January 29, 2013
Garlic: To Press Or Not To Press (+ a Giveaway!)
{See below about winning the garlic press to end all garlic presses.}
Over the years, I've gone back and forth on this burning issue: is it a good idea to press garlic?
The question sparks surprisingly violent debates, and often there's an undercurrent of judgment ("real cooks just chop") that I find out of place in any cooking discussion: there's no single right way of doing anything, just different skills and circumstances.
As far as I can...
"Garlic: To Press Or Not To Press (+ a Giveaway!)" continues »
November 23, 2011
Bear Claws (Growling Optional)
This post has been eight years in the making.
Eight years ago, Maxence and I visited friends in London. On the night we arrived, Zoe made lasagna and a big green salad, which she proceeded to toss in the bowl using two gorgeous wooden instruments, shaped like four-clawed bear paws.
If this had been a cartoon, you would have seen me hypnotically drilling my gaze into her hands, red and white spirals spinning in my eyes. "Where does one find th...
"Bear Claws (Growling Optional)" continues »
October 13, 2010
I Heart My Pressure Cooker
I grew up in a household where the hiss and huff of the pressure cooker was a familiar kitchen melody.
My mother owned a large specimen of what the French commonly call une cocotte minute -- this is a brand name to the generic, and less endearing, term autocuiseur -- and I seem to remember she used it mostly to boil or steam vegetables, such as potatoes and globe artichokes, or the cauliflower for her gratin de chou-fleur.
I myself went with...
"I Heart My Pressure Cooker" continues »
July 21, 2008
The Dough Whisk
I recently told someone that I was totally over my phase of buying kitchen stuff all the time. With a straight face, I explained that I was content with my current equipment, and that I needed nothing more, really.
I'm afraid this is true in a distorted version of reality that exists only in my head.
I can delude myself all I want, but the fact remains that, over the past three months, I have acquired a little more than zero utensils. I will ...
June 4, 2008
Sesame Mill: The Gadget You Never Knew You Needed
While in New York last month, Maxence and I had lunch at Ippudo, a ramen place that's the first American outpost of a popular Japanese chain. The decor was super sleek and the ramen excellent, but what really got me excited was the sesame mill that was propped on our table, keeping the shôyu company.
It was a simple thing, really: a plastic see-through container filled with toasted sesame seeds, mounted with a red cranking wheel and an open mo...
"Sesame Mill: The Gadget You Never Knew You Needed" continues »
January 11, 2008
If There Could Only Be Five
If you keep an eye on my book list, you may have noticed I am currently reading Michael Ruhlman's recently published, orange book*. In The Elements of Cooking, he proposes to break down and discuss the building blocks of the cooking craft, like William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White did for writers in their classic little volume The Elements of Style, to which the title and format are a homage.
It is an engaging and educational read that retains a s...
"If There Could Only Be Five" continues »
September 17, 2007
Mon Laguiole
[Laguiole Pocket Knife]
All right, I'm back! Technically, I have been back from my vacation for ten days, but as soon as I returned, I left again to be a witness at the wedding of two of my favorite people in the world, an honor and a duty that I took very seriously, although they ended up requiring very little work from me -- the purchase of a pretty dress, the signing of a registry, and, at one point, the making of a salad dressing.
No soon...
August 8, 2007
Sorbet Mangue
[Mango Sorbet]
La sorbetière (ice cream maker) is up there with la yaourtière (yogurt maker) in the list of appliances that were hot Mother's Day gifts in the seventies but ended up in said mother's attic pronto.
And yet, when Maxence came home with my birthday present and it was a bulky box hiding a spaceship of a sorbetière, I could not have been happier: first of all, he got the idea from a conversation we had weeks ago during which I wasn...
December 8, 2006
Kitchen Toolbox, Part III
[Looking for Part I and Part II?]
Sharp things
I am not a knife geek, so you won't find any opinionated, my-knives-are-holier-than-thine talk here. The three simple pointers I can share are: 1- you should first and foremost choose knives that feel comfortable, hefty (but not heavy), and well-balanced in your hand, 2- a high price doesn't necessarily equate a high performance (see edifying rating here), and 3- less is more. Here's my basic kit...
"Kitchen Toolbox, Part III" continues »
December 6, 2006
Kitchen Toolbox, Part II
[Part I can be found here.]
Utensils
- A slotted turner, to lift and turn food in the skillet or sauté pan. Choose a heat-resistant one made of silicone or nylon so it won't scrape your pans.
- A pair of locking tongs, to grab, flip, and arrange food in the pan as precisely as if you were using your fingers, minus the burns.
- Wooden spoons, to stir and mix. It's nice to have at least two of these. Choose them with a long handle (about 30cm/1...
"Kitchen Toolbox, Part II" continues »
December 4, 2006
Kitchen Toolbox, Part I
I have recently received several emails from readers who were asking if I could share my ideal set of kitchen equipment. I can't think of a more fitting time of year to do so, as some of these tools may make good items to add to your wish list if, like me, you are usually stumped when people ask what sort of gift you would like to receive.
The following list, which will be published in three installments, is a very personal one I've establishe...
"Kitchen Toolbox, Part I" continues »
September 8, 2006
Conversions & Equivalents
Americans typically measure ingredients by volume, while the French measure them by weight. Being a bit of a transatlantic cook myself, I own a set of measuring cups and spoons (somewhat worn by years of dishwasher abuse) as well as a digital scale. I feel comfortable with both philosophies, but I prefer the gram/kilo system because it introduces very little human error bias -- the most eloquent illustration is found in the measurement of flour...
"Conversions & Equivalents" continues »
July 30, 2006
Coquelle Jaune Poussin
[Chick Yellow Coquelle]
Please join me in welcoming this yellow addition to my cocotte collection! Coquelle is a line of Le Creuset cast-iron pots designed by Raymond Loewy in 1958. They come in different colors, shapes, and sizes, but all of them share the same old-fashioned futuristic look, as if they were just about to take off from your stove and fly away to some distant planet where unattended stews do not scorch enamel and milk does not ...
"Coquelle Jaune Poussin" continues »
April 10, 2006
L'Aide de Cuisine
[The KitchenAid]
I have given in to the demon of temptation, and I can tell you this: it is poppy red, it weighs twenty-two pounds, and it comes with a dough hook, a flat beater, a wire whisk, and a stainless steel bowl (which conveniently doubles up as a kitchen mirror).
After so many years of lusting and wishing and yearning, resisting the urge because a stand mixer is not exactly cheap and counter space is a scarce commodity, I finally cav...
"L'Aide de Cuisine" continues »
January 11, 2006
Wine Charms
When I was much younger, I loved fiddling and tinkering with things, building little trinkets, putting bits and pieces together, deconstructing toys and objects to see how they worked, and trying to get them back together afterwards -- not always successfully I might add. Duct tape and scissors were my very good friends, and I loved using my mother's sewing machine to assemble miniature purses or hair scrunchies (I know, I know, but this was th...
August 26, 2005
Introducing... la cocotte!
Finally! It's here! My birthday present and new best friend, my stupendous cast-iron cocotte by Staub!
My parents came by my apartment yesterday and were kind enough to lug it on the metro with them, after driving it all the way back from Les Vosges, snuggly bundled up in multiple layers of bubble-wrap.
31 centimeters in length (12''), weighing in at 6.3 kilograms (14 lbl) when it's empty -- I've been buffing up my arms with dumbbells in pre...
"Introducing... la cocotte!" continues »
January 10, 2005
What Did I Ever Do Without You?
I recently had an epiphany. No, not that kind, it was a cooking utensil epiphany: I suddenly realized how badly I needed a potato masher.
In just a few weeks, I had repeatedly found myself in the painful situation of having to puree things without a self-respecting tool, resorting to the use of a simple fork and expending large amounts of precious energy, to pitiful results. Enough was enough, and as soon as I found myself in the vicinity of ...
"What Did I Ever Do Without You?" continues »
January 3, 2005
Fondue Pot
This is the fabulous gift that Maxence's mother got us for Christmas: an electrical, nonstick, multiuse fondue pot!
We've already broken it in with a fondue bourguignonne shared with Maxence's aunt and uncle: fondue bourguignonne (literally "fondue from Burgundy") has you cook little cubes of beef in oil, to be enjoyed with a variety of dipping sauces (whipped up with talent by Maxence). This was my first fondue bourguignonne ever and I loved...
December 20, 2004
Self-Portrait With Egg Poachers
I finally caved in and bought a pair of stainless steel egg poachers, for 3€ each.
When even the best advice and tips don't help and your poached eggs are ugly ducklings everytime, you can either settle for a life without home-poached eggs (too terrible to contemplate), or humbly admit to your own failings, and resort to the tool that some genius designed -- probably because s/he was missing that same gene.
We tested the poachers the oth...
"Self-Portrait With Egg Poachers" continues »
November 26, 2004
Marble Mortar Finds True Soulmate
Finally!
Finally, I have acquired a pestle to go with the marble mortar my dear grandmother gave me as a birthday gift last summer.
Okay, I make it sound like I've been searching high and low for one but it's not quite true. It's been on my mind all that time, I was thinking well, isn't it a shame to have such a marble beauty and just use it as a vide-poche, a catchall for keys and loose change -- but for some reason a part of me could not b...
"Marble Mortar Finds True Soulmate" continues »
August 19, 2004
Mamy's Marble Mortar
I love it when unexpected things -- be they gifts, ideas or opportunities -- fall onto my lap. Luckily, in this instance, the thing didn't literally fall onto my lap or I'd be limping as we speak, but you get my drift.
Last Saturday, my sister Céline and I went to visit our dear grandmother, whom we call Mamy (although my sister insists on spelling it Mamie), who lives not far from us, in the 17th arrondissement. My grandmother would hate for ...
"Mamy's Marble Mortar" continues »
August 9, 2004
My Sharp Little Friend
I am proud to introduce you to my latest acquisition, The Mighty Mandoline! It had been on my I-want-this-so-much list for quite a while, and my parents offered that it be their birthday gift to me. My sister and I paid a little Saturday morning visit to Dehillerin and picked it up, in addition to, I'll admit, a few other thingies that we really needed too.
I came home and immediately put it to good use (after reluctantly making myself peruse...
"My Sharp Little Friend" continues »
July 5, 2004
New Toys by Flexipan
Two weeks ago, I attended a home sale of Demarle Flexipan molds, hosted by my friend and fellow food-blogger Pascale. Demarle is the original inventor of those nonstick flexible baking molds, made of silicon and glass fiber. Originally sold to professionals only, they have been available to happy home bakers for a few years : most brands distribute their products in department stores and such, but Demarle chose to sell their molds (and the othe...
"New Toys by Flexipan" continues »
May 28, 2004
Mini Paper Cups
You know how sometimes, you'll be reading a cookbook or a cooking magazine, and a recipe will call for a specific piece of equipment? And all of a sudden you just have to have that thing, right that minute? Even though this is the first recipe you've ever laid eyes on that mentioned it? Because you can just feel, deep inside of you, that it will make your life better?
Well, this is exactly the story of my mini paper cups.
In no way can I be ...
May 14, 2004
The Potato Brush's Grand Debut
Due to overwhelming popular demand, I hereby present, drumroll please... the unbelievable, the phenomenal, the incredible... Potato Shaped Potato Brush! [Loud applause]
It is small and it is cute! It's a she and she is shy! Please reserve The Brush your warmest welcome! [Roaring applause]
An amazing con artist, she was discovered by our talent scout, hidden in a basket of confusingly similar brushes!
Shaped like a potato, she'll scrub your p...
"The Potato Brush's Grand Debut" continues »
May 7, 2004
Chocolate Dipping Fork
I keep a running list of tools I absolutely need and must acquire at all costs. I'll admit that this list tends to be much longer than reasonable, and completely out of proportion with the capacity of our kitchen or the actual utility of said tools.
But hey, some girls buy shoes, I buy kitchen toys! (Well, shoes too, but I'm trying to make a point, here.)
This "fourchette à tremper" is an item I recently crossed off my list. It is what choco...
"Chocolate Dipping Fork" continues »
December 31, 2003
Meine Wunderschöne Gebäck-Presse
Please meet my new beautiful friend, the cookie press! Personally imported from Germany by my sister, and an awesome Christmas present for the kitchen toy addict that I am. You should have heard me squealing with joy, kneeling at the foot of the tree!
It comes complete with a full set of cute little cookie shapes and an instructions booklet - hilarious in its French translation - that includes recipes. There is even a special attachment to fil...
"Meine Wunderschöne Gebäck-Presse" continues »
November 7, 2003
Garlic Press R.I.P.
I broke our garlic press yesterday, and now I can't help but wonder... Is this a sign of the Gods? Do I use too much garlic? Do I *eat* too much garlic? Have I pressed too much of it? Or too hard? Is this the first spasm of the Worldwide Garlic Mutiny? Some people are violently against garlic presses, so was this affirmative action from a commando of those guys? Sabotage?
I think I will hold off buying a new one for now, see what happens... Bu...
"Garlic Press R.I.P." continues »
October 19, 2003
Crèmes Brûlées Beware!
Please let me introduce you to the latest addition to my ever-growing collection of baking knick-knacks, tools and toys : <drumroll, please>... the Blowtorch!
You do understand, of course, how badly I needed one of these. No, really. I mean, crèmes brûlées are just one of these desserts that any self-respecting cook *has* to be able to make at home, yes? Plus, I bought the cute little earthenware ramequins the other day. And what good ar...
"Crèmes Brûlées Beware!" continues »
September 30, 2003
E. Dehillerin
E. Dehillerin is an excellent cooking utensils outlet located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. It's a totally no-frills store, that has stayed pretty much the same since it was first opened in 1820 (something tells me they didn't sell silicon baking mats back then, though). It's open to individuals, but is mainly targeted at professionals. One of the consequences is that all prices are listed before tax (H.T. meaning "Hors taxes"), contrary ...