OK this relates to food, but I thought, like the title of this post, I'd never do this. I was flipping through the channels late night after work, checking out Sportscenter, a little Food Network and seeing if the mind numbing "Tila Tequila" episode broke out into another brawl for a bi-polar girl with the most round head I've ever seen, and I passed by a channel I usually just race on through.
Home Shopping Network.
I'm a foodie. As my last blog said, I'm heading to culinary arts school. And I've been slowly getting things, utensils, spices, herbs, for the kitchen me and my roommates chill out in. I never stop on HSN because I know it's just a bunch of hyper salesmen, or women, trying to convince you to buy something you don't need.
So, I was drawn in, really sucked in, to what they were selling at almost 2 a.m. I think. Todd English is a famous chef. He's the chef at The French Laundry up there in the Napa Valley. I hear it's just amazing. My buddy up there and his wife went there, something like $250 a person for a like 10 course meal, and came back raving about it. So I know he's got some credibility in the culinary world. I guess he owns like 20 or more establishments as well. So, he's got to be doing something right.
I saw him cooking with these pans, some really nice ceramic/aluminum pans. Next generation non-stick, dishwasher safe stuff that looked just awesome. OK so I listened for a little while and I knew I had to get the pans. Well, it was a 14" griddle pan, a 12"- and 9"-sauce pan, and a 10"-stock pot. All are rated to 850 degrees, meaning you can sear your food and then finish it in the oven, and heat up quicker than any pans I've ever used. So needless to say I got the pans. And for the price, you couldn't beat it. I bought everything for $124. All four pans for that cheap is a great deal considering they were on sale from like over $250.
I got them on Friday, used them on Saturday and Sunday and they were amazing. I made some queso fundido with chorizo, onion, garlic, a little tomato, NO CUMIN, Serrano chiles and used a blend of queso asadero and queso panela. And some quezo cotija which is my favorite cheese ever, next to boursin cheese with garlic, Parmesan and fresh peppercorns. Needless to say, I cooked the veggies in some oil, until they began to soften, brought down the heat, threw in the shredded cheese and it all started to meld together into an amazing cheesy goop. Nothing, not even the cheese, stuck to the pan or left something in the pan. It all just dropped into the bowl and then I got the chips and dug in. It was pretty darn good. I ate almost all of it by myself and my roommate devoured the rest of it. He really liked it. The one thing I'll change the next time, I'll have to shred the panela better the next time. I leave my cheese in the freezer for a while before shredding just because it's much easier to shred harder cheese. The panela didn't melt as well as I wanted, nothing like the asadero did. But that's about the only thing I would change. These pans are amazing. A great investment. And while I did something I thought I would NEVER do, I'm kind of glad I did!
Got any great gadgets I should know about or even pans, knives, utensils I should pick up? Let me know!
James Arens/Sports Writer/Foodie
Those pans sound awesome!!! I am going to have look those pans up and get some. I just got a Rachel Ray knife and I love it. It works great.
Posted by: Megan | May 27, 2008 at 11:13 PM
James, you are a man of many talents!
Posted by: JBrad | May 29, 2008 at 09:21 AM
That's a neat trick, chilling the cheese before shredding. I'll have to try that.
Since you're serious about cooking, you might want to look into getting professional equipment. Buying retail cooking equipment with a celebrity chef's name attached to it can get pricy, although by all accounts, including yours, the quality is pretty good. Just the same, in San Diego there are restaurant suppliers that sell to the public. The prices are great and the quality is good. I bought an imported eight inch chef's knife at one of these places for 25 bucks. It is the sharpest knife I have ever handled in my life (I've cut myself twice just wiping it down). And like with anything else in life, good tools make things a lot easier.
Posted by: Rodrigo | May 29, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Damn that late night advertising.
When I was younger, my answer to the question, "What would you do with a million dollars?" was always, "Buy everything that was advertised on TV and test it." I had this fascination with discovering the greatest inventions of our time. My teachers thought I was weird.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your review. Now I can cross "pans" off my list.
Posted by: fabianna | May 30, 2008 at 09:40 AM
I'm a QVC junkie, I admit it. But here's the thing- where else can you get a great deal, return it if it sucks and buy it in three easy payments? I love TV shopping.
Posted by: Brianna | June 01, 2008 at 09:50 AM
I went down to San Diego for a little acousic show and I walked by one of those restaurant supply places and it was closed, but if I would have went in there, it would have been like all those kids first getting a glimpse of Willy Wonka's candyland for the first time. I'm glad it wasn't open, I would have spent a fortune. Actually I would have accrued more credit card debt. A fortune is something accumulated, something I don't have yet. I have to get a portable knife set for classes so I'll look into getting a set when I visit that place in the near future.
Also Fabianna, I love knowing more about everything really, that's why I got into the journalism business just so I can know more about all kinds of topics. So testing out things that are on TV would be a fun job. They have America's Test Kitchen on PBS on Saturday's in the early afternoon and I really think you'd like that show a great deal. Those people do what you've always wanted to do. Check it out! I like watching that show just to see what sort of kitchen gadgets I should get.
Any gadgets you guys or gals have that make your life expontially easier? Give me that heads up!
Posted by: James Arens | June 02, 2008 at 04:00 PM
I got this thing called a "magic bullet". I call it a "thing" cuz I don't really know what to call it- a food processor, blender or a coffee grinder. It's small and very easy to clean. I make a mean smoothie with that thing. A friend of mine recommended it to me and I believe he got from QVC.
Posted by: Humberto | June 05, 2008 at 09:51 AM
OH! I've heard of that Magic Bullet! They have some English guy talking trying to sell the thing on the infomercial! It looks like it would be pretty handy in the kitchen and as a food processor/coffee grinder/blender. I'll look into that because right now, I've got a food processor, from a place I don't want to name but has a bullseye as a logo, that will either liquify or spin everything in a circle without chopping or processing anything. SO I either need to spend some dough on a good on or maybe get the Bullet. Thanks Humberto!
Posted by: James Arens | June 05, 2008 at 03:53 PM
James, if you want a real blender, get a Blendtec!
"Will it blend?"
They sell them now at Costco. They may be $400, but heck, anything that will liquefy a baseball, a rake and an iPhone, I've got to have on my countertop.
If you're not familiar with the "Will it blend?" revolution, go to YouTube and do a search.
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