Do You ULU?

Kitchen gadgets with a story to tell, those that are conversation starters, are favorites of mine.

Add the ULU (pronounced "oo loo") knife to that list of favorites!

Purchased on a recent trip to Alaska, I was given a factory tour in Anchorage by Janice Gransbury, store manager. Used for centuries by native Eskimo people of the Arctic, ULUs were first shaped from slate and other stones. She showed me a remarkable display of ULU artifacts.

Photo courtesy of John R. Shaffer

Similar to a mezzaluna but without the Italian accent, the ULU offers great control and versatility for kitchen cutting needs. [As an aside, Alaskans use these knives for everything from cooking to sewing ~ and, in the event you're curious, ULUs are also used by the winners of the Alaskan beaver and seal skinning competitions!]

From a practical point of view, this legendary knife of the arctic performs some culinary chores with particular ease. Its rounded blade makes it perfect for my favorite uses: chopping nuts, mincing fresh herbs, dicing onions and dicing peppers. The unique design increases dexterity and leverage and makes chopping easier and (somewhat) safer.

You hold the ULU between your thumb and fingers with the top of the handle resting in the palm of your hand. (Always have the beveled side of the blade facing the piece you are to cut.) Use a sweeping motion of the wrist, leading to a rocking motion of the blade, never lifting the blade from the cutting board.

When cutting, try to use the full length of the blade, of course keeping your fingers away from the cutting edge! And ~ if you happen to catch a salmon in the pristine waters behind the factory store ~ you can use your ULU to skin it on the spot!

Photo courtesy of John R. Shaffer

 

 

 

 

There were many sizes to choose from, but I opted for the Inupiat style Alaska Birch handle ULU with an Alaskan scene of two Eskimos ice fishing laser cut in to the handle. Simply put, it just felt good in my hand.

Photo courtesy of John R. Shaffer

Check out their website The ULU Factory for styles, to request a catalog, or to order. Imagine ~ centuries old and still the cutting edge!

This Ice Rocks!

Kick back and chill…it’s summer. Not just any summer in any city…this is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame city and you need to chill in style.

Picture this: I’m in a store, leisurely browsing, when I happen upon this ice cube tray set (“Cool Jazz” on the packaging). It has grooves (no pun intended!) for three guitars, each with its own guitar neck stir stick in assorted colors. As if that weren’t enough, there are two mini musical notes that could become ice as well.

“This ice rocks!” I shout out, as my companion and others in the store slowly ease away from me.

Fun and functional, I had to add this to my ice cube tray collection (which consists of two trays of square cube shapes, one of which has a cover). Now I’m ready to drop one of these frozen groovy guitars into my drink, give it a stir, and let the good times roll. (Did I mention that, if you’re shy, these stir sticks serve as a real ice breaker?!)

But wait…you can’t give new meaning to “on the rocks” without some drinks to get your groove going. Here are a few to mix, sip and stir.

Summertime Fizz

10 to 12 fresh blueberries plus additional for garnish
3/4 ounce raspberry syrup
1 1/2 ounce gin
1/2 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
soda water

Muddle the blueberries and raspberry syrup in a bar glass and then add ice. Combine the gin, Cointreau and lemon juice in the bar glass. Shake vigorously and strain into a tall glass filled with a few chips of crushed ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a few fresh blueberries and an ice guitar. Serves 1.

Designated Driver Strawberry Cooler

2 cups chilled orange juice
1 1/2 cups hulled strawberries, halved
1 to 2 Tablespoons superfine or granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups ginger ale, cold

In a blender, combine the orange juice, strawberries and sugar until berries are pureed.

Place the berry puree in a large pitcher. Add ginger ale, stirring to combine. Serve in a tall glass with an ice guitar and a few fresh strawberry pieces for garnish. Serves 4.

Check with your favorite local retailers to see if they already have or can order this Cool Jazz Ice Cube Tray for you. It’s by Fred and Friends. www.fredandfriends.com

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author, and culinary instructor.
She can be reached through her website www.bevshaffer.com.

ROCK ON!

Okay, I’ll admit it. I have more vinyl and rock memorabilia in my home than tunes in my iPod. Some stuff the Rock Hall might be envious of…Beatles albums in mono (no, not the illness!), ticket stubs from Cream at Madison Square Garden ($4!) and The Doors in Asbury Park ($3.50!), a program (somewhat tattered and tear stained) from seeing the Beatles at Shea Stadium, Country Joe and The Fish’s LP “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die”. The music collection is filled with everything from rock to country to bluegrass to holiday tunes to classical. And yes, I still have a working turntable hooked up to our stereo system.

When ambition moves me and I’m in my what should I do with this stuff frame of mind, the topic often turns to these artistic, eclectic and somewhat ancient forms of musical entertainment. And somewhere, wedged between the Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers” and Beethoven’s classics lies the phrase what will they think of next! They, of course, being the Rhode Island School of Design and their graduate Jeff Davis. As part of a graduate thesis project, Jeff and his company, Vinylux, began breathing new life into these “obsolete piles of records” (Hey, I resent that!).

Putting chips in their Stepped Bowl and using the LP Coasters is a real conversation starter at parties. Their complete line can be viewed at www.vinylux.net, and includes such items as a Smooth Bowl, Stepped Bowl (pictured), LP Clock, LP Coasters, LP Snack Tray (pictured), Album Cover Note cards, and 45RPM Clock. You can even pick your genre, with choices that include rock, soul, jazz, blues, 80’s pop, disco (finally! a good use for disco music!), crooners, divas and more.

Their revived record products utilize as much of the vinyl and album covers as possible. (And listen to this, Mother Earth lovers ~ their products are made in the spirit of repurposing ~ left over material is recycled: the off-cut vinyl from the coasters is collected by plastics recyclers and re-processed, and non-usable album covers are converted into recycled paper. They’re committed to using post-consumer materials whenever possible, as well as non-toxic printing inks and minimal packaging. Very cool!)

My LP Snack Tray was created from Elton John’s “Tumbleweed Connection”, and the Stepped Bowl from Barbra Streisand’s “Greatest Hits” (which, coincidentally, includes the song “Second Hand Rose”). These are must have’s for your patio parties…and make perfect gifts for that hard-to-buy-for everyone on your list.

Bev’s Bites: Don’t forget to support your favorite local stores that might carry these gadgets…call around and see who has them in stock or can order them for you.

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author, and culinary instructor.

Shopping Around the World

Negotiating some rice bowls that came home
with me from a recent trip to Hong Kong.

I have found so many fun kitchen gadgets when traveling. I love exploring shops and markets around the world.

Exploring a culinary store in Nice, France.

Summer Grilling

There is still plenty of summer left to get your grill on!
Hit the farmers market for fresh ingredients and fire up the grill!