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Yum's September Must Haves

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:01:31 -0700

For me, September means hoarding as much Summer produce as possible before it's gone and savoring each day of beautiful weather - while we still have it- with pool parties, picnics, and fireside campouts. On the social front, this month also brings more political banter as we approach the presidential election. Here are five of my essentials for September.

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Stylish Oven Mitts

YumSugar — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:59:01 -0800

Everyone loves a great apron, but have you ever thought about your oven mitt? An oven mitt is a fantastic way to spruce up your kitchen with a little bit of whimsy and a lot of flair.

I came across these three beautiful oven mitts at the Curiosity Shoppe. They're $25 a piece, and were created by the folks at Deadly Squire (although how anything so cute could come from something called "deadly" is beyond me). They've also got matching pot holders for $20.

If branches and birds aren't your style, check out these hot dot oven mitts and pot holders at Chiasso. They range from $12-$18.

Two more after the jump, so read more.

This one, by goods of desire, offers a little bit of a worldly touch. For $24, the black and white chinese newsprint oven mitt could become a great conversation starter in your kitchen.

And finally, I found this eye-catching modern circle oven mitt from Echo. You can take it home for a mere $6. At that price, go ahead and get two.

Tater Mitts: Love It Or Hate It?

partysugar — Sat, 05 May 2007 00:08:19 -0700

I hate the word tater. For some reason I can not explain, the word tater absolutely repulses me. Pair it with the word tot and I get extremely grossed out with nightmares of elementary school cafeteria lunches plaguing me in my sleep. Pair it with the word mitt and I will immediately vomit. While I appreciate the idea and concept behind gloves that are especially designed to easily scrub, clean, and peel potatoes, there is no way I could ever buy, use, or wear them simply because I am disgusted by the vulgar name. Perhaps if they were called Potato Scrubbers or Potato Cleaning Gloves I might be more inclined to love this product. I'm curious to see what you think so, tater mitts: love it or hate it?

Top Chef 4 Star All Stars Recap

YumSugar — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:20:59 -0700

Last night Top Chef kicked off its new season with an All Star battle that pitted season one chefs against season two. On the season one team we had Harold, Stephen (oh how I missed his condescending smug attitude), Tiffani and Dave - surprisingly absent was Leanne, but she couldn't participate because she is now Bravo TV's food producer). The season two team consisted of fan favorite Sam, Elia, Marcel and Ilan. The two teams were going head to head and the team with the most wins contributed $20,000 to their favorite charity.

Overall it was a bit lackluster - there was no drama unfolding, as no one was getting kicked off, and all the food looked delicious - however it was fun to see my favorite contestants back in the kitchen. It was definitely a great tease (or should I say amuse-bouche) to lead into season three. There were a few good quotes and I'm sure you guys want to know about the food, and see some pictures. So let's get started, just read more

First of all, I can't get on with any of the recapping without pointing out three things. (1) Marcel rapped, again... (2) was that the Brooklyn bridge carved into Ilan's hair? I'm pretty sure it was and (3) the immersion blender in Ilan's mouth looked a bit... wrong? Oh my, now on to the recap!

The challenge started off with Padma and Chef Tom telling the former contestants that each team needed a team captain. Initially I thought it would be the two winners, but I should have known better! Instead of having the teams pick captains, the captains were chosen by a quickfire challenge! They were presented with two eggs and a large oven mitt. The oven mitt was for them to wear, because Padma tells them that they will be cooking eggs with one hand behind their back. They then cut to Stephen who says, "If you can't cook eggs, you're probably better off not being in the kitchen." I guess no one told those folks in Hell's Kitchen that.

In the end, Stephen wins with a "perfect omelette" and is chosen captain of season one - competing for the Susan G. Komen foundation. And even though his dish was topped with a dollop of saffron foam, Marcel is the runner-up and is chosen as captain for season two - competing for Share Our Strength.

The teams are then told that they're making a four course meal consisting of scallops, lobster, duck and kobe beef. Each team member chooses an ingredient and they will go head-to-head against the other season's chef. The team with the most winning dishes will be the victors.

Up first: Dave vs Elia with scallops - Elia produces two versions both paired with a marmalade, Dave produces a smoked scallop with a tapenade. In the end Elia's wins, although I must admit, I was rooting for Dave.

Next up: Stephen vs Marcel with lobster - Marcel's dish includes both a gelee and a foam (served tableside even!), both of which begin to deflate in the hot Miami heat. Stephen's is immaculately plated and consisted of beautiful saffron tones. Winner? Stephen.

Third course: Harold vs. Ilan with duck - The showdown is on! Season one winner vs season two winner, should be impressive, no? Actually turned out that the judges didn't really love either of them. Harold's was "incomplete" and Ilan's was a mess. In the end incomplete wins over a mess, and I say hurray, because well it's no secret, I heart Harold.

Last up: Tiffani vs Sam with kobe beef: Both dishes looked great, but Tiffani's was the winner. Chef Tom even mentions how nice it is to have her food again.

With a vote of 3-1, season 1 is declared the victor!

If you missed the show, you can check it out later this week (check the Bravo schedule) or stream it over the internet. Also, for a few hysterical comments on last night's show, visit our pals at We Cook, They Dish.

Now for a few of my favorite quotes:

"If the bitch can cook, let him cook!" - Dave about Marcel

"I have way too many people at home watching, I can't go home against this guy." - Harold about Marcel

"I'm so weeded right now." - Marcel

"I don't want to prove myself to these guys anymore." - Dave

"He's KIND OF cute?!?" - Ted Allen about Sam

"Don't read the blogs because you'll find shit on there that you don't want to know about yourself. Stuff that you probably didn't even know about yourself." - Sam

Oh Sam, was it something we said?

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Recall Warning: Metromint May Not Be So Minty Fresh

YumSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:15:39 -0800

Attention Metromint fans, the Soma Beverage Company - makers of Metromint - are recalling all bottles of Metromint flavors Peppermint, Spearmint, Orangemint, and Lemonmint that have a best before stamp of 2008/12/21 and were produced at its California facility (letters KSA located in the lower right-hand corner).

Why the recall? Turns out the bottles may be contaminated with Bacillus cereus, a type of food poisoning. If you've got your mitts on a recalled bottle return it to the place where you purchased it, and don't drink it as it could cause a wide range of symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting.

Uh oh, sounds like someone's got a PR nightmare on their hands. The water is normally pretty refreshing; it's bottled water with a splash of minty freshness. The company is pretty young and is still building a fan base. I hope this recall doesn't set them back too far.

If you're concerned and would like to speak with someone, Soma Beverage can be contacted at 415-979-0781, ext. 101.

What's Yummy This Week: YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 12 May 2007 08:21:45 -0700

In case you've forgotten, Mother's Day is this Sunday. If you haven't bought her any great gifts, you can still make it up by planning a fantastic breakfast in bed with sparkling cocktails or juice.
If the person you celebrate on Mother's Day is not into breakfast in bed, why don't you surprise her with strawberry shortcake instead? We've got two recipes, one for beginners and one for those who love a kitchen challenge.
Did someone mention challenge? Get your oven mitts out, we've extended the deadline to our American Idol Themed Food Challenge. Get your submissions in by Tuesday May 15.
This week we saw a photo of Gordon Ramsay carrying a dead deer through his restaurant. He goes hunting on an upcoming episode of his show the F word and well, I guess venison made the menu that night. Oh and the new season of Hell's Kitchen starts on June 4.
Speaking of new seasons, Bravo finally announced the contestants for the upcoming season of Top Chef. New season starts June 13, with a special on June 6. The upcoming date means a lot of miscellaneous Top Chef news turning up everywhere.
If Top Chef's not your bag, then perhaps you enjoy Easy Entertaining on Food Network. If so, then be sure to check out our exclusive interview with host Michael Chiarello. We hear his Julia Child impersonation, learn how to make perfect crepes and discover a great red wine blend.
Everyone loves free stuff! In Japan you can get free drinks (as long as you watch a 30 second commercial) and here in the US, participating Häagen-Dazs stores will be giving away ice cream on Tuesday, May 15.

If you're looking for a way to start a healthier lifestyle, check out Heidi Swanson's new cookbook, Super Natural Cooking. She covers meals, salads, drinks, desserts and more. One of her desserts is great, even if I did screw it up a bit.
The who's who of the food world were out and about for the James Beard Awards. Was your favorite chef/restaurant a winner?
Finally, we want to know:
- What do you eat when you're drunk?
- Do you drink sparkling water?
- How about hot or cold water?
- Do You prefer hamburgers or hot dogs?