Fun Times with Gadgets...

 This is a pretty fun time of year to be a food writer. My doorbell rings pretty frequently and I'm greeted with goodies from food and cookware companies. Why now? Because this is about the time writers start fiddling around with new products to see which make the best "Holiday Gifts". In fact, before the bevvy of on-line magazines and bloggers, we tested products in June and July for the November and December magazines. Bloggers clearly don't need that much lead time (we just press PUBLISH, LOL).

That brings me to today. I decided to try the Pocket Maker Set by Kuhn Rikon. It was perfect timing because I was stumped for dinner ideas. The pocket makers are tripped-up cookie presses (in my humble opinion). By pressing down on the gadget, you can instantly seal fillings into "pockets", whether you're using pie crusts, pizza dough or refrigerated biscuits (I even tried tortillas).

To test the tools for dinner, I first lined up my filling of sauteed chicken, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Then, I rolled out two pie crusts. The next step is the fun part. On one crust, I put little mounds of filling. Then I put the second crust over top and used the flower-shaped Pocket Maker (there are three different shapes) to seal the edges and create a flower pocket. It was like PRESTO - mini calzone shaped like a flower! I then brushed the flowers with milk and sprinkled the tops with parmesan cheese. So cool, fun and pretty! I can think of a gazillion more uses for this handy cook's tool - both sweet and savory. 

Maybe tomorrow I'll try the ceramic-coated cookware. Or the serrated veggie peeler. Good times.