5 Reasons to Buy a Roasting Pan

RSVP Hercules Roasting Pan Set

My grandmother used to cook our Thanksgiving turkey in a disposable tinfoil “pan” bought in a 5-pack for $2 at the local grocery store. The turkey cooked in this pan for 4 or more hours getting nice and dry while a grease and gristle pooled around it. The result was a bird with dry breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, and an backside soaked with grease and gristle. 

My family ate it and loved it, but it doesn’t have to be this way for everyone. 

Today’s roasting pans run the gamut from basic to fancy, but all generally do the same job: they cook turkey well. Here are 5 reasons you need to buy a turkey roasting pan now for this Thanksgiving:

• Air circulation. This is the secret to any perfectly browned, perfectly cooked turkey. A roasting pan allows convection air to circulate in and around every nook and cranny of your turkey. It cooks quickly, evenly, and your bird gets a perfect all-over tan. 

• Fat. Turkey is pretty lean. In fact, it’s one of the lowest fat (saturated and other) meats out there. But if your turkey is sitting in a pit of grease, you’ll be adding on unnecessary and unhealthy calories to your meal. With a roasting pan, the grease grips off and away from the turkey into the pan. Save those greasy calories for your famous turkey gravy. 

• Basting. If you’re an anti-brine kind of person, you’ll probably be doing a lot of basting. And, just like reason No. 1, you may not want your turkey just sitting in your basting sauce. A roasting pan keeps your turkey up and away from that murky bath. 

• Versatility. A roasting pan isn’t just for thanksgiving. It’s for, well, roasting. That could be lasagna, a rack of lamb, potatoes, pork ribs – anything. It’s the perfect vessel for even cooking any meal. Not only that, you can hop your roasting pan up on the range and use the drippings to make roux or gravy.

• Easy clean up. When you’re done with that turkey or that slab of oven-baked macaroni and cheese, your roasting pan cleans up with the touch of a sponge. If not nonstick, most modern roasting pans are anodized, making them a breeze to clean up. No more roasted-on grease, cheese, or whatever. 

Ditch those disposable tinfoil pans and treat you and your family to a high quality roasting pan for Thanksgiving. We recommend the RSVP Hercules Roasting & Lasagna Pan (includes rack). Shop all our roasting pans and racks here: http://www.cheftools.com/Roasting-Pans/products/99/

New: Meri Meri Holiday Partyware

Stock up now on the latest holiday party supplies from Meri Meri. We just received in stock the latest designs by the famed maker of stylish, beautifully illustrated wares. The newest from Meri Meri for the 2012 holiday season includes classic designs, like the Pilgrim place cards, and new motifs like retro palm trees (which use imagery from non-traditional tropical Christmas decorations seen in Hawaii, Florida, and other warm-weather states).

Shop all the new Meri Meri party supplies here. Don't forget to browse all the classic Meri Meri products for birthday parties, holidays, and more!

New In Clearance Cooking Tools!

We’ve added a couple of hundred cooking products to our clearance section, so I wanted to highlight some cool culinary tools you can grab at a deep discount. And always be sure to check out our clearance cooking tools section for new products. 

Luminarc Coke Glass Cans – These are super cool, durable pieces that are perfect for a lemonade on the back porch – or, you know, a glass of soda. The Coca Cola logo is raised up off the surface of the glass. 

Head Chefs Cooking Tools – These cool little cooking guys are going fast, so hurry. We have measuring cups, pastry brushes, icing spreaders, and more, all with little bendable silicone arms and legs. Perfect for young budding chefs! 

Outset Nonstick Copper Grill Topper Wok – Grilling season is not over! Not until the first snow will we put down our grill tongs and stop buying 12-packs of hamburger buns! Use this grill tool to sauté anything from mushrooms to shrimp right on your grill top. 

Soehnle Digital Kitchen Scale – A discount digital scale that will help you make baked goods better. Most of us measure dry goods by volume, but measuring by weight is far better. Does your recipe call for 12 ounces of flour? Then this is the tool for you.

Shun Ken Onion Knives – Find these throughout our clearance department, from small paring knives to big santoku knives. It’s rare to find Ken Onion knives on sale because they’re simply among the best knives on the planet. You save a ton of money and gain a knife that will be with you forever.  

Check out our entire clearance department here and find all the discount professional cooking tools you’re looking for! 

Tramontina Cookware - Versatile, Durable, Affordable

Do you know what I’m sick of? Cookware with limitations. 

Don’t get me wrong, all the pots, pans, griddles, and tagines we sell at ChefTools.com are of the highest quality – but that doesn’t mean that all the pans can do all the things you want.  I like my cookware to be very flexible. Can I throw this pan under the broiler after it’s been on the cooktop? Do I have to worry about using a lot of oil because, if not, the nonstick coating will burn off? 

Enter Tramontina cookware, what may be the most versatile – and beautiful – line of pots, Dutch ovens, fry pans and more that we’ve had around these parts. 

For example, the Tramontina Multi-Cooking System allows you to bake on the stovetop. How? The system comes with a Bundt pan or 2 loaf pans, plus a riser that suspends the molds above the pan. More importantly, the shape of the pan recirculates air from bottom to top and back down again, giving the effect of an oven. In the case of a savory meal – say, a pork loin – the Multi-Cooking System recirculates moisture, essentially basting your roast for you. 

Tramontina Lyon Multi-Cooking System

Almost every Tramontina piece is safe for the oven, induction, gas, electric, ceramic glass, and dishwasher safe. Sauté, grill, broil, and clean easily to your heart’s content. 

Even better – Tramontina cookware is reasonably priced. How about $34.94 for a 10” fry pan from the Pro 3004 Series. The Pro 3004 pans were designed by Tramontina to stand up to the rigors of a commercial kitchen, but still be practical for home use. They’re safe on induction, ceramic glass, gas, electric and in the oven (and under the broiler). They are treated with Eclipse nonstick, tested to withstand 700,000 cooking cycles (probably more than you’ll go through in your home kitchen).

My next favorite is the Prima line of tri-ply stainless steel pans. You have to love a good stainless steel pan. You can’t kill them and they cook anything, anywhere. The best part of these Tramontina Prima pans, though, is the rim. Each pan has a flared rim so you can pour out liquids with no mess. Everything from bacon grease to braising liquid pours right out with no extra drips or spills. 

Prima Tri-Ply Stainless Steel (notice the flared rim)

Check out the full line of Tramontina pots and pans here. You’ll find everything from cast iron to pasta strainers to covered saucepans. Find the Tramontina piece that’s right for you.

Remember – everything ships for just $2.79 flat in September. Just use the code SEPT279 when you check out!

Tailgating with Picnic Time

Sparty on ... a picnic chair

I had the rare pleasure last Friday of seeing my Michigan State Spartans defeat the Boise State Broncos – rare because here in the Pacific Northwest, Big 10 teams just don’t rate (especially in a sports bar competing for TV time with the Mariners). It made me nostalgic for crisp autumn days in East Lansing, drinking coffee and grilling hotdogs in the parking lot outside Spartan Stadium.  

Now that the college football season is on us, I’m thinking about heading down to U-Dub (the University of Washington, as it’s known locally) to recapture those tailgating days. The air may be moister here in Seattle, but I’m sure the experience will be just as satisfying.

But I’m missing something essential for proper tailgating – gear. I don’t have a single U-Dub sweatshirt, cap, beer cozy, or anything. Where should I begin? That question was answered last week when the Picnic Time line of NCAA and NFL-branded picnic chairs and tables went live on ChefTools.com

What could be better than a chair specifically designed for tailgating and other similar outdoor activities emblazoned with my team’s logo? How about a Picnic Table for four with your team’s logo on it?

The U-Dub Huskies picnic table

Picnic Time is renowned for its beautiful picnic baskets (most come stocked with plates, utensils, blankets and more) and portable grills. This outdoor furniture is light, durable and easy to take anywhere – from the beach to the parking lot at your local stadium. Having the option of getting your team’s logo adds a new dimension. 

I actually had the chance to sit in one of the picnic chairs recently. The seat was comfortable and firm, not rickety like foldout chairs you get from big box stores. The best part, though, was the storage compartments; they attach to the arm of the chair, and there’s room for everything from cups of cider (alcoholic or non) to cell phones, keys, and pennants.  There’s even a side table for your hot dogs. 

I’m targeting a tailgating session with my new U-Dub picnic chair on Sept. 27 when Stanford comes to town. We have nearly every NCAA team and all NFL teams available – pick up yours today!

The Wonder Of Burnt Flour Orecchiette

DiCuonzo Orecchiette Farina Arsa Pasta

Have you ever tried burnt flour orecchiette? 

We won’t fault you if the answer is “no.” This variety of orecchiette, with a beautiful texture and color that resembles dark chocolate, is extremely rare outside of Italy. Even in Italy, it’s hard to find outside of the Puglia region. 

Luckily, we have Ritrovo Italian Importers, which imports this extra special burnt flour pasta varietal to the U.S. - and ChefTools.com is one of the only retailers in the U.S. making this wonderful pasta available.

The most recent issue of the Italian cooking magazine La Cucina Italiana featured this special orecchiette; the magazine recommends simply tossing it with fresh, chunky tomato sauce. Here’s what writer Victoria Riccardi had to say about it: 

“Ash-brown in color and shaped like small, deep saucers, orecchiette di grano arso, or burnt flour orecchiette, is a product of Puglia’s cucina povera that dates to the Middle Ages. [The orecchiette] came topped with a chunky tomato sauce, and the distinctive pasta had a nutty, slightly smoky flavor that shone through clearly. It was unlike anything I’d eaten before.”

Experience this beautiful, flavorful DiCuonzo Orecchiette Farina Arsa Pasta today.

The tomato sauce recipe is simple, and its sweetness enhances this smoky pasta. Find the recipe here. 

The La Cucina Italiana article, courtesy of Ritrovo

Perfect Coffee For $20

I’ve spent a lot of time searching for the perfect cup of coffee - lots of money has gone toward testing high-end (and low-end) electronic percolators, French presses, the vaunted Chemex, and even homemade vacuum contraptions a la Gale Boetticher. 

What have I learned? Well, I wish someone had just given me the answer 10 years ago; I would’ve saved time, money, and thousands of taste buds. 

More importantly, I learned that for perfect coffee you need 3 things: time, low heat, and non-porous equipment (i.e., not plastic or metal). 

I also learned that perfect coffee can be yours for around $20.

Now, I must insert a caveat: everyone has a different coffee preference. When I say “perfect,” I mean that the coffee has a distinct flavor with a good – not bitter – aftertaste. The perfect cup is fresh, has no nasty grinds at the bottom, and doesn’t leave you over-caffeinated.

So, here’s my prescription for a perfect cup of coffee:

Equipment: For the brew, look no further than a ceramic or porcelain filter cone ($16.25). These surfaces don’t absorb flavors or odors, and don’t impart flavors (I find that metal and plastic do). The cone shape (as proven by the Chemex theory) is optimal for flowing hot water into coffee. The downside is these cones don’t make coffee for more than 1 or 2 people. For bigger jobs, check out the HIC Porcelain Drip Coffee set (also $16.25). You’ll also need to pick up some filters – brown recycled ones are best ($5.95).

HIC Drop Coffee Set

Water: Acidity/mineral content varies depending on where you live. I always add a few drops of vinegar to my water. I don’t know if this changes the PH level for better or worse, it’s just a habit I have. Bring your water to a boil, but let it cool to between 170 and 180 F before pouring it onto the coffee. Any hotter and you’ll burn the coffee.

Ratio: Never paid much attention to this. Cone filters are all roughly same size. I usually fill it up half way or a little less. Most sources out there, though, will tell you to have a ratio of 1 scoop per 6 ounces of water.

Coffee: Your brand is your brand, whether you like vanilla-hazelnut or straight up French roast. One important point you should be aware of is the difference between Robusto and Arabica beans. Robusto beans are generally cheaper, less flavorful, and contain a lot more caffeine. I always spring for the fair trade, shade-grown Arabica beans – more expensive than Folgers, but you’ll be rewarded (your taste buds and your conscience).

Grinding: OK, this is the expensive part. You should buy your own grinder ($77), or grind your beans at the store. Pre-ground coffee just isn’t fresh. If you grind at the store, the freshness of the coffee decreases practically by the hour. Buy a grinder, and you’re guaranteed fresh coffee every time. One last point – don’t put your coffee in the freezer; ice crystals might form on the beans, which damages them.

Simple, right? Use porcelain or ceramic cones, mildly-hot water, and fresh ground beans. Now, if I could just find the perfect way to brew tea …