I just read that Shelia Lukins, one of the authors of
The Silver Palate died this week.
The Silver Palate was one of the first cookbooks that I purchased as an adult, and one that I still return to after all these years.
Through these recipes, I was exposed to a new world of cooking that didn’t come out of a box. My mother loved to cook, but she was a young mother taking care of a large family in a time when the notable improvements in the world of cooking were about convenience. And in the 60’s and 70’s that meant the food came out of a box, to be re-hydrated on the stove. Or at least in my house that’s what it meant.
This cookbook taught me that food doesn’t naturally occur in boxes. The authors provided a simple formula for entertaining which had at its core, great food, simply prepared. Practically every friend in my age group owns a well used copy of the cookbook.
As I worked my way through the cookbook, I began my acquisition of basic kitchen tools. The appreciation of quality kitchen tools began with
The Silver Palate and continues today. Like many people, I often find myself searching for new tools whenever I’m trying a new recipe.
In honor of Ms. Lukins, I’m going to introduce you to the newest tool that’s come across my desk –
CDN’s new Digital Candy Thermometer. According to the press release that I just received, “the Digital Candy Thermometer comes preprogrammed with the seven basic candy stages: Thread, Soft Ball, Firm Ball, Hard Ball, Soft Crack, Hard Crack and Caramel. This eliminates the need to research or remember the temperature parameters for each stage of the candy-making process.” The thermometer also sounds an alert as you get close to the proper temperature as well as when you go above that same temperature.
Now that’s a real improvement, if you ask me. I find it difficult to read candy thermometers when they are in the proper position, so a digital readout, plus an alarm sounds perfect.
