Tag: kitchen gadgets

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Tools of the Trade

4 Kitchen Gadgets that Every Creative Home Cook Needs

4 Kitchen Gadgets that Every Creative Home Cook Needs

Some of what makes cooking fun is when you get the chance to use a range of gadgets in the kitchen. There are some kitchen tools that can be stored away and just taken out when they need to be used, or there are larger gadgets that you might start to use day in and day out, with pride of place on the countertop. No matter what kind of cook you are, there are gifts and gadgets for you and for your kitchen space. It can make cooking simpler, especially on busy days, or make cooking for others something that is much more enjoyable. But what are the must-have gadgets for the kitchen these days? Here are some things that your kitchen can’t do without.

4 Kitchen Gadgets that Every Creative Home Cook Needs

Multi-Cooker: Several Kitchen Gadgets In One

There is no getting away from the fact that there is a range of multi-cookers out there on the market. Whether you choose an Instant Pot or a Ninja Foodi, there is a range of Ninja Foodi accessories and other items that can make your multi-cooker do much more for you. They can be anything from a slow cooker to a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, a yogurt maker, and everything in-between, so for busy households, it really can be a good thing for your kitchen.

Avocado Slicer

Avocados are something that can be quite hard to open. This can be very true if you’re not too confident with a knife, and don’t want to get “avocado hand” where you cut the middle of your palm open with a sharp knife! If you do like to eat them, then having an avocado slicer is so helpful, as it will make slicing up an avocado much easier and much safer. As well as having a safer knife, there is a scoop to get the avocado out with, as well as a handy tool to get the stone out of the avocado. It just fits in your drawer so is a must for every kitchen. I received one as a wedding gift and have found it very helpful.

Collapsible Colander

All kitchens need to have a colander, whether you are washing salad or draining spaghetti, it is a definite kitchen must-have. Traditional colanders can be quite bulky, though, taking up a lot of space in your home. That is why it can be a good idea to get a collapsible colander. It does the job that any colander would do, but it collapses and folds down flat so that it can be stored easily, whether that is in a kitchen cabinet or in a drawer.

Julienne Peeler

If you are someone who likes to cook and experiment with food, then you will know just how long some recipes can take. When you have to julienne some veggies, for example, it can take a long time to get them matchstick thin. A great gadget to get for the kitchen is a julienne peeler, which will cut things like carrots and zucchini up for you, speeding things up and meaning no cutting! A simple thing that is inexpensive, but can be a great addition to the kitchen.

More on Kitchen Gadgets

Find more in the Tools of the Trade category.

Categories
Tools of the Trade

Instapot Basics

Instapot Basics

Have you been hearing a lot about instant pots lately? I know I sure have. So I did a little digging and came up with some basic information about the instapot and what you can and shouldn’t use them for.

Instapot Basics

In this fast-paced modern world, it can be difficult to find the time to do most things other than work and sleep. With the demanding schedules of daily life and the ability to reach most people nearly 24 hours a day, it can be tough to find the time to make delicious healthy food. If you’re interested in making the leap to some carefree cooking, you might be interested in cooking with an Instant Pot.

What is an instapot?

Instapot is a Canadian brand of multicooker. A multicooker is an electronically controlled small kitchen appliance that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, steamer, rice cooker, yogurt maker, browning pan, and warming pot. The idea is to reduce the number of kitchen gadgets by consolidating a few into one piece of equipment.

How is an instapot different from other similar kitchen gadgets?

Unlike a standard pressure cooker, an instapot uses its own electricity and can be programmed up to a day in advance. Therefore it clears a burner on your stove and can, potentially, be more cost-effective.

The main difference between an instant pot and a slow cooker is that it is capable of cooking your food more quickly because of its pressure cooker function.

What can you cook in an instant pot?

There are a variety of things that you can cook in a multicooker. Here is a simple list to give you an idea:

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  • Yogurt
  • Rice
  • Risotto
  • Pilaf
  • Casseroles
  • Soup
  • Stew
  • Chili

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  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Oatmeal
  • Whole chicken
  • Baked potatoes
  • Warm salads
  • Warm dips and fondue
  • Cake
  • Puddings and custards

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What can you not cook in an instant pot?

Although you can cook a lot of things in a multicooker, there are limits to what it can do. Here are 5 things that you shouldn’t attempt to make in your instapot.

  • Deep-fried foods — they won’t get crispy
  • Cookies — ditto
  • Noodles — they create too much pressure
  • Creamy sauces — dairy tends to curdle
  • Pie — the pie crust will get too soft

There are other things that you should probably shun unless you know what you’re doing, but this is a list of things to avoid that most instapot experts agree upon.

What are the top benefits of using a multicooker?

Why would you want to own and use a multicooker? Here are three of the top reasons>

Cook food while you do other things

One of the primary reasons people shy away from cooking is the time it takes to make a good meal in the standard way. It takes time to cook food on a stovetop. With an Instant Pot, you can cook food very quickly, but you don’t have to be in the kitchen the entire time. There is a warm setting you can use for when the meal is done, so you can catch up on laundry or run a quick errand. On weekends, you can set it to cook and warm food while you complete important household tasks. The kind of freedom that a multicooker can provide is only limited by your imagination.

Makes cooking meat easier

One of the best things about a multicooker is the way that it can cook meat. Usually, meat preparation involves standing over the meat and moving it around periodically, which ties you to the task, making it very difficult to accomplish anything else during that timeframe. With an instapot, you can set it to start and stop cooking at the appropriate time and pursue other activities. Also, you can choose to cook meat without having to thaw it. All you have to do is set the timer to include the thaw time, and the Instant Pot will take care of the rest.

Save money on healthy food

Another upside to using a multicooker is the potentially massive savings on food. You won’t have to eat take out or order food in. You’ll be able to easily make fresh, healthy food at home almost as quickly (possibly even more quickly) than it would take to go out to eat.

Who should consider using an instapot?

Anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time on their hands is a good candidate for using a multicooker. However, it has a lot of benefits that are special to parents. New parents can make their own baby food, even in large batches. It also lets parents prep a meal while they aren’t busy caring for their little one and program it to cook when they are busy with the baby.

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Did I miss anything? What questions do you have about instapots? Ask in a comment below and I’ll work on another post to give you some answers.

Categories
Tools of the Trade

7 Unusual Kitchen Gadgets

7 Unusual Kitchen Gadgets

Everyone’s kitchen drawers are full of ordinary gadgets like peelers and potato mashers. For something a bit different, check out this list of seven unusual kitchen gadgets. At first glance, you might laugh or think they’re useless, but you just might find them indispensable in the kitchen as time goes on.

7 Unusual Kitchen Gadgets

Corn Desilker

Cleaning the silk from a fresh cob of corn is an irritating chore. The silk gets everywhere and sometimes doesn’t fully come away from the food, getting stuck in your teeth. Try a corn desilker for a smooth way to complete this job with ease. The desilker is in the shape of a ring with brushes facing inward. Just put the corn through it to clean off the silk. This can also be used for cleaning any cylindrical vegetable like cucumbers or summer squash.


Scramble Eggs Without Breaking Them

It’s possible to buy a device that lets you scramble the inside of the egg without breaking the shell. The gadget spins the egg to scramble the contents. When the egg is cooked, simply crack the shell and you have a scrambled egg ready to eat. This is almost more of a magic trick than a utensil. It will provide entertainment for your family, as well as being a practical product.

Rub Away Smells

A stainless steel bar is available which lets you get rid of the smell of onion, fish, or garlic on your hands. Just rub the bar between your hands until the smell is gone. This works by binding sulfur molecules on your hands with the stainless steel. This is a great gift for anyone who loves to cook, or for anyone who is especially sensitive to smells. You will still need to wash your hands with soap and water, but the pesky odor will be gone.

No Boring Butter

If you’re bored with pats of butter, try a gadget that curls, grates, and slices your butter. It works like a cheese slicer but is sized to fit a standard stick of butter. Decorate your family’s toast, bread, potatoes, and vegetables with artful curls of butter. The curls and thin slices are also much more spreadable than a standard pat of butter, cutting down on the problem of spreading cold butter and tearing your bread.


Helping Hands with Zipper Bags

Zipper bags are a great help in the kitchen. They can be used for storing food and leftovers and for food preparation tasks like crushing crackers. Holding a bag open to pour something in can be a difficult task if you are alone in the kitchen. It sometimes requires a great deal of creativity to get the food into the bag without making a mess. This gadget has plastic arms that hold the bag open so that liquid or food can be poured in easily.

Pancake Pourer

Kids love pancakes shaped like animals and letters, but they are difficult to pour using a standard ladle or cup. For shaped pancakes, you can buy a bottle with a special tip that makes creating a pancake as easy as writing on paper. It does take a bit of skill to write clearly, but if you put a little bit of time into it, you can make beautifully shaped pancakes. Your friends and family will be impressed.

Peel Shrimp in a Snap

Fresh shrimp is delicious, but cleaning and preparing it can be disgusting and time-consuming. Pick up a shrimp cleaner and deveiner and get everything you don’t want to eat off the shrimp in one easy step. The device works like a pair of tongs that slip inside the shell and devein the shrimp at the same time.


This list of seven quirky kitchen gadgets might help you prepare your food more easily while having fun. They would be great gifts for any home cook or a fun purchase for yourself.

About the Author

KatrinaKatrina is on the content team at www.bighivemind.com. She can be found around the web writing about health, nutrition, relationships, family and other lifestyle concerns. Katrina enjoys cooking, comedy and spending time with her adorable (but exhausting) young family.

Categories
Healthy Living

Tips To Boost Your Healthy Diet Plan

spinach and pomegranite seed salad
Image source

Are you trying to develop your own healthy diet plan? You know, one that is customized to your lifestyle, flavor preference, and, perhaps, your own unique health requirements? The basic rules of healthy eating are commonly known, as are the basic elements that need to be included in a healthful diet plan. But pulling one together that you actually enjoy is not always that easy.

You can always reach for a cookbook (I have reviewed several good options), but that often has you stumbling across delicious recipes that call for heavy amounts of butter or cream or some other yummy but not-so-good-for-you ingredient. At that point, you may not be sure what changes you can make to ensure you are eating well and staying away from the latest tabu of the healthy food world. In this post, I’m going to provide you with some guidance for using your kitchen creativity to improve the healthfulness of your meal preparation.

healthy diet plan - spinach and pomegranate seed salad
Image source

Healthy Diet Plan Option #1:
Coconut Oil and Other Coconut Products

coconut oilCoconut oil is a fantastic substitution for butter or oil. I enjoy it spread on toast instead of butter! Like other oil options, it helps prevent your food from burning. Keep in mind that recently burnt food has been identified as a detriment to longer living. In the UK they have been advised to step away from the roast potato with their traditional Sunday roast. However, one simple switch to coconut oil means they could still enjoy crispy, fluffy potatoes while avoiding the dark danger areas other fats may give them.

It isn’t just the oil of coconuts that is a great substitution for ingredients in many of today’s recipes. This large nut is full of delicious milk which can be used to replace cream, especially in Asian dishes and curries. The other day, I roasted a chicken in the slow cooker using coconut milk instead of regular milk. Very tasty!


Healthy Diet Plan Option #2:
Simplify Your Recipes

A simple way of kicking off your healthy eating and adding something new to your diet is by sticking to three main ingredients. For example, you could use avocado and chili and produce a delicious twist on basic guacamole by serving it on grilled sweet potato. Clean, healthy, and easy.

The idea behind simplifying your recipes is choosing fresh, seasonal, and flavor ingredients — in moderation — and allowing your pallet to really taste the food without over-complicating the meal. When you choose good, healthy ingredients, you don’t need a lot of them to create delicious meals.

Healthy Diet Plan Option #3:
Add Seafood

healthy shrip dinnerFish is really important in your diet. A fillet of wild salmon served with homemade pesto and a delicious rocket salad is a great way to improve your health without over complicating things. Shrimp and scallops are also quite healthy. And who doesn’t enjoy a well-prepared clam chowder?

Healthy Diet Plan Option #4:
Useful Kitchen Gadgets

Invest in one of these (www.blenderfriend.com/nutri-bullet-magic-bullet) food blenders and you could add a little more goodness to your day by juicing at breakfast instead of cracking open the cereal. When you use the right ingredients, you can pack a lot of nutrition into a moderate- to low-calorie smoothie.


Healthy Diet Plan Option #5:
Flavor Bursts and Smart Substitutions

You don’t need a kitchen full of gadgets or to be a well-practiced chef to get experimental with flavors or to make tweaks to your favorite meals. The sweet potato I mentioned earlier makes a fantastic chip. Fancy a taco? Try using iceberg lettuce as a shell and replacing the ground beef with ground turkey then dolloping your own homemade guacamole on top.

Get creative with using boldly (or exotically) flavored foods (sweet potatoes instead of standard potatoes) or substituting ingredients that are lower in fat and/or calories (lettuce instead of bread).

Healthy Diet Plan Option #6:
Reduce Gluten and Carbs

breadGluten has gotten a lot of press lately. It is linked to a variety of diseases and allergies. So experimenting with reducing or eliminating it from your diet might give you great results you weren’t expecting. Instead of traditional bread, you can substitute lettuce, gluten-free bread, or other gluten-free options.

Reducing carbohydrates — yep, that would be bread again — is another way to improve your diet. Whip up some homemade hummus — chickpeas, Tahini, garlic and lemon make the best hummus — and instead of dipping potato chips or pita wedges into it, go with raw carrots, broccoli or celery. You’ll get that satisfying crunch and a mouth full of flavors.

Make a few simple changes and your body will reward you with better hair, clearer skin, brighter eyes, and more energy — not to mention a more svelte profile.

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[one_third] Healthy Eating Worksheet [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

Download Now [/two_third_last]

Categories
Healthy Living

7 Kitchen Tools You Need To Stay Thin And Healthy

healthy choice - steamed vegetables
Steam your greens!

Are you frustrated with your attempts to make healthy food? Much of the stress generated by one’s kitchen is due to the accumulation of cookware — to the point where you don’t know where to find things. It takes some planning to maintain a stress-free kitchen that has space — both literally and mentally — for food inspiration. And this sort of project is worth the effort. Remember, the kitchen is at the heart of your household.

When you undertake a kitchen reorganization, it is wise to consider your health priorities. What do you need to turn your kitchen into a healthy paradise? Discover the 7 mighty tools to stay thin and healthy as you prepare yummy meals!

#1. High-Quality Blender and/or Food Processor

In the modern age, it is inconceivable to have a kitchen without a food processor or a blender. I know I would be lost without my Vitamix! These types of tools make it so much easier to prepare the variety of healthy ingredients available. Food processors and some blenders make cutting, slicing, chopping and, of course, blending a breeze.

Smoothies are a popular meal choice for health. And, a food processor can empower you to make a wide variety of sauces, pastes, soups and salsas with just the turn of a button. This keeps your recipes healthy and easy to do.

healthy choice - tropical smoothie
Embrace the smoothie trend

#2. Healthy Non-Stick Frying Pans

Most people’s diets fail once in the pan: Indeed sticky pans will require a lot of oil or grease to make sure that the food doesn’t burn or stick, and there go your dreams of a healthy vegetable omelet. In contrast, non-stick options, such as elegant pebble frying pans, will ensure that your food needs only a dot of oil to cook. So you control exactly what you eat.


#3 Steamer

There’s another way to cook your vegetables, and even your fish, without any oil, and this is with a steamer. You will find simple, inexpensive options that only need a pan of water or you can try a more advanced electric steamer. Both provide the same quality of results, so it’s up to you what you choose!

healthy choice - steamed vegetables
Steam your greens!

#4. Apple Divider

The apple divider is a smart tool that cuts your apple into manageable wedges. Not only is it inexpensive and easy to use, but it also guarantees that you’ll grab some fruit more often than not! You can find affordable and quality options directly in most grocery stores, as well as in your local IKEA. Keeping an apple divider visible by the bowl of fruits can have a very positive impact on your diet, as most people avoid eating fruits that demand too much work to prepare.


#5. Quality Zester

Skip the extra pinch of salt that can be unhealthy and grab a quality zester instead! I love mine, made by OXO. Using citrus zest in your everyday cooking is a delicious way of adding a refreshing and calorie-free touch to your favorite meals. You can also use it on whole nutmeg, garlic and even ginger. This simple utensil can completely change the taste of your salad or pasta dish with a tasteful and zingy flavor. I did tell you that healthy could be yummy too, right?

Lemon zest adds healthy zing to food
Lemon zest adds healthy zing to food

#6. Small Plates

Plates have become larger and larger — especially in America! — and it is now difficult for people to control their portion size. Adults shouldn’t need to eat more than what fits on a salad plate, which is around 9 inches wide. So check that your plates are up for it and discard anything that is bigger than 9 inches, as this will encourage you to fill it with more food, leading to you eating more than you truly need. You can find plenty of elegant salad plates in most shops and bring a new touch of fun to your kitchen.


#7. Small Shot Glasses

Small shot glasses, or espresso cups, are ideal for serving puddings and mousses. Indeed, their small sizes allow you to control the portions and the calories easily. Don’t worry, though; they have just the right size to satisfy all sweet cravings and make sure that everyone has had enough dessert. All you need now is to look for dark chocolate mousse recipes, or mini tiramisu perhaps. The choice of sweet is all yours!

fruit and pudding in a shot glass
Photo courtesy of Rita E

These are changes of habits that are worth embracing for a healthy lifestyle in the kitchen. After all, your health starts on your plate! So make the most of it and stock your kitchen with smart and helpful tools for a thinner and leaner you. You can go healthy without losing any of the pleasure of good food.

[divider]

[one_third] Healthy Eating Worksheet [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

Download Now [/two_third_last]

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