Why FarmSteady
If I had my way, I would be one of those people who doesn’t buy anything (within reason, of course) from the store. You need a loaf of bread? I got you. You need a jar of pasta sauce? Come, let’s make it together. This way, I know exactly what’s in my food. Nowadays, you can never be too careful.
So when I was contacted about FarmSteady to try their “Everything Bagel and Cream Cheese Making Kit,” I was all for it. I’ve never made bagels before, didn’t know the process and sadly, have never eaten warm bagels fresh out the oven. So why not?
That experimental nature is the exact reason Erica Shea and Stephen Valand founded FarmSteady. They are also the founders of The Brooklyn Brew Shop, which teaches people how to make beer.
“We’ve discovered that great food is just like great beer: with quality ingredients and some basic know-how, you can make tons of super healthy, super delicious food, all from scratch,” said Valand. “The goal of FarmSteady is to show people how!”
The Plan Behind FarmSteady
The couple came up with the idea after recreating several “housemade” items from menus when they went out to eat.
Their thinking: “If they made this, right here, could we make it, too? Can it be this tasty?” I was up for the culinary adventure. That is until I opened the box.
I read the ingredient cards and immediately felt overwhelmed. Like I bit off more than I could chew even though everything was provided including the cheese cloth. The only things I had to buy was milk and heavy cream.
I’m not going to lie, it took me months to take on what I thought would be a difficult task. That’s mostly because I had just moved and getting settled took a lot longer than I expected. But in all honesty, it wasn’t hard at all. FarmSteady made the entire process a breeze.
The Unboxing of FarmSteady
Sure, making the cream cheese took a couple days because I had to wait for the ingredients to curdle. I had no idea that’s how cream cheese was made. Did you?
But making the actual bagels was super easy. I opted to do plain bagels because I knew that I could customize them the way I wanted, which is exactly what I did for a brunch for two complete with mimosas. I figured warm bagels would be a nice idea for our first elaborate meal in our new apartment.
I smeared mine with the cream cheese, capers and smoked lox. I made parsley eggs and bacon for my husband. And because he doesn’t eat plain cream cheese, I mixed some with some fresh strawberries to make him strawberry cream cheese.
The bagels came out smaller than I expected, but I loved that it gave them personality. They also weren’t the same size or the best circles for that matter. They had a slight crunch on the outside, which I really enjoyed when I bit into each one. The inside was soft with a slight chew, but held up well to all the toppings. It was definitely worth having them fresh out of the oven.
There was something so comforting about them being warm in my hands and not toasted, which is typically how I eat bagels. To know I made them with my own two hands impressed even me. It’s something I will definitely try again.
