Can You Can (and preserve)?

Canning and preserving: never done it, and probably never will. But I quite enjoy it when other people give me canned/preserved food. 

A couple of weeks ago, two friends of mine while on a camping trip on the Olympic Peninsula bought about a bushel of rhubarb. (For those of you on the metric system, a bushel is about 36 liters.) They apparently encountered a kindly farmer who was selling the stuff cheap, so they bought a lot. They decided to stop at a Wal-Mart to buy Ball jars and other canning supplies with the end goal of making some scrumptious rhubarb jelly. 

Cut to last week and me in their kitchen accepting a big jar of spicy rhubarb jelly. See? They did all the canning and preserving work, and I benefit! But I was doing them a favor, because they had about two dozen cans of the stuff.

I stupidly did not ask where they got the jelly recipe, because this stuff is really good. Here’s a recipe I found, but my friends’ version seemed to simply be mashed rhubarb mixed with red chili paste. It tasted like spicy strawberries. Absolutely excellent.

And though I’m too slothful to get my hands dirty and can stuff, I definitely endorse the process. It’s a romantic labor, with a low risk, high reward end result. It involves a lot things I enjoy, too, like boiling water, fresh fruit (or vegetables) and vacuums. It’s also deeply American, like distilling moonshine (though more legal), or making venison jerky. At any rate, if you haven’t canned, do it. If you already can, keep it up. Chef Tools has put together a great canning supplies kit. We also have a pretty wide selection of individual canning equipment if you need to beef up your canning/preserving arsenal. 

Happy canning. And be sure to send me a sample!

Like, Tweet and now +1

We've added new social media buttons!

Wanted to make everyone aware of a new feature we’ve added to each page of ChefTools.com. We replaced our old “share” feature with three simple links to Twitter, Facebook and +1, Google’s new social media service. 

So, if you buy something really cool, or just see something that’s really cool, make sure to tweet it, like it or +1 it. By liking, tweeting or +1ing an item, you’re actually helping to build the Internet and make web searching and ChefTools.com easier and better for everyone. You’re probably familiar with liking and tweeting, but +1 might be new to you. Here’s how it works: whenever you do a Google search, your results will show how many times a certain website has been +1’d. If you have a Google+ account, your +1'd items will show up in your news feed - just like when you like something on Facebook. That’s mostly it. Google wants to give searchers a social media cue when displaying results.(Go ahead and try it out and see if any of your favorite websites have +1s.)

Finding out what items are popular, relevant and meaningful to you are one of our biggest goals here – we don’t want to carry items that people don’t like, and we want to keep popular items in stock. So help us, help build the Internet and let your voice be heard across the social media sphere!

PS: Due to the newness of Google +1 (we assume – it just debuted two weeks ago), the button is a little hard to use. The area in which you can click is very small, but hopefully the problems with the button will be worked out in the coming weeks. 

PPS: Google +1 only works on the Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari web browsers - newest versions, of course! 

Roasted Rosemary Garlic Marble Potatoes

Sometimes a “standby” just gets better. I was at the grocery store finalizing my purchases for the July 4^th barbecue weekend when I came across some small mesh bags of marble potatoes. I typically make this recipe with baby reds or fingerling potatoes. It has always been an incredibly easy side dish to make with very little prep and roasting time, and I rarely have any leftovers because everyone eats them up. So I couldn’t help but think of this recipe when I came across these potatoes. The results were amazing and I will most likely seek out these marble sized potatoes from now on when making this recipe. The particular potatoes I bought were yellow, red, and purple. Not only did they provide great flavor, but three distinct textures as well. All have a bit of a crunch or light snap when you bite into them, but the meat of these jewels goes from very creamy to a more dense, almost chewy texture as you sample yellow to red to purple. Combine these flavors and textures with rosemary, roasted garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper and you have an excellent addition to any barbecue. Here’s how I did it:

- 2 lbs marble potatoes

- 1 sprig fresh rosemary 7 to 10 inches

- 3 medium sized cloves of garlic

- 4 TBSP olive oil

- salt and pepper

Rinse off the potatoes in a colander and set aside to dry. Peel the garlic cloves and finely chop with a sharp knife. Strip the rosemary sprig of the needles and finely chop them. Place the potatoes, chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, and olive oil into a large mixing bowl. Mix together with a large spoon until the potatoes are evenly coated with olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. Sprinkle in salt and pepper and mix again. Pour the potatoes into a heavy gauge roasting pan making sure to scrape the remaining oil, garlic, and rosemary from the mixing bowl. Place the roasting pan into a preheated 400 degree oven. Remove 12 to 15 minutes later and stir or shake the potatoes. Place back into the oven for another 10 minutes until the skins start to brown and the potatoes become fork tender. You should be able to stick a fork or paring knife into them and remove it without any resistance. This can also be done on the grill using a grill basket or a perforated grill basket. I find it best to close the grill lid when roasting the potatoes this way.

A side note: If you do have leftovers then just reheat and serve with chopped bacon or sour cream and chive for other variations.

4 Barbecues and a Kale Salad

Kale is a springy, cooling leafy green.

I had an excellent July 4 weekend. I went swimming in Lake Washington, went on a hike, saw some excellent fireworks and – most importantly – went to a barbecue every night. I did not go into the weekend expecting to attend 4 barbecues.

So, by the time Monday rolled around, I was craving food that wasn’t so … charred? I came up with something light, sweet and easy: a kale salad with carrots, raisins and a couple of other spices. It turned out to be the perfect antidote to all the grilled food because it cools and fills the mouth. Here’s how I made it:

- 1 bunch (your local supermarket will decide this portion for you) of kale, red or green

- 1 cup of shredded carrot

- ½ cup of minced raisins (it’s a real pain mincing raisins; make sure to wet your knife first)

- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (or balsamic, whatever your taste)

- Sesame seed, flax seed and ground black pepper (as much or as little as you want)

Shred the carrot and kale in your food processor with the shredder attachment (separately). Then toss in a bowl with the wet and dry ingredients. Tune it up to your taste and serve chilled alongside traditional barbecue fare.

And while I enjoyed eating that salad, it was not the best food I ate this weekend. That was the garden fresh broccolini (like, really fresh – my friend picked it from her garden as the charcoals were heating up) grilled until crispy. It was, I dare, better than grilled asparagus …

I hope your July 4 was as good as mine. Tell us about yours!

Washington Partly Bans BPA - and you can too!

Washington stops the sale of products to kids that contain BPA.

Goodbye, bisphenol-A, better known by your street name, BPA. You were a useful carcinogen for so many years – we microwaved you, froze water in you, drank water out of you, stored our food in you, all while blind to your leaching into our food and drinks. 

Now, the great state of Washington (ChefTools HQ is in Seattle) has banned you ... partly. Beginning today, no one can sell bottles, cups or containers meant for kids under the age of 3 that, uh, contain you, BPA. Next year, you won’t be in sports bottles sold in Washington. 

Unfortunately, BPA is still in most plastic products. It’ll probably be a while before it’s gone from every product, if that’s even possible.It may never go away since studies show that low levels are, apparently, OK in low doses. But as governments start to recognize the dangers of chemicals like BPA, we start down a path to their eradication. 

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been able to drink (especially hot beverages) out of a plastic cup for a couple of years. I swear I can taste the gross, gross chemicals swimming in my drink. I avoid using my plastic spatula, too. 

Take a gander at some of ChefTools’ BPA-free products. We always clearly label our BPA-free items. If you're turned off by plastic entirely, we have plenty of alternatives. Get a ceramic travel mug. They don't leave behind a taste, they're easy to clean, and they hold heat better than anything. Want a sturdy spatula, but don't want it to ding your nonstick pans? Try nylon or silicone. There are plenty of alternatives out there.

While governments work to ban dangerous, non-food safe chemicals, we can do our part by not purchasing products that contain BPA or other harmful chemicals.

Ceramic Knives - Can We Convert You?

Ever watch 'KCTS Cook's' some weekend when it was pouring rain and there was nothing else on tv? In other states it's 'PBS Cook's' - usually an all-day telethon fundraiser where the Public Broadcasting System would bring in local chefs to prepare fabulous recipes from our favorite local dining establishments. Before The Food Network, PBS was the only place I could watch an entire afternoon of cooking shows and be mesmerized at how quickly and fluidly they chopped veggies and herbs. Or learn what the difference was between sauteing and braising. It's where I fell in love with cooking and a cutie-pie chef named Ming Tsai. He and Kathy Casey were my favorite! But what I loved the most, and still listen for today, was the sound of the knives on the cutting boards as they chopped their way through the ingredients.

Well now that I'm in the "cooking industry" I have learned a lot more about the real lives of chefs and the tools they use - even those knives that make the magical sounds as they are slicing against the cutting board. I found out that it's a new phenomenon (well, new to me) called Ceramic Knives. Ever heard of them? Ever wondered why some people rave about them? Well, I did so I did some research and tested them out and now I'm a true believer... here's why.

Advanced Ceramic, which is what the Kyocera knife blades are made of, are second only to diamonds in hardness! Remember the old movies where they'd scratch a mirror with a diamond to see if it was real or not? Well, these blades are almost as hard which means they will last a very long time, a lot longer than your typical stainless knife. Not only are they strong but they stay sharp at least 10 times longer than any other knife! This may sound like a lot of mumbo jumbo to most of us ladies, but when the men in my life, 2 of which are Boeing Engineers, heard this, they were really excited to test the knives themselves. Quite impressive to me to see 2 engineers get excited about a cooking tool! HA!

I bought a set for my Mother-in-Law to try out and she is now a believer! She is a phenomenal cook, in fact I've learned a lot of recipes from her over the years, so I wanted to get her a set of really good knives. She is a changed woman, in fact this is what she told me just this morning: "The (ceramic) knife you got me is great, I never use any of the other knives anymore!"

I love mine so much and preached the love of the ceramic so often lately, that I now have orders from my entire family! My uncle wants a Chef's Knife, my Dad is getting a set: Santoku, Chefs and Paring and I'm even buying them as a wedding gift for a family member.

So, have I convinced you yet? What if I tell you that Kyocera is solely used by Ming Tsai of "East Meets West" fame (swoon)? Or that Kyocera will fix or replace a knife that ever breaks? Or that they offer free sharpening for the lifetime of the knife? And for us ladies, they offer a very affordable line called "Revolution" that comes in all of our favorite colors! Of course I had to have the green!

Try out a ceramic knife and see for yourself. I bet you'll convert and love the magical sound of the ceramic blade cutting on your cutting board just like I did!

The Unseen Power of the Crumpled Cup

Le Froisses!

I’ve been readying a line of Revol products for the last week for debut on ChefTools.com. Among these products are some new styles of Revol’s rather famous line of crumpled porcelain cups. Revol, a French company, calls these cups “froisses,” which means “creased.” I had always thought they were cool looking cups, but I started to wonder whether the design was just for looks or something more.

So, I asked someone. Walter, the founder of ChefTools, brought me over to our office water cooler for a lesson in crumpled porcelain. “You’re probably too young to remember this,” he said, holding a Revol cup up to the cooler and pretending to fill it up, just like one of those little paper Solo cups."But this is how you would crumple the cup after you were done drinking!" he said, pretending to squeeze the tiny porcelain cup.

Of course! Then I held the crumpled cup in my hand (this was the tiny, shot-glass size one), and behold, my fingers fit perfectly around the crease. I was unfortunately too dense to see it, but Revol’s crumpled cups series was inspired by … crumpled cups. 

Check out the full line of crumpled cups, and be on the lookout when we add new ones around the beginning of August. They come on all sizes and colors, and maybe you’ll have fun telling party guests or whomever that your purposely crumpled porcelain cups are an artful comment on our disposable culture. Or, that they just look cool.

Round, Square or Belgian?

How do you prefer your waffles? Round, square or Belgian?

I personally love Belgian waffles - nice and crispy on the outside and soft and cake-like on the inside. Big, puffy, golden brown Belgian waffles.

And why am I tempting your taste buds with waffles, you may be asking. Well, because it's National Waffle Iron Day of course! Yes, another holiday based on a fun kitchen electric.

A couple of years ago I was on the hunt for a really great waffle iron. I didn't want your run-of-the-mill flat, square waffle iron. I also didn't really want a huge contraption that was going to take up half of my kitchen counter (I have a rather small kitchen where counter space is extremely valuable.) So the hunt was on!

Most of the waffle irons I found made the typical, flat, square waffles that I was not completely fond of. Then I went to one of the big box stores and found the industrial, commercial style contraption that you flip over half way through the cooking time. But, wow was it a monster! It made the perfect Belgian waffles, but could barely fit through my kitchen door! Next I hit some thrift stores, figuring I could find a good, old, traditional iron to make my beloved Belgians. Still no luck!

At this point, I have given up the hunt. I still look every time I'm at a flea market or barn sale - in hopes of finding my vintage Belgian beauty. But as of now, the only waffles I get to make are while staying in a hotel with a "complimentary" breakfast bar. But it's still fun filling the iron with batter and flipping over the large contraption half way through - it makes me feel like a kid again!

If you're looking for a great Belgian waffle recipe, check out this one from Tina over at "My Life as a Mrs." Her recipe sounds delicious and her photos are enough to induce extreme salivation. (see photos in this post, we borrowed them from her).

Do you prefer round, square or Belgian waffles? Order them for your next breakfast out as an ode to the wondrous Waffle Iron!

The Cupcake Pen Review is In

Check out this informative – and somewhat hilarious – review of the Tovolo Cupcake Pen from WXIA NBC in Atlanta. The demonstration of how tricky it is to get cupcake batter (I think you could use this for any kind of batter) into cupcake liners is funny – it’s that classic flustered, ultra-busy mom thing. 

Also, I love the quote, “I’m sure I could be holding one of the babies and do this.”

We’ve had one of these cupcake pens floating around the ChefTools.com office recently. I’m tempted to take it home and see what else it could do. I was thinking: if I got three of these, I could make a July 4 cake out of red, white and blue colored batter. Anyone have any rad ideas? You could write your name in cake. In cake!

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee

Two very different types of coffee, both delicious. However, cold brew is superior. 

The difference is science, I guess. Regular ice coffee is just hot coffee poured over ice, maybe with an hour of refrigeration thrown in. But this method tends to result in a watery drink. And the ice cubes tend to either melt or wither into weak little ice balls. 

Cold brew is literally brewing coffee in a cold environment. The cold brew creates a smooth, highly concentrated liquid that tastes better – in my opinion – than hot brewed coffee. I think it’s because you don’t burn the grinds. It’s a low-labor process, but takes time. It’s well worth it. 

Here’s how to make cold brew coffee: 

1) Fill your French press with cold water and the amount of coffee you normally use. Make sure the coffee is coarse grind – it should be, anyway, if you’re using a press. (If you don’t have a press, get one; presses are the best option for those who don’t like the causticity of auto-drip coffee, but also don’t want to toy with a double-induction inverted vacuum beaker, or whatever it is coffee nerds use.)

2) Put it in the refrigerator, leaving the press/lid part off. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent refrigerator smells from getting in. 

3) Wait 12 to 24 hours

4) Check the brew. It should be opaque, but don’t fret if it’s not. If it looks good, pop on the press and emulsify the coffee and water as if you were making a batch of hot coffee. 

5) This step is optional, but you might want to strain the cold brew through a paper filter. I do this because my press is old does not filter out all the grinds. 

For whatever reason – something to do with science – cold brew coffee is stronger than hot brew, so you don’t need as much. It’s great for plain-old ice coffee, or for making fancy coffee frappe drinks. You can even mix it with a little vodka to make perky coffee liquor. Enjoy!