.  I typically use the high setting, because I want to cook everything as fast as possible, but depending on what you are cooking you can adjust the setting easily.  The Fagor also features a triple safety system, which includes a safety locking handle to prevent accidental opening under pressure, a dual pressure control valve, and two independent over pressure release valves to avoid pressure build up. The pot is even dishwasher safe making clean-up a breeze.

Because a pressure cooker needs space for steam to be created and room for the pressure to build, never fill your cooker more than two-thirds full.  First, bring the contents of the pot to pressure and then cook the allotted time.  Most models (like the Fagor) have an indicator that shows when the pressure is up and automatically locks into place.  When the time is up you can let it come down naturally by turning off the heat or you can switch to the fast release method, which lets out all the built up steam and pressure in an instant, like a tea kettle or Mel Gibson.

The pressure cooker is great for quick meals that taste like they took hours to make.  Healthy dinners filled with beans and vegetables and/or meats and poultry that you can throw into a pot and let the pressure cooker do the work.  It can even be used to steam vegetables or potatoes.  Although I use a rice cooker for rice, a pressure cooker can make an amazing risotto, without the constant stirring that makes my head spin and my hands ache.  I am tempted to buy a second pressure cooker just for dairy, if only to make risotto with Parmesan cheese.  I bet it will also make a fantastic alfredo sauce and a delicious cream soup.

The pressure cooker does magic with dry beans, which are much lower in sodium than the canned version.  Beans are a healthy high fiber food that can be cooked in so many different ways.    Now, I make all my beans in the pressure cooker and I freeze leftovers.  I soak the beans the night before (which helps remove dirt and other impurities and reduces the GI effects) and then boil for 10 minutes.  If you forget to soak the beans, just cook for an hour.  Generally, the rule of thumb is three cups of water for every one cup of beans.  Do not add salt in the cooking process, you can add salt later, but a bay leaf, garlic or onion packs a savory punch.  I didn’t believe it at first, but it really works.  Twenty minutes later and my Heart Healthy Veggie Chili was ready to serve.

If you haven’t opened the pressure cooker you got for your wedding or are ready to take a chance and buy one, here are a few of the recipes that I made with my pressure cooker that I think you will love:

Beef and Mushroom Barley Soup

Risotto with Wild Mushroom

Chicken Soup

Pasta Sauce

Sesame Broccoli

Melt In Your Mouth Ribs

Pea Soup

When I was a child growing up, there were frequent visits to my grandparents apartment in the Bronx, New York, for dozens of memorable holiday meals. And while the drinks on the table at our yom tov gatherings in suburban Long Island were soda in all kinds of 1960’s pop-art colors (think lime green, razzy purple and cherry red), the tablescape at my grandma’s house was noticeably different. For one thing, there were lacy tablecloths, dainty silver spoons, tea cups made of glass, china plates with gold rims (no plastic or paper here!) lots of sugar cubes – and not a soda bottle to be seen. The choice of drink was seltzer, an unflavored, bubbly fizzy thing that the adults guzzled and the kids avoided at all costs. We did try doctoring it up with lots of sugar cubes and sliced up oranges but we never managed to make it palatable. We would eventually become cranky enough so that our good-natured Grandpa would take us downstairs to the corner grocery and let us pick out a few bottles of soda (this was way before Snapple, Vitamin Water and organic Pomegranate juice hit the market).

Fast forward a generation and we find ourselves around the holiday table, with our octagenarian-parents, a tableful of children and bottles of…seltzer. If you are like me, in pursuit of healthful, kosher products, you are probably looking for natural products that eschew artificial dyes, too much sugar and ingredients that you would need a freshman chemistry textbook to pronounce. And, somehow it just didn’t seem right to eat Jamie’s delicious Brisket in Wine Sauce and wash it down with Coke!

After many years, my husband and I eventually got our kids (and our guests!) to develop a taste for seltzer, but neither one of us relished hauling seltzer bottles home, and then, even more time-consuming, running them to the local recycling center. No small feat considering that, on a typical yom tov or shabbat with dozens of guests, we go through cases of the stuff.

Imagine my surprise, then, as I was running through the well-stocked kitchen gadget department of my local big-box retailer, and glimpsed a slim, modern gadget called SodaStream. After many years of cooking, there are few gadgets left to tempt me, but this one required a closer look. It promised that I could simply fill up the super-sturdy seltzer bottles with water (bottled or tap), screw the bottle into the gadget, push down on the button, and with four light touches release carbonation into my water. Voila! Seltzer! Instantly! It gets better. The “starter” package comes with two bottles, and an entire array of tester-size flavors that can be added to your water in the event that the plain stuff is not quite enough, and implausibly enough, they are all kosher, certified by the Orthodox Union. And of course, the Earth is now grateful since I am no longer disposing of thousands of plastic bottles a year.

So there you have it. The old stuff is new again. And, a shout out to my grandparents, who always knew a good thing when they tasted it!

As you use all sorts of gadgets to cook, have your kids be part of the fun. Not only is spending time in the kitchen a great way for the family to bond, but your kitchen can become a science lab, art studio or magic parlor depending on the gadget at hand.

And what kid won’t be enamored by the beating and whirring, spinning and scooping a well-stocked kitchen drawer beholds? So the next time you pull a pre-Shabbos cooking marathon, invite the kids to explore their creativity as you stir and chop, dice and sauté.

While you set up shop at the stove, here are three art projects your kids can do to keep you company.

Meat Pounder

Once you’ve pounded away at the shnitzel, offer the allure of the meat pounder to the chef-in-training. After all, what kid wouldn’t want to use a heavy, solid disk to smash something?

Have him make smashed berry prints by placing fresh or frozen berries on half a piece of watercolor paper or an absorbent paper towel. Fold the other half over the berries and – smash! Unfold and examine the print. Abstract art is suddenly his expertise.

Salad Spinner

After the salad greens are dry, hand over the salad spinner to the junior cook to make spin art. Have her cut a circle of white paper and place it in the bottom of the salad spinner. Pour a few drops of of food coloring or water-based tempera paint on the paper. Put the top on the spinner and let ‘er rip!

Pastry Blender

As dessert bakes in the oven, have your kitchen apprentice use a pastry blender to make rubbed crayon prints. Rock the pastry blender back and forth in different directions all over a sheet of construction paper, pressing down to make indentions. Then, with minimal swift srokes, rub the paper with the side of a peeled crayon. The rubbed designs come out every time you make them.

Felisa Billet writes on Jewish food from her home in Hollywood, Florida.