Check out the Top 10 Gifts for Dad at MetroKitchen for 2009!

1. Krups BeerTender – Our Price: $199.95
2. All-Clad Stainless BBQ Tools - Our Price: $119.95
3. Kershaw Shun Classic 2 pc Santoku Knife Set – Our Price: $189.95
4. Viking Portable Induction Cooker – Our Price: $499.95
5. All-Clad 10 Piece Cookware Set – Our Price: $659.95
6. Wusthof Classic 7-Piece Knife Block Set – Our Price: $259.95
7. John Boos BBQ Cutting Board – Our Price: $59.95
8. Salter Nutrition Kitchen Scale -Our Price: $89.95
9. Chefs Choice Belgian Waffle Maker – Our Price: $49.95
10. Vitamix Blender – Our Price: $498.95

Happy Fathers Day!

MetroKitchen Summer Sale officially kicked off today, with sales on All-Clad, including All-Clad LTD sets and open stock and selected All-Clad MC2 Cookware. We are continuing our Free Shipping over $29 as well.

Memorial Day is the official kick off for summer fun, warmer weather and great summer recipes. MetroKitchen has all the cooking tools you need for summertime cooking.

Outdoor Grilling: Our best selling outdoor grilling tools are made by All-Clad. The All-Clad Stainless Barbeque Tool Set includes four must-have grilling tools and is neatly packaged and stored in an All-Clad metal carrying case. These great grilling tools are dishwasher safe. Get your grill on now!

Outdoor Cooking: When hosting a summer party, another great way to cook and keep food warm while grilling, is with the Viking Portable Induction Cook Top. This “green” way of cooking offers another place took warm up food and cook in other areas inside or outside your home, with its great portability.

Summertime Drinks: The ultimate blender! The CIA Professional/Vitamix Blender is the only blender used by great chefs and bartenders around the world. Enjoy frozen drinks, great juice smoothies and even makes soup (as recently seen on an episode of Martha Stewart). The Vitamix Blender offers great quality and functionality…a must have for this summer!

Summer Cooking on Rainy Summer Days: We have several different options here, but one multi-functional pan that is perfect for summertime cooking indoors is the Emerilware Cast Iron Smoker. The Emerilware Cast Iron Smoker is really a 5-in-1 pan. With this pan you can grill indoors, make delicious smoked spareribs, roast chicken, broil meats and deep fry your potatoes. Plus this smoker includes several of Emeril’s yummy recipes.

For grilling indoors we offer a wide selection of grill pans from several different brands including All-Clad, Scan Pan and Henckels.

Cooking inside/outside…every host/chef needs a good knife for slicing/cutting/peeling and other kitchen prep tasks. From ceramic knives, to German steel knives, even great carving sets, MetroKitchen has every knife for every kitchen job. Check out our cutlery selection for great deals from our top brands.

Happy Summer…Get Cooking!

Roux has forever intimidated me. I always burn it then have to resort to the instant roux. But, for a recent New Orleans-themed celebration, I decided it was time to go for the real stuff.

Great news! Roux is not that difficult. No reason to be intimidated. It takes some time…but not as much as I had thought. It takes some attention and stirring, but again, not a big deal. The real secret to roux success is the right kind of cooking vessel. My 8 qt Staub cast iron cocotte (also called a dutch oven or a casserole) made the difference. Cast iron slowly heats and then retains a consistent temperature. That’s the key to great roux. Previously I had used stainless fry pans and, yes had even tried it with non stick (which really doesn’t work). Staub cast iron is my secret to great and easy roux.

So what about the rest of the gumbo-making? For me, fresh ingredients added at the right time are essential. Scallions need to be added just before serving for bright green which contrasts nicely with the rich brown color of the gumbo. I also add okra toward the end to keep it from getting too mushy as well as to help retain its color.

Here’s the gumbo recipe you see in the photos. I compiled it from several different recipes, including one from a friend who’s a New Orleans native and fabulous cook. Oh yes….the New Orleans celebration was a great success…as measured by requests for my gumbo recipe!

The Roux:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
Combine oil and flour over medium heat. Stir slowly and constantly for 15-25 minutes, depending on how deep of a brown color you desire.

The rest of the Gumbo:
1 cup diced onions
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup diced green peppers
3 lbs of boneless chicken meat cut into mouth-sized cubes(I like thigh meat)
2 lbs of andouille sausage, sliced
34 oz chicken stock (home-made or I like low sodium from the supermarket)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp basil
1 cup of chopped parsley (added in ½ cups)
½ lb of sliced okra (frozen is just fine)
2 cups of sliced green onions
Louisiana hot sauce to taste
Cayenne and/or black pepper to taste

1. Stir in onions, celery, green pepper and garlic into roux. Saute for 3-5 minutes until vegetables are wilted.

2. Add chicken and sausage into the mixture above and cook for approximately 15 minutes.

3. Add chicken stock, one large ladle at a time, constantly stirring. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately one hour.

4. Add ½ cup of chopped parsley, the bay leaves and basil.

5. Skim any fat or oil that rises to the top.

6. At this point, I let the partially prepared gumbo cool and then refrigerate it overnight.

7. The next day, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour before you’re planning to serve the gumbo, skim off any additional surface fat.

8. Heat the gumbo over a VERY low heat.

9. When it gets to the serving temperature you like, taste it and add any Louisiana hot sauce or cayenne or black pepper to your taste.

10. Add the okra and cook for approximately 5-10 minutes (time depends on frozen or fresh okra)

11. Just before serving, add sliced green onions and cook for about 2 minutes.

12. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley

For a limited time, MetroKitchen is offering All-Clad MC2 Cookware on sale up to 45% regular price! Select open stock and sets too. This sale runs through June 15th or while supplies last. All-Clad MC2 cookware is All-Clad quality at reasonable price. Check out www.metrokitchen.com for more details about this sale.

MetroKitchen has the perfect gift for mom!

We have everything from bakeware to cast iron pots to cooper cookware. The top brands mom loves are available here at MetroKitchen, with free shipping being offered for any order over $29.

Happy Mothers Day!

The MetroKitchen team landed in Chicago on an unusually warm day in the windy city, Chicago. We trotted off to McCormick Place, the home of the 2009 International Home & Housewares Show (suitcases and all!). We were excited to see what new products would be showcased. The Housewares Show was a great place for the MetroKitchen team to see what products our top brands were introducing for the new year, and to check out new and upcoming brands in the cookware/cutlery/small appliances realm. Besides noticing the obvious, the show seemed more empty than in prior years, most likely due to the current economy. We also noticed there were not very many new innovative products being launched this year. also “sign of the times”. One trend in products, offered by several brands was the all-in-one oven or electric cooker. With the success of the All-Clad Slow Cooker, its no wonder other brands are catching on. In today’s busy world, customers are looking for quality cookware, producing quality meals, in a shorter time while being more energy efficient. Induction cooktops are also continuing to grow its reputation, as the way to cook your food.

The MetroKitchen Team and Chef Marcus Samuelson

We found our trip to the Home and Housewares Show to be highly productive and lots of fun. We were able to sneak in some fun as well, such as a late night beer and Chicago deep dish pizza and a trip to the Rock n Roll McDonalds!

Of course we got to mingle and meet with some celebrity chefs.

We had a great time at an event held by Chef Marcus Sameulson at his restaurant C-House. Roof top cocktails and tapas was a great way to end an eventful day. We love Marcus Cookware, and look forward to seeing his newest products on tap for 2009.

Global Warming

In my kitchen, there is one knife that is ALWAYS being used. In a drawer full of top quality brand name knives, and trust me we have a quite a few…the only knife that is always being used on a daily basis is my Global Chef’s knife. The main reason this Global Knife is a favorite in my home is versatility. We use this hollow ground santoku edge knife for chopping all our fruits, vegetables, meats and even cheese. The handle on this Global Chef’s Knife is so comfortable, its such a delight to use. Global has opened up a whole new world in my kitchen, it is by far the most superior knife I have ever used for multiple tasks. If you are looking to invest in a superior kitchen knife…this is it..the Global Chef’s Knife.

Check out our new products at metrokitchen.com.
We are currently offering free shipping for anything over $29.

New from All-Clad!
Check out the All-Clad Stainless Karahi pan. This versatile pan is great for cooking all kinds of foods from meats and fish to vegetable stir fry.

Also new, is the All-Clad Stainless Bakeware. We carry a variety of sizes and shapes to accommodate your baking and cooking needs.

For all your prep work in the kitchen, MetroKitchen now carries Microplane graters, from citrus tools to small graters.

Get cooking this year! Find all the tools you need at MetroKitchen.

All-Clad Stainless Baker

Capresso Z5 vs Krups 7230 or 7225

Let me first start off by saying that I am not a coffee expert by profession. I do have love a good cup of java. The 2 coffee/ espresso machines that I am going to give my opinion on or compare, if you will, are both great. Starting first with the Capresso Z5 pros and cons.
Pros: It looks nice, has smooth buttons to the touch, and grinds the coffee beans well.
Cons: The display is somewhat lacking for the price of this machine. It is not very user friendly as far as operating it to get the more complete brews. Kind of big
Now for the Krups 7230/7225.
Pros: Small Counter fit size, instructional on-screen display guides you in whatever you are making. Smooth buttons and turning knob.
Cons: Grind function is noisy
My opinion on the two machines are that they both make excellent espressos and coffee. I am one that believes that the flavor of the brew is in the coffee beans. They both give the coffee a nice “creme” (the foam substance on top of the coffee).
Where I start to like the Krups more, is in the size of the machine. The smaller size makes it more flexible in finding a counter top spot for it in your kitchen. The Krups also has a very informative display. The display walks you through the process of make your desire brew. You can change the size of your pour to fit your mug. The Capresso can do all the things the Krups can do, but you wouldn’t know if until you read the instructional manuel. Also if the Krups machine needs a mini tune-up like filling the water tank or cleaning out the coffee grounds, the display shows you how to do it. The grounds also are compacted into mini hockey puck shape pieces, verses just a messy pile like the Capresso. The Capresso just has “ terms” in its display. For example, it might just say “System Fill”. That can mean to fill the coffee beans or water. You are going to have to refer to the manual to understand how to use a very expensive coffee machine. Mainly – the Krups does just about everything the Capresso does and cost about 1 third of what the Capresso cost. If I were to buy one of the 2 and money was not a factor, I would buy the Krups. If I were to buy on looks alone, I would get the Capresso.