Hello my Foodie Friends!

This past week, as Paula and I began some “spring cleaning,” I was going through our kitchen gadget drawer evaluating the tools that I use.  One tool that I use on a regular basis is an instant-read thermometer. An instant-read thermometer might seem like one of those kitchen gadgets you don’t really need. Most of us cook by the seat of our pants anyhow, right?  I think you’ll find that if you get a thermometer, you’ll use it a lot, and it will increase your confidence in a wide range of kitchen tasks. One of the most important reasons why we are open for a few hours a day is because we sell a lot of thermometers to restaurants in our town.  Let me tell you that the chefs in this town are very serious about food safety!

Everyone should have an instant read thermometer in their kitchen, as it gives you better control over everything from chicken thighs to caramels. So named because it gives a temperature reading very quickly, an instant-read thermometer is an essential food safety and sanitation tool. An instant-read thermometer consists of a stainless steel stem that serves as a temperature probe, and either a dial or a digital readout. One advantage of the analog type (the kind with the dial) is that they can be calibrated relatively easily, so you’ll be sure of always getting a true reading.

Note that an instant-read thermometer is different from a meat thermometer. An instant-read thermometer is used for taking a quick temperature reading of an item, but you don’t leave it in the food while it cooks. A meat thermometer is inserted into a piece of meat before roasting and is left in the roast during cooking.

So, why do you need an instant read thermometer? Here are some of the things I use an instant-read thermometer for:

Checking to see if oven-baked food like lasagna is hot enough to serve (160 F is great; 140 F will do if you are in a hurry)

Making sure custard isn’t overcooked (if you get to 185 F the egg proteins will get very tough)

Food Safety 101: if you are going to keep something perishable out of the refrigerator for an extended period of time it must be below 40 F or above 140 F

Food Safety 102: make sure anything with egg yolks reaches at least 160 F to kill salmonella (especially if it will be served to the young, old, or immunocompromised)

Checking refrigerator temperatures – just stick it in your soymilk or pickle jar for a second. Try it on a few shelves; you might be surprised at the variation.

Oil temperature for deep frying.

Sugar temperature for candy.

Bread is done at about 205 F (no more knocking on the loaf and listening for a hollow sound); quickbreads around 195 F.

How do you use an Instant-Read Thermometer? An instant-read thermometer is ideal for checking the temperatures of liquids such as stocks and soups, making sure they are cooling quickly enough to minimize the growth of bacteria; or for checking the temperatures of hot foods that are being held for service on a buffet.

It can also be used to check the internal temperature of a roasting chicken. Insert the stem into the deepest part of the thigh, where it meets the breast, making sure not to hit bone. Just remember that each time you pierce the bird like this, some of its juices escape, causing it to dry out. 

Avoiding Cross-Contamination: Take care to wash and sanitize the thermometer’s stem after it has been inserted into a food product (such as the undercooked poultry mentioned above) and before using it again on another item. Otherwise, you risk passing bacteria from one product to another, which is called cross-contamination.

At Compliments to the Chef, one of our favorite instant-read thermometers is the “ThermoPop” by Thermoworks.  The ThermoPop offers super-fast readings within the final degree in only 3 to 4 seconds! Designed for serious chefs and professionals, the ThermoPop features big digits and a backlight for dark conditions. Molded-in seals and buttons make it splash-proof. Durable construction outlasts similarly priced pocket thermometers. Simple operation reduces user errors. Wide range is suitable for frozen foods and deep fryer testing. Accuracy is guaranteed to remain within ±2°F (1°C) up to 248°F (120°C). 

What’s cooking in your kitchen Saratoga?  Please call, John, at 518-226-4477 to set up an appointment to assist you is your culinary needs. I’ll greet you wearing my mask and remember, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Spring is a wonderful time. Breathe in the flower-tinted smell of renewal. 

You can’t help but feel refreshed, invigorated. Close your eyes and the sounds of birds dominate…chirping, tweeting, squawking, squealing…all signs of the new season!

It is also the time of year when people start to re-emerge from their homes with more outdoor activities such as biking, walking, playing baseball, hiking in the Adirondacks, and starting to do some camping outdoors. My father loved the outdoors and would take any chance my mother would give him to leave Connecticut (where I grew up) and go to Vermont to visit with his mother, aunts and uncles. He loved his family and the outdoor activities he could have on their land. You see, my father’s family owned lots of land which included two mountain ranges with lots of rivers, a pond, and wildlife to be exact. My father was an only child and loved to fish, hunt, and go camping. He was an expert in the outdoors and taught us kids many things about the woods. 

He may have been a lousy cook at home, but in the woods – with a cast iron pan in his backpack – he would become a Bobby Flay type culinary genius!

To us kids he was the master of the outdoors. He would teach us how to fish, clean, and cook trout or would identify what plants were edible in a survival situation. He would tell us to steer clear of certain plants as even experts can mess up and it could be your “last mistake” as he would put it. Among his teachings would be: “drinking water from a stream running over rocks was safer than standing water.” Back then, that may have been the case. He taught us how to be quiet and walk “up wind” because in the woods, animals can hear and smell so much better than humans. You could imagine a comedy movie of three little boys following their dad and making all kinds of noise! My father would stop and turn and glare at us, and then he would put his finger to his mouth and whisper two words: “Shhh…. Bears!” We were very quiet after that. As I reminisce on this, I smile and realize that the bear scare was his secret weapon to keep us quiet while he enjoyed the outdoors. After a day of exploring and fishing, he would then pull out his favorite cast iron pan and fry over a campfire. 

I am not alone in my story of cast iron. Many of our customers love to cook outdoors and request cookware that is sufficient for outdoor cooking as well as in the kitchen. Cast iron has experienced a resurgence in popularity. These pans are extremely versatile and can last a lifetime. Everything from frying eggs, cooking a stew and baking a pie can be done in a cast iron pan. With a little care, these pans can become a hand-me-down family heirloom. Owning one can open up a whole new world of cooking, and the flavor that a cast iron pan adds to food is amazing!

{loadmoduleid 268}

In order to be successful when using cast iron, you have to know how to care for it, basically what to do and what not to do to your pans. If you treat them right, they will be so easy to cook with and will quickly become your go-to pan. First, season your pan. Seasoning is basically oiling the pan to give it a nonstick surface and prevent rusting. Even though most pans are sold “pre-seasoned,” you’ll still want to season it before its first use. Give your new pan a good rinse with plain old water and then heat it on the stove over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add a small amount of oil, using a cloth, work the oil all around the inside bottom and sides of the pan. Give it a good coat, about a teaspoon for a 10-12-inch skillet, but not so much that there is standing oil in the pan. Then let it cool to room temp. You’ll want to repeat this process a few more times until the surface is glossy, but not sticky. and if needed, scrub lightly. A properly seasoned pan is naturally nonstick, however if there is stuff stuck to the pan, you can scrape it and scrub with a hard bristle brush. After washing, or scrubbing if necessary, make sure to fully towel dry your pan to prevent rusting.

Our favorite and best-selling cast iron is Lodge. Lodge is seasoned cast iron cookware, so they begin the seasoning process for you. Lodge provides pre-seasoned cookware with no synthetic chemicals; just soy-based vegetable oil. The more you use your cast iron, the better the seasoning becomes.  Lodge is MADE IN THE USA and has been making cast iron cookware in South Pittsburg, Tennessee since 1896. With over 120 years of experience, their cast iron is known for its high-quality design, lifetime durability, and cooking versatility and is FAMILY OWNED.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga Springs, for cool tools for cooks. 

Remember my Foodie Friends that “Life Happens in the Kitchen” and remember to say the secret password: “Shhh…Bears” when you stop in.

Take Care, 
John and Paula

Fire Roasted Trout
(in a cast iron pan)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch of dill, chopped
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 2 whole trout, butterflied
• Salt & pepper

Directions
1. Set the Lodge skillet or griddle in a bed of coals, smooth side up. Preheat to medium-high heat. (you can also do this on your outside grill or indoors as well)
2. Combine lemon juice, olive oil and 2 teaspoons chopped dill. Whisk until well incorporated.
3. Place remaining dill and lemon slices inside the butterflied trout, brush all over with lemon juice mixture.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place fish on preheated skillet or griddle and cook each side for 7-10 min. or until the flesh flakes easily. Brush with lemon juice mixture as needed.
6. Remove trout from the skillet or griddle and serve immediately.

Spring often challenges farmers. As the land springs back to life from winter dormancy, work intensifies. Animals are born; seedlings start to pop up from the soil. Farmers nurture these new fragile beings against gusting winds, chilling rains, momentary patches of sun, sometimes snow.

This year has brought an additional challenge: the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mark Bascom and Lindsay Fisk, of Owl Wood Farm, returned to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market last Saturday, a few weeks ahead of schedule. This was due to an early spring rebound in some overwintered spinach and kale, along with the arrival of two summer interns a month early.

“They were supposed to start on May 1, but they were coming from Kentucky and were worried about state borders closing to keep the virus from spreading,” says Fisk.

Fisk and Bascom had not quite finished work on a house they were building for themselves and were living in the mobile home the interns were to occupy. The interns were willing to live in their van.

“But that would be uncomfortable,” Bascom says, “so we doubled down and pushed twice as hard to get into our home sooner than planned.”

The early arrival turned out to be a blessing. Fisk and Bascom had been trying to work out protocols for social distancing between workers and themselves, and with the interns already on site, some of that concern was eased. 

Pleasant Valley Farm’s Paul and Sandy Arnold began their winter with a world cruise, which COVID-19 cut short. They arrived home a few weeks ago and self-quarantined to ensure they were virus-free.

But quarantine didn’t mean lying low; the couple’s children, who had been running the farm, invited them to get to work! “We chopped wood, tilled the fields, planted many different vegetable crops, helped organize the computer orders, and did what we could to help with other farm work,” says Sandy Arnold. “We just worked on remote areas of the farm, not production, and did not attend the markets until now.”

Farmers, of course, are not immune to the virus itself. But they are accustomed to working alone and outside. This has helped many farmers gained a new appreciation for what they have and do, as a recent Facebook reflection from Mariaville Mushroom Men’s Bobby Chandler illustrates: 

“When I was a kid, I used to sometimes regret the fact that my Rotterdam parents decided to move to a farm when I was three. It wasn’t that I didn’t love all the land and it wasn’t that I didn’t love the animals. It was purely due to being called a ‘smelly, dumb farmer’ by the other kids. I never understood why I was being put down for this.”

Now, Chandler continued, “This is what I have come to realize: “There is a pandemic wreaking havoc on this country. Many people are out of work and are stuck at home with the children bored out of their minds. While most people are dealing with that, I am here in Mariaville, with my three kids playing outside. We are still producing food while many cannot source the simplest of products. We are farmers, we never stop working. The world needs us now more than ever.”

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.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Spring is a wonderful time. Breathe in the flower-tinted smell of renewal. 

You can’t help but feel refreshed, invigorated. Close your eyes and the sounds of birds dominate…chirping, tweeting, squawking, squealing…all signs of the new season!

It is also the time of year when people start to re-emerge from their homes with more outdoor activities such as biking, walking, playing baseball, hiking in the Adirondacks, and starting to do some camping outdoors. My father loved the outdoors and would take any chance my mother would give him to leave Connecticut (where I grew up) and go to Vermont to visit with his mother, aunts and uncles. He loved his family and the outdoor activities he could have on their land. You see, my father’s family owned lots of land which included two mountain ranges with lots of rivers, a pond, and wildlife to be exact. My father was an only child and loved to fish, hunt, and go camping. He was an expert in the outdoors and taught us kids many things about the woods. 

He may have been a lousy cook at home, but in the woods – with a cast iron pan in his backpack – he would become a Bobby Flay type culinary genius!

To us kids he was the master of the outdoors. He would teach us how to fish, clean, and cook trout or would identify what plants were edible in a survival situation. He would tell us to steer clear of certain plants as even experts can mess up and it could be your “last mistake” as he would put it. Among his teachings would be: “drinking water from a stream running over rocks was safer than standing water.” Back then, that may have been the case. He taught us how to be quiet and walk “up wind” because in the woods, animals can hear and smell so much better than humans. You could imagine a comedy movie of three little boys following their dad and making all kinds of noise! My father would stop and turn and glare at us, and then he would put his finger to his mouth and whisper two words: “Shhh…. Bears!” We were very quiet after that. As I reminisce on this, I smile and realize that the bear scare was his secret weapon to keep us quiet while he enjoyed the outdoors. After a day of exploring and fishing, he would then pull out his favorite cast iron pan and fry over a campfire. 

I am not alone in my story of cast iron. Many of our customers love to cook outdoors and request cookware that is sufficient for outdoor cooking as well as in the kitchen. Cast iron has experienced a resurgence in popularity. These pans are extremely versatile and can last a lifetime. Everything from frying eggs, cooking a stew and baking a pie can be done in a cast iron pan. With a little care, these pans can become a hand-me-down family heirloom. Owning one can open up a whole new world of cooking, and the flavor that a cast iron pan adds to food is amazing!

{loadmoduleid 268}

In order to be successful when using cast iron, you have to know how to care for it, basically what to do and what not to do to your pans. If you treat them right, they will be so easy to cook with and will quickly become your go-to pan. First, season your pan. Seasoning is basically oiling the pan to give it a nonstick surface and prevent rusting. Even though most pans are sold “pre-seasoned,” you’ll still want to season it before its first use. Give your new pan a good rinse with plain old water and then heat it on the stove over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add a small amount of oil, using a cloth, work the oil all around the inside bottom and sides of the pan. Give it a good coat, about a teaspoon for a 10-12-inch skillet, but not so much that there is standing oil in the pan. Then let it cool to room temp. You’ll want to repeat this process a few more times until the surface is glossy, but not sticky. and if needed, scrub lightly. A properly seasoned pan is naturally nonstick, however if there is stuff stuck to the pan, you can scrape it and scrub with a hard bristle brush. After washing, or scrubbing if necessary, make sure to fully towel dry your pan to prevent rusting.

Our favorite and best-selling cast iron is Lodge. Lodge is seasoned cast iron cookware, so they begin the seasoning process for you. Lodge provides pre-seasoned cookware with no synthetic chemicals; just soy-based vegetable oil. The more you use your cast iron, the better the seasoning becomes.  Lodge is MADE IN THE USA and has been making cast iron cookware in South Pittsburg, Tennessee since 1896. With over 120 years of experience, their cast iron is known for its high-quality design, lifetime durability, and cooking versatility and is FAMILY OWNED.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga Springs, for cool tools for cooks. 

Remember my Foodie Friends that “Life Happens in the Kitchen” and remember to say the secret password: “Shhh…Bears” when you stop in.

Take Care, 
John and Paula

Fire Roasted Trout
(in a cast iron pan)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch of dill, chopped
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 2 whole trout, butterflied
• Salt & pepper

Directions
1. Set the Lodge skillet or griddle in a bed of coals, smooth side up. Preheat to medium-high heat. (you can also do this on your outside grill or indoors as well)
2. Combine lemon juice, olive oil and 2 teaspoons chopped dill. Whisk until well incorporated.
3. Place remaining dill and lemon slices inside the butterflied trout, brush all over with lemon juice mixture.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place fish on preheated skillet or griddle and cook each side for 7-10 min. or until the flesh flakes easily. Brush with lemon juice mixture as needed.
6. Remove trout from the skillet or griddle and serve immediately.

Hello my Foodie Friends!

Most people fall into a rut when it comes to bread options. However, Popovers can be a deceptively simple item that will impress your family and friends 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 Nordicware and USA Pan.  Both the Nordicware pan and USA Pan’s are made in the U.S.A. These pans are designed to allow maximum airflow so popovers reach their full height. 

The next time you are not sure what to pop on over with to visit a friend or a family member, or to serve as a bread option, think about a creative popover to serve with the meal. During this challenging time – popovers may be a fun and creative way to add to your meal planning. Please call John at 518-226-4477 to set up an appointment to assist you’re your culinary needs. I’ll greet you wearing my mask and remember, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

These days leading up to Easter have presented many unprecedented challenges. As a community, we’ve grappled with job losses, pay cuts, shortages of basic goods, fears of the spreading Coronavirus, and in some cases, illness itself.

Farmers, too, face such challenges. Yet, as histories of droughts, hurricanes, floods, crop failures, and climate change show, farmers can adapt innovatively to crises. Many who bring their goods weekly to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market are creating others ways to connect with customers and make their products available in a safe, wholesome manner.

“It is vital that we keep the farmers market running during this time of crisis,” says market manager Emily Meagher. “Because of that, we want to make sure we offer the community as many options as possible to obtain fresh, local food.” 

Most of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors are continuing to bring their products to market each Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Tomorrow’s market will feature many of the fresh, healing foods of Easter. Look, for instance, for freshly cut lettuce, spinach, and other greens from Pleasant Valley and Green Jeans, lamb from Elihu, duck and goose eggs from Squashville, and maple treats from Slate Valley farms, among others. 

Vendors who are not attending the market are inviting shoppers to contact them directly to preorder such items as Mangiamo’s pasta and Lewis Waite meats. Other vendors are offering delivery and/or curbside pickup services at other locations or suggest looking for their items in local specialty stores. A spreadsheet on the farmers’ market website at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org lists the various options available.

The market is following the social distance protocols established by the state’s federation of farmers’ markets. Vendors are spaced several feet apart and have sanitizers, disinfectant wipes, and gloves at their tables. The market is asking shoppers to not crowd around vendor tables and has established a curbside pickup service for preordered items near the mall entrance. Look for the red tent.

“We want our market to be a safe space,” Meagher says. “We might not be able to gather socially as we normally do, but we can still offer our community fresh and wholesome foods from our local farms.” 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays in the parking lot outside the Wilton Mall. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates. 

Our responsibility, by direction, is to stay at home and only head out for essentials when absolutely necessary. As we settle in safely for the weeks to come, many are looking to foods that store well, foods that are easy to prepare, and, most importantly, foods that are available right now.   

While food bloggers hail smart and savvy ‘pantry meals’ that utilize canned goods, rice, and beans, the farmers’ market offers an expanded palette of foods that are easy to store and last longer than most produce found at grocery stores. 

Vegetables like onions, garlic, potatoes, and carrots are often at the core of savory, hearty meals. They are durable and have a good shelf life, and these vegetables work well in diverse meals depending on preparation methods and seasonings. Please note that garlic is currently unavailable at market. 

Milk, butter, cheese, and eggs are staples that most of us keep in constant rotation in the refrigerator. These binding ingredients are often what pulls the meal together. Milk may be used to create a creamy finish to soups and sauces like a classic roux – which is made from butter, flour, and milk. Eggs can be used to create satisfying omelettes and frittatas with endless possibilities for fillings. Cheese is essential for homemade pizza, quesadillas, baked ziti, and numerous other dishes. 

Shelf-stable vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and turnips can last for several weeks when kept in a cool, dry place. These vegetables can be the main stars of any meal, soup, or salad, and they are high in nutritional value. Even fruits like apples can keep for 2-3 weeks. Having a variety of these long-lasting fruits and vegetables inspires cooking that’s creative, comforting, and simple.

Meat and poultry are necessities for most, and they can be bought directly from farmers. Ground beef, whole chickens, and steaks and roasts can be kept frozen and thawed under refrigeration once you are ready to prepare them. Leftovers from a large roast or a whole roasted chicken may be used in a variety of dishes and soups as well.

While shopping at the farmers’ market, please remember to follow universal precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Please try to send one member of the household to shop and give 6’ space while shopping. Only touch products that you commit to buy and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after shopping.

If you plan to shop for something specific, please check our website and social media pages for updates. These are changeable times and we are working to keep you up to date with vendor and product availability each week.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Wilton Mall. Follow our updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and in our weekly e-newsletter.

Hello my Foodie Friends!

First let me thank all of you that have stopped in personally to let me know that you enjoy this column. Your kind words and well wishes have inspired me to keep coming back each week with new stories from the kitchen. I recall a recent visit from a young lady who come in and asked me for help buying cookware. It seems that there is something called “The Engagement Meal.”  This works by cooking your significant other a great meal so they will finally propose.  The young man in question had been taking a long time to pop the question. There is a lot of great karma in this strategy. As I discussed options for cookware, it brought me back to the first time my wife cooked for me. 

I still remember the candles and the gleam in her eyes. It was chicken and fried dough that we had picked up at a local farmers market. There were green beans and potatoes too. I called my mom and she said eat everything on your plate because it will mean a lot to her. Yes, I was a lucky young man at least that is what the emergency room doctor told me the next day. It seems I had salmonella poisoning but that is when I knew she was the one for me.  She tried her best and I remember the love she put into it and how she held my hand as they loaded me in the ambulance. Although the dinner was a learning curve for her, today she is an awesome cook.  So ladies or gentlemen it is the thought and trying that matters. A cooking vessel that may have helped with my special dinner would have been the Chinese Wok – a must have for your kitchen. 

A wok is a wide bowl shaped cooking vessel with handles used commonly in Chinese and Asian cooking. The types of foods generally cooked in woks are stir frying, stewing, boiling, braising and steaming. Compliments to the Chef carry a large assortment of high quality woks and Stir Fry’s that suit the needs of the Asian cooking enthusiast. Some of the best companies carry this cookware Joyce Chen, Helen Chen (her daughter), All-Clad, Lodge just to name a few. Carbon Steel or Cast Iron are my favorites.  They both spread heat evenly and are easy to clean up.  Though Cast Iron woks are superior to carbon steel woks in heat retention and uniform heat distribution and also allow forming a more stable layer of seasoning which makes it less prone to food sticking on the pan.  Carbon Steel woks are a little less expensive and still perform very well.  Although there are several sizes my customers usually prefer the 12” or 14” woks. It allows for big and small cooking. The handles are designed to stay cool on the stovetop, so you can easily remove the pan from the burner without using potholders. Its curved sides diffuse heat and extend the cooking surface, which helps with tossing and stirring. The great depth allows ample room to cook a whole fish, if so desired. Simmering, deep frying, or steaming, are just a few of its multiple uses. Season them with vegetable oil before use and after cleaning. Where ever your tastes take you this pan can deliver. 

Call us at Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store for those cool tools to help you with your special dinner. We’re open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday on an appointment basis and knocking at the door. We only let one person in at a time and practice social distancing. Also knife sharpening is still available! 

Oh and when you’re looking into each other’s eyes from across the table remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends!

We are certainly in an unprecedented time. Going to the grocery store has taken on a new meaning. This stuff makes us smile or chuckle or laugh out loud, exactly what we need as we face an unknown future amid the most serious disruption of our normal daily routine. Stress, boredom and a natural appreciation for culinary pleasures is sending millions under home confinement to the same place – back to the basics of cooking at home. For some, that means a new challenge of cooking from scratch more than usual (if that’s you, you might find solace in cooking from the pantry or freezer). But for those who have always loved cooking as both a respite from the news and a creative hobby, being inside during a pandemic presents a unique opportunity to get cozy with finicky and time-intensive recipes and kitchen skills that have previously been hard to carve out time to try. 

This is a time to do some of the things that you have put off for so long being challenged on time. Since we are all together under one roof; getting back to the basics takes on a new meaning. 

Cooking can be a way to nurture your self and learn things and stay active. It can be therapeutic focusing on that recipe you have always wanted to try, instead of thinking about the other worries you may have.

During this time of crisis and uncertainty; stay connected through cooking as a family, call your family and friends, and get back to the roots of cooking at home and eating as a family. Realize that this is a short period of time, and will change. Take time to lay low, smile and enjoy each other. Put some music on, dance, sing, and cook together under one roof. 

We at Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store try to live by the definition of family (we consider our foodie friends our family). While the direct legal and genetic relationships you share with others can help you create your definition of family, there is more to family relationships than these basic concepts. A true family provides emotional and spiritual kinship through our shared values, beliefs, and tradition, our common interests and experiences, and being a support during difficult times like these (acting as inspiration and giving unconditional friendship). Please call our store phone number (leave a message) if you need culinary items that we may stock. We can work out how to get them to you. 

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Community life in and around Saratoga has shut down in the effort to slow the Coronavirus spread. One space that remains open is the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings at the Wilton Mall.

The market, deemed an essential service, set up outdoors last Saturday in the parking lot outside the shuttered mall. Market staff created “stalls” out of parking spaces and placed vendors in spots that were spaced to maintain a safe distance.

Vendors set up tables and in some cases tents. They donned rubber gloves and had disinfectant wipes and sanitizer on hand.

What makes farms and farmers’ markets essential?

Most crucially perhaps is the fact that they offer food that is locally grown. You can find fresh vegetables, eggs, and chicken at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, along with such storable vegetables like carrots and potatoes; beef, pork, lamb, and goat; and even shelf-stable sauces, pickles, and dried beans.

“We need to be able to get our food to the community,” said Jason Heitman, of Green Jeans Market Farm, a vegetable grower.

“Farms are the heart of community,” added Julie Noble, of Ramble Creek Farm, which offers mushrooms and meats. “It’s important to keep food local, especially at this time.”

Farmers’ markets rarely operate outdoors before May. Last Saturday was sunny but windy, with temperatures that were below freezing. As a vendor myself, I shivered through three layers of jackets, wool socks, and gloves. I filled my table with eggs and set out coolers of meat. I was unsure what to expect, but as market regulars and new customers arrived, it quickly became apparent that many hungered not only for food but a sense of community, too. 

Amid sales, vendors and customers exchanged news. There were no handshakes or hugs, but plenty of laughs and well wishes.

“We’ll be continuing the market every week,” said Beth Trattel, market board president and owner of Something’s Brewing “We’re working with the mall to ensure that the space that we’re in remains safe.” 

Kelley Hillis of Puckers Gourmet Pickles could not offer samples of her pickles but did display their award-winning ribbons on her coat.

“Farmers markets are vital,” she said. “The money spent here supports a local producer. It helps keep my family, and other farm families fed.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Wilton Mall. Follow our updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and in our weekly e-newsletter.