Kitchen Gadgets Make Room

TofuXpress - It's Not Just For Tofu

I have this thing for kitchen gadgets. Some may call it a hobby or a fetish, while others may feel I'm obsessed. It's not that I want to necessarily own every gadget ever created, it's just that I am intrigued by the designs and want to learn more about the inventors. What prompts a person to create a special peeler for garlic, or a device that purportedly makes dicing an onion 'fun?'

"Necessity is the mother of invention," claimed Persius in his Satires (Prologue 10). Persius had no idea that his statement would empower and validate we lovers of gadgets more than 500 years later. However, the only thing my mother invented, like Julia Child, were fabulous meals. Neither of whom had all the fancy gadgetry at their disposal like we kitchen magicians do today. They relied on their cast iron fry pans, pots without non-stick surfaces, and stoves and ovens that didn't beep or provide a light show. Aren't we the lucky ones who can open that gadget closet and try a new recipe using a special tool. It makes recipe creating even more exciting, at least for me.

That being said, what prompts us to spend sometimes literally hours, strolling through the gadget section of Sur La Table or Williams-Sonoma, clamouring for Cuisinart, Wusthof, All Clad and more? I can't exactly pinpoint the origin of my behaviour, as it wasn't modeled by my mom or anyone else. I think it may have started when I worked part time for Bamberger's (Macy's) while in college. I was relegated to the "Cellar" surrounded by housewares, textiles, and the infamous food dept. It was my good fortune to begin my training in fine china and crystal, learning about Wedgewood, Lenox and Waterford. My education shifted to the general housewares department where I was enrolled in what I refer to as Gadgets 101, gaining hands on experience with whisks of every imaginable size and shape, along with immersion blenders, peelers, dicers and bamboo steamers (of which I own 3!) amongst other things.

I was, and continue to be, fascinated by the materials used to make these tools: stainless steel, cast iron, plastics and oh, the mechanisms: spring load actions, levers, belts! These twists and turns are necessary to help us perform such simple tasks as chopping or dicing. Take a moment and step back and look at your food processor for a moment. Have you ever really thought about what is involved for you to get your pesto just right? We take for granted those kitchen appliance engineers who boost us into the Twilight Zone, as we whiz through dinner preparation with alarming speed.

As kitchen gadgets continue to evolve, tempting us via infomercials and shopping channels, gadgetry heaven grows. I recently came across one such gadget called the Tofu Xpress. Now one must understand that I have been a fan of tofu for a number of years now but have never seen or heard of any gadget remotely associated with its preparation until now.

I called them and had the good fortune to speak with Marie Kraft, the inventor, and shared with her my interest in her product. Anytime you have an opportunity to talk to the person who invents the product, do it, you'll have a greater appreciation for the gadget itself when they share what compelled them to invent it and gain valuable insights that a pamphlet often can't convey. I was now looking forward to receiving mine, I really wanted to check this thing out.

At first glance it is a tool that one might easily dismiss, however, I have to say it is much more durable that I thought it would be. Neatly packaged, mine included a lighter spring, a cover for storing and marinating, and an instruction booklet which includes recipes.

I tried all their suggestions, from draining and marinating tofu, pressing frozen veggies, and molding several starches such as rice.* Now it was time to see if I could come up with another way to use this gadget that the maker hadn't thought of. The more versatile, the better the value. It's a personal challenge, to see if I can devise a use they may have overlooked.

One kitchen task that is not pleasurable and is messy, is dealing with canned tunafish. If I could use this to press frozen spinach, why couldn't I do the same with the tunafish? Aha! I was going to give this a try. It worked like a charm, no mess and the tuna was drained to perfection. I began to wonder what else this little treasure might assist me with in the kitchen.

I created molds with rice, barley and even quinoa, which added to plate presentations. Why not create a block of aspic or use as a gelatin mold? It would also be great to mold meatloaves just for two!

The lighter spring attachment, is great for making homemade greek yogurt thicker and yogurt cheese. I used it to make my rice and quinoa dishes, but you can make pressed salads and even pickles.

*The lighter spring attachment, which provides additional flexibility of use, beyond pressing tofu, will be available soon for purchase on their website. Don't be thrown by the moniker tofu, this has a variety of uses, limited only by your creativity and would make a wonderful addition to any gadget collection.
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