My "not so secret" weapons in the kitchen

My Not-So-Secret Weapons

So you can't bake lots of stuff without realizing there has to be an easier way to do certain things.  For those times, I think everyone needs a few Not So Secret weapons up their sleeve.  Here are a few of mine... which will definately come in handy for the rest of the holiday treats planned this month.  I'll add more as they arise...

1.  A Candy Thermometer:  Yes, this guy you can live without, but it's so much easier to make sure your recipe turns out right every single time.  Getting an accurate temperature is key to making sure you don't scorch a sugar syrup by cooking too long, and not cooking long enough gives you a product that doesn't have that nice hard crunch.  Testing the mixture via the cold water method does work, but if you've even scortched a batch of toffee while trying to figure out if it's finished yet, you might want something more accurate .  If you plan on making more than one batch of hard-candy bassed treats, priced anywhere from $4- $20, this is a good investment.  A few things I use a candy thermometer for:  caramel, caramel corn, toffee, lollipops, and caramel apples.

2.  Double Boiler:  This was a great Christmas gift.  If you don't feel like buying this specific double pan set up, don't worry, just fill a bowl halfway with water and get to boil.  Place a larger metal bowl inside the pan, making sure no steam escapes and that no water actually touches the bottom of the bowl, and there you go, instant double boiler.  A perfect way to melt chocolate for dipping, or heating egg based sauces slowly so they won't scramble.  Note:  When melting chocolate DO NOT cover the chocolate or put the lid on the pot.  The condensation will drip water into the chocolate making it sieze up and then become useless for dipping.... it'll turn into a big hard to stir mess.

3.  A Tall Insulated Coffee Cup:  Instead of throwing away this Starbucks travel mug I got ages ago when the lid started to leak, I save it for dipping pretzel rods in.  Heat your chocolate in a double boiler, and pour some into the tall mug, keeping the rest in the warm pot. Refil chocolate as needed until pretzels are gone.  Scrape the cup out to reuse any leftover chocolate when finished.