Tools of the Trade – The Certifiable Foodie

Brooklyn Slate Company

The Certifiable Foodie — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 02:15:53 +0000

I recently learned about kindred food passionistas; Sean Tice and Kristy Hadeka’s thriving Brooklyn Slate Company. Kristy, the fourth generation of Hadeka Stone has been harvesting naturally occurring steel blue grey and brick red slate (just like the stuff used in children’s chalkboards, roofs, floors and quaint village sidewalks) from their quarries in the Slate Valley (upstate New York and Vermont) for over 100 years.

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Kitchen Knives, Less Expensive Alternatives

The Certifiable Foodie — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 23:16:22 +0000

I’ve always coveted great kitchen knives. All those Japanese hand forged blades with ebony handles. American bespoke blades forged from ancient storied files and antler handles. I’ve even begun collecting sharp tools wherever I travel.I have to admit, I have a bit of a cutlery addiction. It was the winter of 1993 and I had just settled in San Francisco with a few clams in my pocket. I decided it was high-time to invest in a good set of knives. I was working at Williams Sonoma at the time and had a generous 40% discount on their fabulous cooking tools. I wanted a durable workhorse that wouldn’t need pampering and survive the test of time. I laid down $150 for four Henckels Zwilling knives: 8” and 6” chefs, a 4”paring and a serrated bread knife, all had tough plastic handles and German carbon stainless steel blades. Twenty-one years later, I’m still slicing and dicing with these tough bad boys. If you were to prorate the cost of these knives, they only cost me about $10 a year with sharpening. Not everyone has an employee discount at a luxury kitchen retailer or the dough to invest in great knives. My

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Schmidt Bros. Cutlery

The Certifiable Foodie — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 05:57:00 +0000

I noticed some beautiful new cutlery in West Elm. I was pleasantly surprised to see such reasonably priced knives with Acacia Wood Handles. West Elm has a three piece set which includes an 8” Chef, 7” Serrated Bread Knife and a 4” Pairing Knife for about fifty dollars. I had the good fortune to interview the Schmidt Brothers about their American designed cutlery line. Jared and Jordan Schmidt Can you talk about Schmidt Brothers history and passion for cutlery? The initial history is fairly simple. We are two brothers with the last name Schmidt. That ended up being the inspiration for the name of our brand. As far as the cutlery part, that started as just a project. We grew up around design, with our father being an engineer. We also grew up around food, with our mom always cooking, and our family having a long history of owning restaurants, butcher shops, and delis. As a couple of guys interested in getting into kitchenware, knives seemed like a good starting point. This project developed into a brand as we delved into the world of cutlery. Everything we found either used cheap materials, was poorly designed, cost an arm and

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Take this KitchenAid Out for a Spin on the Dance Floor

The Certifiable Foodie — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 03:23:00 +0000

KitchenAid Custom Made Stand Mixer Have you seen the latest by KitchenAid? They must have been reading my mind, I’ve always dreamt of a leopard skin mixer. As most of you know, I have a pair of leopard skin pants that I wear in the kitchen and I think this might be a perfect wardrobe addition. As rumor has it, the additional $1,500 you’ll pay for this wild thang will support the protection of endangered species. Seriously KitchenAid, what were you thinking? These have to be some of the most hideous designs I’ve ever seen. Anyone who owns or covets a KitchenAid, knows that this is a serious tool that you dream of and caress at the store for years before you get up the nerve to bring one of these icons into your kitchen. KitchenAid has a rainbow of colors and metals from Sunflower Yellow to Copper. Why would anyone pay $2,000 for a basic tilt head KitchenAid mixer when you can purchase a completely respectable machine for $500 or less. KitchenAid, I have worshipped your mixers since I was a child. I refurbished my parents 30 year old wedding gift mixer

A Cover for Every Pot

The Certifiable Foodie — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:17:00 +0000

Pots and Pans Now that you’ve learned about the sharp and pointy part of the repertoire, its was time to build upon the foundation of your new kitchen with the hot and heavy. A kitchen wouldn’t be complete without some metal cooking vessels. Here are a few staples that I’d like to suggest for your kitchen. A Set of Non-Stick Fry Pans There are many options, my suggestion would be that you purchase pans that offer the most metal. I happen to love the the sets by Calphalon, for $69 or less you can purchase two great non stick pans that should last you a good amount of time. These are solid pans with cool handles and they make the transition from stove-top to oven nicely. Stainless Steel Sauce Pots I must admit that I have a very poor view of aluminum cooking vessels. Therefore, you will not see a recommendation for an aluminum put in this post. Aluminum is reactive to food acids and will change the color and taste of many foods. Not to mention, aluminum just doesn’t hold up well and quickly looks disheveled. For this reason, I

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Are You Armed with Kitchen Knives

The Certifiable Foodie — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 06:45:00 +0000

Home kitchen novices, this post is for you Cooking at home from scratch, you must be kidding!!! Cooking can be intimidating and arming yourself with the right equipment downright overwhelming. Where does one begin? Can you get the stuff at the supermarket or hardware store? Do I need to go to a specialty kitchen store? I’ve compiled a list of three knives that are a foundation for any new home cook and places where you might purchase them. The important thing to remember is that human beings have been cooking for centuries and I can assure you, there is more than one way to boil water. My dear friend Kailey in Burkina Faso, West Africa will attest to this. The modern American Kitchen however is plethora of cooking conveniences. Knives Without getting too technical, there are hundreds of different kinds of knives made of everything from plastic to ceramic. Some have but a few very specific tasks and some are considered multi-purpose. I’m going to focus squarely on multi-purpose knives that will establish an important foundation in your orchestra of kitchen tools. Don’t get too awed by knife blocks that come with a cornucopia of 10-25 different

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