Every cook likes to up their game. Now 068 residents can do just that by tapping local resources for the hottest accessories, creative cookbooks, and guidance from the culinary-inclined.
Should your kitchen lack stellar knives, swing by Cooks Nook in Wilton for the perfect remedy. According to Sales Manager, Sanjay Dipchand, “Japanese knives hold their edges longer.” The store stocks a range of knives (that they’ll sharpen on Saturdays) sporting varying price points from the higher-end Spyderco and Shun, to the affordable Victorinox paring and utility knives. Their aisles also boast a vast selection of bestselling handy tools: CDN digital meat thermometers, Norpro garlic presses, and Kuhn Rikon vegetable peelers. Of their all-season charcuterie boards — Maison de Fromage is both wallet-friendly and a customer favorite. For the grill masters in the house, Dipchand suggested EVO oil sprayers (aerosol free), Brushtech grill cleaners (no loose wires), and flavorful cedar planks by Outset to spice up spring outings.
Wiltonite Wendy Slater— nutritionist by day and home cook by night — dishes on her go-to appliance: a Pampered Chef Food Chopper. Slater chiefly uses it “to chop fruit, nuts, and vegetables,” adding, “the chopper is amazing for dicing onions and garlic — an easy way to add flavor to no sodium meals.”
Bakers need the best basics as well. “You need a well-stocked kitchen with your pans,” attests Elizabeth Eckardt, Owner of Ridgefield’s Elizabella’s Bake Shop. A much-frequented Bailey Avenue spot, Elizabella’s offers sought-after hostess gifts, super supplies, and an array of cookies, petit fours, French macarons, and special-order cupcakes for the sweet tooth set. Eckardt suggests “having both 8 and 9-inch pans, such as those from Nordicware’s Nonstick Naturals line, plus Proform’s springform pan — ideal for “cheesecakes and the like where crusts are pressed into the pan.” The Great British Bake Off and Downton Abbey fans will be thrilled to find that Mason Cash bowls — featured on both shows — grace Elizabella’s shelves. The diamond-patterned Cane Collection, highlighted on television, are dishwasher and microwave safe, available in different sizes, and Eckardt says, “are the right weight.” More advanced bakers can purchase an 8-piece cake decorating set from Ateco and different pastry bag tips from Nordicware — being sure to use smaller tips for cake and decor, and larger ones for stuffing cannolis. Yum. Small and large whisks from the brand, RSVP, are also keepers. In addition, the owner swears by LorAnn Organic Madagascar Vanilla Extract and Vietnamese Cinnamon. Eckardt also doled out some baking best practices: 1) Use only metal measuring items for dry ingredients, and metal or glass for wet; 2) Go through your recipes, making sure you have every ingredient (check expirations dates); 3) Keep spices away from the heat.
Around the corner at Ridgefield Hardware, shoppers can find heavy duty help for inside the kitchen or out. Pre-seasoned cast iron skillets by Lodge are reasonably priced and perennial sellers, as are deep dish pans from Grill Mark. Manager Sarah Scott, remarked, “Pizza is what’s happening,” making versatile pizza stones by Ooni or Gozney fun finds. Scott added, “Sauces, rubs, and spices are very popular,” pointing to their multi-shelf selection of products from Traeger to Big Green Egg to Jack Daniels’ lines.
Longtime Ridgefielder, co-owner of The Rare Wine Company, and bona fide foodie, Blake Murdock, believes in “gadgets that are multi-purpose.” His top tip — a “Microplane Fine Stainless Cheese Grater which I also use for ginger or garlic.” Murdock also can’t live without his Cuisinart DLC-10 for “shredding brussels sprouts to sauté or to puree chickpeas for thicker sauces.”
For curious chefs seeking innovative and inspriratinal cookbooks, Books on the Common on Main Street in “The Ridge” had some thoughts. Staffer Jacqui Ellin gave a thumbs up to Big Heart, Little Stove by Erin French, Jamie Oliver’s One: Simple One-Pan Wonders, Dinner: Changing the Game by Melissa Clark, any Ina Garten title (her latest, Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook) and especially, The Lost Kitchen by Erin French. What sets The Lost Kitchen apart is how it inspired a Maine restaurant by the same name that requires “reservation by postcard.” Ellin noted customers were most drawn to cookbooks that“included narratives and photos.”
Rest assured, stores in the 068 have everything needed for home cooks to create their own finest fare and mouthwatering memories. Sometimes, the best recipe for a dream kitchen is a winning combination of gadgets and gumption…with a dash of joy. •
