Press Articles- Seasoned Skewers

Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
- April 6, 2006 Thursday
- Greg Morago (Chicago)
- G3: FLAVOR; THE WAY WE EAT

FLAVOR ON A STICK
NEW SKEWERS SEASON MEAT, FISH, CHICKEN FROM INSIDE OUT

The bigger the food world gets, the smaller it looks.

That's the thought that came to me as I toured the endless aisles of the International Home & Housewares Show in the Windy City recently. The show, the largest annual gathering of stuff for the home, attracted purveyors of every conceivable type of cooking gadget and new foodstuff. But even though the playing field was broad, the ideas coming out of the show were quite narrow.

Makers of kitchen appliances seem to have all shared a common idea ofwhat we 're eating and how we're consuming it. Rice cookers, from the simplest to dizzyingly complicated, were everywhere. So were crock pots and personal coffee makers. Those three items were found in overwhelming abundance. It was as if appliance makers throughout the globe saw us eating stew over rice washed down with a cup of coffee.

Great new food ideas apparently are in short supplies. I saw the same old crackers, teas, chocolates, condiments and salad dressings. The last thing a busy cook needs is another flavored olive oil.

Which could be why Seasoned Skewers stood out. The product, which won't start shipping to retail stores until May, is both innovative and brilliant in its simplicity. Callison, a company in Washington state, has developed a line of flavored wooden skewers that can be used on chicken, beef, pork, fish, seafood, baked potatoes and other vegetables. The sticks are infused with natural oils and herbal extracts that impart flavor from the inside out as the meat, fish or vegetables are cooked. They're so simple and don't require any other flavoring agents (except salt and pepper to taste). You simply skewer your food, let the food infuse for about 10 minutes, then cook the skewers on a grill, in the oven or a counter-top grill press. To add an extra jolt of flavor you can soak the sticks in beer, wine or sake. Voila, you have a meal that tastes like you marinated.

Callison knows something about infusing flavor. The family-owned business has been responsible for putting the mint flavoring into chewing gum since 1903. Seasoned Skewers, in essence, is simply working with the same concept but a different type of stick.

The results are tasty. A lot of show attendees were attracted to the Seasoned Skewers booth because of the aroma of the sticks working their magic on shrimp. In addition to flavor, there are other benefits. There's no messy marinade; the skewers are fat free; the sticks are rectangular shaped so food won't spin; and you can please everyone with the various flavors available. Flavors include honey bourbon, Thai coconut lime, garlic herb, Indian mango curry, Mexican fiesta and citrus rosemary.

The website www.SeasonedSkewers.com will soon have a ``Where To Buy'' function so you can find a local retailer. You'll probably be able to buy them in May at Target and Williams-Sonoma. The price is $7.99 for a packet of 10 skewers.

The upcoming grilling season now looks a little brighter.