It’s difficult to just passively watch “The Bear.” The award-winning FX show about the inner workings of a high-pressured chef and his staff in a Chicago restaurant features such delectable food that there’s a constant urge to eat the screen.
Everything from the Italian beef sandwiches to the honey buns is the work of culinary producer Courtney Storer. A former chef at various Los Angeles hot spots, she now helps prepare all the real food used on camera. (“The Bear” is currently in production for its third season.) Storer also recently launched her Los Angeles-based catering company, Coco’s to Go-Go, and often posts her creations on her Instagram.
“This is such an incredible opportunity that I do not take for granted,” she says. “But I am juggling a lot right now!”
Cut to the chef’s partnership with Amazon Devices. Thanks to smart products like the Amazon Echo Show 15, Storer says her L.A. home kitchen has become substantially saner. “It’s a really useful tool for scheduling and managing all these tasks in my worlds so I can stay organized,” she says. “And if someone on ‘The Bear’ says, ‘Hey, go develop a donut,’ I can just go, ‘Alexa, pull up donut recipes.’ Then I see it on the screen so I can create it.”
Below, the culinary producer and chef shares eight of her kitchen essentials with CNN Underscored.
Though fancy mixers and food processors get the job done, Storer says this two-speed stainless steel hand blender is highly effective. “You don’t always need?everything?in the kitchen,” she says. “Work your way up. It’s less expensive.” With a 300W motor, the mixer is great for smoothies, purees, soups and more.
This foldable digital red meat thermometer may be compact, but Storer says it assists her big-time. “It’s really helpful as I’m cooking these bigger pieces of protein,” Storer says. “This is such a good way to practice cooking things at temperature,” she adds. “Get one!” The thermometer also works well for prepping vegetables and fish.
Storer keeps this 15.6-inch device on her kitchen countertop. “It’s the best sous chef I ever had,” she says. Aside from instant recipe access and music selections, she also uses the device's Alexa feature for measurement conversions.
Storer says she’s trying to train her team to be more eco-friendly in the kitchen. That practice includes using microfiber?bar mop towels?to clean instead of disposable paper ones. She also prefers using these stylish, washable linen napkins at the dinner table. “They’re really beautiful and will stand the test of time,” she says. “And they make a great gift!”?
Take it from a pro: You can’t go wrong with a bold and beautiful serving platter. “It adds a little personality to whatever you’re making,” she says. “I also think it can be an inspiration to your meal. It’s like an illustration.” Storer’s pick is this colorful ceramic piece from Maisonette, which can hold six oysters or be filled with chips and vegetables for parties. As she puts it, “It’s a showstopper!”
Call it her not-so-secret ingredient. “I probably go through four tins of olive oil a week,” she says. “It’s my favorite thing to cook with, and if you buy in bulk, it’s affordable.” Her go-to is this cold-pressed oil made with Nocellara del Belice olives from Sicily.
“I love having an apron,” she says. And of all the aprons on the market, Storer loves this cozy one from Everybody.World. Made from recycled scraps and sustainably sourced cotton, the apron is adjustable around the neck and includes front pockets. “It’s really easy to tie it — I can do it with one hand,” she adds. “And it gets softer after every wash.”??
Storer is a fan of this European beech wood board — that’s designed with two faces —?from chef Matty Matheson’s line. (Matheson also works with her on “The Bear”). “It can absorb all those knife cuts, doesn’t move around and you can serve food on top of it,” Storer says.
