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"Diets" Grains & Seeds Three
Bites II
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Kitchen Tools I Love I am an avid internet shopper and, as if you couldn't tell, my favorite place to shop is Amazon.com. If you see something you like, please click on a link from my page and it will take you directly to their store so you can buy it. When purchased this way (through my links), I get a wee bit of money paid to me by Amazon as a thanks for directing traffic to their site. It's a very small amount of money but it will (hopefully) help me maintain this website. And even if it doesn't, I don't mind giving a plug to my favorite store. They have been very good to me over the years. Cookware I have a 10 piece set from Farberware which is decent, but my favorites are the three All Clad pieces I received as wedding presents. It's the brand the pros use and believe me, if you buy All Clad, you'll have it forever. It's just that good. A good skillet is good to have along with a dutch oven and a chefs pan. I am slowly going to replace my Farberware with All Clad during the next several years. It's expensive, so I can't just buy what I want in one fell swoop. My husband would have a panic attack! Below are the three I currently own. I love and highly recommend them.
Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer I use my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer all the time. It's great- it has a "hub" to which different attachments are secured including a meat grinder, vegetable strainer, slicer/shredder, can opener, pasta roller and pasta plates to make spaghetti and there is even an ice cream maker.
Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker I should be ashamed of myself! Not! Remember.... all things in moderation. I make a small batch of ice cream and put them in those tiny 1/2 cup Glad Ware storage containers to freeze. I pull one out when I need a treat. Is this the most used appliance in my kitchen? No way - I use my food processor and stand mixer way more often. But I do love homemade ice cream which explains it's place on the list. When I purchased it, I bought the least expensive version Cuisinart offered at the time (keep it simple stupid, right?). It works out well considering I'm exercising portion control but it you want to make several different batches in the same day, you'll need one with a compressor so you don't have to wait 24 hours to freeze the bowl. I don't think the one I purchased is available anymore but below are a few good ones (including one that can make batch after batch without "freezer" breaks).
Food Processor The workhorse of any kitchen. It chops onions, minces garlic, purees soups and sauces and generally makes your life in the kitchen easy. I have the basic Cuisinart but it's many years old and I'm afraid it's overstayed it's welcome. The "bowl" is pretty small.... with only a 7 cup capacity it's too small to make Rick Bayless's roasted tomato salsa so I'm going to upgrade. I've been lusting after the new one from Kitchen Aid (along with their waffle iron). Here's the one I have:
The one I want:
Blender Although my Cuisinart food processor is wearing out (when I push the pulse button, it doesn't always make the connection and I have to hold the cover on it a certain way to get it to run), my Cuisinart blender is awesome. And I've had both for a little over 7 years. Not bad. It may not be something you use every day (or even every week for that matter) but when you need it, you can't do without it. Margarita anyone?
Immersion Blender I use my immersion blender every time I make soup or want to blend my tomato sauce (if I don't want any chunks in it). It's also great for making smoothies and shakes. Not a must have item, but it's useful if you do.
Pressure Cooker I absolutely love my pressure cooker. I read an article in Saveur about the benefits of using one and it listed their best choices. The one that was most highly recommended was the only one that wasn't completely hideous. It's sleek and beautiful. After a long day at work in the fall and winter, I can make a delicious beef stew in minutes and it'll taste like it was cooking on the stovetop for hours. It's also an easy, no-fuss way to make risotto (no constant stirring!). It's awesome.
Deep Fryer My husband bought this while watching the Home Shopping Network. I have to say, it's great but it's a pain to clean (a bit bulky). But you can take out the electric heating element and immerse the whole box in the sink or take it apart and put it in your dishwasher so it's completely cleanable (if there is such a word). Some say that if you "flash fry" something at a very high temperature, it seals up the outside, not letting any of the oil or grease to be absorbed. I have a hard time believing this is true and for that reason I haven't used it in over a year. But in my new quest for "everything in moderation" I may try making a small batch of fritters or crab cakes in it.
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Recipes:******************* Appetizers
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