Friday, September 12, 2008

Blender Tips

Using a blender would help make some tasks easier in the kitchen. And knowing what blenders can do may help you better make use of them in order to make some kitchen tasks more convenient to do. Here is some of the most useful blender tips that you may want to know about.

Basic Uses

A blender can be used to perform a variety of tasks. Just like its name says, a blender is mainly used to blend a variety of different ingredients. Whether solids or liquid ingredients, the blender can be used to help blend them. Other uses for a blender include pureeing, liquefying and even chopping ingredients. It can also create a variety of delicious smoothies that can be enjoyed by one of by many, depending on the blender size.

Proper Usage Tips

In order to take advantage of the many benefits of your blender, you must know how to properly use it. Before you try to turn on your blender, make sure that you place the lid firmly on the container to avoid the contents from spilling. And while it is running, try to put your hand on the container to help keep it stable while it is running.

When you want to check out the contents, try to make sure that you turn off the blender first before taking the lid off. And before you try to pour out the contents of your blender, try to make sure that the blade inside it has completely stopped running.

When using the blender on trying to blend liquids and solids together, try to start off at slow speeds. And when at this setting your blender seems to be struggling, don't try to set it at the next higher setting. Instead try first to add in some more liq2uid before you try to increase at the next higher speed to finish blending.

In mixing your drinks, especially in using carbonated beverages, try to blend the other ingredients first using your blender. Pour out the contents of the resulting blend on the serving glasses and then pour in the carbonated drink last. To ensure that your cold beverages stay cold longer, you can also have your blender containers chilled prior to using. They can remain cold when you try to blend your frozen drinks. This trick will work on glass and stainless steel blender containers but would not work as well with the plastic ones.

When trying to blend hot liquids, you can keep the feeder cap of your blender in order to release off some steam. When blending, start the lowest speeds and then gradually increase to higher settings.

When you wish to crush ice cubes in your blender, add one cup of water into the blender before putting the ice cubes for chopping. When you wish to use the blender to grate harder cheeses like Cheddar or the Swiss variety, cut them first into cubes and let them chill in the refrigerator for a while. After that, you can then them into the blender through the feeder cap while the motor is running.

You can also make bread crumbs using your blender. Use stale bread when you wish to make dry bread crumbs and fresh ones for soft bread crumbs. When the motor is running, add the bread in small pieces into the feeder cup of the container. By putting in mind these blender tips, you can find different ways on how to use your blender.

Non Alcoholic Blender Drinks

Blenders are great in trying to create tasty beverages around the home. Especially during the summer, non-alcoholic blender drinks can be a welcome addition to a day at the sun. Creating cooling and refreshing drinks would almost always be welcome all summer long. Here are some recipes that you might want to consider.

Banana Berry Drink

This refreshing drink is fairly easy to make in a blender. What you need is one ripe medium banana, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup of strawberry and 4 ice cubes. Peel out the banana and then cut it up into chunks. Put them in the blender along with the milk, yogurt and the ice cubes. You can then put up the lid and turn the blender on. Try to blend the ingredients for about 30 seconds or until they become smooth. This recipe is good enough for two people to enjoy. Each serving can be prepared with strawberries if preferred.

Orange Hawaiian Punch

This recipe is a great drink for the summer heat. You may need one 46-ounce can of Hawaiian Punch. You will also need a cup of pineapple juice, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 2 ripe bananas and a juice from a half cut lemon.

In order to make this drink, you will need to put in all of the ingredients into your blender, with the bananas sliced into quarters before being placed into the container. Let the blender run in order to mix up all the ingredients. You can then serve the resulting beverage over crushed ice or ice cubes on glasses garnished with orange slices. This recipe is enough to provide a cooling beverage for 8 people.

Breakfast Substitute Shake

For those looking for a drink that can also serve as a complete breakfast in itself, this recipe might do just as good. What you need for this drink would be an 8-ounce can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup, 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, and a single 1 1/2 ounce packet of instant oatmeal as well as 4 to 5 ice cubes.

Once you have prepared the ingredients, you put in the peaches, yogurt and oatmeal into the blender. Turn on your blender in order to mix up the ingredients until smooth. Next, you try to add in the ice cubes, one at a time while the blender is still running. Do this until the ice cubes are chopped.

Coffee Cappuccino

If you are looking into a new summer twist to your favorite cup of coffee or tea, here is a recipe that you might want to try out. In making this beverage, you will need 1/2 cup of instant coffee, 1 cup of non-fat dry milk powder, 1/2 teaspoon of dried orange peel and 3/4 cup sugar.

Mix in the sugar and the orange peel into the blender and then buzzing it until the peel is finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and blend them until powdered. When preparing, use 2 rounded teaspoons of the resulting mixture for every cup of hot water and 3 teaspoons for each mug.

These are just a few of the many non-alcoholic blender drinks that you can try out. You can even find some new ones if you try to experiment with your own recipes and mix up in your dependable blender. This tasty treats would easily make up your day any time.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Preparing Alcoholic Blender Drinks

Refreshing alcoholic blender drinks is just right for the coming summer season. Cooling off the summer heat would no longer be a problem if you know how to prepare some of the popular blender drinks out there. Here are some alcoholic blender drink recipes that you would find quite interesting and easy enough to prepare during the summer.

Pina Colada

This good and popular rum based cocktail may just be what you need for comfort during the summer heat. You can mix in your blender a blend of 3/4 cup rum, 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice, 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar along with a cup of crushed ice. Give this mixture a quick buzz on your blender until creamy. Then serve the resulting mixture into four glasses garnished with a wedge of pineapple.

Frozen Daquiri

A frozen daquiri is another popular drink that you can create with your blender. The daquiri is essentially a cocktail composed mainly of rum, lime juice and sweeteners such as sugar. To make this refreshing summer drink, you blend in 3/4 cup of rum, 1/4 cup of lime juice, 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey, and a cup of ice into a blender. Give the blender a quick run to mix in the ingredients. Pour the resulting mixture into four glasses that you can also top off with a swirl of whip cream garnished with a fresh strawberry.

Frozen Margarita

Frozen margaritas are essentially made from a cocktail with tequila as its main ingredient and with crushed ice in a blender. In order to make a frozen margarita, you need to mix in 1/4 cup of lime juice, freshly squeezed, with 3/4 cup of tequila. You can then add in 1/4 cup of orange liqueur with 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar, depending on how sweet you want your summer frozen cocktail drink to be. Don't forget to add in 1 1/2 cup of crushed ice into the blender mixture and give it a quick buzz.

You can then serve the frozen margarita in salted glasses. Rub a wedge of lime around the rim of the serving glass and dip them into a dish of kosher salt before pouring in the cocktail. If you prefer a sweet frozen margarita, you can dip the glass in granulated sugar instead.

Frozen Espresso Milkshake

For a more unique summer alcoholic blender drink, you can try creating a frozen espresso milkshake for you and your friends during the summer. Mix in your blender 3/4 cup of espresso, 1 cup milk, 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, 1/2 cup vodka, and 1/2 cup Kahlua. Add in a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. Then add in 1 1/2 cups of crushed ice and then give the blender a spin until to mixture becomes thick and creamy. You can then pour it into four glasses to share with your friends. If you wish a mocca shake, you can add in some chocolate syrup.

Preparing these alcoholic blender drinks need not be hard for you. You can try out these drink recipes in your home using your dependable blender and you can have for yourself something to cool off with during the summer heat.

The Importance of Having Your Own Baby Food Blenders

Do you have a baby in the house? If so, you may already be feeling the need to invest on baby food blenders. This won't be hard to find. Actually, any brands, as long as it is sturdy and can take on the basic needs of your baby, will do.

One Step at a Time

A baby's need for food will depend on their age. If they reach the point where they are ready to taste baby food as supplements to their milk, then this is your chance to give your best and make your own baby food. Buying the processed and commercially available ones is okay. No one is really stopping from going that route.

But you will feel much safer if you know every ingredient that you put on your baby's mouth because it was you who made that. And this is just a simple feat. You don't have to study anything. All you've got to have as requirement is your motherly instinct and your good choices of food that you want to blend.

What are the advantages of doing your own baby food?

1. You are assured that all the ingredients are natural. You can choose the ones that will be beneficial to your baby because nobody knows them better than you. You are the boss when it comes to choosing the ingredients that you are going to place on the mix.

2. You can adjust the food according to your baby's needs. This is especially helpful if your baby has developed some allergic reactions towards some ingredients that are popular with the commercially available baby food. By doing this task yourself, you are confident that you are always giving your baby the best.

3. You will be giving your baby fresh food all the time. Unlike the commercially processed ones, you can do your own version at the time before you knew that it is time to feed your baby. And nobody would know that factor better than you. By going this route, your baby will benefit from taking in fresh and safe food that was made by their loved ones all the time.

4. This will cost you less. As days go by, the prices of commodities, even the food for the babies, never seem to stop from going up. In deciding that you will do your own baby's food with the help of a good blender, you will be able to save a lot. Those savings can be used for baby's other needs. Your baby will surely feel the love and the care that you put into the task. This can also serve as your bonding moment.

5. You will be able to monitor your child's eating habits. This way, as your children grow older, you will know what to do in times when they are sick or don't want to eat certain thing. This is due to the fact that ever since they are small, you have attended to them personally, even with the food that they take.

To accomplish all that, start your search for the right and suitable baby food blenders. You can choose quality over the price, especially when you can afford that. You can use the blender for other purposes than in making your baby's food so you need to get the one product that will last through time.