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Saturday, December 11, 2010

A few of my favorite things (garlic cellar, pepper mill, wooden spoon)...CSN review

I consider myself pretty practical.  When I received the opportunity to review something from CSN stores, I decided not to indulge...although I thought about it...because in the end, I figured ordering things that I would use daily...things that I actually needed...would be the best option.  

The first thing I chose was the Henry Watson Original Suffolk Terracotta Garlic Cellar say that three times fast.  If you hang out around here often enough, you know that garlic is one of my favorite things and that I feel lost without it!   I love that this garlic cellar lets me keep two or three cloves at my fingertips at all times.  While I can have a larger stash in my bin, this sits right on my counter top (has air holes in the back to maintain freshness) and allows me easy access.  Plus, the terracotta fits right in with the earthy decor that I love!
The next item I ordered was a Paderno World Cuisine 10" Wooden Spoon.  If you saw my last CSN review, you're probably saying...Uuuummmmm, didn't you get this spoon last time!?  To that I say...No, silly.  I got the 7 7/8" spoon.  I don't think one can ever have too many wooden spoons...they're a kitchen essential!  I love it...simple, functional, perfect.
The final thing I chose to order was a William Bounds Bishop 5" Bamboo Pepper Mill.  I'm almost embarrassed to say that I've been using one of those "disposable" mills you can get from the spice aisle of the grocery store for almost two years now!  By the time we moved out of our old house, I had unceremoniously knocked, shoved, tipped, and bumped two different pepper mills and numerous salt bowls behind our stove...which was far too tightly wedged in to pull out.  Well, we bought a new stove when we moved...and whoever now lives in our old house will one day find a little cooks treasure when they pull out the stove to replace it or fix it or whatever happens down the line.  So, tired of plastic "grinding" prongs breaking off into my peppercorns, I decided it was time to get a new mill.  Seriously, I can't believe I went without a good one for so long.  I can once again adjust for find to coarse and not worry about plastic shards in our food.  Plus, bamboo is very durable.  Although I adore it, I'm holding out for this awesome copper and brass mill one day.  Fingers crossed!
A big thanks to CSN stores for the opportunity to make my kitchen a little more complete!  If you've never check them out, I recommend heading over to browse the more than 200 stores they have...you don't have to be stuck in the kitchen if you don't want to...I just happen to like being stuck there (I always wind up in the cookware...it's in my nature). It's a great place to fit all of your holiday shopping needs!


*I received a $40 gift certificate to purchase and review the items of my choice from CSN.  The opinions of the product stated in this post are all mine.

Would you like to comment?

  1. Hey Heather~
    I love CSN Stores! The Garlic Cellar is so cute! I could use one of those myself! :)

    Have a great weekend!

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  2. I like garlic cellar...sadly the CSN stores don't have any promotion outside the states.

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  3. I love the spoon. Love wooden spoons and this one is so cool. Isn't the CSN store amazing?! So many things.

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  4. Heather- You made some great choices. I, too, love the earthiness of the garlic cellar and think it would look really pretty sitting out next to your pepper mill. I favor wooden spoons too, but I love those silicone spatulas a little bit more ;-)

    It's kinda funny. People always think we cooks have lots of fancy kitchen tools and such. It couldn't be further from the truth for me. I have mix n match plates, my mom's old mixing bowls and 20 year old cookie sheets. My stuff looks old, beat up, used and abused. Oh well, I kinda like it that way.

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  5. I LOVE that garlic storage! Everything looks great, Heather. Glad you got an awesome opportunity. Come by my blog for a chance to make your kitchen even more complete! Everyone is welcome, contest ends on the 14th. =)

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  6. Ohhh very cool heather! I really enjoy browsing and getting little things for the kitchen that spruce up the place and also make you smile! I have a funny pepper mill story that some might find morbid, but when i got my grandmother's mortar and pestle, a fight ensued in my family over who would get my mother's pepper mill when she died! My brother won, I dont know why, but he did. LOL Have a great weekend! love ya! Alex

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  7. Hi Heather, and Happy Holidays! I think it's awesome the purchases you made. I love the garlic keeper. Very nice. I made the Habanero Honey, nothing to it. I was just wondering about the bubbles. There are some and how do I get rid of them. Rebecka says it doesn't need special storage, but if I can't get rid of the bubbles, is it still okay? Please let me know and thank you. Very nice post. I'll head on down to CSN to look around, thanks.

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  8. i haven't been to CSN yet though I have read it from other bloggers. I love your choices... and maybe it's time for me to skip over there to check it out!

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  9. I adore garlic. And my husband has just planted some bulbs in our garden...the garlic holder would be perfect for us! Thank you so much for sharing these lovely items. Great selection! I hope you have a wonderful Saturday!

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  10. Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
    Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
    Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
    These are a few of my favorite things...

    Oh sorry, got carried away. Great finds! You definitely need good grinders and long wooden spoons. The garlic cellar is new to me - cool! Probably much better than the Maroc crate that I store mine in. ;-)

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  11. The garlic cellar is so cute! I totally want one.

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  12. Very nice selections.

    After seeing the pepper mill, I thought you might like to see a photo of one my stepfather, a woodturner by way of hobby, made. It's the third or fourth picture down in this post.

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  13. Heather, I shudder to think what's behind my stove. And I don't have a proper pepper mill either! What's up with that!? Enjoyed your review, you're right, no one can have too many wooden spoons (the voice of experience...). :o)

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  14. all excellent choices! i love a good sturdy wooden spoon, i use one almost every day!

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  15. Sometimes practical is definitely the way to go. i have some CSN money to use up and I really could use a new pepper mill...hmmm... Great review!

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  16. I have often thought of a garlic keeper, but it does not last long- I cannot tell you how many pepper mills we have gone through in thirteen years LOL a funny story sometime!

    Cool, and happy holidays if I do not come by in the next two weeks...

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  17. Not to draw you off-topic, but when I looked at your profile, I couldn't help but notice that you are interested in kung fu.

    You may already be aware of them, but just in case that's not the case, there are a pretty fair number of martial arts blogs out there, some of them dealing with kung fu. I'm pretty sure Dojo Rat has links to enough kung fu blogs to get you started.

    Just in case you're interested!

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