5 Small Appliances for Every Kitchen
July 27, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Sacramento
• 0 Comments
5 Small Appliances for Every Kitchen
Unless you are the type of person to eat out for every meal of the day, you will spend a lot of your time in the kitchen. Not only is restaurant dining expensive, it is also much more unhealthy than many store-bought and home-cooked culinary arts creations. Preparing your own meals will not only help you learn an invaluable skill, you will also save a ton of money over the long run and likely stay in much better shape. In order to cook at home, you will need the appropriate tools to do so. There are many small appliances out there that will make food preparation much more efficient and enjoyable in fact, many of the culinary schools in California are constantly experimenting with new gadgets. The following are five of the most useful and affordable small appliances on the market today.
1) Microwave
While living off a diet of nuked foods is probably not the wisest choice, the microwave will come in handy in the case you have to. There are so many foods that are microwavable including frozen dinners, canned foods, and the infamous ramen noodle. Microwaves also come in handy for reheating leftovers. Nearly any food can be cooked in a microwave, although some won't taste so good afterwards. If you are on a tight budget or don't have the spare time to do any real cooking, the microwave might just become your best friend.
2) Toaster
Who doesn't eat bread? The sandwich is probably the easiest and cheapest balanced meal that you could make for yourself. Sliced bread is actually very versatile and can be used for a variety of different dishes. Sick and tired of having a bologna sandwich for lunch everyday? Change the inner contents to peanut butter and jelly or cheese. Sick of sandwiches in general? Use the bread for bread pudding, turn it into croutons for a salad, or toast it up and crush it for breaded piece of meat. Toasters can also be used for bagels, pre-made waffles and pancakes, flatbreads, and more.
3) Rice Cooker
If you are a fan of rice, a plug-in rice cooker is a must. Rice can be somewhat difficult to cook correctly without one of these so this is your best bet for fast and delicious rice. All you need to do is scoop in the raw rice and add the appropriate amount of water. Once you hit the "cook" button, sit back and wait a few minutes for a bowl of hot, steaming rice. Rice is another very inexpensive food that can be stored for long durations without spoiling.
4) Nuwave Oven
The Nuwave might be one of the greatest culinary arts device ever invented! This thing can cook just about everything that you can imagine. Large portions of frozen meat stand no chance against the Nuwave. Frozen whole chickens, turkeys, and hams can be fully cooked at a fraction of the time that it would take a conventional oven to do the same. Want a delicious steak dinner with a side of asparagus? No problem. Season your meat and veggies then set the food portion into the Nuwave and let it do its thing. Craving a filet of salmon? Add your herbs and spices then let the Nuwave cook for you. Even breakfast foods like eggs and bacon can be prepared in a matter of minutes. The best part about the Nuwave is that the excess fat that normally soaks into the food simply drips off into a container below. You can easily discard it and save yourself plenty of calories at the same time.
5) The Magic Bullet
For slicing and dicing, nothing does the job better than the Magic Bullet. This chopper cuts up whole vegetables, fruit, and other foods in a flash without the mess. If you'd like to spend less time prepping and more time eating, the Magic Bullet won't fail to please.
If you find joy in learning about new appliances and trying out new culinary arts creations, perhaps attending a culinary school in California would be enjoyable!
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Sacramento. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Sacramento offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in Sacramento, California. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Sacramento for more information.
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