Displaying items by tag: Compliments to the Chef, Paula and John Reardon

Wednesday, 30 January 2019 19:00

Hearty Meals

Hello my Foodie Friends!

Burrrr…the winter months are truly in force. When the temperature drops, it’s time to head to the kitchen to make a hearty, warming meal. Winter comfort food is all about hearty casseroles, chili, and warming stews. We love anything that gets slow-cooked, roasted or baked for maximum coziness.

This time of year brings back memories of growing up in an Italian/ Irish household (passionate mix).  My fondest childhood memories were of all of my Aunts and Uncles coming over with my cousins. The house was full of activity, laughter, and of course, tons of food.  The women in our family would conjure up traditional family recipes for all of us to devour while the men in the family chatted about politics, sports, and general life issues. One of my mom’s precious cooking tools was the cast iron Dutch oven. I can recall the smells of sauce, stews, and soups being made in this versatile vessel. They were in every one of my friends’ kitchens also.  It was one of my favorites as head dishwasher in the family because it was the easiest pot to clean since there was no soap used and just hot water and a stiff brush and you were done. When mom said to get the Dutch oven out of the cabinet and put it on the stove we knew we were in for a great meal. 

I have had many customers stop in and talk about how they love their Dutch ovens and how they use it for just about everything. A Dutch oven is the most versatile pot in your kitchen: a soup pot, a deep fryer, a braiser, a roaster, an enclosed bread oven, and the perfect vessel for one-dish meals. A good Dutch oven is a kitchen essential, heavy and thick enough to conduct and retain heat and deep enough to handle large cuts of meat and quarts of cooking liquid. So many customers have discussed how they bake bread, make stews, or their favorite sauces or soups in their LeCreuset, Staub, or Lodge Dutch oven. Dutch ovens are tall, heavy pots with tight-fitting lids. They are used primarily for slow-cooking methods such as braising and stewing. “Dutch oven” is the generic term for these pots. The often rustic all-iron Dutch ovens can be used both on stove tops and in ovens, and some can be used over and under coals. The more stylish Dutch ovens specifically are known for their ability to go from the stove top--for quick starting techniques such as browning--straight into the oven for the longer cooking process. 

At Compliments to the Chef, we carry LeCreuset, Staub, and Lodge Dutch ovens. 

What a weekend ahead!! This weekend is Chowderfest in Saratoga Springs on Saturday and the Super Bowl on Sunday. This is a perfect time to make your favorite hearty culinary delight. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery Store located at 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga Springs to help you prepare for this weekend’s festivities. Become a Chowderhead!! Get ready for the weekend with this delicious Chili recipe. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

 Take Care,
John & Paula

FirehouseChili

Published in Food
Wednesday, 23 January 2019 19:00

A Little Bit of Salt & Pepper

Hello my Foodie Friends!

During these winter months, we tend to spend more time indoors; offering us time to break out of our routines to explore new and exciting culinary experiences that may include delving into that recipe that you have always wanted to try. An interesting point I have found is that recipes almost always call for both salt and pepper. This is due to the fact that salt and pepper are used to enhance and add flavor, respectively. Seasoning is about improving the flavor of your food mostly via the addition of salt and pepper. Although herbs, spices, sweet things and acidic things can also be considered seasoning, salt and pepper is typically found in most recipes. A seasoning is anything you add to your food to enhance the flavor. That can be salt, pepper, herbs, spices, and even citrus like lemon juice. Like so many things, there’s a right way to season your food and a wrong way. They are staples on every American dining table and the requisite ingredients in virtually every European cuisine, so inseparable that polite society dictates they always be passed together. Salt and pepper are the undisputed champions of condiments.

“Season with salt and pepper” is a common way to end a recipe. The point is the salt should enhance flavor; unless the saltiness actually is the primary flavor, you shouldn’t actually taste the salt. Pepper, and other spices, can actually be tasted, though to varying degrees depending on the amount and composition of flavors. Thus, if you’re trying to achieve a flavor other than pepper, you should use a different seasoning. But pepper is one of the most versatile and compatible flavors, and thus is used in almost all recipes.

How did salt and pepper become so popular? Since we need salt to survive, it has been a highly valued commodity throughout history. Salt has helped build early civilizations, driven empires, and even been used as currency. Roman soldiers were paid in salt, or “sale” in Italian (and “sal” in Spanish), which grew into the modern English word of “salary.” Black pepper, though not universally needed like salt, is an equally-valued commodity throughout the West—one so popular that it has arguably changed the course of history. However, it wasn’t always this highly prized. You see, black pepper is native to Southeast Asia—specifically Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Malabar Coast of India, where it has been a staple in local cooking since the second century BC.

An essential culinary tool to have in your home is the pepper and salt grinder. At Compliments to the Chef, we carry Peugeot pepper and salt mills. 

The Peugeot pepper mill has been reinventing itself for over 160 years. With its historical savoir-faire and craftsmanship in the manufacture of steel, and its desire to enhance everyday objects with beauty and elegance, Peugeot has combined functionality and refinement in mechanisms designed to make every task a joy. Manufactured in steel, with the u’Select patented adjustable grinding system, wear-resistant and guaranteed for life, the Peugeot pepper mill benefits from a specific treatment that protects it from corrosion and preserves its cutting edge which chops the peppercorns rather than crushing them. It offers a grind that can be adjusted, from coarse to the finest, to bring out all the intensity and character of the aromas of pepper and reveal the subtlety of its flavors.

Because the pepper is ground at the last moment to obtain the full benefit of its aromas, the Peugeot Paris u’Select manual pepper mill is the ideal instrument. With its ingenious grinding adjustment system, you can very simply choose the pepper coarseness that is best suited to your culinary creations. When ground very finely, the pepper highlights its spice. Conversely, when ground more coarsely, unexpected aromas are highlighted. In the kitchen or at the table, this mill will create a sensation with your guests.

The Peugeot salt mill is a perfect embodiment of this generosity. It is equipped with a Peugeot steel mechanism, which comes with a lifetime guarantee, and incorporates into its base the u’Select patented grinding adjustment system allowing you to select the right coarseness for your food without any problem. You can therefore easily season your culinary creations. For more than 200 years, Peugeot has been imagining, designing and manufacturing the objects for daily life, aiming for ease of use and the truest expression of flavors. This constantly renewed engineering prowess has made the Peugeot brand the undisputed benchmark for mills. They are simply beautiful to have in your kitchens and your dining tables. 

Stop by Compliments to the Chef located at 33 Railroad Place, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to check out these wonderful mills. This winter, explore food together with your family and friends. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

CardamomChix

Published in Food
Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:00

Healthy Eatings

Hello my Foodie Friends!

As we progress into the month of January, the challenge becomes holding onto and maintaining those New Years Resolutions. For Paula and me it is about making better and healthier food choices. There is more than one way to eat healthfully and everyone has their own eating style. Making healthier choices can reflect your preferences, culture, traditions, and budget. Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, improving your health, and boosting your mood. Create an eating style that can improve your health now and in the future by making small changes over time. Consider changes that reflect your personal preferences, culture and traditions. Think of each change as a “win” as you build positive habits and find solutions that reflect your healthy eating style. 

At Compliments to the Chef, we have many cooking vessels and tools that can assist with your quest to eat healthier. One very popular item we have is the vegetable spiralizer. The spiralizer is a unique kitchen gadget that can turn all your favorite vegetables into delicious zoodle recipes you can add to any meal. Probably everyone’s favorite reason for spiralizing is that spiralized vegetables are mostly light in calories, carbs, fat and sugar. By spiralizing, you’re naturally eating more vegetables – without even noticing (especially when they’re covered in a delicious tomato basil sauce!) This small shift in the way you eat helps lead to weight loss, because you’re consuming more vegetables and less processed foods while still remaining satisfied. Vegetables are high in water (such as zucchinis) and help detox your body, ridding it of unwanted toxins and leaving you refreshed and hydrated. Vegetables have an abundance of dietary fiber, which helps keep you fuller longer and helps with your everyday digestion. Certain vegetables even help spike the metabolism, such as zucchinis. Most importantly, after eating a bowl of vegetable noodles, you’re left feeling light and energized – ready to have a productive and healthy day, which means you’ll be more motivated to exercise and eat well.

What are the best veggies for spiraling? You can transform all sorts of vegetables into noodles, but the best candidates are those that are firm (not floppy) and long or that can be cut long (if you want long spaghetti that you can easily spiral). One of the best aspects of veggie noodles is their spectacular names. Here are some of the best vegetables for spiraling:

•Zoodles (zucchini noodles)
•Coodles (carrot noodles)
•Swoodles (sweet potato noodles)
•Squoodles (squash noodles)
•Boodles (broccoli stem noodles)
•Poodles (parsnip noodles)
•Toodles (turnip noodles)

We carry several types of spiralizers. However, one of our favorites is the OXO Good Grips Easy Twist Spiralizer. This is a great tool to spiralize foods such as zucchini, squash, carrots, potatoes and more. There are three cutting options: thick and thin julienne and ribbon, and includes easy adjustable rotating blade settings with no loose blades. The Easy Twist Spiralizer has silicone capped feet for stable slicing - no suction base required. It is faster and safer than a knife, with a fun and unique end result. 

Stop by Compliments to the Chef located at 33 Railroad Place, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to pick up cool tools to help you with healthy eating. Make healthy eating a family event. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

ZoodleSoup

Published in Food
Thursday, 10 January 2019 12:49

A Promise...Scaling Down

Hello my Foodie Friendsand welcome 2019!

One of the definitions of the word Resolution is: a promise to yourself that you will make a serious effort to do something that you should do:

He made a resolution to lose weight. (He resolved to lose weight)

Her New Year’s resolution (Her promise to do something differently in the New Year) is to exercise regularly.

Making New Year’s resolutions and resolving to change and improve yourself and your life is an almost unavoidable part of the transition to a new year. Though it’s a pretty well documented fact that most New Year’s resolutions fail, we keep making them—and we’re not alone. The custom of making New Year’s resolutions is most common in the West, but it happens all over the world.  Losing weight, eating healthier, getting fit, improving our health, or getting back in shape are among the most popular resolutions made every New Years.  Unfortunately, this is a resolution that we tend to remake year after year. It can be daunting when your list of New Year’s Resolutions is as long as your holiday shopping list. In addition to the post-holiday slump, not being able to keep your resolutions by February, March or even late January may increase your anxiety. When your holiday decorations are packed up and stored away, the frustration of an unused gym membership or other reminders of failed resolutions can make the later winter months feel hopeless.

However, it is important to remember that the New Year isn’t meant to serve as a catalyst for sweeping character changes. It is a time for people to reflect on their past year’s behavior and promise to make positive lifestyle changes.  By making your resolutions realistic, there is a greater chance that you will keep them throughout the year, incorporating healthy behavior into your everyday life.  Making healthier food choices can help with improving the quality of your diet.  However, regulating the size of food portions is a simple process that can help with weight loss.  Weighing out food before it is eaten is a convenient method of controlling portion sizes and is something you can easily do at home with basic kitchen equipment. A digital kitchen scale help with measuring. 

A pointer to assist with weighing: Weigh out the desired portion size. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a standard portion for most meats and fish is 3 ounces. Look for portion size information on packages and use on-line resources such as MyPyramid.gov to learn about the recommended portion size of other foods. Weigh the food before it has been washed or cooked. Place the plate of food on the scale. The calibrated scale will measure the weight of the food only. Remove or add more of the foods until you reach the required portion. You can remove the plate as many times as you like provided that you do not press the tally button for a second time. For Food Safety reasons, you need to wash the plate thoroughly with hot water and detergent between weighing different foods.

Keeping our Promise to scale down as a part of those New Year’s resolutions can require using the right tools to make it work.  Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga Springs to select a digital scale to assist with weighing ounces, pounds, fluid ounces, grams, and milliliters. Also, stay in touch so we can compare notes and keep encouraging each other to keep our promise to ourselves. 

We wish you all a happy, healthy, and fun in the kitchen 2019! Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

 Take Care,

John & Paula

LentilQuinoaChili

Published in Food
Thursday, 03 January 2019 19:00

Lucky New Year’s Food

Hello my Foodie Friends!

It’s that time again for us here at Compliments to the Chef to thank all the wonderful acquaintances that have helped us throughout the year.  As Clarence said to George Bailey, “No man is a failure who has friends.” We have foodie friends which is even better!  So many great people have come through our door with questions and some with suggestions. We believe that we have a great extended family who shares in our joy of cooking and creating our own masterpiece meals. As we welcome in the New Year and begin 2019, memories of some New Year traditions come to mind.  Upon meeting my wife Paula, I had the opportunity to be exposed to some of the southern traditions her mother made based on her father’s background growing up in Virginia.  The serving of black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day has been considered a lucky New Year’s food that dates back almost 1500 years.  The tradition arrived in America during the 1930’s in Georgia and spread after the Civil War.  In the Southern states, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is considered good luck to bring prosperity to the New Year.  The traditional meal includes collards, turnips, or mustard greens, and ham.  The swelling of the black-eyed peas symbolizes prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the ham represents positive motion.  Here is a great recipe that includes all of the ingredients we hope brings good luck to you for 2019.

We have beautiful round cast iron Dutch ovens from Le Creuset, Staub, and Lodge that can help you with this wonderful dish. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store at 33 Railroad Place to pick up your cool tools for cooks to help with your culinary preparations. 

“Although the nights could be dark
The days are almost always bright
I want that your life
C
onstantly be full of the glowing light
Of a Gifted “New Year”
So here is wishing you and your nearest and dearest
A Very Happy New Year 2019.”

Remember my Food Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen!” Make magical memories. 

 

 Take Care,
John & Paula

BlackEyedPeas

Published in Food
Thursday, 20 December 2018 13:41

Christmas Around the World

Hello my Foodie Friends!

This time of year brings many family reunions, friendship gatherings, and special events that include great food and fun times. The holiday season is celebrated in myriad ways around the world.  Every family has their own traditions that are rooted in cultural customs that go back for many generations. However, there is one similarity with these traditions that spans across the globe – food.  Different cultures celebrate their holidays in different ways, but cooking and enjoying special foods and drinks is a tradition that transcends throughout the world and all religions. 

Paella is one of our family’s favorite dishes and is the iconic rice dish of Spain. Cooked with care, but not requiring the fussy attention of a risotto, it’s the perfect way to cap off a happy Christmas celebration. The dish has the further advantage of customization and built-in appropriateness for a couple of different special diets -- it naturally has no gluten and no dairy. Vegetarians may forgo the typical use of Spanish sausage and chicken, using a vegetable stock to cook the rice. Those that love seafood can find plenty to love going all seafood with a seafood stock to complement the required rice, saffron, tomatoes and olive oil.

Paella is a perfect party dish because it’s a one-pot meal, and because it feeds a crowd. Paella is a rice dish from Spain that has become very popular and is known around the world. It originated in the fields of a region called Valencia in eastern Spain. Paella is meant to show off the rice itself and to highlight a few special ingredients. These can be vegetables, fish, shellfish or meat including sausage in seafood paella and you may also find chicken in it. Do not forget the saffron -- it is the essential spice of the dish.

Whatever paella you make, it should use short- or medium-grain rice, which should be cooked uncovered in a flavorful stock. Spanish Bomba rice is the best to use. It’s fun to make paella over a grill or on the stove.  However, it is important that you have the right pan for this dish; the Paella Pan!  The Paella pan should be shallow and have sloping sides, which helps the rice cook evenly and develops more intense flavor. As the pans get larger, they grow in diameter rather than depth, which allows for more delicious socarrat. And like all authentic paella pans, they do not have matching lids (since paella is traditionally cooked in an open pan). We sell the traditional carbon steel pans and some stainless steel pans.  Either will work well for you. A good pan has dimples on the bottom to serve several functions.  They trap small amounts of liquid and thus promote even cooking, they make the pan rigid, and they prevent warping. Now what the heck is socarrat?   When you make paella, socarrat is the caramelized bottom layer of rice that sometimes forms on the pan. Many people consider the socarrat the prized part of the paella.  Also, there is speculation that socarrat has aphrodisiac powers, and that it is what fuels the passion of those renowned Spanish lovers. I myself am Irish, French and Italian so the passion is taken care of by the French and Italian parts. But I might like a little Antonio Banderas side of me to crop up from time to time!  How about: tu es muy bonita Paula? If you are not sure what dish to serve for your holiday meal; consider Paella. At Compliments to the Chef; Your neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery Store, located at 33 Railroad Place, we sell various sizes of Paella pans and other cooking tools to help you with your creation. 

During the holiday season, the frantic pace of work and school, life slows temporarily and we settle into the celebrations of the season. We toast the successes we’ve had in the preceding months, reflect on the life we’ve lived and rejoice with our loved ones. Create your holiday traditions. It’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas! Stop by for the holiday supplies you need to eat, drink and be merry with family and friends. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 

 Take Care & Happy Holidays,
John & Paula

Paella

Published in Food
Thursday, 13 December 2018 13:56

A Gift Worth Giving

Hello my Foodie Friends!

The stress of the holiday season is often compounded by the task of finding that special gift for that someone who has everything. 

I recall one of my family members mentioned that she and her husband keep their knives very dull so as to minimize the potential of injury. I noted that this has become a problem that requires a solution, but they’ve arrived at the wrong one. Even the finest knives will dull with regular use, but periodic sharpening will restore the blade’s keen edge. A dull knife requires greater force, tears at food, tires the hand and increases the odds of cutting yourself. Dull knives cause infinitely worse and more frequent injuries than sharp ones for a few reasons. Dull knives require more pressure to use, which can make them prone to slipping. And if they do, they hit with that much more force, and result in a more ragged, much harder to heal injury than one a sharp knife would make. Yes, it’s possible to sharpen and hone your knives at home, and it’s something everyone should do to preserve the integrity of your blades (and, again, stay safe) but here in the thick of the holidays, forestalling kitchen bloodshed should be one of your priorities. If you have your knives sharpened by a professional once or twice a year, you can maintain them without too much hassle. So, let me set your knife edge to factory sharp so you can concentrate on other holiday matters. It’s OK to be kind to yourself sometimes. You can tell when your knife is dull, but a good rule of thumb is to try to slice through a tomato or a piece of paper. If the blade goes through anything but easily, it’s time to sharpen or have them sharpened by John.

Once you get your knives professionally sharpened, it is important to keep them sharp. I will go into brands when you stop in and share a cup of Joe with me on some cold winter’s day.  The best advice I can give is that a good knife is the one that best fits your hand and is  sharp!  You could own the most expensive knife in the world but if it’s dull it’s not as good as a sharp $10 knife. 

Even a good knife will lose some of its sharpness with time. However, sharpening a knife is easy if you have the right tool and know how to use it.  Great tools help yield great results. A steel or a hand sharpener can help make your knives last a lifetime. Here are some options on how to keep your knife sharp once they are sharpened by a Pro (me): 

With a Honing steel:
Generally three different materials are being used for Honing steels. 
•Chromium-plated honing steel: Sharpening steels with a chromium-plated, grooved surface deliver a good re-sharpening result and are relatively immune to damages (my favorite).
•Ceramics: Sharpening steels with a ceramics blade sharpen gently and carefully. However, the ceramics blade is sensitive to shock. A fall can easily damage it.
•Diamond: Honing steels with a diamond coating of the blade deliver a particularly fine re-sharpening result. The average life span is shorter, though, because the coating tends to wear off with time.

How to sharpen knives correctly:
•Place the knife blade against the tip of the sharpening steel at an angle of approximately 20 degrees and 15 degrees for Asian style knives.
•Pull the knife down and across the steel, describing a slight arc. 
•Repeat this action on the back of the steel to sharpen the other side of the blade. 
•Repeat steps 2 and 3 five to ten times, alternating the left and right side of the blade.

It is very important to maintain the angle of 20 or 15 degrees and to run the full length of the cutting edge along the steel from the hilt to the tip of the knife. The speed of the movement is not important.  Use finesse not brute force! 

With a Two Stage Hand Sharpener:
•Place your sharpener on a flat surface. Hold the sharpener with one hand and the knife handle with the other. Insert knife blade fully into the slot.
•Apply moderate downward pressure (remember finesse) on the blade while pulling the knife toward you through the appropriate notch.
•Repeat this action, always pulling from heel to tip (never back and forth) through the carbide or the ceramic notch.

The first stage carbide (coarse) sharpens dull edges.  The second stage ceramic (fine) provides a polished, razor sharp edge.  A reasonably sharp knife may only require light honing. 

Not sure what to give this holiday season? Find that unique, unexpected gift for the person who already has everything and give the gift of professionally sharpened knives. It is a gift worth giving.  At Compliments to the Chef, your neighborhood kitchen and cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, we professionally sharpen knives. Stop in and ask me any questions you may have. A great knife is in the hand of the beholder and a sharp knife is up to you. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

 Take Care & Happy Holidays,
John & Paula

Published in Food
Wednesday, 05 December 2018 19:00

Cutting Edge

Hello my Foodie Friends!

As most of my Foodie Friends know, I am a heavy steel knife type of guy.  I was intrigued, however, when a representative from the Kyocera Company stopped in to my store in 2004.  I asked him why I would want a “plastic looking knife” over a carbon steel knife? He smiled and said “show me how sharp your steel one is”.  I reached for one of my best knives and sliced a paper clean with no trouble with a smooth slice sound.  I responded, “Now beat that!” Well, it was close to that song where: “fire blew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow” as he took his knife and sliced the same type of paper.  I then exclaimed “no sound, you missed!” Then I watched the paper float away as if a warm summer wind just decided to take it for a ride in my store. I was hooked. A sharp knife is a cook’s best friend.  This is evident with the use of a ceramic knife that offers tremendous ease and saves time as we cut up soft fruits, vegetables and boneless meats.  Ceramics are a fun and interesting breed of knife that are deceivingly sharp.  Professionals and home cooks use ceramic knives due to their sharpness, strength, density, and precision making it a great tool to add to your culinary collection. Kyocera ceramic knives are the perfect compliment to your cutlery at home. As soon as you pick up a Kyocera ceramic knife, you will be intrigued with the benefits of using ceramics. The knife is light in weight yet balances perfectly in your palm. It is excellent for slicing fruits, vegetables, and boneless meats. The blade is ground to razor sharp perfection and holds their edge 10 times longer than other professional cutlery. Ceramic knives will not brown foods or transfer a metallic taste or smell.  Ceramic is impervious to acids, oils, and salts. The blades will never rust. 

Ceramic knives are intended to complement, not replace your cutlery. Use steel for carving, prying, and boning product.  Ceramic knives come in a variety of sizes making them perfect for all types of culinary tasks. Because of the manufacturing process, the blades of a ceramic knife are flat and free from waves. As a result of this technological advantage, the edges need to be ground with a diamond wheel or diamond sharpener.  Traditional knife sharpeners cannot sharpen a ceramic knife. Kyocera has a life time program for sharpening their ceramic knives.  You can also purchase one of their sharpeners made specifically for their ceramic knives. 

Caring for your ceramic knife is important to ensure proper care and the prolonged life of the knife:
- Exercise necessary caution when working, as the blades are very sharp.
- Ceramic knives are intended for the cutting of food. They are unsuitable for hitting and levering.
- Ceramic blades are not shock resistant! Do not allow the knife to fall onto a hard floor or similar surfaces!
- To ensure that the blade remains sharp over a long period, we recommend the use of a cutting surface made from wood or plastic.
- Never try to cut hard objects such as frozen food, bones, metal, etc!
- Never hold the knife in an open fire (high conductance of heat)!
- Never clean with a wire brush!
- Hand wash with a mild detergent.
- Storein a protective sheath.
- Cleaning in a dishwasher is not recommended, unless it can be ensured that the knife cannot come into contact with other objects.
- Store out of the reach of children!

Ceramics are a cutting edge technology that can help make your culinary prep easier and fun.  Stop by Compliments to the Chef - your neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, shop for your traditional holiday season culinary needs. Looking for something different to give? Ceramic knives can be a very unique and useful gift to give this holiday season. Remember: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Spicy chicken with rhubard cuc salsa

Published in Food
Thursday, 29 November 2018 12:59

“An Eiffel of Beauty and Performance”

"Bonjour mes amis gourmands!”

I hope the holiday season is off to a magical start for everyone.  We want to thank our community for the wonderful support on Small Business Saturday.  We are so thankful for our foodie followers that even think of coming to Compliments to the Chef to fulfill their culinary needs and to purchase holiday treasures for friends and family. French is such a beautiful language to listen to. Along with the language is the food and cookware that comes from France. We have a line of cookware from a company called De Buyer. Thanks to more than 180 years of experience working with various metals such as steel, stainless steel, copper and aluminum, De Buyer is recognized as a leading brand in the creation of products, expertise and excellence in cooking utensils. De Buyer’s cookware and tools are greatly appreciated by culinary Professionals throughout the world. The company has received awards of distinction by the EPV (Living Heritage Company) and the French government. The De Buyer B Element French Collection version is made with a cast stainless steel riveted handle inspired by the Eiffel Tower. It is a beautiful and ergonomic handle. The pan is an elegant, modern pan, perfect for buffets, outdoor dining or for the table. The thick heavy iron pan is coated in an Organic Bees Wax finish that allows for a natural anti-oxidation protection and facilitates seasoning with improved natural non-stick properties. The pan has enhanced non-stick qualities when used for the first time. The De Buyer B Element cookware is excellent for the caramelization of food. Users tip: preheat using a little fat. Care: Season when first used. Deglaze, rinse with warm water, dry and lightly oil. Store the pan in a dry place. Do not use detergents or put in the dishwasher. The De Buyer B Element cookware can be used on all cook tops including induction.  The French Collection is a gorgeous way of getting this cookware into your home. There is also the Mineral B Element with the Riveted handle curved in French-style for easy handling and is ergonomic. As everyone already knows, I am over 16 percent French and that is just enough to get me in trouble with their food and cookware.  I love using these pans since they are so easy to use and clean up. Their price is a lot less than you think and if you’re worried, start with a small one. 

At Compliments to the Chef located at 33 Railroad Place, we carry this fabulous line of cookware.  If you are looking for that new, different, wonderful pan for that “special culinary someone” this holiday season, stop by Compliments to the Chef -  your neighborhood kitchen and cutlery store - and take a look at the various assortment of “cool tools” we have for cooks. Julia Childs gave some interesting advice from her book, My Life in France: “This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” Have fun cooking with your family and friends this season. Stop by our store this season and find those culinary must haves. Remember; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Save the dates for these upcoming demos at Compliments to the Chef: 

• Simple Holiday Appetizers 
   Thursday, December 6 

   5:30 – 6:30 p.m. 
   “The Soup Sisters” - Susan Garth (former chef/owner of Dish Bistro) and
    Nancy Holzman (former chef/owner of Good Morning Cafe). Hosted by Soups4You. 

• Learning the Essentials of Knife Cuts and Stock-Making
   Saturday, December 15

   1 – 3 p.m. 
   Demonstrated by Chef Rocco Verrigni.
   Master basic knife cuts to be used in stock-making and soups. 

Published in Food
Tuesday, 20 November 2018 13:46

"Here’s to Looking at You, Kid...”

Hello my Foodie Friends!

The holiday season is a great time to reminisce and bring up the stories that are told time and time again. Many family traditions have to do with holidays and holiday food and the stories that soon become part of our traditions. These traditions can strengthen family bonds, contribute to your children’s identity and well-being, and create lasting memories. Each Thanksgiving we sit around the kitchen table, smile and retell a story about our time together before Paula and I had children. That is when our one baby was our dog Bogie. He was named after Humphrey Bogart and he loved to roam between our house and our neighbors next door. This was before invisible fences and we didn’t have the money for a regular fence. Bogie was a German Shepherd/Black Lab mix puppy when we rescued him. His color was pure black, and he grew very fast to 100 pounds of muscle. He was the happiest dog in the world and loved by both our family and our friends next door, Ron and Deedy, whose children were now grown. Bogie could make anyone feel like they were his favorite person in the world. He would go over to visit Ron and Deedy who were passionate foodies, every day. He always came back carrying leftovers which were usually a big steak or ham bone. They loved him as much as we did. Bogie would, however, test your love from time to time by taking food that wasn’t offered to him. There was the Halloween party that stopped dead in its tracks as all of our guests watched in amazement as Bogie took an entire pizza down the hallway and quickly devoured it. He never stole food from Ron and Deedy until his thievery reached legendary status on Thanksgiving 1989. There was a knock on our door and it was Ron. He had his head down and in a sad voice he said; “John, Bogie stole two of the mincemeat pies I had baked for Thanksgiving”. I responded to Ron with a mixture of denial and embarrassment; “Are you sure, how do you know”?  Ron said he put his pie on the roof of his 1989 Mercury Marquis, with 3 miles on it, in the garage to cool. When he opened the garage door to go out, he forgot to close it. When he came back, there were no pies. However, there were paw prints on the hood of his beloved Marquis. Those prints then headed in the direction of our house. Ron and I then found the empty, perfectly cleaned, pie tins. I apologized and offered to pay for the pies, but Ron laughed and told me not to worry. He said he would have to think of a new place to cool his pies and remember to close the door next time. Although it has been many years since this happened, Ron can still tell this story like it happened yesterday. We still love to go over to their house and have a cup of coffee and talk about Bogie. Where did we find the dog after his caper? He was curled up by Paula’s legs in the kitchen sleeping it off. I think this was “the start of a beautiful friendship.” 

At Compliments to the Chef we carry everything you need to make your favorite pie this season; including cooling racks (versus the Mercury Marquis!), pie chains, pie plates, and all of your baking cool tools. Keep your pies safe! Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” Enjoy the holiday season baking and making forever interesting memories. Stop by Compliments to the Chef - Your neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, shop for your traditional holiday season culinary needs.

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Mincemeat

Published in Food
Page 14 of 16

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