After nearly 30 years on Newbury Street KitchenArts has permanently closed up shop. Knife sharpening will be handled by the new business in our former location at 215 Newbury Street. Click here for contact details.
KNIFE SHARPENING
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We teach people how to keep their knives sharp every day (watch this demo), and we have an overnight sharpening service for when they've gotten just too dull. Also: blade repairs and re-shaping.
Click here for details.
COOKING BLOGS
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Crash Test Kitchen (videos)
Super Chef
I Heart Bacon
Chef Joanna
Accidental Hedonist
Cooking for Engineers
Kitchen Review
Chocolate & Zucchini
And there's a great local blogroll here:
Public Radio Kitchen
This is a category archive, go to KitchenArts main.
At the end of this month KitchenArts is closing it's doors and leaving Newbury Street after nearly 30 years. Everything is on sale: merchandise, shelving, display tables, the works. Come on down, score some deals, and say goodbye to another independent retail store. Sale ends March 31, 2010. Everything must go.
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).
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.
KitchenArts is running a stocking stuffer special: Buy any 10 in-stock items and receive a 20% discount! Running now until December 25th. (Applies to non-stocking stuffer items too...) Come on by 215 Newbury Street and check out all the new items Santa just brought us!
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.
KitchenArts is a proud sponsor of how2heros' Holiday Baking Sweepstakes. Want a chance to win prizes donated by us, King Arthur Flour, Superior Nut, and Yankee Magazine? It's a simple entry form, fill it out here. how2heroes is a cooking & food how-to video destination that celebrates people’s passion for food – the flavors, the presentation, the secrets to success, the cultural inspirations, and of course the “heroes” who share their knowledge and experience. Good luck!
KitchenArt's Manager Michele Fais made an appearance on NECN's New England Dream Home last week talking about gear for holiday food prep. Did you see her? Check it out!
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?
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Summer is finally here so let's have a party! Come by KitchenArts Thursday, August 20, 2009 between 6:00pm - 8:00pm. We’ll demonstrate The Barmaid (a device for rimming glasses with salt and/or sugar) and the Soda Stream (home soda and seltzer maker) and provide (limited) drinks on the house. Beer and Sangria will also be served, plus our usual assortment of tasty treats courtesy Boston Cheese Cellar.
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.
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!
We are giving away 5 FREE passes (Admit 2) to a special advance screening of "Julie & Julia" for next Thursday, July 30th, 7pm at Loews Boston Common! All you have to do is email us a picture of yourself, a mixing bowl and utensil (like in the pic above), and your BEST Julia Child "face".....you can either pick the tix up at the store or include your address in the email and we'll mail 'em to ya! FIRST 5 PIX we receive get the tix!! And yes, they will be posted online...our email is staff@kitchenarts.biz.
Boston food blogger Leah Bloom recently led KitchenArts fans on a shopping trip to the Copley Farmer's Market, providing tips and insight on how to make the best selections. In this vid she provides an overview of the food scene, and discusses the growth in sustainable agriculture and the related raw food and slow food trends. Check out Leah's blog on sustainable food here.
Bring your favorite raw food recipe to our Farmer's Market Event this Friday July 17 and enter it in our drawing. Whoever's recipe we pull out of the hat gets a shiny new Chef'n salad spinner. We'll post all the recipes we get here on our site. For more event details click here or check the event on our facebook page. See you there!
Continuing my series of knife chats, this time a bit on the difference between forged and stamped knives. Knife manufacturers always make a big deal about their steel, but there's less discussion of how the edges are ground. Are forged knives worth the extra $$? Watch the video! (ps sorry for the shaky camera, I tried a new shooting technique on this one that wasn't so great...)
Friday July 17 would be a good day to skip out of work early and come to KitchenArts. We're going to hit the Copley Square Farmer's Market with local food blogger and teacher Leah Bloom. Leah will help us make some fresh selections and then we'll head back to KitchenArts to prepare a few choice raw food recipes. Tentative ideas include bruschetta, gazpacho, and...whatever's available after all the rain? We'll also have more treats from the Boston Cheese Cellar, plus beer and wine. Meet at KitchenArts at 2:30 if you'd like to go on the market trip, or come in around 4 for the preparation and snacking! We'll be at it until 7pm and hope to see you there.
Leah Bloom blogs about sustainable food in the Boston area, here's her Examiner column. She's an expert on sustainable foods and teaches cooking classes at the BCAE. Leah is also the founder of Leah Bloom Communications, a green marketing and communications consultancy.
Twist Biodegradable Cleaning Cloths and Sponges: Another DailyGrommet feature available at KitchenArts. One reusable Twist Clean sponge cloth outlasts 17 rolls of paper toweling, and yet it’s made of natural fibers and is totally biodegradable when you’re done with it. Check the vid, we're partnering with Grommet to offer a pack of Twist products for $15, order them here.
KitchenArts owner Owen Mack appears today on DailyGrommet.com talking about the Mac Pro Santoku (one of our fave knives). Check it out! Click thru to the Grommet site for more info, or buy it here.
Another new item, another fan challenge: We need to test out the new wide Kuhn Rikon Corn Zipper. First person to bring an ear of corn into the store for us to zip gets to keep the Corn Zipper. (I know it's not really corn season yet...do your best) Ready, set....GO! The corn zipper retails for $11.95. It's available online here.
Just got in these sweet PolyFlax boards, made of recycled milk jugs and flax husks (!!) I need some feedback from a tester. Want a free board? Watch the video for details. UPDATE: The free board has been given away to John from JP. It took four hours for someone to watch this vid and come in the store. Cool. Enjoy the board John, we await your test notes...
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!
Our new location is between Exeter and Fairfield Streets, one block up from our old location. Look for our new sign and you'll find us!
Wow this site Supercook looks amazing. Supercook recommends recipes to you based on the ingredients in your kitchen. We here at KitchenArts (ok, I mean me...) don't know as much about recipes as we should, so that's why I want to be friends. Hey Supercook! Need some super gear? (Story via Mashable) Ok, ok, so I only watched the video above...anyway, off to check it out.
Today I met local Beacon Hill blogger Jessie of Besotted Gourmet. She started her blog a few months back, writing up recipes and taking pictures. Here's her recent post on Tuscan White Bean Soup with Kale. Jessie: You are invited to bring lunch by KitchenArts anytime. Just call ahead to make sure I'm in....
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.
I'm helping Narragansett Beer get out the word on a contest they're running: FREE Naragansett Beer for a YEAR if you win Narragansett's 2009 Father's Day tie design contest. Send a lo-res image of your design to Intern@NarragansettBeer.com by January 23, 2009 and keep your fingers crossed. Good luck! Those 'Gansetts will sure taste good this summer out by the grill...
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).
Another Boston based food show is Spices of Life hosted by author Nina Simonds and produced by vlogger Steve Garfield. The show describes itself as "an innovative project that engages lovers of food, good health, and fun through an on-line vlog and blog, and downloadable podcasts. The show features Nina Simonds, contributer to the New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and author of several best-selling cookbooks." Yeah, Nina comes into KitchenArts too...but I haven't seen Steve yet!
Start Cooking is a great site hosted by Boston local Kathy Maister...I learned about the site 'cuz she lives around the corner from KitchenArts (watch her videos closely and you'll see our merchandise in use!) She's got a ton of recipes and a series of regular videos demonstrating technique. Scroll thru the widget above to see her topics, and click on over to check it out.
Boston Magazine has initiated a video series covering Best of Boston winners...and that means KitchenArts! Check out our video above, featuring yours truly.
Can't decide? We offer gift certificates...though they're not online yet. Call us up with your credit card in hand (617-266-8701) and we can send one out to the recipient of your choice; available in any denomination.
Yeah...we've got comments turned off for now. Too much comment spam to deal with, and TypeKey sucks (TypeKey is Moveable Type'e authentication service). I gotta find a different service...In the meantime send me an email with your comment and I'll post it. I promise.
STORE INFORMATION
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KitchenArts is closed after 30 years on Newbury Street. Knife sharpening will be handled by the new business in our former location. For details click here.
GREETINGS
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Hi. I'm Owen Mack. My father opened KitchenArts in 1980, the offshoot of an importing business his father started in 1930; you could
say I've got kitchenware in my blood.
KitchenArts is a hardware store for cooks--a shop that is serious about carrying items that get the job done. We're not into trendy colors, trendy designs, or kitchen fads. We don't carry tea cozies, we don't carry tablecloths.
We do carry 248 different kitchen knives, 312 different pots & pans, 7 types of mandoline, 5 zesters, and 1 egg pricker.
Have a question? Ask us...many publications do. You've seen us in Cook's Illustrated, Cooking Light, Elle Decor, The Boston Globe, and the New York Times. Boston Magazine has named us "Best of Boston" so many times we're in the Hall of Fame. We've got an opinion on most anything kitchen-related, and we'd like to share our expertise with you.