Author: John Reardon

Hello  my Foodie Friends!   

We are at that time of year of celebrating weddings. Typically, the season begins in late spring and into early fall. It’s the most wonderful day for many – the day you get to say your vows with the one you love the most in the world. The one that you want to spend the rest of your life with. And all the people you love most in the world will be right there with you! 

I hold dear memories of my own wedding that include the magical part of being special and surrounded by love.  It includes feeling the delight and sharing that happiness with others and recognizing that these are the people who will remain in your life as a part of your marriage. We were very blessed to have parents on both sides, that made sure our wedding day was unforgettable. Keep in mind that things will happen and not to sweat it. Our day was perfect until we did not have a ride home from the venue! 

My mother added to our day by making large platters of Italian cookies to add to our dessert offerings. All of the Italian matriarchs in my family joined in together to make the most incredible cookies (that were a hit) being consumed by the handfuls by our guests. Paula and I walked around the reception with two huge platters to share with our guests. Although cookies may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of a wedding, once you start thinking about it, you may realize how much they can be a perfect way to celebrate such a special day. While the wedding cake is still the belle of the ball, cookies can be an excellent support to this main headliner. In fact, cookies are a great treat that are commonly served during weddings or special occasions, we just don’t pay that much attention to celebrate such a special day. As we plan for our daughter Aubrey’s wedding, we reflect on the magnificent experience that our families provided in making sure we had a special day. 

Another part of weddings is what to get for the couple? At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, we offer those culinary tools that many would contribute to a couple’s kitchen and culinary needs. We also offer a wedding registry for the special couple.  Stop in and we can work with you on your selection. Updating the kitchen is often the first thing we think of when starting a new life together. This new step offers a great opportunity to throw out old kitchenware and update your old pots, pans, and knives.  Gifting kitchen tools to someone who loves cooking can be a thoughtful and practical gesture. Consider their cooking style and preferences when choosing the tools, and you might want to pick something unique or of high quality. From specialized gadgets to quality knives or cookware, there are plenty of options to consider. Stop by Compliments to the Chef and let us help you with that special gift. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

Hello  my Foodie Friends!

This weekend is Mother’s Day. For many of us, it brings back memories of our childhood. My memories include the chaos my parents incurred in getting five children to do their homework, eat dinner, brush their teeth and get to bed every school night. I often reminisce about the work my mother had in raising three boys and two girls.  In many of my articles I have talked about growing up in an Italian family.  I was reminded by one of my customers that Italians are a matriarchal nationality. It’s the women who carry on the traditions and hand out the majority of discipline, wisdom and nurturing to the children. As a child, every room in the house where I grew up included constant teaching and training by my mother. The bedroom task was making your bed, dusting furniture, sweeping the floor or vacuuming the rugs and organizing your clothes.  The bathroom was to be kept clean at all times, and the living room was “keep your feet off the couch”!  The kitchen was the most intense training. Washing and drying dishes to cleaning and setting the table. When we all sat at the kitchen table, our family discussions were learning times.  We shared everything from how our day went to how to pass the potatoes. We learned manners, how to hold a fork and at the beginning of the meal watched how much Mom did to prepare the meals and us for dinner.  One of my mother’s favorite cooking tools, as well as my wife’s favorite, is the wooden spoon.  My mother used a wooden spoon for all of her daily cooking tasks. She would let us “taste” her sauce using a wooden spoon. There were wooden spoons for frying the meatballs, stirring the sauce and one that would sit at the kitchen table while we ate. 

Compliments to the Chef would like to salute all the moms who have made life happen in our homes and especially the kitchen. Who was the first one to start cooking a meal and the last to sit down for a meal?  Who was still in the kitchen cleaning well after everyone else had left?  From what room in the house did Mom dole out free advice on dating, school, employment and dealing with disappointment?  Where did some your funniest memories of mom take place?  

Foodie moms are the easiest to please on a special day – especially Mother’s Day. If they are cooking special meals for you or if they are just one who simply loves to eat, there are so many exciting ways of giving a treat these days. Creating a “foodie” theme for your mom can be a fun way to tell them how much you appreciate their cooking.

This Mother’s Day when it is time for dinner, seat mom first and clean up so they can enjoy their day.  Call Mom on a regular basis.  You cannot say “I love you, Mom” enough.  

Stop by and shop at Compliments to the Chef, Your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place for our line of Beechwood, bamboo, and pakkawood spoons and instantly take your culinary, dining, and entertaining experience to the next level. The wooden spoon was a primary cooking utensil used by Julia Child and other great chefs around the world. Each of our beechwood  spoons are made in France where they are lovingly handcrafted to standards of unsurpassed quality. For centuries wooden spoons and wooden cooking utensils have been preferred by chefs for their numerous advantages. Unlike metal or plastic, a wooden spoon can be left in the pot without the risk of melting, burning your hand, or ruining a temperature-sensitive dish. A wooden kitchen utensil will not change the taste of acidic foods the way metal will. Wooden spoons are versatile. Simply wash your kitchen utensil with warm soapy water and allow to air dry. Restore your wood utensils to their satiny finish by treating them with a little mineral oil or beeswax compound.

As we all are working through our hectic schedules, remember that family time is the most important time. Eat together as a family, share stories, talk about your day, listen to each other, enjoy good food, and remember to compliment the chef. Bring your family together for at least an hour a day. Mealtime is family time. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

Take Care, John & Paula

Hello  my Foodie Friends!

Cinco de Mayo celebrations will be coming up soon. Many of us foodies may be planning some celebrations for this event. Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that commemorates the Mexican army’s victory at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Although a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, the day is a popular celebration in the United States. And what better way to celebrate than to eat delicious Mexican food? An essential item needed in most recipes for Cinco de Mayo includes spices. Traditional Mexican cuisine has a distinct taste and it’s made up of a few common ingredients. That spicy flavor is due to things like onions, garlic, chile powders, herbs, spices, and a few that are specific to this style of food. Oregano and cumin bring a lot to that signature Mexican flavor. Cumin has been around since the beginning of history. Its origin lies somewhere in the Mediterranean but has expanded in popularity because it is grown easily all over the world. It has a toasty yet somewhat bitter taste and gives Mexican dishes a certain flavor that cannot be replaced. Chile Powder is actually a blend of dried, powdered chiles, cumin, and oregano. Other spices are sometimes included in the mix, but those are the key ingredients. It is used primarily for seasoning meats and vegetables but has other uses as well.

When cooking with spices, the room fills with aromas that fill our senses. Have you ever walked into a place and smelled your favorite memories? Smells of cooking can trigger memories so strong and real it feels like you’ve been transported back in time and brings a picture as sharp as photograph of a special time in your life.  Through food we exchange stories of ourselves and our families. Spices have a way of transporting you to another place and time. Each spice or collection of spices has a story, and a wonderful, beautiful one at that. Spices are flavor enhancers! That might seem rather simplistic, but it really sums up how to think about spices and get the best from them. Rather than seeing these strange little bits of bark, seeds and roots as something to be used only on special occasions, or just when a recipe calls for them, look at your spice shelf as flavor enhancers to be added to your cooking (or even drinks) in small quantities at any time. You can add pretty much any spice you like to anything you cook – you’ll soon find there are NO RULES to making something taste delicious – the only way to really understand it is through trial and error.

Having said all that, you shouldn’t normally be able to clearly identify a particular spice in your cooking – if you can taste a spice clearly, the chances are you’ve added too much. If you taste your food as you go and add seasonings in small quantities your cooking will improve and your food will have more flavor. The saying ‘you can always add more, but you can never take away’ is a good one to bear in mind, so just add a little at a time, tasting all the time until you’re happy with it.

For some Americans, one perceived impediment to cooking with spices is the dislike of spicy food, even though spices are not spicy hot, per se. Spices can make food richly flavorful and aromatic, but they make it hot only if you add fresh, powdered or flaked chile peppers. That heat comes with a few benefits — spicy hot food reduces the need for salt, plus it helps the body sweat and potentially remove toxins.

At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, we offer many spices that can be used to help you with your Cinco de Mayo culinary creations. Stop in and spice up your taste with some unique flavors you have yet to try. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen”.

Take Care, John & Paula

Hello  my Foodie Friends! 

April can still be a chilly month. Having a cup of tea can help those “chill to the bone” days. So, let’s have a hot cup of tea together. It is a well-known fact that I am a coffee drinker but I drink and love tea also. It is a comfort drink from my childhood. As a child, I was not allowed to have coffee, but tea with honey was a favorite. As I grew older, tea time became a special bonding moment that included advice from Mom. I can still visualize her putting the tea kettle on the stove and when the whistle blew, she gave you her full attention. Our time together included chatting, laughing and having a fun conversation while having a cup of hot tea. Looking back, I realize that this time was special and that tea time was my opportunity to have my mom’s company or my dad’s and talk to them.

There are lots of ways to make tea but they always start with hot water. Options for boiling water can include beautiful electric tea kettles along with stove top tea kettles made of stainless steel and ones made of enamel over steel. Electric tea kettles are perfect if you are like me and are multi tasking in the kitchen and home all the time then forgetting about the water boiling.  Having an auto-shut off on an electric tea kettle is a good option for us!  

If you prefer to use a stove top tea kettle, stop by Compliments to the Chef to see our colorful assortment of LeCreuset tea kettles. LeCreuset tea kettles are crafted from fast-heating premium carbon steel and finished with a colorful enamel in a stylish palette of colors to complement any kitchen. Tea kettles are perfect for preparing French press coffee, oatmeal and much more in addition to tea. The LeCreuset tea kettles are made of durable carbon steel that heats water rapidly, and a fixed single-tone whistle alerts when the water has reached a rolling boil. The kettles make excellent gifts and are a beautiful way to add a touch of color to the kitchen.

There are many moments over tea we can connect through everyday conversations. Creating tea time can give us moments to pause, check in, and to enjoy each other’s company. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery Store located at 33 Railroad Place for those culinary tools to help you with your special moments with friends and family.  Remember my friends “Life Happens in the Kitchen”.

Take Care, John & Paula

Hello  my  Foodie Friends!   

Here is another story I love to tell each start of the fishing season.  I have so many great memories of my father and his love of fishing. It did not matter if it was the ocean or a little creek in Vermont where he grew up.  He loved fishing and my brothers and I loved going with him.  My brothers were more successful than I was at this sport.  I think I talked too much back then as a child where I was kindly told to be quiet during our fishing adventures.

As I reminisce on the experience of fishing with my father, I realize that fishing was a way for him to relax and reconnect with his love for the outdoors. At that time, he worked 12 hours a day Monday through Saturday, which did not allow a lot of time to spend with his family. However, when he began getting one afternoon off during the week in the summer, I was excited when he chose to make that afternoon our special time to go fishing together. 

My father’s prep assignment for his three boys was to dig for worms and have the poles ready to go when he got home. I think that the digging for worms was my favorite part. 

As I got a little older, my favorite part about fishing with my father was the many hours talking about his childhood and my dreams for the future. We didn’t catch many fish, but my memories are a much greater treasure than any mess of fish.

The memories and experience of fishing was something I tried to transfer and share with my son and daughter. When my son John was younger, I would take him fishing as often as I could. It turned out that by age five, he was better at fishing then I was. He would say to me “Daddy, you talk too much and scare the fish away!”

To this day, I still give fishing my best, and consider it a successful day if I can get my son to spend six hours with me. We do share our love of eating fresh fish.  

One important tool that is handy when flipping and lifting fish from a pan is a fish spatula. The fish spatula is an elongated and thinner version of the common metal spatula, designed to easily slip under delicate fillets of fish. It also has long slots that allow any liquid (for example, when poaching) to drain away.  A fish spatula can be used for more than just flipping fish; it’s a versatile tool that can slide as easily under pancakes as it can hefty burgers. The slats in the blade allow any drippings, liquid, or grease to slip through, while the offset helps slide the blade over the edge of the pan and under whatever you want to turn. 

Take time with your family to try out the time-honored sport of fishing. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place. Pick up the gadgets that help you cook up your catches. Try fishing for compliments this spring.  Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen”. 

Take Care, John & Paula

Hello  my Foodie Friends!

      Among my “many talents” is the natural ability to tell a good story.  Many of my stories are from my parents, relatives and siblings and are based on gatherings of family events that have occurred over the years. Getting the scoop on family stories is something we do beginning in our childhood and continues through our years with our own children. Family stories are a collection of tales about people, places, and events related to your family and your ancestors. Every person has a story to tell.

The memorable stories of our lives and of others in our family take on special importance, even if everyone tells different versions of the same event. These tales are family heirlooms held close to the heart. They are a gift to each generation that preserves them by remembering them and passing them on to future generations, and will become some of the most valuable and exciting information you can document about your family history. By getting the scoop on your family stories, and learning more about the personalities and heritage of your ancestors, they become more than just names and dates. They become real people with real struggles and dreams and triumphs in their lives just like you.

This week’s top cooking tool is the portion scoop.  This is one item that we love in the kitchen.  Portion scoops are standard-sized scoops used to measure out food, both cooked and uncooked. They look like ice cream scoops and have a spring release that scrapes your food/ice cream/cookie dough out of the scoop once it has been measured. 

Portion scoops are designed for kitchen professionals to standardize their products and to keep a handle on costs. These scoop sizes ensure that they get exactly the same number of servings (or balls of dough) per batch or per recipe without wasting any product – and that the customers always get the same amount of product for their money. And it is how they keep the cookies in a bakery display window looking so perfect, too.

There are so many innovative things to make with a scoop. Here are 10 things to make with a Scoop

1. Assemble sandwiches. Whether you’re making chicken salad sandwiches or ice cream sandwiches, a large scoop will give you just the right amount of filling. Smash it a little, and add the top of the sandwich. The same idea applies for homemade ravioli, enchiladas, stuffed zucchini or peppers, and pot stickers.

2. Form cookies. This works whether you’re making no bake cookies or ones that need to be cooked. All of the cookies will be perfect circles if they start out as nice balls, and since they’re all the same size, they’ll all be finished cooking at the same time.

3. Fill muffin tins. Whether you’re making muffins, cupcakes, or eggs in your muffin tin, a scoop will give you the same amount of batter in each cup. No one will fight over whose cupcake is bigger!

4. Make pancakes. It’s nice to not worry about the size of each pancake. If you use the same scoop for each pancake, the finished products will all be exactly the same size. Or, if you use a smaller scoop and a larger scoop, you can easily make a Mickey Mouse pancake.

5. Make easy truffles. Start with a simple chocolate ganache. I use 6-8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons of butter (cut into small cubes), and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Mix that together and microwave in 30-second increments until you’re able to stir it into a smooth, creamy liquid. Then let it cool, just enough that it will hold its shape. Use a scoop to form balls of chocolate, and then roll them in powdered sugar, colored sugar, chopped nuts, sprinkles, cocoa powder, or whatever you want.

6. Brownie lollipops. This is a fun recipe where you start with a slightly cooled pan of brownies. They need to be warm enough to work with, but not so hot that they fall apart. Using a small scoop, form brownie balls (avoid the hard edges; eat those instead). Insert a stick into each one, and then dip it into melted chocolate. Finish the lollipops off with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, colored sugar, sprinkles, or other garnish.

7. Dessert balls. What little athlete wouldn’t like a baseball made from Rice Krispies? Or a soccer ball made from a brownie and decorated with frosting? Or even a basketball made from cantaloupe? Use a scoop to make the balls.

8. Meatballs. Honestly, Paula makes her meatballs by hand. However, when she has to make large amounts for a large gathering, she uses a scoop to form them into perfect balls. You can also use a scoop to form crab cakes (press the balls down a bit) and hamburgers (press them down a lot).

9. Form dumplings. When I was little, my mom made dumplings to go with stews. They’re basically balls of dough dropped into hot broth towards the end of cooking. 

10. Fill your decorator. I use my smallest scoop to fill my decorator with frosting for making cakes and egg yolks for filling deviled eggs. I use a larger scoop to fill my cookie press. I use a scoop because the spring makes the sticky stuff pop right out into the decorator or press easily, and I don’t have to dirty a bunch of spoons.

Below is a cookie recipe that I remember my mother making. I remember as a child, loading my pockets with these cookies and handing them off to my brothers and sisters while my mother and aunts were in the kitchen making tons of Italian cookies for a family event. Well, that’s another family story I have!! Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place. We have a variety of scoop sizes to meet your culinary needs. During the times you are in the kitchen cooking and eating with your family, get the scoop and share family stories. Your family stories are guaranteed to become absolutely priceless possessions in your family for many generations to come. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen”.

Take Care, John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends!

Many of our foodies may be traveling to visit family or friends this weekend, or may be hosting a breakfast or dinner. Often times we are not sure what to bring or serve to add to the meal that is being made. One item that is always welcomed is popovers. With this month being still a bit chilly with lots of rain, April days can be a perfect time for popovers. If you have ever eaten them, you know what a warming joy they can bring. As you crack open the steaming golden and feather-light roll, and butter the interior and spread it with jam, a mouth-watering anticipation begins to build.

Popovers are best eaten straight from the oven, putting them in a category of food that is one of deliberate enjoyment. You must plan, gather everyone around the table and eat them up at once. It is the pure pleasure of eating. Popovers can be a deceptively simple item that will impress your guests and tickle their taste buds. Not only are popovers cost effective, they’re also a breeze to make as long as you follow a few simple rules: make sure the pan is hot before pouring in the batter, don’t fill the cups more than half full, and no opening the oven while they’re baking.

Having the correct pan is important to making airy popovers with golden domes. The secret is how the batter lies in the pan. Popover pans are used for making popovers. They are specially constructed to convey the heat directly to the batter, which needs to be added to a hot pan, similar to the way Yorkshire puddings are made. Popover pans are also made with tall, narrow cups, which create a distinctive shape. This creates steam that helps the popovers expand and become light and hollow on the inside. Then you can stuff them with things. A popover pan is deep with steep-sided wells.  This forces the batter upwards creating puffy domes and crispy sides. Investing in a real popover pan eventually starts to feel quite justifiable. These tins are really only useful for making popovers, but oh, what beautiful popovers they make! The trick is to make sure the pan is very hot before you add the butter and the batter.

At Compliments to the Chef, we carry popover pans from Nordic ware and USA Pan.  Both the Nordic Ware pan and USA pans are made in the U.S.A. These pans are designed to allow maximum airflow, so popovers reach their full height. 

This weekend, if you are not sure what to pop on over with to visit a friend or a family member, think about a creative popover to serve with the meal or ask them to hop on over for your popover treats. Come visit your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, where we have cool tools for cooks! Have fun with family and friends. Remember, “Life Happens in the Kitchen”.

Take Care,

John & Paula

Hello  my Foodie Friends!

It is officially springtime. Although the weather may still not be optimal, many of us are eager to get back to our outdoor cooking. Creating our favorite meat and vegetable dishes on our grills becomes an art of being the “grill master.”  Cooking outdoors can be a time to create wonderful and healthy dishes using your favorite olive oil or cooking oil.  Spraying oil on your vegetables, fish, and meat can be a method of adding flavor, sealing in moisture and adding nutrition to your product. 

As a child, I can recall the moment my father exclaimed to me, “The time has come for you to help me with the grilling.” Cooking outdoors was the only time my father contributed to the cooking job of the household.  He did consider himself the “subject matter expert” of cooking foods on his much-beloved outdoor grill.  

The use of oil was always the first step my father used to prep the grill grate.  One of the first outdoor cooking tasks my father empowered me with was the spraying of the grill.  He handed me what looked like a spray bottle that was filled with olive oil to lightly spray on the rack to help prevent the product from sticking.  

As you know from my previous writings, I am the eldest of three boys (who always found some type of mischievous actions to encounter). With clear direction, my father patiently showed me how to lightly apply the oil to the heated grill grates.  With confidence that I would perform the job well, he left me to go inside to get the vegetables and beef that we would be adding to the grill.  As my father handed me the sprayer, I assured him that I was “the man for the job.” I did begin with good intentions as I began to repeat the exact motions my father displayed with the spraying of the oil.  What I soon realized was that the spray bottle was a lot of fun. Doing some unique dancing, I creatively continued to apply the oil with swinging motions spraying in various directions with pizzazz.  As I was enjoying myself, my two other brothers looked on with curiosity and envy.   They both soon approached me, spurring the temptation that was too great to avoid spraying them.  Before I realized what had overtaken me, the spray bottle in my hand had fully saturated both of my brothers with oil in their hair and clothes.  My father soon returned, taking the spray bottle out of my hands in a split second that flashed before my eyes.  At this point – I think you can guess where I spent the remainder of my day.   

The use of oil misters and spray bottles is a small item that can be used to spray or atomize oil to add flavor, control, fat, and eliminate the environmentally unfriendly factors of aerosol sprays.  An oil mister and sprayer are refillable, adding a stylish gadget to your kitchen and can come in a pump mister or a spray bottle design.  Both will give you a fine mist that can be sprayed across your product while it is cooking.  

One of the designs we carry is the EVO oil spray bottle. It is an award-winning non-aerosol sprayer designed by Michael Graves Design Group that provides a comfortable ergonomic trigger making it easy to use.  The spray head creates a fan-shaped mist that allows you to evenly coat the surface of pans, food, or your grill. Sprayers and misters allow you to buy your favorite cooking oils in bulk to refill your sprayer.  This is an excellent way of controlling flavor, calorie content, and managing your nutrition.  

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, to pick up the EVO oil sprayer we have available.  Have fun cooking the fabulous vegetables that are being sold in the markets nearby.  This is a great time of the year to be outdoors and to have fun cooking.  Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen” or outdoors on your favorite grill.  Have FUN (and let the children help even if they seem to get a bit creative with the gadgets)!!

Take Care,

John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends!  

Each week we write about the fun of creating and cooking fabulous dishes.  However, with making these dishes comes the mess and dreaded task of cleaning up which becomes someone’s responsibility. Many conflicts occur within a household on whose turn it is to wash the dishes. I remember in my childhood years fighting with my four other siblings on who would be assigned the chore of doing the dishes. Having grown up in an Italian household with five children, my mother ran a tight ship and made sure all of us were assigned cleaning duties. Fighting over who was going to wash the dishes was a common occurrence even after my mother made it clear whose job it was that evening. When we shared and helped each other in our household chores, we then had plenty of time to go and do what we wanted afterwards. 

Through the years we learned that washing the dishes did not take that long when each of us helped out. As we completed the tasks of doing chores together and playing together, we became good friends; a friendship that still holds today. 

“You know you’re an adult when you get excited when there is a new sponge in the sink”. Author Unknown. To this day, believe it or not, I enjoy washing dishes. I love bringing home new types of items to help me with this chore. One of our favorite items we carry is the Jetz-Scrubz cleaning sponge. This sponge will not scratch even the finest surfaces. They can last for several months and can be cleaned in the top tray of your dishwasher. The sponge has a foam side that holds suds longer and has a scratch-free scrubber side for pots and pans. Jetz-Scrubz is also made in the USA. 

So, whose ever job it is to wash the dishes, try out this really cool sponge!  Come visit Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery Store located on 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga where we have Tools for Cooks! Have fun cooking and cleaning up.  Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen”. 

Hello my Foodie Friends!   

The upcoming week includes a very fun holiday; it is St. Patrick’s Day. My mother, who was Italian, used to say “Everyone is Irish on St. Patty’s day”.  My father, who was Irish, always agreed because if he didn’t, he ran the risk of not getting her delicious Corned Beef and Cabbage. So, here is to all of our “Irish” lads and lassies.

Preparing Corned Beef and Cabbage does require some essential tools. As you look for tools to use to make your Corned Beef and Cabbage; you may need a Dutch oven or a stock pot, and a good chef (cook’s knife). The chef’s knife (sometimes called a cook’s knife) is the most important knife to have in your kitchen and within your knife collection. A chef’s knife is the go-to tool for more than 90 percent of daily kitchen tasks including most slicing and dicing of fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish. And while a chef’s knife may be the “king of the kitchen,” it should not be used to butcher or carve poultry, to remove the skin of large vegetables such as butternut squash, or, as some people have tried, to puncture a hole in cans. The broadness of a chef’s knife blade makes it unwieldy for tasks better suited to a smaller knife.

Many of our customers ask me what is the best brand knife to have. Choosing a chef’s knife “is like choosing a dance partner.” A knife that feels comfortable and graceful in your hand might feel klutzy to someone else. When you start shopping for that perfect chef’s knife—one that will make slicing, dicing, chopping, and mincing more pleasurable, precise, and effortless—it’s important to identify your personal preferences, and to realize that there isn’t one knife that’s right for everyone. Finding your ideal knife might take a little time, but you’ll know it when you’ve found it. Once you’ve got a knife in your hand you should immediately get a sense of its fit. It should feel comfortable, like a natural extension of your hand. It should inspire confidence, not instill fear. If it feels wrong, move on. If it feels pretty good; start chopping (or mock chopping), noting how you respond to the knife’s physical characteristics.

Weight: You’ll need to try several knives to find your ideal knife weight. One school of thought believes a hefty chef’s knife cuts through foods easier because it “falls” with more force. Another thinks a lighter chef’s knife flows more freely and lets you maneuver the knife more skillfully. Bottom line: Choose the style that feels right to you.

Balance: “Perfect balance” is in the palm of the beholder. Judge balance by gripping the knife by its handle. If it feels uncomfortably weighted toward the back of the handle or toward the blade, then it probably isn’t for you. An unbalanced knife will make you work harder. Side-to-side balance is also important. When you come down on the blade, the knife shouldn’t feel unstable, as if it wants to teeter toward one side or the other.

Size: An 8-inch chef’s knife is the most popular among home cooks because of its versatility. A 10-incher’s longer blade can cut more volume but may feel intimidating. A 6-inch chef’s knife can offer an element of agility, like that of a paring knife, but falls short when working with volume or when slicing through something large, like a watermelon.

As you prepare for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration events; Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place and let us help you choose the best knife for you. We carry some of the best knives made in the world. As you celebrate, be sure to compliment the chef and the host. Remember my Foodie Friends “Life Happens in the Kitchen!”. 

Take Care, 

John & Paula

Here is a classic St. Patrick’s Day Recipe: Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients

Instructions