Art of Living - The Ultimate Cookshop - Blog

Global knives

2009-08-14T11:38:00+01:00

Throughout my life I've had a love/hate relationship with cooks' knives.

For my 65th birthday my son gave me Global knives bought from the Cobham shop, which at the time I thought were marvellous. But like all 'good' knives they duly went blunt and because of the quality of the steel used in their manufacture simply wouldn't sharpen well, either on the product you recommended or on my expensive two-wheel electric knife sharpener (Lord knows how many 'latest' recommended sharpeners I've got through in my time!)

But we do have one knife that I use constantly. This is a steel knife - but NOT stainless steel. It is clearly softer and blunts reasonably quickly but sharpens like a razor by merely using a sharpening stone just as my mother did - even though with age the blade is now getting more and more narrow (as hers always did). In fact, my experience has been the cheaper the knife the more successfully it sharpens. Expensive knives simply don't work for me once their edge has gone.

So my question - Can one still buy these rather unattractive looking (non-stainless) steel knives?

Or, I suppose, do you have any recommendations to make for knives that one can sharpen efficiently? (I should add that I am a regular knife-sharpener. By this I mean that I 'steel' a knife each time I use it and eventually 'sharpen' it when I feel it necessary. So repeated sharpening is no problem to me - I'm not looking to save time! But I guess I should also add that, unlike my mother, my wife is definitely not a knife sharpener. I don't think she's ever sharpened one in her life. So although I try to keep my knives to myself I know they are purloined as soon as hers cease to cut anything! This means I have an even greater need to have knives that respond well to being domestically sharpened.)

Derek

Shinkansen Water Sharpener

2009-08-09T11:33:00+01:00

Email from Shelley:

"Hi,
found your article the secrets of easy knife sharpening useful. i had settled on the Shinkansen Water Sharpener but have heard that it is only suitable for japanese knives which have a different angle of cutting blade to european knives. is this the case or is the water sharpener ok?

regards
Shelley"

Green Pan

2009-08-05T10:50:00+01:00

Email from Nic:

"We bought a green frying pan from you and are sad to say disappointed
with it. Two main points:

1) It is not non-stick and requires real elbow-grease to clean it. It
fails the omelette test; and
2) when you use fat in it it tends to collect around the outer edge of
the pan - as if the pan is not flat.

We love your shop and are reluctant to complain, but it really has not
lived up to expectations and the hype in your email newsletter.....

Suggestions please?

Nic"

Electric knife sharpener - question and answers

2009-07-28T12:52:00+01:00

Hi Andrew

Thank you for your advice on knife sharpening.

I have a large collection of Global knives (all purchased from you) as well as a Chefs Choice Electric Sharpener (at your recommendation)

Andrew's comment: …when you say “your recommendation” do you mean me personally? We really only keep them for people who don’t think anything else will work which, as you’ve probably gathered, is not really my opinion. However if I or one of my merry band have recommended the wrong product for you that is easily remedied.

Could you give me some advice on:

1. How often to use it per knife.

Andrew's comment: As soon as the wow factor goes.

2. When should I use both sides.

Andrew's comment: On all the knives that are double sided which will be most of them I imagine.

3. Do you do demonstrations/lessons on this electric sharpener.

Andrew's comment: No not yet but the response to this email has been quite strong so maybe we will. You can be sure I’ll let you know when we do.

As you can see, I am not confident that my knives are as good as they should be!

Kind Regards

Pamela

Kind regards

Andrew

Knife sharpening questions and answers

2009-07-27T20:28:00+01:00

Dear Geraldine,

Thanks for your email and for pointing out some poor communication on my part.

The firstly thing I want to say is that we have never sold the type of knife sharpener that I was referring to in my email, although, due no doubt due to my communication skills or the lack of them, I can now see how the misunderstanding has occurred. To be more precise in my description, the sharper that I strongly discourage anybody from using has a series of overlapping interlocking discs all made from steel. The problem with them is that they tear the blade and overheat it if too much pressure is applied and in an extreme case can ruin a knife blade completely.

Now I don’t know the type you bought from us but we’ve sold two makes that could be mistaken for the type I was referring to. Henckel do one with a pair of steel discs followed by two ceramic discs and the Wusthof importer over here did one with two pairs ceramic discs only. The latter type I’ve still no problem with, the Henckel one I must admit to be ambivalent about .

It was a favourite of mine at the time (we are now talking 8 plus years ago) and the one I invariably used at home and in the shop mainly because it was so fast at sharpening. I suppose with age, speed seems a little less important but what eventually stopped us from stocking it was that one day I was in a hurry I to sharpen one of our unpacking knives, a cheap but good quality Victorinox knife. To my surprise and consternation I found the blade had got overheated and had actually rippled the edge because I’d pressed far too hard. Previously I had assumed that the two ceramic discs would always take care of any imperfections left by the metal discs. Well this time they didn’t. Having said all this in the right hands, gentler ones than mine perhaps, I did find it a good sharpener for quite a number of years and we sold masses of them with no complaints that I recall. So if you recognize your sharpener as the one I’ve just described you have a couple of choices. Firstly if its served you well, keep using it as you have and it will continue to do so. Or secondly return it to us and we’ll either give you a refund or swap it for my current favourite the Mino Sharp which is the one that took over from the Henckel one around 2001 or 2002

I hope that this puts your mind at rest that I haven’t either lost my marbles, say the first thing that comes into my head or am just trying to sell latest knife sharpener with the highest price tag. The other thought that’s maybe crossing your mind is, “will he have a different favourite in the next 8 or 9 years?” Well possibly so, but it will be for very different reasons. One thing I am sure on is the Mino Sharp will never damage your knife blades. Are there down sides to the Mino Sharp? There is one that I’m aware of and that is if you press too hard you can cut through the wheel. We have one customer, Nick, who comes back regularly for new wheels but so far as I’m aware he’s unique.

Very best wishes and do let me know what you’d like to do.

Andrew

Fulsome Praise from a Reigate shop customer

2009-06-05T17:00:23+01:00

“Dear Babette:

I am sending this email to you because I think you and your wonderful organisation deserve some praise. I visit Reigate from time to time and the highlight of my visit is always a trip to your shop so that I can find some of the things for my kitchen that I find I cannot buy anywhere else.

Your staff are friendly and incredibly helpful and your special replacement scheme is such a wonderful idea. I don't know if you know but I burnt one of my steamer saucepans and was staggered when I was told by the lovely Marion that as it was an accident I could have a replacement set at half price because I was a member of your Red Apron club.

We are all going through a difficult time with many businesses closing down and in most cases it is because they have no idea of customer service and simply blame the slump for all their problems. You make customer service a top priority and you will survive the present economic climate when all around you will be moving out and closing down.

Congratulations and onward and upward!

Kind regards,

Martin Breese, Brighton

Resurrection of a Carbonized Pan!

2009-04-23T19:24:31+01:00

Hi Andrew

Just read your article on the web re. non stick pans (very interesting, but a bit late for me now I fear!). I wonder, if you could give me some advice?

I have a Stellar 28cm frying pan (teflon platinum non-stick coating, high grade enamel coated aluminium and 10 yr. non stick guarantee/ lifetime base guarantee)). It is approx 3 years old and I believe it has probably been overheated at some point and as a consequence, it has now lost its non stick effectiveness (everything seems to stick!) and has a build up of carbon on its surface. It has now been ineffective for about 4 months, but it has not yet started to peel off in any way and from a visual perspective does not seem to be damaged. I do now realise that this is probably my own fault and not that of the manufacturer.

Is there any way that I can resurrect the non stick on this pan and bring it back to some effective functionality, or should I just bin it and start again and take more care with the new one?!

I would be grateful for any help, suggestions and advice.

Kind Regards

Gary Sizer

Are you using your glass worktop saver as a chopping board?

2009-04-16T13:00:54+01:00

Dear Art of Living,

This to let you know that I really do read your e-mails. I have a marvellous chopping board made of toughened glass and would not change it for anything.

Margaret Heath

Non-stick Pan advice - where to buy?

2009-03-11T17:27:53+00:00

Andrew,

Having read your article about ‘non stick pans that don’t last’ I decided to drop you a quick email.

Could you suggest where I could buy good quality non stick pans. We are students so need something cheap like a 3 piece set for £30-£40.

Thanks,

Kind Regards

Vinay Sethia

Non-stick Pan Q&A

2009-03-09T11:36:07+00:00

Hi Andrew

I have read your illuminating report on frying pans, to learn that I have been overheating my pans for years, and how to look after them now.

I am asking for your help in getting three years' worth of carbon off the surface of my much-loved/used Gastrolux wok without damaging the biotan surface. I have been scrubbing away with plastic scourers, but it is just so difficult to shift. The cooking surface on the bottom of the wok is not so bad, and reasonably non-stick now that it is cleaner, but the sides are a nightmare.

I have contacted the importers who just say no one else has had this problem, which I can't really believe.

I am beginning to think a high quality product like this isn't actually suitable for a wok in daily use - my other Gastrolux pots and pans are fine, but of course have not been exposed to the heat the wok has.

I shall be very grateful indeed for any help you can give me in restoring my beloved wok.

Jessica

non stick questions & answers

2009-02-26T10:49:05+00:00

Hi Andrew

Your report on frying pans was very useful. I have a few further questions you might be able to answer for me?

Firstly my mum’s last frying pan started to lose its non-stick coating so she threw it away and bought a stainless steel one but now I am considering buying a very good non-stick frying pan. If a frying pan loses its non-stick coating does that mean we have eaten it with our food and is it in any way harmful?

Secondly I have read on the web that professional chefs in restaurants etc do not use non-stick frying pans. Do you know the reasons why they don’t use non stick pans? Which branded/types of frying pans do professional chefs use? Also is it ok to boil food (vegetables etc) in non stick pans.

Thank you for your help,
Ray

Non-stick becoming 'stick'

2008-12-24T12:52:43+00:00

Hi Andrew,

Enjoyed your report on non-stick pans. My wife and I have a set of the Tefal brand Jamie Oliver professional series pans (with the red dot in the middle). Now the red dot has all but disappeared and they have lost their ‘non stickiness’ so I suspect that they are coated with ‘stuff’ (oh yes they have been put in the dishwasher on occasion).

Anyway, before we ‘ditch’ the pans is their any suggested method to try and resurrect these to some level of usefulness.

Best regards and all the very best for xmas and the new year.

Azim

Unconvinced About Riedel?

2008-12-02T09:20:20+00:00

Riedel glasses are scientifically designed by sommeliers to enhance your favourite wine. The shape of the glass has a massive effect on how the wine tastes. Andrew Duncan, Director of Art of Living explains why:

The Tongue map

The concept of the wine glass company Riedel is based firmly on the principle of “how and where the wine is directed in the mouth and the resulting effect that it has on the taste of the wine you drink". And this incidentally is all wine from 'the exotic' to a supermarket 'vin ordinaire'.

This placing of the wine in the mouth is because the tongue picks up different flavours depending on where the wine (or spirits & beer) lands on it. So for instance, the tip of the tongue picks up the fruit, the sides acid, and the back of the tongue bitterness.

Now you may be thinking, as I did, that that’s all very well but once in the mouth the wine is going to end up everywhere. Well to an extent that’s true, but it seems to me that it is where and how the wine first travels over the tongue's surface that has the real impact on flavour.

An example: So let’s take an instance of a glass that’s dear to my heart, the Sauvignon Blanc grape. It produces a fairly acid wine and was not a favourite of mine until I tried it out of a Riedel Sauvignon blanc glass. Riedel’s design for that grape variety has a small bowl and a narrowish opening.

So as you drink, the glass directs the flow toward the very front of your mouth where you pick up the delicious light fruitiness and, due to the small opening, sends a narrow stream of wine down the centre of your tongue well away from the edges that pick up the acids. So marked is the contrast that I now find I can drink Sauvigon blanc until the cows come home!

Size does make a difference

The other big factor in getting the best from your wine is the shape and depth of the bowl. This is significant because all wines have a number of different layers of aromas. Typically the aromas in a white wine are lighter and shallower in depth; so the white wine glasses tend to have smaller bowls.

Many reds on the other hand need a bigger deeper bowl. Without which the much more pronounced aromas that are naturally given off by the wine would literally spill over the side of the glass and get lost.

Clean delivery

So if you’re still with me there is one more influence on the flavour and that is how cleanly the wine is delivered into the mouth. If you look carefully at your own wine glasses you will probably see a slightly bulbous top edge to the glass. It looks insignificant but does actually interrupt the smooth transition of the wine from glass to mouth.

So at Riedel they cut the top of the glass with a laser resulting in a completely clean edge that allows the bowl shape to do exactly what is intended. This may seem a bit extreme but these glasses are in reality “precision drinking instruments,” in which any wine is substantially enhanced.

Try Riedel glasses yourself without risk

You don’t have to take my word for it as you can try it out for yourself without risk. At Art of Living we have a guarantee that allows you to try out any product we sell without risk. It’s simply this; you can return your glasses to us unused or used for a full refund if you find them disappointing for any reason whatsoever. If you enjoy wine then I can almost guarantee that you will appreciate a Riedel glass. Either ring us if you’re uncertain which one to try first, or use the Riedel Wine & Glass Guide.

Best wishes,

Andrew Duncan

Riedel Tasting Set Special Offers

Vinum Tasting Set 1 of each glass: Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Burgundy.

Vitis Tasting Set 1 of each glass: Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Burgundy.

Vinum Tasting Set 2 of each glass: Bordeaux and Sauvignon Blanc.

View Tasting Set
Special Offers

The following links will take you through to our Riedel ranges:

Vinum	\|	Sommelier	\|	O range	\|	Vitis
Tyrol	\|	Extreme	\|	Grape

Watch this video: Andrew Duncan talks with Georg Riedel about how Riedel glasses make wine taste better.

Title: Georg Riedel Tasting at Denbies.
Length: 2 mins
Date: 04 Jun 2008
Source: Scrambled Egg Productions

Pan Amnesty For People Worried About The Potential Health Risks Of Non-Stick

2008-11-24T12:15:16+00:00

Are you worried about the potential health risks of non-stick? We are holding a Non-Stick Pan Amnesty to encourage you to trade in your old pan for a new form of non-stick called GreenPan. You can either bring your old pan for recycling to one of our cookshops in Reigate or Cobham, or post it to us. We'll take £5.00 off your first purchase of GreenPan.

Toxicity research

We came up with the idea of the Non-Stick Pan Amnesty because we have become concerned by recent studies that have shown the possible dangers of overheating non-stick coatings which contain PFOA. The fumes that are released from the chemicals in most non-sticks that are overheated are toxic. Overheating is defined as around 260°C. This is a temperature that a non-stick pan can easily achieve on any hob.

Revolutionary new form of non-stick

We are now recommending an alternative to our customers that we feel is better than ordinary non-sticks. GreenPan has a ceramic coating called Thermolon, which is made of silica, rather than the traditional PTFE (plastic film) non-stick coating. Its ceramic coating is free from PTFE and manufactured without PFOA so it gives off no noxious fumes at very high temperatures that some old style non-sticks do.

The proof of the pudding

We have been trying GreenPan at home for about six months and we’ve not treated it gently (we have three teenage children). It has been in regular, almost daily use. It cooks everything as well as our SKK and Anolon frying pans. Both of these makes, we hold in high regard. It has a lovely light grey, glossy interior, that’s consistently easy to clean.

Green credentials

Having been ‘green’ for a number of years, we like the sound of GreenPan’s green credentials. The process of making a plastic based non-stick pan is not very kind to the environment. High temperatures are required to spray conventional non-sticks, which also need several coatings. With GreenPan, only one coating is needed at a much lower temperature with a 60% saving of fuel. Happily, this is reflected in the price to the consumer.

The GreenPan Company have gone to considerable lengths to use recycled materials in both the pans and the packaging. Typhoon, the UK GreenPan importer, is planting a tree in India for every pan they sell.

Recycle your old pan and get paid for it!

We are so enthused by the pan in use and its green credentials that we’ve come up with a Non-Stick Pan Amnesty. Now, you can recycle your old non-stick pan and we’ll take £5.00 off your first purchase of GreenPan. So, if you have an old deteriorating non-stick pan, we will take it and recycle it for you. You can either bring your old pan for recycling to one of Art of Living’s cookshops in Reigate or Cobham, or post it to us.

How to take part

Return any non-stick pan to us and we'll recycle it for you. If you are an online customer, to cover your postage, we'll give you a voucher that will automatically deduct £5.00 off your first purchase of GreenPan. If you can pop into either of our cookshops at Reigate or Cobham, the discount will be deducted at the till.

Online customers who wish to take part in the 'Non-Stick Pan Amnesty' can post any non-stick pan to our warehouse at: Art of Living, 51 Albert Road North, Reigate, Surrey, UK, RH2 9EL. Include your email or postal address and we will send you a voucher number that you can use when prompted, on our website.

The Non-Stick Pan Amnesty ends on 31 January 2009.

Best wishes,

Andrew & Babette Bluett-Duncan
Directors of Art of Living

Sources:

US Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/oppt/pfoa/pubs/pfoainfo.htm
By Richard Ehrlich in The Times: Green kitchen: the sticky question of nonstick http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article4935277.ece
Green kitchen: the non-stick panacea http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article4980121.ece

GreenPan by Typhoon: My experience so far?

2008-10-27T14:58:47+00:00

By Andrew Bluett-Duncan, Director of Art of Living Cookshops:

Back in March this year, I got a call from the charming and urbane Chris Stevens, the new Managing Director of Typhoon Housewares. Amongst other things, he wanted to show me a range of Cookware called 'GreenPan', which he claimed was far far superior to anything that I might currently be stocking. My sceptical interest was roused. All the more so since I've been following the arguments over the possible toxicity of ordinary non sticks for a couple of years.

He made 4 distinct claims about his new pans: Firstly the coating is made of Silica (sand) rather than the normal fluoropolymers that PTFE non sticks come from. Secondly this silica non stick would withstand far higher temperatures. Thirdly, the manufacturing process is very Green. It uses 60% less heat than that required for a normal non stick pan. And lastly they use a high percentage of recycled material in both the pans and even in the packaging.

Heat destroys normal non-sticks

Most people don't realise that, unlike an uncoated pan, their normal non stick pans are not heat resistant above 280°C. And that once over heated they deteriorate rapidly and permanently. The Green Pan non stick is made of Silica instead of plastic and is heat proof to 450°C or 850°F. Now this allows a much higher margin for error when you are cooking. As the likelihood of burning your non stick coating and destroying it has reduced dramatically. In fact, it's more likely with a GreenPan that you'd melt the pan before melting the non stick! Now that is a complete reversal of the situation before GreenPan came along.

The biggest single change in non sticks since they were invented 50 years ago.

The 'GreenPan' company have gone to extraordinary lengths to use recycled materials in the pans themselves and even the boxes they pack them in, with 30%-75% of each pan made of recycled material...even the packaging's recycled. There's good news on the "carbon emissions" front with the new non stick manufacturing process using 60% less power to produce the coating compared to the current PTFE non sticks in use today. And to top it all, Typhoon (GreenPan's distributor in the UK) are planting a tree in India for every pan they sell to further offset the carbon emissions.

Too good to be true?

Well maybe? But we've been using one of these at home now for about six months. We've not been gentle with it (we've three teenage children!) but certainly the non stick, which is light grey in colour and very glossy, looks as good now as it did when we first had it. Importantly it cooks well and evenly and continues to be very easy to wash up. Time will tell with a product of this nature, but if you want my feel, then I'd say I'm excited by the possibilities this type of non stick opens up. In summary, these are:

It's better than ordinary non stick because its takes far higher temperature (key reason for short life of non stick until now)
It gives off no noxious fumes at very high temperatures that some old style non sticks do when overheated
It's cheaper to make and buy
It uses less power in the process so it's a very "Green" product
It's at least 30% recycled much of it considerably more
And its buy one get one TREE! Their slogan not mine... corny but catchy

Remarkable Guarantee

The GreenPan comes with the usual Art of Living guarantee. If you are not entirely satisfied, used or unused, we will give you a full refund.

Advice?

If you'd like to speak to one of us before making the decision to dip your toe in the the GreenPan revolution then ring 01932 865508 and speak to Ben who's been using one for a while now or 01737 242302 and speak to Babette who's been happily cooking for me and our children in one of these for the last 6 months!

Babette, Reigate Shop, 01737 242302

Ben, Cobham Shop, 01932 865508

Best wishes,

Andrew

Buy GreenPan Online

Buy GreenPan on the Art of Living website.

Times Online: The Green Kitchen Nonstick panacea by Richard Ehrlich
Carbon Clear: Typhoon partners with Carbon Clear for ‘Buy One Get One Tree’ promotion to launch GreenPan
4ecotips: 'Buy one get one tree'
Housewareslive.net: Typhoon eco-friendly cookware is Best Product

Le Creuset Winter Sale

2008-10-12T18:00:00+01:00

Our friends at Le Creuset have come up with some good ideas to help you with your present hunting this Christmas. They've put together a number of their best selling items and new lines. To top it off they've got some great offers on their kettles, rectangular dishes, grillets and tagines.

>> View Le Creuset Winter Sale on our website.

Advice?

If you'd like any help or advice please contact us by e-mail: info@aolcookshop.co.uk By telephone: speak to Babette at Reigate on 01737 242302 or Ben at Cobham on 01932 865508. Our Le Creuset experts will be pleased to help you.

Kind regards

Andrew

Art of Living - Excellence in Housewares Awards 2008

2008-09-04T16:04:28+01:00

The Excellence in Housewares Awards is presented by Progressive Housewares magazine. It is the only dedicated awards for the housewares industry.

We are delighted that Art of Living is a finalist in the category Excellence in Retailer Initiative for the RED APRON Club. Lakeland won the award in this category last year. The awards ceremony is taking place on Friday 3rd October at The Royal Lancaster Hotel, London.

To read more about RED APRON, Art of Living's exclusive club, please visit:

http://artofliving.typepad.com/blog/red_apron_members/

To read more about The Excellence in Housewares Awards, please visit:

http://www.excellenceinhousewaresawards.co.uk/

A lovely heart-warming story!

2008-08-20T08:54:12+01:00

By Babette Bluett-Duncan, Director of Art of Living:

Yesterday, a customer bought a few items towards the end of the day at our Shop in Reigate. She then came back in a bit later saying she had lost a £50 note. She thought it must have fallen out of her purse when she'd been in the store earlier. She was distraught and hoped we'd found it.

She’d already spent a long time with her husband going up and down the high street looking for it. We couldn't find it in the shop and so Paul (a member of our staff) suggested that she should go to the police station because as he said, “you never know someone might have handed it in.”

This morning she phoned us to say that she did go to the police, and would you believe it… someone had done exactly that. There are indeed some good people out there! If you have a lovely heart-warming story to share please do tell us about it by adding your comment below.

Best wishes,

Babette

Food processors - Reviews of Dualit, Magimix 5200XL and KitchenAid

2008-08-11T17:50:35+01:00

By Ben Evans our Cobham shop manager:

In our shop on Monday mornings we have a training hour on different products. This week, I thought we would compare the differences between the food processors we stock.

Whisking egg whites
The first thing we tried was whisking egg whites, so we cracked a couple of eggs into the Magimix 5200XL, set it going and in about 5 minutes we had reasonably fluffy egg whites. Very nice. Tried the same with the KitchenAid Artisan Food Processor and got the same result. We then tried the Dualit, put in the strange white disc thinking ‘how is this going to do anything?’ pressed go, and instant fluffy egg whites in about 10 seconds. We sat open mouthed for a while and then moved onto the next thing.

Slicing vegetables
The Magimix was very nice and consistent, as was the KitchenAid, and whilst putting in the Dualit disc we noticed that it has a very clever adjustable blade width, which means you only need one disc for any thickness. The slicing isn’t quite as consistent as the other two machines but still adequate.

Blending
Next, we came to blending. The KitchenAid and Magimix both did a good job but, again, the clever people at Dualit have put a seal at the base of the bowl so you can do any amount of liquids. On the others, the bowl has a neck halfway up to let the axle from the motor come through, so if you go over this you get a very wet motor and worktop. We also found that this made the Dualit a lot easier to clean.

Ease of use
Other things we noticed along the way were that with the Dualit every blade and attachment is named so you do not have to guess which part does what or get the manual out. With the Magimix and KitchenAid, it is quite a challenge working out which axle fits with what part but with the Dualit, there is only one. All 3 bowls of the Dualit are almost the same diameter so you can do nearly anything in any bowl, with the others there is a specific bowl for each blade creating more washing up.

Dualit Food Processor is the cheapest and most powerful
I went into this training session with the preconception that the market leader Magimix would be the best and came away quite shocked, wondering why nobody had thought of these ideas before. It’s a bit like what Dyson did with the Vacuum cleaner. They have taken each part and thought of a way it could be better. I can imagine other manufactures getting ideas from the Dualit machine in the not too distant future, as it has left the others behind a bit. On top of all this, the Dualit Food Processor is the cheapest and the most powerful. The only thing it falls down on arguably is its looks, which personally I'm not so keen on!

So if you already have, know and like Magimix or KitchenAid then their processors are great and have a proven track record over many years. If you like the look and the price of the Dualit then go for it in the knowledge that you have some added bonuses compared to the two market leaders.

If you'd like to know more please pop into your local shop and we'll be delighted to guide you through the range of food processors.

Best wishes,

Ben Evans
Art of Living Cookshops - Cobham

Buy Food Processors Online

View food processors on our website.

The ultimate chocolate sauce recipe

2008-08-08T15:01:28+01:00

We thought we would post a fabulous receipe idea on our blog for a quick but delicious pudding from Vikki, who works in our Reigate shop.

In a bain-marie or straight in a saucier (if you're lucky enough to have one):

Melt 6oz of plain dark chocolate
Add 1 tbs of golden sugar, 5 tbs of water and 1/2oz of butter
Stir peacefully until it's all melted.

Voilà. Your chocolate sauce is ready and will wait for a few hours if need be. (You might want to add a bit more water for easier pouring).

At pudding time, just reheat it in the pan (Vikki did so in the microwave of her friend's house) and serve on a scrumptious cheese cake from Sainsbury's finest. Pour the chocolate sauce on to the cheescake and add a few strawberries or rasberries to bring out the delicious taste of this rather wonderful chocolate sauce.

Done in minutes; the ulimate chocolate sauce!

View sauciers on our website.

Art of Living - The Ultimate Cookshop - Blog

Global knives

Shinkansen Water Sharpener

Green Pan

Electric knife sharpener - question and answers

Knife sharpening questions and answers

Fulsome Praise from a Reigate shop customer

Resurrection of a Carbonized Pan!

Are you using your glass worktop saver as a chopping board?

Non-stick Pan advice - where to buy?

Non-stick Pan Q&A

non stick questions & answers

Non-stick becoming 'stick'

Unconvinced About Riedel?

The Tongue map

Size does make a difference

Clean delivery

Try Riedel glasses yourself without risk

Riedel Tasting Set Special Offers

Watch this video: Andrew Duncan talks with Georg Riedel about how Riedel glasses make wine taste better.

Pan Amnesty For People Worried About The Potential Health Risks Of Non-Stick

Toxicity research

Revolutionary new form of non-stick

The proof of the pudding

Green credentials

Recycle your old pan and get paid for it!

How to take part

Sources:

GreenPan by Typhoon: My experience so far?

Heat destroys normal non-sticks

The biggest single change in non sticks since they were invented 50 years ago.

Too good to be true?

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