Distinctive-Decor.com Blog

Peppermill Supreme 2000: 10 Reasons You Will Love it and Gift it.

The Peppermill Supreme 2000-the name of this peppermill is a little hokey to me because it points futurisic sci-fi versions of the kitchen and it reminds me of a cartoon my son and daughter watch where this little creature invents lots of contraptions and always adds a number to the end to make it sound really cool.  But, the Peppermill Supreme 2000 IS really cool. 

This is why you will love it and want to give it away as a gift this holiday season.

1. It is rechargeable; just plug it in and give it a charge.  No batteries means savings.  Many battery powered peppermills use up to 6 AAA batteries.

2. It has two ceramic grinders on the bottom that dispense peppercorns, salt and a multitude of seed spices at an astonishingly fast rate.

3. It has a LED light in the bottom that allows you to see how much pepper or salt you are dispensing in low light conditions.

4. It holds a lot of peppercorns and is easy to fill.

5.  Set your grind preference easily with a scalloped ring at the bottom.  Once you set it, the setting will stay until you change it.

6. It feels comfortable in your hand and offers one-hand operation.  Grab it and push the button with your forefinger to dispense pepper or salt quickly.

7. The two ceramic grinders in the bottom broadcast pepper widely and evenly.

8. The ceramic grinders will not dull or rust.  They are great for grinding peppercorns, sea salt, kosher salt, coriander seeds, flax seed, fennel seed, dill seed and anise.

9. Its motor is very powerful and dispenses whatever you are grinding fast and efficiently.

10. It was designed by a chef who wanted control of the grind preference and the amount of pepper dispensed.

11. Okay, I said 10 reasons, but there is one more reason you will like this peppermill.  It is priced at $39.95. It comes in a variety of colors, too.

Once you use a Peppermill Supreme 2000 you will love it and love it so much you will want your foody friends and relatives to have one, too.  If you are like me you will buy one for them. 

Pillivuyt French Culinary Porcelain and Dinnerware

We have added Pillivuyt French porcelain to our online catalog, recently.  We have been very impressed with the quality of this French porcelain line of baking dishes, ramekins, pie dishes, souffle dishes, dinnerware, servers, platters and trays, bowls, lidded casseroles and tea accessories. Simply pick up one of the bowls and you will know why.  Immediately you are struck by the density and heft of the porcelain.  It almost feels like marble, but not nearly as heavy. The glaze is glossy and white making it practically nonstick. We also like the pricing. Pillivuyt is top shelf porcelain, but is not priced like it.

Pillivuyt has long been regarded (since 1818) as one of the leading culinary porcelain manufacturers in France. This is because of the care and attention given to each piece, and the superb raw materials used in making each piece.  Each piece is fired at 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit, which creates a very hard, nonporous and dense porcelain.  The casseroles are fired with their lids at 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit to insure a proper fit.  The high firing temperatures increases the durability and toughness of Pillivuyt porcelain. 

We encourage you to try french culinary porcelain when you cook and when you dine.  You will feel, taste and see the difference. 

Here are the facts about Pillivuyt French porcelain:

Microwave safe

Oven, grill and broiler safe

Dishwasher safe

Thermal and mechanical shock resistant (safely go from freezer to oven)

Completely nonporous

Glaze is hygienic, will not craze and is very hard, nonporous and smooth (easy to clean and will not absorb odors or oils)

Resistant to scratching and chipping

Lead and cadmium free

Attractive-mixes well with fine china

Excellent heat retention and even baking

Fired at 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit; lidded casseroles fired at 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit

All pieces made by highly skilled artisans

Tea for One Sets: If You Drink Tea, You Should Own One!

For those of you who do not know what a tea-for-one set is-it is a stacking teacup, and teapot.  Most of the time the set includes a saucer, but not always. Essentially, tea-for-ones allow you to brew tea in the set's teapot that holds just enough water for its accompanying cup.  What makes tea-for-ones desirable is that they can brew and serve one cup of tea without brewing an entire pot and they bring about a sort of special gentility when using them. There are few things as comforting as curling up on the couch drinking a hot cup of tea.

Tea for one sets come in a variety of styles, colors and configurations, but mostly they stick to the stacking configuration.  You can purchase more formal tea for one sets or casual tea for one sets depending on your personality and they way you want to feel when you drink your tea.  We have a number of them to choose from at home depending upon our moods! Enjoy your morning or afternoon tea in a tea-for-one that fits your personality.

www.Distinctive-Decor.com Ships to Over 200 Countries

Distinctive-Decor.com now ships to over 200 countries!

In partnership with iShopUSA.com we have opened our distribution to over 200 countries. We are excited about this new partnership that allows us to ship to even more foreign countries.  As of yesterday we were shipping to only about a dozen countries regularly. iShopUSA ships for some very large and mainstream companies and we are confident that they will take care of our international customers. Now we will be able to sell our dinnerware, teapots and tea accessories, kitchenware, home decorative items and collectibles and gifts in many more countries.

Teapots: How to Choose a Teapot.

 Buying a good teapot is not hard. Sure, there are a variety of teapots out there and one can be overwhelmed with all the choices, but you can quickly cut-through the information overload with a few tips.  First, with almost anything you buy online or in a traditional store, you need to figure out if the teapot works well. In this article I will tell you what to look for when buying.

The Basic Design-

A teapot should be designed where the spout and the rim are level with each other/on the same plane.  If the rim is taller than the spout you will not be able to fill the teapot to the top; the water will pour out of the spout!  If the rim is lower than the spout, when you pour the tea it may pour from the rim first if the teapot is full and you may have a mess. If your teapot is like this do not fill the teapot to the brim and you will be okay.

Speaking of the rim, it should be level--ensuring a level platform for the lid to seat.  The lid that rests upon it should be fairly tight-fitting, but not too tight or you might break the lid trying to pry it off.  The lid should be perforated with a small hole in the top to allow air into the pot when pouring.  This allows for a steady pour.  (Think about when you pour milk out of a carton quickly; it gargles and pours in spurts. If your teapot pours this way there is not enough air flow.) Most china teapot lids will have one or two protruding notches.  These notches keep the lid from falling off while pouring and help create a proper seat on the rim.

The handle is important, also.  It needs to be large enough for you to get and maintain a good grip.

The Material Used to Make the Teapot-

Teapots are made with various materials: clay pottery, ceramic and porcelain (china), cast iron and glass.

Clay or Pottery Teapots- Clay and pottery teapots have excellent heat retention properties.  If you "charge" the teapot ahead of time your tea will remain hotter longer.  (Charging is a simple process whereby you pour hot water into the teapot and allow it to warm the teapot thoroughly.  When you are ready to steep your tea, pour out the hot water, add your brewing water and steep the tea.) Teapots made of pottery tend to be thicker walled and heavier than those made of china.

China Teapots- Teapots made of fine china are the quintessential teapots people think of when they think of teapots.  They may also be charged to keep your brew hotter for a longer period of time. They are generally thinner-walled and release heat faster. China teapots have been used for centuries and are always a safe bet as long as the basic design is sound.  Being thinner walled you can touch the outside of a china teapot and feel how hot the brew is.

Cast Iron Teapots- Cast Iron teapots are practical teapots and are best at retaining heat, especially when charged.  If you drink your tea slowly, cast iron teapots are for you. Cast iron teapots were created in ancient China and offer pretty designs.  Most are not safe for your stove top, but there are always exceptions. Cast iron teapots also have a healthy side effect, supplying trace amounts of iron in each sip.  The downside is they require a little more care.  After each brew, the teapot must be cleaned and completely dried to prevent the development rust. 

Glass Teapots- Glass teapots are neat because you can actually see the brewing process. I like glass teapots for this reason.  I can see what is going on.  Their downside is that glass is poor at retaining heat. Their upside is that you can wash them in the dishwasher on the top rack.  If you have hard water I recommend that you hand wash to prevent a hard water film from forming.

Now that you know what to look for in a functional teapot I suggest you start browsing.  There are a number of styles and varieties of teapots on our teapots, teasets and tea accessories page!