The Knife Block

In Part 2 of this series, I listed the 3-5 knives you should be sure to have in your kitchen.  You can find these varieties in knife sets.  Make sure you play close attention to what is included in the set.  Often you will find the set includes knife types you will rarely use so you are better off buying separates.  In the final article of this series I will cover care and storage of your kitchen knives.

In Part 1 of this series, I talked about the key features in a kitchen knife.  To be clear, I believe you should seek out forged knives with full tang for all the knives in your tool kit.  If your budget won’t allow that, at least choose one knife with these features.

Knives are your most important tools in the kitchen.  This 3 part series on kitchen knives will help you make the best knife choice.  The first thing well touch on are the major features of your typical kitchen knife so you know what to look for when selecting the right kitchen knife for you.

Street-eats, Hub-grub or Mobile-munchables – whatever you call it, since 2009, Food Trucks have steadily gained popularity in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Portland, Minneapolis and finally they have come to Boston thanks to the tireless efforts of many including my friends Todd and Ron of Food Truck Nation!   Check out this recent spot on TV Diner with Billy Costa.

Carmelization is the browning of sugar.  It is a widely used cooking term in reference to browning the natural sugars in foods through the application of heat during the cooking process.  Carmelization adds flavor and in the case of onions, practically transforms them.  During the carmelization process the onions become sweet tasting and soft enough to melt in your mouth.  To do it well, carmelizing onions happens slowly; very slowly using the method below.

For those of you whose arteries started to harden at the thought of compound butter, one of my previous posts, I offer another flavorful alternative.  What I’m referring to are sauces you make by grinding together some combination of herbs, nuts, cheese and olive oil. The beauty of these sauces is that the base is olive oil; a good, heart healthy monounsaturated fat.

As I sit down to write this we are just on the brink of Spring in New England.  Within the next couple of months, local farmers markets will be bursting with choices beyond root cellar vegetables and hearty winter greens.  While time flies, July can’t get here soon enough to conquer that craving to bite into a fresh, juicy tomato. 

Getting back to what it’s like to cook on the road for a rock star, the big question you might be asking is “how do you get all the ingredients for each meal each night when you’re in a different city?”  It’s pretty easy actually.

I had the unique opportunity to get a glimpse into life on the road while working with Chuck White, a personal chef from Nashville, Tennessee.  While Chuck has a local practice in Nashville serving up  organic, local tasty food he has also gained notoriety as personal chef to Sheryl Crow.  My fellow chef friend Carla and I lent Chuck a hand while Sheryl Crow’s 100 Miles from Memphis tour visited Boston, MA and Portland, ME.

Compound butter: It's like butter, only better. And before you let the word butter keep you from reading further, remember that fat is a necessary part of our diet.  Besides being necessary, fat adds to the appealing taste, texture and appearance of food.  And, fats carry flavor.  Granted, butter is predominantly a saturated fat so it should be used in moderation.  You’ll find that a compound butter packs so much flavor you’ll only need to use a little bit to get yummy results.