Chapter 5: Kitchen and Pantry Makeover 87
Small appliances
The following items make your life in the kitchen much easier:✓ Blender: A blender is used for mixing, puréeing, and whipping drinks
and small pieces of food. A blender’s blades are shaped like an X and
point down so the liquids and foods are pulled downwards toward the
blade. Liquid is needed to help with the blending.
✓ Food processor: This appliance is used for chopping, dicing, puréeing,
and shredding. The blades are S shaped and stacked on top of each
other. A food processor doesn’t require liquid to work. If you are in
Stage 3 of the diet progression, smooth foods, use a food processor to
make your food smooth but not soupy.
Note: A food processor and blender are not the same piece of equipment.
Take caution when reading recipes, and if the recipe states a food
processor, a blender generally won’t work.
✓ Mini chopper: A smaller version of a food processor, a mini chopper
typically comes with a 1-cup capacity. It’s great for small jobs such as
chopping an onion quickly, and it’s faster to clean (which saves you
time) and takes up less space than a full-sized food processor.
✓ Mixer: Two types of mixers are used to whip, stir, and blend ingredients
together. A hand mixer, great for small jobs, normally has two metal
beaters and a wire whisk for whipping. Countertop mixers have an
attached bowl, wire whisk, paddle, and dough hook. The countertop
mixer costs more money but has a larger motor to mix larger batches at
a time.
✓ Toaster oven: This miniature oven placed on your countertop has
broiling, toasting, and baking functions. It’s great for smaller items.
Instead of heating up your large oven, you can save electricity with the
small toaster oven.
✓ Slow cooker: You can make lean cuts of meat tender and moist by
cooking with low heat over a long period of time in a slow cooker. When
quickly cooking lean cuts of protein, the muscle fiber shrinks up, causing
the meat to become tough and chewy. However, when slow cooked, the
muscle fiber begins to break down after about four to five hours and by
the eighth hour the protein is tender and delicious. Slow and low works
great for all lean cuts of meat.
A slow cooker can also save you time. How great is it to walk in the door
and smell your dinner cooking? Just fix it in the morning and forget it;
no rushing around in the evening to feed the hungry troops. If you’re
rushed for time in the morning, you can assemble the recipe ingredients
the night before and put the pot in the refrigerator until morning.
Although electronic countertop “grilling” appliances can reduce the fat and
calorie content of some foods, we do not recommend them for people who