Mixing it up!

This post is all about mixers, blenders, and food processors.

Jumping right in

The tools I use on a daily basis:

First up, the Kitchenaid Stand mixer. 
This is a powerful machine to have at your disposal. It has so many useful features and attachments that it really is an all in one purchase.  The Kitchenaid comes out of the box with 3 standard attachments: the Whip, the Paddle, and the Hook (it's just that kind of gal), and with those you can tackle just about any baking or pastry endeavor that you can think of. Use the whip attachment for whipped cream, butter, egg whites; great for home made icing. Use the paddle attachment for any kind of thick batter that you don't feel like getting Carpel Tunnel Syndrome just to enjoy. Use the dough hook for... well, dough.


Next, the Cuisinart Food processor.
If you've ever worked in a real kitchen, you might be pulling out your hair and yelling at your computer screen right now, "You don't use a ROBOT-COUPE? SACRILAGE!!" and normally I'd agree with you. However, I have officially entered the realm of Not-for-Profititude. This means that, like most at home cooks, I have a tight budget and since Robot-Coupe food processors go for around $1k when they're on SALE... I can make do with the semi-reliable alternative. While R-C's are more powerful, easier to clean up, and built to handle rough treatment, Cuisinarts are cheaper and more than adequate to handle day to day kitchen duties. If you are not familiar with food processors: This machine basically takes a conventional mixing bowl and puts a spinning blade of death right in the center. Good for pureeing those extra chunky sauces and dips that you don't want completely obliterated into a paste (although it can do that too!).


Moving on to the BlendTec Blender.
I... love... this... Big Beautiful Bastard of a blender. I've wanted one since the company started selling them and now it's mine! Again, a lot of the professionals out there are probably going to bring up VitaPrep. To set the record straight; VitaPrep is an industry standard. You have probably never been in a restaurant that DIDN'T have a VitaPrep. That being said: they're loud, they cut out at the worst times, they spew hot liquid from the top if you forget to reset the "Turbo" switch while pureeing hot sauces (the sauce is always RED if the chef coat you happen to be wearing is white, and WHITE if you happen to be wearing black; ITS A LAW). The BlendTec has more horsepower, a welded steel base, all metal parts, a larger pitcher with square sides for more even blending, square blades for higher liquid torque, and a vented lid that prevents hot liquid from creating a vacuum and exploding directly in your face (nobody ever asked where that stain on the ceiling came from, we all just KNEW). But seriously, you could feed a rake handle into this thing and it would keep going. In fact, I've SEEN IT DONE. And for the price, you just can't get a better blender.

More reviews in the next post

Kitchen Knowledge: Bacteria and You.

AKA: How -NOT- to kill yourself and your entire family.


We've all (I hope) heard of Salmonella, but that's just one example of a hazardous bacteria that can find it's way into even the cleanest kitchens. There is one, and only one, sure-fire way to ensure that the food you are consuming is free of harmful bacteria: MILITARY GRADE EXPLOSIVES.

However, if you forgot to grab the Semtex while you were at the deli counter there are a few things you can do to avoid killing your entire family with flesh eating bacteria.

1. Prepare food in a sanitary environment.

Anything that your food touches should be clean and free of bacteria. This means counter tops, cutting boards, cooking utensils, the refrigerator, the sink (probably the least obvious), and of course... your hands. Proper hand washing with some kind of anti-microbial soap is a must. Kitchen surfaces can be sanitized using a weak bleach solution (10:1 ; water : household bleach), but if you don't like the chemical smell, distilled white vinegar works just as well as a disinfectant. Vinegar is actually my preferred method of sanitizing cutting boards (and most other surfaces).

2. Wash raw foods properly.

E. Coli has become a big concern in the fresh vegetable industry, but it can be easily defeated by properly sanitizing anything that will go into your mouth without being cooked. Items such as baby carrots, cucumbers, salad greens (including the bagged "ready to eat" variety), hand fruits such as apples and pears (you get the idea) should all be washed thoroughly before you put your lips on them. Once again, white vinegar is the champion in this arena. You may have seen costly "vegetable sanitizing spray" being sold at your local grocer, but the same benefit can be had at a third of the cost (and none of the chemicals) by putting some diluted white vinegar in an empty spray bottle and using it to clean your produce.

3. Learn to recognize and effectively fly through the "DANGA' ZONE"

The Danger Zone (or "TDZ" in kitchen talk) is the range of temperatures where bacteria thrive and are able to reproduce unimpeded, like micro-rabbits hopped up on goofballs and Cialis. A reliable kitchen thermometer is a good buy, especially since these days they come relatively cheap. Here's what to do with it:

Bacteria Control Table

°F

• 212 Boiling point of water.
• 165 Cooking temperatures destroy most bacteria. Time required to kill bacteria decreases as temperature is increased.
• 140 Warming temperatures prevent growth but allow survival of some bacteria.
• 120 Some bacterial growth may occur. Many bacteria survive.
• 60 - 120 Incubation (DANGER) zone. Temperatures in this zone allow rapid growth of bacteria and production of toxins by some bacteria. Foods should move through this temperature range as quickly as possible to avoid microbiological spoilage.
• 40 - 60 Some growth of food poisoning bacteria may occur.
• 32 - 40 Cold temperatures permit slow growth of some bacteria that cause spoilage.
• 0 - 32  Freezing temperatures stop growth of bacteria, but may allow bacteria to survive.

There I go with the science and math again.
Some kitchen thermometers do come with an optional pocket protector (highly recommended, not to mention stylish), but that's up to you. 
The basic idea is to have food spend as little time in TDZ as possible. This means that frozen meat should be thawed in the refrigerator (not the counter top or sink) and raw meats should be kept cold until you are ready to cook them. 


Poultry should always be cooked to 165 - 170 degrees, but whole muscle cuts of beef can be served safely at a juicy 125 degree rare. This is because bacteria propagates on the outside of meats, not internally. Since meat doesn't even start to brown until the surface reaches 230 degrees, most cooking methods such as searing, grilling and roasting will take care of any bacteria hanging out on the surface of your steak. Once the meat has been ground, however, the difference between internal and external is irrelevant and proper cooking is necessary. 

For a good guide on using your thermometer to cook meats to temperature:

CLICK HERE

Your family and friends will no doubt be impressed when you choose not to kill them at your next BB-Q...

Just make sure that they know it was a choice.