Category

Small Appliances

Category

Air Fryers have been a hit this year as everyone is spending more time at home during this pandemic. I love the concept of air frying, but I hate having an added appliance in the kitchen that takes up more counter space.

Hamilton Beach has created the Easy Reach Sure-Crisp Air Fry Toaster Oven, which is a 2 in 1 toaster and air fryer in a nice compact size. It still has enough room for six slices of toast, a 12” pizza, and even a 9”x11” baking pan.

We got sent one to give it a try in the kitchen to test it.

Viewability

One thing I love about this Air Fry Toaster Oven is the ability to look inside to made adjustments as you go. With other air fry machines, you have to open up the machine to see inside.

When I was cooking a few different dishes inside the Air Fry Toaster Oven, I love watching the items cook.

Roll Top Door

I love how the door just rolls up when you open it. Removing food from the oven is easy and you won’t burn yourself in the process.

Reheating Food

I really enjoyed using this to cook small quantities of food when you don’t want to turn on the regular oven.

Large Capacity

We found that the air fry basket does hold a good amount of food compared to other air fryers. Just make sure not to overcrowd the basket like us as it takes a little longer to cook.

Heating

I do miss the digital temperature monitor so you can see if the oven has come up to the correct temperature before putting food in.

Included Accessories

The oven comes with a small mesh basket for air frying, bake pan, broil rack, and a slide-out crumb tray. You don’t need to purchase anything extra. It’s all ready to use on any mode.

Timer Setting

The oven has a 30 minute timer with a stay-on setting, auto shutoff, and a ready bell. It helps keep track of your cooking time. If you want it to be longer, you can turn it on the ‘Stay On’ Setting to extend the cooking time if needed.

Final Thoughts

We tested the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach Sure-Crisp Air Fry Toaster Oven for a few months now to see how it performs. It’s great for reheating food and the air fry mode helps get our food nice and crispy.

The size is very large yet compact for a counter top appliance. The downside is we wish there was a digital thermometer to indicate that the toaster is up to temperature.

Nonetheless, it’s a great Air Fry Toaster Oven for under $100.

Website:
https://hamiltonbeach.ca/easy-reach-sure-crisp-air-fryer-toaster-oven-31523c

Nespresso has just launched their latest and most affordable Vertuo machine – Vertuo NEXT. It starts at $199 CDN and available online at Nespresso.ca.

We have used their Vertuo machines for the last few years and we personally prefer it as it makes 5 different coffee sizes. Anywhere from an Espresso (40ml) to an Alto (414ml). If you have different types of coffee drinkers in the house or office, this is definitely a great option.

If you’re worried about sustainability, 54% of the Vertuo NEXT is made of recycled plastic.

Size

The Vertuo NEXT has the smallest counter footprint of the Vertuo range. It’s not as bulky when it sits on the counter top, which makes it great for condo living. If you’re looking for the smallest machine possible from Nespresso, this wouldn’t be it. Their Original machines are small and compact, but the coffee section is more limited.

Colours

It comes in 4 different colours that match any decor – Cherry Red, Light Grey, White, and Dark Gray.

Capsules

The Vertuo NEXT uses an intelligent extraction system that recognizes each Nespresso coffee. Thanks to the barcode on the rim of each capsule, brewing parameters are adjusted automatically by the machine depending on the selected Nespresso coffee. This delivers the best in-cup result with just one button.

If you’re new to Nespresso’s lines of coffee, its best to get an assortment of their best selling Vertuo capsules to get a taste of what they can offer.

I personally prefer any of the capsules in the Espresso and Double Espresso range. Melozio is also another favourite.

Aeroccino

If you bundle the Vertuo NEXT with a Aeroccino milk frother, it will be $269, which isn’t a bad price for the bundle. The Aeroccino on it’s own is $99. If you enjoy lattes, this is a must.

Final Thoughts

The upfront cost of the Vertuo NEXT isn’t bad at all considering each cup of coffee is around $1. The quality of the coffee is solid. In times like these where we are stuck working from home, it’s a great option.

Website:
https://www.nespresso.com/ca/en

We’ve had the Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill for over a month and since it is still cold outside, cooking on the outdoor grill is a bit of a pain. It’s hard to enjoy the great outdoors when it’s raining or snowing.

The Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill brings grilling into the comfort of your own home no matter what the weather is like outside. I’ve always been curious about indoor grills as I set off smoke alarms attempting to grill inside with gas stoves. It has never gone well. So, we had to test out the Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill to see if it’s worth the price tag.

Fast Set Up

Once you take it out of the box, all you need to do is put on the grill, slide in the drip tray, and plug it into an electrical outlet. There’s only 3 pieces in the box, so you can just start cooking right away.

No additional gas or charcoal

The grill relies on advanced infrared heat technology that lets you get grilling within 1 minute. Once you turn on the switch, you can start feeling the heat coming out from the grill. It stays up to a constant 446ᵒF.

80% Less Smoke

I’ve tried leaner meats like chicken all the way to fatty meats like pork belly to test out their claim of producing less smoke. It’s does create less smoke, but it isn’t smokeless. When the fat drips off the pork belly onto the grill, smoke and odour start appearing. It’s well controlled if you have the indoor grill under a hood fan to capture all the smoke and odour. We have sensitive smoke alarms but it didn’t trigger them to go off. This is definitely a win.

Minimal Side Splattering

With different types of meat, there was very minimal side splattering, so our stove and counters stayed relatively clean. A lot of the oils and fats drip down into the grill’s drip tray.

Insanely Bright

One of the biggest cons is that when it is turned on, it’s really bright red. When you need to check your BBQ to see if it’s done, you can’t help but to look at the infrared lights. They tell you not to look at them, but it’s hard not to. The first few times of using the machine, it really hurt my eyes. Definitely a major adjustment is needed.

Keep BBQ Warm

If you’re done cooking and want to keep your meats warn, there is a setting where you can do just that.

No BBQ Char Taste

Unlike a traditional BBQ, you will miss out on the charcoal or propane flavour, which you would get normally. No matter how I marinated my meats, it would always be missing that smokey charred flavour. You can always add in liquid smoke into your marinade.

Easy to Clean

The grill is very easy to clean and I’ve never had any issues. The fat drips into a pan that is easily removable. I just wipe it down with a paper towel and throw it into the dishwasher. I do the same with the grill. Or you can always hand wash it too.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a really good indoor grill although it will never replace a charcoal or propane fuelled outdoor BBQ. I was still impressed and it’s one of the better indoor grills in the marketplace.

It’s really good for entertaining a group of people. When we showed our family the grill, they were pretty mesmerized by an indoor grill that doesn’t set off the smoke alarms.

I was very skeptical at first, but after using for some time, I did take a liking to the Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill.

Website:
https://www.philips.ca/c-e/ho/cooking/electric-indoor-bbq-grill.html

T-Fal is best known for their variety of thermo-spot cookware. I’ve used T-Fal for many years as the quality of the pan and the price are very affordable. When it goes on sale, it’s a pretty fantastic deal.

T-fal’s signature temperature indicator will turn solid red when it’s the perfect temperature for cooking. The pan is hot to cook anything without additional fat, non-stick, and really easy to clean.

I had my stove set on medium heat and let the pan do it’s thing. It’s very handy having the spot indicator as sometimes I’m not paying attention to how long the pan has been on the stove, or I get impatient and want to start cooking right away.

I use my pans the most, so having some good pans is important me. T-fal’s non-stick coating is safe as well. A lot of people have been afraid of these types of pans because the coating may cause harm when ingested.

When asked if the non-stick coating is safe, this was their response.

T-fal non-stick coating is a technical coating made from a polymer name polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).It is PTFE which gives the cookware the non-stick properties. Public health authorities in Europe and in the USA demonstrated that PTFE is an inert substance which does not chemically react with food, water or domestic cleaning products. It is totally harmless in case of ingestion. These Public health authorities confirmed the harmlessness of PTFE non-stick coatings in cookware. In fact, PTFE is so safe that it is frequently used in the medical profession to coat pacemakers and the tiny tubes made to replace arteries. It is also used for surgical procedures for the benefit of patients with severe kidney disease, and some joint prostheses are also partly coated with PTFE.

My favourite thing to make in the pan is marinated chicken as part of our dinner. Here is my go-to marinade recipe:

Foodology’s Marinated Chicken Thighs

Serving: 6

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Mirin
  • 1 Tablspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1/4 cup Rice Wine
  • 2 teaspoon Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Cayenne
  • Pinch of Salt and Pepper
  • 12 Boneless Chicken Thighs (skin or no skin is ok)

Instructions:

  1. Combine soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, rice wine, mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper in a ziplock bag.
  2. Add chicken thighs in to the mixture and let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  3. Cook of medium heat of a frying pan until done.
  4. Serve with a side of veggies or rice and enjoy.

The holidays are in full swing and I spent the year trying out different gadgets for the kitchen. As a cook and a new mom, I love gadgets that help make life easier preparing a meal and of course makes cooking a breeze.

Here are a few of my favourite gadgets for 2019 that you might want to consider getting your loved ones. Do note there are no affiliate links, but some of these items were gifted to us throughout the year to give it a test.

Here are 10 of our favourite items.

Instant Pot

Instant Pot is a slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, pressure cooker, egg cooker, sautees, steams, and so many other things. No wonder, this is one of the hottest appliances out there. It can do it all. Of course, the most popular function is the pressure cooker as it can create meals very quickly. Great for a busy family.

Website:
https://instantpot.com/

Nespresso Vertuo

I’ve been skeptical about Nespresso machines until I got one. I would go out for coffee often just to get a nice strong latte, but then I realized I could just do it at home and the quality was pretty good and there are so many options for the capsules. I especially love making iced lattes in the Summer.

Website:
https://www.nespresso.com/ca/en/vertuo-coffee-machines-ranges

HUROM Citrus Juicer

If you love making juice, it’s easier than ever with the HUROM Citrus Juicer. It’s able to squeeze as much out of the fruits as possible. Much better than with hand. It’s perfect for not just juice, but cocktails, mocktails, or anything else that needs juice and pulp.

Website:
https://www.hurom.com/products/cj-citrus-juicer

Zojirushi Rice Cooker & Warmer

When it comes to rice, we are really serious about how our rice is cooked. Whether it is white, brown, or mixed rice, it must be very fluffy. I have had my Zojirushi Rice Cooker for 2 years now and I would not use anything else. I’ve tried cooking rice with the Instant Pot but it really didn’t cut it.

As we aren’t a large family, we opted with the 3-cup version for just our family of 3. There are setting for white/mixed riced, sushi rice, brown rice, GABA brown rice, long grain white rice, steel cut oatmeal and quick cooking. It does take a little while longer to cook brown rice, but it tastes amazing.

Website: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/category/rice-cookers

SodaStream

I’ve grown to really love sparking water and I just hate how many bottles accumulates and it is very wasteful. When I got my SodaStream many years ago, I always had sparkling water at my fingertips. Over the years, the machines got better and better, thus meaning more gas. I love my sparkling water really fizzy. You can use it in cocktails, mocktails, and whatever else that needs sparkling water.

Website: https://sodastream.com/

T-Fal Acti-Cook & Stir

Another great kitchen helper for whipping up a meal is the T-Fal Acti-Cook and Stir. It can create a plethora of different meals without monitoring, stirring, and just one appliance to get it done. If you need an extra hand in the kitchen, their intelligent stirring paddle will help. Imagine stir fry, curries, pudding, soup, and much more. There is also 18 different preset cooking programs to cook many things.

Website:
https://www.t-fal.ca/en/acticookandstir

Vitamix Ascent A3500

The powerhouse of all high powered blender is the Vitamix. From smoothies, dessert, soup, dips & spreads, it does a great job turning simple ingredients into a smooth smooth puree or whatever you need pulverized.

We absolutely love it.

Website:
https://www.vitamix.com/ca/en_us/shop/a3500?skuId=062436

Zojirushi Micom Water Boiler and Warmer

Another Zojirushi appliance, but I have my water boiler on all the time. It make making a bottle of milk easy for the baby, and a pot of tea for myself. I grew up with these water boilers and it’s an Asian household essential.

Website: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/product/cdwcc

Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp Digital Air Fry Toaster Oven

Having an oven at home is great, but we cook a lot of smaller batched dishes that don’t require the use of the full over. Hamilton Beach has their Sure-Crisp Air Fry Toaster Oven and we have been loving it over Thanksgiving. There are 6 different settings – Air Fry, Toast, Bake, Broil, Pizza & Rotisserie. It’s a pretty good size that it can fit 6 slices of bread and even a 12″ pizza. From air fried cauliflower to pizza pockets, it worked for us.

Website:
https://www.hamiltonbeach.com/sure-crisp-digital-air-fryer-toaster-oven-with-rotisserie-31193

T-Fal’s Thermo-spot Frying Pans

I have been using my trusty T-Fal pans with the thermo-spot for about 5 years now. I love how it takes the guess work out of figuring out when the pan is hot enough to start cooking. The spot turns solid red and it’s ready to get cooking. They are also very durable and non-stick.

I love how when you can get the pan hot, it gives steak a nice sear. Also, I love it for making dumplings too.

Website:
https://www.t-fal.ca/en/cookware

Final Thoughts

Well, there it is, 10 of my favourite appliances in our house. Each one has a purpose and has made our life easier in the kitchen. Of course, having all 10 would be overkill, but pick and choose the items that works in your space.

What is your favourite small appliance in the kitchen?

HUROM just released their brand new Citrus Juicer. Ever since I was a kid, juicing oranges were a chore but it did give your arm a good workout. Much has changed since then, so electric Citrus Juicers have made juicing your favourite citrus fruit a lot faster and easier.

The HUROM Citrus Juicer has a beautiful design where you can keep it up on the counter or store away in your cupboard. You can juice all your citrus fruits and yield the maximum amount of juice leaving the rind empty. Fruit isn’t cheap these days, so getting the most out of it is important.

Automatic Squeezing

When the citrus juicer handle is pressed down, the motor will work to automatically mimic the motion of hand-squeezing a fruit. We were really surprised it worked so effortlessly and efficient.

If you really love freshly squeeze juice in the morning, you can now do it.

Drip-stop Juice Outlet

You can open and close the juice outlet to control the amount of juice you’re pouring into the glass. This is to avoid any drippage just incase you cup is too big or small.

I personally like it to drip into a larger jar or pyrex cup to easily distribute the juice later on.

Quiet Motor

Unlike a blender, the motor is quiet. If you’re whipping up a special breakfast and need to make some juice, you won’t wake anyone up.

Safety

All HUROM juicers are UL-certified for customer safety and come without any blades or sharp parts, making it safe for the entire family. This is especially important if your kids are helping you juice too.

Citrus Juice Medley

My husband loves grapefruit and tangerine juice from the grocery store, but there is definitely something extra special about freshly made juice. I was at the grocery store and saw that navel oranges, grapefruits, limes and lemons were in season. I decided to incorporate these 4 citrus fruits into an exceptional beverage.

Ingredients:

  • 4 Navel Oranges (or any type of orange that is in season)
  • 1 Grapefruit
  • 1/2 Lemon
  • 1/2 Lime

Directions:

  1. Cut all citrus fruits in half.
  2. Trim the stem/top of fruit for easier extraction.
  3. Put a jar in front of the juice outlet.
  4. Put the citrus halves in the squeezer cone.
  5. Press the handle to extract juices.
  6. Repeat until all citrus fruits are squeezed.
  7. Drink and enjoy.

Sparkling Citrus Mimosa

The classic brunch accompaniment is a mimosa made with orange juice and champagne. Why not add more citrus to it?

Ingredients:

  • 3 Navel Oranges (or any type of orange that is in season)
  • 1 Grapefruit
  • 2 mini bottles of Champagne (200ml bottles)

Directions:

  1. Cut all citrus fruits in half.
  2. Trim the stem/top of fruit for easier extraction.
  3. Put a jug in front of the juice outlet.
  4. Put the citrus halves in the squeezer cone.
  5. Press the handle to extract juices.
  6. Repeat until all citrus fruits are squeezed.
  7. In a glass, pour in champagne, then the citrus juice.
  8. Drink and enjoy.

Cleaning Up

To clean the Citrus Juicer, all you need to do is disassemble the part that touch the fruits and juice. Just 4 parts which you can wash in running water and soap. You definitely do not want to put it in the dish washer. Hand washing is best.

You can then wipe the exterior of the machine with a damp cloth.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was very effective in juicing all the citrus fruits easily. It was able to squeeze as much out of the fruits as possible. Much better than with hand.

We did find that the citrus juicer was a bit tall, so storing in or under cabinets might be difficult depending on the height. There is no lock feature to bring the handle down when in storage.

If you are a huge citrus fan and like a bit of pulp in your juice, definitely check out the HUROM Citrus Juicer.

Website:
https://hurom.ca/products/cj-citrus-juicer

HUROM is well known for producing one of the best slow juicers in the market and we absolutely adore ours when when got it a while time ago. It was when cold press juices were huge a few years back and it made more sense making it at home. I don’t use it as much as I use my blender, so when HUROM announced the launch of their Hexa Power High Speed Blender, I was pretty excited.

There are a lot of blenders of the market with a multitude of functions, but they hone in on making the blender easy to use for the consumer and also making sure the power is there to tackle the most chunky items.

Power

It features a powerful 1,600 W motor that blends up to speeds of 30,000 RPM, so any ice chunks will be fully integrated into your smoothie.

Easy Controls

There are easy one-touch auto pre-programmed controls – smoothie, ice crush, and soup. You can also use the manual dial to control the speed of the blender. It ranges from 16,000 to 30,000 RPM and can blend just about anything. The slower it is the quieter it is.

Hexa Blades

The blender is named after their Hexa-Blending Technology, the 6 blades inside the blender features a hexa-blend formation that create a mini-tornado within 2L container.

Safety Features

There are 2 safety features that I appreciate just in case anything happens. The power will shut off when the blender reaches its heat limit as to prevent the motor from overheating. Also, if the 2L container is lifted off the base while in use, the blender will stop right away.

As a new mom, safety features are really important for me to keep my family safe.

Here are 2 of my favourite items that I have used the Hexa Power High Speed Blender to make.

Mighty Green Smoothie

This is one of my favourite smoothies as it incorporates a lot of kale and spinach into the diet and its balanced out by the mango and pineapple to give it sweetness.

Ingredients:

  • 2 handfuls of Kale
  • 3 handfuls of Spinach 
  • 1/2 cups of frozen mango 
  • 1/2 cups of frozen pineapple 
  • 1.5 cups of water 
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • 1 TBS Chia seeds
  • 1 TBS Hemp Hearts

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients in blender.
  2. Press ‘Smoothie’ preset until all ingredients are well combined.
  3. Pour into cut and add sprinkled chia seed and hemp heart on top for extra garnish.
  4. Drink and enjoy.

Berry Red Smoothie Bowl

Instead of drinking your smoothie, you can eat it in a bowl with other ingredients in the morning.

Ingredients for Smoothie Base

  • 1.5 cups cranberry juice
  • 1/2 cups ice
  • 1/4 cup frozen strawberry
  • 1/4 cup frozen raspberry
  • 1/4 cup frozen blueberry

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients in blender to make the smoothie base
  2. Press ‘Smoothie’ preset until all ingredients are well combined.
  3. Divide smoothie into bowls.
  4. Top with granola, trail mix, chia seeds, hemp heart or other toppings.
  5. Eat and enjoy.

Cleaning Up

Like most blenders on the market, self-cleaning is quite easy. You don’t need to put it in the dish washer. They make rinsing fast. Just hold down the “pulse” switch to rinse in 20 seconds.

Final Thoughts

Hexa Power High Speed Blender is pretty good and it’s great for smoothies, crushing ice, making soups, and other items that need blending.

As for the price point, it’s pretty standard for a high powered blender for the HUROM brand. It is also built pretty well and cased in a stainless steel shell with the 2L container made of BPA-Free Tritan, which make it lightweight and durable.

Website:
https://hurom.ca/products/hurom-hexa-power-high-speed-blender

I’ve been a SodaStream customer for a long time now and recently they launched their My Only Bottle – a smaller, 500mL version of their classic sparkling water bottle. I absolutely love this since I am one of the only people in my family that can chug sparkling water all day long. Especially when I was pregnant, I couldn’t have sugar because of gestational diabetes, so my go to drink was always sparkling water.

With the traditional 1 litre bottles, I can realistically only finish half of it at a time. Of course, I can save it for later.

The new My Only Bottle is perfect for those on the go who love sparkling water. Whether you are a student, mother, or whoever, you can now fizz up your water and bring it along with you. It’s a really good size too.

My Only Bottle is available in two models: Loop and Sport (featuring a convenient drinking spout). The one pictured in this article is the Loop.

The bottles are dishwasher-safe and UV-resistant build, so you can easily clean and store their bottle without hassle. Just throw it in the dishwasher with the rest of the dishes and cups.

You can find these at places where SodaStream products are sold. Plus it retails for about $15.99. I’ve been using My Only Bottle for a few weeks now and I love it. Did you know, owning just one reusable Sodastream bottle can reduce up to 2,000 plastic bottles each year?

Being a new mom, having time to prepare and eat nutritious meals has been a challenge as taking care of Baby E has us always on our toes. A lot of families with new borns just don’t have the energy to cook a full meal for a little while. A lot of my friends with kids rely on other family members cooking for them, getting take out, or making frozen meals.

There are some quick ways to meal prep nutritious meals to get in the vitamins you need for the day. Two of the most common items to make in a Vitamix blender are smoothies and soups. As being a high performance blender, it does an amazing job at making smoothies, hot soups, dips & spreads, as well as frozen desserts.

Here are 2 of our favourite ways to make smoothies and soups much quicker with these short cuts while using a Vitamix blender.

Portion Out Smoothie Ingredients for Quick Blending

Buying fresh produce can go bad quickly if you lose track of what’s in your fridge and when certain items expire. What our family likes to do is to portion out smoothie ingredients into containers and freeze them. You can make the same smoothie for the week or mix and match the items that go into each one.

When it’s time to make a quick smoothie, all you need to do is dump the container of ingredients and pour in your favourite liquids like almond milk.

Kale Ginger Smoothie

Ginger is an ingredient that is known to keep your blood flowing, warm your extremities, and keep away the chills. During postpartum, I had a lot of ginger because with all the blood loss from giving birth, I was cold and pale for the first 2 weeks.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, skin removed
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped frozen mango
  • 1 small ripe frozen banana
  • 1 large handful spinach
  • 1 small handful kale
  • 1/2 medium lime, juiced
  • 1/3 cup light coconut milk
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
  • 1 Tbsp raw hulled hemp seeds (optional)

Instructions:

  1. In a container, freeze ginger, mango, banana, spinach, and kale ahead of time.
  2. Add almond milk, lime juice, light coconut milk, and the ingredients in the frozen container into a high powered blender.
  3. Blend for 1 – 2 minutes on high to get it all blended nice and smoothly.
  4. Pour smoothie into a cup and top with hemp seeds.
  5. Enjoy.

Prepare Soup in a Blender and Freeze leftovers for the Future

Nausea doesn’t just happen in your first trimester, it can happen postpartum as well when all your hormones are trying to settle back to normal but new mom’s bodies go through quite a bit of change hormonally to adjust to life without a baby inside their belly.

If it’s yourself making the soup or someone else, it is a lifesaver to have some frozen in the fridge for a quick meal as it can last 4 to 6 months. You just need to defrost and heat it up. Also, to cut down on dishes, you can make the soup in a blender. The friction of the Vitamix blades can make steaming-hot soup in under 10 minutes, right in the container with less mess.

Creamy Brussel Sprout Soup with Bacon

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 8 slices of thick cut bacon
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 300g Brussel sprouts, halved
  • 1 large potato, peel and cut into cubes
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 thyme twigs
  • 4 cups of chicken broth
  • Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

  1. Cook bacon in a frying pan or oven until crisp. Follow instruction on the package. Let cool and cut into bite-sized pieces, then set aside.
  2. Add onion, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper into a pot on medium high heat to cook until veggies soften.
  3. In a blender, add the cooked veggies, 2 tablespoons of fat from bacon, and chicken broth. Blend the soup on high for 10 minutes until the soup is smooth and piping hot.
  4. Serve and top it with bacon bits and Brussel Sprout leaves.

Tips for Freezing Soup

  • Let soup cool before freezing. To speed up the process, you can put it in an ice bath.
  • Don’t full up containers to the top. Leave 1 inch to give the soup room to expand and limit contact with the air, which may cause freezer burn.

There you have it, 2 quick items to make in a Vitamix blender to make a quick smoothie and soup for new mothers who are already super busy taking care of a newborn. Any time saved can be used to tend to boding with the newborn baby.

We were gifted a Vitamix Ascent A3500 for use in creating this blog post, but all opinions are our own.

SAVOUR was a pop-up restaurant event featuring decadent dishes by Chef Ned Bell that were prepared using premier appliances from Best Buy Canada. It was a beautiful multi-course dining experience that successfully showed how technology and culinary talent comes together for a memorable meal.

Chef Bell’s culinary approach is marked by an ethos of sustainability. The menu was thoughtfully curated to include Ocean Wise seafood and fresh ingredients from local suppliers. He insists that when preparing a meal, “buy great ingredients, buy great kitchen tools and appliances.”

The evening started with a cooking demonstration. Using the LG Convection Freestanding Smooth Top Induction Range that almost instantly heated the pans, Chef Bell easily browned the halibut.

He cooked peas with white wine, then poured it into a Vitamix Ascent stand blender which silently puréed the mixture–he didn’t need to speak up while it was on.

5 Tips to Create a Stylish Kitchen

  1. Smart Appliances can make your kitchen functional and stylish
    Technology integrated kitchens allow you to control settings and receive notifications from your smartphone, save money and energy, as well as communicate with one another. Just like the LG Instaview French Door Refrigerator or the LG Built in Dishwasher with Stainless Steel Tub and Third Rack. They both use the LG SmartThinQ App.
  2. Add pops of colour using countertop appliances
    Adding splashes of colour with appliances can create eye-catching focal points in the kitchen. Especially in apartment living with limited storage space, its a good way to turn countertop items into art like the KitchenAid Custom Stand Mixer that comes in many vibrant colours. My personal favourite is the bright red colour.
  3. Use paint to modernize cabinets
    If your cabinets are old and outdated, add a splash of colour like using greys, blues and green variations as a cost-effective solution rather than replacing them. If you have large appliances, keep their colours in mind so it doesn’t clash.
  4. Replace old upper cabinets with open shelving
    Open shelving opens up the space and can show off any gorgeous dishware and small appliances you have. You can even add seasonal decor to transform the look season to season. For an extra pop of colour, add wallpaper to the wall behind the shelves so it becomes a focal point in the kitchen.
  5. Refresh your kitchen look with bold decor
    Look for functional appliances, dishware, and wall art to revamp your kitchen. By adding accent pieces like vases or container with contrasting colours and geometric shapes, you can create a huge visual impact without hurting your budget.

Now, lets get down to tasting the delicious dishes made by Ned Bell.

Local Asparagus Salad

Immediately following the demo, we started our meal. First served was Local Asparagus Salad with Spring Lettuces and Green Goddess Dressing.

Crab and Coconut Soup

Next was Crab and Coconut Soup with Lime and Chilis.

Halibut

The main course was the recipe he effortlessly prepared during the cooking demonstration: Halibut with a Composition of Peas and Truffle Dressing.

Seaweed and Milk Chocolate Brownie

Throughout the evening, Bell was an attentive host who shared interesting anecdotes. To introduce the dessert course, he shared with us that he originally went to culinary school with the intent to be a pastry chef. He believes that good chefs care about their guest’s entire experience and explained that “pastry is the beginning of a meal, which starts with a fresh loaf of bread. And dessert, often pastry, is the end of the culinary journey.”

He didn’t hesitate to make a (sea)weed brownie joke to introduce the last dish, Seaweed and Milk Chocolate Brownie with Salted Caramel Foam.

Final Thoughts

Chef Ned Bell and Best Buy Canada made SAVOUR an extraordinary culinary experience. Through the event, they challenged us to experiment and create meals using sustainable ingredients, as well as showed us how premiere appliances that can make cooking easier while keeping the kitchen stylish and functional.

Summer is here and that means we need to get grilling outdoors. It was Father’s Day and we wanted to do something different and we really never have BBQs in the backyard. The family debated which BBQ to get and we finally settled on the Weber Spirit II E-210, which uses liquid propane gas as it’s source of fuel. We had 2 previous charcoal BBQs, but it was time to move to propane and get something a bit fancier. Just remember, the propane tank is separate so you’ll need to buy this in addition.

Weber Spirit II E-210

This two-burner grill is built to fit small spaces, but there is the larger E-310 version with three burners. The grill has 450 square centimetre of total cooking space, which is good for 3 -4 people. We had 7 people and didn’t find this an issue at all since we were all taking our time and casually eating through the evening. We used the warming rack to cook our tinfoil packs of veggies. With side tables for placing spices, containers and whatever else you need, it’s convenient to have the extra space. One of the side tables is collapsable if you want to make it more compact for storage or to fit it into an even smaller space.

The burners were very strong and we were able to preheat the grill to 500 degrees. With the built in lid thermometer, this was easy to keep track of. Preheating is key as you want to get beautiful grill marks on your food and helps create a nice crust on your steak. One thing we found a bit problematic is that you can’t turn on the secondary burner (right side) on its own, the primary burner (left side) needs to be on at all times.

Some Assembly Required

When we got the BBQ home, there is some assembly required. With my mom and I, we spent about 1.5 hours on it. I dubbed it adult Lego. There were so many parts, that we had to be organized and read the instructions carefully. You can’t be half paying attention or else, you have to redo steps like what we found out several times. Sometimes hardware stores will provide free delivery and assembly, but we opted for no tax since we couldn’t wait almost a week for it to be delivered from the local store. We wanted to make sure we had it ready for Fathers Day.

Grill, Grill, Grill the Food

The Weber Spirit II E-210 was a great upgrade to what we had previously. We got it for $549 CDN at Lowe’s, which is a good price and we didn’t have to pay tax as there was a promo going on. No regrets getting this as we will be using it for years to come in the Summers.

Website:
https://www.weber.com/CA/en/grills/gas-barbecues/spirit-ii-series/

For the longest time, I’ve denied the fact that I needed a stand mixer. I always just told myself that I would get nice arm muscles from manually creaming sugar and butter together. Also making whipped cream was no problem with a whisk. That was then and this is now.

I love making sweet treats to share with family and friends, but I don’t necessarily have the time or energy to mix it all by hand now. With the Cuisinart Precision Master 5.5 Qt Stand Mixer, I made chocolate dipped matcha shortbread cookies using a recipe by Oh Sweet Day.

Besides the usual functions of baking cookies and bread, here are some ways to use your stand mixer beyond baking:

1. Shredding meat to make pulled pork

Strange but it’s true. Turn on the mixer until it is all shredded. I used to use 2 forks to shred pork or chicken, but now I don’t need to.

2. Whip those mashed potatoes

Once the potatoes are boiled, use the whisk and mix on medium until potatoes are completely mixed with no lumps. As you add items like butter, milk, and herbs, you can gradually increase the speed to make it fluffier. Alternatively, you can also make cauliflower puree too.

3. Egg-cellent idea

If you need to make devilled eggs or an egg salad in large batches for a party and you’re short on time, throw it into the mixer.

4. Meatballs, Meatloaf and Burgers

Mashing meat with your hands isn’t always comfortable, especially when you need to mix pork and beef together. There is also a meat grinder attachment that has a sausage stuffer kit. Sausage for days.

5. Guacamole

Making guacamole in small batches can be easily done with a fork, but if you need to make a big batch for a party, utilize the mixer to pulverize those avocados and mix in any extra items.

6. Homemade pasta by hand

Did you know, you can get attachments for the stand mixer such as the pasta extruder or the pasta roller & cutter? By utilizing the motor of the mixer, you’ll never have to buy pasta again. Fresh is always the best.

Those are just a few ideas to get your ideas flowing. If you have a stand mixer or considering getting one, it’s more versatile that it seems.

The fad of making zoodles / zucchinni noodles is all over the internet as a grain-free and healthy alternative to making “pasta”. I got this hand-powered machine – Cuisinart Food Spiralizer to make dinners more exciting and easy to prep my ingredients. With this machine, there is a Safe Blade Lock Design and Sealed storage compartment which makes it easy for kids to get involved in meal prep without getting close to the blade.

There are 3 cutting options:

  • Thin Julienne
  • Thick Julienne
  • Ribbon Slice

Thin or Thick Julienne are best for making veggie noodles, so that what we are going to make today. You can eat them raw, microwaved, sauteed, boiled or baked.

I just my zucchini into 4 sections and removed either ends. There are nobs on either side of the device to adjust the blades so you know what you’re cutting them into.

You swing the handle in a circular motion and it begins slicing up the zucchini effortlessly. If you accidentally cut the zucchini segments in an angular way, the spiralizer will have a hard time gripping onto it, thus some slippage.

Thick Julienne

I refer the thicker julienne zoodles as it holds better when cooking. The longer you cook them, the mushier they get.

Thin Julienne

Depending on what you’re making, you may feel one style is better than the other.

Seared Tuna with Pesto Zoodles

[tabs tab1=”Seared Tuna with Pesto Zoodles”]

[tab id=1]

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 1 Zucchini
  • 80g Pesto
  • 2 Tuna Steaks (170g each)
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Directions:

  1. Cut the end of the zucchini and cut them into 4 sections.
  2. Use the spiralizer to create your zoodles.
  3. Season tuna steaks with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. In a medium heat pan, sear each side of the tuna steak for 1.5 minutes and let rest.
  5. In another pan, cook zoodles with pesto for 2 minutes.
  6. Plate the your dish with the zoodles and them top it with your slices seared tuna.
  7. Enjoy

[/tab]

[/tabs]