Metrosexual makeover 🦩
Seven tips to keep your brain and kitchen clutter free!
Good morning. Did you know that the Detroit style pizza was first developed in 1946 at a speakeasy named Buddy's Rendezvous. The recipe created a "focaccia-like crust" with pepperoni pressed into the dough to "maximize flavor penetration".
A lesser known fact is that the restaurant baked the pizza in steel pans that were used to hold parts and scrap metal in automobile factories. As there wasn’t anyone Marie Kondo-ing their way through these restaurants, some of the pans are in use even today and are having a rager after completing 75 years of service.
With pizza being so prevalent globally, each region has created their own unique style. Take this quiz to see how well you know your pizzas. Get all of them correct and you deserve to be treated to a pie for dinner tonight!
In the food world
🐕 Bow wow chow
Have you tried the new $75 tasting menu at the San Francisco restaurant Dogue? Uh…hope not. It’s the first restaurant to offer a three-course tasting menu exclusively for dogs. Made with organic, locally sourced ingredients for your environmentally and socially conscious pet, the meal barks off with a chicken and chaga mushroom soup, followed by a chicken skin waffle and charcoal flan and finished off with a grass fed steak tartare along with nonstop belly rubs. Bone appetit.
🥤 I dew
On October 5, Indiana resident Thomas Rank strutted into the Little Vegas Chapel in Las Vegas, urging a small group of attendees to make some noise with a massive smile on his face. Standing at the altar and donning a wedding ring he said the sacred words “I do”… but to a can of Hard Mtn Dew. All of this for a two-night, three-day stay in a Vegas suite, a reception at a Vegas club (any guesses for the choice of drink?) and $1,000 in spending cash... all sponsored by Hard Mtn Dew.
🍑 Rest in peach jam?
Sales of marmalade (jam given some royal treatment) in the UK spiked by almost 20% following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who publicly professed her love for the fruit preserve in a widely viewed skit with Paddington Bear. The surge was caused by people leaving marmalade pots and/or sandwiches as tributes, prompting officials from the Royal Parks and inhabitant bees to beg visitors to leave only flowers.
Yes chef!
- by Tarun Sehgal
2015 was life changing for me. After spending 5 years in a long distance relationship, my wife and I finally moved in together. Understandably, “Netflix and chill” was on top of our to do list… But this time with Season 1 of Chef’s Table. Dan Barber gave me more meaningful life lessons than all of my professors combined.
Later that year, Ash and I dined at Selden Standard — voted the best restaurant in Detroit. The symphony of flavors got the better of me. Instead of doing the sensible thing and writing a 5 star Yelp review, I emailed the head chef with a small request… A request to stage (unpaid internship in “fancy” French). Which to my surprise was accepted.
For the next 6 months, half of my week was spent driving 2 hours everyday, hanging out in the best kitchen of the city. The other half was spent bragging about it to my friends. Here are seven top things I learned from that experience:
Kit Essentials: A dull knife can give you a free manicure, albeit a dangerous one. To each their own, but the 8” gyuto is my goto. Be the human version of a Swiss knife and keep a paring knife, peeler, cake tester, towel, an apron and a notebook also handy.
BEHIND!!!: You’ve probably seen this on Chopped — if you are standing behind someone who has anything hot or heavy in their hands (common in kitchens and homes with curious toddlers), let them know by saying “Behind” to avoid trips, injuries or burns.
Do tasks in batches: Let’s say you need to chop 10 onions. Instead of chopping one onion after the other, perform repetitive tasks in batches. Top and tail → peel → half → chop → shed your tears, all in one go. #worksmartnothard.
Left to right: Let your inner Henry Ford shine. Like an assembly line, moving the food from left to right keeps both your station and brain clutter free.. For example: while peeling eggs, start with boiled eggs on the left, crack it next to that, peel and shell in the middle and place the peeled eggs on the right.
Mice n place: My mom often yelled at me, “even a dog cleans its spot before sitting.. Why don’t you??” In the kitchen that advice is golden. You clean before, during and after, till the after becomes the new before. Keep things prepared and portioned before firing off a dish.
Embrace kosher salt: Kosher salt is widely used in restaurants (that aren’t owned by Kanye West) because it’s coarse, makes for an easier Salt Bae action and is less processed than the usual table salt. Under season a dish if it’s not going to be eaten right away. Over time, the salt dissolves and the dish will taste saltier if seasoned normally.
Quality or the lack of it adds up: To ensure that the end result of a multi component dish tastes good, have high standards at every step of the recipe. Deviation from this rule will lead to many unpleasant surprises, with your dish eventually making its way to the trash can.
Boston coffee party?
249 years later, the Boston Tea Party is getting a coffee-inspired remake. Dunkin’ fans are in revolt over the company’s revamp of its award system last week, which makes getting free coffee more expensive.
Once-loyal customers have been decrying the policy change, pledging to uninstall the app and seeking asylum in the more immigration friendly Starbucks. The slogan “I no longer run on Dunkin’,” being their mantra.
So what did Dunkin’ do? For one, it upped the amount you had to spend at the store to get free drinks. Previously $40 = free coffee. Now, it is $50 for coffee, $70 for cold brew, and $90 for some lattes. Dunkin’ also stripped away our unalienable right of free birthday drinks.
Why did they do this? Dunkin’ claims that the drinks are more expensive to make and the changes would be beneficial for its franchisees. According to analyst reports, Dunkin’ had one of the more generous rewards programs in the industry and these tweaks will bring it at par with their rivals.
What next? Don’t go tossing cold brews into the Atlantic Ocean, instead we suggest finding the nearest recycle bin!
Vegan pepperoni 🍕
- by Tarun Sehgal
Combination of 10 ingredients, packed with herbs and spices, vegan pepperoni is the most compact way to add a ton of flavor to your pizza. This three step recipe is super quick and only requires 5 minutes of prep time. Check out the video recipe here.
Did you know?
As a part of a 1870s smear campaign, New Hampshire mandated that margarine be tinted pink. Any seller who opposed this metrosexual margarine makeover would face a fine of $100 or sixty days in prison.
“Artificial” banana flavoring came to prominence in the U.S. market before actual bananas. The split between the two was about 10 years.
Croissants — the buttery deliciousness to start the day, isn’t actually invented in France. Austria is the true country of birth for this pastry.
While this simmers…
Do not let your friends/family/colleagues/neighbors/stalkers miss out on all the fun. Share the awesomeness here!
Was this mail forwarded or link sent to you? Sign up here!
Reply to this email with your feedback/suggestions. Alternatively, you can find us on Instagram at @chefhusband1607 and @taruntriedit.