My Future Kitchen Wish List

I love kitchen stores. All of them.

The Kitchen Collection

Le Gourmet Chef (R.I.P.)

Williams Sonoma 

Le Creuset

Home & Cook

Don’t even get me started on online shopping for cooking tools. From the Seen-On-TV collection to the Kitchen Aid I dream about, there’s always something new and full of possibility hidden in these stores.

I was in The Kitchen Collection this past week with my mom, making a wish list of appliances and ridiculous tools for my future kitchen.  Some of my choices are realistic, a set of chef knives, others are a bit more frivolous; I mean who doesn’t want a professional sno-cone maker.

My future kitchen still exist in the hypothetical, but here are the top three items I plan to stock my future adult kitchen with:

Victorinox Rosewodd 7-Piece Knife Set

My first purchase is definitely going to be a set of knives. I believe that a good set of knives is the backbone of a kitchen, unfortunately they are a big investment. A set of professional knives can run upwards of $2000. I have no plans of becoming a professional, but I want a quality set of knives for all aspects of cooking. The Victorinox Knife set is the best bet for a beginner or advanced home cook. The set comes with a paring knife, serrated utility knife, a chef's knife, a bread knife, kitchen shears, and honing steel. All of the knives are made of high-carbon steel and they are made by the original makers of the Swiss Army Knife. You can't go wrong with this set.

Cast Iron Skillet

I'd love an entire set of cast iron cookware, but the essential item is the skillet. My current apartment lacks the outdoor space to grill and my current IKEA cookware doesn't cut it when I want a perfectly grilled steak. A cast iron skillet is a staple of the kitchen that will allow me to take my food from the stove top directly to the oven. My mouth waters dreaming of a future steak, perfectly crusted on the outside and a juicy pink in its center. The Le Creuset Signature line offers a 9" skillet that fits within my budget and comes in a variety of fun colors.

KitchenAid Food Processor

I know from my extensive, and some intensive, viewing of the Food Network that a high-quality food processor can make all of your cooking dreams come true. While my Rival mini-chopper does wonders, it only holds 1.5 cups. The KitchenAid 7-cup Food Processor not only has more than enough volume, the continuous feed feature makes it easy to add in food without having to restart. From crumbles, to sauces, to soups a food processor is the solution to so many of my cooking dreams.

Crispy Baked French Fries

For many years, I have been trying to find the perfect baking technique for crispy french fries. I’ve tried parboiling the potatoes, microwaving them in oil, coating them in a multitude of batters, and various combinations of other methods, but nothing has met my expectations. Some have come close, but I was searching for that golden brown crispy outside with the fluffy insides that I was beginning to think could only be achieved by frying them in oil.

I was so close to giving up on my journey for the perfect french fry, until a lazy Sunday morning and bout of boredom led to the holy grail of fries.

The key to the process is a double soak to remove the starch from the potatoes and a second coating of olive oil while baking. It does take a bit of forward thinking, but I promise you the results are worth it. I may or may not have eaten the entire batch in one sitting and I have no regrets about that decision.

Ingredients (2 servings)

1 large potato

olive oil

salt

pepper

chili powder

garlic powder

basil

ancho chili powder

It's very important that you're oven be hot, so don't skip on the preheating process and turn your oven up to 450°

I like to keep the skin on the potato when making fries. If you are going to keep the skin, give your potato a good hard scrub to remove any dirt and residue. If you prefer a cleaner cut, skin your potato before slicing it.

When working with a large potato I find it easier to cut it in half, along it's width, before slicing. It's important to try and keep your slices uniform, so that all of the fries will cook at the same speed. I like my fries just a little thicker than a shoe string cut, so I aim for each slice to be about the width of my pinkie finger.

Again, a uniform cut will save you from a mix of burnt and undercooked fries. On the second cut, I try to cut each piece to 1/4". Using a large potato this will yield about 6 fries from each slice of potato. If you have to decide between a slightly large fry or discarding a bit on the end, I choose to discard the extra potato.

I was in the Kitchen Collection store the other day and amongst an assortment of gadgets I cannot rationalize buying (even though I really want them) was a French Fry slicer by Hamilton Beach that could speed up the slicing process.

This step is where the magic happens. The double soak. Place all of your potato slices in a bowl and completely cover them with cold water. Allow them to soak for 30 minutes before draining the water. You'll notice that the water is a murky grey color, this is the starch being drawn out. 

Fill the bowl again so that all of the potatoes are covered and place the bowl in the fridge for 2-4 hours. I believe 2-4 hours is the optimal time for the second soak, but it can be done in anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours, depending on how much time you have available.

After you drain the water from the bowl, use a paper towel to dry the fries. Place them on a towel and use a second paper towel to blot off all of the excess water. Make them as dry as possible, but do not squeeze the water out of them. 

Next, it is time for the spices. I prefer a zesty french fry, but you can use whatever spices you prefer. I use a nickel sized serving of each spice, tossed in a bowl to completely cover the potatoes. After you apply your spices add olive oil until the fries are completely covered.

On a piece of parchment paper, spread out the fries so that none are overlapping and each has some room around it. Use more than one baking sheet if necessary. The extra room will ensure that each piece cooks evenly and achieves the perfect crisp.

Place both baking sheets in the oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, removing the baking sheet from the oven. Flip the french fries over and drizzle olive oil over them.

Place them back into the oven for another 20-30 minutes depending on your preference. I like my fries well done, so I place them back in the oven for the full 30 minutes.

Finally, you have the perfect crispy baked french fries. Utter gold. Add your choice of dipping sauce and go to town.

Yards Brewery - Brawler

Before the start of my spring semester, I headed home to Philadelphia to spend some time with my parents. My trip home was made even sweeter when my sister decided to come home for the weekend as well.

On Saturday, all four of us headed into the city to try out some new sites. On our list was the Yards Brewing Company, a local Philadelphia brewery that opened in 1994 and recently has become one of the most popular choices in Philly. They specialize in British style Ales. If you want to learn more about British style ales, check out this article by Serious Eats.

Pulling up, I was immediately enamored by the Cow & the Curd food truck outside of the building. Every Saturday, Yards host a food truck to offer delicious eats outside their tasting room. While the Wisconsin Cheese Curds weren’t my cup of tea, it upped my impression of the company.

The tasting room inside continued to impress me. The large open area boasted a pool table, foosball, and table shuffleboard. Tables and bars were set up throughout the room and an L-shaped bar filled the back wall.

Walking into the room, we were all handed a sample of theYards Brawler. I was skeptical of try it. I prefer pilsners and pale ales, but this was a dark red/brown color and smelled of caramel. I am so glad I tried it out. I loved it and made sure to grab a pack to bring back to North Carolina.

The Brawler has a sweet caramel taste with a little bit of mocha flavor. The hints of caramel in the taste are evident in the smell of the beer as well. What I find most interesting about the beer is that as your drink it develops a roasted malt flavor that overpowers the aftertaste. 

It pours with a great foam top that leaves a slight yeasty film over the beer as it fades away. Even out of the bottle, the Brawler maintains its dark red color and it's a very clear body. Overall, I was very impressed with the Brawler. It is light, crisp, and easy to drink. 

I give the Brawler a 8/10

Loaded Potato Egg Rolls

This past Monday, a couple of my classmates and I decided to have a potluck dinner. I love getting together with classmates and having fun outside of school, but a potluck dinner is work. There are so many questions to ask yourself:

What do I bring?

Do I stick with a standard or try something new?

How much food do I need?

Can everyone else cook?

What will everyone like?

Food allergies?

The list goes on and on. I never know if I should go all out or pick up a bag of chips and call it a day. However, being in a program with 30 other people means we know each other pretty well, so I felt pretty comfortable in my decision to try out a new recipe. I also had the added advantage of knowing that the main dish was going to be BBQ Chicken. I browsed through a few cookbooks and scrolled through my Pinterest recipe page before deciding to try loaded potato egg rolls.

Ingredients:

4 cups of garlic mashed potatoes

10 sticks of Monterrey Jack string cheese

1 pack of egg roll wrappers - 20 sheets

(Egg roll wrappers are usually in the produce section)

Cooking spray or Olive Oil

There are many options for how to prepare your mashed potatoes for this recipe. I chose to used packaged mashed potatoes because of my schedule on Mondays. If you have the time and desire to make your own garlic mashed potatoes, I highly suggest The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes because they are heavenly. You will need about 4 cups of potatoes to fill your wrappers.

Preheat the oven to 425°F

Unwrap 10 sticks of string cheese and cut them in half. The cheese will melt and infuse with your potatoes while cooking and the half stick will minimize the leakage from the wrappers.

Lay down an egg roll wrapper on a dry surface and place 3 tablespoons of potatoes into the center of the wrapper. I prefer to orient the wrapper as a diamond to make the wrapping easier.

Place the half stick of cheese directly in the middle of the potatoes and then cover it up so that the cheese is hidden in the center. Try to ensure that the cheese is completely covered as this too will help to minimize leakage from the wrapper.

The back of your egg roll wrapper package should have a visual diagram for how to wrap an egg roll. I prefer to fold in two corner until they nearly meet in the center. I then begin rolling tightly from one side until just a small corner is sticking out from underneath the egg roll. At this point, apply a small dab of water to the corner and finish wrapping, pressing down firmly to ensure that it all sticks together.

Before baking, cover all of your egg rolls in a light layer of cooking spray or olive oil. This will help achieve a golden brown exterior. Place the egg rolls in the oven and cook them for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, rotate the egg rolls and place them back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes or until the outside has reached your preferred level of crisp.

These went over great at the potluck. Everyone said that it was a great delivery system for mashed potatoes and that they would be trying it out at their next dinner party.