CULINARY "MUST HAVES" TO CREATE THE PERFECT HEALTHY MEAL

My mother had a favorite expression I remember her saying every time we sat down for dinner: You Are What You Eat (and she even had a cookbook by the same name!) I never forgot her words of advice and to this day I’m committed to creating healthy meals for my family (we even have our own organic garden, right in the heart of the city).

Like any chef, having the right tools is paramount to creating healthy and delicious meals—and it begins with a good knife.

THE CUTLUXE KNIFE

My son just got a job as a chef in one of San Diego’s premier hotels, so I had a perfect person to review this Cutluxe knife as it was used to chop a wide range of vegetables and chicken for a stir fry dish.

While this review may be a bit technical for those of us who just chop or slice with our kitchen knives, I think it is important to know that a professional chef endorses a product.  In this case, he mentioned all the positive attributes of this knife.

His first comment was that the knife was very well balanced. Most of the weight is in the handle, which allows more control during the cutting process (something I never even thought of, actually!)  He also mentioned that the bolster was slanted inwards, which makes it very comfortable to hold.

Finally, he noted that is quite sharp and “holds an edge” (another chef term that goes over my head) which basically means that you don’t need to sharpen it so often.

Bottom line is, if a professional chef loves this knife, it is definitely to be recommended. https://www.cutluxe.com/

Carbon Steel Wok

After seeing how easy it was to cut up all sorts of veggies with a good knife, I decided to buy a kitchen item I have thought about for years, but never purchased—an authentic wok. After doing quite a bit of research, I decided upon the Yosukata black carbon steel wok (available on Amazon).

My son immediately took charge and in minutes we had a delicious stir fry dish we served over the fried rice he had made in the wok earlier. Talk about a healthy, quick meal that far exceeded anything you could buy in a frozen package—at a fraction of the cost!

Disclaimer: I only review products that I have personally tested, and I am not monetarily compensated for any reviews. All opinions are my own.

FOODIE GIFTS FOR DAD--FOR FATHER'S DAY OR ANY OTHER OCCASION

Summer is just around the corner, as is Father’s Day. Instead of another tie or a box of hankies, why not surprise your father with a cooking tool—as well as a delivery of sustainable seafood and organic meats to go with it? Even if he isn’t the cook in the house, he may very well take on this role after seeing delicious ingredients delivered straight to home and experimenting with some innovative appliances to make gourmet food preparation a breeze.

STARTING WITH THE BASICS FROM VitalChoice

Photo courtesy of VitalChoice

Seasoned chefs know that the success of any meal depends on the quality of the ingredients used to prepare it. Make it easy for Dad to achieve culinary success by providing him with the finest sustainable seafood and meats. And the best thing is, he won’t have to drive around town in his quest. He just has to open his front door!

We couldn’t believe our eyes when our VitalChoice box of seafood, which contained an amazing variety of vacuum-packed options (lobster tails, halibut, sea scallops, giant crab slaws, deep water shrimp, free-range beef burgers,and even an Alaskan salmon filet) was delivered to our home! Everything was packed efficiently in recyclable thermal padding and dry ice to ensure the shipment arrived to us in perfect frozen condition.

For a Father’s Day gift he will never forget, consider giving Dad the joy of  preparing wild seafood and/or organic meats. You’ll not only make Dad happy beyond belief, you will support sustainable fisheries and free-range farms in the process.

ZAVOR CRUNCH AIR FRYER OVEN

Gone are the days when Dad would throw in potatoes into a pool of grease to make French fries. There is now a better, and healthier way, to create a delicious, low fat meal using just one appliance. And that is, the ZAVOR AIR CRUNCH FRYER OVEN.

© Joanne DiBona Photography

This appliance literally provides the convenience of seven kitchen appliances in one unit. It replaces a traditional air fryer, grill, rotisserie, dehydrator, and more to offer a multifunctional solution to all your food preparation needs. We made the most delicious air fried potatoes and although they tasted fantastic, we were delighted to know they were healthy, as they were made without the use of cooking oil.  We added sea salt, garlic powder, a bit of rosemary, and some ground pepper. Next, we were ready to indulge without concern.

We’re still discovering all the recipes we can create with this air fryer plus we are looking forward to dehydrating our summer tomato crop in this unit, too. There’s nothing better than sun dried tomatoes in winter from your summer garden.

SEARBQ GRIDDLE

As long time photo journalists, we have the opportunity to learn about many things, and cooking is one of them. A few years ago, in a cooking class conducted during a press trip, we learned the secret of cooking a perfect steak. We couldn’t believe it, but the process started IN THE OVEN.

© Tony DiBona Photography

The chef used a high quality griddle to press and cook the steak at 500 degrees in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Then he placed it on the stove top griddle and cooked it to perfection. We never forgot that culinary advice, but never quite perfected the method.

That is, until we made the acquaintance of the SEARBQ griddle, made of pre-seasoned cast iron (one part griddle/one part press). We were able to recreate our chef’s recipe, resulting in the most delicious steak we ever prepared. We also achieved excellent results grilling all sorts of vegetables and our delicious VitalChoice seafood—as well as the best portobello mushrooms we ever made! This is a utensil that begs the question--what took us so long to discover this?

SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT WITH THESE STORAGE SOLUTIONS

© Tony DiBona Photography

With all the cooking Dad will be enjoying with these products, there undoubtedly will be leftovers. And what better way to keep them fresh and healthy than in the U-KONSERVE line of stainless steel food storage containers?  This trusted line of containers is the perfect eco-friendly solution for storing leftover food.

If Dad is a camper or on the road often, he might also enjoy one of the ECOVESSEL stainless steel containers such as THEMETRO, which keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 6, or THEBOULDER, a rugged 24-oz container --which includes a strainer for tea, fruit, or ice-- that keeps drinks cool up to 74 hours and hot for 14. The company, based in Boulder, Colorado, is committed to protecting the environment. It partners with Water for People to bring safe water and sanitation to millions of people in the developing world. Additionally, it donates 5% of total sales to various environmental nonprofits.

Disclaimer:  Please note that the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and will not receive any future compensation based on sales arising from my recommendations. My goal is to share my favorite travel tips with my followers, in an effort to improve the travel experience for us all.

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