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.

Check Out The Chef Tools 2012 Clearance Sale

Have you checked out the Chef Tools 2012 storewide clearance? If not, go now. There are hundreds (thousands maybe?) of incredible products anywhere from 20% to 70% off. Here are some choice items (hurry, quantities are extremely limited!)

Ilsa Dietella Cast Iron Rectangular Grill - $30

A stovetop grill is indispensable – especially if you live in one of the many places in this country where outdoor grilling during winter is … uncomfortable. This grill also allows you to cook fat free; so, you’re roasting vegetables and meats instead of sautéing or frying them in fat. Plus, this grill heats up in seconds, so it’s faster than cooking in the oven. Always wanted homemade Panini, grilled corn, and perfectly seared steak? Now’s your chance, and for only $30!

Epicurean Kitchen Series 15” x 11” Slate Black Cutting Board- $12.48

This durable Epicurean board is the perfect size for any task from cutting vegetables to rolling out dough. It’s made of wood fiber from managed forests, and has a bacteria resistant surface. Pick up 2 or 3 so you can prep food safely – one board for veggies, another for meats, and a third for dessert.

Chicago Metallic Basic 9” x 3” Nonstick Springform Pan -$7.48

Once you make a cheesecake (or any cake) with a springform pan, you won’t go back to regular pans. Never worry again about shimmying a knife or spatula inside the pan, trying to pry the thing loose. When your cheesecake is done, simply unbuckle this springform pan and serve. Made of durable aluminized steel and coated with a special nonstick coating, Chicago Metallic pans come with a 25-year warranty – but you probably won’t need it.

Charcoal Companion Gourmet Corn Grilling Set - $14.98

Speaking of grilling, it’s never too soon to start preparing for summer barbecues (or to start dreaming of summer grilling). This set by Charcoal Companion makes it easy for you to grill the sweetest, juiciest part of the barbecue: fresh corn on the cob. The adjustable wire grilling rack holds 4 pieces, allowing perfect roasting of the corn in its husk. Use the rosewood brush to slather on butter, and the 8 accompanying corn-shaped picks  to hold the corn as you chow down. 

Hopefully we’ve whetted you appetite – go check out our clearance sale and find the essential items you need for your kitchen and home!

Save on Food Expenses Now!

One of my major goals for 2012 is to save money. I can see from perusing my bank statements from the last year that one of my biggest expenses is food –from grocery shopping, to eating out, to grabbing coffee in the morning. 

Food expenses can take small bites out of your bank account, adding up to a lot in the end. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to save. Although it might seem go against your instincts, investing now in a few key items will save you money in the future. Here a few inexpensive tools that you should buy now to save on food expenses:

Bodum 12 oz. Porcelain Mugs

1) Travel coffee mugs: Sure, spending $2 every day at your local coffee shop before work seems inconsequential, but it’s not. Depending on what drink you get (I’m talking just plain cups of coffee, not double-tall mocha skinny soy chai latte cappuccino lattes) you can spend up to $500 per year on just coffee. Buy these great porcelain travel mugs by Bodum, make your coffee (or tea) at home, and take it with you to work. Get two of these mugs nowon sale for only $17. (You can still support your local coffee shop on the weekends!)

2) Home canning kit: One of my biggest peeves is wasting food. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found a half-used bag of baby carrots or a box of wilted mushrooms in the back of my refrigerator. One solution: can your veggies. Made a salad and have some cucumber left over? Can it for a July picnic (and save yourself from spending later). Canning is a fun way to turn unused produce into delicious pickled or jellied treats. ChefTools.com has every piece of canning equipment you need.

3) Water bottles and pitchers: You want to stay healthy and hydrated, but you don’t want to keep wasting money and hurting the environment with disposable plastic bottles. Get a reusable water bottle – take it camping, take it to work, take it to the gym. It will last forever and you’ll go back to getting your water for free. ChefTools has a number of great stainless steel Alfi water bottles on sale now, for you and for the kids.

4) Spray bottles and towels: Stop buying $3 bottles chock full of crazy chemicals. Get yourself a spray bottle (like this atomizer), a couple of microfiber cloths, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and some white vinegar. Clean and disinfect any surface with just the peroxide and vinegar in a spray bottle. The microfiber cloths absorb much more than any paper towel, and are washable and reusable until they fall apart (which won’t be for a very long time).

Norpor Compost Container

5) Composting tools: For a long time I was one of those people who marched down to the local garden supply store every spring and bought things like fertilizer, topsoil, and all the rest. But I haven’t done that for years since I started composting. It may take a year or so to start up, but countertop composting can provide you with enough rich soil for your flowerbeds or vegetable garden – just 2 months’ worth of scraps add up to pounds of soil; you’re turning what was once garbage into plant food. Compost is free and it’s loaded with nutrients - your basil never tasted so good, your flowers never bloomed so bright. 

These are just a couple of ways to save, and some have the benefit of being environmentally conscious, and a fun activity. Do you have any tips to save on food expenses?

Happy New Year! Enjoy These Champagne Cocktails

Nelson's Blood

When I was a little kid, I would sometimes browse through my father’s big book of cocktail recipes (I think it was “Bartender’s Black Book”), dreaming about all the cool drinks I could one day have as an adult. The Pointsetta, a mixture of cranberry juice and Champagne or sparkling white, always stood out to me. Maybe it was my love of cranberry juice, or my fear of the taste of whiskey or vodka, but that drink always sounded so refreshing.

Years later (after I was 21, of course), I actually had a Poinsettia at a New Year’s party. The verdict? Extremely delicious. I went on to discover that there are many cool things you can do with Champagne and sparkling white wines. 

Here are a few of my favorite Champagne cocktails, some with my own additions. And don’t forget to visit ChefTools.com and buy a champagnekey or cocktail tools so you can make these drinks right!

Mimosa

A classic Champagne drink, usually served during breakfast or brunch, but tastes good any time. It’s just one part Champagne and 2 parts ice-cold orange juice. I like to add a splash of ginger beer if I’m making these at home. Or, mix the orange juice with some ice, peeled ginger, and sea salt in a blender (to taste) and serve as usual.

French 75

To me, this is just ice, gin, and Champagne. Some recipes call for powdered sugar and lemon rind. If you really want citrus in there, I would use lime or orange; they complement the Champagne better.

Bellini

I’ve only had this drink a few times; it’s a little too time intensive. Mix peach schnapps, peach (or pear, if you want to go nut) juice, lemon juice, and Champagne. The classic recipe calls for fresh picked, fresh squeezed pears – that sounds great, but I neither have access to fresh peaches, nor do I own a juicing machine.  

Nelson’s Blood

I’ve only had this once, and it was a long time ago, but I remember it fondly. Mix 1 part Portuguese dessert wine with 5 parts Champagne.  The result is a sweet, interestingly colored drink.

Do you have any good Champagne cocktail suggestions? Let us know! Have a happy New Year!