Upon first glance of the outside it is a slight departure from previous Sur La Table’s in that the exterior was primarily in Black and White. The awnings and decor gave the exterior a distinct Parisian look. Once inside your eyes don’t know where to look. Everything from cookware to tableware to linens to pastry tips, if you can think of it, Sur La Table has it. That’s the magic about walking into a Sur La Table. It’s the variety and assortment that they offer that sets them apart from other kitchen/cookware retailers. In addition sales associates who have a passion for cooking just like you.

The store layout is full, but there is plenty of room for moving up and down the aisles of this new store. The main cashwrap area is in the center of the store like many of their other store layouts. As you walk into the store you have cookware to your right and ceramics, linens and glassware to your left. Behind the cashwrap area is small electrics and foods. In the far right corner you have cookbooks and bakeware, while the left corner has home and kitchen goods.Directly across the cashwrap to the right is cutlery.

As I mentioned earlier, tonight’s opening was a Friends and Family event. Friends and coworkers, Tim and Jennie came with me and Jennie brought a friend, Claudine! It was a fun evening with food provided by Zov’s Bistro. We each walked out of the store a little poorer tonight, but happier!  Claudine, Jennie and Tim had lots of questions tonight and answering their food and cooking questions brought me back to Sur La Table in Pentagon Row in Arlington, VA.  I was on the sales floor in-between cooking classes helping customers and helping them make the best decision for their cookware needs. I felt very much at home there. If you didn’t know it, you might have mistaken me for an employee if you overheard my conversations this evening.

If you get a chance this weekend go to South Coast Plaza West where it will be air-conditioned and where you can walk into Sur La Table and explore. Talk with a store associate about what your cooking passions are and if you are new to cooking, ask them what tools you might need to help you in your culinary journey.

Special thanks to Tia (Store Manager), Stephanie (District Manager). Will (Clientele Specialist) and Carol Wertheim. Thank you for welcoming us into your home, we look forward to coming again and again!

Sur La Table
South Coast Plaza – West Wing (formerly Crystal Court)
1st Level across from the Apple Store
333 Bear Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

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Another feature they have added is locking the blades in place. I can’t tell you the number of times I have poured out liquid from the bowl and forgot to hold the blade, only to have it fall into the bowl and splatter stuff all over the place. Another feature is a better seal between the bowl and the lid. Better gaskets make for a better seal to keep those liquids in.

The new processor features a 1000 watt motor that runs super quiet. The body is made in die cast metal and looks slick. The new unit retails for $545 but is on sale at Williams-Sonoma for $299.99. The unit ships with three bowls, two discs (slicing and shredding), two blades and spatula. The unit also ships with a DVD.

I can’t wait to get my hands on one. I wonder when the exclusive ends?

Wrong.

Did you know that the tartest and toughest part of the Strawberry is the hull (see Fig. 1)? Most folks will take a paring knife and just cut the top off. But by cutting off the top, you’re getting rid of a good portion of good sweetness in the flesh (see Fig 2). It’s only the center part that you have to remove (see Fig 3).

So Oxo’s Strawberry Huller makes it easier than ever to prepare strawberries for fruit salads, tarts, or simply snacking. Just pierce and scoop to remove the leaves and the hull with one motion.

No fruit is wasted.

Press the button to release the leaves and hull and you’re ready for your next strawberry. Sweet!

As with all Oxo products, it has a rubber handle on top for an easy grip and it’s dishwasher safe.

The Oxo Strawberry Huller is available at Sur La Table and other retailers like Cooking.com for around $6.00

Cuisinart will also debut its most powerful blender to date, which is perfect for creating healthy soups and sauces, as well as delicious drinks.  The blender is the ideal combination of power and performance with pre-programmed settings as well as the traditional Low, High and Pulse blending speeds.  The company will round out its new offerings with coffeemakers, a slow cooker and a spice and nut grinder.

This weekend at the Int’l Home + Housewares Show Cuisinart Executive Chef Fabrizio Bottero will demonstrate a variety of delicious and exciting recipes designed to meet the demands of savvy and discerning home cooks. Chef Bottero was honored by Johnson and Wales in 2000 as a Distinguished Guest Chef and was named one of America’s Outstanding Chefs in 1992 by the National Chef’s Registry. He is the author of Simple and Enticing Recipes.

Share your ideas on what your favorite’s are too! I think I will highlight a favorite utensil on a weekly basis.

This week I’m highlighting the Mix N Chop from Pampered Chef. I had heard about Pampered Chef in the past, but for some reason stayed away from them thinking it was just another one of those home kitchen suppliers. A friend in Washington DC, Keith Ridgeway, turned me on to Pampered Chef.

The Mix n Chop sounds like its one of those pounder things you stick an onion in then mash down on it, pulverizing it to pieces. This is not the case. The Mix N Chop is a long handled utensil with a star shaped end piece. PC describes it as the perfect way to break up ground beef when you’re browning it. I was skeptical at first, but I have to say, that it really works! But it does much more than just break up ground meats.

Other uses? Yes.

Everyone knows that making fried rice is best the next day or after the rice has completely cooled off. I place mine in the fridge and sometimes fry it up the next morning. Sometimes, ok, most times the rice is in big chunks and trying to break it down with a wooden spoon seems sometimes futile. The Mix N Chop does a great job of breaking up the rice for the perfect fried rice.

I have even used it with mashed potatoes. Personally, I like my mashed potatoes with some chunks in it. After you boil your potatoes, use the Mix N Chop and you’ll get the consistency I like. Some creamy, some chunky! :)