Thanks to the rise in free music streaming apps like Spotify, Turntable.fm, and the recently launched Google Music, it’s now easy for anyone to get their fix of tunes on their own terms. But the listening process need not be limited to aural sustenance, as proven by a host of new programs dedicated to capturing the harmony between music and meals.
Drinkify: Ever wonder what libation best complements Lady Gaga? Well, according to Drinkify, it’s a 6 oz. vodka served neat with an olive. Upon selecting a song or artist, the site suggests the perfect cocktail to pair with one’s musical taste. So while Snoop sounds best with a 10 oz. gin, a 10 oz. wheatgrass juice, and a 12 oz. lemon juice, Van Halen needs only a pour of Jack Daniel’s on the rocks. The free service is powered by the personal playlist tracker Last.fm, music app developer The Echo Nest, and a proprietary Drinkify database “because booze still doesn’t have an API…”
Some foodies will always try to up their gastronomic game with complicated kitchen appliances. But a growing desire to simplify is compelling many cooks to abandon gadgets and invest, instead, in kitchen staples that will last a lifetime. Enter artisan bladesmiths, whose custom-made, handcrafted knives have cooks of all levels forking over their cash.
NYCutlery: Made “by hand, for the hand, from reused and reclaimed materials,” knives crafted by Christopher Harth for his line NYCutlery are sure to meet eco-consumers’ demands for transparent sourcing. Steel for the blades is sourced from retired sawmill blades, and the handles’ prettily patterned, close-grain wood comes from the buckthorn tree, an invasive species that crowds out native plants and so must be destroyed (sometimes, as in Harth’s case, with artistic consequences). As each knife is balanced to its owner’s hand, no two are alike in fit and appearance. Harth currently sells via Green in BKLYN, but act fast, because he plans to cease production at 1,000 knives.
When molecular gastronomy bible Modernist Cuisine was released earlier this year with a shelf price of $625, it became apparent that it was only a matter of time before the kitchen gadget market caught up with the swiftly growing foodie demand. Here are three deliciously innovative inventions for chefs who relish a culinary challenge.
The Anti-Griddle: The most au courant face of molecular gastronomy, Chicago chef and restaurateur Grant Achatz (Alinea, Aviary, Next) inspired the Anti-Griddle. The contraption is a cooktop but, unlike traditional versions, it can’t be used to make pancakes. That’s because, instead of raising the temperature of foods that touch it (think sauces, purees and foams), it quick-freezes them, shocking them into form. The effect created by the -30°F surface is ideal for intricately manicured bites, as it can produce textures frozen throughout or render crunchy surfaces with creamy centers. The award-winning device, which is available for purchase online, has already made a cameo appearance on Iron Chef America.
In the fall, our desire for a bowl of puréed marrow soup typically strikes before winter squash is even ripe on the vine. But it’s right about now, with the constant threat of snow looming, that all we can think about eating for dinner is hot stew. Perhaps it’s just our yearning for a hearty, warming meal to eat immediately upon shedding our coats, but we’ve been observing a burgeoning consumer obsession with slow cookers.
Terracotta Slow Cooker: The slow cooker—those of us old enough to recall it may more affectionately know it as the Crock-Pot—is reinvented in this design-conscious terracotta model. Not only is it cordless and oven-ready, but it also tenderizes ingredients while retaining precious vitamins, minerals and toothsome flavors. Slow cooking has historically been maligned among gastronomes who’ve considered the practice to be about as gourmet as Cool Whip, but with modern slow cooking tips abounding online, perhaps it will finally garner some culinary respect. After all, even the most jaded foodie is bound to enjoy the convenience of a hot, rich meal ready to eat immediately after dusting off the snow from their boots.
From swarms of food paparazzi to cookbooks being used as marketing gimmicks, it’s evident that food has risen to the level of iconic social status. Now, even recipes, those typically prescriptive blueprints used to guide novice cooks, step by step, toward some degree of culinary accomplishment, are no longer relegated to dry prose and rigid measurements. Indeed, recipes are now eye candy as well.
IKEA’s Visual Cookbook: Known for its simple designs and DIY mentality, IKEA has reinvented the traditional cookbook as a visually stunning coffee table tome. Titled Hembakat är Bäst (Swedish for “Homemade is Best”), the book breaks down 30 classic Swedish baking recipes into visual representations of their individual components rather than focusing on the finished product. Illustrated with some of the most beautiful food styling we’ve ever seen, each recipe boasts geometric renderings of the ingredients set up in artful patterns. Shot by Carl Kleiner, the 140-page book is part of a campaign to promote IKEA’s kitchens, but we think we’ll just use it as a conversation starter, since we really don’t bake much.
