Some people upgrade their cars, others upgrade their houses. I like to spend my time each spring and fall upgrading my kitchen appliances.
I tend to upgrade when I’ve mastered a new skill in the kitchen or I just want an appliance that can go one step further than the one I have. That’s why I’ve started look into advanced blenders. Although my current blender is great for making smoothies, purees, and even a nice slush for the kids, I knew from trying and reviewing that there are a lot of blenders available that can do a lot more than that.
Take the Breville Boss for example: with a 1500W 2.0 horsepower motor, it blazes through anything you put in it and nothing, not even nuts, will slow it down. You know how you sometimes have to stop when you’re blending and dislodge the blades? With an advanced blender like the Breville Boss you won’t have to do that, and you’ll also get pre-set programs that will do the blending for you. With up to 12 speeds that let you change your speed with a touch, you can just walk away and let your blender do the job.
If you’ve got a smaller kitchen or you want to focus on single servings, Breville also has an advanced blender that’s personal-sized. The Breville Boss To Go Plus has a speedy 1000W motor to crush through nuts and ice, and you can whip up your favourite ingredient-packed smoothie right in the included cups. It also comes with a Mill & Grind stainless steel mill, and you can use that to grind up spices or make your own protein powder and almond milk.
I’ve made hazelnut spread in an advanced blender, so I know how Breville can tear through fruits, vegetables, and dates, but I love how the Breville Boss and the Breville Boss To Go Plus take it one step further and let you mill your own spices. Imagine all of the different rubs you can make when you can perfectly blender your own spices, and this Pulled Pork Sandwich is the prefect recipe to try when you’re first starting to experiment with spices.
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Recipe from Breville. Image from the foodnetwork.com
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Ingredients:
1/4 cup smoked, paprika 2 tablespoons dried minced onion 2 tablespoons dried minced, garlic 1 teaspoon peppercorn 1/2 teaspoon black, mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon yellow, mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 2 tablespoons salt 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 pounds pork shoulder roast 2 tablespoons olive/vegetable oil blend 1/4 cup apple, cider vinegar filtered, water, or stock for cooking 1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce sliced, dill pickle , for serving sliced pickled jalapeño |
Directions
Place paprika, onion, garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and celery seed in blender jug. Dial to MILL setting and process for 30 sec.
Add salt and press blend for 10 seconds then brown sugar and process for additional 15 sec.
Rub 1/3 cup spice mix all over pork and wrap with plastic wrap reserving 1/2 cup of rub for BBQ sauce. Let sit in refrigerator for 4-24 hours.
Remove from the fridge and allow to stand for 30 min.
Heat a large heavy bottom pan over high heat then add the oil blend.
Allow to come to an almost smoking pan and add the pork pieces and sear on all sides until golden brown.
Remove from pan and place in a slow cooker. Add apple cider vinegar and fill with just enough filtered water or stock to come 1/2 way up the pieces (about 1 cup).
Cook the recommended amount of time per manufacturer’s recommendation.
Once done place meat in a square baking dish and shred with two forks using a scraping motion adding 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid to ease the shredding and moisten the meat.
Once meat is completely shredded, add 1 cup of BBQ sauce and mix in completely. Serve on mini Hawaiian rolls or your favorite mini buns with remaining BBQ sauce and top with sliced jalapeños and sliced dill pickles or your favorite toppings.
Upgrade with a KitchenAid
KitchenAid, one of my favourite small appliance brands, also has an advanced blender that makes food prep easy. The KitchenAid Pro Line Series chops, whips, shreds, froths, and purees, and if want to do a single serving, you can do it all in one small cup.
I love cordless hand blenders for making soups, whip cream, and my favourite, hollandaise sauce. This two-minute blender recipe for hollandaise is some of the best I’ve tried
Hand blend hollandaise
Recipe from SeriousEats.com
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Ingredients:
1 egg yolk (about 35 grams) 1 teaspoon water (about 5 grams) 1 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 lemon (about 5 grams) Kosher salt 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons, about 112 grams) Pinch cayenne pepper or hot sauce (if desired) |
Directions
Combine egg yolk, water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a cup that barely fits the head of an immersion blender. Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling constantly, until foaming subsides. Transfer butter to a 1 cup liquid measuring cup.
Place head of immersion blender into the bottom of the cup and turn it on. With the blender constantly running, slowly pour hot butter into cup. It should emulsify with the egg yolk and lemon juice. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be thick and creamy. Season to taste with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper or hot sauce (if desired). Serve immediately, or transfer to a small-lidded pot and keep in a warm place for up to 1 hour before serving. Hollandaise cannot be cooled and reheated.
Out of all of the appliances in my kitchen, the blender is definitely one I rely on the most and the first in line for an upgrade when I’m ready to move on from my current blender. Take a look at all of the blenders available on Bestbuy.ca, and see which one would be the perfect upgrade in your kitchen.
