Making Room for MUST-Have Cooking Tools (Take 4)

While we're busy DE-cluttering the kitchen for all the good food gatherings to come this year, we're also making room for some new tools to help make delicious entertaining happen.

Here are a few MUST-haves that will be key to our cooking adventures in 2011.

Don't miss Foodie's Night In - We're Fine Cooking at Home!!

Today is going to be such a DELICIOUS day...and could be a very LUCKY one for you!!

We've got a full roster of Fine Cooking editorial expertise lined up to join us for today's Foodies Night In (#fni)!  If you missed Editor Laurie Buckle on What's Hot Radio hosted by Cooking with Caitlin, here's a second chance to get to know a creative force behind Fine Cooking.  What a huge treat!

Here's the full line-up of experts ready to help all savvy hosts and fellow foodies with our fine cooking at home interests, issues and questions:

~ @finecooking and @FC_Laurie - the epicurean editorial team of Fine Cooking including @FC_Laurie @FC_Lisa @FC_Juli @evanbarbour and others!
~ @DorieGreenspan - author of Around My French Table
~ @AbbyDodge - author of Desserts 4 Today
~ @MaitreFromager - Max McCalman, author of Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Conoisseurship from a Maitre Fromager
~ @midwestculinary - The Midwest Culinary Institute
~ @foodandstyle - culinary creative Viviane Bauquet Farre of Food & Style

AND, if that's not enough to get your mouth watering, Kitchen Aid is joining the party with a fantastic PRIZE for the giveaway...keep reading!!

For the Love of Copper

Browsing some of our favorite foodie blogs, a shiny glint of metal caught our eye in David Lebovitz's post Cookware Shops in Paris.



Our love for copper in cookware includes All-Clad (shared in our recent post Must-Have Cooking Tools Take 3) and Mauviel ... our cooking benefits from the excellent conduction of heat from gas burners and our whipped egg whites find that magical "je ne sais quoi" when whipped in a copper bowl.

It was the warm twinkling of copperware from Paris gourmet gear star, E. Dehillerin - the Les Halles cookware specialty shop featuring Cuprinox Extra Thick copper pots and pans (pictured below).

But we'd like to share the beauty and elegance copper offers in another entertaining dimension - outside of the kitchen.

Old World Ambiance

In the home, copper provides a warmth and a glow.

Accenting a living space, or dining area, it brings to mind the great cities of Europe, or the spice markets of India, or an ultra industrial flair.  We like the use low rimmed trays to hold plants on a table, or copper urns and pots to display flower arrangements.

The Great Grilling Debate (sure to ignite flames at your BBQ)

We're just trying to keep the peace.  It seems that along with religion & politics, one should avoid certain grilling and BBQ topics in polite company.

The religion of the grill and the politics of good BBQ make for a fierce debate - as we observed over the weekend as guests at a friend's outdoor event.  A healthy debate was flaming around the grill - and we did what we could to remove the sharp objects away from those taking sides.  Trying to referee this group required many refills of our wine glass.

Steven Raichlen, Elizabeth Karmel and Bobby Flay we're not, but we have done a lot of reading and grilling.  We've posted a bit about grilling (20 Must-Have Grilling Guides, Grilling Like a Pro), and we avidly follow 50 of the best grill-tweetfolk in our BBQ-Entertaining Twitterlist, so we didn't think we were total idiots about these topics.  Apparently, we need to go back to BBQ school to get a proper education.

We'd like to share the contentious topics with you - and see where you draw the lines.  At a minimum, you'll get a sense of where things are hot enough to get burned!

Must-Have Cooking Tools - Take 3

Sharing a few more of the cooking tools we MUST-HAVE in our kitchen to prep for entertaining!

Are any of these favorites of yours?

Microplane® Medium Ribbon Grater
Microplane®  says....
Grates ingredients in both directions, saving time and effort. It is one of the coarsest of the Microplane blade styles.

Blade made of surgical grade stainless steel. Choose between Black, empire red, and cobalt blue plastic handles. Dishwasher safe.  Dimensions: 12" x 1 5/16". Weight: 4 oz.

We recommend rinsing your grater in warm water immediately after each use. Remove particles stuck in the blade from the back side whenever possible. To remove "stuck on food" from the front, first soak the tool in warm water and then use a cleaning brush and stroke in the same direction as the teeth.
Store with blade covered when not in use.

The Savvy Host says...

We so enjoy ALL the Microplane products and love the fact that they originated as woodworking tools.  This handy grater offers an alternative texture and visual appeal to grating apples, horseradish, beets, ginger, cucumbers, cheese and chocolate.  It's extremely useful for adding those "finishing" touches of flavor.  A nice little gift item for someone who loves food preparation.

Must-Have Cooking Tools - Take 2

Back in our own kitchen in the frenzy of spring entertaining, we need to add to our list of Must-Have Cooking Tools with 3 additional items we treasure...

Cuisinart Elite Collection
14-Cup Food Processor

(1) Cuisinart Elite Collection 14-cup Food Processor ~ for quick shredding, mixing, and other food prep on the "QT", we rely on our Cuisinart.  And, did you notice the "14-cup" reference?  Tried for many years to work with the 9-cup and always ended up with overflow.  It's not that the full 14-cup capacity is always needed, but it's those times that you do that make it worthwhile....
BONUS - be sure to download their FREE Cuisinart Recipe Booklet for 71 pages of great entertaining menu ideas...don't be surprised if you get convinced you need the 20-cup model!  Price point ~ $299.00.

Epicurean 18x13-Inch Gourmet Cutting Board

(2) Epicurean Cutting Boards  ~ yes PLURAL!  Thanks to the great recommendations from the staff teaching a cooking course at Chicago's The Chopping Block, the Epicurean line of cutting boards has been a staple in our kitchen for over 5 years.  Easy to clean (they are dishwasher safe!), light-weight and in sizes/shapes to accommodate your workspace, it will be hard to remember how you managed cooking prep before they entered your kitchen.  We're planning to add a full range of Epicurean products - including Pizza Peels and some of their utensils ~ to SavvyHostMarket this Spring!  Price point ~ for example, the Kitchen Series ranges from $11.99-$34.99.

Must-Have Cooking Tools

As we prepped for a week of cooking outside the familiar surroundings of our own kitchen, we realized there are certain tools and gear we just don't want to try to cook without.

(OK - it is possible and we could definitely manage, but the operative word is want ;-)

Here are the Must-Have Cooking Tools we made room in our luggage for this week.

(1) Rösle Garlic Press (retail value $39.00). 
We hate a wimpy garlic press.  When you tend to cook with a lot of garlic, it gets frustrating not be able to mince quickly and smoothly.  This shouldn't an exercise in building hand-strength!  And, then there's clean-up.  We don't like to dig around trying to scrub out the garlic skin inside the basket.  We were introduced to Rösle's version, and have probably spread our garlic-press love with at least 20 friends!!

Here's how Rösle describes this 8" kitchen favorite:
Even unpeeled garlic cloves can be easily processed with the Garlic Press. A special leverage mechanism ensures that minimum effort is required. Sieve component swings up for easy cleaning under running water.
~ Cleverly designed lever system makes pressing effortless.
~ Can press even unpeeled garlic.
~ Large basket holds elephant garlic or several smaller cloves.
~ Completely opens up for easy cleaning, no extra parts that can be lost.  Dishwasher-safe!
~ Special conically shaped and sharpened holes in basket contribute to uniform size and texture of crushed garlic.
~ Handles clip together to make storage easy.
~ Round ring for hanging.

This handy tool is available online from Williams-Sonoma (as pictured above left), Cooking.com and Chefs Catalog.


(2) Microplane Classic Series Zester/Grater (retail value $12.95)
A little lemon zest brightens up so many different dishes.  And limes are a staple for any Caribbean, Mexican, or Vietnamese cuisine.  Microplane's zester makes it so simple and quick to zest citrus (including oranges!) ~ and did we mention it's also ever-so-handy for grating cheese (not to mention ginger and chocolate)??  Truly a jack-of-all trades that we couldn't imagine cooking without...

Microplane offers this background about their Zester:
Originally a woodworking tool, this best seller grates even the hardest Parmesan Reggiano as well as other hard cheeses into fine lacy wisps. Ideal for topping your favorite spaghetti and meatballs or a Caesar salad. It’s also wonderful for effortless citrus zesting to add natural flavors to a lemon crème brulee or a basic vinaigrette.             
~ Dimensions: 12" x 1 5/16"
~ Weight: 4 oz.
~ Materials: Blade made of surgical grade stainless steel. Plastic handle.
~ Dishwasher-safe


Don't you wonder how you've managed without one?  Available online directly from Microplane and in a new soft-handle version (pictured above left) from Sur La Table (you know what we're ordering as soon as this piece is posted!!)

(3) Wusthof Classic 7" Santoku Knife (retail value $80.00)
Cutting a tomato with a dull blade is almost as annoying to us as nails on a chalkboard.  Never knowing what we may find in another kitchen (unless it's the home of another Savvy Host or wannabe chef ;-), when we know we'll be handling several meals, we like to have the comfort of at least one good sharp knife.  Our pick is to pack (though not possible in carry-on luggage remember) a Santoku Knife to be Boy-Scout ready for whatever kitchen prep we may encounter.


Why the fuss about a Santoku knife?  About.com offers this insight:
The word Santoku has Japanese historical significance meaning 'three virtues', and a Santoku knife wears its name quite proudly, with its marvelous chopping, dicing and mincing abilities.  Typically, they range in sizes from 5" to 7" in blade lengths, but smaller ones are available. Sporting a unique styling somewhat like a narrow-bladed cleaver, the Santoku knife is designed for a comfortable, well-balanced grip, while allowing for full blade use. 

Santoku knives are best known for their sharp edges, either beveled or hollow ground, which enhances their cutting performance. Another feature is the 'granton edge' release pattern (scalloped) on the blades that not only adds style, but helps to release thin slices and sticky food after slicing.

We may have our favorite (we like the Wusthof product line, and in particular must-have the Wusthof Asian Cook's Set priced at $79.95), but in selecting a brand, it's really up to your preference whether it's Paula Deen's Santoku or Rachel Ray's or...  We like the Santoku Knife Gallery at Cooking.com for ratings, descriptions and a fantastic selection.

And, to keep it sharp (though maybe not a good tool for on-the-road cooking), don't forget the Wusthof Santoku Sharpener available online for $19.95 from Williams-Sonoma.

Do you share our passion for having the right cooking gear?  What tools do you keep in your kitchen arsenal that are so key to your cooking that you too would make room in your luggage??

And, by the way, this list continues ... more later...