Dutch Ovens - Why the craze?

If you have been looking at some old recipes lately for soups, stews or roasting poultry you may have seen them refer to using a Dutch Oven. Dutch Ovens have been around for a long time, but you may not know why you would use it. It wasn't until recently I began to understand the many uses for a Dutch Oven in my own cooking.

So why the craze over Dutch Ovens?

They're extremely versatile. You can use it like a stockpot or a baking dish. If you can only invest in one really nice pot, make it a Dutch Oven. Their circular design and tight fitting lid help them radiate heat around the contents while keeping in moisture for efficient cooking over long periods of time.

What ways do you use a Dutch Oven?

Soups or Stews - Place on the stove-top for long simmering stews, beans or stocks. Their design and thick gauge material makes it easy for them to retain heat over long cooking periods.

Roasting - Place in the oven for slow roasting meats and vegetables. Their ability to evenly heat and retain heat over long periods with less energy being consumed means they are perfect for slow roasting.The lid keeps in moisture that prevents the food from drying out over long cooking times.

Deep-Frying - Place on the stove-top for frying vegetables or meat. The even heat distribution allows the cook to monitor the oil temperature for even cooking. Always verify the temperatures are okay for use with your particular Dutch Oven.

Bread Baking - Place in oven for baking bread or other baked goods. The tight lid keeps moisture in creating a great crust. The even heat distribution makes for even baking.

Casseroles - Any dish that requires cooking on the stove-top and then be in the oven. You can reduce the amount of dishes needed by using a Dutch Oven for both the stove top portion and the baking portion of cooking.

Bottom line: You can use this one pot for many different meals instead of having several different pots for all of these functions.

Convinced you want one?
Check out these great Dutch Ovens at Cheftools.com

Le Creuset Marseille Blue, Cafe Collection, Truffle & More!

Several very big announcements on the Le Creuset front today. We’re rolling out the new line of Le Creuset cast iron – the Signature Series. These pieces feature great new innovations, but I’ll get to that later. The bigger news:

Marseille blue is here. 

3-1/2 Quart Marseille Blue Signature Series French Oven

This is truly Le Creuset’s most heavenly hue. A shade so light and crisp that you’ll want to go swimming in it; it’s like a clear mid-afternoon sky. And, we have every piece: from French Ovens (oval and round) to silicone kitchen utensils to teapots, stockpots, and dishware. The pictures of the Marseille blue pieces don’t do justice; you have to own this color to grasp its depth and beauty. 

And I mustn't forget the other color: Truffle. This earthy brown color is only available on Le Creuset's new Café Collection – a line of stoneware coffee serving and brewing pieces. I’m already hearing rumors that Truffle pieces are selling out – especially the French press. Truffle is the perfect complement to a cup of coffee mixed with cream. It brings out the dark, rich color of the brewed beans. 

Le Creuset French Press in Truffle

And, of course, we have the new Le Creuset Signature line. Le Creuset has added a number of innovations to its already exceptional cast iron ovens:

          

- Wider handles for easier carrying

- New phenolic knobs heat resistant up to 500 F

- Lid stabilizers for a tighter fit and moister and quickly cooked meals

- A lighter enamel color that helps you monitor doneness more easily

- New enamel is also more stain resistant

Between Signature, Marseille Blue, Truffle, and the Café Collection, today is a huge day for lovers and users of Le Creuset products. Get your new Le Creuset pieces now before they sell out!

Pick The Perfect Cookware Set

Finding the best cookware set – as a gift or for your own kitchen – can be a challenging task. There are astoundingly expensive sets; there are sets that contain a daunting array of saucier pans, Dutch ovens and teakettles; some sets have nonstick coating, others don’t. Which cookware set is perfect for you?

Good news: buying a cookware set is a great investment, and is often cheaper than buying pans one at a time. Even the most basic sets fulfill many of your cooking needs, from boiling pasta to making an omelet, or frying chicken. 

We’ve compiled a short guide to help you choose the best cookware set for your or that special someone this holiday season. When selecting a cookware set, consider several factors: are you willing to spend more for longer-lasting pans? How many pans do I actually need? What will I use these pans for? 

Whichever set you choose, buy from ChefTools.com and get free shipping for the holidays. Make the chef you know happy with a set under the tree - or treat yourself and outfit your kitchen right! 

Quality on a budget

Aeternum 8-piece set

Want a seriously innovative 8-piece (including lids) pan set for next to nothing? All pans in the Aeternum series by Bialetti (the Italian maker of espresso pots and French presses) are free of chemicals found on most nonstick pans (PFOA, PTFE, cadmium). Instead, these pans have a razor-thin ceramic nonstick coating. This set includes a Dutch oven for stovetop or oven roasting, 2 size sauté pans, and 2 saucepots. Melt chocolate, sear scallops, brew some chili – thousands of cooking permutations with this set. $158.95.

Use: gas stovetops; always with a little fat in the pan; cook anything from burgers to Brussels sprouts.

Cooking With Copper

Emerilware 14-piece copper set

Copper cookware is the gold (or copper) standard among chefs. That’s because it conducts heat exceptionally well. Copper pans give you exacting control over temperature and cook time. The pots and pans in this 14-piece set by Emerilware – the line of cooking tools curated by Emeril Lagasse – all have copper bases and stainless steel bodies. This design is an advantage: stainless steel is much sturdier than copper, so these pans won’t need as much care as all-copper pans. And, since these pans are all-metal, you can use them on the stove, in the oven, with an induction range, or under the broiler. Includes every pan you need: 2 fry pans, 3 saucepans, 1 sauté pan, 1 casserole pan, and a tall stock pot (all include lids; stock pot comes with a pasta strainer).$299.95.

Use: anywhere where there’s heat with any food; always use fat to lubricate the pan; for dishes that require intense heat and a quick cool-down.

Cast Iron Forever

Le Creuset 6-piece cast iron set

 Want a cookware set that will last into the next millennium? Then get this 6-piece set by Le Creuset – the masters of cast iron cookware. Serious, Julia-Child-smashing-open-a-lobster, European-style cooking is what this set was made for. The enameled cast iron surfaces perfectly brown and caramelize vegetables, meats and baked goods. An extra benefit? They look beautiful at the dining table. This set includes a saucier pan, a Dutch oven (cook anything in it), a griddle, and roasting pan.$559.95.

Use: take care to season these pans at least yearly; the Dutch oven is excellent for slow-cook dishes like brisket, and stews; griddle is perfect for Panini.

Nonstick for a Lifetime

Calphalon hard-anodized 13-piece set

The pans in this hard-anodized set by Calphalon have a natural nonstick surface. Soaking pans in an electrolyte bath and charging them with direct current (DC) causes a layer of aluminum oxide to grow, and that’s anodizing. Essentially, it’s a nonstick layer that won’t wear down. You’ll find hard-anodized pans in many commercial kitchens. Like cast iron, these pans will last a very long time, but at a lower price point. Aluminum heats up fast, making it ideal for sautés and searing. This set includes 3 omelet pans, 2 saucepans, 1 sauté pan, 1 chef’s pan, and one 6-quart stockpot. (Also, for starters, check out this 2-piece hard-anodized omelet pan set for only $60.) $398.95.

Use: great for fish filets and omelets; avoid using metal spatulas and turners; these classic pans are great for breakfast – pancakes, hash browns and fried eggs.

Greener Nonstick

Scanpan 8-piece set

 Like Bialetti Aeternum, Scanpan (or, if you prefer, Scandinavian Pans) has found a way to make nonstick pans without questionable chemicals. The surfaces of the pans in this 8-piece set (unlike Aeternum) have a nonstick coating, but (like Aeternum) are PFOA and PFOS free. These pans are a super-strong alloy of titanium and aluminum, which means they heat up fast and distribute heat evenly. These pans are good in and out of the oven, and the nonstick surface is guaranteed to last longer than conventional nonstick pans. Set includes 2 fry pans, 2 saucepans, and 1 Dutch oven. $399.95.   

Use: to cook nonfat, simply wipe just a penny-size drop of oil on the pan and cook as usual; use the Dutch oven to make paella, chili, or beef stew

Only 1 Left In Stock! ( ... but more on the way)

Le Creuset 16-piece dinnerware set (only four of 16 pieces shown)

These awesome Le Creuset dinnerware sets have been flying off our shelves since we added them to ChefTools.com a couple of weeks ago. To wit: we only have one dinnerware set in stock at the moment – so hurry to the site if you want a 16-piece dinnerware set in elegant white. 

The good news is that you can still order the sets. We can get more of these in our warehouse within 2 weeks. It’s not ideal, but these sets are extremely popular. I have a feeling there will be an even bigger rush on them before Christmas. (Oh, and the other good news is that these dinnerware sets ship for free!)

These sets include four dinner plates, four salad plates, four soup bowls and four mugs. I own a couple of the mugs myself, and they are top notch – it’s like drinking out of mighty boulder hollowed out to accommodate coffee. I think that’s a good indication of the quality of these pieces. 

So place an order, get the free shipping and make yourself or someone else very happy!

My friend, the cast iron skillet

This morning I was reading this article in Saveur Magazine about 9 kitchen items that are worth their weight in truffle oil; that is, they’re an investment, but guaranteed to last.

There were a couple of obvious ones, like Global chef’s knives, or the Le Creuset Dutch Oven (which we are extremely proud to carry), or a sturdy mandoline. But the one that stuck out to me was the cast iron skillet.

“My roommate's mother bought him this cast iron skillet when he moved into this apartment 13 years ago. This is an easy, incredibly affordable piece to invest in. Seasoning takes time and care, but a good cast iron skillet can last generations. You can bake in it, you can fry in it, the heat distributes evenly, and all it requires of you is a little bit of TLC. Its weight also makes it excellent for weighting down grilled sandwiches,” reads the article.

Last for generations, indeed. I inherited a cast iron skillet from my grandmother a couple of years ago. I have no idea how old it is; one would have to use carbon dating to find out. All I know is that when I picked it up for the first time, I could feel the 20, 30 or 40 years’ worth of baking, frying and sautéing in it.

The heft of the thing appealed to me more than any newer nonstick pan. I recognized the skillet as a primitive instrument; something from before the Industrial Revolution. You could cook cornbread in it over an open fire, or use it as a hammer (I have done both). It can be dangerous: I once grabbed the handle barehanded after removing it from the oven; it burned like nothing I have ever felt before. I threw the skillet across the kitchen, and it landed on the floor, cracking the linoleum and sub-floor (it was an old apartment, with a rather shoddy floor).

I clean my cast iron skillet with Kosher salt and a damp rag. I use my cast iron skillet to regulate the temperature of my oven. I use it as a weight to drain tofu (a new experience for it, I imagine). I throw ice in it to proof bread in the oven. It tells me when it is preheated with the distinct smell of warm iron and hot oil. The black bottom still shines when it is clean.

The cast iron skillet is an indispensable kitchen tool. It can cook rice, or a birthday cake, or prop open a door. And it won’t complain. Just make sure to wear a potholder.

Easter baking bonanza: Le Creuset cooking tool challenge

I had the extremely good fortune last week of being able to take home a Le Creuset silicone spatula and basting brush. Sometimes we get a couple of extra products here at ChefTools.com, which means free tools for our kitchens, and product reviews for you.

Christopher Kimball I am not, but I did put the Le Creuset tools through some paces this past Easter weekend, and I’m proud to report they did great. I have actually never owned a silicone tool before – I prefer wooden spatulas, turners, mixing spoons etc. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well these Le Creuset tools performed.

I made a loaf of French bread on Sunday morning, and I used the spatula to scrape down the side of a mixing bowl. The spatula (it’s the medium sized one) made great contact with the stainless steel bowl, and didn’t leave any extra dough stuck to the sides. The silicone conformed to the bowl’s shape and was nimble on corners.

Next, I used the basting brush to spread olive oil over the dough as I was preparing to let it rise. The bristles held the oil well. However, the bristles did pick up little specks of wet dough; I thought it would be a bit of a dish washing nightmare, but I was surprised to find that the silicone cleaned great. The dough came right off under the faucet, even off the inside bristles.

Later on Sunday, I made a cake. I do not like using a lot of sugar in frosting (I get sugar headaches), so I wanted to frost the cake with something light, but tasty. All I had was a couple of chunks of dark chocolate (the bitter kind). So, I melted it in the microwave, added a little soymilk, salt and strawberry juice (from the bottom of the strawberry container) and ended up with a nice, smooth frosting. I microwaved the chocolate in a cappuccino mug (it was all I had), which has steep sides. I used the Le Creuset spatula to spoon the frosting out of the cup and onto the cake, and to spread it. It worked great – actually, as I looked around my kitchen, I didn’t see anything else that I could have spread frosting with; and certainly nothing that could get around all the corners inside that cappuccino mug.

The Le Creuset tools were great, not to mention they look nice. The handles are sturdy and made of wood, and the silicone is wrapped tightly around it. Some of my co-workers took home these tools, too, so we’ll have more reports on how they perform. I’m curious to see how they do in a non-baking setting. Check back to find out!