Back by popular demand: The KitchenArts Knife Sharpening Event will be held Friday, Feburary 26th from 5 to 8pm. Learn how to keep your knives sharp. Bring your dull knives and your sharpening gear; we'll be focusing on what works for you (and what doesn't), improving your technique and making recommendations. Wine and cheese will be served!

BONUS: KitchenArts owner Owen Mack will sharpen your knives while you wait for free (and repair any broken tips or dings). Want a refresher on steel use in the meantime? Check out the video below (from back in 2005 at our old location).

Posted by Owen on 3 Feb 2010 | Permalink | Comments

Learn about cheese and the kitchen tools that best suit different uses and cheeses. Taste the delicious results with 2 simple yet fantastic recipes made right here at the store: traditional french fondue and gougeres. The staff of Boston Cheese Cellar will lead the sampling and discussion on Sunday January 24th, from 3 to 6pm. Wine and additional cheeses will be served! This is a free event, in-store at KitchenArts, 215 Newbury Street.

Posted by Owen on 9 Jan 2010 | Permalink | Comments

Our next event is coming up quick! Have you ever wanted to make fresh pasta but were intimidated by pasta machines? Want to learn how to make ravioli with the kids? Here's your chance! Joshua Riazi of Kids Can Cook will lead us through the essentials of dough making, gnocchi, ravioli, and linguine production, and of course cooking and eating. In our store (215 Newbury Street) on Monday, December 7th at 3:30pm, suitable for people ages 8 and up.

Posted by Owen on 4 Dec 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Just in time for the holidays Boston Sustainable Food Examiner Leah Bloom returns to KitchenArts to show us how to candy cranberries, citrus peels, and nuts (we'll try walnuts, pecans, and/or almonds). And we'll use the resulting fruited simple syrups to make cocktails!

Candied nuts are great for snacking, adding to trail mix, putting in muffins and breads, using as a pie topping, sprinkling over salad, and lots more. They can be sweet or spicy or savory - it's simple to adjust the flavor for any use or occasion. Candied fruits are a beautiful addition to any dessert spread, and can also be used in fruitcake, as a decorative topping for pies and cakes, and, of
course, for snacking when you need a little sweet something.

And then there's the cocktails...we were thinking we could make cosmopolitans and orange vodka martinis. Any takers?

Posted by Owen on 8 Nov 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Check this vid on how to make Halloween cupcakes: mummy, monster and eyeball as demonstrated by Lisa Bracigliano of The Chocolate Swirl at our event last weekend. Need any pastry tips or bags? KitchenArts has them!

Posted by Owen on 24 Oct 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Learn how to make your holiday cupcakes and cookies look like they were done by a pro with this hands-on session led by Executive Pastry Chef Lisa Bracigliano of TheChocolateSwirl.com.

ALL ARE WELCOME to watch & learn! If you'd like to DO the decorating, sign up ahead of time and pay a $15 materials fee which includes....a basic decorating kit, 2 cupcakes & lots of tips and tricks!

Sign up fast because there's only 8 slots per session! Session One: Sunday October 25th, 1-2:15pm, Session Two: Sunday October 25th, 2:45-4pm. You may sign up in store at 215 Newbury Street or call us on the phone with a credit card, 617-266-8701.

Posted by Owen on 4 Oct 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Check out the action from our recent canning event with Donna Wren of CanningDoctor.com. In this vid Donna demonstrates how to make classic dill pickles, recipe at http://tinyurl.com/KApickles. Enjoy!

Posted by Owen on 30 Sep 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Thanks to everybody who came to our Canning & Preserving Demonstration today! Donna Wren of CanningDoctor.com guided a how-to on making Dill Pickles and Strawberry Jam. It's easier than you think. Here are the recipes Donna demonstrated:

The pickle recipe is from the American Family Cookbook:
Dill Pickles, Kosher Style
4 lbs cucumbers, cleaned and halved lengthwise
3 c. cider vinegar
3 c. water
6 T. kosher salt
14 cloves garlic, halved
Dill seed, peppercorns

Mix the vinegar, water, salt, and garlic in a saucepan and boil.
Pack cucumbers into clean, hot 1 pint jars. Add 2 T. dill seed, 3 peppercorns, and 4 garlic halves to each jar. Fill jars with hot pickling liquid, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust lids, process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

The strawberry jam recipe is from the Certo package. Certo recipes are good and reliable!
4 c. crushed strawberries
7 cups sugar
1 pouch Certo

Cook the crushed berries and sugar, stirring constantly, until it reaches a full rolling boil. Add the Certo, and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle into hot jars, fill to within 1/8 inch of the top. Adjust lids, and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Posted by Owen on 19 Sep 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Oh this is gonna be tasty! Donna Wren of Canning Doctor will lead an in-store session on canning and preserving. Learn how to make strawberry jam and pickles in this free afternoon session. The results will be raffled off to attendees!
WHEN: Saturday September 19, from 3pm to 6pm.
WHERE: In-store at 215 Newbury Street, Boston. Call 617-266-8701 for more info.

Posted by Owen on 9 Sep 2009 | Permalink | Comments

The Kyocera Ceramic Mandoline is featured today on Daily Grommet, check it out in the video above or click thru to their site for more info. KitchenArts has partnered with Grommet to fulfill orders, you can buy it here for $24.95. Here's my lead in quote from their site:

The Kyocera Mandoline has become one of my kitchen staples. It's adjustable to four different thicknesses ideal for thin slicing veggies for salads and stir frys; I've also found it useful for shaving parmesan cheese and chocolate. Use it on garlic and shallots too, but watch your fingers! The blade is super sharp. Made of ceramic, it will retain good-as-new cutting abilities for years as long as it's treated properly: try to avoid the dishwasher, and store it in such a way that the blade doesn't get knocked around. Highly recommended by local chefs and national publications alike, this tool is hard to beat.

Posted by Owen on 24 Jul 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Our second farmer's market trip video can be seen above or on Leah's site, click over and check it out! Tips on selecting veggies, cooking squash (and onion greens!), sampling berries, how to work the market, and more!

Posted by Owen on 24 Jul 2009 | Permalink | Comments

New Item! In this vid Michele tests the new Cuisipro Decorating Pen. Fill it with your favorite sauce and decorate plates, pastries, etc. as easily as writing with a thick pen. We tested it with ketchup...but I'd rather see it full of chocolate sauce! First person to bring a cupcake into the store gets a decorating pen to take home and test themselves. Watch the video for details! Available for $9.95, in store and online.

Posted by Owen on 3 Jul 2009 | Permalink | Comments

And we have a winner! Patrice from the Fenway brought us an ear of corn this morning, so we immediately made her run the new Kuhn Rikon Corn Zipper over it. Check the video and see! Patrice got hers for free, the rest of y'all will have to fork over $11.95 if you want one.

Posted by Owen on 17 Jun 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Imp't knives #2 and #3: paring knives and serrated knives. These two knives (plus a chef knife) will do 95% of your food prep. Other knives are for very specific purposes: boning, carving, etc. So the answer to the "Do I need a set of knives?" question is: No. Not a "full" set anyway.

A good general purpose paring knife has a 3.5" blade. My faves are the Wusthof Classic ($39.99) and the red handled Forschner ($5.95). My favorite serrated knife is also a Forschner: #40547 goes for $29.95. Wusthof makes these knives in a few sizes. The 8" (as seen in the video) is really too short and narrow. Get the 9" or 10" instead.

Coming up next: The difference (besides $$) between forged and stamped knives. Is the $$ worth it? What makes a knife good anyway?

Posted by Owen on 11 Jun 2009 | Permalink | Comments

The #1 most important knife to have is an 8" chef knife. Not a 6", and definitely not a slicer with a narrow blade. Watch this video and find out why. The #2 most important knife is a paring knife. More on that later.

Our favorite 8" chef knife remains the Wusthof Classic. It's been our favorite ever since we opened in 1980. This knife is the benchmark, the gold standard. $119.99 in our web store (and in our real store too!) A less expensive alternative is the Forschner Fibrox for $29.95. I'll get into the differences in a day or two. What's your favorite chef knife? Drop a comment and let me know!

Posted by Owen on 10 Jun 2009 | Permalink | Comments

Here at KitchenArts people often want our opinion on knives, as in "What are the most important knives to have?" and "Do I need a set of knives?" or perhaps "I only have $50, what should I get?" and then there's "This chef knife is $120, this one's $29. What's the difference?"

Over the next couple of days I'll answer these questions, with the knives above as examples: The three knives on top are Forschner Fibrox, the ones below are Wusthof Classics. Stay tuned! And leave a comment if you have a question.

Posted by Owen on 9 Jun 2009 | Permalink | Comments

We're kicking off our monthly event series with a knife sharpening event. Come by our new location between 6:30 and 8:30 on Thurday, June 18th and learn how to keep your knives sharp. Bring your dull knives and your sharpening gear; we'll be focusing on what works for you (and what doesn't), improving your technique and making recommendations. Wine and cheese will be served!

Posted by Owen on 2 Jun 2009 | Permalink | Comments

clipped from foodists.ca Taking the Sting Out of Nettles and Fuss Out of Fiddleheads As a cook I love the green that makes its way back onto my plate with the arrival of spring. But aside from expected seasonal fare like asparagus and spinach, I like to use some more unusual ingredients like stinging nettles and fiddleheads—neither of which most of my dinner guests have tried before, which is always fun. But be warned, both of these ingredients take some care and getting used to. What other unusual seasonal ingredients have you tried out? Do share with a comment below!

Posted by Owen on 23 May 2009 | Permalink | Comments

I just came across Bruce Tretter's site Gotta Eat, Can't Cook. He's a self-taught cook out in Westborough Mass. who has started up a cooking basics channel including video demonstrations and tips. In the vid above he talks about hand held or "draw through" knife sharpening. Good advice,and good chopping technique! The white sharpener in his vid is an EZ-Sharp, one of my favorites because ANYBODY can make almost any knife sharp in moments...but Bruce rightly warns against overuse of carbide sharpeners like the EZ-Sharp. They'll wear your knife down quickly if you're not sparing! Regardless, it's the best selling sharpener here at KitchenArts. We carry them in black only, $14.95.

Posted by Owen on 24 Feb 2009 | Permalink | Comments

My friend Neal writes the Turkey Sandwich Report, a blog about (wait for it...) turkey sandwiches. He's a real pro, and as you might imagine, this is his favorite time of year. In the above vid he demos the preferred technique for dealing with Thanksgiving leftovers. (PS Neal is the head marketing poo-bah at Flying Dog Ales. If you want a good beer to go with that sandwich, ya might drink a Flying Dog).

Posted by Owen on 29 Nov 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Chowhound has a nice how-to video series on knife cuts: julienne, chiffonade, dicing, mincing, etc. How to chiffonade is above. More vids can be found here.

Posted by Owen on 26 Feb 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Nespresso machines have been our favorite for a few years. But don't just take our word for it! Here's George Clooney:

A demo of the Nespresso D90 Essenza--love it. The D90 does not offer milk frothing (Nespresso's Aerocino is a great solution to that problem--it heats and foams the milk) but uses the same high quality 19 bar pump that's in all Nespresso machines. This machine has a small footprint (great for urban dwellers with limited counter space) and the capsule loading system is very cool. Why can't all kitchen electrics be this nice? The D90 is not programmable for cup size, you turn it off when your cup is full. $179.95 in our web store, silver or red. The C100 has the same footprint and specs, plus is programmable for cup size. $229.95 in our web store. These machines run exclusively on Nespresso's pods. They make great espresso quickly, consistently, and easily...with no mess to clean up.

Posted by Owen on 26 Nov 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Posted by Owen on 7 Aug 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Posted by Owen on 8 Jul 2007 | Permalink | Comments

1) Honing. This is what a steel does (see video above). Honing does not remove metal from the edge of the knife, but rather aligns and maintains the thin edge that is there. If there is in fact not a thin edge on your knife (due to wear, dishwashers, or damage) no amount of steeling will make the knife sharp. Steels don't wear out! (Unless perhaps you work in a commercial kitchen... ) If 15 or 20 passes over the steel doesn't work, it's time to grind on a new thin edge.

My favorite steel for the money (and the one I'm using in the video) is Forschner's 12" medium model, available for $27.95 from our web store.

2a) Home Grinding. All the sharpening machines and gadgets out there are for grinding a new edge; some are aggressive, some are not. Aggressive gadgets (usually with carbide steel components) sharpen quickly but remove a lot of metal, mild gadgets (usually ceramic or diamond) leave a cleaner edge but take forever to work if the knife is really dull. All require a bit of elbow grease, and all of them will eventually deform the knife by changing the shape of the blade. This is particularly a problem with chef knives.

2b) Professional Grinding. Saves you the elbow grease, and also maintains the proper shape (curve) of the blade.

So...I recommend using a steel in combination with some cheap and simple home sharpener. My own favorite is the EZ Sharp ($14.95 in our online shop). When those stop working, or start deforming your blades, or become too labor intensive for you, then get them professionally ground. Pro grinding will put a thin edge back on the knife that you can then maintain yourself for awhile. (We also reshape blades and fix nicks and bent/broken tips).

If you'd like us to grind your knives, bring them in or ship them to us with a note including your name, address and phone number. Once your knives have been received we will turn them around overnight (unless I'm on vacation...) and call you for credit card payment.

Happy sharpening!

$3 short knives (under 5.5")
$4 long knives (over 5.5")
$5 serrated knives (all sizes)
$6 scissors
$3-$8 repairs (bent/broken tips, gouges and dings, etc)

Send them to:
KitchenArts
215 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-266-8701

Posted by Owen on 4 Jun 2007 | Permalink | Comments