Hello my Foodie Friends!

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer. Memorial Day started as an event to honor Union soldiers who had died during the American Civil War. It was inspired by the way people in the Southern states honored their dead. We would like to thank all who have either served or are currently serving our country for your service. My father served in WWII fighting on the beaches of Normandy under General George Patton; my father-in-law served 22 years in the army, training and commanding young recruits in Korea and beyond. Our parents come from a period that is called “the greatest generation.”  The stories that both my father and father-in-law have given over the years about their time in the war or in the service, and the stories both my mother and mother-in-law have told, reflect an incredible period of our history. 

Now we have a new group of Heros fighting on the front lines for us. They are our Health Care Professionals, Nurses, Doctors, EMT’s, Firefighters and Police. Everyday they use their experience and risk their lives for us. 

It’s sad that we may not be able to celebrate with as many of our friends as we would like but when you set this paper down look around the room at the most important people you’ll be celebrating with, your family!  If the weather co-operates many of us will be grilling outside and we have a couple of tools that can be used on your grill.

The First and most important tool is a Thin Tip Thermometer. 

Range is from -40F to 450F.  It is for thin and thick cuts of meat with a 6 second response.  Why is it important?  How about E-Coli 0157:H7 or Salmonellosis? Rule of thumb is cook ground beef to a temperature of 155 degrees F for at least 15 seconds and poultry to 165 degrees F for at least 15 seconds.  There are other temperatures for other foods so please check.

The second tool is the 20”x10.5” Cast Iron Reversible Griddle/Grill by Lodge.

Lodge Cast Iron has been making heirloom-quality cookware and accessories since 1896. They currently operate two foundries in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, their home since the very beginning. Backed by over 120 years of experience, each piece of Lodge cookware is crafted for durability and versatility. They don’t just make cookware — they make memories that last for generations. This 20 Inch double-burner Reversible Grill/Griddle functions as a dual cooking surface with both a smooth griddle and a ribbed grill. Fits over two stovetop burners. When used on the stove, set both burners to the same temperature for even cooking and excellent heat retention. Seasoned and ready to use.

• Seasoned with 100% natural vegetable oil
• Unparalleled heat retention and even heating
• Use in the oven, on the stove, on the Grill, or over a Campfire
• Get a restaurant-quality sear
• Use to sear, sauté, bake, broil, or grill
• Made in the USA

I personally love this tool because it’s easy to clean and with the two sides, I can cook almost any food and have even heat distribution. You can make pancakes in the morning, flip it over and cook burgers and dogs in the afternoon.  I can just hear Tim Allen say “UUUEEGGHH!?!” 

Contact John either through e-mail: john@saratogachef.com or call us at 518-226-4477. We can work with you on how to get those cool tools to assist with your culinary needs. We can take orders via phone or e-mail at Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store! Just before you’re ready to eat, stop and raise a glass to reflect and cheer all those who have given so much for us. Have a nice weekend and remember my foodie friends the “Life Happens in the Kitchen!”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

While the mainstream media reports on crops rotting in fields due to the food chain disruption caused by COVID-19, the local agriculture scene is experiencing a different reality. Local farmers are responding to the demand for fresh food and CSA’s, once considered to be a niche market, are gaining momentum. 

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) by Echo Creek Farm’s definition is “a mutually beneficial commitment between farmers and their community.” Members of a CSA ensure a customer base and stable income for farmers throughout the growing season. In return, the farmer provides CSA members with a weekly share of seasonal produce.

Local farms are experiencing a surge in CSA signups as consumers are looking for food that has been handled minimally on the journey from farm to table. Consumers are also looking to avoid the stresses of shopping and CSA shares offer a solution: a variety of ripe, freshly-harvested products on a consistent schedule.

Echo Creek Farm, Owl Wood Farm, and 518 Farms currently offer CSA shares. These shares vary in pricing, products, and frequency, and each farm offers pick-up and delivery options to meet customers’ specific needs.

Echo Creek Farm offers a ‘harvest share’ that runs for 15 weeks from June through September. “Our share relies heavily on familiar items. Each week you’ll receive a collection of vegetables that are in season and grown using organic methods. The amount varies a little as the growing season changes, but it’s generally appropriate for a family of 2-4 people,” says Mike Palulis, farm owner. Pickup is at their farm in Salem.

Owl Wood Farm offers two CSA options: a standard ‘box share’ that runs for 20 weeks from June through October and a ‘market share’ where credit is added onto a gift card in increments of $100 and customers use this credit while shopping at their farmers’ market stand. Owl Wood offers ‘box share’ pickup at the farmers’ market, drive-thru pickup at their farm in Salem, and home delivery.

518 Farms offers a variety of mushrooms in their weekly ‘small ½ lb. share’ or ‘large 1 lb. share’. Subscribers may select from blue and yellow oysters, lions main, nameko, chestnuts, maitake, and shiitake with pickup on Tuesdays at the farm in Hoosick Falls.

In addition to these CSA farm shares, Elihu Farm offers an egg subscription, Slate River Farms offers ‘box selections’ on their pastured pork and grass-fed beef, and Goode Farm offers a weekly flower subscription.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Wilton Mall. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

May means garden season, and this year, amid predictions of food shortages, growing your own food might be a vital source of sustenance.

“I always feel a few pots of easy vegetables or a small garden should be a part of life for any family,” says Sandy Arnold of Pleasant Valley Farm. “It’s so easy.”

Yet, many claim they can’t grow food, citing past failures as evidence.

We at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market want you to try again.

Burger Farm and Balet Flower & Design are selling vegetable, fruit, and herb seedlings to help you start. Others such as Gomez Veggie Ville make it even easier with pre-planted culinary herb mixes in a pot. 

Here are Some Suggestions:

• If you love peas, snag a bag of seeds and plant them now, up against a wire fence or trellis. They’ll start producing pods around July and will flourish for about three weeks. Plant more peas in three-week intervals through mid-July to ensure an ongoing supply. 

• Hardy root vegetables such as radishes, carrots, turnips, and beets also are easy to start by seed, though sometimes seedlings are available. Radishes and turnips grow fast and will be harvestable in four to six weeks. Beets and carrots take longer. Plant these vegetables several times, as well.

• Plant lettuce seedlings from Burger or Balet and start harvesting the outer leaves in about two weeks. Keep harvesting like this or wait for the plants to grow larger and then cut all the leaves at the base. They’ll grow back, but you also can keep planting lettuce from seed to ensure a steady crop. 

• Burger and Balet also have kale, Swiss chard, pac choi, and other leafy greens seedlings. Plant and harvest the leaves when they are eight inches long. These “cut and come again” plants produce through late fall.

• You also can get broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts seedlings now. Consider a second planting of broccoli and cabbage in late June.

• After June 1, start planting summer seedlings. These include tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squashes, melons, and basil. They’ll begin producing fruit in several weeks and will continue until the fall frosts arrive.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Wilton Mall. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org/weekly-newsletter.

Hello my Foodie Friends!

While we have all been spending more time under one roof together as families and friends, the quickest way to someone’s heart has been honing our culinary skills and creating new and different food creations. There is nothing more impressive than whipping up a meal for your household. It is food that creates a home, connections, celebrations, and embraces family and friends. In creating meals, we are creating homes and a nurturing environment. The meals do not have to be fancy or gourmet. It isn’t about how special the recipe is. It is about being conscious of an important part of life and honoring that importance. By elevating the importance of food in our family’s lives, you pass that importance on to them. Families connect around the dinner table, all sharing the meal they know is just for them. They also learn the subtle ways you can say “I love you” through the daily care of mealtime.

Catching up on some of our favorite shows has been another fun item to do during our COVID-19 lockdown. Disney has offered the opportunity to watch some of the classics such as “Lady and the Tramp.” Watching this movie gave me the craving to make Spaghetti and Meatballs as one of our dinners. As one of the greatest love stories ever told, “Lady and the Tramp” is sure to melt the hearts of generations with its beloved characters, brilliant animation, memorable music and sweet sentiment. The animated treasure tells the story of Lady, a lovingly pampered cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a freewheeling mutt with a heart of gold. The best part is the creative, tender, iconic and downright romantic moment when the cocker spaniel and the schnauzer-mix in Lady and the Tramp serendipitously pull each other into a kiss when they slurp up the same noodle from a plate of spaghetti. It’s their first official date, it’s under a starry sky, there’s music, and they’re both completely oblivious about what’s about to happen until the very last moment when their lips touch! 

At Compliments to the Chef, your neighborhood kitchen and cutlery store, we have several items by All-Clad that can assist with making your Lady and the Tramp Spaghetti and Meatballs dinner; the 8 Quart or the 12 Quart Multi Cooker that includes a steamer basket and a perforated pasta draining insert. The large pot works well for canning, blanching, or making large batches of soups, sauces, and stews. With the perforated insert in place, the multi cooker conveniently prepares homemade stocks, vegetables, or pasta—simply lift the insert to instantly drain. Prominent side handles ensure a secure hold when transporting the pot from the sink to the stovetop or when lifting the insert. The included steel steamer basket fits inside the insert for cooking delicate foods like vegetables or seafood.

Our prescription for a perfect evening? Whip up a pot of spaghetti and meat balls, light a few candles, stream in “Lady and Tramp,” and snuggle up with someone you love – or the whole family – and enjoy a little “Bella Notte” of your own. Finish with something sweet and a goodnight kiss. Show your love through the foods you cook. Stop by Compliments to the Chef located at 33 Railroad Place, call us or leave us an e-mail and we will work with you on how to get the culinary products you need to you. We are available to help Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends!

This weekend is Mother’s Day. Amid this time of lockdown, we have been given more time to connect as a family and spend more time together under one roof. Although it has been a challenging time – there are so many wonderful things I am seeing as I look at my own family and observe the families around me in my neighborhood. Families are spending much more time together doing things like playing indoor and outdoor games, learning new crafts, and honing culinary skills. Our families are feeling closer and more fulfilled. So how do we celebrate Mom this weekend? It is a time that I find difficult in that I lost my mother many years ago. Paula’s Mom is still with us. She has been a special Mother-in-Law to me who I love very much. Remembering my mother at this time brings those memories that make me laugh and cry.

I have talked about growing up in an Italian family in many of my articles. Recently, 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 I was growing up being one of five siblings, every room in the house involved teaching and training by my mother. The bedroom 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 had the most intense training. Washing and drying dishes to cleaning and setting the table. At the kitchen table we learned so much by sitting at a table (not a center island the way we do today) and 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 watching how much Mom did to prepare the meals and us for dinner. Her words before every meal were to wash up before you sit at the table. Every meal stated the essentials for us not to forget to do: “Remember, hands, face, neck and ears.” During these past weeks. many of us have been reminded of these traditions, discipline, wisdom, and nurturing of children while being under one roof together.

Compliments to the Chef would like to salute all the Moms who have made life happen in our homes and especially in the kitchen. Who is the first one to start cooking a meal and the last to sit down for a meal? Who is still in the kitchen cleaning well after everyone else has left? What room in the house does Mom dole out free advice on dating, school, employment and dealing with disappointment? Where do some your funniest memories of Mom take place? Moms hold court in their kitchen as a judge does in his court room or Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace. My Mom didn’t hold a staff like the Queen but she did carry a rolling pin and a wooden spoon. For a few years it was never very far from her right hand. 

This Mother’s Day when it is time for dinner, seat mom first and clean up so she can enjoy her day. Call Mom on a regular basis and tell her how you feel about her. You cannot say “I love you Mom” enough. Mealtime is family time. Look at each other, listen to each other, tell stories, and talk about life. What ever the gift is that you give your Mom on Mother’s Day the greatest gift is the smile and love you give her. Hold onto these traditions and family time you have created over these weeks. Enjoy your time at home and make beautiful memories. 

At Compliments to the Chef, we are available to help you with finding that special gift to give to Mom. A gift certificate is a perfect gift to give for Mother’s Day. We also have a lot of great cool tools for your “Foodie” to use while we are all together under one roof. Contact John either through e-mail: john@saratogachef.com or call us at 518-226-4477. We can work with you on how to get that special someone what they need. We can take orders via phone or e-mail at Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store! Remember my Foodie Friends and Mom’s: “Life Happens in the Kitchen” – those memories will last you a lifetime.

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Makers of locally crafted whiskey, gin, and vodka have been a part of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market for several years. 

Local distilleries such as Springbrook Hollow Farm and Yankee Distillers have shared with their customers spirits made from New York grown grains that have been slowly cooked down, fermented, distilled, and aged. The process was all about care. 

Care took on a different meaning when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted two months ago. Hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies essential to protecting one’s self suddenly became hard to find. Many worried about coming into contact with the virus and not being able to get clean. The distilleries had a solution. Now, bottles of hand sanitizer share space on their farmers’ market tables with the spirits for which they are known.

“We realized that as cleaning supplies started to come into short supply some of the raw alcohol we had on-site could be used to clean things around the distillery,” says Steve Hamilton of Yankee Distillers. “And then when the New York Liquor Authority and the World Health Organization started to publish guidelines for distilleries to transition their production over to hand sanitizer, we realized that we were positioned to provide a product that our community needs right now.”

“We had all the equipment, everything we needed,” adds Tara Amazon of Springbrook Hollow. “We knew we needed to help keep our community safe in whatever way that we could.”

Yankee Distillers makes its sanitizer with alcohol, a bittering agent that denatures it, glycerin to soften it, peroxide, and water. They follow a World Health Organization formula. It is being sold in half-gallon containers for $32 and 4-ounce spray-top bottles for $5. The company also is offering face masks imprinted with its logo.

Springbrook’s product is made from grain alcohol, glycerin, and peroxide. It is being sold for $45 a gallon, or $35 a gallon for four or more gallons. Two-ounce spray-top bottles cost $3.

Springbrook just donated 5,000 bottles to health care workers in Saratoga, Glens Falls, and Queensbury north to the Canadian border.

Market staff and some vendors also are keeping bottles of their sanitizer on their tables and at cleaning points throughout the market as part of their effort to keep the environment safe.

The Saratoga Farmers Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays outside at the Wilton Mall. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is kicking off its summer season this weekend with many changes, as the region continues to adapt to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The market hours will shift to 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays. The market also will not be returning to High Rock Park this summer. It will continue to operate outdoors at the Wilton Mall. 

High Rock Park is not available this year because of ongoing construction and potential road closures. In addition, social distancing protocols would not be able to be maintained in and around the market pavilions.

“The mall’s management has been extremely supportive of us,” says Saratoga Farmers’ Market Board president Beth Trattel. “Their flexibility has helped us keep the market going.”

The market had been operating in the mall’s food court area before the pandemic. It closed for one week in mid-March, and then reopened outdoors in the parking area between the former Bon Ton and B.J.’s Wholesale Club six weeks ahead of schedule.

The market has been following strict social distancing requirements. Vendors are spaced several feet apart and keep gloves, disinfectant wipes, and hand sanitizer on their tables. Face coverings must be worn. Customers are asked to remain six feet apart from vendors and each other, not handle produce, and to leave their dogs at home. No music or other entertainment will be offered at this time. Only food and hand sanitizer produced by local distilleries has been available for purchase.

These restrictions are expected to remain in place through the summer, says market administrator Emily Meagher. Meagher anticipates 65 vendors will participate in the Saturday market at the season’s peak, and 20 on Wednesdays. The market also has established a drive-up curbside service for pickups of preordered items.

Meagher adds that while the pandemic conditions have made the market less sociable than it usually is, vendors are receiving a lot of customer love.

“Our aim is to continue to provide our community with fresh and safe local food,” Meagher says. “We are less festive, but with farmers markets deemed an essential service in New York, we are celebrated now more than ever.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market summer season begins Saturday, May 2 at the market’s current location at the Wilton Mall. The market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays and 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

WEDNESDAY MARKET VENDORS:

• 518 Farms
• Burger Farm
• Euro Delicacies
• Gifford Farms
• Gomez Veggie Ville
• Goode Farm
• Green Jeans Market Farm
• Left Field Shaved Ice
• Mister Edge Sharpening
• Old World Farm
• Owl Wood Farm
• Peace Love Jerky Treats
• Pura Vida Fisheries
• Ramble Creek Farm
• Saratoga Garlic Company
• Scotch Ridge Berry Farm
• Squashville Farm
• The Food Florist
• Underwoods/Shushan Valley Hydro Farms

SATURDAY MARKET VENDORS:

• Argyle Cheese Farmer
• Balet Flowers & Design
• Ballston Lake Apiaries
• Battenkill Valley Creamery 
• Burger Farm 
• Clark Dahlia Gardens & Greenhouses 
• Collar City Cold Pressed Juice
• Daily Fresh
• Dancing Ewe Farm
• Earth to Mind
• Elihu Farm
• Euro Delicacies 
• Feathered Antler
• Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus 
• Giovanni Fresco
• Gomez Veggie Ville
• Goode Farm 
• Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes, LLC 
• Green Jeans Market Farm 
• Halls Pond Farm
• Healthy Gourmet Kitchen 
• Junbucha
• Kokinda Farm 
• Lewis Waite Farm 
• Humiston’s Vegetables
• Junbucha
• Kim Dolan Designed Jewelry
• Kokinda Farm
• Left Field Shaved Ice
• Lewis Waite Farm
• Longlesson Farm 
• Lot 32 Flower Farm 
• Mariaville Mushroom Men 
• Momma’s Secret Salad Dressings
• Moon Cycle Seed Company 
• Moxie Ridge Farm 
• Mrs. London’s
• Muddy Trail Jerky Co. 
• Mugzy’s Barkery
• Nettle Meadow
• Nut Zez, LLC
• Old World Farm
• Owl Wood Farm
• Petra Pocket Pies 
• Pleasant Valley Farm 
• Puckers Gourmet 
• R&G Cheese Makers
• Ramble Creek Farm 
• Saratoga Chocolate Co. 
• Saratoga Garlic Company
• Saratoga Peanut Butter Co.
• Saratoga Spicery 
• Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff 
• Scotch Ridge Berry Farm 
• Slate River Farms 
• Slate Valley Farms
• Slate Valley Farms
• Slyboro Cider House
• Something’s Brewing
• Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery 
• Squashville Farm 
• The Chocolate Spoon 
• The Donut Shop
• The Food Florist
• The Smoothie Shoppe 
• Vermont Spatzle Company
• Three Little Birds Concessions
• Underwoods/Shushan Valley Hydro Farms
• Viviana Puello Jewelry
• Zoe Burghard Ceramics

Hello my Foodie Friends!

This coming week is Cinco de Mayo. Many of us foodies may be planning some stay at home celebrations (under one roof) for this day. 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 is 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 a 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 should not normally be able to clearly identify a 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. Please call John at 518-226-4477 to set up an appointment to assist with your culinary needs. I will greet you wearing my mask and remember Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends!

Sometimes you are surprised to find yourself reaching for a particular kitchen tool again and again. You often pull it, dirty, from the dishwasher and wash it by hand because you need it, right now! If you’re cooking at someone else’s house, you miss it. That’s how it is with my small whisk. I never expected this little whisk to become one of my favorite cooking tools. There are so many uses for the mini whisk. 

I first fell in love with it when my kids were little, and Paula and I were teaching them how to help in the kitchen. Their eyes lit up when they saw a tool that was cool and their size. They never gave us trouble when we gave them a task.

Vinaigrette
If you’re just making a small batch of vinaigrette for a single or double serving of salad, a mini whisk is the perfect size. No need to pull out the full-size version. 

Scrambled Eggs or Omelet
If you want to just whip up a couple eggs, a mini whisk is exactly the right size for a delicious omelet recipe. 

Hot Cocoa
If you’re just planning to make one cup of hot cocoa at a time, a mini whisk works wonders as compared to a spoon. In fact, whip it up extra quick and you’ll achieve a little froth as a bonus. 

Egg Wash
If you want to achieve a beautiful, shiny, golden brown coloring on anything from biscuits to pie crust, you’ll need to paint it with a little egg (yolk, white, or whole) wash first. And this is the perfect time to whip out that mini whisk. 

Pancake Batter
You never want to over whip pancake batter lest it get too tough. For just a few servings, a mini whisk gets the job done well.

Dipping Sauce
When you’re just mixing a few ingredients into a liquid base for a dipping sauce, a mini whisk is the ideal-sized utensil. 

Kid Cooking/Baking
When kids are helping you out in the kitchen, a mini whisk is the perfect size for their cute little hands. 

Cocktails
There’s no need to make things sloppy and messy by using a full-sized whisk when mixing just a few drinks. 

Dry Rub
If you’re only making a small batch of dry rub, a mini whisk fits the bill exactly. 

Yeast
When you need to stir your yeast into your warm liquid, nothing beats using a mini whisk to complete the job.

It may be a “mini me” but there are so many uses for this versatile tool to assist with your culinary needs. Have your little chefs help using this little tool too! At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place, we have Cool Tools for Cooks. Please call John at 518-226-4477 to set up an appointment to assist you with your culinary needs. I’ll greet you wearing my mask. Remember, we are all together under one roof during this time. “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” Have fun cooking.

 Take Care,
John & Paula

With schools closed and many of us working from home, parents are desperately looking for ways to keep their children occupied. Food provides many opportunities for learning and play as well as nourishing our bodies and teaching important life skills. 

Here are 5 simple ways to use food and our local food system as learning tools for young children: 

1. Cooking and Baking 
Cooking and baking offer many learning opportunities for children; organizational skills, counting, measuring ingredients, team work, even writing out a grocery list. Cooking can be as simple as a smoothie, a salad, no-bake cookies, or assembling a picnic. Offering choices and presenting the activity as a game can be helpful in keeping the attention of your little ones. 

2. Crafts and Games
The internet is peppered with DIY crafts and games to keep kids entertained, but look no farther than your fridge for real fun. Making fruit and vegetable prints with discarded stalks, cores, and stems is a creative, no-waste activity for little ones. Building constructions or creating a piece of art from cut fruit and vegetable pieces can make a tasty snack much more entertaining.   

3. Planting Activities
If you want to garden with your kids but you’re not quite ready to dig out a space in your yard, here are some ideas that provide opportunities to grow on a small scale. Herbs, leafy vegetables, and celery may simply grow in water by cutting the plant at its base and placing it in water. An indoor herb garden or an outdoor container garden offers the full gardening experience. If you don’t have time to plant seeds, contact your local nursery as many are offering curbside pickup for plants.

4. STEM Activities
Whether your child is learning about taste vs. smell or the phases of the moon, food can be used for countless STEM experiments to stimulate higher thinking and problem solving. Try shaking heavy cream to make butter, experiment with the many ways to bake a potato, or make icecream with salt, ice, and cream. 

5. Driving Farm Tour or Virtual Tour
For families itching to get out of the house, a short drive through farm country can lift spirits during this difficult time. Make a map of your local producers, roll down the car windows, and take in the beauty that the area has to offer. Nettle Meadow and the Kemp Sanctuary even offer a virtual tour of their farm with opportunities to meet their famous rescue animals.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays outside the Wilton Mall. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and check our newsletter for updates.