Eat Better, Save Time, Money and the Environment Using Small Appliances
What I have discovered after having left the professional kitchen was that the microwave and toaster oven were great support in the home kitchen and were definitely underused. A microwave is for more than heating, it is excellent for cooking vegetables and fruits. Did you know that you can have perfectly cooked potatoes made in ten minutes with very little water and with great flavor when cooked correctly in the microwave?
Dust off your Toaster Oven!
A toaster oven IS an oven, albeit smaller, but serves the same function. Bear in mind they are not all created equal, so if you are going to use one too cook keep this in mind. To get the most use out if it, make sure that you research the performance reports of the oven as not all get to or hold the heat the same. Also, I suggest that you get one that will hold a 9-inch pie plate. This will ensure that you can cook larger items in it like I do – pies, cake and brownies, salmon, chicken, vegetable dishes – except for large roasts and turkeys, you can cook anything you’d make in a standard sized oven in a toaster oven.
Find the perfect toaster oven here.
No Cook Cooking is ‘Gilded Green’
One of the bonuses from gourmet cooking with small appliances is that it is beneficial for the environment. Small appliances provide a 75% energy savings compared to the larger appliances, so you can be a little greener in the kitchen while making fabulous dishes and saving you time, because now, when using them, you are able to cook faster and more efficiently. Every little bit counts, and in the kitchen is a great place to start.
Some more tips to get you started
Use fresh ingredients as much as possible.
They are not only the key to better eating; they also minimize the cooking factor.
Use the oven as little as possible. Not just in the heat, but anytime of year. Some foods do need to be cooked as they are central to this repertoire of cooking and add immensely to the flavor of the meals. Cook these foods when it is cooler, usually in the morning. However, if you have to cook in the evening, comfort yourself with the knowledge that the house has time to cool down.
Make the most of your blender.
Make the most of your toaster oven—actually cook in it!
Using often-neglected appliances like the toaster oven is a key concept in this type of meal preparation. A toaster oven that can hold four pieces of bread or a 9-inch pie plate is ideal. I also highly recommend a convection toaster oven for getting the best-quality baking and cooking. You will find you use your regular oven far less often year round, not just in the summer.
Find the perfect toaster oven here.
The microwave is an excellent kitchen tool and one I could not do without in my kitchen. Be sure to get a really good one. Wattage counts. How you cook the food is very important. An indispensable cooking tool for the microwave is the silicone lid. It seals in the steam and preserves the texture of the food you are cooking. not to mention, it speeds up the cooking process even faster! More tips on microwave use and safety guidelines, with tips from a microwave expert are in my book, “Simply Summer”, available for sale, on my website www.angelatunner.com.
Find the perfect microwave here.
Bulk buying does double duty. It saves you time and reduces the number of trips you make in your car. Just because stores are open at all hours does not mean you have to be there more often. In fact, buying things in bulk you use more often saves unnecessary trips and cooking in bulk saves time and makes meals faster to prepare. Visit www.angelatunner.com for your free copy of my complete basic pantry stocking list to make shopping easier.
Angela Tunner is The Renaissance Gourmet, former chef of an acclaimed and award winning Toronto French restaurant (Frommer’s, Zagat, The Globe and Mail, The Wine Spectator) and author of practical and easy gourmet cookbooks, her first in the series is, “Simply Summer: Gourmet Meals Made Deliciously Easy With Tips for Elegant Living” (Eat like a Millionaire Omnimedia, ISBN 978-0-9783561-0-1) Buy it direct from the publisher, online at http://www.angelatunner.com Filled with practical tips, the easy and fresh recipes all use grocery store ingredients and are revolutionary because they rely almost exclusively on no cooking—saving time and energy! For more information about The Renaissance Gourmet and her practical kitchen and cooking tips, go to http://www.angelatunner.com Subscribe to her free newsletter for more time saving tips and easy, delicious recipes.
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