Coffee
I’m a huge coffee aficionado, incase you didn’t know. Expensive nitrogen-based brews, or coffee from a plastic instant container – I truly love coffee in all it’s forms, as it’s one of the few things that can cheer me up ever so, with little effort.
And of course, the mighty beverage itself comes in many forms and varieties, and so here I will relay to you my favorites. From my top favorite bean grinders, to my favorite Nespresso machines, my go to instant packet brand, to my dearest cappuccino froth maker variants.
Coffee Bean grinders
Bodum BISTRO Blade Electric Coffee Grinder (click to see the current price on Amazon) – An incredible product with an incredible price to match, buttery smooth ease of use, and just overall a wonderful product, and my top favourite bean grinder.
Why I picked Bodum BISTRO Blade Electric Coffee Grinder: My first run-in with this coffee grinder was admittedly at my college roommate’s expense, as it was his to begin with. However, upon day 1 of usage, I instantaneously fell in love.
Easy to use and even easier to clean. And the fact that it was such a compact little bundle of joy meant that i could place it anywhere. The mere act of bean grinding was devilishly satisfying to say the least, seeing through Bodum’s transparent lid (in order to adjust the coarseness of the grind) was also a welcome nifty perk, as I didn’t actually have to open the messy lid to assess it firsthand.
But best of all…was the pleasure I got from pressing down upon the big red buttery smooth push-button that attaches to the side of Bodum’s Bistro grinder. That button in of itself was stupid fun to play with (and allows the user to manipulate between two grinding settings – continuous, or pulse.)
Honestly, Bodum’s Electric Coffee Grinder is one of my most favourite coffee-related purchases, I later bought my own when I left U.S. and have been using it ever since. Makes me feel like a kid with a sweet new toy… every time I use it.
Espresso Maker
My first pick is something that’s a little more of novelty, but at the same time is a refreshing “old school” take on a new school product – meet an all manual lever espresso machine (seriously you gotta check out the “lever” part of this product, it’s awesome.)
The NEO, by Flair Espresso (click to see the current price on Amazon) – You heard that right, an all manual “machine” with no wires or cables. Simply put the coffee powder into the the “portafilter”, add hot water into the thermos which stacks above the portafilter, and pull down upon the long lever. That’s literally it, and it’s goddamn brilliant.
Why I picked The NEO by Flair Espresso: Well to put it frankly, I bought this on a whim at a time when my old espresso machine was in the shop for some maintenance (for some descaling issues I couldn’t resolve), and so I came across The NEO while I was looking for something relatively cheap to hold me over for the time being. At first I bought it for the novelty of it’s “old school all manual” look (as it was relatively cheap), however that changed entirely when I actually tried it.
Not only does it look great with it’s high-quality metal finish, but it’s basically like an uber high-quality French Press (if that weirdly makes sense.) Incredible easy setup, and easy cleaning (despite some reviews, I found it quite simple), and my god…everytime I press down on that unnecessarily long lever I feel like I’m in the middle of 16th Century Italy, wearing old drabs making coffee on a farm (don’t ask me why this is the first image that comes into my head.)
I ‘effin love this product (excuse my language), and while some may see it as a gimmick, the fact is, is that it makes a damn good coffee, and (incredibly) doesn’t rely on power which means in theory you could take it anywhere – which in way is refreshing to see in these crazy modern times.
Modern espresso machines (with all the “cool settings”) will come and go, but this all manual lever creation I have a feeling will outlast them all.
Pans
Whether you want that one fuss free pan to be able to do it all, or you are looking for your next metallic canvas upon which to deliver your next culinary cartage upon, my pan(s) of choice should help cater to your needs.
While some pans like cast iron (while great in their own right) are not exactly the pinnacle for ease of cooking, and pans like stainless steel (while being the restaurant standard) are much harder to cook upon, and rely on a lot more oil coating to be able to get the job done cooking-wise (not exactly ideal if you’re trying to go the healthier cooking route) – because after all…why can’t cooking be simple, AND healthy? Or at least provide you with option.
And this is where my favorite type of pan comes in…
Greenlife Ceramic Non-Stick frypan (click to see the current price on amazon) – Made from recycled aluminium, oven-proof and even composed of ceramic non-stick coating and free of carconegenic compounds like PFAS, PFOA, lead, and even cadmium. A pretty nifty “all in one” pan if there ever was one, easy clean up too.
Why I picked the Greenlife Ceramic Non-stick frypan: I like cooking, but I also like accessibility and the ability to be fuss-free at times when I need it to be. And during times like those I enjoy using my ceramic non-stick, as it gets the job done with minimal effort, and that I have the option to add in oil (as opposed to many pans requiring an oil coating first before cooking altogether.)
Also, I HATE doing dishes, and with a pan like this, most messes I make can easily be wiped away in a single go. But if that isn’t enough, feel free to toss this sucker into the almighty dishwasher as well.
So all in all, while I’d always advocate for having at least a few types of varied pans, this is one my fav’s and one you most definitely need for its ease of access, convenience, simplicity, durability and health abetting perks.
Spatula’s
Coming soon…