Claudia&Julia's Blog

Making your own homemade butter is as easy as having fresh liquid cream and 10 or 12 minutes. That's it. No additives or preservatives. You're probably curious to see how you can do it, because enjoying in the morning the delicious butter you made yourself makes the day start twice as happy!

In recent years we've seen how Japanese kitchen knives have become very popular in Spain and Europe in general. Although I'm not a big fan of Japanese knives, I understand the interest they've generated, as they bring different characteristics to European knives and some models are truly interesting.

The other day I was telling you about which utensils are the basic and essential ones when it comes to equipping a kitchen, and that in fact they are also essential to keep in mind when renewing the utensils you have. You can see the post here.

November 15 is the day millions of Americans pull their bundt pans out to work, because it’s Bundt Cake Day, the international day of the bundt. This date has become unimaginably popular in recent years (in fact, the success of Bundt Day has even reached here in Spain), and in this post I tell you a bit about this day and why so many people are passionate about bundt pans and the beautiful cakes you make with them.

Many times customers call or write to us who want to equip a kitchen or want to renew their utensils gradually, but don't know where to start. There really is such a variety and specialization of theutensils necessary for a kitchen, that sometimes it can be a difficult task to decide what is a priority and also what is essential.

Those of you who follow us regularly already know that we like traditional cooking, the slow-simmering kind, making doughs at home and doing things with care. Maybe that’s why we have always felt very close to Julia Child’s cooking. Today it’s Laura, from the blog Because, who tells us about her best-known work, the book The Art of French Cooking.

We choose every product in the shop with great care. Each one has its reason for being: some for their materials and robustness, others because we consider them a good option for those who don’t want very heavy products, some because we saw them one day in a store window and didn’t stop looking for them until we found them... And when you make a selection with so much care, the project becomes even more intimate.

In my last post I talked about the three types of blades we can find in kitchen knives and the pros and cons of each: ceramic, carbon steel, and stainless steel (the most popular).

Returning to the question we posed at the beginning of the previous post—which knives to buy—and having already talked about ceramic and carbon steel options, I’d like to explain the different types of stainless steel knives you can find on the market and how to choose the one that best suits our needs.

We receive many inquiries about which kitchen knives to buy, since it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between some models or which one suits our type of cooking best. There are many options and I think it's important to choose well: it's a tool we'll use almost daily for many years. Also, the difference between a good knife and an average knife is significant; it's worth having good knives and giving them proper care so you can work comfortably and safely.

I still remember the surprise I felt when a very dear relative showed up with three huge packages. And to my greater surprise, it was a Set that I loved: it was the WMF Maya the Bee cutlery Set. I’m not talking about just anything: a ceramic Set with beautiful prints, the cutlery made of very good-quality steel, and all the pieces an ideal size for children.

Over the past two weeks we've been talking about homemade jams, sharing tips and tricks for their preparation and proper storage (you can see the posts here). What better suggestion for today than a recipe to make your own jam? This one is from Patri, of the blog Sabores&Momentos; it's fig jam and is perfect for pairing with savory dishes or for enjoying its delicious flavor spread on bread. Enjoy!

Last week Virginia, author of Sweet&Sour, gave us an introduction to jams and preserves, explaining the differences between jams, preserves and jellies, and showing us how to make them.