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Changing Tastes on the Rise worked on in India." A samosa-croissant combination may be getting popular, but See suspects its staying power may be limited. "I think we're getting a little bit away f rom the hybrids. Like a croissant-doughnut, they're a cool trend but you kind of move away f rom those," says See. "I think the whole grain [trend] is going to stick around, people are going to want whole grain croissants. You're seeing more whole grain BAKEWARE KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n OCTOBER 2016 n www.kitchenwarenews.com 1 2 introduced into pastries and baking." As pastries make the move towards the savory side, See notes that we can expect subsequent changes to breakfast sandwiches. "I think we're going to see different types of doughs replacing what we would traditionally be seeing for a breakfast sandwich," says See. "You've got bagels and English muffins, but I think we're going to see a new look on the breakfast sandwich and the carrier that 's used for the breakfast sandwich. There's egg-based [bread], there's milk bread that would make a great breakfast carrier." For home cooks that want to get into baking, See recommends staying away f rom puff pastries and croissants at the start. "Laminate [doughs], those are tough," says See. "I do things at home like biscuits. There's other things you can make at home, you can go and make pizza dough and use it as a different vehicle than pizza. You can butter a muffin tin and fill it with something. Take something you're confident in baking, if it 's a batter or dough, and use it in a different vessel than you would normally." For home cooking, See recommends a few high quality items that will cover many different tasks. She recommends traditional metal bakeware over silicone items, because silicone doesn't offer the level of caramelization that metal does. "You need a good mixer, you can set it and leave it. I use pastry cutters a lot so you don't overwork doughs. A good tart pan and a good cast iron skillet, we don't do enough baking in cast iron," says See. "I have one really nice heavy sheet pan, it 's a good investment to have one really good one that has good heat retention, doesn't warp. I also have a healthy supply of different types of butters." KN (cont. from Page 1) BY MICAH CHEEK There is a passionate group of culinary hobbyists out there, devoted solely to recreating Neopolitan-style pizzas at home. These are the people buying fireplace bricks to line their ovens with, and pumping air through the bottoms of their outdoor grills to squeeze out extra BTUs. When Andris Lagsdin turned to the internet to help fund his product, he unintentionally stepped into that passionate culinary culture. "There's a deep underground pizza world out there," says Lagsdin, Founder of The Baking Steel Company. "They've been f rustrated by breaking [pizza] stones or not being satisfied with pizzas they make at home." Lagsdin accidentally came across these enthusiasts when they flocked to fund the production of The Baking Steel, a metal alternative to the traditional baking stone, which promises to deliver a pizzeria-quality crust at home. The idea for The Baking Steel came from an interview with Nathan Myrhvold, one of the writers of "Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking," who was asked about the best way to make pizza at home. Myrhvold suggested using a large slab of steel to retain and transfer the high heat required for a bubbly crust. Lagsdin, who was working at his family's steel product manufacturing company, read the interview and was suddenly inspired. "I ran out to my plant to grab some steel. I made pizza that night, the pizza I made was amazing," says Lagsdin. The steel plate made a perfect surface for pizza making, because it had the mass of stone without the need to reheat for long periods of time. After some experimentation, Lagsdin went to Kickstarter to raise $3,000 for materials and labor to make the first Baking Steels. It was here that the pizza freaks found him. "We hit our $3,000 in less than a day," says Lagsdin. Home pizza makers had been looking for a more dependable surface than stone, and Lagsdin was one of the first to offer it. Attention increased when The Baking Steel received the endorsement of J. Kenji López-Alt, Managing Culinary Director of "Serious Eats." "Kenji put a little blurb on his blog," says Lagsdin. "We went from 240 backers to almost 500 three days later. We shipped out our first batch ahead of schedule, and I haven't had a day off since." Much of the appeal of The Baking Steel lies in its simplicity. The Steel is simply a slab of metal, with no holes, rivets or handles. Lagsdin notes that the minimalist construction appeals to consumers looking for a lifelong product. "I come from a steel company; we make things for Caterpillar[the machinery manufacturer]. All we know is industrial strength," says Lagsdin. "It's an investment, but it's something to pass on to your kids." For such a simple product, The Baking Steel has been demonstrated for a variety of kitchen tasks. Apart from an oven surface, the Steel can be put on gas, electric or induction stovetops to be used as a griddle. The Baking Steel's website includes stovetop recipes for traditionally pan-fried products. "You can do some amazing stovetop searing," says Lagsdin. "It's a perfect complement to The Baking Steel Performs With Pizza Just in time for holiday shopping, FINEX Cast Iron Cookware has curated the must- have cookware sets for everyone on that gift list. The Portland, Oregon-based perfectionists craft heirloom quality cast iron pans with unique design and functional qualities. All cookware sets and individual pans are now available at www.finexusa.com and select retailers nationwide. This set includes cast iron essentials for smaller homes, camping or new cooks just getting started. The FINEX No. 10 Cast Iron Skillet was born for searing hamburgers, golden pancakes or baking cornbread. The FINEX No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet is ideal for browning meats and sautéing vegetable side dishes but also sees plenty of early morning breakfast duty. The set has a suggested retail price of $275.00. The FINEX 10" Grill & Sear 2-Piece Set is for perfect grilling and searing indoors and out. The FINEX No. 10 Grill Pan is designed to grill or sear favorite Cast Iron Cookware For The Holiday Season Emile Henry presents its Ruffled Pie Dish to all bakers nationwide. The pie dish, in rouge, flour, charcoal, oak and blue flame colors, makes a graceful, elegant statement for any table or party. Made f rom Burgundian clay, which absorbs, distributes and retains heat evenly, pies bake and brown to perfection. The ruffled edge is modeled after the company's handcrafted classics from the early 1900s. The 10.5-inch pie dish is oversized to hold 1.25 quarts of filling. The durable, hand-applied glaze will not chip, crack or craze over time and it will not absorb odors or flavors. The dish is made in the heartland of France, home to prized Burgundy wines, fine rustic French cooking and the excellent properties of clay that Emile Henry has been Ruffled Pie Dish from Emile Henry sous vide cooking, getting a perfect sear." Lagsdin has even used a Baking Steel to make instant ice cream, by pouring crème anglais onto a Steel chilled by dry ice. Potential customers that see demonstrations of The Baking Steel are impressed by the various uses, but the real excitement is always around the four-minute pizzas Lagsdin can turn out. As part of his marketing, he hosts cooking classes for demonstrating the product. "If I have eight people in for a class, [and] they do not have a Steel at home, almost 100 percent will close out that sale." The Baking Steel Company currently produces four different steels, ranging from 15 to 30 pounds, but Lagsdin has more in the works. "I'm actually making a mini which will be half the weight and 12 inches square," says Lagsdin. The miniature will be designed to fit inside a toaster oven for quick, individual use. Lagsdin is also testing a premade frozen pizza dough to be used on the steels, making it even easier for consumers to get excited about their pizza. KN meats and vegetables with wider extra-deep grill ribs patterned after commercial barbecue grates to easily drain rich foods. At a suggested retail price of $295.00, the FINEX No. 10 Cast Iron Skillet is a great choice for lighter meals, large side dishes and big breakfasts. The FINEX Classic Family 4-Piece Set features the best cast iron combination for maximum flexibility and any portion size. The original FINEX No. 10 and No. 12 Cast Iron Skillets have deep walls for hearty portions, making them perfect searing machines for steaks. Matching pre-seasoned FINEX 10" and 12" Cast Iron Lids are included for slowly simmering sauces or poaching eggs. The FINEX No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet, at a suggested retail price of $395.00, is the perfect everyday skillet, and the FINEX Laser Cut Cherry Wood Trivet is precision-cut f rom American Cherry Wood with carefully dip-stained edges and non-slip silicone feet to protect wood surfaces. The FINEX Complete Heirloom 7-Piece Set has every size for every possible cast iron creation. The set includes the FINEX No. 10 and No. 12 Cast Iron Skillets, matching pre-seasoned 10-inch and 12- inch cast iron skillet lids, the FINEX No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet, the FINEX No. 10 Grill Pan, and the FINEX Laser Cut Cherry Wood Trivet. The Heirloom Set has a suggested retail price of $700.00. KN using for over a century and a half to make its famous cook and ovenware. Burgundy clay is known for its superb heat diffusion and retention. Emile Henry pottery transmits an even, steady heat, and retains it sufficiently to keep foods hot longer at the table. A pie can be prepared ahead of time, ref rigerated or f rozen, placed directly into a preheated oven or in the microwave, and served right at the table. The dish retails for $50. Like all Emile Henry products, the new Ruffled Pie Dish is made of all natural materials and is backed by a 10-year warranty, which is not offered by any other ceramic manufacturers. Emile Henry is located in the Burgundy town of Marcigny, France. To find out more about Emile Henry, call 302.326.4800 or visit Emile Henry USA at www.emilehenryusa.com. KN

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