Feb 6, 2010

3 Kitchen Appliances I Love



Blendtec HP3A

Nothing makes sucking down copious amounts vegetables and fruits in mere seconds better than a Blendtec.

I'm not a health nut, but I recently developed irritable bowel syndrome. It makes me have the craps, and stomach cramps depending on what I eat. So there was a need to change my diet.

Blendtec HP3A is an commercial strength blender for the home. Its like a lawnmower blender. You can chuck ice in it, and it will destroy it in seconds.

It has a 3 horse power motor in it. That 1/9th of what my first car, a Ford Fiesta, had in it.

Seriously, I took

half a large cucumber
half a banana
half a large carrot
half a celery stick
a whole large leaf of kale
5 strawberries
a handful of grapes
and a large handful of ice

and it annihilated it into a tasty smoothie in less than 25 seconds.

The smoothie looks like a pea colored doodoo, but srsly, it's delicious!

I've only had it a week, but I look forward to smoothies for meals. It's fast and clean up is easy, and although Im not sure how healthy the smoothies are (because of high natural fruit sugar), Im guessing they are better than a trip to McDonalds.

It's a little pricey at around $350, but what it saves in cooking time (and chewing! HA) I find it a worthy purchase.

* I purchased my Blendtec from http://usablender.com/store/ using coupon code HOLIDAY for $75 off, which after taxes, made it about $350 delivered.

BTW, it blends iPhones. PC FTW






National Hot Water Pot

Hot water pots seem like typical appliances in asian homes. When I tell Americans about it, they aren't aware of the product.

It's a container, that has boiling water in it at all times, and you can keep it on 24-7. I think it's more popular in Japan because they drink alot of green tea and don't want to have to boil water every time.

I've had mine for years, previously for instant coffee (I used to drink mad quantities of instant coffee), but now I use it for herbal teas.

Since the onset of IBS, I've gotten into different teas which seem to soothe my mind and gut.

Ginger Tea - It's-a-spicy, but it is recommended to help digestion. I like the taste, and although Im not 100% certain as to if it helps digestion, it seems to soothe my stomach.

Peppermint Tea - This also apparently helps to aid digestion. I don't drink it much, because the taste is a little strong but, I still keep it around.

Kava and Chamomile Tea - Back when I was first diagnosed with IBS, the doctor gave me some awesome panic anxiety drugs because he suspected that my gut problems were connected with stress and anxiety. Although I wish I could get my hands on some more of that Lorazepam, I drink Kava and Chamomile tea as they are supposedly natural anxiety relief.

BTW, I also dump a ton of honey in my tea. I buy my honey in 5lb jugs!

* I bought mine at an asian market, but you can view reviews at Amazon.



ZojiRushi Fish Broiler

I eat a decent amount of fish, mostly salmon and saba. Mmmmm Saba. Guess Ill have some for dinner tonight.

There's not much to say about this product except that it's pretty awesome. I tried cooking my fish in the oven, but it takes longer. This broiler is fast to preheat, and fast to cook. It also is very close to the fish while cooking so you get tasty crispy fish skin, which seems to be harder to do in a large oven. This thing probably takes much less energy too.

Fish stinks up the house when you cook it. This has a catalytic? filter to reduce smoke and smells. Although, my house still stinks when I cook fish.

* I bought mine at an asian market, but you can view reviews at Amazon.

Feb 4, 2010