Have you ever come across a recipe that calls for fresh orange or citrus juice? In a pinch, you may grab for your regular OJ carton or bottled citrus in the fridge, but usually the author meant for fresh. There’s no substitution for the fresh taste of citrus, and your citrus juicer, like ones from Black & Decker, is the perfect solution to getting it.
With features like small and large cones for a variety of citrus, adjustable pulp preference and large work bowl capacities (up to 32 ounces), Black & Decker citrus juicers should be a staple in your kitchen. With this post, we’ll give tips on using the citrus juicer for a variety of applications.
#1 Add fresh juice flavors to food.
Fresh citrus juice isn’t just for drinks. You can use fresh juice in your recipes for flavor boosting, adding freshness and creating the perfect balance of flavors. Chefs often praise dishes as “successful” based on how balanced the flavors are. Usually, when a dish has equal amounts of savory, sweet and acidic, it is balanced and more flavorful.
Citrus juice is also great to use in marinades as it also provides an acid breakdown of tough muscle fibers found in meat, making a better tasting and tender dish. Add orange juice to your rice for freshness, or lemon juice to your soups and stews for brightness at the end.
#2 Make the best OJ and other drinks.
It may seem obvious that citrus juice can be used in drinks, but not many understand how easy it is. With a citrus juicer, having fresh citrus juice is just a push away, and saves money too. Oranges are readily available all year round, with different varieties ripening in all seasons. A large bag of oranges is just a few dollars, compared to a carton of OJ being 3-5 U.S. dollars, depending on location.
Once you acquire this juice, it can be used in many different ways. Make the most refreshing lemonade, the tastiest fresh lime margaritas, elegant mimosas and tall delicious glasses of orange juice.
#3 Use it for green kitchen cleanup.
Did you know that lemons can be used as a natural all purpose cleaner and disinfectant? With your citrus juicer, you can save money on all natural green kitchen cleanup products and make your own! Because lemons are high in vitamin C and contain 5% acid, they have anti-bacterial effects. They also add a wonderful non-chemically produced fragrance to the air that lasts and revitalizes.
After you juice your lemons, add an equal amount of juice to water in a spray bottle. This all purpose cleaner can be used for grease, spills, and kitchen countertop cleaning. And it cost you pennies to make!
While it’s true that the electric griddle is a time-saver that easily makes breakfast staples like pancakes and bacon, it can be applied to so many more occasions. With this post, we’ll show you how your electric griddle, like the family-sized one from Black & Decker, can be brought out from the dark of your cupboards and get the use it deserves.
#1 Make Sunday dinner for the family.
Don’t just use your electric griddle for Sunday breakfasts—take it out and use it for your Sunday dinners too. It’s tradition to make Sunday lunches and/or dinners into large family gatherings. This is the meal that brings everyone together, and the food reflects that with down-home comforts that only mom can make. Your griddle, with its adjustable temperature control and grease run-off channels can handle American classics like burgers, hot dogs, steaks, chops and nearly any protein that you cook in your grill, pan or oven. In fact, because it radiates even heat and has a large surface, you’ll see that the griddle can handle bigger amounts of food more effectively than other methods of cooking.
#2 Throw a fajita party.
If you’re looking for new entertaining ideas, look no further than your electric griddle. With its large nonstick surface and back splash, it’s the perfect platform for you to throw your very own Mexican-themed fajita party. Marinade some skirt steak in mojo seasoning and cook that, along with some sliced onions and peppers on the griddle. When the steak and veggies are done, use the same appliance to heat up some flour tortillas and melt cheese. Place the leftover food in a heat-proof dish and leave it on top of the griddle to keep it warm for seconds, or thirds.
#3 Use it as a holiday helper.
Almost everyone agrees that the holidays, while a beautiful time of the year, is also stressful. With Thanksgiving, religious holidays and New Years within less than two months of each other, it can feel like meal planning is never-ending. However, your Black & Decker family-sized electric griddle is a life-saver during this time of the year. If you have run out of space in your oven and range, take out the electric griddle to cook foods like latkes and vegetables and toast breads. Or use it to keep casserole dishes warm by placing it on the surface of the griddle on low heat and tightly covering the dishes with aluminum foil. And for dessert, use your griddle to warm up some fruitcake or panettone, and then serve with some ice cream. Holidays have never been easier—or tastier!
While popular for making loose-leaf tea and instant coffee, the electric kettle is anything but a limited-use appliance. Whether it’s for everyday convenience or special occasions, our kettles are practical for all kitchen tasks that require clean, boiling water. Not only that, but they are a safe energy saver that complements any kitchen. So make your kettle become part of your counter space in no time with these unique and handy tips.
#1 Prepare bagged foods easily
Your electric kettle is designed to quickly heat water, shut off once boiling occurs and keep it at optimum temperature. Because of these convenient features, it makes preparing foods packaged in plastic bags like soups, stews, ready meals and rice effortless.
Simply place the bag in the kettle once auto-shutoff is activated and time it to packaging directions. Since you are using even consistent heat, foods will never have cold spots or burnt edges that are possible in the microwave. Plus, it will cook faster than it takes to boil a pot of water on the stove top.
#2 Make clear ice cubes for drinks
Using regular ice cubes from your refrigerator’s ice maker is fine for everyday beverages like water, soda, tea or coffee. But if you’re serving drinks and cocktails at your party or get-together, having fancier looking crystal clear ice is that extra-special touch. And it couldn’t be any simpler to prepare with an electric kettle.
First you need clean, pure water—this is easily attainable with bottled water as most are purified by reverse osmosis and/or distillation. Just boil the water in your kettle, pour into an ice mold and freeze. That’s all you need to do for enjoying more sophisticated drinks that are sure to impress.
#3 Re-hydrate freeze-dried and dehydrated foods
You don’t have to be shy towards using foods that have been freeze-dried or dehydrated. In fact, these products are staples in many recipes that call for them to be “reconstituted with boiling water.” Your kettle takes out all the work in this step with quick boiling water ready to reconstitute any dried foods. You can make freeze-dried fruits juicy again for breads and cakes, bring dried apricots, raisins and prunes back to life, or even finally utilize those exotic dried mushrooms you’ve seen on grocery shelves.
If you’re the planner in your house, summer can be stressful with extra meals to cook and parties to organize. Make summer easy this year by letting your appliances do most of the work on three typical occasions.
#1 No fuss party planning
You don’t have to spend all your time planning summer parties if you have the right appliances to help. While a lot of cooking is done on the grill, plan so it isn’t the only thing you use—otherwise the grill gets backed up, and guests are left waiting.
To ease up the demand at the grill, make some dishes in the kitchen to keep guests satisfied. Take advantage of the large capacity of your blender and/or food processor to make dips and spreads. For easy drinks, see this month’s article on becoming a bender master.
#2 Home lunches for kids made easy
When the kids are home from school during the summer, adding an extra meal to prepare can be a challenge. Your appliances make summer lunches easy by taking the hassle out of creating lunch.
Use the one-touch functions on your digital countertop oven to make kid-favorite frozen food like chicken nuggets and pizza bites. Then, use the one-touch cookies function for dessert, too.
If you have more time, get the kids involved and use your toaster for easy customizable sandwiches. The kids can pick their own ingredients and put their sandwiches together. All you need to do is toast some bread, and the kids do the rest of the work.
#3 Picnic prep in a snap
Make your summer picnic memorable by prepping the food at home. Pack the components separately, then put the food together once outside.
Use the appliances at home for picnic prepping. Liven up your sandwiches by baking fresh bread in your bread maker then slice it. Then use your food processor to pre-slice ingredients, so everything is prepped and ready to serve.
You can also use your food processor to make popular chopped salads, like a fresh Cobb. For snacks, use your processor, chopper or blender to make salsa. Just put all the ingredients in, press the button and you’re ready to pack up.
Of all the appliances you can buy, the bread maker is probably the most intimidating to most people. Whether it’s the unique programming or the use of a live ingredient like yeast, the bread maker can be a little scary and getting the best results can be a science.
Black & Decker is breaking down your bread maker to make it easy to understand, with this handy guide to getting the best out of your bread machine. (more…)
Grinding your own coffee beans at home is the best way to go, because it helps you get that perfect cup of hot fresh coffee, every time. Already ground coffee can loose its freshness, which can leave your morning coffee tasting stale. So you grind your beans at home to get the best taste.
But even if you’re grinding your beans at home, are you still getting the freshest, best taste in your coffee? The key to maximum flavor extraction actually comes in having the right grind for the coffee you love to drink. (more…)
Do you pay a sous chef to do the prep work for your recipes? If you’re buying vegetables, herbs and cheeses already chopped, diced or shredded, then that’s exactly what it amounts to, because your paying for the prep on these items. (more…)
Does your electric knife only come out during the holidays? Meanwhile the rest of the year, it’s just taking up space in a cabinet or drawer, collecting dust. You have to have it, because otherwise you end up butchering the beautiful turkey you slaved to make for Thanksgiving dinner; but it’s a bit frustrating that an appliance you have to have only gets used as often as you holiday flatware and decorations.
If you want to get a little more use for your electric knife outside the few holidays where it makes an appearance, try slicing up all your favorite bakery and Artisan breads for breakfast, brunch, lunch or any snack time. Most people just use their regular manual bread knife, but it can be a pain to get even slices from top to bottom, side to side, and one slice to the next. Your electric knife makes it easy, because it cuts through even thick breads with the ease of cutting a sheet of paper.
You can make your kitchen your family’s favorite café and sandwich shop this year with freshly-sliced breads and deli sandwiches. With your favorite sliced deli meats and cheeses, a fresh loaf of Artisan bread and your electric knife, you can slice up the ultimate sandwich bread in seconds. It’s better than any pre-sliced loaves you can buy from the grocery aisle and you get those great café-style sandwiches without paying café prices.
You can also do bakery breads for breakfast, too. Instead of your usual boring toast in the morning, you can buy specialty breakfast loaves like oatmeal and cinnamon raisin fresh from your local bakery, then slice up your own toast with your electric knife. This way, you get bakery-quality taste, sliced to your own perfect thickness with ease thanks to your electric knife.
Of course, if you want an even fresher home-baked taste in the breads your family loves, your electric knife and a countertop bread maker are a perfect match. You can bake all your favorite breads fresh and even do regular white and whole wheat breads for sandwiches, then slice the loaf perfectly with your electric knife.
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