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A Spoon Saves the Day

partysugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 10:15:25 -0700

It's frustrating when a jar lid is exceptionally hard to remove. I always hear my father's voice say, "pretend you're on a desert island and that's all you have to eat." After a childhood of that, I've figured out a no-fail trick for opening difficult jars. The secret ingredient? A simple spoon. Here's what you do:

Hold the spoon in one hand and the jar firmly in the other.
Nestle the spoon in the crack between the lid and the glass. Push up and back. You want to break the seal.
Press up with the spoon to loosen the lid. If the seal does not break, rotate the jar and repeat, pressing up and back with the spoon until you hear a pop.
Let go of the spoon and twist the lid off. It will come of smoothly and easily.

How do you deal with frustrating lids? What's your trick to remove them?

DIY: Elegant and Rustic Wedding Decor

partysugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:50:38 -0700

A friend of mine recently got married at a San Francisco restaurant with 25 close guests in attendance. The ceremony was held in a private room, and afterward, everyone sat down at one big table for a three-course dinner.

Since the couple threw together the "elopement" on short notice, they recruited friends to help; a friend and I were asked to do the flowers. I was surprised by how cheaply we were able to fill the room with blooms. Since the restaurant has exposed brick walls and a rustic feel, we decided to go for the same look with the arrangements. To see my tips for achieving a similar scheme, read more.

Know the space. Get a feel for the room you'll be working in and talk to the restaurant about any decor (such as candles and tablecloths) they'll have on hand or any restrictions that may apply.
Become a jar collector. To echo the rustic modern vibe of the room, I rounded up mismatched glass jars from my cupboards and friends' kitchens. They're free of charge and oh-so-hip.
Go wholesale. Many cities have flower markets that are open to the public. If you can, find a wholesale card to get better prices; I borrowed one from an event coordinator at a local nonprofit. Even if you can't get a wholesalers' discount, you'll still be able to get better bulk deals than you would anywhere else.
Mix and match. Splurge on some pricier statement flowers to anchor the arrangements - we went with purple hydrangeas, white tulips, orchids, and dahlias. Then, fill them out with cheaper filler in complementary colors: try mums, alstromerias, and assorted greenery.
Light it up. Place votive candles in smaller jars and use them to surround the floral arrangements. This will give the flowers a grander appearance without actually needing more flowers.

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How To Store Caviar

YumSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:30:29 -0800

Yesterday, I offered some tips for tasting and serving caviar, courtesy of Michael Kupfer and Ali Bolourchi of Pacific Plaza Imports, a California-based caviar importer. I caught up with them while enjoying some Siberian sturgeon roe, and got some pointers on how to keep caviar in its best condition. To learn more about storing sturgeon roe, read more.

The ideal temperature for storing caviar is between 28ºF and 30ºF.
Set the eggs in the coldest part of your refrigerator, atop packs of ice. Since caviar has such a high salt content, don't worry about it freezing,
Caviar that's been vacuum-sealed will keep up to 90 days. Kupfer recommends consuming it within 60 days.
Once opened, sturgeon roe has a shelf life of less than a week; after 48 hours, the caviar, due to exposure to oxygen, loses its integrity and begins to break down.

Now that I know how to properly care for my caviar, I'm looking forward to purchasing some for myself. Will these tips inspire you to buy a jar for entertaining at home?

How Long Has That Been In Your Fridge?

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:11:39 -0700

You've probably been here before: you're cleaning out the fridge and you get to that open jar of mayonnaise. You wonder how long it's been there, and when you opened it. Then you realize that even if you could remember when you opened it, you wouldn't know if it was still any good. The labels, if they're even there, are often confusing. So what do you do? Well luckily I've got the tip and the answer to help you out. To find out read more

The folks at ShopSmart were recently on the CBS Early Show and offered some practical advice regarding how long things last once opened.
Here are some of their tips:

Mayonnaise lasts 2 months once opened.
Eggs last 3-5 weeks.
Leftovers should be good for 3-4 days.
Jarred pasta sauce is good for 5 days once opened.

These are just general guidelines, you should just use your best judgement. And as I always say, when in doubt, toss it!

So how do you know how long stuff has been in your fridge? It may sounds ridiculously simple, but all you have to do is label the jars when you open them. Simply put today's date on the labels and then next time, you'll know how long it's been in there. I have a set of adhesive labels that I use, but a set of "Hello My Name Is" stickers could be a lot of fun too.

How about you, do you have any labeling tips?

Source: LifeHacker and CBS News

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And Now For a Few More Words With Christopher Kimball

YumSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:01:11 -0800

Yesterday we ran part one of our interview with Christopher Kimball - editor, TV personality, and all-around food superstar - and today we've got part two. In this section Kimball compares gourmet cooking to gourmet sex. If you want to know exactly what that means, you'll just have to keep reading.

YumSugar: When you cook for yourself, do you follow recipes, or do you just make things up as you go?
Christopher Kimball: I have preached the value of a limited-recipe repertoire at home for years. Most folks should start with just 25 or so recipes until they can make them from memory and make them well. Then expand from there. So I have my repertoire and for those, I don't need a recipe. Plus, there are master recipes for roasting, braising, sautéing, stewing, etc., which - once one gets the hang of it - can be improvised. That being said, if I am making someone else's recipe, I always follow it religiously the first time. If it looks suspect or something seems out of whack, I just won't make it at all.

YS: I read an interview with you in which you said, "I think the gourmet cooking thing is over. That happened in the '70s." With our easy accessibility to fancier ingredients and exotic spices, do you think this is true still? If so, why?
CK: Gourmet cooking is for restaurants, not home cooks. This is hobby cooking and, for the most part, I am against it. It implies that everyday cooking is a chore and something to be avoided. I would rather focus on really good, everyday cooking - from-scratch oatmeal, a really good pancake, the perfectly-cooked skillet steak - then get all caught up in exotic ingredients and cuisines that most of us are not intimately familiar with. That doesn't mean that one shouldn't try new things once in a while for fun. But what would you think of someone who was promoting "gourmet sex" or "gourmet childrearing?" What's wrong with the day-to-day stuff? And isn't that more important anyway?

For the rest of the interview - learn all about his four freezers! - read more

YS: What advice would you give to an aspiring home chef?
CK: Stop trying to be a chef! Home cooks are not chefs; they are cooks plain and simple. Even Julia Child never liked being referred to as the French Chef. She was a cook. Keep it simple. Start with a small group of recipes. Get really good at them. Make food that means something to you and your family. Stick to the basics. Don't be ashamed of a good grilled-cheese sandwich or oven-fried chicken. Enjoy yourself!

YS: And finally, if we opened up your fridge, what would we find?
CK: Well, if you opened our freezers (we have four of them) you would find over 1,000 lbs. each of beef and pork from our own animals plus frozen corn from the summer and frozen apple cider from our orchard. There would be no junk food. (We do have the odd jar of marshmallow fluff since my 17-year-old, Caroline, loves to make Moon Pies - at least that is what she claims.) The closest we get is store-bought yogurt although we often make our own as well. You would find our own eggs, our bacon (my favorite food), low-fat milk as well as whole (my one nod to the low-fat craze), pickles, our own homemade jams, mayonnaise, lots of mustards, lots of cheese and butter, a jar of anchovies and capers, the odd package of herbs in the Winter (in Summer we pick them from the herb garden), the odd vegetable, buttermilk (always have that on hand for baking), peanut butter (my wife demands that we refrigerate open jars), at least one bottle of opened white wine, etc. We also have a full root cellar where we store our own maple syrup, honey, potatoes, beets, carrots, and apples. Now I am sounding like Alice Waters! Oy!

Guy Fieri: He's Off the Hook

partysugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:20:27 -0700

Last week I had the chance to speak with Food Network's Guy Fieri. He's the host of three shows - Guy's Big Bite, Diners, Drive-ins, Dives, and Guy Off the Hook - and winner of the Next Food Network Star season two. Filming keeps him incredibly busy, but in his spare time, the celebrity chef - who prefers hot dogs to hamburgers and mustard to ketchup - continues to experiment in the kitchen. He's deeply passionate about food, especially food education for children, and encourages "people to get on the food train." Fieri and I talked about his upcoming appearance at New York City Wine and Food Festival, and I got to see a softer side of the "in it to win it" bad-boy chef.

To see what Fieri had to say when we chatted, read more.

PartySugar: Tell us about your role at the Food Festival.
Guy Fieri: I'm new to the whole food festival thing. My first one was last February in South Beach. I'll be doing a live filming of Off the Hook. It will be two one-hour taped specials featuring all kinds of good food. Anybody that's into food, chefs, cooking, partying - they should go to the festival.

PartySugar: At a festival so large, do any chefs make you star struck?
Guy Fieri: No, not star struck. I'm a big fan of a lot of chefs. I love what Emeril created. Bobby is a bad-ass. Rachael took this whole world and turned it into a new realm. Everyone is the King/Queen of their own kitchen, so I respect them all.

PartySugar: Out of all the seasons of the Next Food Network Star, you are the only one who actually became a FN star; why do you think that is?
Guy Fieri: If I had that answer, I would be churning out new stars for the network! I made who I wanted to become. I did things my way. I don't know really. Divine intervention, perhaps?

PartySugar: Have you ever had a bad experience at one of the diners, drive-ins, or dives?
Guy Fieri: Oh yeah. There's no reason to lie. I'm not a food critic. I usually look at the recipes and can tell what will be good and what won't be.

PartySugar: What's in your fridge?
Guy Fieri: Let me open it for you! Organic blackberry preserves, sriracha, six different jars of olives, 10 kinds of mustard, sesame oil, horseradish, fish sauce, unsalted butter, salted butter. I'm sort of a mad scientist when it comes to cooking. I love every type of condiment and sauce. The vegetable drawer is kind of empty. It's only got red pepper, onion, carrots, new potatoes, celery, and beets. The cheese drawer has three kinds of salami, six cheeses, parmesan reggiano. In the freezer I have bacon cut into small portions 'cause my son likes to have a little bacon at breakfast. Smoked elk sausages, spaetzel that I made, capers.

PartySugar: What's your advice to the everyday home cook?
Guy Fieri: Make two new things every week! Break out new recipes, try new ingredients, experiment with new things. Don't make a whole meal of new dishes for your family, but if you want to give curry a try, make your usual rice, vegetables the kids like, a salad, and then the curry. That way if no one likes the new thing, there is still other stuff they can eat. Don't be discouraged when something goes wrong. But really food is so awesome, everyone can do it. The common denominator between humankind is food. It's empowering to cook.

Source

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

partysugar — Sat, 24 May 2008 09:32:54 -0700

This week we introduced our fabulous new recipe search!
Celebrate Memorial Day weekend by experimenting with an exciting new burger recipe.
Be on the lookout: dining and drinking in outrageous locations is all the rage.
Learn how to make Argentina's most popular condiment: chimichurri.
Struggling to open the lid of that roasted red pepper jar? Use a spoon to get it off.
An open faced balsamic egg sandwich is delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Love oysters? Why not try shucking your own?
Finally, if you need a creative, alternative dessert consider making chocolate bruschetta.

Merry Christmas! Now It's Time to Treat Yourself!

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:01:31 -0800

Merry Christmas everyone!

If you've opened up all of your gifts and emptied out your stocking, but felt there was still something missing, then check out our entire 2007 gift guide. Trade in those fluffy puppy slippers for something a little more chic and sleek. From engraved bottles to fancy olive oil, you'll find great ideas for those gift cards you received.

For the rest of our guides, read more.

Source

What Is This?

YumSugar — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 11:01:31 -0700

This gadget is actually a 6-in-1 multi-tasker. To find out what it is, read more

This is a 6-in-1 Multi Opener that helps you open several different seals and lids, including bottles, bags, jars, and safety seals. It features a durable and comfortable grip and is available for $8.95.

Source: Kitchen Contraptions

San Francisco's New Candy Store

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:23:18 -0700

June is almost over, but I couldn't let National Candy Month pass by without telling you guys about one of my favorite new places. In the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, Diane Campbell and her hubby Brian have opened a new shop simply called, "The Candy Store." Based on the name you'd assume that the store sells candy - which it does - but it's not like the kind of Sweet World type stores you see in the mall. If that's what you're envisioning, just stop right there: This place is better than that. It's a bright white space sprinkled with walls of clear candy jars, mountains of delicious chocolates, bins of crystal fruit slices and more.

Although it was a dreary gray day when I visited, the inside of The Candy Store was as bright and beautiful as a lovely spring morning - a lovely spring morning in candyland! To find out more about The Candy Store, including lots of pictures, read more

As a kid, owner Diane Campbell wasn't allowed candy and would sneak it from her mom. However like most vices, candy's something you end up craving the more you can't have it. So naturally, as an adult, Diane is now the proud owner of a beautiful store. The store is filled with handpicked items that really cover the candy gamut. From inexpensive candy lipsticks (50¢ each) to pricey imported chocolates, there is something for everyone. She even carries hard to find candy bars like Valomilk, Idaho Spuds, and Sky Bars, as well as the intriguingly flavored Zotter bars (plum bacon anyone?!). My personal favorite is the wide array of of by the pound (around $10-12 per pound) candies including mango chile gumballs, assorted gummi candies (including one that looks like an egg), peanut butter malt balls, green & black "olives" (which are candies that happen to look like olives), black licorice (which apparently sells like mad) and many, many more.

When I asked Diane what she liked best about being the neighborhood candy pusher, she earnestly gushed that it was the customers smiles.

"I'm going to be that candy store in people's memories. That's so freaking cool to me. To be part of that memory is thrilling."

Personally I think the thrilling part is to have this candy store in your memory. So if you're ever in San Francisco, be sure to stop by and tell Diane we said hello! If you're nice she might even hook you up with a sample.

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