[New Bento Tools] Food Picks, Puncher, Cutter and Drawing Pen

Latest pop flowers and music notes food picks which you can pick up from any Daiso outlets that is near your area. This will come in handy if you are going to prepare some music related bento theme.

This is one of our Cuisine Paradise Fan Page(detail HERE) Christmas Giveaway gift set which consists of to"Food Drawing Pen and assorted Food Picks". I am not sure of the usage of the food pen as I didn't get to try it yet, but those food picks are definitely a keeper.

Gift set 2 consists of "Knife for food decoration and Smiley Face Nori Punchers". This V-shaped food knife is great for carving small objects and patterns. Whereas these nori punchers can help to decorate those plain rice balls or bread with cute facial expressions even if u do not have these complete set shown HERE.

This 3-in-1 mini "circle and oval" shapes food cutter wil be a great tools for cutting out mini circles to form eyes , nose or even create Polka dot designs on bento even if you don't have all these fancy cutters shown HERE.

These colourful assorted Cocktail Umbrellas will sure to turn your drinks into a topical paradise with extra add-on message and design. You can also use these 2” cocktail pick to decorate your bento or add colours to your fruit trays and etc.

Bread Cutter and Mould

These are my collection of Sandwich Sealer and Cutter which I bought it either online or at Daiso. These tools will come in handy if you are making some cute sandwiches for kids party to impress your little guests apart from the usual triangle shape sandwiches.

This is a New square sandwich sealer which I bought from Daiso to add on to our bread sealer/cutter collections.  In order to cut a prefer shaped out from the sealer, you have to purhcase those bread which is slightly bigger than the usual one so that it will fixed well on the cutter. You can see an example on how I use this cutter to make a Bread Pockets Bento Set, HERE. [Update On: 18 April 2011]

I bought this Sandwich Sealer from CP @ bentomarket. But in order to use it correctly you have to find the right size of bread and you can't put too much filling between the two slices of bread or else you won't be able to seal it properly.

Got this new 4-in-1 Transportation Sandwich Cutter from Daiso too. It comes with two different design which is in blue(transports) and pink(animals). But Rey only prefers the Blue one, so we didn't get the pink one to add in our collection.

Can't resists to get this new design bread cutter from Daiso with tulip and heart shape included.

Found this 4-in-1 design Bread Cutter at Carrefour today. Furthermore it was on 10% discount so I got it at a much lower price.... :) (update:21.03.09)

How To Shred And Grate Orange Rind

There mainly two major varieties of oranges such as Navels and Valencias. Navels are available from November through May, with peak supplies in January all the way to March. These oranges are big and easily spotted with the button formation opposite the stem end while compare to Valencia oranges that are small to medium sized.

If you like oranges I am sure you are aware of the Sunkist, Navels orange promotion that is available in most local supermarket where you can get big, juicy and sweet oranges at around S$3.25 for 5.

Sometime in certain recipes you might come across these words/phases appear beside the citrus fruits such as “rind of 1 lemon”, “grated rind”, “shred lemon/orange peel” or etc. And I have received a few comments asking on how to get grated rind and shreds peel so I think perhaps this little note might do some help. For those who is new in the kitchen, freshly grated zest is the coloured part of citrus fruit peel which adds extra fragrant and tangy taste to butter, cake, frosting, savory dishes or desserts. (Recipe of Orange Cinnamon Sorbet HERE)

The most common tool use for removing the zest from an orange or other citrus fruit is a Microplane grater(refer to the 2nd photo above on right) which comes in different sizes and design (click HERE for more samples) that is easy to use and produce fine result. But as for bigger shreds use as garnish, you can try a Vegetable Peeler/Shredder (refer to the 1st photo above on the left) to slice off thin strips. These tools come in handy and helps to take off the colored part of the peel easily without touching most of the white pith which is very bitter.

Lotus Seeds (莲子)

Lotus Seeds(莲子)are actually nuts from the lotus plant that are commonly found in Asia. The typical lotus seed is small, round and slightly white in appearance that is usually sold in dried and pre-packaged. The most common use of the seed is in the form of a paste for making moon cakes and bun or sometime they are found as one of the ingredients in Asian dessert or soup.

It is believed that when using lotus seeds to cook soups, congee or dessert, it actually act as a cooling tonic that "clears heat" according to the Chinese Physician. being sweet and neutral, they have been known to tonify the spleen, reinforce the kidneys and nourish the blood too. But within the seed lies a "green sprout" that is quite bitter and it is usually removed when lotus seeds are use in sweet dessert.

For more usage of these Lotus Seeds, you can refer to the followig link HERE for more recipe ideas.

Mandarin Orange (柑/橘子)

During Chinese New Year, “Mandarin Orange(柑) and “Tangerine(橘子)” are considered traditional symbols of abundance and good fortune. These fruits are frequently displayed as decoration or presented as gifts to friends and relatives. In traditional Chinese medicine the dried peel of the Mandarin Orange is also used in the regulation of “Chi” and treat abdominal distension, enhance digestion and etc.

If you like either the fragrant and taste of these Mandarin Orange, you can refer to the followig link HERE for more recipe ideas.

Leek (蒜)

As you know Leeks belong to the same category as onion family where you will link to those thick stalked European leeks that are commonly found in supermarkets which have a mild sweet flavor that is suitable for making soup or pie. But as for Chinese leeks on the other hand they are smaller and thinner which resemble thick scallion that has strong flavor, which makes them a staple ingredient in most Chinese cooking.

Some of the Chinese also believe that by storing more LEEKS(蒜)at home it means there will have more money to COUNT(算) throughout the year as both have the same pronunciation in Mandarin. If you like leek, you can refer to the followig link HERE for more recipe ideas.