YumSugar

Do You Own a Pepper Grinder?

YumSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:15:38 -0700

Using a pepper grinder greatly improves one's seasoning skills. Plus it's fun to play server and ask guests if they'd like freshly ground pepper on their salads or pasta. Do you own this old-school gadget?

Grind Spices the Easy Way

partysugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:54:31 -0800

Last weekend when making YumSugar's lamb - which was to die for! - my dad and I ran into a little problem. After toasting the cardamom seeds, the recipe asked you to grind them in a spice grinder. Yum used her mortar and pestle, but our mortar was missing! How on earth were we supposed to grind spices without a spice-grinding machine or a mortar and pestle? The solution is super simple, something that you can do at home! To find out what we did, read more.

Most kitchens have a black-peppercorn hand grinder. We removed the black peppercorns and filled the grinder with toasted cardamom seeds. To ensure that the spices end up in the grinder pour them into a small measuring cup. Next grind the seeds onto the lamb as you would black pepper. This technique can be used with other seeds or spice blends.

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Off to Market Recap: Pepper Grinder

partysugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:13:33 -0700

Last night, the soup I made was a little off in the seasonings. I'm pretty sure it's because my new kitchen doesn't have a pepper grinder! My kitchen is far from being complete, but I can't function one more day without freshly ground black pepper. Luckily I asked you to help me find one. You scoured the internet for a pepper grinder that is easy to turn when hands are wet, and grinds a good amount of pepper with each turn. You saved the mills in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Pepper Grinder.

I really love the lime green pepper mill that gruaig_rua discovered, but I haven't decided the color scheme for my new kitchen yet. That's why I think this classic stainless steel pepper grinder - also found by gruiag_rua - is perfect instead. It's functional, but fashionable and will fit into any kitchen's decor.

Take a look at all the fabulous finds by scrolling to the right below.

For more on the bookmarking function please refer to geeksugar's helpful how to.

Off To Market: Pepper Grinder

partysugar — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:28:33 -0700

Last night was the first night I felt settled into my new apartment. By settled I mean I finally unpacked my kitchen! Desperate to learn my way around the new kitchen, I decided to treat myself to a delicious and tasty meatloaf sandwich. As I was whipping up a quick basil mayonnaise, I reached for the pepper grinder only to realize I do not have one!!! Can you help me find an awesome pepper grinder? Look for one that is easy to turn when hands are wet and grinds a decent amount of pepper with each turn. Bookmark the pepper mills in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Pepper Grinder. Good luck, I can't wait to see what you discover!

For more on the bookmarking function, please refer to geeksugar's helpful how to.

Not sure where to start surfing? Check out a list of my favorite online stores, just read more

Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Cooking.com
Crate & Barrel
Ikea
Linens and Things
NapaStyle
Pier 1
Plum Party
Pottery Barn
Sur La Table
Target
Restoration Hardware
Williams Sonoma
Wishing Fish
World Market

Ming Tsai Makes Tempura - and Many a Joke

YumSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:00:55 -0700

When public television chef Ming Tsai spoke at last year's Classic, I learned that he was wildly hilarious. Thus, at this year's festival, I couldn't wait to catch some more laughs. Ming shared tips for East-West cuisine while making blue cheese burgers and bacon potstickers, a ginger margarita, and a tempura shrimp cocktail. In addition to offering up lots of advice to home cooks, the Blue Ginger chef and owner also shared his thoughts on everything from eating at Alinea ("I thought it'd be gimmicky, but it was unbelievably sexy, delicious food") to his approach to dining out ("When I walk into a restaurant, I only want to see locals"). Get more of his cooking tips after the break

The Chin Family Table Set: Love It Or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 02:58:19 -0700

Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to the Chin Family. Designed by Stefano Giovannoni as a collaboration for the National Palace Museum of Taiwan and Alessi (the Italy-based design company), the Chin family is definitely a bit of whimsy for your tabletop. A five piece set includes (from left to right), Mr. & Mrs. Chin Salt & Pepper Set, Mr. Chin Kitchen Timer, Mr. Chin Egg Cup, King Chin Grinder and Queen Chin Grinder. Oh and each piece is sold separately ($26-$60) and is available in several different colors. There's something about these guys that are just too darn cute to pass on, but at the same time, I think they're just too much. How about you, what do you think of the Chin family?

The Ultimate Kitchen: Chef's Knife

YumSugar — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 00:15:22 -0800

When I'm at parties I'm always asked one of three things.

1- What's your favorite thing to make?
2- What's your favorite restaurant?
3- What's your favorite kitchen tool?

The first two are hard, but the last one is the most difficult. There's so many to choose from: mixer, grater, food processor, pepper grinder, etc. Since there are so many so called "essentials" I've decided to highlight one each week. Most of these will be kitchen must-haves, but I'll also highlight the occasional splurge. You can think of this list as The Ultimate Kitchen.

To start things off, every kitchen needs at least one good 8" chef's knife. A full set of knives is nice to have, but it's actually better (and cheaper) to build your own set. This way you'll get the knives that suit your needs best. So to start off your set, invest in a good chef's knife. I personally really like the knives from Global, they have a lightweight feel and a unique grip handle. Plus, if I'm going to be 100% honest, I also just like the way they look.

A Global 8" Chef's Knife will set you back about $86. If you're adding it to a registry, you may consider requesting the 3-Piece Global Knife Set which includes a 3 1/2" paring knife, a 5 1/4" utility knife and 7" santoku (which can replace the need for an 8" chef's knife).

If you don't like the way Global's feel (go in and test them out first), Wüsthof and Henckels are both really nice knives as well.