Tuesday, June 5, 2007

A Haven for Cooks and Bakers

I love Cooks Exchange. It's one of my favorite places to commit sin.......lust. Their racks are filled with items that I covet. From their assortment of nuts, sprinkles, chocolates, cocoas to their covetable kitchen gadgets and utensils. Ilayo nyo po ako sa tukso!



I rarely go there though because it's quite far from where we live. Every time that I am in Makati, I always make it a point to drop by, an outing of sorts and purchase something. A favorite purchase is walnuts. They're cheaper than your neighborhood grocery store. They sell it for P76 for a small pack, enough for one batch of pastries or two batches of salad. So I make sure I stock up whenever I'm there. Walnuts are also great as a healthy snack. Be sure to stock them in the fridge or freezer to maintain their freshness. Just defrost or toast before use.

My happiest find was a small off-set spatula that I've searched high and low for (well, only in the south area). Even my husband was on the hunt with me. I've seen Martha Stewart use it countless times on her TV show. Since I bake also, I felt that it was a necessary tool in my kitchen. I squealed in delight when my husband found it.

Hubby said maybe we should buy a lot. Ok, there's no sense in over stocking on the thing. It's not like I'm going to eat it.

4 comments:

Socky said...

I don't know you can freeze walnuts. Don't they get soggy? I like them crunchy.And also, even if I keep them in a vacuum bottle or lock-lock, they get moldy. Will freezing help?

What's an off-set spatula?

Leica said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leica said...

Yes, freezing the walnuts will help. I've had no problems with mold in the past. As long as the nuts are placed in a dry plastic bag prior to freezing, it'll be fine. As for the crunch factor, toasting the nuts until they release their oils for 2-3 minutes in a toaster or until fragrant will make them crunchy again.

An off-set spatula is a like a typical thin metal spatula but with a slight bend near the handle (I'm guessing 45degrees). The bend in the handle prevents your fingers from touching the icing as you frost your cake. It also gives you better control when spreading jams, butter and whatnot.

P said...

love walnuts, too. in cereals, salads, or papak with raisins.

nice pic!