Bodum sponsors latte art contest

You must know how to draw a rosetta to get a barista job at a coffee shop in Seattle. But that’s entry-level stuff. Most baristas around here can draw anything from Slimer (the green guy from “Ghostbusters”) to roses, Volkswagen Beetles, and baseballs. Pretty much anything – and all with a little bit of foam (soy or regular, doesn’t matter).

So, it’s kind of disappointing to see that no locals from here won in Salon.com’s coffee art contest, which was sponsored by Bodum, one of the fine brands ChefTools.com carries. I understand someone from Intelligentsia (supposedly the best coffee shop between Cape Cod and San Francisco) winning, but the grand prize went to a North Carolinian? Oh well, she definitely deserved it.

But it was cool of Bodum to sponsor the event. Pick up a stovetop espresso maker or French press, a frothing pitcher and a frother and practice making rosettas at home.

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.

Beautiful, mouthwatering ... ice?

I never thought I’d be hungry for ice, but this Wall Street Journal article makes me crave a drink with a big, sharp cube. Even better, ChefTools.com has one of the products they highlight for perfect ice. Tovolo ice cube trays are silicone, which anyone who has ever banged a plastic tray on a counter knows is superior. The WSJ writer expounds on the need for perfect ice:

"When it comes to ice, size does matter, not to mention shape, density and clarity. If you prefer your Scotch on the rocks, beware: Small, brittle ice will quickly dilute years of cask aging. No one wants a Bruichladdich slushie.

But large cubes or spheres of ice will melt more slowly, bringing your drink closer to the temperature of the ice without over-diluting it. Larger pieces, such as spears the length of a glass, are ideal for keeping tall, carbonated beverages chilled. And there's a place for pebbled and crushed ice, too: mint juleps, swizzles and many tiki drinks wouldn't be possible without them."

Check out our full line of Tovolo ice cube trays, including the Tovolo King Cube Extra Large Silicone tray.

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!

Donuts for Easter

Besides a basket of candy, the one thing I used to look forward to on Easter Sunday morning when I was a kid was donuts. My family would gather at my grandmother’s house after church and my uncle Joe would bring over a couple of boxes of Munchkins (donut holes) and donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts. The Munchkins were for the kids, the donuts for the adults; when my cousins and I grew up (we’re talking 8, 9, 10), we graduated to full-size donuts.

I hated the powdered, lemon-filled ones, but loved Boston kreme. I used to stuff chocolate Munchkins in a mug full of hot milk and eat with a spoon. The standard vanilla glazed donuts were my favorite, and I can still feel the dryness of the plain old-fashioned variety.

So, when I was checking out Brandi Henderson’s blog (she’s the pastry chef at Delancey, an excellent Seattle pizza place), I Made That, all those Easter donut memories came rushing back. Except, her donuts look a lot fresher and more delicious than the fast food ones I used to eat.

I’ve made donuts at home before, but, unlike her, never used yeast in the batter, which is probably why they turned out more like a fried cookie than a cakey donut. I really like how she lets the donuts rise on a baking sheet – think of all the delicious little caverns created by taking that one little (totally genius) step. Her recipe seems so simple, so delicious – I might even spring for a sprig of vanilla bean.

I’m going to attempt Brandi’s recipe this Easter. I’ll probably have to make a dozen, at least, because I’m going to a friend’s house for lunch. It’s very important to have a hole in the donut large enough so that you can hold the thing while dunking in coffee. So, I’ll be using this Ateco doughnut cutter for speed and consistency. And, of course, a big, sturdy wire strainer to move the donuts in and out of the oil, like this one from Helen Chen.

Now, if I could just get Dunkin’ Donuts to ship me a couple of liters of fresh coffee, I’d be able to re-live my childhood Easters.

The Cheftools/Lucks/Twilight connection

So, this is somewhat funny: Cheftools.com is located in Seattle; we sell a variety of products from the excellent Lucks, which makes interesting, creative and tasty food decorations; Lucks is located in Tacoma, which is just a couple of miles south of Seattle near the bottom of Puget Sound. Lucks makes three different edible pictures for cakes from the Twilight movies. The kicker? Twilight is set in Forks, WA, which is on the Pacific Ocean side of the Olympic Peninsula (the land between Seattle/Tacoma and the ocean).

It’s biting irony. It’s a spooky coincidence. It’s three degrees of cake decoration. It’s a cake decorating love triangle (get it? Because of the love triangle in the Twilight saga?).

Celebrate mom with Chef Tools' Mother's Day sale

We all know the evolution of Mother’s Day gift giving: When you’re 4 or 5, you make homemade coupons for “free” back rubs, or a week’s worth of dishwashing. Later, with a few bucks from your birthday (or from dad), you buy something random from the local drugstore: hot pink nail polish, a single tea candle or Skittles. A sweet gesture, but probably not what Woodrow Wilson had in mind when he made Mother’s Day an official holiday in 1914.

Fast forward 30 years and Mother’s Day might be off your radar. Another year where you Google “when is Mother’s Day this year?” only to find that it has passed. Mom probably doesn’t care; she’s mom and the memory of 6-year-old you presenting her with a homemade card and a tiny picture frame (in it a stock photo of a smiling couple on a beach) still makes her smile. Chances are mom still has that frame – and the card.

So why not make this the year you return to treating mom to a thoughtful gift? (And we’re not saying that everyone stopped celebrating Mother’s Day, in which case you’re a better kid than me – and keep up the good work!) Here at Chef Tools, we’re having a Mother’s Day sale to help you find the perfect gift for mom. We have three specially-priced gift sets (using a combo of items you asked about on Twitter and Facebook) plus a huge array of stylish MU aprons, oven mitts, potholders and dishtowels.

I have to tout these MU products. These aprons are so cool you could wear them out of the house. Check out this onyx long chef apron – it’s beautifully designed, plus durable with 100 percent pre-washed cotton herringbone, deep pockets and an adjustable neck. It would look great with this orange MU handleslip pot handle sleeve. It’s thick – of course – so you can handle anything, and it’s lined with comfortable terrycloth. And, it’s orange, so no one will notice if a little marinara gets splattered on there, which brings me to my next topic …

My favorite gift set is the no-scuff lasagna baking kit. This set includes an HIC Porcelain Lasagna Baking Dish – reviewed by Cook’s Illustrated – a Bakeware Buddy serrated plastic knife and a CIA Master’s Collection Non-stick Slotted Turner. The Bakeware Buddy knife and the CIA (that’s Culinary Institute of America) non-stick turner won’t scuff the baking dish like metal. Plus, acidic tomato sauce won’t corrode them. The HIC baking dish is 13” x 9” and 2-1/2” deep, big enough for lasagna to feed the whole family. You can also use the Bakeware Buddy knife on baked goods and vegetables. It would be pretty cool to show up at mom’s house with this gift set and make lasagna – of course, you’d have to leave it behind at the end of the night.




What about a nice salad with that lasagna? We’ve put together two fine Jill Butler-designed items in one set. The Parisian plate gift set is a set of four salad plates and four placemats. Both items are inspired by French bistros. The placemats are 100 percent cotton with alternating red and white stripes. The porcelain Chez Pastis plates are elegant enough for a brunch get-together and durable enough to take on a picnic. Jill Butler inlayed the plates with the message “Bar rendez-vous des amis” – a place for friends to meet. The plates are white with either a red, black, green or blue design.

And don’t forget the wine. If mom is a wine lover, she’ll love this set. It’s a Luminarc Small Square Carafe and a Screwpull GS-200 table-top corkscrew. The Screwpull GS-200 comes with a foil cutter, and has Activ-ball technology, which guarantees no more jammed corks. Luminarc has been making glassware since 1825, and is famous for quality. Have a relaxing evening with mom over a couple of glasses of wine, reminiscing about those coupons you used to make. If she still has them, hopefully you were smart enough to include an expiration date.

Happy Mother’s Day and a big “thank you” to all the moms out there!