Sara's Pepper Mills - also moving to PBS?

[Tweety69bird]

Sara,

While I was reading the questions posed to you, I recalled that you had your lovely pepper mill collection when you were on Cooking Live. I remember also that someone had contacted you about where to get one, and you spoke about how there was such a long waiting list for them to be created by your friend, and at the end of the whole thing, you did give him one... or maybe it was your friend who gave him one. No, I think it was you. Anyway, all this to say that I was touched that you would go through that whole thing for a complete stranger. I think that it's that warmth that you have that makes your fans feel so connected with you.

Does your friend still make those pepper mills, and can you provide contact information please if so?

[Sara Moulton]

The Gentleman, Pinky Martin, who started making pepper mills for my show in 1996 has just turned 86. I guess it was in 1998 that we did a "best of" about my cooking live show and since people had been bugging us so much about the peppermills we got Pinky's permission to put up his p.o. box. Well he got flooded with requests and now, 700 peppermils later, has a 2 year waiting list. In 2000 or so I gave one of my peppermills away on Oprah, to a women who just wanted one and didn't want to wait two years. It was sort of fun because before I came on and suprised the gal with the goods they showed clips from the show with a narration about her growing desire for this item. Every time they showed a clip, they would put a yellow light behind the pepper mill sort of like a halo, as if it was a sacred object. Anyway, at that point we put a moratorium on new orders (although I have a feeling Pinky might have put Oprah on the list)

Many people think that Pinky has gotten wealthy doing this which couldn't be farther from the truth. It is labor intensive and the ingredients are expensive. He has done this for love of the craft and it shows. He came to one of the last tapings of the show with his son, also a classy man.

Of course I will take the ones he has made me to the new show.

[Tweety69bird]

Now that my memory has been jogged, that's it, on Oprah where I saw the whole story unfold.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my inquiry. I really do feel privelleged to have the chance to chat directly with you. I wish you great success on your new show on PBS, although you don't need any luck.

Karyn

[snowangel]

I look forward to seeing the peppermills in your new show. I wasn't aware of just how special they are!

What are your favorite kitchen gadgets? Do any of them have sentimental value?

I have my great grandmother's wooden spoon. It is a little worse for the wear -- there are a few scorch marks, and I think that at some point over the course of a century, a child (or dog?) used it for teething, but I can't imagine not having it in my kitchen.

My new "go-to" gadget is the stainless steel mushroom.

It not only does a fine job of smashing garlic, but can be used as a pestle in a bowl, and if you use it to wash your hands, removes the garlic smell. I use this one so often that it has a permanent place on my counter. (Sadly, the company no longer makes them.)

[Sara Moulton]

What are your favorite kitchen gadgets?  Do any of them have sentimental value?

My new "go-to" gadget is the stainless steel mushroom.

It not only does a fine job of smashing garlic, but can be used as a pestle in a bowl, and if you use it to wash your hands, removes the garlic smell.  I use this one so often that it has  a permanent place on my counter.  (Sadly, the company no longer makes them.)

I have some wooden spoons from my grandmother Ruth and a paper towel/ plastic wrap/aluminum foil wall hanging dispenser that I can't use because today's

paper towels etc on steroids would not fit in there. I also inherited a flat (no sides) cast iron skillet that my grandmother used to make salt seared hamburgers and steaks in (no fat needed).

Julia gave me some of the all clad pans we used on "Julia Child and More Company" when we were all taping. She also brought me back a tiny black steel pan when she returned from Europe one time.

Meanwhile, I want to see your mushroom!! Sounds very useful and every year on GMA we cover new gadgets (actually I would love everyone's input on cool new cheap gadgets that don't take up too much real estate in the kitchen) Are you sure it has been discontinued?

[fifi]

The mushroom does enjoy a huge following. It all started in 2004 around holiday time. I was assembling "goody boxes" for my kids and was fishing for new ideas. I started this topic on gadgets to get ideas. Then the search for the mushrooms began. I even got so far as e-mailing then talking on the phone with a VP of product development at AMCO, the original producer. She said that they didn't have them anymore but we might look at some outlets like Marshall's. Then a member said he spotted them in Chicago. AH HA! My son lives in Chicago. The dear boy went on a two day hunt and came up with 8 of them I think. I sent some to special friends and family. Susan is a special friend. She got two, one for home and one for the cabin. (She didn't steal the picture. She didn't have one so I gave her mine.)

If you have any clout with the AMCO folks, maybe you can put in a good word for the mushroom. Oh . . . It also makes a good pusher for getting chile paste through a fine sieve, too.

That topic took on quite a life of its own and got considerably more action this past holiday. There are some great ideas in there. And, it gets "bumped up" from time to time as members find new things. You could bookmark it and check for ideas.

I guess my favorite wooden impliment is the wooden "spatula" that is well scorched from stirring many batches of dark roux for gumbo.

[andiesenji]

The mushroom does enjoy a huge following. It all started in 2004 around holiday time. I was assembling "goody boxes" for my kids and was fishing for new ideas. I started this topic on gadgets to get ideas. Then the search for the mushrooms began. I even got so far as e-mailing then talking on the phone with a VP of product development at AMCO, the original producer. She said that they didn't have them anymore but we might look at some outlets like Marshall's. Then a member said he spotted them in Chicago. AH HA! My son lives in Chicago. The dear boy went on a two day hunt and came up with 8 of them I think. I sent some to special friends and family. Susan is a special friend. She got two, one for home and one for the cabin. (She didn't steal the picture. She didn't have one so I gave her mine.)

If you have any clout with the AMCO folks, maybe you can put in a good word for the mushroom. Oh . . . It also makes a good pusher for getting chile paste through a fine sieve, too.

That topic took on quite a life of its own and got considerably more action this past holiday. There are some great ideas in there. And, it gets "bumped up" from time to time as members find new things. You could bookmark it and check for ideas.

I guess my favorite wooden impliment is the wooden "spatula" that is well scorched from stirring many batches of dark roux for gumbo.

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Lovingly stained, like the big, big wooden spoon I "inherited" when I made a trip back to Kentucky in the '70s and loaded up my van and a trailer with crocks, cast iron and assorted kitchen "junk" because my family never throws anything away and I had the collecting bug by then.

The big spoon is purple because it was always used for stirring jam and jelly made from(among other things) Concord grapes, wild blackberries and etc. One of my great uncles whittled it sometime in the '30s, from a piece of maple. The huge tree had fallen after being struck by lightning and was cut into lumber and chunks and smaller pieces for carving.

Edited January 27, 2006 by andiesenji (log)