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Appliances Anonymous

My name is Angela and I have a kitchen problem.
After a serious gadget purge, I'm up to my old tricks again. In yesterday's post, I mentioned the Bamix Mono I bought after months of longing. She's a beaut--a fine piece of Swiss machinery that purees, whisks, beats and minces without taking up precious counterspace. An immersion blender lets you smooth out soups and sauces without having to transfer batches of scalding soup into a blender jar, plus it purports to make all sorts of fun whipped desserts, salad dressings, mayonnaise and more. Cleanup is as quick and easy as a rinse under the faucet. Expect to see lots more applications here at Thin Is Not In. I am officially obsessed.

It's fine to treat yourself to a new toy now and again, but I didn't stop at just one. I have an irrational passion for cutely shaped ice cube trays. I picture myself making frozen cranberry juice ice cubes and putting them in a clear drink. Will this ever happen? I don't know, so stop asking. Also, I picked up this Rosle Fruit Muddler, or as they call it a "Caipirinha Pestle," the name of which made me feel like even more of a tool for buying it. But I'm trying to save money by making cocktails at home, and I needed it. OK?

With the same money-saving rationale, I purchased the Aerolatte, a battery-powered wand designed for frothing milk without steam. At this point in my shopping trip, things were clearly spiraling out of control.

I got a hold of my senses and wrapped up my spree with a few cheap thrills: a citrus reamer, swiss peeler and a "Highly Recommended" mini orange cutting board by Arcitech with grippers on the bottom that is actually pretty genius for smaller tasks. OK, so I'm officially a kitchen junk nerd. We all have our vices.

Weather You Like It Or Not

That was fast. The temperature went from panzanella salad to pot roast seemingly overnight. Oh well. Stock up. Stay in. Get comfortable. That's what I say.

Fall's hardy, hearty bounty is less perishable than summer's, giving us way more time between purchase (or CSA pickup) to get around to cooking. Consider the longevity of a pattypan squash or zucchini (less than a week) versus that of a thick-skinned butternut or acorn squash (2 or 3 months). A tomato to a pumpkin. Basil and cilantro to rosemary and thyme. Plus, longer cooking times mean warm, cozy kitchens and rich dishes that reheat beautifully, like these:

I broke out the Le Crueset to make bacon-wrapped chicken over potatoes. I seasoned the chicken breasts and browned them on the stovetop first to get a bit of a crust then wrapped them in pretty pink bacon.

Over a bed of thinly sliced potatoes and softened onions, I roasted these cuties at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until the internal temp read 165. It came out nicely but would've been even better if I'd crisped it under the broiler for a few minutes.


Another fall-tastic dish is squash soup. I simmered 1-inch chunks of peeled (thanks Guy) delicata squash in chicken stock with thyme, softened onion, two diced, seeded hot peppers and a bay leaf until the squash was fork tender--about 30 min. Then, I got to use my new toy: the Bamix Immersion Blender I'd been coveting.



I topped off the soup with a dollop of plain whole milk yogurt, chives and paprika. Kinda makes you not miss salad much, right?

America's Most Hated

I pride myself on being an unpicky eater. After all, how tedious to have a laundry list of foods you can't eat/won't eat/will-make-a-terrible-face-if-anyone-around-you eats. Maybe I'm a bit of a cavegirl, a bobo barbarian if you will, but I take pride in my omnivorence. That being said, I'd rather starve than eat anything at a truck stop. So I guess we all have foods we feel we are above eating. Some common ones:

*Tomatoes People find their gooey texture and gelatinous seeds off-putting. In fact, wiggly, wobbly, slimy, slippery mouthfeels skeev many people out. See also: Tofu, Sour Cream, Oysters, Mayonaise, Okra.



*Meat With its environmental impact and animal-rights issues, many people are anti-meat, some in an in-your-face way. While I am trying to be way less of a meatavore for my carbon footprint and my footprint on the scale, as a foodie who wants to try everything, it's all bout picking and choosing. I was veg for two years in my teens and grilled cheese, pasta and Gardenburgers are not really where I'm at right now.

*Foods you were scared of as a kid Think Liver, Anchovies, Beets, Eggs. Your taste in music has changed since the 4th grade, so why continue to avoid the foods your underdeveloped palate shirked? Plus, fancy chefs know how to make them taste better than you remember them being.

Of course, there are "Supertasters," which sounds hot, but apparently pretty much sucks. This genetically determined condition causes everything to taste super strong, and therefore hard to deal with, affecting many of the world's picky eaters.

photos courtesy of estrip.com and restaurantwidow.com

Getting Canned

Guy and I hit up the Ninth Annual International Pickle Day in the LES a few weeks back (late posting is better than not posting, right?) and were overwhelmed at the bounty of preserved pleasures. We love McClure's and Guss' Pickles but wanted branch out a bit and try something new.



I've been pretty obsessed with Brooklyn Brine since discovering their Hot Heirloom Cucumbers at the Greenpoint Food Market. (They're a "stunningly diverse variety of lemon cukes, yellow cukes, and other strange looking varieties in a dill, coriander, garlic and serano chile brine," according the their website.) They pickle NY State produce after hours at Brooklyn Label, a favorite brunch spot of mine.

We took home more of the Heirlooms, some Hot Heirloom Peppers that the tattooed pickler Seamus said he was "particularly proud of," some Smokra from Rick's Picks and the wonderful Kimchee from Mama O's. Now our biggest obstacle is pacing ourselves.

Fat Chicks

And so it continues...Fillipa Hamilton, model from the controversial Ralph Lauren lollipop look ad, claims to have been canned for her corpulence. She tells the Daily News: "They fired me because they said I was overweight and I couldn't fit in their clothes anymore," she said. RL denies it natch. Starvation diets are not classic Americana, Ralph! It should be all picnics, all apple pie, all the time. How many calories can one really burn horseback riding and sailing?


In other body-image related news, non-sample sizer Serena Williams posed nearly nude for the cover of ESPN Magazine's Body Issue. A happy, healthy, real woman who kicks tons of ass on a daily basis. Sexy, right?

Cutes and Vegetables

Broadway Panhandler's biggest sale of the year going on now through the end of the weekend. The discounts are deep, but in a lot of cases, not as sweet as you'd find at Homegoods or online. If you have a specific knife, pot or pan you are coveting, look into it, because it very well may be on sale. But that's not the big news. I am excited because BP is also hosting  

CUTE YUMMY TIME!!!!!!
a cooking demo based on the book of the same name, hosted by author La Carmina. Learn recipes for what promise to be "the Cutest Food You'll Ever Eat" based on the Japanese kawaii (pron ka-why-EE, trans OMGsuperfuckincute).


I, for one, love avant garde foods. Don't you? I am not a particularly meticulous person, but am obsessed with honing the sensei skills required for garnishing and using food as a sculptural medium. Oh and I want to own all of those molecular gastronomy gizmos but am afraid of going bankrupt or losing a limb. I think we are safe with the Super Cute Food Category, this Sunday at 3pm—I'm so there.

photo courtesy of lacarmina.com