No this is not a murder mystery…It is a kitchen tool, some might call it a kitchen toy, but it is definitely a kitchen tool for me. This is a picture of the product;
It is a way of infusing smoke flavors into your food and perhaps a drink or two. As you can tell by the picture the product is produced by PolyScience and has been around for something like 4 years now. You are probably wondering if I am slow on the uptake or something since this product has been around for a while, why I am writing about it now. Well, it could be that I have been distracted by other pressing matters, or, living out of the USA doesn’t help me keep up on new things as much as I would like to. It’s either that or something else…
The product is a battery operated device that looks similar to a gun. It comes with a stand, a couple sample woods, and a tube that can be fastened to the Gun as seen in the picture. That picture by the way is from Williams-Sonoma by the way and they do sell the product.
How it works is when you turn on a switch in the back it starts a fan that blows air through the gun. On top of the gun is a little pipe like container to put the wood in. Then, after you turn it on, you use a lighter to ignite the wood and the smoke starts traveling through the tube. When you have generated enough smoke, just turn off the Smoking Gun.
I have found that using a zip lock bag in some cases with the food inside and just an opening big enough to put the tube in works great. Other times, as in the picture, you just crack the lid slightly to put the smoke in. Please don’t lift the lid up high as in the pictures because you won’t get the desired smoke in the dish. It shouldn’t take too much thought to figure out why.
We have discovered through using the product that you want to get as much smoke in as possible, not just a hint of smoke. By that I mean don’t be afraid to get the dish as smoky as you can. The reason is that is what will settle in the dish to develop the flavor and nothing else. So if you are timid with your use of the smoke you will get at best timid results.
Something that works well, say for a Smoke Salsa, is to put everything in the blender and then add smoke before you turn on the blender. That way the smoke will get mixed in while you chop it up.
Try smoking water and then freeze it into cubes for that smoky flavor in a cocktail.
I have lots of grills and smokers, along with other cooking devices out of doors. I also have a stovetop smoker that I really like, but, this little device is a great addition to my smoking arsenal. The reason is I can smoke a dish from the stove that I couldn’t otherwise. For example, some sautéed veggies, or a pasta dish. You can also smoke a plated dish and create a great impression when you remove the cover and the smoke rises from it.
So as I said in the beginning, some look at this as a toy, but for me, it is a great tool that provides a nice surprise for people. All in all, it has become very useful in my kitchen, if you couldn’t already tell by this post. Anyone who enjoys smoked food and cooking in a kitchen should really enjoy this device. Want your own? Newer version of this great kitchen gadget is here!
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