apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Counter knife block, in drawer knife block, or magnetic strip on the wall (or other).. which do you prefer for your knives, and why?

I like the magnetic strip. I have only one very skinny drawer and limited counter space. I also really like the ease of just reaching over and pulling it off the wall in a fluid motion, no digging in a drawer or accidentally pulling the wrong one out of the block.

I'm a knives-in-drawers person (no knife block yet). Magnetic knife strips always scared me as a child, with all those sharp edges everywhere. Counter knife blocks are definitely handy, but I don't generally like how they look, plus I have so much stuff on my counter already.

I second the magnetic strip. No mess, no fuss....don't have to worry about bacteria forming in the block. It's good to be a bit careful putting it on and off the strip though...you can mess up your knife edge. A very good space saver when short on drawers and counter space though.

I'm required to bring a chocolate dessert to a work thing next Wed, and it has to be FABULOUS.
Now, as I'm in the process of moving, most of my pastry toys are in another state: no rolling pin, no cupcake pan, no bundt pan, etc.
I'm thinking of a flourless (because the flour is in another state, too, and I don't really want to buy 2 c. of flour) chocolate cake with a hit of ginger. I've not seen any choc/ginger cake recipes that inspire me, so I'm leaning towards making a flourless choc cake and messing with it a bit.
So, how best to get a sharp, great ginger flavor? Steeping fresh ginger and reducing into a syrup, then adding to the batter? Finely mincing a lot of candied ginger? Ideas, anyone?

in the draw. my single bow to fung shui. doesn't extend to a sword collection, for some stupid reason.

nardarine,
i sometimes make a triple ginger cheesecake using gingersnap crumbs, minced candied ginger within and a glaze of ginger preserves on top -- it's addictive in cheesecake and i'm sure even more so in a flourless chocolate cake! trader joe's sells chopped ginger if you want to get away from chopping yourself. or you could swirl ginger preserves throughout the batter or steep fresh ginger in the hot melted chocolate.

My rolling butcher block has a knife sheaf built. Very handy, and since it's perforated, I don't worry about bacteria - in fact, I put my knifes away wet in it.

nadarine,

maybe grate ginger into the batter and then garnish with candied ginger on top?

Does anyone know how to clean a burned pan? I spaced out and burned the hell out of a saucepan and I would prefer not to throw it out, but I can't seem to get the black off the bottom. Any help? Thanks!
~Monica

nadarine- do you have a food processor at your fingertips?
One of my favorite creations is ginger snow to use in place of sugar.

Ginger snow is crystallized ginger whacked around a lot in the food processor with some sugar to help create a wondrous fluffy mixture.

To help enhance the flavor, don't forget to salt your desert batter well.

Oooo- one more idea: look into a food grade ginger essential oil. Since its extracted from the rhizome (vs flower or leaves) it will be reminiscent of the ginger we know.

I'm in need of a rug/mat for my kitchen. The floor space is roughly 5' x 7'.

The floor is concrete and I would like something to provide a tactile touch but something that can take the spills et al.

Any suggestions?

Monica - coca-cola. Scarily good at cleaning pans, even really grubby, stained or burnt ones. Put the pan on the hob, pour in the coke (not diet), heat it up, then leave it to go cold. Depends on the extent of the damage of course, but once i saw its super-corrosiveness in action i really thought twice about drinking the stuff...!

Some mechanics also use Coke to clean the contacts of a car battery. I've seen it done, and it's a wonder to behold. It foams and eats away all the deposits and dirt, and they come out clean.

But I was that much more thankful I don't drink soda at all!

hello, all...i'm looking for a csa to join this late in the season-- i'm on the upper west side but work in midtown and would be happy to go further afield if there's a weekend pickup. i'm also trying to find someplace that would have a nice half-share (it's only the two of us) with plenty of basics (carrots, etc.). any ideas? i know it's late in the season to be thinking about all this...thanks for any help...