Flickr Photo From: Christy Bright
It’s great when you’ve got all afternoon to experiment with flavors, listening to classical music as you slice vegetables, stir sauces and cook meat but sometimes we just don’t have the luxury of time. While cooking should always be exciting, interesting and rewarding when you’ve only got twenty minutes to prepare dinner appliances need to be user-friendly, multi functional and fast.
Mandolin Slicer
Flickr Photo From: Tony Webster
These slicers are perfect when you’re hosting a dinner party, making the family roast or substituting say pasta for courgettes. Instead of spending hours chopping, slicing and julienning vegetables a Mandolin slicer can do it quickly, efficiently and most importantly uniformly. One of the main annoyances when cooking is trying to get slices of carrot, cucumber or tomatoes the same size and thickness. However, mandolin slicers take the hassle out of comparing portions as, depending on the blade size, it’ll cut the same way each time you use it.
Immersion Blender
Flickr Photo From: Soli
Modern blenders are capable of so much more than their predecessors which were often awkward, unwieldy and difficult to use. Nowadays, you can choose from a mains connected, or battery powered one, and they don’t just make soups, sauces, and stews anymore. Stick, or hand blenders can help you make cake batter, smoothing out all the lumps as well as custards, meringues and smoothies thanks to incredibly fast processing speeds and the multiple rotating blades that function seamlessly together.
Garbage Disposal
Flickr Photo From: allispossible.org.uk
While many people use bins, compost heaps and recycling boxes the ultimate weapon in fast, clean and hygienic kitchen maintenance has to be a garbage disposal unit. When you’ve finished your meal, simply scrape any leftovers into the unit and it’ll shred food waste so it’ll pass easily through your plumbing. Be careful not to put anything too hard, large or fibrous into the unit or if you need to, cut the item into extremely small pieces. It’s quite easy to jam, or break a disposal unit and calling out a garbage disposal repair team means time and money so keeping it clean and maintained is key. Do try to run the cold water when you use it as it’ll help items to flow through the system.
Automatic Coffee Maker
Flickr Photo From: Pimkie
Some of us are barely functional human beings until we’ve had our first cup of coffee in the morning. If you don’t feel ready to take on the day until you’ve had your latte, espresso or flat white then a coffee machine is a must. While coffee makers can’t quite do everything, although they’re getting close, all you need to do is select or pop the capsule you want and it’ll do the rest. There are loads of different flavors, options and even strengths to choose from while designs range from classic, to the contemporary and strangely futuristic.
Handheld Blow Torch
Flickr Photo From: Seabamirum
We don’t always have the time to wait while the oven slowly, carefully caramelizes our deserts, or heats up to give cakes that golden brown look. Perfect for finishing creme brûlées, the torch burns the sugar to create crunchy, delicious toppings. However, blow torches can also be used to grill vegetables, add presentation when cooking meat and give steaks a perfect restaurant quality sear.
