Shy's Kitchen Chronicles

LnL EZ Lock 48-piece container set for $20!

2012-01-23T07:27:00.002-07:00

Kgbdeals has an ongoing promotion on EZ Lock 48-piece containers set ...i.e. 24 containers with lids.... all for just 20$!!! The original cost is $43 (upto 54% discount). These are very good and sturdy containers when compared to other blue-lid containers. It would be perfect for storing odd items or leftover food in your kitchen because

They are BPA and BIS-Free.
They are transparent.
They are stack-able.
Microwave and freezer safe.

There variety of color choices - Blue, Green and Pink.

How do you get this:

Follow this link
Open an account if don't already have one.
And then go ahead and buy.
You will be sent a coupon code.
Go to LnL site and add color you prefer to cart.
In shopping cart, add coupon code you purchased in discount code box.
You may need to create an account on LnL or login to be able to use the coupon.
This deal is available till 30th January 2012.

You should know:

Coupon is valid until April 30, 2012
May purchase multiple vouchers
May purchase additional vouchers as gifts
May only redeem one voucher per order on the merchant's website; you must create separate orders for each voucher
Cannot be combined with other offers
Valid online only
Tax will be applied for TX residents
Shipping cost is additional $5.99 flat rate, shipping to AK and HI is higher

This will be a good purchase.

Organization made simple

2012-01-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned about Wing basket earlier... now I am back after using it for sometime.

This basket has become a catch all in my household.... be it laundry, my kids toys, winter essentials (oh ya... gloves, hats, mittens, ear muffs for four people becomes quiet a pile!) I have recently changed my residence and I am still in the process of finding home for stuff in my house. This basket has become my third hand.

Do you see the deep semi-circular opening...it makes access to stuff easy-I found that to be a very convenient feature when I had filled it up with toys and saw how easily my kids were able to look for their precious pieces!

And these side flaps come handy when you want to stack baskets to get vertical storage solution. That would be a very good way to store toys or maybe inside your closet to basically throw anything in it that gets lost easily.

You can get these InPlus Wing baskets at LocknLock website. Right now they are on sale... additional 40% off on top of their special prices. Thats makes it a sweet deal! Discount code it LIVING2012

Go ahead .. explore and get organized!

Cute LocknLock Lunch bags at 50% on Woot.com

2012-01-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! A very Happy New year to you all first. Lots of things have changed at my end. I am now resident of new town.. yaaay!

Ok need to get to this quick since its available only for today on kids woot. Shipping is $5. Its 50% off. Generally it is available for $39.99 on LocknLock website. You can choose either pink or blue color.

In this bag you would get

(1) blue or pink
(3) Containers
(3) Lids
(1) Water Bottle with Cap and Straw

I personally own a pink bag and its super cute. The only difference is I got the one with silby containers. Its available on LocknLock as well, for $39.99. Obviously there is a blue set too.

So if you have young kids you need to pack food for, its a great bag. It is very compact. Images on the bag and the container are also very cute. The bottle has silicon stopper in the cap which makes it leak proof. Just make sure you don't loose this stopper. Currently there aren't any replacements available.

Christmas Christmas....

2011-12-15T22:55:00.002-07:00

Come Christmas and we are breaking our head what to gift a loved one or oneself. Well how about a well constructed, good quality stainless steel cookware set? Right now, at this moment, LocknLock have this Holiday Special Sale going on through 20th December. Apart from lots of container sets available at really low prices, I was very excited about the 13 piece Charming cookware set in stainless steel for $145.90. I own some of the piece included in this set and I can tell you they are constructed very well. It feels heavy and on the inside have measurement markings. One good feature that I like alot is that it does not have rivets on the inside of the cookware. It irks me to no end when food is stuck around rivet.

Do consider this for someone who loves to cook. Its value for money. The set contains the following pieces which are also available for sale separately. Follow link to check out the details and to purchase it.

9.4-inch Casserole

6.3-inch Saucepan

7.9-inch Deep Casserole

11-inch Saute Pan

11-inch Wok

11.8-inch Wok with long handle

11-inch Steamer

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!!

LocknLock Holiday Sweepstakes

2011-12-02T09:00:00.001-07:00

Ho ho ho.... holiday season is here! And its time to try your luck.

How does it work - if you purchase anything from LocknLock from now till 24th December, you will be automatically entered for their daily sweepstakes. Only one gift per household..i.e. if you win once, you will not be entered for subsequent sweepstakes drawing. Today's winner will be announced the next business day.

I own some of these sets and I can say, after using them for so many months, that they are of excellent quality.

Cyber Monday deal from LocknLock - Extended!

2011-11-28T17:51:00.001-07:00

This is a steal!!! You can buy $100 worth of gift card in just $40!!!! Hurry, it wont last long. LocknLock has extended the deal for another 6 hours.

They have 2 kinds of cards on sale. Virtual gift card will be sent immediately to your mail box and you can redeem the code as store credit immediately. Actual plastic gift card will be mailed to you. For actual card shipping will be charged.

Also you cannot use existing store credit to purchase it. You need pay via credit card or pay pal.

Good luck and Happy shopping!!!

Holiday gifts

2011-11-26T10:45:00.001-07:00

Holiday season is here and its time to get some for everyone. During LocknLock's black friday event, I got some great gifts for my friends. I got Silby Ceramic Dome Style Container 3piece set available right now for $27.88!!!

LocknLock has some great gifts to fit all kinds of budgets and recepients.

For someone who loves to cook, how about these ? Some of these prices are valid only during Thanksgiving sale.

Cookplus Vitamin 4-Pieces Set ($48.99)

Lock & Lock Cookplus Fruits Casserole Pot, 9.5-Inch ($29.99)

Cookplus Charming Wok, 11-Inch ($44.10)

If you are on tight budget, how about these, all under $15!

Salad bowl 12 piece set ($5.99)

12 piece storage containers ($9.99)

2 piece fajita set ($5.99)

4 piece BPA free airtight containers with cool pack ($5.99)

Rectangular Lunch Box 3-Piece Set with Insulated Bag ($13.39)

Hot Wave Stainless Vacuum Bottle, Metallic Light Pink ($9.99)

Or how about gifts for outdoor enthusiast

Premium Mountain Hip Sack, Orange ($35.01)

Picnic Lunch Set, 36 Pc Set ($24.01)

Eco Mug ($9.95)

There are way too many options and ideas... head to LocknLock website right now to snag some awesome deals.

And of course how can not mention a new mystery box 2 deal. You could get products worth ranging from $40 to $70 for just $9.99. One in 5 boxes will contain product worth $70. Here is a Christmas right here for you that doesn't cost much!

A quick pot of boiling water - Speed Cook pan

2011-11-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Sometime ago... LocknLock launched SpeedCook line of sauce pans for fast cooking. How does it cook fast - well its construction is such that it allows fast and efficient dispersion of heat.

It has hard anodized coating all over the pan and lid. Its silicon covered handles and lid holder makes it easy to handle when the pot it hot.

And did I tell you its super light! No it doesn't take two tiny people to lift the lid : -D !!!

If you are into camping and outdoor cooking (I'm not)... I think it will be a great addition to your back pack. The lid, when turned over, can be used as a shallow plate. That's a definite plus! If you use chopsticks, there are 2 holes in the lid to hold that. Its just better and better!

It has marking inside the pan, so you know how quantity is inside the pan.

How fast can it cook....I just had to find out and whats the simplest thing you can do - boil water. I have an electric cooktop and it does take a good few minutes to get the water boiling which I find quiet frustrating. I put this to test and I timed it - yes I did !!!!

I filled up pan with 1 cup of water and placed it on a cold cooktop. It took about 3 minutes to warm temp and at about 5 minutes or so it was boiling. Wow!

This is a picture of steam at 3 minutes.

And on an already warm cooktop top - it was warm at about 1-1/2 minute and about 3-1/2 minutes it was boiling.... woooohooo!!

Handle felt a little warm but silicon cover made it easy to handle.

This is definite plus for me - I get impatient at times. Sure there is microwave for boiling water but when I am cooking Maggi noodles ... it's not useful. Oh ya .. I timed boiling water in stainless steel sauce pan too ...<stop laughing!!!!> It took about 8 minutes on cold cooktop to get it to boiling temperature.

Its a good cookware, perfect for some jobs and I would recommend having one in your kitchen. It will be money well spent.

And if you make purchase now through Nov 28, you will also get $5 store credit as thank you from them. There are also coupons available and other deals going on for thanks giving - check it out here.

More mysteries...new website!

2011-11-21T20:18:00.001-07:00

Lock&Lock just launched their new website!!!! And way cooler than the previous one - I have to admit. There is provision now to redeem your gift card and store it as store credit. If you are "misplacer" like me - its a boon!

What more they launched it with a bang - a new mystery box deal. You could get products worth ranging from $40 to $70 for just $9.99. One in 5 boxes will contain product worth $70.

I didn't go for it last time... this time I just might... its too darn tempting!!!!

Also if you buy items with turkey logo, you will receive a free gift. Here's the catch ... you need to hunt the turkey (logo). Happy hunting !!!! Fun way to browse and look around the new website.

And wait Black Friday isn't here yet. I expect plenty more awesome deals on its way.

If you are looking for LnL coupons - there are 2 of them available right now

Lock & Lock $50 to Spend on Airtight Kitchen Containers for $23 on Living Social - click here to sign up and then click here to buy the coupon. When you sign up for the first time, you will receive a $5 coupon, so the price drops to $18!!.. Gets sweeter - doesn't it?
$50 to Spend on Airtight Kitchen Containers $23.00 ($50.00 Value) on Slickdeals

Its holiday season - Celebrate ....and shop! LOL!!!!

Glass Canister from LocknLock

2011-10-25T23:46:00.001-06:00

Hello hello... I am back with another review of a LocknLock product. Since last few weeks I have been on a pantry and freezer cleaning spree. I had so many items stocked up - it was driving me nuts. Why because I felt awfully guilty when I had to thrash stuff because I didn't get to it sooner. So I started Project Eat Up Pantry.... LOL... not literally! I have promised myself not to buy anything extra until I finish up what I have at home.

Few days ago, it was frozen strawberries and blueberries turn. Hmm... what could I use it in? There is only so many pancakes and shakes you can have! So I decided to turn it all in a fruit preserve/spread. A pinch of red pepper flake, a dash of orange juice and spoonful of grated ginger ....it made a world of difference.

I will blog the recipe in few days... but that's not what I want to talk about right now. I had this glass canister from LocknLock which were perfect for storing my fruit preserve.

Trick or Treat....?

2011-10-24T22:52:00.000-06:00

Halloween is just around the corner.....with it comes little kids knocking at your door dressed up in all kind of cute costumes and asking in sing-song manner "Trick or Treat?" Last few years, it wasn't such a big event at our house. We had our bowl of candies to offer to whoever came knocking by. Kids were dressed up and taken to couple or so houses and that's about it.

This year things are a bit different - my daughter has grown up!!! And she is pretty specific what she wants to do. She is going to be butterfly ... "with big pink wings and butterfly skirt (that would be a tutu) and butterfly headband and we will get candies and carve a pumpkin". She knows her business ...LOL! Well we did carve a pumpkin yesterday at our friend's house and she enjoyed that (after initial meltdown about wanting to do everything herself - which doesn't work out most times). Anyways after all the fretting, struggle and directing.... carving was done. And it looks amazing at night when light glows in it. And spooky too. Why didn't I try this earlier?

I am looking forward to coming Monday when we all go trick or treating. Dear weather, please be nice!

And Halloween is also about shopping deals. LocknLock has one such event going on at this very moment - Mysterious Halloween Mystery Box for only $9.99. Whats so great about it? Well.. you will be getting products worth $40. It would be assortment of containers (plastic and/or ceramic) and bottles and each mystery box will be different from other. There is something more - if you get lucky..... your mystery box could have a $25 gift card. So that would make it - $65 worth of stuff for just $9.99. Now that would be worth checking out.

So hurry, order one today because this deal gets over on 31st October - Halloween day. Believe me it will be worth every penny because LocknLock does make some excellent containers and bottles. So what did your mystery box contain? Do drop in a comment here... would love to know.

Bynn bin

2011-10-18T23:02:00.000-06:00

I received my shipment LocknLock supporter gifts couple of days ago and I was super excited to see Bynn..... it has been on my list for a long time. Garbage bins don't need to be an eyesore. And Bynn is anything but....Its a plastic dustbin covered with removable leather sleeve - making cleaning the bin a zip.

It is an elegant solution for any place. I have placed mine in the bedroom. And it would be just as great in a living room or under an office desk.

This is one is smaller size (10.5 inches in height) but there is slightly bigger size available as well - Lock & Lock Bynn Leather Dustbin, 12.5-Inch. And yes they have other colors too - red, black and brown. These colors would match any decor.

And thats not the only garbage bin solution they have. They have lots of different choices available. Lock & Lock Bynn Dustbin is a four part dustbin which perfect for using with plastic bags and complete cleaning. Plastic bags are completely hidden, so its another elegant solution for your kitchen. Go ahead check it out.

Before I leave you to your browsing..... I must mention latest product launch from LocknLock..... InPlus Storage baskets. There is whole range of colorful baskets that can be used to store- toys, books, clothes and other odd items. One particular type that I liked alot is Wing Baskets..... I can think of so many places they'll be perfect for in my household.

Enjoy your browsing session...ciao ciao until next time :)

Butter case and Coupon deal for LocknLock

2011-09-30T00:22:00.000-06:00

Some time go I happened to make butter at home. Actually it started with intentions to make ghee but I was extremely happy just with butter that I didn't go any further. It was such an easy process - just beat the heck out of heavy whipping cream until it separates to butter and buttermilk. And to store this homemade goodness I had a exact container, a butter dish from LocknLock.

Of course it's air tight with 4-side locking system.

It also comes with a tray that you can use for holding the butter stick and measuring to exact tablespoon.

Notice the markings for tablespoon.

I am glad to have found this dish. Now my butters have a home instead of just laying around in the fridge door. Did you know that butter absorbs odors if not wrapped and stored properly. I didn't until one time it had an off taste.

If you interested, there is also a deal available right now on PlumDistrict on LocknLock. You can buy a coupon for $50 and the price of coupon after discount comes down to ~ $11 !!!! How cool is that. Here's how :

Follow this link PlumDistrict.
On the sign in page, enter plumlove promo code for 30% off. This code expires tomorrow. You can also add this code when you are buying the coupon. If that doesn't work, you can use checkout-20-off-starting-09-06-2011 for 20% off. This code expires on 5th October, so you can use it for some other purchase as well.
On the main page, you should be able to see the coupon ad for LocknLock. If not, follow this link.
When buying make sure you activate the promo code to bring the price down to ~$11.

$50 worth of locknlock products in just $11 a steal. Hurry this offer ends by 30th Sept midnight (PDT)

Bottles...........bottles for everyone :)

2011-09-27T21:30:00.000-06:00

I have been organizing and decluttering things around here lately both at home and my blogs - shaking things up a little bit. For one, I have decided to dedicate a separate blog to food coming out of my kitchen. I just felt they needed a place of their own. A pinch of this, dash of that, Sprinkle And Stir. Check out my on Kalakand. Please update your bookmarks and blog feeders/readers. Those who follow by email, I will send email subscription request to you mail ids. I have ported my recipes from here to that blog. I will be maintaining both my blogs.

Summer is already wrapping up.............before I could even tell you about the bottles I go from LocknLock! Few weeks ago, LnL was having a buy one get one free deal on water bottles and I jumped on it. I needed to replace our travel bottles as well as get something exciting for my daughter.

I got Lock & Lock Bisfree Canteen Style Water Bottle with Bag and recently had a chance to use it on a road trip. I found it so much more convenient in sticking it inside my backpack while travelling up to Pike's Peak............by train!! No I would never hike up there with two toddlers !! It comes with a strap and case which keeps water cooler a longer time. Strap was useful to buckle it around my waist when I could ditch the backpack. And did I mention it is BPS free.

I also decided to get a Character Stainless Water Bottle, Monkey pattern, for my daughter. Its very cute. Bright blue in color and has small opening for drinking - which is perfect or little kids. Lid is attached to the body, so there isn't any chance of loosing it. Lid also has a silicon ring which ensures a tight seal. My daughter picked up monkey pattern for some reason although there five other colors. She totally loves it since she can handle all by herself without any help. And she totally digs that - she is at "I don't need any help"stage. If you are interested, check out the range of patterns available in different colors.

Last time for tryouts, we had also received a Lock & Lock Double Wall Tea Bottle. It is great for having warm tea. It includes a strainer, so tea leaves/tea bag do not bother while drinking. There also a small compartment at the bottom that can be used to store unused tea leaves/bags for future use. Great isn't it?

So I decided to thrown in a tea bottle for myself - yeah why not? It's a thermal tumbler. Bright bold pattern makes it look very attractive. I enjoy having tea or coffee in it. Feature wise its quite similar to double walled tumbler except it doesn't have base compartment for storing extra tea or whatever.

Lo Behold.............guess what did LnL send this month for try outs - another water bottle!!!! Perhaps they sensed how much I had been liking them. Lock & Lock Bisfree Two Tone Water Bottle is a slim bottle and comes with a sipper insert. One side has small holes which will be useful if you flavour your drink with lemon, fruit pieces et al. I have used it around my house and because it is slimmer, I found it easier to hold - smaller hands. Unfortunately I missed taking pictures for this...........will update when I do so. This post has been sitting in draft section for too long!

So if I got you interested enough, check out the products on LocknLock. They have some event going on all the time - good products at great prices!!! Who wouldn't like that? Right now its Zen&Lock containers are almost 80% discount!!!!

Next time it will be airless container. Right now I have put it on freshness test. Ciao Ciao!

Dealing with deals !!

2011-09-01T00:09:00.000-06:00

Apologies all for missing in action for so long. Right now, we are doing some late spring/early fall cleaning. With so of much of useless items accumulated over the years, its mind boggling ! So daily we have been sorting, donating, keeping, thrashing and giving away.

With all the choas and stuff being moved around, keeping my kids toys and books separate has become an issue. And LocknLock Living Box has come in really handy. Right now it's holding toys in my daughter's room.

A year older... more naughtiness :-)

2011-08-16T23:59:00.000-06:00

So last week my son turned 2... not that he cared. For him, it was any usual day to continue with his karnama that he had left behind on previous night! The excitement was more for us - dad, mom, didi, dada, nana... and every grown up who knew him. Birthdays of course means lots and lots of good food. And that's what I did... churned out dishes for my baby ... again not that he cared ! There had to be Paneer - he so loves it : - )

Anyways, as I was slogging it out in the kitchen, a box was delivered at my door. It was time for second season of being in t Lock n Lock supporter program. And what do you know, they sent a perfect pan for making paneer tawa masala, preparing urad dal mix and meatless meat balls (aka soyabean) one after another effortlessly........wait a second ..........there was effort involved but not for scrubbing the pan. Not that I didn't have other pans but who wants to deal with a pile of dishes after all that cooking. Enough rambling..........the pan I am talking about is Lock & Lock Cookplus Vitamin Frying Pan. 11.8-Inch size and blue in color with black coating.

I am loving the colors in the kitchen. Remember Yellow Ceramic Frying Pan - that was 10.2 inches. And guess what...... Lock n Lock has also launched stainless steel cookware in color. No points for guessing the series name - Cookplus Fruits !!! They are so darned cute! I am definitely going to invest in these after the big shift.

They also sent a double walled tumbler - great for iced tea, a living box - great for taking care of chaos factor in your house and a lunch bag - right in time for school season. You might want to check out their Back to School event going on at their website - tonnes of ways to save. Btw, they also have a buy one get one free bottle going on currently. More on these items in another post, I want to talk about paneer tawa masala now.

Potaoes in mustard gravy..............with a twist!

2011-07-30T10:55:00.000-06:00

Actually the title in Hindi would have sounded better - rassedaar aloo - twist mar ke !

Mustard gravy was usually made as base curry for fish or okra in my younger days. And I feared making any dish that called for mustard gravy. Why?.......because I hadn't made it enough times to be confident about it. I had been in this deadlock for so many years !!! But now no more. A couple of years ago, when my mom was visiting me I finally paid close ..........reeeeally close attention to the whole process. The twist comes from my mommy dear - a wee bit of sambhar powder makes each and every flavor pop in this gravy. Really it does..! This curry is so versatile - you can make it with potatoes, fish, okra, eggplant, asparagus.......yes that too!!

Convenience is its middle name - Lunch bag from Lock n Lock

2011-07-24T15:43:00.002-06:00

Hello folks..........I am back from a much needed hiatus. I was away attending a wedding in beautiful San Francisco. Weather was perfect - infact much cooler than rest of the country. It did get crazy at times.......it varied by hours not days !!! Anyways it was great to see friends and family after a long time. My kids had a blast!!!! Now we are back to the grind and were greeted by heat in the plains..

Baked Fish and some LnL discounts!

2011-07-02T16:56:00.001-06:00

Long weekend is already here and it is now I am getting to writing this...shameful S !!! I had planned to post this last weekend. Nevertheless, here I am with very simple yet full of flavor recipe which is healthy as well.

One lazy weekend, my husband wanted do something different with fish than regular fish fry and fish in mustard gravy. He found this recipe on Vahrevah.com and boy oh boy, am I glad? I totally love the flavors here....very fresh, summer like and light. Fish in itself is very bland but this mint-dill-garlic marinade gives it this multi-dimensional flavor. And it is on a bed of vegetables, so you are not really missing out anything. Gotta try to have all your colors from food pyramid : -) I modified few things in the recipe though. I used fish fillets (tilapia) and because fillets cook so fast, I 3/4th boiled my potatoes before using it. Also I used mint instead cilantro....... beeeeecause that's what I had and in my opinion it tasted fresher and better. BTW you should check out that site. Sanjay Thuma has some very good and easy to follow recipes out there.

Before I get to cooking part, I want to first tell you about a couple of things. I used my LocknLock Glass pan (yes again!) to bake the fishes. It was perfect to bake a single serving. From the oven to the table - minimal use of dishes - my kind of cooking! LocknLock this weekend is having Fourth of July sale (upto 50% off) and they also have this code which will reduce prices by additional 45%......yes 45%! Even on happy hour items. Good products at excellent prices - how cool is that? Coupon details are at the bottom of the page along with link to glass pan and fish turner on LnL website.

Now lets get cooking....flaky yummy fish beckons!

Garlic infused spinach bread

2011-06-30T23:53:00.002-06:00

This has be to be my quickest post ever! I made this today and here I am writing about it. Garlic infused spinach.....sounds so classy na? It tastes classy too ;-) I totally love the idea of stuffing the bread dough with something and making it a meal in itself or as a companion to soup. Today it was accompanying green pasta salad made with fresh pesto ( I have to say this because I used very first harvest from my kitchen garden - basil leaves). Will post that in few days.

So how do you know you have found a keeper? Well in my case, when my husband comes in and coolly eats 3-4 slices while chatting away! I was thrilled!!!! This is so easy to make too and thats another reason that I loved this recipe even more. Ok its middle of the night and I am rambling unnecessarily so I will stop here now. (Yeah I heard those silent thank gods LOL!)

Burger with hidden talents....

2011-06-28T22:16:00.001-06:00

Ok this post has been sitting in draft section for so long.... its ridiculous. I mean how hard can it be to write few words about the recipe I am going to post. Well .. ummmm .. very hard because I have been always blank whenever I got down writing it!!!! The thing is ..... my family love their bird :-) . So you can guess burger at my place means a chicken affair. But I wanted to try something vegetarian that one day......I guess it was over dose of "the bird"! Its really a struggle to get my kids to eat their portion of veges..generally it stops at second bite. But what do they know.. I am the mom and quite devious at hiding the veges ;-)

Well I remember this idea from my sister, where she inserted cheese piece in chicken patty. Same idea .... vegetarian affair. Lots of vegetables sauted dry then mixed with potatoes to make thick patties. Hide your cheese somewhere in the middle and be surprised !!!

Now lets get to the process, shall we?

My Review of 3.5" LocknLock paring knife

2011-06-26T13:20:00.003-06:00

Originally submitted at locknlockplace.com

Good quality knife..easy kitchen life!!!

By NewCookOldCook from NE,USA on 6/26/2011

Pros: Easy To Use, Good Design, Quality Materials, Durable
Best Uses: Small Jobs, Inside, Gifts
Describe Yourself: Casual Do-It-Yourselfer

I got this knife during one of the happy hour event. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Having owned it for few weeks now and using it practically everyday, I can confidently say that its a quality knife that's going to last a very long time.

The blade is razor sharp and cuts smoothly as you can see in the video. The handle has good weight and design, so using its very comfortable to use for long time. I have used it to make mango chunks for salsa, garlic slices, chop ginger finely, cut out orange slices, peel and core apple, chop up tomatoes......list is long!

It comes nicely packaged, so its perfect to give as a gift.

Great knife....good design...quality product. If you like this review, can you please vote for it in product reviews - Lock n Lock 3.5 paring knife. I just posted it today, so it maynot be immediately visible.

Tags: Knife, Paring, Using Product, Picture of Product, Locknlock

Close up of paring knife

Tags: Picture of Product

(legalese)

Onion fritters...rainy day snack

2011-06-21T01:00:00.001-06:00

I was going to post something else today... but it was such a perfect day for onion fritters (pakora) and cutting chai. It had been raining alot since yesterday. On such days, I just want to curl up under a blanket with a cup of cutting chai and hot garma garam pakoras with chutney...yummmmmm! Reminds me of the street food I used to have back in college. Saving myself from the rain and running inside dhabba to get a plate of garam bhajiya. Fritters, pakora, bhajiya all means the same thing - after all whats in a name? Onion fritters are basically very thinly sliced onions just covered in gram flour, deep fried in oil on medium to get the crispiness. There that neatly sums up the entire post LOL!! If you can visualize what I am talking about.....you needn't read any further :-)

I learnt the sweating technique of onions way back from Tarla Dalal's newletters. It has never failed. I have never had to add water to incorporate gram flour. Amount of gram flour may seem less but its enough to coat the onions to make a crispy layer when deep fried.

In case you have been scratching your head over "cutting chai"....let me demystify it for you. In Mumbai and around that...tea is usually served in small glass filled half way - cutting-(the cup into half)-chai. It could be flavoured usually with green cardamom, very milky and sweet. Perfect companion for our bhajiyas :-)

Easy peasey banana bhujiya

2011-06-17T16:10:00.000-06:00

Whenever one thinks of banana, immediately this yellow guy comes to mind. Easiest food to eat and requires no cooking. But its a different story with raw bananas or plantain. It was pain peeling it... something I didnt even think about when its dishes were made back home. Hmmmm... I should have paid more attention - bad bad ...LOL!!

Anyways, once that struggle was over, it was breeze after that. I really like eating banana bhujiya and was reminded that I liked eating this when my sister made it one day on my recent trip to her house. Hows that for forgetfulness !!! So when I saw it in store, I had to try it out - came out totally yummylicious. It was so easy to make and thats best part...well after the taste. Next time I am going to be bolder and try out banana kofta.

One thing, you need to use quite a bit of oil to get that crunchy surface. But I decided to compromise on the crunchiness factor instead. Go ahead use more oil ....fried stuff never ever tastes bad ;- )

Oh yes I used locknlock products - from start to finish. I made the bhujiya in myLocknLock ceramic frying pan, served and stored in my Zen&Lock ceramic container. Its really pretty and light weight... You can check it out in the pictures below.

More tryouts from Lock n Lock

2011-06-05T01:25:00.000-06:00

Today I received my set of items from LocknLock. This time lots of items to tryout. I already had purchased a number of plastic containers, so I know they are excellent for storing nuts, spices, flour, sugar... list is endless. And this is just kitchen list!!! There are some small plastic storage containers that I am going to use to store my whole spices and move it into the freezer. This way they'll be fresh longer in airtight containers.

I would say the same for glass containers. I had received and purchased borosilicate containers earlier. I use these practically everyday to store my leftovers and other food items. Its just so convenient..just take it out and pop it straight in the microwave, heat and serve. I don't use plastic for reheating food.

I also received some Zen &Lock containers and Eco coffee mug. Zen & lock are ceramic containers but are very light... something like corelle dishes but better. Lids are airtight. It comes with a floral design. Dinner time just got prettier !!! Its perfect for any occasion for serving tasty dishes..from casual family affair to few friends over to dinner. I am looking forward to using these.

I am not much of coffee drinker.... but prefer tea. Eco mug is perfect just for that. Its one way to do your bit for environment....use ceramic mug instead of paper cups.

You'll be seeing these containers in action alot in my future posts. Until then...bonne nuit!