Cuisinart Blender Cover

cuisinart blender cover Are you a Gourmet? What exactly does it mean to be a gourmet? Does watching public television cooking shows on Saturday morning while folding the laundry count? How about b...


cuisinart blender cover

cuisinart blender cover

Are you a Gourmet?

What exactly does it mean to be a gourmet? Does watching public television cooking shows on Saturday morning while folding the laundry count? How about being fascinated with Julia Child and having all of her cookbooks on your Amazon wish list? Knowing what zest, garam marsala and charcuterie mean, does this qualify you as being a gourmet? Where did the term come from and what exactly does it mean?

A gourmet is someone with a discriminating palate who is savvy when it comes to fine food and drink. The word comes from the French word groumet which defines a person in charge of the wines at a meal. While this definition is a start, most people think they have a discriminating palate, but discriminating between a Big Mac and a Whopper probably doesn't count. What exactly are gourmets discriminating about? Who decides what is and isn't gourmet? From my research, I have come up with three things that qualify a person to call themselves a gourmet. While not an exhaustive list, qualifying in each of these three categories is a good indication that you can call yourself a gourmet.

If you still don't own a blender because you are saving up for a Waring or refuse to brown your bagels in anything other than a Dualit toaster, you are good in the first category of gourmet, knowing your equipment. Note that I don't say you need to own this equipment to be a gourmet, just know what it is and have a sincere desire to own it all someday, like when you win the lottery and can actually afford it. A few of the necessities in a gourmet kitchen include a Cuisinart food processor, Emilie Henry bakers, All-Clad pots and pans, Viking range, SubZero built in refrigerator, Kitchenaid mixer, Espressione espresso machine, Wusthof knives, and a Polder thermometer and timer. You will also need to include fine china, silver cutlery and beautiful table linens. Doing some calculations from the Williams Sonoma site (which should be one of your favorite places to shop), a fully equipped gourmet kitchen including service for 8 would come to over $25,000.00 This figure doesn't even start to cover the many food items you should have.

That brings us to our next category, food. Do you know terms such as foie gras, sevruga, gravlax, fleur de sel, truffles (not the chocolate kind) and herbes de provence? Have you ever eaten any of them? If you can answer yes to most of these, you are a definite gourmet. A good gourmet kitchen will be stocked with the finest wines, caviars, cheeses, produce, meats, breads and pastries. It will also have multitudes of herbs and spices as well as liqueurs and natural extracts. Hundreds of volumes of cookbooks are also a necessity and must include authors such as Jacques Pepin, Simone Beck, James Beard and of course, Julia.

The last area that defines a gourmet is drive. This means wanting to constantly learn more about fine foods and wines. Taking vacations to France and Italy are a start as well as visiting wineries, fish markets and farmers markets everywhere you go. Food should be an obsession, not just a past time. Magazines such as Saveur, Cuisine, Cook's Illustrated, Fine Cooking, Gourmet and Bon Appetit should dot the landscape of your home. You should also have a strong desire to take cooking classes and cooking vacations and your ultimate dream would be to one day attend "Le Cordon Bleu" cooking school in Paris. Yes, knowing French is a strong plus.

If you can say you qualify in even two of these categories, I would say you are a budding gourmet. Three would mean you are definitely a gourmet. Now that you have qualified yourself as such, don't hesitate to share it with others. Remember, however, that they may want you to actually cook something for them since they assume all gourmets can cook. This, however, was not one of the qualifying factors, so don't feel pressured if actually using your gourmet items scares you. Instead invite them to a gourmet restaurant and correct their pronunciations of items on the menu. Knowing the equipment, understanding the names and tastes of the foods and having the desire to cook someday is all you need to be a gourmet. Besides, who has time to cook when you are so busy learning to be a gourmet?

About the Author

About the Author:
Emma Snow is a gourmet and freelance writer. Writing for Gourmet Living http://www.gourmet-living.com and BBQ Shop http://www.bbq-shop.net .



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Can You Get A Food Processor and Blender In One?

Why purchase 2 separate appliances when you can get the benefit of both a blender and a mixer in the one appliance? In a point in time when most people are looking to economize and make smarter investments, opting for a dual-purpose appliance is a smart choice. Not only will you economize; you will save space. And, you will likely use this product more than if you purchased them individually.

The base features a seven-speed touchpad control for turning the machine on and off, pulsing, stirring, chopping, mixing, pureeing, food processing and crushing ice. The base also includes convenient push-in rope storage capability. The appliance is easy to scrub also because all the removable parts are dishwasher safe.

A combo food processor/blender is so versatile that you could use it to prepare a whole meal. To show this, we will use recipes courtesy of Cuisinart.com. For a dinner, you could prepare Butternut squish Soup with Leeks, Asian Slaw with Peanut Dressing and a Go Green Smoothie. And, with a name like Cuisinart you know that this appliance will be a part of your kitchen arms depot for years to come.

Ingredients :

Add the leeks and heartbeat to chop, about ten pulses.

When the olive oil is hot, mix in the chopped leeks and garlic. Sweat the plants over medium low heat in order that they become soft. Stir occasionally in order that they don't pick up any color.

While the leeks are cooking, replace the slicing blade with the slicing disc assembly. Cut the crush.

Add the pepper and salt. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and nutmeg. Bring soup to a low boil. Reduce heat and let cook until squash is terribly soft and is easily pierced with a knife, about twenty minutes.

Strain the solids from the cooking liquid, reserving the cooking liquid. Transfer 1/2 the cooking liquid to a clean pot and reserve. Insert the metal blade. In 2 batches, add the solids to the mixer and process to pure, 2 to three mins. Scrape the work bowl to insure the mixture is homogenous. Return the pured solids to the cooking liquid and stir to incorporate. Add the lemon juice. Mix in reserved cooking liquid to get desired consistency.

Asian Slaw with Peanut Dressing

Instructions Insert the metal blade. Heartbeat to slash the peanuts, about 10 times. With the machine running, drop the garlic and ginger down the feed tube to chop. Add the peanut butter, sugar, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and tamari. Process till smooth, about ten seconds. Scrape the work bowl. With the machine running, add the oil in a regular flow through the small feed tube. Process till emulsified, about 10 to 15 seconds. Remove and reserve. The dressing may be made up to a few days ahead. Cover well and cool. Permit to sit for 30 minutes at 70 degrees before using.

Clean the work bowl. Insert the shredding disc. Organize the radishes in the large feed tube, cut side down, and shred. Prepare the carrots horizontally in the large feed tube and shred. Insert the trimmed and broccoli stem in the small feed tube and shred. Transfer the shredded veggies to a big bowl.

Insert the slicing disc. Prepare the green onions in the little feed tube and slice. Arrange the bok choy in the feed tube and slice. Transfer the cut veggies to the bowl with the other veggies. Add the snow peas and toss the plants to combine. Pour the dressing over the veg and toss to cover well. Move to a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved cut peanuts.

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About the Author

If you're serious about making cooking fast and fun again, you have to investigate the . It's a great tool. I highly recommend it and you can get it for a great price online.

If you need more information about cuisinart food processors or the cuisinart duet in particular, check out these other articles:

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