St. Patrick's Day Enjoyment Guide

As much as St. Patrick’s Day is a day to enjoy inebriation and parades, it’s also a great food holiday – for everything from sweets to meats. Start preparing for your St. Paddy’s day celebration now and shop ChefTools.com for everything you need for eating, drinking … and, yes, dying things green … .

24 cupcake cases, 24 cupcake toppers

 Festive treats: Meri Meri St. Patrick’s Day Cupcake Kit

All the tools you need to bake sweet and beautifully decorated cupcakes. A set of cupcakes wrapped in shamrock-clad wrappers, topped with dancing leprechauns is pure fun, especially for young lads and lasses. And, you can bake more than just cupcakes with this kit – line up early along the parade route to get a good seat and chow down on a batch of warm breakfast muffins!

Dye anything green: Ateco Forest Green Soft Gel Paste

And what would your cupcakes and muffins be if they aren’t dyed green? Forest green is my favorite, but we carry every shade of green from teal to leaf to mint. The beauty of Ateco Gel Paste is that it works with any food. Pour it in your cake batter, buttercream frosting, and whipped cream – whatever. It will maintain its luster and rich coloring across all your recipes. Will this color beer? We don’t know – but you could always try!

8 quart Fennel Green stockpot - from soup to nuts, your corned beef!

Irish soda bread: Fat Daddio’s 13” x 4” Pullman Bread Pan

My grandmother’s Irish soda bread method: mix up a couple of pounds of lumpy, wet dough, plop it on an ancient sheet pan in a big ugly pile, and just bake until hard – not gold brown, not cooked all the way through, just rock hard. And, actually, it usually comes out OK. But the key to dense, moist bread is a Pullman pan. The lid seals in moisture and does not allow the dough to expand and take on air while it’s baking. This is the perfect tool for perfect Irish soda bread … just don’t tell my grandmother.

Corned beef: Le Creuset Fennel Green Stock Pot (on sale!)

You’ll need this stockpot for every step of the long, but rewarding, corned beef process. First, you boil the beef brisket in the pot alongside lovely spices like juniper berries, mustard seeds, sugar, pepper, etc. After that, cool it with ice in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then brine for 10 days (not in the stockpot; use a large bag or plastic container). Then, on the morning of March 17, put that hunk of beef back in the stockpot and simmer it until the meat falls off the bone.

Whiskey: Duralex Picardie 8-3/4 oz. Tumbler

Irish whiskey tastes wonderfully different than any Scottish, American, or Canadian type. You have to try it to know the difference. Enjoy with a side of water to cleanse the palate. It’s the perfect cap to a long day of parades, cupcakes, and corned beef.

To Pie For: Tovolo Pie Pops

The complete Pie Pops kit by Tovolo

The Tovolo Pie Pops kit is definitely one of the most interesting gadgets we’ve offered in a long time. Pie on a stick? What’s next, cake on a … errr … cookies on … shoot.  At this point, what treat hasn’t been affixed to the end of a stick? (Muffins?)

A stick in itself may not add flavor, but it does add another dimension, just like how eating a burger on a bun allows you to introduce onions, ketchup, etc. Of course, eating a pie on a stick is a cleaner eating experience. It also bends the laws of pie eating physics – a Pie Pop allows for dipping, a task that’s tricky with traditional fork/pie combo. Dip the pie in whipped cream, take a bite; dip the pie in chocolate chips, take another bite - and on until you’re full.

The best I can tell, the Pie Pops experience is for parties.  From the baking to the communal eating/dipping, it’s perfect for birthday parties, Friday family nights, bridal showers, and more. The baking tray comes with little bowls for condiments, and you can arrange the Pie Pops around the condiments for leisurely snacking.

But how does it work? It’s as easy as you-know-what.

1)    

  L   1) Place your dough inside the pie molds and add filling

2)      2) Insert a wooden stick through the hole in the pie mold (notice how the mold adds those awesome crust crosshatches?)

3)      3) Place the molds inside the baking tray

4)      4) Bake

5)      5) Enjoy

My only wish is that Pie Pops were available at the local convenience store, like lollipops. Pick up one of these neat kits for your next birthday bash, or just get one because it’s fun. Remember: food on a stick is always better.

Welcoming De Buyer to ChefTools.com

The De Buyer Mineral B Element 12" Fry Pan: old reliable.

There’s a scene in one episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” where he’s working (his rump off) as a line cook in his old restaurant, Les Halles; after searing a steak or fish or some other piece of meat on top of the burner, he quite literally throws the pan under the broiler. Just tosses it, not at all caring whether it’ll break. The star of that scene was neither Bourdain nor the food, but the pan. The steel battered and dented like the hull of a battleship, blackened by years of frying, sautéing, braising, baking, etc., that pan will be there forever for Bourdain or whoever takes his place.

It’s exactly the type of pan we all need in our kitchen: old reliable. 

When I held a De Buyer Mineral B Element pan for the first time, I could feel in its heft, its thick construction, and its unbendable handle that it would last forever. 

ChefTools.com is extremely proud to welcome De Buyer as the latest addition to our Cookware Department. Handcrafted in France, these 100% natural iron mineral pans come pre-seasoned with organic beeswax, which helps promote the natural nonstick finish and prevents rusting. 

We’re starting off with De Buyyer’s line of Mineral B Element workhorse frying pans ranging in size from 8 to 14 inches. But there’s more: grill pans in 10 and 12-inch sizes, plus high-sided saucepans (called Country Chef Pans), 3 sizes of crepe pan, and a blinis pan. For all your De Buyer mandoline owners, we’re offering a variety of accessories for De Buyer’s La Mandoline Ultra, from julienne blades to extra-large pushers. And for those in need of the finest garnishing tools ever produced, we have the De Buyer Core Concept Universal Corer in 3 sizes. 

When you buy a De Buyer pan, it’s forever. Come to ChefTools.com and invest in one of these incredible pans – throw it under the broiler, expose it to ungodly temperatures, freeze it, and it lives on for you to pass down the next generation of home cooks. 

Enjoy this quick little De Buyer tutorial - from factory to stovetop, it shows how to properly season and use these excellent pans.

NEW Scanpan Cookware At "Try Me" Prices

The 2-piece CSX (top) and CTX fry pan set.

We’re rolling out a bunch of new pans and sets by Scanpan this week – but even better, most of the pans are at “try me” prices. That means you can get a $210 CSX Series fry pan for just $99.95 (no sales tax (except Washington state residents) and free shipping, too!). There are some other great deals on these excellent pans, but it’s for a limited time only. 

A little background on Scanpan: hand forged in Denmark (hence the name Scanpan, as in Scandinavian Pan), Scanpan makes some of the most durable and environmentally friendly pans in the world. The Classic Series pans are great for home cooks; perfect for frequent sautéing, braising, and frying. The Classic Series pans feature a layer of ceramic-titanium nonstick coating, which means there are no harmful chemicals on there; plus, the chemical-free nonstick layer is tough, able to stand up to scrapes from metal utensils. 

At the top of the Scanpan line, you’ll find the CSX and CTX Series pans. CSX pans feature 4 layers of super-conductive aluminum; the stainless steel cooking surface seals and protects the aluminum, while allowing the pan to heat evenly with no heat pockets. 

CTX pans use the same aluminum layering method for excellent heat distribution, but feature a non-toxic, PFOA-free nonstick cooking surface (much like the Classic Series pans). A set of 2 (pictured above) CTX and CSX pans is on sale for a limited time, so you can try both and figure out which one best suits your needs (you'll find that both do!).

In other words, Scanpan manufactures its products with two goals in mind: to be kind to the environment (both the Earth’s and yours), and to provide an exceptional cooking surface. 

So hurry over to our Scanpan Department and get 50% or more off new Scanpan pans – anytime you see a price highlighted in red, it’s a “try me.”

Make It A Homemade Valentine's Day

The best Valentine’s Day gifts – or any gifts for that matter – are homemade, whether it’s an artfully decorated cake, or a card inscribed with a personal message. So why not make this year a homemade Valentine’s Day? Shop the Chef Tools Valentine’s Day Department and get everything you need, whether you’re shopping for your sweetie, or for your kids’ V-Day school celebration. 

Here are a few excellent gift examples, but you’ll find much, much more in our Valentine’s Day Department. From cupcake wrappers, to Valentine’s sprinkles, and cookie cutters, Chef Tools has everything you need for a perfect Valentine’s Day! 

1) Fat Daddio’s Stamped Heart Candy Molds, $21.08. This polycarbonate mold allows you to create perfect, shiny chocolates every time. Makes 21 romantic pieces, each indented with a heart. Pour some melted chocolate into this mold and give your valentine a box of homemade chocolates. 

2) Meri Meri Valentine’s Day Cards, $17.94. These are simply the cutest valentine’s your kids (or you!) will ever give. Twenty heart-shaped cards adorned with a puppy or a kitten and a sweet message – this set even includes one card especially for teacher!

3) Fat Daddio’s Heart Cake Pan, $9.83 - $16.39. These heart-shaped pans come in a variety of sizes – buy one and decorate with a personal message, or buy every size for a multi-layered cake with hearts big and small.

4) Lucks Dec-Ons Red and Pink Hearts, $26.05. These tiny sugar treats are perfect for decorating cupcakes. Or, use as a cute accoutrement on Valentine’s Day cakes, cookies – or even pancakes. You’ll find many more styles – plus sprinkles and holiday-colored sanding sugars – in our Valentine’s Day Department.

Eat To Win On Super Bowl Sunday!

Make a football shaped cake! Laces out, Dan!

My perfect Super Bowl Party? It would involve an open fire pit, a La-Z-Boy Clayton LUXURY LIFT® Power Recliner (with heat and 6-motor massager), an 80-inch TV, the Detroit Lions, a never-ending bowl of Doritos, and an experimental chef proficient in everything from pizza to profiteroles. In other words, food, comfort, roasted meats … and the Detroit Lions. 

Unfortunately, I can’t control all of those elements – except food. My couch is my couch, my TV is my TV, my landlord won't let me light a fire in my apartment, and the Lions are awesome, but not in the Super Bowl. But! I still have one week to plan an excellent, epic Super Bowl feast. Here’s a food timeline for next Sunday*:

9 a.m.

You’ll need to condition your stomach for a feast, so start stretching early. A bagel sandwich honors the New York Giants and your taste buds. Slice, toast, and butter a bagel (salt is my favorite, followed by cinnamon-raisin), pile high with lox, tomatoes, eggs, bacon, cheese. Pair with coffee, of course.

The Chicago Metallic Pizza Crisper, $6 for a better crust.

12 p.m.

It is pizza time. It is also chicken time. Hopefully you’ve made about 56 gallons of Buffalo sauce (butter + Frank’s), so add some to your pizza sauce. Slather it on the pizza, top with Monterey jack cheese and bits of buffalo chicken (preferably cooked on Saturday and refrigerated overnight). Plop it on your Chicago Metallic Pizza Crisper (on sale for $6) in a 500-degree oven, cook, then eat. Buffalo wing pizza is a New York thing, too, giving you another chance to honor the Giants.

1 p.m.

Shoot, that pizza was good. But you need something cool to wash it down. How about a margarita? Frozen or on the rocks, sit back and sip on that that frosty drink as Bob Costas’ pre-game analysis washes over you.

2 p.m.

The game is about to begin, which means it's snack and dip time (snacks defined as salty, starchy, nutty, from a bag, or quickly cooked). You’re going to need Doritos, honey roasted peanuts, popcorn popped in bacon grease, sour cream and onion dip (SCOD), Ruffles, tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, some kind of crazy chip style (like Utz crab chips), and cashews. Pile high in chips bowls and nut bowls, serve on trays, and watch all that food disappear.

Henry Ford would be proud: now one man can make 3 sliders in one swoop for only $5

5 p.m.

By now, you’re going to want to bring in the big guns: scorched meat, deep-fried and cheese coated vegetables, small but powerful sandwiches. You should’ve halted your snacking at around 4 p.m., giving you enough time to digest. But after pizza, bagels, beer, and endless handfuls of chips, you’re probably realizing the spatial limits of your innards. Buck up! Choose just 3 or 4 main course items. Me? I go for Buffalo wings (I made 56 gallons of sauce!), jalapeno poppers, nachos, and pork/beef sliders with melted provolone. I love nachos, and I think I have a good technique: roast tortilla strips on a baking sheet for 5 – 10 minutes at 450 degrees; take them out of the oven and add cooked ground beef, cheddar, mozzarella, diced jalapenos, pineapple salsa, lime juice, cooked pinto beans, plus salt, pepper and cinnamon to taste. Toss (gently) together for even distribution, and then cook at 450 for another 10 – 15 minutes. I like my tortilla chips charred, so bake to your liking.

6:30 p.m.

You’re full up to your eyes and there’s a wasteland of dirty, empty plates in front of you. What now? Dessert, of course. I don’t care how full you are, the deliciousness of sugar will make your mouth water after hours of eating salty snacks And if your team is losing, you’re looking to drown your sorrows (in sugar). Appropriately, I found this recipe for Hoosier pie, honoring the site of this year's Super Bowl. Make sure you buy a nice, deep pie pan, because a deep pie is a delicious pie.

7:30 p.m.

You worked so hard all-day, masticating, digesting, and walking from the kitchen to the TV room. So, it’s time for bed. We hope you’re taking Monday off, because there are a lot of dishes to do – and at least 4 leftover sliders to finish.

Need to stock up on gadgets and serving items for your Super Bowl party? Buy from Chef Tools today and get it in time for Sunday. We have everything you need, from slider presses to pizza pans!

*Pacific Standard Time. East Coasters, Midwesterners, Southerners, and Rocky Mountainites should adjust accordingly. None of this applies to San Franciscans or Baltimoreans.