Now We're Cooking

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all our fans, customers and friends. In spite of the recession we have had a good enough year, and we are looking forward to a great class schedule in the first months of the new year.

My New Year's resolution is to blog regularly about food, classes and what ever we learn in this adventure of running a kitchen store.

Our best wishes for a great 2010!!

Knives

Saturday, we sold a lot of knives at the store, and it reminded me that I had planned to post about knives, knife care and selection, and what a cook really needs.

We have learned a lot about knives since we opened the store, and we try to share what we have learned with our customers when we can.

A knife is perhaps the single most important piece of equipment in the kitchen. It should feel like an extension of your hand. If you take good care of your knives, they should last a long, long time.

There is a lot of confusion about knife care and keeping an edge.  Here is what we have learned from our knife reps who teach knife skills classes in the store:

• hone your knife frequently, using a steel or a hand held 'sharpener.' This does not really sharpen, but realigns the metal on the edge of the knife.  This is the MOST important thing you can do to keep an edge on your knife.
• home cooks usually do not need to have their knives sharpened (by which I mean ground to put on a new edge) more than once a year.
• NEVER EVER put knives in the dishwasher, and here is why. The blade of the knife can knock into other things in the dishwasher, and get knicked. Dishwashing detergent is harsh and can damage the steel in your knife. You can get cut by reaching into the dishwasher and grabbing the blade by accident.
• the best way to care for your knife is to wash it, dry it and put it away in a block or another blade protecting device.

Knife companies make many many styles of knives and knife handles.  The basics everyone needs are a chefs knife (also known as a cooks knife) and a parer. You may also need a carving knife, and a bread knife of some kind. After that, you need to figure out what you need. A boning knife if you often remove meat from a bone; a flexible slicer for fish or ham; a little birds beak parer for fruit---and on and on.

We often get asked for 'knife sets,' but we usually do not carry them because everyone's needs are different.

That's it. Remember when you see a chef handling a knife, he or she has been doing it a long time, and probably chop all day. Don't expect to slice and dice that fast!

Come in any time to look at our knife selection.

News for our Friends and Fans

It is hard to believe how fast the fall is flying by!  We wanted to give everyone updates about the fall classes.  There are a few classes that are very close to sell-out and we don’t want anyone to miss out on their favorite chefs!

• Christmas Casseroles on November 2 is almost full. Scott Brouse and Mike Benfer will have some new recipes for you to try.
• Moosewood Cooking for Heath on November 17 is almost full.  David Hirsch will be here. You will get a copy of the new cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health, and David will sign it for you.

Just to touch on some highlights:

• Do you have fond memories of The Hillside Restaurant?  Dave Miele is on the schedule for his first ever class preparing some of his restaurants favorites.  Be sure to come for a great trip down memory lane!
• We have Grace Pilato back for a popular Friday night semi-hands on Small Bites class.  This class is priced for 2 participants and is great fun.  A great chance to learn some new appetizers for your holiday entertaining.  And it counts as date night!
• Nationally known Kim Morrison, cake decorator extraordinaire, is back to teach a total hands-on fondant class.

 More details about the classes are available at our website

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Tina and Robin

 

Private Classes

We've been doing more private classes lately. They are a great way to thank your customers, or have a unique club meeting. Here is the letter we send out descibing the offering:

 

     Looking for something exciting, new and different for your clients?  Why not try a private cooking class at Now We’re Cooking. 

    Reserve the classroom for up to 20 for an exclusive demonstration cooking class.  We provide the recipes, healthy tastes, serving and clean-up.  You provide the clients and, if desired, wine.  Also on the night of class you get 10% off anything in the store not already on sale including special orders.

     We have 2 selections from which to choose:

                        -Comfort Foods

                                    Including Best Ever Lasagna, Chicken and Dumplings, Italian Tortellini Soup with garlic and cheese bread, Turkey Meat Loaf with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal fruit crisp with ice cream.

                        -Entertaining with Appetizers

                                    Including Sicilian Chickpea Spread with Pita Crisps, Wonton Cups with Sausage filling, Creole Andouille Phyllo Triangles, Mini Cream Puffs with both roasted vegetable and Chambord Custard fillings, Grilled Pizza with seasonal toppings and Grilled Shrimp Ceviche.

     Either class may be held from 6-9 PM at an all-inclusive cost of $600.00.

 

We have also done a salads class as a one hour offering, for half the price. And we can design a class for your group. Feel free to stop in or call or contact us by e-mail.

 

As the holidays approach, think of us for something different.

Julie & Julia

The movie I've been waiting for all summer has finally opened, and I cannot wait to see it.  'Julie and Julia' is based on two books that came out at the same time, 'My Life in France' by Julia Child, and 'Julie and Julia,' based on the blog by Julie Powell, in which she documented her year of cooking every dish in Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I read and loved the books and the blog.

Both of these stories are about so much more than food; they are about women finding out what they can do when they follow their passions.  Julia Child wound up changing the way America eats and thinks about food, and was the first television food celebrity.  Julie Powell blogged her way into a career in writing, which was her goal.  'Don't be afraid' Julia says to us, across the years, and we know she is right.

Of course, our Mauviel (French copper cookware) rep did not miss the opportunity to send us this link to a picture of Meryl Streep as Julia, with LOTS of Mauviel cookware in use in the background.

Enjoy.

 

Things our elders can teach us

There is a 93 year old woman named Clara Cannucciari who has become an internet sensation, by posting cooking lessons about cooking family dinners in the Great Depression. Clara makes simple, cheap meals and talks about her family and how they lived during the depression. If you haven't seen her yet, here is her youtube channel: Depression Cooking   These are Clara's mother's recipes, loved by a family.  Clara's lesson is that the important thing is sitting down together.

I was excited today while I was watching CBS News Sunday Morning to watch a profile of Vic FIrth.  He is the 77 year old whose factory makes more than 60% of the drumsticks used in the world. (He also makes the rolling pins we sell in the store, and a line of peppermills with Mario Batali's name on them.) Vi was the principal timpanist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 50 years. His factory employs 140 people in Newport Maine, and their products are made from American hardwoods.  Passion, knowledge, drive and business smarts made his life and his company.   We are proud to carry his excellent rolling pins. Take a look at the story.
Vic Firth story from Sunday Morning 

Why take classes?

Of course they are fun, and a night out.

But today's Philadelphia Inquirer says that more people are taking classes because learning new skills help them eat better for less.

There's a Hunger for Learning  

Searching for Recipes on the Internet

It used to be that I perused cookbooks for inspiration. Some cookbooks I even read like a novel, prizing them for the insight they gave into a particular time and place, or planning dinner parties I might never give. When confronted with a new ingredient, I went straight to the well-worn copy of The Joy Of Cooking to find out how to prepare and cook it.

Then along came the internet and search engines. Now, if I need to know how to make something specific, I usually go to www.epicurious.com and www.foodtv.com. I might look at several recipes, compare them, and decide which one looks like the best fit for what I am trying to do. This is a process that used to take a long time, going through cookbook indexes one by one.

Powerful search engines now allow us to recreate food memories.  Search google for Gilchrist macaroons, a powerful food memory for those who grew up near Boston. But you have to read a few to find the right one. The first hit is for coconut macaroons-so wrong.  Here's the link to the best recipe I found: Gilchrist Macaroons

Now there are sites that are more like cookbooks. Take a look at Cookstr which highlight chefs and recipes in an easy to use format.

There are great food bloggers. My favorite is Mark Bittman, whose Bitten blog appears on the New York Times website. Check out a recent post about mastering the omelette: Bitten

And there are user driven sites. One of the most recent I have found is Big Oven. This is a site with lots of free recipes and tools, and the option to download (for a fee) their recipe software.

And of course, there are health conscious sites, that help with recipe makeovers. Take a look at Taste of Home's healthy food section, or look at Weight Watchers where you can search recipes for free.

Of course, all this leads to the question, is there still a place in the world for a great cookbook?

What do you think?

Time to talk about slow cooking

One of my passions as a cook is using slow cookers to make life easier.  Almost any soup, stew or chili recipe can be adapted to the slow cooker, and with a little forethought, dinner can be ready for you when you get home.

I like a slow cooker that has some flexibility. It should be able to cook for a specified period and then hold your food warm until you get there. It's nice, but note essential, to be able to start a dish on high and have the cooker reduce it to low. A 7 quart slow cooker in an oval shape is very versatile. It's big enough to do a good amount of soup or chili. and shaped to roast a chicken if you want.  Smaller sizes are available for smaller jobs. I have a 1 1/2 quart slow cooker so I can have stone ground Irish oatmeal available in the morning for breakfast.   This machine has no bells or whistles, so I start it using a timer.

A couple of other things I have learned:

• It's worth the effort to brown on top of the stove before putting things in the slow cooker, if the recipe calls for it.  This can be done the night before, since the whole point of this is to avoid fuss and bother in the morning. When I make chili, I brown onions, garlic, peppers and beef, then add the spices, all the night before.  I refrigerate this mixture and then throw it in the slow cooker in the morning with tomatoes and beans and whatever else needs to go in there.  Voila, chili when I return in the evening.
• Recipes using chicken thighs work better in the slow cooker than chicken breasts, especially boneless, skinless breasts. The breasts tend to cook too fast and because they are so lean,they become a bit stringy.
• I have a couple of slow cooker cookbooks I think are great: Slow Good from Weight Watchers, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook, and Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook for Entertaining.   This last one has a lot of more sophisticated recipes you would be proud to share with guests, including a killer Country Captain.  I tend to shy away from slow cooker recipes using canned soup, but that may just be me.
• I have never tried to make dessert in a slow cooker....if you do, please share your experiences.

Here are a couple of easy things to do with a slow cooker:

Start Your Day Right Oatmeal

2 C water (or milk, if you like)
1/2 C stone ground oats (such as McCann's)
1/2 t salt
1/4 of a cut up apple
2-3 T raisins
1/2 t cinnamon

This takes 4-5 hours which is why I use a timer to have it ready when I get up. I usually spray the inside of the crock with Pam for easier cleanup.

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken

1 4 lb chicken
1 t paprika
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t seasoned salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t ground pepper
1 T olive oil

Prep the chicken by removing the giblets and any loose fat or skin. Rinse and pat dry.
Make a paste with the spices and olive oil. Rub a little in the cavity and rub the rest all over the chicken. Cook on high 3-3 1/2 hours, or low 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 hours.  You can eat this immediately or use the cooked chicken in salads, pastas, casseroles.

-Robin

 

Welcome to the Now We're Cooking Blog

Hi foodies,
We are Robin and Tina, co-owners of Now We're Cooking, an independent gourmet store in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  This is our first effort at blogging about our business, and what we do here.

We get a lot of questions about how to do things, from cooking and techniques, to where to find recipes and ingredients, to how to care for kitchen items.  Between the two of us, we have a lot of knowledge and experience.

We're going to blog about all these things, and you can ask us questions, too.

Thanks for reading!