Happiness Is A Food Proccessor

Food processors used to be a vital way of American culinary life. They wer e on every bride to be's must have list. People raved about them. in those ealry big kitchen gadget days. Now they've kind of lost favor . I don't know why . They're still as handy and as useful as ever.

They're also the subject of a huge article in today's Dining section of The New York Times. it was written by - of course - the brilliant Mark Bittman. He has a number of good point about why people should use their processors. The machines are excellent for chopping and grating as well as for kneading. Did you also know that you can use it to turn regular granuated sugar into super fine or to grind whole spices along with sea salt into dusts . Also a processor is good ofr turning any nut into a smooth creamy butter. You don't have to use your processort for the usual processing. Think outside the recipe box.

Bittman also has a number of good recipe ideas too. A typical food processor recipe is carrot cake because it makes it easier to grate up large quantities of carrots. However he has an excellent apple tart that is worth making. This calls for using your processor twice : first for kneading the tart's dough,the second for slicing apples. He also throws in a chicken meatball recipe that sounds yummy.I can see adding these to a side of spaghetti orr serving them at a cocktail party. there's also a recipe for stir fried sweet potatoes that involves them being processed into chunks along with scallions.

If you have a food processor, then think about suing it again. there are so many things you can make with it. it;s great for everything form chopping fruit to kneading all sorts of dough. It's not a dinosaur. Itcan still be an active part of a 21st Century kitchen.

Is Your Kitchen Holiday Ready?

Even though it's two weeks before Thanksgiving you should be asking yourself is my kitchen ready for the holidays? Are your appliances up to snuff?Do you have the right equipment to make your favorite dishes and to try new ones? these are the questions you should be asking yourself before you ask what to make and serve.



The most important appliance to check are your stove and fridge. These two are the main ones that keep any holiday kitchen functioning. make sure your stove, its' burners and broiler is in working order You'll be needing every part of it for various roasting ,baking and broiling needs. If there is a problem , then have it fixed within the next two weeks. The same philosophy applies to the fridge. You don't w ant it to go when you haven a whole freezer of veggies as well as a lower section stuffed with a turkey. Other appliances that need to be checked are your food processor ,. blender and mixers. Some of these probably haven't been used since last year (or to mix that last August's batch of margaritas). Check out these to make sure they work properly. Luckily every store from Target to Wal-Mart to K-Mart is having big sales right now so you can easily run out and replace anything at low cost.

You should also do a run through on lesser items too. Make sure your cookie sheets are up to snuff as are your graters and corers. Again if they're not , then just buy new ones. Check cookie cutters and icers to make sure they're ready for another round of holiday baking. Replace anything that's looks raggedy or junky..You may also want to get rid of any old spices and sauces that are laying around in your cupboard or fridge. They've probably lost their potency and need to be replaced.

Before you know it the holidays will be here. Make sure your kitchen is ready for them with working appliances. It'll make holiday cooking and baking that much easier and less worry free.