I don't usually review products, and generally I'm not one to get suckered into kitchen gadgets, but this product is worth the touting.
I've seen Jamie use his Flavour Shaker on his show Jamie At Home and thought, "eh, just one more unnecessary thing to clutter the kitchen." Then my friend Tracy got one for their 10-day sailing trip, and swore it was the best thing she had ever used. So we rushed out and got one to give it a try.
She's right, it rocks.
It grinds and crushes. It mashes garlic cloves faster than you can with your chef's knife on a cutting board. It crushes and mixes your fresh herbs perfectly in seconds with just a few shakes. Darn, I sound like an infomercial.
Basically, the Flavour Shaker is a mortar and pestle, but in a different shape. The "mortar" is the two-part container, the "pestle" is a round ceramic ball. You toss your ingredients in, throw the ball in, put the top on, and shake, shake, shake!
For a tasty and easy rub, try shaking a couple of cloves of garlic, a pinch of kosher or sea salt, and some fresh thyme.
I love when food is fun.
Update: The Flavour Shaker is now available in a limited edition gold exclusively at Oil & Vinegar.
Comments
August 13, 2008
I wanted to get a flavour shaker too but was unsure about how much strength one needs to mash the ingredients up in it. I've seen Jamie do it and he seemed to have man-strength. Did you find you needed to shake really hard?
August 14, 2008
I find that some of the "tougher" herbs, such as fresh rosemary, require a bit of man-strength :) But I figure the extra upper-body exercise doesn't hurt! Garlic smashes quite nicely and without a lot of effort.
September 11, 2008
[...] my culinary crush, Jamie. Jamie’s invented a brilliant little product called the Flavour Shaker. This biomorphic contraption lets you beat your herbs and spices to smithereens - all the while [...]