If there's one thing that my husband and I have in common (besides music), it's our love for cooking. One of the most exciting things about putting wedding gift registries together (for us), was looking at and selecting kitchen tools and gadgets. We love cool things that will make our lives easier when prepping for meals. Sacha and I enjoy cooking together, but don't get to do that as often as we used to, now that we're parents. We're always looking for kitchen tools that are going to help us cut down on prep time, and get fresh, healthy meals to the table.

Since most of our extra bucks go toward purchasing things that Balian needs (he grows way too fast!), we rarely purchase new tools for the kitchen. We both come from families of great cooks and bakers, so our passion for cooking comes naturally. When I connected with Art and Cook, and was given the opportunity to review a few of their newest products, I was super stoked, and knew my husband would be, too.

Art and Cook aims to explore the zen in cooking- taking the drudgery out of the kitchen. They have designed every one of more than 65 tools from the ground up, incorporating labor-saving features and a sensual grace you won't find hanging on the racks of your local housewares store. Art and Cook is a marriage: of function to form, style to quality, innovation to inspiration.

We were lucky enough to receive three products to review from Art and Cook! We were sent the Soak and Strain Bowl, Fresh Herb Keeper, and Fresh Herb Mill.

I was completely floored when I opened up my package from Art and Cook. I couldn't wait to use these new goodies!

Soak and Strain


I started off with the Soak and Strain Bowl. We don't eat canned fruits or veggies (don't know why anyone would want to), so being able to have a great tool in my kitchen to help with washing and draining my fresh produce was a huge plus! The large bowl is perfect for not just rinsing, but soaking fresh produce. I don't know how many times I've bitten into a piece of steamed broccoli or zucchini and tasted that grit that's sometimes left behind after rinsing vegetables. With the Soak and Strain Bowl, I can place a couple of crowns of broccoli into the bowl, fill it with water, let it soak, and then pick it up by the handle, and pour the water out through the built-in strainer. Couldn't be easier! Since I began using the Soak and Strain, I have yet to taste that grit on a fresh veggie bite! Makes me feel much better about what I'm eating.




Features of the Soak and Strain Bowl:

I’m the only game in town – there’s nothing else quite like me
Use me to clean a wide variety of produce – I can cope with temperatures to 220^oF
My easy-grip handle, non-slip base and one-handed operation make me a pleasure to work with
My bowl is angled for maximum capacity
I’m hygienic and dishwasher safe

Do these herbs look gorgeous, or what? A week later, they're still super fresh!

We were also send the totally awesome Fresh Herb Keeper, which is like, my new best pal. The Fresh Herb Keeper is designed to help keep your herbs fresh for a super long time. At our house, we grow fresh basil (my absolute favorite herb!), and oregano. We're going to add rosemary to our herb garden, because we love it so much, and fresh is just so much nicer than dried, when it comes to herbs. Our oregano plant is doing very well- going crazy, in fact. I am pulling off stems every day, and bringing them inside to add to pastas, eggs, breads, etc. Even though my herb garden is just out in the back yard, I like to grab a few stems of the basil and oregano to bring inside, and keep it in the fridge for quick, and easy access. Unfortunately, once pulled from the plant, the herbs don't stay fresh for very long, and they begin to lose their flavor day by day. The Fresh Herb Keeper works wonders!

I added a little bit of water to the Fresh Herb Keeper, and then inserted my stems of basil and oregano, then closed the keeper. I left the herbs sitting on my counter, in the herb keeper for nearly a week, and then used them in a fresh tomato sauce, the other night. They tasted fresh from the garden, no lie! This is a wonderful thing for anyone who doesn't have the luxury of fresh herbs growing in the yard, and buys them at the store, instead. You can pick up a nice bundle of fresh herbs, and keep them fresher, longer in the Fresh Herb Keeper from Art and Cook! I am so glad that we have this! It looks so pretty sitting on my counter, and I always have fresh herbs right there, when I need them! It's best stored in the refrigerator, and keeps fresh herbs fresh for up to two weeks!


 
Herb Mill from Art and Cook- we're ready to try it out!

Art and Cook also sent us the Fresh Herb Mill, which works like a pepper mill. I do not like rolling and chopping herbs. They're so delicate, and I'm super clumsy with knives! With the Fresh Herb Mill, anyone can easily 'grind' their herbs into fine pieces! I simply placed the herbs (leaves only) into the mill, pressed down on it, to sort of lock them in there, and then I twisted it, and out came the super fine fresh flakes of basil and oregano. Right into my sauce they went, and we were ready to spread it over our pizza!


Insert your herbs, then put the press into place...



'Grind' the herbs, and watch them fall...



Use the herbs however you like!

Eat your heart out! 

We have really been enjoying our new tools from Art and Cook! They're so cool, and they're really helping us get back into the kitchen, and bring back our love of cooking together. Why spend lots of money, going out to eat, when you can create fresh, delicious dishes right at home?

Want It? Buy It!

Art and Cook has some wonderful kitchen tools waiting for you! Head to their website to check out all of the innovative tools that you'll definitely want to have in your kitchen! You can keep up with Art and Cook on Facebook!

Special thanks to Art and Cook for sending us these neat products to try out!

Disclosure: Other than the above mentioned products, which I received free of charge, directly from the sponsor, for review purposes, I was not compensated for facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are 100% mine, and your experience may differ from mine.