For February 2015 I have very little to share with you and Celia from Fig Jam And Lime Cordial. In my kitchen there was a candy thermometer.
This lasted a year, but in the middle of making gelato I realized that it had stopped working properly. I am not sure why it broke, or when it broke, but I can tell you not to bother buying one of these. Rather spend the money once and get yourself a digital thermometer.
The probe measures the temperature (the number on the left was the ambient air temperature when I took the photograph) and you can set the desired temperature (on the right) and the thermometer will beep when the temperature has been reached. If you remove the probe, the thermometer acts as a timer. I already have one in my kitchen, but a second one could come in handy when I am testing a lot of recipes at once.
My friend Camilla gave me this onion pod. I have not yet used it as I am still wary about saving cut onions. We usually cook the entire onion and then set aside what we don’t need straight away and put that in the fridge for later use. Has anyone used one of these?
I bought some vanilla powder in December to use when I don’t need an entire vanilla pod. If you save all of your pods you can make this by blitzing up the pods, with a few whole ones.
What I blogged:
- three years ago – Friday’s Food Quiz
- four years ago – Spanish Chicken
never seen any onion pot before, i’m jealous now!!!
Would you use one?
I’ve never tried an onion pod but would really like too. It seems like a really good idea! Of course like you, I find we tend to use the whole onion so it doesn’t really need to get stored. I do need a candy thermometer though!
I finally used it a night ago, and it worked OK but I would not leave it in the fridge for more than a night 🙂
I have never owned a candy thermometer. Probably just as well otherwise I would be making far too many tempting naughties.
Have a lovely day Tandy.
🙂 Mandy xo
I am loving my new one!
I always love to see what you have in your kitchen!
So nice to see you here Zirkie 🙂
I recently blitzed up a vanilla bean in a coffee grinder, but I didn’t know that you could buy it! It smells delicious. I always just put cut onions in a container and in the fridge too. I love your thermometers!
Thanks for the visit Clare. I only recently found vanilla powder in the shops 🙂
Look at these!! That vanilla powder looks amazing! So nice! 🙂
I like the quick and easy way of the powder 🙂
Perfect post, Tandy… I love ground vanilla… it’s exquisite! Have not used an onion keeper. And my candy thermometer is still good. Happy cooking lovely.
Hope your candy thermometer lasts longer then mine did 🙂
Tandy you have just reminded me that I have something similar in my cupboard. I had a candy thermometer and it broke too. Like the look of the Gefu one you are using 🙂
I hope you find the broken thermometer and toss it away!
i use my onion pod often. i never thought i would have leftover onion but i do! i just throw the unused raw piece into the pod and it lasts for days. love the vanilla powder. we have the Queens factory near us; they make all the essences and vanilla pastes etc that every Aussie seems to use:)
How lucky you live so close to a vanilla factory! I have used the pod once and it worked perfectly 🙂
I have two candy thermometers that I have acquired along the way and apart from the retro packaging, I find them useless. I have a birthday coming up so have added a digital thermometer to the Pinterest board. I often keep 1/2 an onion – though I love them, they do not always agree with Mr Tiffin so I often have 1/2 an onion in the fridge for a day or so. I have a similar container (though from Tupperware) and find it handy. I occasionally store 1/2 a lemon or lime in it. cheers Fiona xx
What a great idea to use the onion pod for limes! I hope you get your digital thermometer 🙂
Candy thermometers like most cooking equipment probably are in the “get what you pay for category” Thanks for that as I am looking at purchasing one. Any spare onions I have go into the freezer for using when I make stock. Interested to hear how it pans out. Anything vanilla, yum!
Sadly, this was exactly the case with both the previous ones I bought. The onion pod worked quite well for an overnight storage option 🙂
My candy thermometer is still good, but my digital thermometer bit the dust a while back. They are so handy and absolutely essential for best results in some recipes. Now I really think I neeed a GEFU.
I hope you can find one of these in Australia Jennifer 🙂
Hi Tandy! Love using Vanilla powder mixed with confectioner’s sugar for dusting baked goods, it adds a lovely flavor. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for that tip Emily, I will try it for sure 🙂
Tandy, I couldn’t survive without my digital thermometer – those old fashioned mercury ones remind me of the thermometers doctors used to stick under your tongue when checking for fever! 🙂 I don’t have an onion saver but I saw one like yours on sale recently and wondered if it might be a good way to save half a lemon in the fridge?
I am going to try the onion saver for my limes the next time I have half. The digital thermometer means more chocolate has been made at home than ever before 🙂
Love the sound of that vanilla sugar Tandy! Now don’t block me, but I only use a meat probe thermometer and have never really had use for a candy one….I know, I really should!!! 😉 Jan x
And I should use my meat thermometer more often 🙂