Canadians Blend Their Way Back to Basics

Written by the Tidings Staff | 03 May 2009

Bringing things back to basics in the kitchen means simplifying everyday tasks – from making mundane kitchen chores quick and easy to entertaining on a budget to creating a healthy breakfast – without compromising on taste or food quality. Whether a beginner chef or a seasoned professional, a blender can be one of the most useful tools for the at-home cook. Just one basic tool can chop nuts, whip cream, crush ice, blend drinks, grind coffee and much more – keeping things simple and on budget.

Try these tips

• Don’t let stale bread go to waste – turn it into bread crumbs. Break stale bread into small pieces and pulse in your blender to desired consistency. For an extra kick of seasoning, combine bread and spices to make seasoned bread crumbs.

• Instead of throwing overripe fruits and veggies into the compost bin, pop them in the freezer for later use – while a frozen banana is a nutritious addition to any smoothie, frozen vegetables can be pureed to create a wholesome soup.

• When chopping nuts, use the pulse feature and scrape down the sides with a spatula between pulses. Chop up to 1 cup of nuts at a time.

• Fresh ground coffee beans are essential for a great cup of coffee. Use the high setting on your blender to grind up to 1 cup of coffee beans to your desired consistency.

• Make homemade whipping cream by blending 250 ml of cream at a low speed until cream becomes thick and smooth.

• Spices are the soul of any dish. For delicious and savoury meals, grind fresh spices in small batches of only 50 ml to 125 ml on high speed. Store extras in airtight containers to lock in the flavour.

Entertaining at the Push of a Button

With the summer just around the corner, Canadians are looking forward to patio parties and backyard BBQs with friends and neighbours, but the recession has Canadian entertainers pulling back the welcome mat. However, entertaining at home and staying on a budget can be easy. A party featuring a light appetizer menu and fun cocktails will keep you on budget. By confining the meal preparation to one appliance, the host can minimize prep and clean-up efforts in order to have more time to kick back and relax with friends. Serve a selection of appetizers, such as shot glasses filled with chilled Creamy Carrot-Dill Soup and a savoury dip, such as Lightened Up Guacamole, alongside a creative cocktail, like the Beach Ball. For those days that are extra busy, whip up a nutritious fruit smoothie, such as the Frozen Apple Pie Smoothie. It’s a delicious treat with a full serving of fruit and protein.

For information on Oster products, please visit www.Blendit.ca .