Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Kewl Kitchen, Part 2

Kewl Kitchen Kit – Part 2

In the last column I promised to write about some of the kitchen gear I’ve had the opportunity to use recently.

At the SIAL food marketplace held recently in Toronto, among the myriad products the Cookina stood out. A free sample of this re-usable, 100% non-stick alternative to aluminum foil, parchment and wax paper was immediately put to use by the bakers in my family. Good to 500°F, it is one of a line of several related products and available online, or at local Metro stores.

Though I have a full complement of pots and pans, two of the new Nordic Ware line of cast aluminum enamel-coated Traditions cookware I mentioned in Part 1 have quickly become favourites for certain tasks. Manufactured in the US since the mid-1940s (and available at 100 Sears locations in Canada), they obviously don’t hold the heat as well my (far heavier) cast iron standbys, but they do heat up faster. They also require no seasoning and because of the “texture fuse non-stick interior” cleanup has been a snap.

I used the 4 ½ quart braising pan to make 3 racks of ribs: Having earlier applied a dry rub I popped the ribs

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Kewl Kitchen Kit (and the ethics relating to free stuff) – Part 1

I am going to tell you about some interesting kitchen equipment I’ve come across recently, but before I do so I think it’s important you be aware of why and under what conditions I am writing about this stuff.

In my last column I noted I had attended the first Food Bloggers of Canada conference. It had been organised by a talented and committed trio who worked their collective buns off to deliver a superb event. For a treat – but only after you’ve read the rest of MY column – do check out their wonderful blogs: Eyes Bigger than my Stomach by Melissa Hartfield; Eat.Live.Travel. Write by the Macaron Queen, Mardi Michels; and Feeding Ethan by Ethan Adeland.

The conference was held at Hockley Valley Resort which as you can see in the photos has its own giant charcuterie display fridge, thus qualifying as an official foodie haven Although I paid full freight to participate in this kaleidoscopic introduction to the food writing world, registration came with a bunch of unanticipated benefits: The bag of swag awaiting us was so large the contents filled the table in the laundry room for days as I sorted through it. All during the conference representatives of a number of brands were on hand to talk about their wares.

For instance Canada Beef, the presenting sponsor, hosted the first dinner and had a number of their