Special Magic Kitchen

I am not one for celebrity chef cookware and gadgets, but yesterday at Sur La Table I picked up something that I like and think will be useful. Mario Batali has come out with a prep/measuring bowl set that can be used instead of traditional measuring cups. So each bowl has a full measure (one cup for instance) and then a line etched in the bowl at the halfway mark for half the measure (half cup). It’s an ingenious and simple idea. I always disliked having to measure with a measuring cup and then put the ingredients into another prep bowl thus dirtying more dishes. This way the prep and measuring are in the same dish.

The set of five comes in enough combinations to give a lot of flexibility, and the most common measures such as 1 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1/4 cup are doubled up so you can use them in different bowls. The only problem with the set is that there is no 2/3 and 1/3 cup measure. I am not sure why this is, but you can’t do away with your old measuring cups completely with this set. It is my guess that the 2/3 and 1/3 bowls didn’t fit nicely into the set, which nestle neatly together on top of each other.

One more point, this measuring set is made out of melamine as many bowls sets are so don’t try putting them in the microwave. In other words, don’t use them as regular bowls; they are for measuring and prep not eating out of.