Appliances that Change Your Life: Microplane

It is amazing to me that I have a never ending source of kitchen gadgets. Sadly, I use/need them all!

What is a micro plane? It is not a mini-airplane, but it is a mini grater! This is one of those gadgets that doesn't take up a lot of room, and you use will use it more then you think.

Microplanes are most often used for zesting. Zesting is when you finely grate the peels of fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes (pretty much an citrus). Also commonly used for nutmeg and garlic!

Other things I use it for: grating hard cheeses for sauces, pastas, or any other item in need of some cheese. I finely grate chocolate for decorating cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, and again, anything that needs a chocolate touch. I have also used to on different vegetables in order to throw in some extra veggie power.

Microplanes are very inexpensive, can be found as low as $10.

Now go buy one, you know you want to.

Appliances that Change Your Life: Good Knives

While I joke that kitchen tools can change you life, I really do think that have a good set of knives can change your life, especially in the kitchen.

We purchased our knives almost a year ago, and never regretted the purchase. Good knives are an investment, especially if you want ones that will last and will cut with ease. One thing we found is that buying knives separately as opposed to a set was a better deal. Sometimes when you buy them in a set you end up with knives you may not use, or may not need to spend the extra money on. For example, we do not need super nice steak knives, so we just stuck with our old ones. We decided to purchase a bread knife, a tomato knife (yes they really make them, great for fruits or veggies with soft skin), a basic chefs knife, a paring knife and kitchen shears.

So, what I suggest you do is look at the different types of knives and decide on the ones you would use the most! It makes a huge difference wiehn it comes to kitchen conviences. Just watch out, I think I sliced my fingers 5 or 6 times in the first month we had them, you would be surpsied at how sharo they are, but that is what makes them so good!

Amazon.com is a great place to buy knives. Need help deciding what you need? Go here for a great site that breaks it all down for you.

Fun New Toys!

I had a birthday recently, and I spent some of my birthday money on some new kitchen toys!

I got a Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Bakeware 9-Inch Springform Pan, Norpro 12-Count Nonstick Mini Donut Pan, (yes I said donut!), Baker's Secret Basics Nonstick Petite Loaf Pan, and a Baker's Secret Basics Nonstick 24-Cup Mini Muffin Pan. 

I am so excited to use them all, especially the donut pan. Stay tuned for recipes!

Appliances that Change Your Life: Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender

Have you ever made a soup or a sauce and have to go through the process of pouring it into a blender or food processor? And then it is too hot and it splatters hot liquid all over you? And then you have to pour it back in the pan and some how it doesn't all make it back in and it drips all over the floor?

If that sounds familiar, then the Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender will change your life!

This is a great little appliance that you can use to blend up soups or sauces while it is still in the pan! The way it works is you can either blend some or all of the soup or sauce. An immersion blender saves so much time and hassle. When you have one, I think you will see that you will use it more then you think. I end up partially blending soups that I never did before. Also, if you make a sauce, you don't have to chop up the garlic,onion, or tomatoes so small, you can just use the immersion blender after it has cooked!

I recommend the Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender, but there are several types you can get. Immersion blenders can be found pretty much anywhere from Walmart to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to Amazon.com The price depends on which kind you buy, but they range between 15-100 dollars.

Appliances That Change Your Life: Cuisinart Professional Stainless Steel Mandoline Slicer

 Do not confuse a mandoline with a mandolin. I am not telling to go out and buy a musical instrument for your kitchen (though mood music would be a nice touch). A mandoline is a wonderful kitchen appliance that changed my life.

A mandoline is basically a fancy slicer.The mandoline slices in several widths and thicknesses. It also makes slices, waffle cuts and crinkle cuts with firm vegetables and fruits.

We use it to make french fries and to slice potatoes into discs for recipes like au gratin potatoes. I have also used it to slice carrots, zucchini, and cucumber. But, we mostly use it to make french fries. Do you think it is dumb to have an appliance that really only has one use? Do you own a toaster? Yah, that's what I thought.

You may be telling  yourself, "well what is so great about a mandoline?". My attitude about cooking is the more short cuts you make on the mundane tasks, the more time you have to concentrate on the actual food! And the mandoline will "slice" your time in half.

Anyway, I know not everyone needs one of these, but I am sure glad we have one!

Appliances That Change Your Life: Deep Freezer

This is one of those appliances that are not for everyone, but is definitely is for me! We recently purchased our deep freeze at Costco (they are having a great deal on these until the end of the month). It is a 7 cubic foot deep freezer, which is plenty big for our family. We have only had it a week, but it has changed my life already.

If you haven't already noticed,  I am a big fan of having a lot of food around, and being prepared. I also enjoy having easy quick meals to prepare on those lazy nights, and most of these easy meals live in the freezer. I also have a specific brand of sandwich bread I like to buy, which is not sold at most grocery stores. So, when I do get a chance to buy it, I tend to buy several loaves and freeze them!

Whenever I would go grocery shopping I would have to consciously think about the freezer items I would buy, knowing that I may not have room! Now, I have been grocery shopping, and I bought two of everything so I could have extra (and have something to put in my new freezer). My favorite part is I have been making extras of my meals and freezing the extras for future meals. Fantastic!

Oh and if we ever lose power for a long period of time, party at my house!

Appliances That Change Your Life: Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

I always wanted a Kitchen Aid, but I did not realize the wonders of it until I had one. It has revolutionized my baking. Soon after I bought it I made 5 different types of cookies in one night for a bake sale. It only took me three hours, when it would have normally taken the entire day! Also, it made it so much easier to do my 25 Days of Treats.

Some people may have other stand mixers that work just fine for them. I, however feel that Kitchen Aid is the best. Don't laugh, but the horse power on that thing is amazing. It can stir through the thickest of doughs like it is water. I have definietly used and abused it, and it works just like the day we bought it.

My favorite part about the kitchen Aid is all the attachments. We only have the paddle, the dough hook and the whisk. I hope to soon get the pasta attachment, the ice cream attachment, and the meat grinder attachment. The best part is, you can get rid of some of your bulky appliances like the bread maker, the ice cream make, etc.

If you are able to purchase any kitchen appliance I would first buy the kitchen aid before all others. There have been a lot of great deals on Kitchen Aid's the past few months, so if you are interested in buying one I would shop around and get the best deal. It'll change your life, I promise!

Appliances That Change Your Life: Cuisinart DLC-2014CHB 14-Cup Food Processor

In my world, there are certain kitchen appliances that change my life. Here is one:

This is our new Cuisinart DLC-2014CHB 14-Cup Food Processor. It has a 14-cup work bowl, a wide mouth feed tube that holds whole fruits and vegetables, stainless steel medium slicing disc, a stainless steel shredding disc, a chopping/mixing blade and PowerPrep metal dough blade.

I love that it can grate cheeses and veggies, slice meats, fruits, veggies and cheese, mix dough, and of course, chops up all sorts of foods! I bet if you asked nice, it would even clean your oven.The best part is that it is so quiet and fast. I think it chopped up an entire onion in 10 seconds and grated a half pound of cheese in about 8 seconds. It also does not have a lot of confusing settings or buttons, it is very basic. It is stainless steel, which means it looks nice and we can leave it out on our counter for easy access.

One problem I have with it is adding or removing the hardware. It takes some practice, but you get used to it!

Everyone needs to have a good food processor, especially if you make a lot of home cooked meals. Because they are so multifunctional, it can do many things you would normally do by hand and it saves you time! If you are interested in purchasing a food processor, they can be pricey, so shop around before you buy. Also, make sure you know what size you want. If you get one that is too little, you may have to chop some of your food before you put it in, and that is just silly! My husband researches a lot before we purchase more expensive items. This is a great idea so you know you aren't paying more for options you may not use and customer reviews are very helpful. Costco has this Cuisinart along with a coupon that expires at the beginning of next month. In our search for the food processor we also found that Walmart over all has the best prices. Though, this may be a good black Friday or holiday sale item, keep a look out in the ads!

Do you have a food processor that you love or hate? Tell me about it!