chez pim

Which wok for you?

I've been getting many wok-related questions lately so here's a post to (hopefully) answer all your questions.

The first question is always what kind of wok I use. I use a simple carbon-steel wok I got from Chinatown for just about $15. It's a simple, hand hammered wok with hollow metal handle. The metal is very thin. It transfers heat well, but doesn't hold it very long. This is fine if you know how to work with it. I actually prefer using it over Western style pan with thicker metal that retains heat better, but only for stir-frying of course. That steel wok has been serving me just fine for a couple years now.

My best advice is to pop down to a Chinatown near you and find a carbon-steel wok that looks and feels good in your hand - make sure it's at least 13-14 inch wide, and light enough that you could pick up and shake it with relative ease. That pretty much rules out those absurdly expensive cast iron woks - the purpose of which so far eludes me.

If there's no good Chinatown nearby, I found two that you can order online. Amazon has one that comes with a lid, though the price is a bit steep at $31 - but the lid is handy to have and with Amazon Prime you could get it with free shipping. If not, I found one cheaper on a site selling Thai ingredients, only $15, but with round rather than flat bottom. No idea what their shipping fees are, however. Check with them before you have it shipped to Alaska or don't come crying to me later.

A wok like these ones work best on a gas stove, especially if it has high BTUs. If you're not so confident with the power of your stove, or you have electric stove, a wok is not going to work very well. I once had to endure such a disadvantage, not for long mind you, but I suffered just the same. Anyway, let's not go into my past misery, let me tell you instead about how I worked around the problem.

Great find on eBay: vintage art deco Hobart meat slicer

My friend Robert pointed out this amazing find on eBay this morning, and I just had to share it with you. There's a vintage Hobart meat slicer on the auction block. It's vintage Art Deco design is that rare combination of form and function. Like the Richard Sapper cafétière I wrote about last week, this Art Deco gem proudly belongs to a number of museum design collections.

Since I've been on a Gift Guide kick for the holiday season, this slicer would make a great gift for a discerning art collector/foodie in your life. And, just to make it a truly perfect and complete package, tuck in a copy of Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie. They can try their hands at making their own sausages and cured meats and use this beautiful machine to slice and serve.

Bidding stands at only $152 right now, a great deal if I've ever seen one. The auction will end December 11 on this page on eBay. Good luck!

P.S. Just in case someone wonders, I have nothing to do with this item or this auctioneer on eBay whatsoever. I just saw a good deal and wanted to point it out to you people! I don't have room for it in my overflowing kitchen, but one of my readers might in theirs.

Chez Pim Gift Guide: for the coffee lovers in your life

Having trouble finding a gift for the coffee lovers in your life? Chez Pim is to the rescue!

Let's begin with beans. What would be a better gift for the discerning coffee lovers in your life than great beans? If you can find great artisanal roasters near you, give them a visit and buy a pound of their freshly roasted beans. Do it just a day or two before you plan to give it the coffee lover in your life, for a serious coffee afficianado, it's fresh beans or nothing at all. If you don't have one in your area, there are a number of sources you could order online - Stumptown, Intelligencia, and my personal favorite, Blue Bottle, will ship your coffee just about anywhere. Even the best beans from these artisanal roasters will cost you less than $30 a pound, usually with shipping.

If you are willing to spend serious money for that serious coffee lover, why not sign him (or her) up for a coffee delivery program?

Intelligentsia in Chicago has the Roaster's Choice program, sending a lucky recipient a pound each of three different types of beans, chosen by the roaster, hence the name. The initial package includes an Intelligentsia mug, a French Press, and even a measuring spoon, all to get your coffee lover on his way to coffee nirvana. Intelligentsia's Roaster's Choice program begins from $180, for four months to $350 for 12 months.

Blue Bottle Coffee Company - whose beans I use to turn the resident grumpy, sleepy ogre in my house into my wonderful, cheery, happy boyfriend I know and love every morning – has many subscription programs you can sign that coffee lover in your life up for. He can get his beans once a month, twice a month, get a particular beans you know he'd like, or get a rotating roster of wonderful blends, all designed for a particular coffee making method. The subscriptions start from as low as $18 a month.

Chez Pim's Gift Guide: for the cooks who have *everything*

Jessica Seinfeld once found herself in not a dissimilar dilemma. She had to buy gifts for Oprah Winfrey – what does one buy for a woman who has everything? I feel your pain, Jessica, many of us are faced with that very problem every day, and worse so come holidays time. No, not that we had to find stocking stuffer for Ms.Winfrey herself, but we have friends who are nothing if not Oprah-esque in their foodiedom. And, like it or not, $10K worth of Jimmy Choo's – what Jessica allegedly ended up sending to her pal Oprah - aint gonna do for them.

So, to help you find that ultimate of ultimate gifts for the cooks who have everything, I've put together a list for you. Fret no more, Chez Pim, as usual, is coming to your rescue.

Here's the list, in not so particular order.

Give them a few thousand dollars' worth of gift certificates to Korin, about ten would be a good start. I don't care what you think $10K would buy you in shoes, it's just not that much in the ultimate world of cutlery at Korin. And, yes, even the cook who has got everything will never have enough knives. No foodie worth their fleur de sel would ever have enough knives.