Happy New Year 2011! To ring in the new year, we received a wonderful review from a great blogger – She Scribes. Kimberly has a fresh perspective, and covers a broad range of topics on her engaging blog.

Anyway, we sent Kimberly a slew of Beyond the Shaker salt samples for her review including Cyprus Black Lava, Windy City Celery, and Murray River Salt. Even though Kimberly admits she does not use a lot of salt in her cooking, having our Beyond the Shaker blends available really spurred her in the kitchen. And of course that is our goal!

The She Scribes review can be read in its entirety here – but even better, Kimberly is also offering a giveaway of our Top Sellers Set! The contest rules are embedded in the page link, so good luck…

Beyond the Shaker was featured in the October issue of dBusiness – Detroit premier business journal – including a full page picture of Chris, Tyler and Chef Eric creating some wonderful dishes with our premium gourmet cooking salt. If you are in the Michigan-area, check out the article or click the link for a PDF copy. Thanks everyone for the support of our sea salt revolution as we continue to receive wonderful press and news coverage!

We just received another great review from the blog “The Baby Bottom Line” written by first time mom Lise, our neighbor to the north in Canada. Check out the full review here. Our Garlic Shallot was the big favorite of Lise. Anyway, thanks for the wonderful review!

Another resource in the kitchen that I find myself reaching for often, and just ‘reading’ randomly during downtime is What’s A Cook To Do? an invaluable reference by James Peterson (here is a Amazon link). The book is captioned as an “Illustrated Guide To Essential Tools, Tips, Techniques, and Tricks” – and I can attest to the honesty of that statement. The book is chocked full of hundreds of color photos of food and culinary tools. Even better, there are detailed pictures of knife work on various vegetables, proteins and breads.

Peterson has a concise commentary on various salts, which includes a brief discussion of the four essential types of salt that should be in the home chef’s arsenal. These salts are comprised of inexpensive kosher salt, fine flake or grain salt (for when coarse salt is too crunchy, we would recommend Murray River), sea salt (like Sel Gris, which is full of ocean flavors), and Fleur de Sel for delicate foods.

I found the section of the book on broths, soups and sauces to be very informative. The shellfish and fish chapter is also quite educational (including several ways to prepare scallops – a personal favorite). Want detailed directions on how to carve a chicken or make a prime rib roast? Check out the poultry and meat section. Peterson’s writing style is easy to follow, and his detailed techniques show expansive depth of knowledge.

If you can’t tell, I would definitely recommend this guide for any home chef, and at $11.53 on Amazon, honestly it is an unbelievable deal.

We love when others love our salts! Recently we met Amanda, who writes a blog called the Nutritionist Reviews, which is filled with wonderful food product reviews and exciting giveaways. Amanda also earns extra points because she lives in Michigan!

Anyway, we provided Amanda with a few of our various unrefined salts and salt blends for her to review, as well as one of our Top Seller Sets for a giveaway item. We just heard back from Amanda, and the good news is that even though she does not use a lot of salt in her cooking, she is a huge fan of our distinctive products. Check out the review here!

Amanda’s giveaway is a great opportunity to try some of our most popular salts so we encourage you to check out her blog, and try for a chance at winning our Top Sellers Set. Good luck and thanks again Amanda for the awesome review.

I just finished reading The Elements of Cooking by Michael Ruhlman (here is the Amazon Link and heck it is on the Kindle too), and without a doubt would highly recommend the book to everyone/anyone that even has a passing interest in food.

If you watch the Travel Channel, Bravo or Food Network, you probably have seen Ruhlman before on several television programs. I have always enjoyed Ruhlman’s commentary and input on the various shows which he has appeared, and so I was intrigued to read the heavily praised Elements of Cooking. Although I had purchased the book almost a year ago (it actually came out in 2007), I just finally got around to reading it.

First, note that this is not a book that you probably will read cover-to-cover in the conventional sense since really it is more of an alphabetic dictionary of food concepts (thus the very accurate title of the book). I found myself picking it up periodically to either read the very intriguing notes section or to search for culinary elements themselves. In this way, the book becomes a very handy resource in the kitchen.

Second, you have to love a book (and writer) that so heavily believes in the value of salt in cooking. I found Ruhlman’s comments on use of salt and general seasoning techniques to be spot on. Ruhlman writes, “It is true not just for cooks in professional kitchens, but for all cooks in all kitchens, everywhere: learning to salt food properly is the most important skill you can possess.” Ah-men brother. The notes section of the book includes descriptions of many techniques that are salt specific including how to brine and suggestions on preserving with salt.

Finally, I found Ruhlman’s writing style to be captivating as the reader clearly can sense his true passion for the subject matter of the book. Ruhlman’s writing felt more like a conversation, as if we were hanging out in a bar chatting over pretzels and beer. And the depth of knowledge transmitted through the book’s 200+ pages is staggering- it would be hard to walk away from this experience without a heightened understanding of the culinary world even if you had never stepped foot in a kitchen.

Bottom line, get this book. It is a wonderful resource and delightful read.

We are very excited about all of the positive buzz Beyond the Shaker has received in the media. Here is a sampling of some of those media highlights over the last year. Thanks again everyone for your support!

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Detroit Business (dbusiness Journal), “Snapshot,” October 2010
“..in 25 to 30 stores, multiple restaurants and…sales are global.”

ChicagoMag.com: Dish, August 20, 2009
“Look into Beyond the Shaker, a locally based company that offers a line of chef-crafted, mostly organic gourmet salt blends, such as Herb Garden Blend…and other variations that sound like types of pot.”

NBC Chicago News, “Worth Its Salt,” August 14, 2009
Beyond the Shaker’s website taught me “that the word “salary” comes from the Roman word “salarium,” which referred to paying their soldiers with salt. Great dinner party conversation.”

Fashion Meets Food (food blog), March 10, 2010
“Beyond the Shaker Gourmet Salts are made in Michigan, and are absolutely divine! If you love giving your meat or bread some flavor seriously check out Beyond the Shaker.”
FoxNews.com, “The Rock Stars of Salt,” October 26, 2009
“Gourmet salts were always the province of foodies. With their encyclopedic website [Beyond the Shaker] is bringing them to the masses, one grain at a time.”

Hour Detroit Magazine, “Great Shakes” November, 2009
Beyond the Shaker salts “are beautiful.”

The Novice Chef Blog, January 2010
“These salts…well they were everything I was promised, and more! I have added them to chicken, fish, steak, veggies…and the list probably goes on but I can’t even remember. These were honestly wonderful.”

National Public Radio – The Craig Fahle Show, February 17, 2010
Beyond the Shaker salts “are so addictive they are like cocaine!”

News Talk 760AM – Voice of the Great Lakes, October 18, 2009
Beyond the Shaker featured on hour long broadcast show titled “Come to the Table” which highlights Midwest food companies.

The Actor’s Diet (food blog), “Worth Its Salt,” February 19, 2010
Beyond the Shaker “salt blends are truly gourmet…and they’re absolutely beautiful.”
The AM Law Daily, “Off The Clock: Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On” September 4, 2009
“McVety, who calls himself a foodie, says his salt quest began almost three years ago when he took a cooking class, and learned about the many salts used in Chicago’s most famous restaurants.”

Odd Pairs Food Competition – Winner of “Tastemaker Award,” March 26, 2010.

We at Beyond the Shaker really like Hollywood actresses. Seriously, what is there not to like?! It is a lifestyle and profession all rolled into one stellar package, if we do say so ourselves.

Anyway, we were honored to learn that a pair of actresses dig us too! Well, not exactly ‘us’, but our distinctive salts and blends.

And even better, this dynamic duo maintain an engaging blog called the Actor’s Diet, which includes stories and commentary on food from the view of the up and coming actress. Since we first spoke to Lynn and Christy about our pure unrefined salts and hand crafted blends, I have been an avid reader of their blog.

Recently they posted a great review of the Beyond the Shaker’s Windy-City Celery blend, which you can read HERE.

So thanks Lynn and Christy…in the wonderful universe of Hollywood actresses, you are definitely stars!