ThaiFusions - Your Grilling Must Have

It is grilling season and with it the same old recipes.How to liven up those chicken wings and ribs? By giving it the fusion treatment , thanks to some new sauces that feature the best of Thai flavors. Thaifusion has just introduced three new grilling sauces that can be used not just for barbecues but also for dips and even salads.

  This brand is perfect for those who live to cook or just love eating the tasty and flavor packed cuisine, It started with Toi Borthwick, a Thai national who married a Scottish American over forty years ago. The cuisine was not as popular as it is now so finding even the simplest sauces was hard. She had to create her own, sometimes fermenting curries and fish sauces in clay pots in her backyard. Those recipes now form the sauces that make the company she owns with her children.. Thaifusions has both curry sauces and grilling sauces that reflect the varied  sweet and fiery flavors of Thai cuisine.. It is the barbecue sauces, however that bring out the flavors of southeastern Asia. Peanuts are a staple of Thai cooking and their peanut sauce delivers it.It is blended with  creamy coconut milk to give it a silky texture with an eye opening punch of fire.Another new comer is the chile pineapple grilling sauce , a typical Thai marriage of fruity sweet and eye watering spicy.A tad less hotter is their mango ginger grilling sauce, made with brown sugar to sweeten it. The company also sells green curry and Panang curry sauces that are used primarily for cooking. All sauces can be b ought at Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table.

The sauces are perfect for grilling. One of my favorites is the chile pineapple sauce because of the tiny bits of pineapple in it.It is the perfect marinade and sauce for both pork and chicken. Use it to baste on chops before grilling and serve with a pineapple mango chutney. Try chicken wings and drumsticks marinated in them for thirty minutes. It can also be used as a dip for naked nuggets, grilled bits of unbreaded chicken.For a different twist try the chicken nuggets  with the peanut grilling sauce, It's an easy  way to make the classic Thai street fare chicken satay. Usually this dish is labor intensive due to making the sauce from scratch,First marinate the chicken pieces in a combo of fish
 sauce and soy sauce and then grilled to a crispness.The satays are then served with dipping bowls full of the peanut sauce. I can also be used for a cold Thai noodle salad as well.Robust meats like steak and hamburger are perfect with  the mango ginger. Create a steak satay  with a soy marinade and serve with the sauce.Marinate t-bones or skirt steaks with it and then serve with more sauce. Add some to hamburger patties for a fiery and fun surprise.It would also be good as a chicken marinade too or as a wing dipping sauce.

Thaifusions Grilling Sauces are must haves for this year's grilling season. They add sweet and heat , livening up any cut with Thai flair. Get all three and enjoy the blend of chilis and fruits.with your favorite barbecue meats.

Black Friday Kitchen Deals

Even though Black Friday is almost done with , home chefs can still cash in on the day's deals. This is the time to replace those iffy smaller appliances along with buying new pans and tins.The deals are amazing  right now. so take advantage of them. This is the time to invest in good quality kitchen ware at bargain basement prices.

One of the best places to get good bargains is Sur La Table both on line and at their many stores. They offer free shipping for $59.00 and over orders.They have a Sansaire Sous Vide Immersion Circulator for $149.00 , fifty dollars less than the usual price.Sur La Table has a great bargain on the Staub Cocotte cookware, $99.00 for a set of four cast iron Dutch ovens. Pick these up if you're planning to make a lot of chili or stewed chicken for the holidays. The store also has good bargains on carving knives sets, .along with special offers on chef's knives.  Williams-Sonoma isn't normally known for lowering their prices but they now are offering some good sales items. They're offering their name brand Thermo clad stainless steel fry pan set for half price at $150.Their Calaphon eleven piece elite non stick cookware set usually goes for a whopping $1,000 and it's on sale for $599.00 This will last a long time and the suggestion is buy it.Another boon is that all of their copper cookware is being sold for 20  percent off. Again this is a good buy because of the quality  and workmanship put in them. Williams -Sonoma also have good deals on all sorts of knives as well as cutting boards and wood containers.

The big box stores such as Target and K-Mart can offer even better bargains.If you need fancy dinnerware then head over to the bull's eye store. Target has excellent prices on Corelleware Strawberry Street, Gorham Willow Creek and Threshold. The best part is that there is a huge variety of colors and patterns so you're not limited. They're also having a sale on toaster ovens as well along with Calaphon  cookware starting at $99.00. Even if there's no sale , Target Red card holders (the store credit card) always receives 5% off all purchases. For even lesser prices try K-Mart. They are offering a BOGO - buy one get one free on all their kitchen utensils and gadgets. Scarf up their balloon whisks and choppers for yourself and your favorite home chef.K-Mart has the amazingly low price of $15 for mandolins.These are usually quadruple or quintuple the price so get them while they're hot.It's great for slicing potatoes for scalloped potatoes and home made potato chips.It can also be used for shredding and grating other veggies like cabbage and carrots. Eighteen dollars will get homes chefs an entirely new twelve piece utensil set with a decorative tub. to store them. This has everything from  a pasta fork to tongs to various blending paddles to a spatula. They will get anyone through the busiest baking and cooking season of the year with ease.

Black Friday is a home chef's dream. It's time to stock up on what you and what you want to create the perfect holiday kitchen. Get out the credit card and shop, shop, shop!

Gifts For The Home Chef

With the holidays a mere two months away, it's time to think about what to get the home chef. To be honest , someone who loves to cook and bake is about the easiest person to shop for. He or she  may need new gadgets to replace the old ones or may need new pots or pans.There's also new inventions and ingredients that make surprising and exciting gifts.

Before you even think about shopping, assess what the receiver has or needs in the kitchen. If their blender is not working up to par, then you know what to buy for them.Are their knives getting dull? Then either gift them with a sharpening stone or a new set. Do they like working with spices? Time to get a new improved spice rack. Another must is fishing. Ask about the kitchen in general or if they've tried any new dishes. If your favorite home chef is into Mexican  then get a fajita pan  along with different chiles.If they're swooning about French cuisine, then you know they'd be over the moon about a crepe pan. Also look around their kitchen as well. Frayed dish towels tell you a replacement set would be well appreciated.A shortage of microwave dishes means  you that buying a new, more diverse set . Also check their stocks. Nothing beats gift baskets full of much needed olive oils or bags of soup ingredients. Appliance gifts are a bit different.If you're thinking about giving a new stove, dishwater or fridge , bring the home chef with you. Mak for this e sure all warrantees and insurance are in your home chef's name too.

Then there is the fun side of foodie and home chef gift giving. There are so many cooking centric items out there, it really is hard to pick any kind of gift. One of the best and most comprehensive stores  for this  kind of shopping is Sur La Table. I highly recommend it because it has a cornucopia of appliances  plus food stuffs such as the kit for making doughnuts (along with the doughnut pans to make a tasty baked treat) The store also carries a broad variety of rubs from a lively espresso to a Parmesan one for roasted veggies. Sur la Table also has an extensive collections of special pots and pans along with excellent quality cutlery and carving boards. Of course cookbooks are a must give. Nothing is as fun as an old fashioned cookbook that can be leafed through or pored over. There are ones for almost every taste , both literally and figuratively. My favorite is Dr. Mayim Bialik's (Amy Farrah Fowler on "The Big Bang Theory") Mayim's Vegan Table.This is a great book for both vegans and non vegans alike, with her cool  takes on pancakes , tofu sausage and sprout and potato croquettes/ There are some other greats from Chris Kimball of America's Test Kitchen , along with Women's Day,.

Shopping for a foodie or home chef is the  easiest chore. You can buy them anything kitchen related or food centric and it will be a big hit. With any luck they will use it right away to make you a tasty thank you treat!

Foodiie Mom Gifts

What do you get a foodie mom? yummy.There's a wide cornucopia of foodstuffs and gadgets that would make great Mother's Day presents.You can get them online or at your favorite stores. Nothing beats a favorite food or a much longed for appliance.She'll not only appreciate it she"ll probably love your ,her little foodie ,more. Jams and conserves are always a nice treat.Bonne Maman which can be found in any grocery has an excellent choice of jams such as plum and red current along with the more unusual fig and apricot.Pair a couple of them a box of buttery ,crusty croissants from Au Bon Pain and you have a great breakfast treat.Foodie moms love the unusual and adventurous.Spices from around the world make a neat gift.There are several spice houses out there,from Penzey's to the Spice house that you can choose from.You can also visit Indian,Chinese and Caribbean grocery stores , not only to buy seasonings but get advice and recipes which feature the spices .A nice box of chocolates can never go amiss.Yes,there is Godiva and Perugina there are also some more artisanal brands out there.Think about cocoa with sea salt or ancho peppers added.Donna and Company, a New Jersey based company incorporates olive oil and blood orange along with balsamic vinegar in their treats. If Mom is more into creating then eating then think gadgets.These are fun and help to alleviate any prep headaches. Two of the best companies for gadgets are Sur La Table and Quirky. Sur La Table has interesting shaped dishes for making frittatas along with brightly colored garlic peelers.It also sells ceramic pot minders and a bamboo spreader.Sur la Table has excellent whisk and knife sets as well.Quirky is another great site that has gadgets invented by the average person.These tools were made to fill a need? One of the best is Stem.This is a spritzer that can be inserted onto any lemon or lime and fresh juice can be spritzes on salads or in dishes.Pluck is another neat gadget. This is a fun yolk and white separator along with the Venti a salad bowl with a colander under eat.Quirky"s gifts are all relatively in expensive.If Mom's blender or microwave is acting funky then Mother's Day is the perfect time for a new one.K Mart, Target and even Lowe's has good prices on all of these other appliances.Sears is another good choice for any large kitchen appliance. A foodie mom will appreciate any food or kitchen oriented gift.Whether it's a box of ancho spiked chocolates or a funky egg separator, she's sure to love it.Getting her a present that reflects her passions always mother approved.

Mister Right

I love my news olive oil mister that I bought through that great site Sur La Table. It is just a neat gadget and I wish I had bought it sooner.There's a lot you can do with it from coating a saute or fry pan to spritzing salads.

It does take some figuring out. I didn't realize the oddly shaped cover was responsible for the nozzle to spray . t has to be pumped up and down so that the sprayer could work. The first time I over filled it by about three tablespoons which was wrong and messy. However once I got the hang of it I found that it's he most fun gadget ever. My new favorite snack is oil misted grape tomatoes. Just wash them, leave them in their container and give them a good misting. Add fresh ground sea salt, shake the container and serve. These are just a yummy go to if you're hungry or a great side with any kind of sandwich.

I'm looking forward to cooking with my mister. I bet it'll be perfect for quick frying or even sauteing spinach. I also plan on using it when I reheat pizza and spinach rolls too. Talk about mister right!

Sur LA Table An Online Passion

Lately I;ve been doing a lot of ordering on line. Thanks to yesterday's Sunday's Daily News Food section I came across Sur la Table a neat and extensive online and regular cooking themed store. It was when I saw a pair of colander ladles that I just had to have.

Along with the colander ladles, I also bought an olive oil mister. This will come in perfectly when I need to fry or saute veggies or even reheat. It will give me the perfect amount of olive oil (inbstead of just pouring it in and over soaking the food)There were also tomato savers which I had to have. these are tomato shaped containers that can store half cut tomatoes. They also have garlic, onion and lemon containers which I'm sure I will buy.

What else did I love? Brioche tins! I love this sweet yeasty French mini bread and have always wanted to make them.The problem is that they need the exact molds to give them that fluted bottom and puffy popover like muffin top. This may be a future order as well. There are also other molds and cookie sheets that give me a rush. I also love the Tuscan crockery that would go well in any kitchen. There's also a le Creuset braiser that I've only seen on this site. Now this would be perfect for my cooking style, being big on stews and braising.

I have been doing a lot of online shopping only. I know the sites and yes I like them. yet I haven 't been excited by them like I have by Sur la table. This is a foodie's perfect site. I think I will wind up their biggest customer, and probably a loyal one at that too.