The double blade grapefruit knife. For serious grapefruit eaters.
So you want to make some cheese
It's not like quality cheese is difficult to obtain around here, America's Dairyland and all that. But some people just like to do for themselves, and that's a fact. Making your own cheese is a fun rainy-day project with the kids (and beats the Suzy Homemaker oven for sure). If nothing else, trying to make your own cheese should give you a greater appreciation for master cheesemakers, and who knows? You just might discover a hidden talent. There's more than one DIY cheese kit out there, but those from Urban Cheese Craft are simple, unintimidating, inexpensive and provide just about everything you need except the milk. Available in varieties for producing Indian paneer and Mexican queso blanco; goat cheese; or mozzarella or ricotta. Included are cheesecloth, a dairy thermometer, rennet, citric acid and cheese salt; the kit provides enough to make 10 half-pound batches of cheese. At Etsy.com, $18-$27.
Double blade grapefruit knife
There are a lot of kitchen gadgets the casual cook can get by without. And if you don't eat a lot of grapefruit, you can live without a grapefruit knife. But if you eat grapefruit, or just want to eat more grapefruit, do yourself a favor and invest in a decent grapefruit knife. The dual-blade version is the way to go. One curved blade separates the fruit from the rind - without punching holes in it! Turn the knife around and use the other blade (actually two blades sandwiched close together) to separate the dividing membrane from the fruit. Brilliant. RSVP Endurance Grapefruit Double Knife, available at Kitchen Gallery, 1354 Williamson St., Madison, $5.
Joseph Chop2Pot
You know when you chop up a bunch of vegetables and then take the cutting board and lift it to sweep all the veg into the pot and the darling little cubes fly off on either side and end up scattered across the counter and on the floor? Don't be that cook. The Chop2Pot is a cutting board with hinges, so it transforms into a scoop. No more cubed-veg disasters. Plus, they come in a variety of bright colors to match your kitchen, no matter what vintage it is. Available at Kitchen Gallery, 1354 Williamson St., and Fraboni's, 822 Regent St., both in Madison. About $15.
