Politics for dinner: A scary new documentary and a 26-year-old celebration of food and pride

Food, Inc. explores where the food we eat really comes from. And the 26th annual Garden Party kicks off Gay Pride Week in New York with celebrity chefs and Gourmet Editor-in-Chief Ruth Reichl.

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The documentary Food, Inc. opens June 12, and according to Miranda Purves in Elle magazine, it “will have you running from the supermarket for the hills, preferably ones dotted with grass-fed cows.” Let me start with a given here: Feeding the more than 300 million people who call the United States home is a monumental challenge. But as filmmaker Robert Kenner shows, the way America’s industrialized food system goes about it, with the acquiescence if not outright complicity of the federal government, threatens us all.

The issues are many and complex. The Food, Inc. official website spells them out. Factory farms raise animals under inhumane conditions, are dangerous for their workers, pollute surrounding communities, are unsafe to our food system and contribute significantly to global warming. Foodborne illnesses sicken an estimated 76 million Americans and kill an estimated 5,000 each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control Continue reading “Politics for dinner: A scary new documentary and a 26-year-old celebration of food and pride” →

Six great new ideas for the kitchen from the International Home + Housewares Show

The International Home + Housewares Show was in Chicago this week. Here are a half dozen cool new tools and treats we saw there—plus a peek at some things yet to come.

The annual show at McCormick Place is the centerpiece of the International Housewares Association’s efforts to promote the housewares industry, attracting the world’s largest audience of home goods and housewares professionals, more than 60,000 every year. Both the exhibitors and the attendees reflect the global reach of the association. As Marion and I walked around the dine + design section of the show, we were on the lookout for interesting new tools, gadgets and ideas for home cooks. We weren’t disappointed.

1. Garlic Twist, NexTrend Products

I’ve never been a big fan of garlic presses. Too messy and too much garlic left behind in the press for me. So when it comes to chopping or mincing a clove or two of garlic, I’m all about doing it by hand. But when you need a lot of garlic? Or for that matter, any amount of minced or chopped ginger? Now you’re talking serious work.

Enter the Garlic Twist. Throw in a couple/few cloves of peeled garlic, twist it back and forth until they’re chopped to the desired consistency—from chopped to finely minced. That’s all impressive enough, but when we saw the inventor of the Garlic Twist demonstrating it at the show, I wanted to see it work on fresh ginger. We love cooking with fresh ginger, but chopping or mincing this fibrous root is time consuming. Not a problem. He threw a few chunks of ginger, complete with peel, into it, twisted it a handful of times and it was beautifully minced.

Clean up is easy too. Just throw it in the top shelf of the dishwasher. Finding the Garlic Twist is a little tougher. It’s available on a handful of websites, including Amazon.com, and at all Williams-Sonoma stores. Check the Garlic Twist website for details.

2. Scoop & Sift Flour Sifter, Cuisipro

We’re big fans of the smart design of Cuisipro kitchen tools—their silicone locking tongs have become indispensible in our kitchen, for instance. So we weren’t surprised that they had a number of intriguing new things in their booth at the Housewares Show. Including this Scoop and Sift Flour Sifter. Continue reading “Six great new ideas for the kitchen from the International Home + Housewares Show” →

140 small space solutions, a blogger meat and greet and a do-it-yourself ice cream store

A host of home furnishings and accessories for cramped quarters, hanging out in a swell steakhouse with fellow food bloggers and an ice cream/frozen yogurt/sorbet store that lets you design your own flavors.

Okay, show of hands. Who out there doesn’t have square footage issues? The clever welcome mat above, available at Manhattan’s Tiny Living, says it all for most of us. And it’s one of nearly 150 different items chosen for space-challenged homes and apartments in a recent New York magazine online Shop•A•Matic. There are collapsible measuring cups and nesting measuring bowls for the kitchen; all sorts of storage boxes, units and racks; stackable and foldable chairs…everything designed with a small footprint in mind. And honestly, not everything is strictly speaking a spacesaver—I mean, throw pillows and curtains? But it’s all charming. And while some shops featured are solely New York stores, others like Urban Outfitters, Crate & Barrel, CB2 and Anthropologie can be found elsewhere. There are plenty of online shopping opportunities too. Continue reading “140 small space solutions, a blogger meat and greet and a do-it-yourself ice cream store” →

The truth about trans fats: Zero isn’t always zero

Turns out zero trans fats on the package Nutrition Facts panel doesn’t necessarily mean there are no trans fats inside. Here’s how to tell whether there are trans fats in your food or not and why it matters.

For many of us, trans fats appeared on our radar screens just about the time the food industry started getting its collective panties in a bunch about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ruling [in July 2003] that by January 1, 2006, all Nutrition Facts panels on food packaging had to include trans fats.

Pretty soon, though, smart food producers whose products were trans fat-free started using that fact as a marketing tool, putting it right on the front of their packaging. And as consumers became more aware of the health hazards of these evil fats, many companies decided maybe it was time to give up this cheap, industrially produced substance for healthier choices.

So now, post-2006, avoiding trans fats is as easy as looking for that reassuring 0g [zero grams] next to Trans Fats on the Nutrition Facts panel, right? Not so fast. I’m not sure whose quid got pro quoed, but according to the FDA, anything less than .5 grams of trans fat per serving can be listed as zero grams on the label.

How much is .5 grams, that the government thinks it’s essentially nothing? According to the Mayo Clinic, “Though that’s a small amount of trans fat, if you eat multiple servings of foods with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, you could exceed recommended limits.”

And what might those recommended levels be? As you can see with this illustration, food nutrition labels in the U.S. don’t list a Percent Daily Value for trans fat; it’s unknown what an appropriate level would be, other than it should be low. But the Mayo Clinic reports that “the American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1 percent of your total daily calories be trans fat. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, that works out to 2 grams of trans fat or less.” Continue reading “The truth about trans fats: Zero isn’t always zero” →

Stuff we like: Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffins

Okay, is there anyone out there who still doesn’t know that fiber is good for you? The list of health benefits just keeps growing. But besides all that, fiber also helps you feel full longer. This is especially good at breakfast, because it helps you power through ’til lunch [and for all of you who still don’t believe in eating breakfast, that’s a whole other post].

Well, Thomas has taken its famous English muffin and fibered it up bigtime, while shaving off a few calories. A single Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffin provides 8 grams of fiber, about 1/3 of your daily needs. All with a mere 100 calories, 1 gram of fat [2% of your recommended daily value] and no trans fats or high fructose corn syrup. By comparison, their original English muffin—a slightly heftier 120 calories, but still only 1 gram of fat—delivers only 4% of your daily fiber needs.

And they taste great. Here are a few ideas for enjoying them. If you can think of others, join in with a comment at the end. Continue reading “Stuff we like: Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffins” →

Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand: A fresh stop for Chicago locavores and food lovers

Chicago just gets it. Quality of life, greener living, supporting local food producers… The latest proof is Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand, a city pilot program and downtown retail outlet for “edible local products, all produced within 250 miles of Chicago,” as their website says. Run by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with Chicago’s existing local and sustainable food communities, the store just opened October 1. It promises “fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs in season; a full range of condiments, preserves, seasonings and other dry goods items; baked goods and other seasonal items as available.”

We visited this past weekend and found a wide selection of precisely that. Heirloom tomatoes from Illinois, pasta from an Amish community in Indiana… And this gorgeous partially baked pie made with cherries from Michigan, from First Slice Pie Café in Chicago, a self-funding charity that provides access to wholesome food for those living in poverty. We finished the pie in our oven at home and all but finished it off in one sitting [we did have company, I’d like to point out]. There were fresh herbs and produce, dried beans, jams, pickled mushrooms and more from small, independent local producers. One of our favorites, The Spice House, was well represented with a selection of dried herbs and spices.

There were some other surprises too, proving that pride for local food production knows no size. They carry Morton Kosher Salt and Bay’s English Muffins, for instance, both local favorites produced for decades right here in Chicago. And salsas and chips from comparative upstart Rick Bayless’ Frontera Foods.

For farmers and local producers, Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand offers an outlet besides the seasonal weekend Farmers Markets in the city. And even better, they don’t have to be on hand to make sales. But the store’s mission goes beyond selling food. Organizers say that it will “serve as a hub for the local sustainable food industry, offering educational programs and activities, including classes, discussions and seminars, designed to foster interaction between local growers/producers and Chicago residents and visitors.” The store will operate as a pilot program through mid-December this year; plans are for it to reopen full time next spring.

Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand
66 E. Randolph
Tuesday – Friday, 11am – 7pm
Saturday, 11am – 4pm

Small Bites: Dishing it up, second helpings and cleaning up after

The old adage that you “eat with your eyes” too is so ingrained in our collective mindset that you’ll find more than 12 million results for that phrase on Google. Whether you’re a home cook or a professional chef, chances are you’re always looking for ways to improve the visual appeal of your meals. And if you’re a food blogger, you’re always on the prowl for new dishes and accessories to mix it up in your photos.

New York magazine to the rescue! In a recent edition of Shop-A-Matic on their website, they featured an impressive 135 plates, bowls and assorted dishes, conveniently arranged by price. And most of these finds aren’t exclusive to New York; you’ll find them online and in-store at places like IKEA, Pier 1, CB2 and—in the case of the $8, 11-inch plate shown here—Urban Outfitters.

Second Helping: Arugula Salad with Peaches and Goat Cheese

Last year was a stellar one for peaches. And while they may not be quite as wonderful this year, peaches are still an iconic taste of summer. So before the season draws to a close, try this Arugula Salad with Peaches and Goat Cheese. It combines sweet, savory and creamy notes in a delicious, lively first course. A second helping from the Blue Kitchen archives, it was first posted in August 2007.

Stuff we like: Bon Ami

With all the new cleaning products available for the kitchen, one of our favorites has been around since 1886. Bon Ami, French for good friend, really is a good friend in the kitchen. The original Bon Ami Cleaning Powder, a blend of feldspar and soap, can be used on everything from windows to porcelain, tile and even nonstick surfaces.

Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser, the one we use, is a blend of biodegradable detergent and calcite and feldspar mineral abrasives. It’s perfect for tougher jobs, like “dried on splatters and spills, burned-on grease, baked-on food, and sticky messes,” according to the website. Whichever you choose, both labels proudly and rightly proclaim, “Hasn’t Scratched Yet!” We use the Polishing Cleanser on the stovetop, counters, pots and pans… just not on nonstick. Best of all, neither Bon Ami product contains chlorine, perfumes or dyes. Turns out they were green back when it was only a color.

Road trips and letting the pasta drive

Flavored pasta brings plenty to the table tastewise, so stick with a few simple ingredients. Recipe of sorts below.

We took a road trip to St. Louis last weekend. This was supposed to be a nice, chatty post about the wonderful, underrated city where I grew up and some of its unexpected delights. But things are suddenly hectic at Blue Kitchen. So today I’m just going to focus on its farmers market and one of the delights we discovered there.

Soulard Farmers Market is one of the oldest farmers markets in America and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. It’s been in continuous operation since 1838.

It’s also one of the most colorful farmers markets around. That, as much as the cheap produce to be had, made it part of more Saturdays than not when we lived there and a required stop anytime we visit now. Not manufactured colorfulness like mimes and face painters, either—I’m talking white-haired old ladies sucking down cold cans of Busch beer while doing their weekly shopping at 10 in the morning.

Besides local produce and not so local stuff [I’m assuming the bananas and kiwis I saw weren’t locally grown], you’ll find plants and cut flowers for sale; baked goods [both artisanal and otherwise]; an excellent spice shop; fresh meat; live rabbits, ducks and chickens waiting to become fresh meat; and a pet shop where live animals await a decidedly happier fate. We were happy to learn this visit that the pet shop serves as a kind of no-kill shelter. The kittens and puppies they sell aren’t from pet factories or puppy mills—they take in unwanted litters from people in the neighborhood. And they seem to do a land office business.

There are also purveyors of T-shirts; incense; sunglasses; “art” on mirrors, velvet and other, um, interesting surfaces; tiny doughnuts pumped out and fried by an ingenious little machine that not only cooks and flips them before your eyes, but also lures a steady stream of customers—and last Saturday, at least, a genius of a salesman/showman on par with Ron Popeil and Ed McMahon—Ken Baker. His demonstration of the Super-Shammy, his own invention, bordered on performance art. We bought some. If he had a website, I’d even provide a link here. But he only does business through a P.O. box in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and on QVC and the Home Shopping Network.

Continue reading “Road trips and letting the pasta drive” →

A non-Wednesday bonus post: Art and food

My friend Carolyn in St. Louis [she would correct me and say, “Eureka!”] found this great story on the NPR website about two grocery store chains hiring artists. It was so good, I had to share it.

Marshall McLuhan once said, “Ads are the cave art of the twentieth century.” Some people probably thought he was calling advertising people [of which I’m one] Neanderthals. But I understood his point. Those wonderful cave paintings, mostly of herds of running animals, weren’t the prehistoric equivalent of sofa-sized paintings to decorate the home. They served a very practical purpose: To ensure the success of the hunt. The otherwise well-preserved paintings are pockmarked, probably by attacks with spears and other weapons as part of some kind of good luck ritual. And the artists stenciled handprints onto the animals’ necks and other control points, probably intended to give them control over their prey.

I frequently shop at Trader Joe’s and, on occasion, at Whole Foods. I’ve always noticed the fun and often funny hand-drawn signage in the stores—kind of cave art for the twenty-first century, designed to ensure the enjoyment of our hunt. And I’ve wondered about its creation. I’m delighted to learn that these two smart chains find it worth their while to hire artists for each store.

The photo is by the artist, Katie Lanciano, and is from NPR’s site. I trust neither will mind me using it to publicize their story.

Cool tool: DIREKT Whisk

Don’t you love when you find a kitchen tool that not only works great, but is dirt cheap? This whisk is one of those tools. Unlike regular balloon whisks, which are great for mixing big bowls of stuff, this one concentrates lots of mixing action in a small area. Its flat mixing head makes it perfect for whisking something into shallow liquid in a sauté pan, for instance.

I’ve seen similar versions made of tightly coiled metal, but the business end of the DIREKT Whisk is made of heat-resistant plastic—that means it won’t scratch non-stick surfaces. Its long, curving stainless handle keeps your knuckles out of harm’s way. And at a mere $1.99 at IKEA, it’s a steal. Unfortunately, while they show it on their website, you can only buy it in the store—by the time you add shipping and handling to a two buck item, I guess they figure it’s not worth it. Although personally, it would be to me.

I used it a few nights ago when I was making a chicken and mushroom dish with a sauce. The sauce wasn’t thickening, so I browned some flour in a little butter and olive oil in a separate skillet. When I added water and started stirring, it immediately became a mass of tiny lumps. My first solution was to let loose with an impressive string of curse words [if you’ve read About Blue Kitchen, you already know that’s my first solution anytime something goes wrong in the kitchen]. When that didn’t work, I grabbed the DIREKT Whisk. In moments, it tamed the lumps into a velvety smooth liquid that I was then able to whisk into the mustard cream sauce I was making.

Okay, your turn. What modest little kitchen tool makes you glad you bought it [or made it, inherited it or got it as a gift] every time you reach for it? We’re not talking big ticket items here—no Viking ranges or even food processors. Just something basic and cheap but utterly indispensable for what it does for you.