We have been talking about our great cookware for a couple of years or so. But much of the conversation has been based upon research and discussions with others. So to change that, I bought a Chasseur Dutch oven for my wife’s birthday and a Fissler Pressure Pan set for Christmas. Should have done this sooner!

The Dutch oven has been in almost constant use for the last month or so and both my wife and I continue to rave about the ease of use, the fantastic results and the quick easy clean up. We have used it for soups, stews and pot roasts so far. For stews, the even consistent heat makes browning the stew meat quick. Then a quick deglaze with some wine and the vegetables and stock and let simmer until everything is cooked just right.

Probably the surprising thing was not the ease of use or the results but how little heat was needed to maintain the simmer. We used high heat to brown the meat which got the Dutch oven hot throughout. The heat was then turned down after all the ingredients were added. The residual heat in the pot quickly brought everything up to simmer and we only needed low heat to keep it there.

I will have more to say about the Dutch oven.

Our other addition, the Fissler Presure Pan, has been even more amazing in some respects. Just to test is out we tried cooking chuck ribs and they turned out amazing. They were juicy, tasted and tender almost falling off the bone. As this was done in 20 minutes! Using the more standard roasting method the ribs would take close to an hour and a half to get them that tender. Vegetables takes just a couple of minutes. Even a beef stew, which we did in two stages, took only about 25 or 30 minutes from start to finish.

But the key is not just the savings in time but the flavor and color of the ingredients that are retained. We used less than half the seasoning we normally use yet the food turned out equally flavorful and moist.

Pressure cookers are showing up frequently on the Iron Chef competition and you know these chefs would be unwilling to trade off time for quality and flavor. So we will have much more to discuss about them as well.

What we have learned in the last few months is that quality cookware does make a difference and does so in more ways than we would normally think. First, it is just easier to do things with good cookware. The results are better – better looking, better tasting and healthier. And the added benefit is they save time and energy.

We should have done this a long time ago rather than just talking about it.

Happy Thanksgiving from Your Smart Kitchen

As the snow starts to find its way here to Northern Nevada and the Tahoe ski areas, does it seem that winter is arriving earlier this year.  Skiing for Thanksgiving in not usual in the Sierras.  But one thing that normal is the increased activity in the kitchen.  This is a great time to walk in from the cold brisk outdoors into a warm house with the inviting smells of freshly baked bread, cookies and other temptations.  To say nothing of the smells created from the preparations for traditioanl holiday dinners.

Here in our household, holidays are family time. Along with the incredibly fantastic meals created and eaten, there comes laughter and memories that will last a lifetime. Every year and every feast has something different but completely wonderful to offer and these memories are ones that are cherished. There have been many food-related mishaps over the years, including the turkey that was done in 45 minutes instead of the planned 3 hours because I forgot to put the pan of water in the barbecue smoker.  But looking back I can't remember a dinner event that hasn't turned out great. I am pretty sure I'm not the only one who is looking forward to the next delicious holiday feast.

Here's hoping it's a great one. So to everyone out there, who can't join us at our table, have a great holiday season!

Quality Cookware for 20% - 30% Less the Traditional Retailers

Most everyone is looking for value for this holiday season.  Our feeling is that value comes with things that you use frequently and can enjoy for many years. Our French, Italian and American cookware offers superior craftsmanship combined with lifetime warrantees.  Your Smart Kitchen compliments this with great prices and your guaranteed satisfaction.

In a "back to the future" kind of way, pressure cookers have become popular again.  They can frequently be seen featured on the Iron Chef and other Food Network television programs.  These are not the clunky canisters with the screw down wing nuts of our grandmother's kitchen but are easy to use versatile utensils for the modern kitchen.

Pressure cookers can cut cooking times for many recipes by nearly half.  The results are fantastic as the moisture and flavors are compressed back into the meat and accompaniments.  Our Fissler Blue Star pressure pans and cookers are industry leaders in innovation and versatility and are easy to use, easy to clean and totally safe.

Discover Clay Bakers - Get Your Free Clay Baker Cookbook!

If you have not discovered clay bakers yet - then  you are in for a treat!  This time-tested way of preparing meals is quick and easy plus your meals will be healthier and tastier the ever.  Sign up for our newsletter (if you are not all ready a subscriber) while  visiting Your Smart Kitchen and I'll send you our Clay Baker Favorites Cookbook free.

Guaranteed Satisfaction

When you make a purchase from Your Smart Kitchen you can rest assured that you will be pleased.  If you find your cookware is not quite right for you, we will take it back. If it arrives damaged, we will replace it quickly at no additional cost.  And if you cannot find what you are looking for, let us know and we will endeavor to find it for you.

Take a moment and visit YourSmartKitchen.com.  Check out our lines of German made stainless steel and French cast iron cookware or for that special occasion the French copper cookware.  Also, visit our new mini-sites — ClayBakerStore.com and YourFisslerStore.com for some special deals.

Here is a special deal you do not have to wait for Black Friday:  use coupon code "YSK-2009" for 12.5% off on all cookware through the end of the month at Your Smart Kitchen.

Happy Cooking!

Terry Retter
ChefWannabee.com

(Sorry this is late but I had a computer failure which caused a two day delay)

I was going to write a post about preparing your turkey for the holidays.  The closing line was going to be:

"If you do not have time to brine your turkey and do all of the other preparation work, then just go to your local grocery store and get a Butterball Turkey and work from there."

Then I ran across this newsletter from a friend and thought this would be a better post for the time.  So with thanks to John Graham —

Why is the Thanksgiving turkey such a mysterious creature? We eat it with the greatest of ease, but cooking it is another matter. Turkeys frequently come out overcooked, undercooked, and occasionally covered in edible pink glitter and body paint. (Trust me. I saw it on YouTube.)

That’s not the worst of it, though. Butterball hosts a hot-line that fields about 100,000 calls each Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some of those calls have been publicly disclosed because they’re just so funny. There have been documented calls from first-time turkey bakers who worried that the bird would rise like a loaf of bread when cooked. There have been frantic calls from harried hosts that cleaned their birds with metal scouring pads, and now needed help getting the metal bits out of the turkey. And there has even been a call from an aspiring cook who wondered how best to carve their bird with a chainsaw, and whether motor oil could be used to make a good baste.

But the following three anecdotes have to be the very best of the worst. They have been confirmed as real calls by the Butterball Turkey-Talk Line and Snopes.Com. As you read them, remind yourself that, no matter what you do, your turkey will probably come out better than the ones listed here!

“Dude, Where’s My Turkey?”

It’s not easy to misplace a turkey. But it happened to a caller from Colorado, who shoved her turkey into a snow bank to store overnight, as she had no room in her fridge. She called the Turkey Talk-Line to ask if it would be okay to eat the turkey after it had been stored thusly. However, she soon found that a heavy blanket of snow had fallen. The white, featureless landscape made it impossible for her to find where she had buried the turkey. We never learned if she recovered the bird. If not, well, at least the local wildlife had a nice buffet once the snow melted.

“What’s that Smell?”

A young mother once shared her tale of turkey woe. Apparently, her kids had been playing in the kitchen while she was stuffing the turkey. These kids were fond of matchbox cars, and had decided that their toys needed a new place to park. Many hours later, the mother discovered that the kids had chosen the turkey for their new parking space. It isn’t clear whether she discovered the toy cars immediately after removing the turkey from the oven, or if they were revealed during carving. Regardless, those turned out to be some hot, melted, and probably traumatized little vehicles. She should have entered a contest for the most creative stuffing recipe.

“Help! The Turkey Ate my Chihuahua!”

Speaking of things stuck in a turkey…

A Kentucky woman called the Butterball Turkey-Talk Line in 1993, asking how to get her Chihuahua out of a turkey. It soon became apparent that the tiny dog had dived right into the carcass and couldn’t get back out. Pulling the dog didn’t work. Shaking the turkey didn’t work. Finally, she was instructed to make the hole a little bigger so that the pooch could escape. It worked! At least she didn’t have to perform a C-Section.

Marge Klindera has been working at the Butterball hot-line for 25 years. She says that callers are usually very grateful for the advice they receive. And what do Turkey-Talk Line employees eat while they’re at work? Usually hot soup. Marge says it helps sooth their throats after all the talking.

HFN (Home Furnishings Magazine), took a look at some of the best products of the year from thousands of products seen at the International Home and Housewares Show in March and the  Gourmet Housewares Show in August and selected winners in each of several categories.http://www.yoursmartkitchen.com/store-products-6732-Covered-Saute-Pan-w-Stainles-Steel-Handle_1095813387.html--escaped_anchor:f6ce9b8c5ce2c45611e5f42ab956b609--

The Aware of Excellence was given to Swiss Diamond for Cookware:  in particular the Model 6732 Saute Pan.  This covered saute pan is not only Swiss Diamond's newest, is the first of a cookware series that adds stainless steel handles to its diamond reinforced non-stick line of pot, pans, skillets, roasters and grills.  Currently this is the lines larget item with a 5.8 quart capacity and measuring 12.5 inches in diameter.

The Model 6732 Saute Pan will ably help prepare meals for families or big gatherings.  The pan features both ergonomic stainless steel handle and pressure cast helping handle for easy control.

Currently for select distribution, the Model 6732 can be found at Your Smart Kitchen

I received a call this week from someone (not a customer) who had a question about their clay baker which had been stored in the cupboard for awhile.  There was some green growth on the inside of the baker and she was concerned about using it.

When she called she said the had been washed with a mild liquid detergent and now there was concern about soap in the food.  I suggested first a good rinse to remove the detergent followed by thorough scrub of her baker with baking soda (maybe twice if she was really concerned) and it should be alright.

What I forgot was my basic kitchen chemistry.

The green growth was from the residual protein left in the clay pours from its last use (not residual moisture as believed by the caller).  So the thing to do is neutralize this by washing the baker with an acid such as white vinegar.  The rinse and wash with baking powder which will neutralize the acid.  Then rinse again and the clay baker is ready for use.

After using, do not wash the porous clay baker with liquid soap.  Rinse it and scrub with a soft bristle brush.  If there is still food stuck to the baker, let it soak for a few hours or over night and scrub with the bristle brush again.  This should remove everything.  Don't  use a metal scrubber as this can damage the surface of your baker.

Simple but consistent care for your clay baker will keep in good shape to last you for years.

As the holidays get closer there are more and more opportunities to grab a quick snack.  Instead of empty calories snacks or candy other goodies that seem to multiply at this time of the year, here are a dozen or so of nutritious and tasty snacks that you can have available or whip up in a flash.

• Popcorn is one of the easiest and offers lots of alternatives.  Sprinkle you favorite flavor on top which could include anything from lemon zest to dark chocolate shavings
• A small cube or hard cheese (such as Gouda or Pecorino) combined with a hand full of dried fruit - apricots, plums, apples, etc.
• A handful of spicy almonds - available at most markets or make your own roasting bulk almonds mixed with your favorite spice mix
• A handful of almonds mixed with dried cherries or blueberries or yellow raisins.
• Rye melba toast or other flat bread spread with low fat cream cheese and cranberries
• Low fat yogurt combined with chopped walnuts and honey
• One cup of mixed cereal - combine bran flakes, oat rounds, wheat chex, granola  but check to see that the cereals have a low sugar and fat content.
• A waffle topped with fruit preserves or honey or fresh berries - make some extra waffles and keep them in the freezer, pop them in the toaster for a quick pick me up
• Sliced cucumbers and a couple of wedges of light Swiss cheese such as Laughing Cow

Of course as a fall back there are prepackaged alternatives, such as:

• A small bag of Glenny's Soy Crisps
• Energy bar containing at least four grams of protein (but watch the fat and calorie content and no candy bars)

This time of year is generally one on of the busiest and snacks can keep you going.  There is more and more evidence that snacking is actually good for you.  There is even one program that suggests that 5 or 6 little meals a day is better tha the traditional three squares taught to us by our grandparents.  But here are some good reasons to snack:

• Research shows that eating three meals a day with two or three snack in between can make your metabolism more efficient.
• If you wait until your are really hungry, you'll frequently eat more calories when you do sit down for supper
• Snacks are a good way to be sure you get all the nutrients in you diet.  Picking the right snacks can add fill in the extra minerals that might be included in regular meals.
• Snacks put you in a better mood

So forget those sayings - "don't spoil your dinner" and others or the belief that snacking will lead an expanding waist line.  Snacking with nutritious and tasty alternatives will control hunger pangs, augment you vitamin and mineral intake and generally keep you in a better mood.

Now that Halloween has past and the ghost and goblins are back in the closet for another year, we enter into what some consider the most hectic part of the year.  Work life moves into high speed for the few weeks before the end of the year in order to get those deals done, contracts signed, products moved  or whatever.  Also, the kids activities ramp up with end of year festivals that have to be rehearsed.  And of course, getting ready for family, friends and festivities for the holidays moves to the forefront of concerns.

So getting weekday meals ready is frequently one more chore that does not get the attention is deserves.  Pizza and take out are frequent insertions to avoid preparing a meal.  But this does not have to be the case all the time as there are several alternative for making really good and nutritious meals.  Rachel Ray has made a career over 30  minute meals so why not take advantage of her advice.

Here are a couple of examples:

Garlic Lemon Shrimp

• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  

  Flickr by paintedbooklady

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• Hot cooked pasta or rice

In a large skillet, saute shrimp in oil over medium-high heat — about 3 minutes.
Add garlic, lemon juice, cumin and salt; cook and stir until shrimp turn pink.
Serve with pasta or rice (consider micro wave rice from Trader Joes - easy and quick to prepare and tasty)

Makes 4 servings

Italian Sausage with Peppers

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  

  Flikr by paintedbooklady

• 1 2/1 pounds Italian sausage
• 1 pound red potatoes - cut in to 1 inch wedges
• 2 bell peppers, cored and sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Heat1 tablespoon olive oil in 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until oil is just starting to smoke.  Brown sausages which have been cut into 1 inch pieces on all sides, around 3 minutes.  Move to a plate and set aside.

While sausages are browing, toss potatoes with 1 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a microwave-safe bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high until potatoes start to soften -  5 to 6 minutes.  Be sure to shake up the potatoes in the bowl about half way.

After the potatoes are in the micro wave, pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.  Bring the skillet back up to heat at medium high and add bell peppers and onion.   Cook until peppers begin to soften - about 5 minutes.  Stir in the tomato sauce ad garlic and continue to cook for about 3o seconds.  Should be fragrent.http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq156/yogiwan/November/29112.jpg

Stir in the wine, water and oregano, scrapping up any browned bits and bring to a simmer.  Put the potatoes into the pepper mixture and add sausages on top top spreading throughout the skillet.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook until the sausages are not longer pink in the center and the potatoes are tender  - 10 to 12 minutes.  Stir in vinegar.   Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Makes 4 servings

There are wide array of meals that can be made in 30 minutes or less that are interesting, nutritious and taste great.  You can make many variations off of some basic recipes that keep things interesting as well.  Also, be sure to involve the rest of the family in the process.  The kids can slice vegetables and potatoes.  If there things that need to go into the microwave while you are working at the stove, delegate.

Good weekdays meals can be done in small amounts of time.  These are always better (and less expensive) than pizza or Chinese take out.  Plus these quick meals can get the whole family involved and engage in healthy eating.

"Guest Blog from John Graham of Real Estate by Graham"

The adults hurry off to parties. They resemble movie stars and film characters. Sometimes they stick their heads in a barrel of water and bob for apples.

But why do they do this? What rituals have these traditions stemmed from? In essence, why do we celebrate Halloween?

There are many variations to the same story, but ultimately it began many years ago with the Celts who lived in present-day Ireland. For them, November 1^st marked the end of the summer harvest, and the beginning of the dark and cold winter. They believed that on the night between these two events, the dead were able to come from their realm and walk the earth again. It was also believed that during this time the druids could tell the future more easily; therefore the druids would dress up using animal heads and skins and attempt to tell each others fortunes, while the people dressed up in ghoulish costumes hoping to scare away the cruel spirits that came to wreak havoc on the earth.

After the Romans conquered the Celts they merged some of their traditions with the Celtic traditions. One of these was the worship of the Roman goddess Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. It is theorized that the tradition of bobbing for apples stemmed from this worship.

Christianity eventually spread into the Celtic lands. Pope Boniface IV created a new holiday for November 1^st, one that resembled the Celtic festival of the dead, but was church-sanctioned. He named it All Saints Day. It was also known as All-Hallows or All-Hallowsmas. The night before this day came to be known as All-Hallows Eve, which eventually became Halloween.

The tradition of giving candy at the door stems from a few sources. The first is, of course, the Celts. The druids would receive food from the country folk to give to the cruel spirits that created chaos and fear on the night the realm of the dead was opened.

The seconds stems from the Irish. The peasants would go from door to door collecting food, money, etc for their festival of St. Columb Kill.

The third tradition comes from the ninth-century European custom of ‘souling’. For the Europeans, November 2 was All Souls Day. The poor peasants would go from door to door and receive ‘soul cakes’ from the wealthy in exchange for prayers for their dead relatives. It was believed that the dead remained between worlds for a time, and prayer from anyone helped them move on faster.

Ultimately, like most holidays, the celebration of Halloween stemmed from peoples and beliefs that were on the earth hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. The traditions therein come from many different sources, but have been combined to create the festivities for this holiday. Today, Halloween is celebrated not out of fear of the dead, but because it is fun. It is a time when adults can take on a different persona; when children can wander the neighborhood in search of free candy.

But the spirit of Halloween still remains. People dress up as frightening creatures; they give candy as ‘offerings’ to the children; and some even follow the tradition of the old Celts dead and play tricks on others. So this Halloween, watch out! You never know what little creature will have a tiny trick up his sleeve.

I saw this recipe for doing a quick Swiss Steak using a slow cooker and thought this could be "kicked up" a bit by changing it to a Clay Baker.  The claybaker approach takes a fewer steps and improves both the nutrients and flavor.

Here is the original recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds round steak, cut into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, or to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Lightly coat the round steak pieces in the flour mixture.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the celery, onion, and carrots about 5 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat, and set aside. Mix in the round steak pieces, and cook until lightly browned.
3. Place the vegetables and steak in a slow cooker. Mix in the tomatoes with juice, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.
4. Cover, and cook 8 to 10 hours on Low, until the round steak is very tender.

Here is how to kick it up a bit in a clay baker.

DIRECTIONS

1. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Lightly coat the round steak pieces in the flour mixture.
2. Place the celery, onion, and carrots in the clay baker which has been soaked for 10 minutes.
3. Add the round steak pieces.
4. Add the tomatoes with juice, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar (I would add a little essence - Paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, etc.)
5. Put the top on the slow cooker and place into a cold oven.
   
6. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and let cook about 2 hours or until beef is cooked through and is very tender.

Nearly all of the slow cooker recipes can be simply modified for clay bakers and usually the modification requires less steps and less effort but the results are spectacular.  The natural cooking process of claybakers retains the natural nutrients of the ingredients, integrates flavors among the principal ingredient such as the round steak above and accompanying vegetable and retains the characteristics of each ingredient (not cooking them to the point were they all mesh together).

Clay bakers have been producing outstanding meals for many decades and some would say many centuries.  So convert your slow cooker recipes to clay bakers and watch the appreciative reactions from your family.

According to a recent survey released by the National Retail Federation, consumer spending for Halloween will be down this year.  Last year Halloween came before the full impact of the down turn was realized.

The NRF’s 2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey found that holiday spending should reach around $4.75 billion.  Consumers will spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween which is down from the $66.54 spent last year.This is more than a 15% drop.

Nearly one third (29.6%) of consumers indicate the state of the economy is reason for their reduction in Halloween spending plans and this will impact their overall sending.  Other implications for the overall reduction in spending include:

• buying less candy (46.5%),
• using last year’s decorations without buying new ones (35.4%),
• not participating in as many haunted houses, fall festivals or other Halloween activities (26.4%).
• making costumes instead of purchasing them (16.8%), and
• reusing last year’s costumes (15.8%).

Young adults plan to scale back even more this year.  This group (18 to 24 age group) historically has been among the bigger spenders but this year is target to spend only $68.56, compared to $86.59 last year (a 20% drop) and $81.91 in 2007.

The question arises as to whether this trend will carry over to the rest of the  holiday period. For many retailers, the holiday period from Halloween to New Years, represents nearly 80% of their annual revenue.  If this 15 to 20% reduction in spending holds up, there will be raft of new closings early in 2010.

Retailers will become very creative in attracting consumers and in converting them to customers as they will do

what in necessary to survive this economic situation.  For consumers who have not been drastically impacted by the economic situation, this holiday period will be a great time to find those items that have been on the "wish list" at very attractive prices.

Watch for coupons and other specials and watch the online retailers who will be aggressively competing with the brick and mortar stores and their advertising budgets with innovative offers that may combine several products together.

This is certainly going to be a challenging period for us in the online retail business.

Chef Wannabee