Home Cook like a Pro Chef: Resources for Home Cooks in Grand Forks

As home cooks, we always want to be expanding both our skills and our recipe book. Whether we choose to entertain or not, we all want to feed either ourselves or our families delicious, nutritious, and varied meals. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to find what we need, especially once our repertoire expands beyond the meals we grew up eating. As our repertoire expands, so does our pantry and refrigerator selection, and it can be tricky to keep them stocked with new and exciting ingredients for us to cook with. The supermarket doesn’t always have what we need, and buying from online retailers is always a gamble when it comes to quality and freshness. Thankfully, though, that doesn’t have to be the case, because Grand Forks and the surrounding area can provide all we could ever need to take our home cooking to the next level.

Any home cook knows the struggle. You’ve just had an incredible meal at a new Indian or Thai restaurant, and you want to know how you can recreate this from the comfort of your own kitchen. You look online to find an authentic recipe, and realize that you don’t have half the required ingredients. What’s worse, you’re not even sure you’ve seen some of them in the grocery store or supermarket! As a home cook myself, I know the struggle, but let me assure you that Grand Forks has got what you need.

Just a short drive north of Toucan on North Washington, the castle-styled walls of FM International Market are sure to draw your eye. As soon as you walk through the doors, the aroma of spices and produce is sure to get that appetite going, and get you excited to whip up your next home-cooked international masterpiece. Stocked wall-to-wall with spices, pantry staples, specialty ingredients from most anywhere in the world you can name, instant meals, sauces, and drinks, there’s almost nothing you won’t be able to find here. When I tell you I almost yelled with excitement (more than once) on my first trip here when I saw ingredients that every YouTube cook told me would be almost impossible to source (Vietnamese pickled mustard greens, anyone??), it’s not an exaggeration. My favorite part of this market is their fresh produce and their impressive frozen selection. You’ll find fresh lemongrass, Thai basil, cassava, fresh chilis from all over, and likely a few produce selections you’ve never seen that are sure to inspire your next home cooked meal. Their freezers are stocked full of meat and seafood such as pork belly, whole duck, lamb and goat, squid and octopus, as well as a great selection of dumplings and potstickers, rice cakes like ttoekbokki, sweets, and so much more. The first time you shop here, make sure you give yourself plenty of extra time, because you can truly lose yourself in the wealth of inspiration you’re sure to find for your next home cooking adventure.

Now, maybe you’re content to let the professional chefs do what they do best and satisfy your international meal cravings at a local restaurant (of which, Grand Forks has many superb options — House of Punjab, Seoul Kitchen, Little Bangkok, Kaizen, Safari, and West African Cuisine, just to name a few). Maybe you’re more interested in honing your home cooking skills on summertime’s favorite cooking implement: the grill. From burgers, brats, and barbecue, to thick and juicy steaks and pork chops, Grand Forks and the surrounding area is sure to satisfy in all things that sizzle.

Located on South Washington in the Grand Cities Mall in Grand Forks, the Toucan International Market is a great, centrally located stop for many of your international home cooking needs. The intuitive layout, paired with the friendly and knowledgeable owners, will help you find what you’re looking for quickly and without fuss. From pantry staples such as a wide variety of noodles, rice, beans, and spices, to a central aisle of any condiment you can think of from around the world, Toucan International Market is sure to provide most anything you can think of for cooking delicious Indian, East Asian, and Mediterranean meals at home. If you’re looking for something to make quickly on those busy weekdays, you won’t be disappointed by Toucan’s selection of frozen, microwaveable, and ready-to-make meals. If you’re a lover of instant ramen like me and haven’t had a chance to try the Shin or Buldak brands, definitely don’t pass up the opportunity to pick some up here. The Shin Black and Buldak Carbonara are two of my personal favorites. Finally, no great home cooked meal is truly complete without a sweet treat to finish things off. You’ll be sure to find something new, unique, and delicious in Toucan’s international sweets section — I’m partial to the Swiss brand Milka’s line of amazing chocolates.

If meat is what you’re looking for, look no further than L&M meats, located on South Washington in Grand Forks. Voted People’s Choice “Best Meat Department” since 2013, there’s nowhere better to stock up for your summer grill-outs. You’ll find a wide variety of USDA certified, premium proteins that are sure to satisfy even the most discerning meat lover. They have all the classics — steak, pork chops, burgers, chicken, seafood — as well as choices you won’t usually find in supermarkets such as lamb, duck, pheasant, geese, and even buffalo in a range of preparations. You also won’t want to pass up their homemade sausages, smoked in-house and made in the tradition of Laddie Novak Sr., who brought his original recipes from Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Along with their sausages, L&M Meats has the best selection of bratwurst you’ll find in Grand Forks. Bacon cheddar brats, Cajun brats, mango jalapeño brats, Hawaiian brats, saurkraut brats, chicken and buffalo brats…the list goes on and on. Pick up any of them, or pick up all of them, you really can’t go wrong. A full list of flavors, along with their whole selection of products, can be found here. When the cookout season comes to a close, there’s no need to worry — they’ve still got you covered. No serious home cook’s repertoire is complete without a charcuterie board, and L&M Meats is ready to help you fill it. Their selection of summer sausage, snack sticks and jerky (featuring numerous flavor options in beef, as well as buffalo and elk), sliced-to-order deli meats and hard meats like salami and pepperoni, and cheeses of all varieties and flavors are sure to help you build a bountiful charcuterie board that’s guaranteed to impress at your next dinner party or family gathering.

Just an hour away from Grand Forks in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, you’ll find Szymanski Farms. They’re a small family farm specializing in 100% natural, grass-fed beef, lamb, and pork, and have been raising animals in the area for 25 years. All their animals are born and raised with no hormones, chemicals, antibiotics, or GMO grains, so you can be sure that the meat you’re getting is high quality and healthy. Whether you’re home cook who’s interested in farm-to-table ingredients, or you’re someone who wants to know that the meat you’re getting is ethically raised, Szymanski Farms is a phenomenal option near the Grand Forks area. You can even call for a farm tour, so you can see for yourself how the animals are kept and raised and be sure of the product you’re getting. Szymanski Farms offers their products in individual cuts or as quarter, half, and whole animals, so whether you’re simply interested in buying from a quality, family farm, or if you’re trying to buy in bulk to feed a large group or to stock your deep-freeze, they’ve got you covered. You can visit their website here or contact them via Facebook. You can also meet them at the Grand Forks Town Square Farmers Market. Speaking of which…

No matter how you’re interested in expressing your home cooking skills, cooks of all types can agree that fresh, in-season ingredients can make all the difference in a meal. So to round out this list, I’d like to share a resource that home cooks of any persuasion will find useful.

Located in downtown Grand Forks just off the Red River, the Town Square Farmers Market is a yearly event that started in 2001. Taking place every Saturday between June and September, this farmers market is more than a place for a home cook to source quality, local, seasonal ingredients. It’s an integrated market featuring farm fresh products, artisan goods, local artists, entertainment, and a beautiful community vibe that is sure to make you feel at home in Grand Forks. It’s a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon, enjoying the music and entertainment while you peruse the market stalls and develop relationships with the vendors and the community. You can take inspiration from the fresh, seasonal produce, or find a new favorite jelly, honey, or cheese that you won’t necessarily find in supermarkets. You can find custom, one-of-a-kind art, crafts, pottery, soaps, and jewelry from our many talented local artists. All this while snacking on delicious food, pastries, and other baked goods from local vendors. Home cook or not, the Town Square Farmers Market is something that everyone in the area should check out, because there’s something there for everyone, and the sense of community and togetherness simply can’t be beat. Check out the dates and vendors here!