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Got this awesome gift for my dad

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 09:36:03 +0100

Got this for my dad for father's day 2016. He loved it! He said it had so much to choose from and everything was delicious! It was much bigger than I expected. It was also delivered with ice packs to keep everything from melting, which I was very thankful for.

It took a week to get to my dad even though it was supposed to be 2 day shipping, that's only reason I gave it four stars instead of five. But all together a great gift and I would definitely buy it again, I'd just order a little earlier next time

If you are searching for a great Christmas gift. I would suggest you to take a look here.

Select a blender that works great for your cooking job

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:58:26 +0100

A blender is a relatively simple machine—a blade, a jar, a couple of buttons that get everything going. If used properly, it can whip up smoothies, puree soups, and even blend nut butters. But use it incorrectly and you’ll have a sludge-like smoothie or, even worse, a blender that’s jammed and just can’t do the job. Here are 9 way to make sure your blender is doing its best for you every time you hit the power button.

1. Sometimes it’s okay to go cheap

If you’re constantly making hummus and nut butter and soups, you're going to want a high performance blender and not the $29 one. But if you're just doing basic icy drinks and smoothies, you don’t need to spend the extra money. A mid- to lower-priced blender will do a great job.

2. Order matters

One of the most important tips to keep in mind with any blender is the order of the ingredients that you're adding. As a rule of thumb, go from lightest to heaviest. That mean you should ALWAYS start with liquid, and make sure it covers the blades (usually that means about a cup of liquid). "When liquid goes in first, it helps move the ingredients around the jar,” says Pat Schweitzer, Director of the Consumer Test Kitchen at Hamilton Beach. “Then add fresh fruit, then frozen fruit, then ice last.”

3. Avoid bubbles

The issue of cavitation—when your blender gets stuck because of a big air bubble—is one that can literally stop you in your tracks. To prevent lock-up, be sure to keep a good balance between the ice (or any frozen food) and the liquid that you're combining. You can also use the "Pulse" feature to dislodge it. Also, feel free to impress your friends with your new vocabulary.

4. Tamp it down

If you’re using your blender to make thick and creamy foods like hummus or nut butters, the blades can also get stuck and stop moving. But adding more liquid may not do your recipe justice. To get everything back in motion, use the blender’s tamper—a piece that fits in the top of the blender and can be used to move the food around while the device is running.

5. Cut to fit

For round food objects such as apples, chop them in half before placing them in the jar. Cut all fresh food items to fit in half the height of the jar. (Full article here)

Great power for a hand mixer

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:43:22 +0100

I just bought this mixer after reviewing Amazon comments and other Web sites. Amazon users give the Cuisinart mixed reviews, but several other sites, such as Cooks.com give it very high marks -- equal to or better than the KitchenAid. It came down to this mixer or a KitchenAid. I decided to buy the Cuisinart, based on the 3-year warranty. One use tells me the mixer has the power I need. It feels and looks first rate, and the beaters do a great job. I agree with everything the first reviewer said in his excellent review, except I don't think the beater release is all that flimsy, unless you are trying to jam attachments in that aren't made for the unit. I'd be reluctant to use other brand dough hooks or attachments as he suggested.

The ones I have from a previous mixer are not only larger on the tips (he filed those down) but are also a bit thicker on the shafts. I think you're asking for trouble if you try to force other units' attachments into this mixer. I rate it four stars because Cuisinart doesn't even make dough hooks for this model -- then again, I've never found dough hooks to be very useful on a hand mixer. Oh yeah, I got this baby at "Bad Breath and Beyond" for $49 after I used the 20% coupon. But mine is ALL CHROME top to bottom -- it looks and feels totally awesome! I'll try to update this review after I've used the mixer a while longer.

Learn more: Hand mixer vs stand mixer by Epicurious

ONE YEAR UPDATE:

The mixer continues to perform as expected. I mainly use it for cookie dough, cake mixes, and mashed potatoes. It slugs through them exactly as I'd want. The "soft" start is really a nice feature as it keeps things from flying all over the kitchen when the beaters start up. I think I saw the price had come down $10 at Bed Bath and Beyond, making the mixer an even better value. - S. Depenning