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A heavy bottomed saucepan is a workhorse in the kitchen.  I admitted the other day that I am a caramel-oholic, well this pan helps feed my addiction.  These pans come in a variety of sizes from 1 1/2 quart to 6 quarts.  The smaller sized pans are great to have on hand for quick jobs like making butter sauces, caramels, puddings, and custard sauces.  The larger size pots (3 quarts and larger) can be used for making rice and pasta.  You can get saucepans with either a sloped side or a straight side.  The sloped side is great for reducing liquids (more surface area is exposed).  Want to get started using that saucepan that came in your wedding set?  Well, here’s a basic caramel sauce from the folks over at www.epicurious.com.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup whipping cream

Preparation

Combine sugar, 1/2 cup water, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Carefully add cream (you may want to stand back — mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir sauce over low heat until any caramel bits dissolve and sauce is smooth. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat just until pourable, then let caramel sauce cool to room temperature.)

Anyone who works with candy will tell you how important it is to have a great thermometer.  I am a caramel-aholic.  Okay, I admit it.  I should be in some sort of program for my obsession, but I am not.  I don’t think they could help me with my food addictions.  One of my favorite candies is dark chocolate pecan turtles.  I have always loved them.  I use to pay an obscene amount of money at candy stores for them, until I got this little beauty.  When I found this thermometer at my local cooks store I had to have it.  This thermometer appealed to my practical side - a two for one deal, gotta love that!  I love having tools that are multi-purpose in my kitchen and this thermometer does a lot.  It has read out for the different stages of candy making and is even durable enough to give you a read on deep frying oil.  The thermometer alerts you with a couple of beeps when you are close to your stage, i.e. soft ball, hard ball, etc.  It also has a general temperature feature that is great for reading anything.  The only complaint I have is the clip.  The clip that attaches the unit to your pan is pretty much useless, as many of the reviewers on amazon have stated.  The thermometer is a little to heavy for such a small clip, but if you can get passed this one minor flaw the unit is a winner!  The read out is clear, accurate and quick.  The price isn’t too bad at around $30.  Click on the link above to check it out at amazon.com.

Recently, I have found www.chefscatalog.com.  I am really loving it.  The website carries everything that at home chef could ever need.  The carry all the brands including All-Clad, Breville, Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid, etc.  I recently ordered a new 14″ inch nonstick stainless steel fry pan.  I can’t wait until it comes.  I will let you know how it turns out.  The chefs catalog also has a great recipe section with recipes from great chefs like Mario Batali and Emeril.  If there is something you can’t find at your local kitchen store, then check out this website.  I am sure they will carry just what you need!

I am sorry I have been in and out lately, but I am working on a major project right now.  I hope to have it completed by April.  I will release it here on deglazing first!  You will get the inside track … I only hope that it is something you all enjoy.

 I know people are freaking out about the holidays coming - I can hear it now, “Oh my god, I need to buy like $400 worth of kitchen equipment to put this thing together…”  I would say stop right there, put down the car keys or back away from your keyboard.  Don’t spend a ton of money on things you may or may not use ever again.  Here are a few suggestions for tools that you will reuse and will treasure for years to come.

1.  Instant Read Thermometer - An instant read thermometer can mean the difference between having a little dry turkey with a cup of gravy and having a delicious moist bird.  Everyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen can use one of these great little thermometers.  The great news is this little baby is cheap - $7.00 over at amazon.com.  One other suggestion for a moist bird is to let the meat rest when it comes out of the oven.  You would be surprised how much that helps with moisture in meats.

2.  Pyrex Pie Plate - Go ahead and call me old fashioned, believe me you won’t be the first, but I love a good old fashioned glass pie plate.  At a mere $8.00 per plate you can’t go wrong.  If it worked for your grandmother, then why not you.  I make pies all the time and this little plate is a wonder.  I have to say I am pretty big fan of Pyrex and this plate is no exception.  The measuring cups are also great and relatively inexpensive, so I would suggest picking up a large (4 cup or more) and a small one (1 cup). 

3.  Glass Mixing Bowls - You are going to need some mixing bowls for the big feast.  Mixing bowls are fabulous to have and I personally love the sets.  I purchased a duralex set from William-Sonoma and I love them.  They were relatively inexpensive around $30.  I have seen other sets cheaper - as low as $14.95.  I guarantee even with one full set you will never have enough bowls on hand - that’s how much you will use them.

4. Roasting Pan - Okay roasting pans can be absolutely ridiculously overpriced and they can send you into a $400 budget for holiday cooking tools.  I have a couple of suggestions on these.  Try retailers like TJ Maxx who carry quality products, but at a discount.  I have seen great pans for $60 and under there.  If you know that you will be using a pan for the next 100 years and it’s going to be passed down to your grandchildren, then go ahead and splurge on an All-Clad or something.  If you know this is the one and only party you will ever host, then you have my permission and the rest of America’s for that matter to purchase a disposable.  The only thing to be careful of with this is getting them in and out of the oven.  They are not designed to hold a lot of weight and without careful removal your turkey could easily wind up on the kitchen floor instead of the platter.

5.  Miscellaneous - You will probably want to have at least a few mixing tools on hand. I would suggest a decent whisk, a couple of inexpensive spoonulas and a wooden spoon or two.  There are, of course, a million other little gadgets you can have.  I am assuming you have cutting boards, knives, and maybe a pan or two.  I am hoping you have at least those basics…If so, then you can put together a nice holiday meal without a lot of fuss.  Cheap in mind you don’t need to buy a bunch of serviceware that you won’t use again.  Use the things you have around the house and again check the discount stores for deals.

Click on any of the links above to find these products at Amazon.com.

I know that most people watch Food Network, but not so many people watch PBS.  I have to say one of the best shows hands down in the food world is America’s Test Kitchen.  This show is a lot of science and information, but more importantly a lot of great food.  One of the things that America’s Test Kitchen (Cook’s Illustrated) does that no one else seems to do really well is testing products for their readers and television watchers.  I love this!  Their test are thorough and fair and honest.  If a product doesn’t cut it then they aren’t afraid to say so.  One of the most interesting tests they have done is the stand mixer test.  If you are looking for a great stand mixer, then you might want to pick up a KitchenAid Pro 600.  I can attest to the fact that it is a really great stand mixer.  It’s durable, relatively cheap in comparison with other mixers in the same category, and it is incredibly functional. Here’s the link if you are interested in finding out more about the stand mixer reviews  http://www.cooksillustrated.com/testing.asp?testingid=356&bdc=4272 .

If you want to see what America’s Test Kitchen is all about visit them on the web at http://www.americastestkitchen.com/

As you already know last week I had to say goodbye to my very first stand mixer.  The motor finally gave out on me.  I spent the next couple of days mourning and then began reviewing my options and checking out prices in hopes of finding a suitable replacement.  I couldn’t be happier with the choice I finally made.  This here is my new KitchenAid Stand Mixer Deluxe Edition, this is not the professional mixer, but the next size down.(It has a 450 watt motor with the 6 qt. bowl, instead of the 575 watt with the 6 qt. bowl.)  I knew that I needed something bigger than my last stand mixer due to the amount of baking I do on a daily basis.  The first mixer I owned had a 250 watt motor, come to find out I didn’t even have the Artisan, I had the Classic.(smaller motor and slightly smaller bowl)  The pricing on mixers is pretty crazy and all over the board depending on where you look.  I got really lucky to find this one over at amazon.com. 

I baked my first quick bread with it yesterday afternoon and it mixes like a pro.  The motor is more than ample to handle whatever I put in the bowl.  It came with the three typical beaters - the whisk, the paddle, and the dough hook.  It also came with the two piece pour shield.  I have to say I am not a huge fan of the pour shield, it makes it difficult for me to stir down the sides of the bowl while I mix. (I have to keep removing the shield between stages, a real pain, if you ask me.)  You can definitely tell the motor is a lot stronger than the one in my last stand mixer. 

So far, so good with this mixer.  I will keep you posted as it gets used more this week.  Right now, I just love it!  Next task, cookie dough.

So you’ve been looking for just the right butcher block and just can’t seem to find the right one.  Have you ever thought of building your own butcher block?  That’s what the people over at Be Jane suggest.  Check out this link to the article at MSN -http://lifestyle.msn.com/HomeandGarden/BeJane/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=2342999>1=8983 

I really liked this idea.  I liked it so much that I am going to keep my eye out for a piece of furniture to convert into a block.  I will let you know how it goes. 

Have you created your own butcher block?  Please leave us a comment and tell us how.

So you are interested in baking, what should you have to get started for pans?  Baking equipment, like all kitchen equipment, can be extremely expensive.  There are a few key things that you can buy that can be used in multiple ways to help you save.  One of my absolute favorite baking pans is my heavy, rimmed, half sheet pans.  I use these pans for everything from baking cookies to roasting vegetables.  These pans are so durable, no bending under the pressure of high heat like many of the cookie pans you normally see in stores.  I would suggest that you have two or more.  You will want two half sheets when you bake cookies, so you can always have a cool pan to drop your cookie dough on.  You can purchase two of these pans in a set over at Williams Sonoma for $30.00.  When using these pans I would also suggest you invest in either silpat sheets or parchment paper.  Parchment is a great tool when you bake cakes and cookies.  Silpats are also wonderful, kind of like parchment that can be used over and over.  Silpats are also designed to fit the pans exactly, sometimes you have to trim your parchment papers.

I think it is also important to have two professional quality loaf pans.  I suggest two here because most recipes you make are designed for two loaves.  I also like being able to store and freeze extra loaves.  Often times when I bake quick breads I make 6 or 8 loaves and freeze them.  My husband loves quick breads!  He eats 2 or 3 loaves a week.  Loaves pans are also excellent for making meatloaf, etc. 

Cake pans are also a good investment.  It’s good to have 2 of these pans, as well.  I like have heavy duty cake pans that won’t have a tendency to warp or dent on you.

The last thing you may want to invest in is a nice muffin tin.  You can avoid purchasing a muffin pan if you like loaves of bread better.  Pretty much any muffin recipe can be made in a bread pan.  Hope these tips on baking pans help you get started baking. 

I am the proud owner of a KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer.  I am not saying that my stand mixer is perfect or there haven’t been things that went wrong with it, but overall it is a great little mixer.  I got my mixer 3 years ago and up until then I had been doing all of my baking work by hand.  Needless to say, I was very happy to get a stand mixer, it was like getting two more hands in the kitchen.  The mixer came with three beaters - the whisk, the paddle, and the dough hook.  I do use each of the beaters, but the paddle is the one I use the most.  After three years of baking my stand mixer is starting to show the signs of age.  The knob that holds on the Kitchen Aid logo is cracked and taped.  The bowl is looking beaten up and the motor is starting to make sounds of impending doom.  I will not be upset if my stand mixer doesn’t make it another year, I have really put this one to the test.

I have found this mixer to be a great tool for making doughs, cookies, pasta (with the pasta attachments), quick breads, etc.  The variable speed control is sensitive enough to work with all kinds of recipes.  I love the pasta attachments - very easy to use.  I like the flip top head and will miss it when I move up to the next size.  I could never go back to being stand mixer less, it’s one of the best tools I have in my kitchen.  You can check these mixers at amazon.com by clicking on the photo above.   

You might find it funny that I would classify butter as a tool of the trade, but that is exactly how I see it.  I have to preface this by saying I am not a butter eater for butter eating sake, I do not slather butter on anything and everything.  I use butter just like I said, it’s a flavor tool.  Over the years I have stuck pretty close to unsalted butter, but have often wondered what was the difference between butter and clarified butter.  So here it is an upclose look at butter and all the variations of it.

So first things first - why salted and unsalted?  Salt is used as a perservative in butter, it gives it a longer shelf life.  Most people have the salted variety at home.  Since I don’t use butter as I spread, I only have unsalted on hand.  The question here is why does it matter?  Chefs want to be able to control the tiniest flavor in their recipes and use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in recipes. 

So what is the difference between regular butter and organic butter?  The milk used to make organic butter is organic.  Organic foods are free of antibotics, growth horomones, and pesticides.  What is whipped butter?  Whipped butter is normal butter pumped up.  If has a fluffy texture derived from the introduction of air or nitrogen gas to normal butter.  So is light butter really light?  Light butter is just what it says.  It is made from combining “normal butter” with skim milk.  This butter is not good for baking, but great for eating with a lower fat content.  That’s a look in the dairy case, now let’s look at some butters used for cooking.

Two types of butter you may have heard of are clarified butter and ghee.  Clarified butter does not contain water or milk solids.  You can use this butter up to 400°, normal butter can only go up to 250° before it burns on you.  Clarified butter is great for sautee meats, but not so great on toast.  Ghee is like clarified butter, but it has been browned before the solids are removed.  It is used a lot in Indian foods.  You can make clarified butter and ghee at home.  To do so -simply melt regular butter on medium-low heat, skim the solids from the top, and slowly pour out of pan to leave remaining solids behind.