Gadgets for the kitchen

ChancyW

I got an immersion blender the other day & I am in LOVE!

I would have had one years ago if I'd known how awesome they are!

You see, I usually drink Shakeology {an amazing drink with over 70 ingredients made from whole foods} for breakfast and I dirty my blender. Then I usually workout and then make my protein recovery drink and dirty my blender yet again!

Now that I have an immersion blender I can put some water in a cup and my Shakeology {or protein drink} powder and blend my drink in less than 10 seconds. Then I rinse and dry the immersion blender.

It takes all of about one minute from start to finish.

Talk about LITTLE things making a BIG difference.

I sure got sick of washing my {economy-sized, gigantic} blender twice a day, every day, week in and week out :-)



Have you found a gadget or gizmo that makes a SMALL yet BIG difference in your life?

ccaruso219

I never even thought about using my immersion blender for my shakes or smoothies. I have burned out 3 blenders so far making my smoothies. Thanks for that tidbit!!!!

Lyadeia

My digital food scale helps me out a lot because it measures in ounces and grams depending on the option you choose. Also, you can press "tare" after weighing something and then weigh something else with it without ever removing the first ingredient and dirty-ing up another plate or bowl. :bigsmile:

And I love my Slap Chop. Sounds stupid, but it takes me no time at all to chop stuff up for my recipes as opposed to sitting there and cutting, slicing, chopping etc. with a knife.

ltlemermaid

I LOVE my single serving GE blender --it came with 4-5 tall "cups" that you add food to, put the blender cap on it and mix it in the stand. Once done remove and put lip cover and drink straight from the cup---also has a lid if you need to travel with it. Less cleanup time and its fast too. Doesn't take up much room either on the counter.

melodys_attic

We were given a Braun immersion blender as a wedding shower gift 25 years ago and I've never looked back. What brand do you have though? I find I go through the newer ones a lot faster since the original died 5 years ago :C I like blended soups waaaay better than chunky ones so this blender is my friend.
Since I started this journey 20 pounds ago I've found it helpful that I picked up two very small cutting boards that I keep propped against the backsplash on the kitchen counter. They are easy to grab, wash, and USE! I also ordered a really good, really sharp knife and a peeler that is sharp and easy to grip. These really up the odds that I'll prepare veggies.
Another cool and simple thing is a real oldie. It's an apple corer and slicer. It looks like a cookie cutter with a circle in the middle and spokes out like a bicycle or sun. You perch it atop the apple, press, and boom! The core is out and you have lovely slices ready to arrange on a plate or put in a salad.
There's an online store called the Kitchen Niche that I've started ordering gadgets from. All their stuff is top quality and they stand behind it. If I order over $100 of stuff the shipping is free. Don't worry I don't work for them. I just figure there might be others out there who live places where there's no handy gourmet kitchen store that has good quality gadgets.

xo
Melody


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ivyjbres

I have a hamilton beach immersion blender, its lasted about a year so far, so keep your fingers crossed that it keeps going. It has an interchangeable whisk attachment that I love. It makes it so much easier when I have a recipe that has to be stirred constantly while its on the stove. Also, the immersion blender is perfect for making homemade guacamole (and baby food if your into that). I drink soy protein shakes when I have the spare cash; I don't think I would have kept drinking them if not for my blender, soy protein is way to gritty without it!

LadyBarb

My husband just bought me the vitamix blender.. so excited about it coming. Here is a link to some of the recipes from QVC

http://www.qvc.com/cd/pdf/wholefoodrecipe_cookbook_0809_LR.pdf?rewrite=no

anovasjo

My favourite piece of kitchen equipment is the set of Henckels as a graduation present. They are stellar!

Laceylala

For simplicities sake in the kitchen in the morning - my (second) magic bullet. That thing rocks for smoothies since it comes with serving cups, etc. I use it to blend up salad dressings and multitudes of other small batch things so I don't have to clean my huge 10 cup food processor!

My second fav piece of kitchen equipment is the mandolin slicer I have...oh and that stupid vidalia onion chopper you see on tv? that thing rocks too for cutting up veggies and fruit into tiny chunks.

Hammock

Interesting about the immersion blender! I have not thought to use mine, and i will now get it out and at the ready!!

Well, my question! I have a set of very sharp knives, and I keep them sharp! Even those, however, were almost not up to the daunting task of peeling a Butternut squash last week for a terrific slow cooker recipeIi have! Wow! It took 20 minutes just to get into it, peel it and chop. Maybe there is an easier way...?

I guess all of us have scales to weigh stuff on, and I love mine, with its great plastic bowl. What would I do without it?!!!

I would love to know if anyone has come across an online conversion table that is easy to read and has everything on it? I am always puzzling over these various weights and measures!

I have to laugh at myself when i try to figure out if i am eating a half a large apple, a small apple, or whatever!

I made my all-time favourite granola from the "Food Matters" book again this week -- for the first time since I started this programme --and this author is so relaxed and blase that he says things like ...Just take a nice generous serving...it's all so healthy because it's low on the glycemic index etc... For years I have been scarfing down a generous 1/2 cup along with a generous half cup of 2% yogurt, and a whole apple. Well when I counted the recipe ingredient by ingredient the other day,and then added the ypgurt and apple, I discovered that that was almost half of my daily caloric intake!!!! Now if I have it at all, I have 1/3 cup of granola, 1/3 cup of yogurt, and 1/2 apple, and even that is a calorically high breakfast! This calorie counting is really revealing! Who ever thought that one could put on weight eating granola which has no fat in it, and the entire 9-cup recipe only has 1/2 cup of maple syrup? Well, I was!!! I LOVE knowing my calories, and I love seeing the direct co-relationship between my caloric intake and my burning calories through exercise.