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Is your Cutting Board Trashing your Knives?

Mine was.

My husband, Scott, and I moved into our home about two years ago. The kitchen had recently been updated with Corian counter tops and a snazzy stainless fridge (even if the door is on backwards...) and the previous home owners had some of the extra Corian cut into cutting boards. I thought this was great - I can leave my cutting board out and it looks nice! ...And then I spent the next two years crabbing about how my knives were always dull.

I am embarrassed to say that it took two years for it to dawn on me that it was the Corian cutting boards that were trashing my knives. If I could have kicked myself in the butt I would have, I know better!

So What Kind of Cutting Board Should I Get?

Wood

Pros

• Certainly your best option if your goal is to keep your knives at peak performance
  

• Wood provides a good "grip" for your food & knife so it makes cutting a breeze - you aren't chasing the onion you are chopping around, you now have the ability to mince it up effortlessly.
• Naturally inhospitable to bacteria
• Applying a coat of Mineral Oil will refresh the look of your board to new
• Deep grooves can be sanded and refinished making a wood board a one-time purchase
  

Cons

• They can't go in the dishwasher or soak in water
• You should have a secondary board for raw meat
• Expensive

Plastic

Pros

• Dishwasher-Safe
• They come color coded to help prevent cross-contamination
  
• Most cost effective

Cons

• Sharp knives can gouge the surface and create space for bacteria to hang out and multiply
• Plastic is a poor conductor of heat & may not get to the proper temperature to sanitize
  

Bamboo

There are two types of bamboo cutting boards; end-grain & edge-grain depending on which way the grain of the bamboo runs.

Edge-Grain are the boards that look striped and End-Grain more often times look like a checker board.

Keith McDuffee from http://www.cliqueclack.com does a great job explaining the difference:

So, why are end-grain boards better than edge-grain, besides in looks and durability? Think of how a tree’s fibers run. A long board of wood is cut to the length of the tree, not through its width. The fibers of the tree run vertically, and thus vertically within the long piece of wood. It’s much easier to take anax and chop the length of a log of wood rather than across it, since you’re splitting down through the fibers of the tree.

In an edge-grain board, your knife is cutting down at the wood grain as though you’re trying to chop down a tree. With end-grain, you’re coming down through the wood fibers as thoughsplitting with an ax (thoug h, of course, without the splitting). End-grain’s easier on your knives because of this, and because you’re not actually cutting the wood and are instead splitting the fibers, the board lasts longer.

Glass/Marble/Ceramic/Corian

Pros

• They look pretty on your counter

Cons

• These will dull even the highes quality knives in a very short amount of time
• Glass especially, is a safety hazard. The surface is very slippery and the chance of cutting yourself increases greatly. But on the bright side, your knife will probably be so dull it might not cut through your skin!

In the end Scott surprised me with a beautiful Walnut Boos Cutting Board for Christmas (the one pictured next to the section on wood boards). It's 18x24 inches and I am in love! It looks stunning out on my counter and just about everyone who walks in makes comment about its beauty right before they say "you don't actually use that beautiful board, do you?!" I assure them it sees a whole lot of action, but with a little bit of oil each week you'd never know it!

If you own a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, LISTEN UP!

For those of you who know how I operate in the kitchen, you probably know that I am not a kitchen gadget girl. I am a big fan of the traditional tools of the trade and don't warm easily to the latest gimmicks that promise to transform me into the the next Iron Chef.

Oh, but wait! I was gifted the Beater Blade for Christmas and it is pure mixing bliss! The Beater Blade is just like the normal paddle that comes standard with your Kitchen Aid mixer, only it has a spatula edge that scrapes the bowl as it mixes. Brilliant!

Picture from www.beaterblade.com

Being the kitchen gizmo skeptic that I am, I was not convinced that this little puppy would live up to its reputation, but I'll be honest, it far exceeded my expectations. I tested it out making a batch of banana bread and there was not a speck of unincorporated ingredient stuck to the bowl.

In my opinion, if you use your Kitchen Aid mixer with any frequency, this is an absolute must have!

My only word of caution/advice is the first couple times you use it before the spatula is broken in, it makes a wicked high pitch noise against the sides of the bowl. This can be easily remedied by either dipping the sides of the beater in your batter so its not dry or wipe a tiny bit of oil on the inside of the bowl. Voila!

Asparagus & Crimini Strata

Scott and I had the honor of hosting Christmas morning brunch this year and with 13 people in our little kitchen I needed a few easy dishes that I could prepare in advance or throw together at the last minute. I chose to make a Smoked Salmon Frittata, Pomegranate & Blueberry Yogurt Parfait with Toasted Flax Seeds, Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls and a Breakfast Strata.

The original recipe was inspired by the Breakfast Strata recipe in the Pure Flavor Cookbook. My favorite cookbook to-date, I love using the basic recipes Kurt provides as he encourages you to experiment with ingredients you have on hand. The following is my adaptation of his original recipe. Enjoy!

Asparagus & Crimini Strata
Preheat Oven 325

6 Large Eggs
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
5 cups Rosemary Croutons (Recipe Follows)
8 oz or ~2cups Shredded White Cheddar (i.e. Dubliner)
4 oz Crumbled Goat Cheese
6 Slices Crispy Bacon, Crumbled
1 Shallot, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, diced
1 bunch Asparagus, chopped
8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
3 oz Parmesan, grated

Saute Shallots and Garlic in a little olive oil until transparent.

Combine cheeses, asparagus, mushrooms and shallot mixture. (this can be done a day in advance.)

Scramble eggs and add to vegetable mixture. Add bacon and breadcrumbs. Pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake for 35 minutes rotating the dish half way through. The middle should spring back to your light touch. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Rosemary Croutons
Preheat Oven 350

1 loaf Rosemary Sourdough, cubed**
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Pepper
Kosher Salt to Taste

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Put bread cubes in a single layer on baking sheets and place in oven for about 10 minutes. Stir and bake for another 10 minutes. Stir and bake every 3-4 minutes until crispy. Let cool.

** If you can't find rosemary bread use plain sourdough and mix in 1 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced.

Winter Salad

This salad, like a great woman, has it all; she's beautiful, sophisticated, crunchy and a bit nutty! Oh, and did I mention, a real crowd pleaser. I wouldn't hesitate to serve this easy salad on a casual evening or at a formal dinner party.


Winter Salad

1 cup Arugula
2 cups Red & Green Oak Lettuces
2 Green Onions (White & Green parts) Sliced thinly & Chopped
4 Radishes, sliced thinly
2 Ribs Celery, chopped
1/2 cup Pomegranate Arils
1/4 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
1/4 cup Toasted Pecans, Roughly chopped


Raspberry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup Raspberry Vinegar
1/3 cup Canola Oil
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. On a sheet pan place a single layer of pecans and bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. (I like to toast a whole bag at once, they are great to keep on hand for snacks and salads!)

Wash, dry & combine lettuces. If serving right away toss lettuce with vinaigrette, just arrange toppings on lettuce and add dressing right before serving.

Enjoy!

Re-Purposing the Can Opener

Admittedly, I was quite skeptical when I read about the newest way to put your can opener to work in Real Simple Magazine, but I'll be damned, it works!

A can opener effortlessly slices open those horrible plastic clamshell packages. You know the ones I'm talking about, the ones they were supposed to outlaw because they have sent many an anxious gift recipient to the hospital screaming obscenities as they tried to open their package. Well, no more! Pull out your can opener and show that plastic packaging whose boss.

I had my chance to test this theory today when I purchased a new little light bulb for our bathroom vanity. It was encased in a secure sandwich of plastic with tightly sealed seams. Just as I would open a can of beans, I clamped down on the package seam and turned the handle on my opener as it neatly sliced the side of the package right open. Amazing!

A Can Opener; Don't show up to Christmas morning with out one!

Must-Have Kitchen Tool

If I had to choose just one kitchen gadget to use, no doubt about it, I would choose my Immersion Blender. There are seemingly endless uses for this little miracle blender. You can puree soups without having to transfer boiling hot liquid into a blender, make silky smooth sauces, or keep them a bit chunky if you prefer. Making an emulsion for dressings is a breeze and pureed fruit sauces, simple. You can puree your roasted vegetables, blend a milk shake, or even make whipped cream. Let your imagination run wild! And the best part is, the bottom half of the blender pops off and goes in the dishwasher for extremely easy clean-up, or I prefer to just blend some soapy water!

No holiday wish list is complete without one of these!