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Tuesday, 19th May 2009
KitchenAid Artisan Mixer Review
If it’s possible to have an ongoing relationship with one’s KitchenAid Artisan Mixer, then mine is very close, and personal. I had first seen it while travelling in the US on a free spirited gap year, and even then was a domestic dreamer; seriously considering shipping one home to the UK on a student budget! Irrational I know, but ‘kitchen love’ is a strange and often unwieldy thing. We eventually started our relationship proper about 11 years ago and it has been an enduring love ever since.
Mine is white, crisp, clean and suitable for any environment, but I often hanker for a colour that’s a bit more, dare I say it, cutting edge. Maybe Apple Green, Cobalt Blue, Candy Apple, Imperial Red or even ultra cool Metallic Grey would add a bit of style to my kitchen, but whatever the colour, it would still be the same marvellous mixer underneath.
So apart from looking great, and being featured in every TV chef’s kitchen, what exactly is so fantastic about a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer? The bowl for a start. At 4.8 litres capacity the brushed Stainless Steel bowl is large enough to make dough for two loaves using 1.2kg of flour, but can also whisk one egg white without a problem. Its high sides stop ingredients splashing out, and the twisting mechanism that holds it in place is firm and totally secure.
The 300W motor has 10 speeds and is very strong, heavy and uses an original planetary action. It copes equally well with large quantity mixtures that need slow mixing for a prolonged time, as well as beating a cake mixture quickly and lightly to produce the most wonderfully risen Victoria Sponge. It has a really robust all metal design, which although heavy to carry at 12.7kg, means that it is reliably rooted to the spot when you need it to be.
The Artisan Mixer comes with three mixing attachments (flat beater, wire whisk and a dough hook). You also get a clear plastic pouring shield which is really helpful in keeping your worktop free from mess. With KitchenAid’s range of more than 12 optional attachments, you can turn your mixer into all sorts of appliances, from a pasta roller/cutter to a citrus juicer, slicer/shredder and my neighbour even uses his to make homemade sausages with a specifically designed gadget from the clever American people at KitchenAid
If aesthetics are your thing, then you couldn’t want for more than this Henry Moore of the mixer world. If functionality drives you, you can be certain that cake, after wonderfully light cake, will never cease to thrill you. You may decide not to have quite the same relationship with your KitchenAid mixer as I do, but I can assure you it will be long lasting, fulfilled and very productive.
View our range of KitchenAid Mixers
Thursday, 7th May 2009
Choosing Casserole Dishes and Stockpots
In English “Casserole” has evolved to mean a wide, straight sided pot with a close fitting lid and ‘ear-like’ side handles. It has also come to describe the method of cooking which produces a rich stew of meat and vegetables and to achieve this it is important to give some thought to the type of casserole you choose to buy.
Casseroles can be made of a variety of materials including cast iron, ceramic, stainless steel and heavy duty metal with reinforced non-stick coatings.
Generally the heavier it is the better, as the meat needs to be browned quickly at a high heat on the hob at the start of cooking, followed by a long and slow process to con
tinue cooking the stew at a very low heat either on the hob or in the oven.
If the casserole is made of a thin poor quality material it will be difficult to keep it at a low heat without burning, unnecessary heat loss, or undesired rapid evaporation.
A thick pot with a heavy base will ensure that the heat is slowly absorbed, retained and evenly transmitted to the contents so that the food at the top of the pot is cooked just as thoroughly as the food at the bottom.
Round casseroles tend to be used for cooking stews and ragouts, with oval pans for pot-roasts and braising.
Stockpots are essential for anyone who enjoys making good quality soup, and indeed stocks, for a variety of other recipes. The choice of material tends to be the same as for casseroles but the design is rather different.
Stockpots have higher sides and tend towards a narrow shape which slows evaporation of liquid and allows the solids (bones or vegetables) to remain submerged for hours at a time, so as to get the best flavour out of them for the stock. Some manufacturers produce stockpots with pasta inserts which lift out easily leaving the water behind, and can double up as a strainer for blanching vegetables.
We recommend these manufacturers:
Berndes Pans
Chasseur
Emile Henry
Le Creuset Cookware
SKK Cookware
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Tuesday, 26th May 2009
How to choose Paella and Crepe Pans, Woks and Tagines
Paella Pans
Paella is a delicious rice based Spanish dish that has huge variations depending on which region (and sometimes which village) you are in. It is commonly made with chicken, seafood or chorizo sausage, with rice as the constant. The pan is similar to a shallow frying pan and is normally made from a untreated mild steel, but they are also available made from squeeze cast recycled aluminium with a tough ceramic titanium non-stick surface, and uncoated stainless steel. The large pan can measure from 34cm diameter to as much as 60cm. As the pan is carried and put directly on the table it should have strong side handles.
Woks
A wok is used for cooking Asian food quickly over a high heat. Traditionally woks had round bottoms and curved sides which spread the heat, making it easy to ‘stir fry’ the food quickly. Nowadays many woks are made with flat bottoms to enable them to be used more easily on Western style cookers. When the food is cooked it can be pushed to one side, leaving the centre of the pan for cooking new ingredients to be added. Woks usually range in diameter from about 28cm to 50cm and are available with either a long side handle or two smaller handles on each side. Traditionally they are made from cast iron which needs ‘seasoning’ before use and occasional attention to prevent rusting, but they can also be made from forged aluminium with a non-stick coating, stainless steel, and the more expensive aluminium with diamond or ceramic reinforced non-stick coating.
Crepe Pans
Crepe pans, or pancake pans, are extremely shallow with sloping sides, designed so that a palette knife can be slid easily under the crepe to turn it over during cooking. If using a pan without a non-stick coating, it is always best to keep it for cooking only crepes; once seasoned there should be no need to wash it.
Tagines
In North Africa stews, called tagines, are simmered in a pot of the same name. This uniquely shaped, thick earthenware dish needs very little liquid added as the conical lid provides a large cool surface on which steam condenses and then drips onto the food. Traditionally used on an open fire, or a bed of charcoal, most tagines have now been modified for use on the hob and glazed for ease of cleaning.
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