We spent more time in the kitchen this past year than we have in decades. Over half of Americans reported cooking more in December than they had the year prior, according to a poll by food and beverage marketing firm Hunter Public Relations LLC. The shift may be long-lasting: Almost three-quarters of respondents said they intend to continue cooking more when the pandemic ends.
This, then, is a year for home cooks to flex culinary muscles with an eye toward fun. They’re already experimenting with equipment and techniques primarily considered the provenance of professionals.
Take dry-aging beef.
Meat coolers such as Steak Locker’s Smart Dry Aging refrigerator, which produce tender, flavorful rib-eyes and T-bones, are becoming widely available. Gabriel Llaurado, who sells the $1,500 Steak Locker fridge at his virtual butcher shop Meat n’ Bone in Miami, estimates he sold more than 50 of them during the third and fourth quarters of 2020 and would have sold more if he could have sourced them. “There’s a lot of interest in having a steak like in a restaurant,” Llaurado says.
Bread-baking fatigue has given rise to a boom in homemade tortillas.
“Last year we sold about 50 tortilla presses and over 450 pounds of fresh masa,” says Aaron Harris, who with his wife, Christie, operates the Mexican specialty food shop Molino Tortilleria & Market in Sawyer, Mich. “That might not be a huge number in an urban area, but we’re a small town, where many are trying homemade tortillas for the first time—and then they’re hooked.”
Homebrewers are filling their cups at a record pace, too.
Brooklyn Brew Shop owners Erica Shea and Stephen Valand shipped 80,000 kits in 2020, for $2 million in sales, a 250% rise from 2019. “Our April e-commerce looked like December, which is not how April ever looks,” Shea says. She expects 2021 to be even stronger with warmer weather. “There will be a lot of homemade beer served at socially distanced barbecues this summer.”
Upgrade Your Comfort Food
Pizza Oven
The next time you reheat a rubbery slice, consider a patio oven from home pizza-making champ Gozney, which produces gas-powered and wood-fired options. Its newest, the Dome, resembles a flattened igloo and stands at just a bit more than 2 feet tall. $1,300
Tortilla Press
The handsome, utilitarian presses from Verve Culture are made in Mexico from recycled pieces of cast iron and Singer sewing machines. The flat, uniform tortillas that result are so much better than store-bought versions, you’ll start taking Taco Tuesdays more seriously. $48
Pasta Maker
Even with all the high-quality pasta around, the difference you get from making it fresh is hard to overstate. Marcato’s Atlasmotor improves on hand-cranked models with its discreetly attached motor: It works faster, and you can place it on any flat surface, instead of securing it precariously to the side of a counter. $175
Get More Precise
“Sous Vide” Oven
Cooking in vacuum-sealed bags has been in the food nerd’s repertoire for years. But if you’d rather not fuss with all that, the Anova Precision Oven 10 offers a bagless solution. An internal probe lets you calibrate cooking within 0.5F—then automatically crank the heat for a crisp finish. $600
Smart Dry-Aging Fridge
As every steak aficionado knows, dry-aged cuts of meat have a more pronounced flavor and are more tender than unaged ones. Steak Locker’s aging fridge, which looks like a supersize wine cooler and weighs 165 pounds, is equipped with sensors that monitor the humidity and aging time. $1,600
Pellet Grill Smoker
Smokers stand out among hobbyist chefs in their quest to infuse meat with an exact, not overwhelming amount of smoke. The Traeger Timberline 1300 pellet grill carries hardwood pellets through a tube to flames below the food; a tray keeps fire from making direct contact, while a fan circulates the smoke. It also comes with Wi-Fi—or “WiFire,” according to the manual—to maintain control if you need to step away.$2,000
Add Some Cultures
Mushroom-Growing Kit
Funghi are riding a wave of popularity. U.S. sales of the 2019-20 crop were $1.5 billion, up 3% from the previous season. Kits from Forest Origins can produce gourmet shrooms within two weeks. The meaty oyster varieties are versatile in sautés, stir-fries, pastas, and grain entrées. $55
Beermaking Kit
The continued closures of bars have increased interest in homebrewing. The Brooklyn Brew Shop in New York sells an array of kits that look like groovy science experiments, with vinyl tubing and thermometers. “If you can make oatmeal, you can make beer,” the instructions promise, and they’re right. From $45
Fermenting Kit
The art of making the perfect pickle—or kimchi or sauerkraut—doesn’t demand high-tech equipment, just a jar that can keep food submerged as it ferments and releases gases. Kilner, which has been around since the 1840s, has a modestly priced unit that includes weights and an air-locked top. $30
Don’t Delay Gratification
Microwave Cookware
One of the country’s top chefs, David Chang of the Momofuku empire, is backing the new Anyday startup. In its microwave-safe glass dishes, you can prepare—not just rewarm—everything from a bacon-egg-and-cheese burrito to Thai chicken curry in minutes. From $30
Greens-Growing Kit
Among the benefits of starting an indoor garden is handy access to produce year-round—and having plants around is pretty nice, too. The Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 is equipped with an LED grow light and a built-in timer. Select among 60 plants, including romaine, red kale, mini tomatoes, and even wild strawberries. $199
Infuser
For those who like to fiddle with flavors, the Levo II makes rosemary-infused olive oil or cannabis butter an easier proposition. You control the temperature and cycles, from “dry” to “infuse,” with an app. It comes in robin blue, cayenne red, and other colors. $300
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-25/best-kitchen-appliances-that-will-bring-some-joy-back-to-cooking
2021-03-25 09:25:02Z
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