Whisk

…wishful thinking? Who knows, we’re loving this awesome weather and rolling with it!

We’ve got a TON of new linens in – perfect for brightening up your kitchen for spring. We like these:

Blue Q “vegetarians” tea towel – $9.99

Cupcakes oven mitt – $7.99

Funktion aprons (and tea towels and tablecloths!)

(photo from Whipped Bakeshop on flickr)

Love is in the air! It’s one of our favorite times of the year here at whisk, so we’ve been stocking up and finding sweets for your sweet.

We’re swooning over adorable heart-shaped cookie presses this year – They’re super easy to use, and make for beautiful cookies.

We also have a bunch of really pretty pink cake stands in stock. How cute would a stack of fresh-baked cookies look on one of these bad boys?

Also, come swing by the store next Wednesday, February 10th, for a special “We Love Brooklyn” Valentines Day Bash. Marty Markowitz, our borough president, will be coming through! In addition to running a one-day-only sale on baking gear, we’re also having a free cookie decorating station set up. We’ll provide the decorations, cookies and icing – you provide the creativity! The sale will be happening all day, but the cookies are going out around 3! Come by and, dear, won’t you be our Valentine?

(We love Marty, but by the looks of this, we have tough competition for his affection!)

Phew! Another hectic holiday season has passed … so now we’re back to doing what we do best – updating our blog more reguarly. First off, a huge thanks to everyone who did their holiday shopping here – we haven’t seen many returns, so cheers on a job well done. Things were a bit hectic here, but we still managed to have fun!

Now, back to the grind. Well, not quite. You see, after a hectic holiday, I was lucky enough to find a cheap flight to LA when I was able to land a reservation at Thomas Keller’s newest restaurant, Bouchon Beverly Hills. Why not hop a flight to sunny 75 degree weather and an amazing meal? Having cooked many a meal from the Bouchon cookbook (I actually own 2 copies of it – one for drooling over, one for cooking from), but never actually eaten there, it was a no-brainer. Imagine, to my shock and suprise, to find that Thomas Keller himself was actually at the restaurant twhen we arrived … total fangirl swoon time. I had far too many glasses of wine in my excitement and nervousness, so the dinner was a happy, boozy blur. Keller was amazing, and the food – holy baby jesus – the food was perfect. I felt like tearing up – maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the company, but hell – it was perfect. You truly haven’t eaten until you’ve had Keller’s roast chicken. Or short ribs. Or bouchons. Or bread. Or wine. Or anything.

Thankfully, in the above picture, I was wearing sunglasses so you couldn’t see the shit-eating, drunk, fan girl eyes I was rocking. However, due to some liquid courage – I did something I have never, EVER done – requested a signed menu. And, you know what? It’s pretty rad.

Swoon! “It’s all about sharing” – yes, indeed. Bouchon was a dream come true. I must give a shout out to my dear buddy Blair, for putting up with me through the meal and  being such a good hot date. And allowing me to get fangirl on Keller, and drunk, and eat off of his plate. That, my dear, is what I believe TK was talking about. And, if you are so inclined, check out Blair’s band, The Jealous Sound. Blair took some time off from working on a new album and work to not only be my date, but to show me around LA. That’s what friends are for!

PS – Hey, Natasha, I guess the secret’s out – I really wasn’t “sick” these past few days. Whoops!

Miss Alejandra, when not helping us out at whisk a few days a week, spends much of her free time traveling. She totally rules and we need her around whisk – part of the reason the store is so darn pretty is her awesome displays and merchandising.

Blue Serving Tagine – $57.99
Molcajete – $47.99

Japanese Cleaver by MAC – $80
BenrinerMandoline – $37.99
La Chamba organic cookware -  $5.99 to $91.99
Acacia salt cellar – $10.99

Rishi Organic Tangerine Ginger Tea – $9.99
Cookbook: “Thai Food” by David Thompson – $40
CCG Design tablecloth – $74.99

Seriously. How rad is the above picture? Think of the raddest thing you could think of – like a pegasus beer and food delivery 24 hours a day – and multiply that by a jillion and that doesn’t even come close to expressing the awesomeness that is Jay. We are so happy to have him on on the team here; not only for the extreme manual labor he does (“Go to the basement and bring up 50000 springform pans!”), the puns he comes up with (the infamous “tea snaps” list) or just the sweet nice guy he is (bringing the ladies candy!). In addition, he is a vegetarian, so he’s come up with a really helpful list for all of you shopping for those tricky vegetarians on your gift list this year. And, hey ladies!, he’s single.

Jay – The Vegetarian
Staub Titanium Dutch oven – $229.99 (We sometimes catch Jay whispering sweet nothings to it)

MAC Santoku knife – $150

“Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison  – $40

Calphalon One Infused Anondized 12” Fry Pan – $149.99

Benriner Japanese Mandoline – $32.99

Oxo Potato Ricer – $19.99

Riedel O stemless red wine glass – $24.99 for 2   (Now your drunken friends will have a slightly harder time embarrassing themselves at your holiday party)

Poach Pods – $9.99

Peugeot Paris peppermill 7” – $33.99

Upscale Chicken Timer – $4.99  (Already have a timer, but this is an Upscale Chicken!)

We love seeing familiar faces coming back again and again. Over the past year, we’ve become close with many of our customers, and we love hearing all about what they’re cooking (and tasting samples too! Thanks for the Pralines!). When our good friend, Bill, came in to tell us all about his Thanksgiving applesauce adventure, we thought it’d be great to have Bill tell you all about his apple peeler! So, without further adeiu…hereeeeee’s Bill!

“I am not a cook. I don’t think I’ll ever been regarded as a guy who “loves” to make food. But, the things I do like to make, I make well.
I started making applesauce with my grandmother in the kitchen as a young boy, ever since then it has been the only thing I really look forward to making as a compliment to any meal. I love making this because it’s such an old recipe. After some googling, I found that applesauce first started appearing in cookbooks in 1390! (as “Appulmose”). How cool is that?
Anyone who has made “Appulmose” knows that the biggest pain in the ass is peeling the apples (if you make it that way, which you SHOULD). I was asked to make enough to feed 23 people for my family’s thanksgiving dinner thus having to peel A LOT of apples. I picked up a Mrs Anderson’s Apple Peeler from Whisk for about $20 to speed the process and what a difference! With my new toy, peeling 50 apples was not only easy but fun and there was no chance of peeling off the skin from my knuckles.
With a suction cup to adhere itself to the counter, well made springs and adjustable screws, the peeler just feels well made. I’m sure it’ll be a staple kitchen item I’ll own and use for a long time. ”

We thought it would be fun for each of us on Team Whisk to make our own dream “wish lists” – in addition to showing off some awesome things we’ve got in the store, it also may help you find the perfect gift for someone on your list!

First up -

Miss Kari, the party girl …

Staub Titanium Dutch Oven – $229.99

Kitchn Glam Apron in Mademoiselle pink – $32.99

Sailor Jerry Shot Glass Set – $34.99

KitchenAid 90th Anniversary Stand Mixer – $349.99

Funktion “Zoe” Tablecloth – $67.99

David Chang’s Momofuku Cookbook – $40.00

Riedel O glasses -$21.99-$24.99

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (Depending on who you ask!)

We will be open tonight, the 25th, until 9 PM. In addition, for all you turkeys who find yourself needing a last-minute baster, or twine or anything else, we will be open Thanksgiving from 10-2.

On black friday (thunder roll, scary noises) we will be open from 11AM until 8. Yeah, we’re opening a half hour late. Someone’s gotta sleep off al the turkey and football!

This year, we are thankful for all of our wonderful customers, both near and far. Whisk opened one year ago today, and we wouldn’t have made it this far without everyone who has supported us. Thanks for coming in, thanks for welcoming us with open arms, and thanks for being our friends. We love you!

Don’t be intimidated this year! Just follow our turkey guide and you’ll be rockin’ and rollin’ in no time.

key equipment:
roasting pan with rack
stuffing bag
fat seperator
carving knife and fork
whisk
trussing needles
meat thermometer
cooking twine or stuffing needles
flavor injector
baster or basting spoon
chinois

What size turkey do I get?
We often like to think that the best part of the turkey dinner are leftovers! With that in mind, we recommend to count on 1 ¼ pounds of meat for each person.

What should I cook my turkey in?
You want to roast your turkey on a wire rack in an open, sturdy roasting pan. We’ve got one to fit each budget and size of turkey. Using the rack allows you to collect all the turkey drippings which you’ll later use for your gravy.

To stuff, or not to stuff?
Personally, we love a good stuffed bird. However, it is imperative you test the temperature of the stuffing – like turkey, it should be cooked to 165 degrees before eaten. If you’re a southerner and want “dressing”, go ahead and make your stuffing in a casserole dish and not in the bird. You may want to add a bit of stock, if using this method, as it may often dry out.

How do I get a perfectly juicy bird?

There are several ways to ensure your turkey is perfectly moist.
Brining is a popular way to do this. In a brining bag resting in a roasting pan, place your turkey and your brine. The basic ratio for turkey brine is two cups of kosher salt to two gallons of water. Some recipes include sweeteners or acidic ingredients to balance the saltiness.

Basting your turkey ensures a crisp and moist skin. There are many tools to use to do this, from a traditional baster to a basting spoon. Other tools to use are a silicone basting brush to spread juice over the skin of your bird.

You want to allow your turkey to rest after removing from the oven before carving. This will ensure the juices are reabsorbed into the meat. Usually a rest of about 25 to 30 minutes is enough. While resting, you can loosely cover your bird in foil, and then focus on making your gravy!
How long do I cook my turkey for?
For unstuffed, defrosted turkeys we like to use the following guide. Prepare to defrost your turkey a few days prior in your fridge. Also, these times are for a turkey roasted at 400F, breast side down, for the first 45 minutes, then turned breast-side up and roasted at 325F until done.

0-12 pounds            2.5-3 hours
12-14 pounds        2 ¾ to 3 ¼ hours
14-16 pounds        3 to 3 ¾ hours
16 -18 pounds        3 ¼ to 4 hours
18-20 pounds        3 ½ to 4 ¼ hours
20+ pounds            3 ¾ to 4 ½ hours

For stuffed turkeys, be sure to stuff it just before it goes into the oven. Truss up the cavities (yes, we will get you set up with the right gear) and you’re good to go. For ease of removing the stuffing from the bird, you can make a pouch with cheesecloth or use a stuffing bag, fil with stuffing, insert into the bird and voila! Stuffing!
To make sure your stuffed turkey cooks evenly, roast your bird breast side up at 325, with the breast covered loosely with foil for the first 2/3 of cooking time. Using the turkey times for an unstuffed turkey depending on the size, but be sure to add about 30 extra minutes to the cooking time to make sure  the stuffing gets to 165 degrees.
After the meal:
Remove all the meat from the bird before you refrigerate the leftovers. You can also use the carcass to make a delicious stock for soups. Using the stock is a great way to make sure the leftover meat doesn’t dry out when reheating. Pour a bit of it into a pan, and place meat directly over it and put into the owven until warm. If you don’t have time, or are too tired and full Thanksgiving night, you can always wrap the carcass and put it in the freezer – you can always boil it down with extra meat for soup at a later date!

Know what that means? It means I LOVE YOU, in Japanese, of course. Why am I in love? One word and one person: Momofuku. David Chang. Yeah, i’m sure you’ve read the hype and are sick of him. I know I was. You get jaded and mad when you’re waiting on 1st avenue to get some pork buns and ramen, or ssam or crack pie, but the second you get your first bite – LOVE. Love. Love. I’m fairly certain that his famous pork buns, as cliche as they are, would be part of my death row meal.

So, you can imagine the excitement yesterday when we recieved our copies of the Momofuku cookbook. We eagerly ripped off the “DO NOT SELL UNTIL 10/27″ stickers and devouered the book as if it was a slow poached egg on top of a bowl of steaming ramen. The book is amazing. I’m ging to out myself out now as the biggest nerd/loser in the world, but I was close to tears as I read every single page. The book is goddamn PERFECT. It’s gorgeous and just insanely perfect. I don’t think i’ve ever been so excited over a cookbook  since the American Girl’s Cookbook in 1990. (Yo, don’t knock Molly’s Victory Garden Vegetable Soup).

So, as of today, the release date, there is one copy left. They flew out of here like hotcakes (or whatever the Korean/Japanese version of hotcakes would be). I’m sure by close tonight, i’ll sadly trudge my way home, empty-handed, as the last copy is cuddled up with someone – who I hope will enjoy it as much as I do. And, never fear – we’ve already placed a reorder, and we’ll have more by the end of the week. And, then, pork buns for everyone! But, in the meantime, David Chang, will you marry me?