The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many people into the kitchen. I can tell because when I go grocery shopping shelves in the baking aisle look like those in the toilet paper aisle — empty.
I have been trying to help local restaurants but can’t afford to buy three takeout meals a day, so I’ve been forced to make meals beyond cold cut, grilled cheese and egg sandwiches.
A recipe for Creamy Tuscan Chicken looked easy, except the part that called for mincing garlic cloves. I’ve seen TV chef Rachael Ray use a microplane to grate garlic right into a pot. That seemed easier for a novice cook like me.
I don’t have a microplane but I do own an All-Purpose Cooking Spoon that grates, mashes, mixes and sautes — available at Daiso for $1.50. The grating element was what intrigued me, because don’t all spoons mix and saute? And, depending on what is being mashed, I’m sure most spoons can do that, too.
I hoped this spoon would be perfect for the chicken dish, since I could use it for grating and stirring.
After frying and removing the chicken from the pot, I added butter and began grating the garlic on the spoon right over the pot. While some tiny pieces fell in, a lot remained on the spoon. Tapping the utensil on the side of the pot didn’t help much. And I didn’t have enough liquid in the pot to release the garlic from the spoon as I stirred. Instead, I grated a couple more cloves to make up the difference.
While the tool wasn’t perfect, it made easy work of grating the garlic, and it did help me squish the cherry tomatoes in the pan when they were close to bursting — the mashing element. Since I haven’t cooked like this in years — microwaving is my usual form of cooking — I don’t know where my wooden spoon and other utensils disappeared to, so the spoon itself was much needed in my kitchen.
>> Does it work?: Yes.
>> Pros: Lightweight. Good size. Inexpensive.
>> Cons: The holes prevent it from being used to scoop out liquid. Food gets stuck in the holes.
>> Cost and availability: $1.50 plus tax at Daiso
>> Worth it?: Since my kitchen lacks kitchen tools, yes.
Got a gadget that you love? Curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave,Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813.
