With Bread Armor, No More Stale Loaves

Bread Armor Ciabatta Saver (2-pack)

 This is the story of the last stale loaf of bread I ever owned:

I bought a loaf of French bread a couple of months ago from Essential Baking Company, a local artisanal bakery here in Seattle. After using half of it to scoop up sauce from my dinner of linguine with fresh tomatoes, basil, and capers, I wrapped it in a paper bag and placed it on the counter for later. 

Of course, the next day when I went to make sandwich, the loaf was hard as a rock and unusable except as bird food; a pitiful waste of good bread and money. 

I’ve done this 1 million times – foolishly wrapped a loaf of good bread in a paper bag, expecting it to stay fresh. (I more often get the supermarket brand loaf, which is loaded with chemicals and preservatives, and will stay strangely soft for days out on the counter.) 

Then, I remembered that we carry a product called Bread Armor. It looks like a fancy plastic bag - but it saves bread, and here's how:

I first tried it on an artisan ciabatta loaf (from the Pike Place Farmer’s Market). I wanted to see how long the Bread Armor would keep the bread fresh. So, I sliced off a hunk, leaving the soft interior exposed, and just threw it in the Bread Armor. The loaf was still good the next day – and the next day, and the next. Bread Armor helped my ciabatta remain soft and edible for 6 days! (I would’ve eaten it, of course, had I not been experimenting.) I’m told that these bags are great for gluten free bread, which tends to dry out quicker than regular bread. 

The secret to keeping bread fresh is to keep oxygen away. Bread Armor is thicker and seals tighter than standard plastic bags. Another key: the bags are shaped like the loaf instead of just like a giant square or rectangle. There’s less area for oxygen to occupy. And, I still have the 2 Bread Armor bags I bought  (recently used for freezing some homemade pierogies); these bags are much more durable than standard kitchen bags, and I feel safe washing them because they contain no BPAs. 

More reasons Bread Armor bags are awesome? They’re made in the USA and are recyclable. Want to save money and make your artisan or gluten-free bread last longer? Buy a pack of Bread Armor.

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!

A Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Photo courtesy of Heather "Moria"

I’ll be making a loaf of soda bread tonight, though it probably won’t last until St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday. If you’ve never made this bread before, give it a try. It’s easy and this stuff tastes great – enjoy it as a sweet treat with butter at breakfast or to scoop up savory dishes like lamb or beef stew. Here’s my first-generation Irish grandmother’s soda bread recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour (a pinch more for dusting)

2 cups pastry/cake flour

3-1/2 tablespoons of sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons of salt

2 tablespoons of butter

1-3/4 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

1 cup of raisins

1) Preheat oven to 425
2) Sift together dry ingredients.

3) Mix dry ingredients and butter together in a ceramic bowl with a paring knife.  This is a key part of the recipe: you want to cut across all the ingredients until – somehow – they form a crumble.

4) Add the milk and vinegar. Knead only until smooth, about 15 times. I advise you to knead sparingly to avoid creating gluten. But, my grandmother would beat the bejesus out of it, so go with your gut.

5) Place the dough on parchment paper on a baking sheet or in a bread pan (if you want a loaf shape) and bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 180 F.

Enjoy! And remember, you can buy all of the tools mentioned in this recipe at ChefTools.com - just follow the links!

歓迎 Hello Kitty To ChefTools.com!

Hello Kitty Large Paper Plates

We’re always excited to launch a new product line on ChefTools.com, but I think the addition of a line of Hello Kitty party supplies by Meri Meri deserves special recognition. Why? Because Hello Kitty (her real name is Kitty White) might be the most iconic brand available on our site – only products with the Mona Lisa or that Barack Obama image by Shepherd Fairy could rival Hello Kitty’s iconography. 

Briefly, these are the Hello Kitty party supplies we just added: paper plates (small and large), an invite and thank you card set, napkins (small and large), paper cups, party hats, cupcake picks, cupcake cups (mini and standard sizes), garland, a cupcake kit, cupcake boxes (large and small), and an absolutely awesome stationary set (it has notepads, stickers, envelopes … a ton of cute stuff). 

Hello Kitty Invite & Thank You Set

What’s interesting about Hello Kitty is how she went from the brain of Japanese designer Yuko Shimizu to 20 years later being a 1 billion per-year powerhouse.  It was in 1992 that Shintaro Tsuji founded Sanrio and noticed how lucrative cute could be – he started out selling sandals with pretty little flowers on them. Sanrio began merchandising Hello Kitty in 1994, and she and her friends (Chococat, Deery-lou, My Melody, among many others) exploded in popularity – Hello Kitty has appeared on almost any consumer product you can think of, even on the side of an jet liner. 

I’m pleased to say that Meri Meri has done – as usual – an exceptional job creating this line of Hello Kitty goods. They’ve perfectly captured the aesthetic of Hello Kitty, with broad color fields, Kitty’s love of bright colors and soft lines – and her love of cupcakes. Whether you’re a longtime fan, throwing a birthday party, or just love art, check out these party supplies. (I have a feeling that this line of Meri Meri is going to be particularly popular and sell out fast!)

Hello Kitty Party Hats

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.