How to dry poblano peppers? To keep them dried, you need to be familiar with the ways of drying poblano peppers. One of the simplest ways to dry poblano peppers is by heating them in the oven. Leave the door slightly open so that the moisture escapes.

What is Poblano Pepper?

Poblano pepper originated from the state of Puebla Central Mexico is mild chili pepper. It has a thick skin and looks dark green. They have a triangular shape, wide at the top and pointy towards the bottom.

The taste of this pepper can range from mild to medium-hot. Red poblano peppers are ripened; they are hotter than the less ripened green poblano peppers. When dried, they are called chile ancho or ancho.

Nutrition in Poblano Peppers

Here’s the amount of nutrition in one serving of poblano peppers

Calories             17

Total fat              0gm.

Protein                1gm.

Fiber                   3grams

Carbohydrates   4grams

Calcium              10gram

Sodium               1mg.

Vitamin C            85.5mg

Potassium           113mg.

How to Dry Poblano Peppers?

Here are the different ways in which you can dry poblano peppers.

Hang Dry Method

Indoor hang dry method can become one o your favorite methods of drying poblano peppers. It’s the fastest and quickest way to dry your poblano chilies. Dried poblano peppers can be used effectively for a period of up to 6 months.

Here’s how you can hang dry your peppers:

Things required:

• Water
• Fresh Poblano Chillies with the stem of 2 inches
• Needle
• Two sticks
• Fishing line (at least 25 lbs)
• Kitchen Towel

Steps:

• Wash the peppers thoroughly to remove all the dust and dirt. Dry it with a kitchen towel.
• Knot one end of the fishing line so the peppers won’t slide off.
• Take the other end and insert it into a needle.
• Take the big poblano pepper, insert the needle into its stem and slide it down the line.
• Keep doing it until all your peppers are in descending order.
• Now remove the needle and tie the other end too.
• Hang the line in a place free from humidity. A sunny window or cabinet will be a perfect place to hang it.
• Let it dry for a few weeks. You’ll see the peppers getting wrinkly in texture.

Drying with Dehydrator

Another easy method to dry your poblano peppers is by using a dehydrator.

Things required:

• Dehydrator
• Poblano peppers
• Kitchen Towel
• Sharp Knife
• Water

Steps:

• Wash the peppers with cold water to wash out all the dust or dirt.
• Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
• For drying peppers in a dehydrator, you need to remove their stems.
• Place the peppers on the dehydrator tray in a single layer.
• If you want to dry them fast, slice them in half using the knife.
• Remove seeds before placing them on the tray.
• Set the temperature to 100 F, if possible.
• Keep checking the dehydrator in between for safety purposes, as it takes a few days for them to dry.
• Use dried poblano peppers in the winter season in your soups or stews.

Drying outdoors

If you don’t want to use an oven or dehydrator (they’re fast-drying methods, though), you can dry the peppers outside.

Things required:

• Paper Towel
• Garden Twine
• Water
• Poblano Peppers with stems

Steps:

• Remove all the moisture from the poblano peppers using a paper towel.
• Wrap the garden twine around the stems of the pepper in loops.
• Tighten the twine making sure you don’t cut off the stem.
• Taken another loop and knot it double.
• Repeat the process with all the peppers. Again, keep space of at least a few inches between each pepper.
• Hang all the peppers in a string, and then hang in a cool and dry place with access to direct sunlight.
• You’ll notice the peppers getting wrinkled in a couple of days. Wrinkling can make them fall off, so keep checking timely.
• If you see the rainy weather, remove the peppers and bring them inside.
• Your peppers will be dried in 2 weeks.

Drying with Oven

Things required:

• Oven
• Poblano peppers
• Baking sheet
• Water
• Knife
• Paper Knife

Steps:

• Wash and dry the peppers using a paper towel.
• Cut the poblano peppers into slices and place them on the baking sheet.
• There’s no need to remove the seeds as they’ll get collected on the sheet.
• You can also keep the peppers in the oven without slicing them.
• The temperature should be between 100 to 150 for drying them.
• If you’re drying the peppers in a conventional oven, slightly open the door for the air to move out.
• Keep the pets or kids away from the oven. Keep supervision.
• Keep turning the peppers at regular intervals and dry them until they are fully wrinkled.
• After cooling the peppers, store them in an airtight container.

Storage for Dry Poblano Peppers

The best way to store dry poblano peppers is to keep them in a dry air tight container or a glass jar with a tightly sealed lid. It helps keep the flavor strong and unflawed for a much longer time.

These dried peppers can be used for up to 6 months. You can also use the same process for storing ground pepper flakes.

Use zip-lock bags or vacuum seal bags for storing dry poblano peppers if you don’t have airtight containers.

Conclusion

Depending on how fast you want your poblano peppers to dry, you can use any of the above methods you find convenient. If you can’t determine which method is faster just by looking at it, try each of them if you have the required things.

While using an oven or dehydrator, you need to be very careful as your kids or pets might come to touch it. Do both the methods under your proper supervision for the safety of you and your loved ones.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poblano

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_dehydrator

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To avoid the misery of teary eyes while chopping onions, you can take a little help from your food processor. It is way easier and a quick process too. Try not to store the chopped onion because the taste of the onion might change as time passes. Instead, use freshly chopped onions in your dishes, as they are much healthier and taste yummy.

Firstly, clean the onions before you put them into a food processor. Put them in water for 3 to 5 mins so that you can easily peel the top off. We will never know how they are produced or shipped to your doorstep. So it will be wiser to clean them first. Remove the first layer after you wash them. Now let’s see how to chop onions in a food processor below:

1. Peel the top layer of the onion completely and dice it into four pieces from the center. Using a sharp knife will finish the process quickly.
2. Open the food processor and fix an S blade into it. Make sure it is fixed properly and rotates in anti-clockwise.
3. After the blade is fixed in its place, test for its function without adding any ingredients to it. This will ensure it is properly fixed.
4. Only put two diced pieces on each side of the blade.
5. Fix back the lid and rotate until the top of the processor is fixed with the motor. This might be different according to the models of food processors. Some might just need a press, while some needs to be clipped in.
6. With short bursts, start chopping the onion, then increase the pulse according to the size of the onion you desire.
7. Once you have the onion chopped to your desired level, stop the food processor.
8. Switch off the processor and scoop all the chopped onion into a bowl.
9. Then twist the blade clockwise to remove it from the processor and wash it.
10. Be careful while handling blades because they are sharp enough to slit through your fingers.
11. Do not over-chop the onion in the processor because it might get bitter sometimes.

The only way to store chopped onions in your refrigerator is by putting them in an airtight container or a resealable bag. Many say this might attract toxins if placed in a fridge, but it is only a myth. But the taste might get bitter; sometimes, it is completely okay to store for up to 10 days.

Using a food processor can give you the best outcome while cooking because it will chop the food in the same size. This will look so pleasing to the eye too. Just take time to assemble the blade properly in the food processor.

Speaking of facts, onions will have lots of water in them. After chopping the onion, it will release a lot of water which will be enough to grind or chop the onion. Although some pieces might get stuck under the blade, you can add some water just to lubricate it. You can add it as per the consistency you require.

Adding a whole onion to a food processor might save you from teary eyes, but we would not suggest you do it. The large size of the onion might stop the blades from working efficiently. And might stop the motor in the food processor too. To avoid it, we suggest you dice the onions into four or five pieces before adding them to the food processor.

Onions usually take in sulfur from the earth while growing. This produces a complex in the vegetable, which is called amino sulfoxide. This will release an enzyme released as soon as you scrape or chop the onion. This will react with the receptors in the eye, which will cause you tears. To avoid excessive tearing and irritation of the eyes, you can try chilling the onion for some minutes before you cut it. You can use Google or eye shields while chopping to prevent crying too.

1.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Oa_7v8lfk

2. https://www.kitchenaid.co.uk/static_assets/pdf/KA/food-processor/FoodPro_EN.pdf

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This multifunctional device performs so many things at once. It shreds, chops, slices, grates, among many other things. But what happens when your food processor stops working? Do you buy a new one? You try to find its alternatives; that’s why you’re here. We present you with food processor alternatives that will save your day.

Sometimes our precious food processor stops working suddenly, or we don’t want to spend money buying a food processor and start finding its alternatives. Here are some things that you can use instead of a food processor.

Blender is the most effective alternative for a food processor. It performs almost the same as a food processor, like it blends fruits and vegetables into a juice or mincing things. The big blade present in the middle does the job of cutting large items into smaller items or grinding them all to form a puree. You can change the speed settings according to your convenience.

If you want to do maximum things with minimum effort in a short time, then a mixer would be the most suitable option for you. They are available in different sizes to use the one that suits your needs. There are electric and hand-held mixers too. They are easy to store and take up less space in your kitchen.

If you’re looking just to chop items, then a chopper might be useful for you. Though it performs only one of the functions of a food processor, it does its chopping job well. Just put the onions or fruits into the chopper, and your work is done. It saves a lot of your time as you don’t have to change any settings or set it up. It’s already set up for the one function- chopping.

Grinder usually comes in electric forms and are used to mash, cut, and mash various food items. They also come for specific purposes like mincing meat or cutting nuts. Compared to blenders or choppers, grinders are much heavier and tougher to move. So store it in a place where you don’t have to move it.

Graters don’t only help you grate items but also let you chop and slice food items in different sizes. In addition, you can shape the vegetables, fruits, or any other food item in your way. However, you need to be careful while handling these graters as there are sharp ends on each side, and you can injure your hand.

The last ideal option for you would be to boil your food items until they’re soft. Then let them cool and mash them. This is perfect for you if you want puree fruits or vegetables for some recipe. You don’t have to go through the noise to get the pulp. However, this process will take time, so you have to hold your patience in this.

Ninja Blender can be used for literally anything. So yes, it can be used as a food processor too. This becomes entirely true when your ninja blender has those unique grinding blades and a food processing bowl. Even if you have a normal ninja blender, you don’t have any reason not to use it as a food processor. 

However, you should know what type of food processing you want to do on your Ninja Blender. The standard Ninja Blender can be used for chopping vegetables like onion and celery to make a soup. It can also make tomato puree for sauce or a healthy juice.

This doesn’t mean that a standard Ninja Blender can replace a whole food processor. For example, if you want to knead or mix a dough, you won’t be able to do it in your standard Ninja Blender. Blenders need liquid to perform at their best. They use liquid to get food items down the blade and blend them. This isn’t the case with food processors. Their sharp blades can mix batter and dough without the need for liquid.

Using your Ninja blender as a food processor totally depends on the type of food you want to process. Do not use foods that don’t look like they belong to a blender. Instead, stick with simple ingredients like vegetables, dried fruits, and nuts.

Vitamix can perform most of the tasks performed by a food processor, but there are some tasks it can’t perform. Coarse chopping is one of the specialties of Vitamix; it can chop any food item from soft to hard. Be it carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, or onion. It can also mix and blend and give you delicious smoothies, ice creams, or anything that blends.

There is only one thing that stops Vitamix from being a food processor, and that is slicing. Vitamix cannot slice fruits or vegetables as a food processor can do. So, unfortunately, you cannot prepare sliced salads with a Vitamix.

Food processors are the best kitchen appliance made till now. They make our work so easy! But they are a little costly too so everybody can’t afford that. However, if you don’t have a food processor, that doesn’t mean you can’t have comfort in your life. There are always alternatives present around you. Just take a look in your kitchen, and you find so many options. All of the alternatives of a food processor perform one or two of its functions, so when you combine these alternatives, you can perform all the tasks performed by a food processor without even owning it.

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Do you need to grease parchment paper? – As parchment paper is non-stick, there’s no compulsory requirement to grease it. However, if you still like to grease it, there’s a way you can do it. Read further to know more.

What is a Parchment Paper?

Parchment Paper is a non-stick paper that is heat resistant and coated with silicone. You’ll find cake later but parchment paper first in a baker’s kitchen. From lining baking pans to layering stacked baked goods, parchment paper comes with many uses. Apart from baking, it helps in keeping the desserts from sticking to the pan.

Quick Tip: Always store your parchment paper flat instead of rolling. Keeping it flat prevents it from rolling back to you, and that way, you don’t get irritated.

Can it be replaced?

In case you don’t have parchment paper available with you, you can use aluminum foil or waxed paper as an alternative. However, do not consider these options as all-around substitutes for parchment paper. The waxed paper is made from paraffin wax, so it is not heat resistant and can’t be used in the oven. At the same time, aluminum foil does not support non-stick features, so it cannot be used to layer your desserts.

How to grease parchment paper?

Parchment paper is made from a thin silicone coating with a non-sticky texture. So you don’t have to worry about greasing the parchment paper while baking delicious cookies. However, if you decide to grease parchment paper despite knowing the fact it’s silicone-coated, you’ll see an extra greasy texture on your cookies. We are sure that this is not what you were expecting, so make sure you are not greasing the parchment paper.

How to grease a cake pan with parchment paper?

It’s easy peasy to grease a cake pan with parchment paper. All you need to do is arrange the things and follow the steps, and you’re all set to go.

Things to arrange

• Cake Pan (size of the pan depends on the recipe you’re making).
• Butter or cooking spray
• Cooking spray with flour inside can also work.
• Parchment paper
• Flour

Steps to follow

Step 1: Greasing

Put the cake pan in front of you and start putting butter drops on the sides. Next, brush the butter all over the pan. Make sure no corner or side is left ungreased inside the pan. Everything should be covered the bottom, the sides, corners, all.

In case you have a spray, your work is reduced now. Just spray it all over the pan, and if the spray comes with the flour inside, your job gets reduced by two steps. After that, you can just jump over to the third step.

Step 2: Flouring

After greasing the pan properly, you need to start flouring the pan. Flour sticks to the grease to provide extra protection between the pan and cake. According to us, flouring can be a satisfying process but messy at the same time. You can end up spreading flour all over the slab and your clothes. So to avoid any mess, always wear an apron and work near the sink.

Take a teaspoon or tablespoon of flour (depending on the size of the pan) and hold it just above the pan. Now start shaking your hand evenly, spreading the flour all over the pan. It might not spread evenly at this time. Chill out! Just take the pan over to the sink and tilt it from front to back. Tilt it where the flour needs to be reached. Once the pan is covered evenly, gently turn it down and remove any excess flour by shaking it.

Step 3: Lining the pan

You might think, I have greased the pan now what’s the need of lining it. But, trust us with the process, you’ll be happy in the end.

The most challenging thing about lining the pan is not the lining process; it’s actually about cutting the paper. If you do not know how to cut parchment paper, you can always buy pre-cut parchment papers from the market. If you apply the trick provided by us, you can do it at home. Just grab some scissors and parchment paper, of course.

The tricks we will tell are for round cake pans as they are the most difficult to fit parchment paper in.

Trick 1

Take the parchment paper and place it just below the bottom of the pan. Take a pen and mark the border of the pan on the paper. Now take the parchment paper and cut the design you just made. Make sure you are cutting slightly smaller than the design. Voila, your parchment paper is ready to fit inside the pan.

Trick 2

If the 1st one didn’t work for you, we have a second trick for you. We call it the “Triangle trick”. Take the parchment paper, fold it in half, and start folding it in a triangle. Make as many triangles as you can; they won’t be perfect, though. Once you’re done, hold the tip of the triangle from the center of the pan. Measure it and cut any extra length you notice.

Next, open the triangle, and woohoo! Your parchment paper is ready to line.

Place the parchment paper inside the pan.

If you have a square pan

Take the parchment paper, put it inside the pan, measure it, and cut off any extra paper from two sides only. You need to keep the other two sides long so that it’s easy for you to take the bake out.

Step 4: Again grease and flour

Repeat the same steps 1 and 2 as lining needs to go through this process too.

Step 5: Enjoy your delicious items

Now it’s time for you to enjoy the fruits of your efforts. Take the baked item from the oven, gently flip it over a plate (if you’re using a round cake pan), or take the cake out with the help of extra lengths of the paper that you left earlier. Gently pull off the parchment paper. You’re all set.

Conclusion

The conclusion always comes to one thing; we hope you understand the whole process. It is your choice whether to grease the parchment paper as it already comes with a silicone coating.

The post Do You Need To Grease Parchment Paper? appeared first on Kitchen Matts.

Using a food processor, you can avoid all that time-consuming struggle. Instead, use the shredding blade provided along with your food processor to shred carrots. If you are not aware of what a shredding blade looks like, it will have small sharp perforated holes in the blade. These perforations might be circular or elongated lines along the blade.

This process is a simple and not so time-consuming process. Gather the ingredients and tools required and follow the simple steps to finish the process effortlessly.

To shred carrots, you must prep them first; learn how to prep them easily from below.

1. Choose carrots that are similar in size and shape to have an even texture. You can use baby carrots, too; some of them are peeled and packed already. Large carrots need peeling, but baby carrots can be used as they have thin skin.

2. Wash the carrots and rest them in salt water for 10 mins. This will remove all the muddy brown dust from the carrots to have a bright orange shade. Chops off the greens on the top of the carrots if you find any leaves over it.

3. Use a sharp peeler and peel one or two layers of the carrots. Chop the peeled carrots into long strips and cut them into equal-sized cubes to fit easily into the food processor. You can also leave the skin and shred the carrots; they are completely edible. But peeling the skin will make it easier to shred.

After shredding the carrots, assemble the food processor. Grab the shredding blade, clip it inside the socket, and fix the bowl onto the food processor. A small click will be the end indication of the bowl fixing onto the processor base.

Once you have your food processor for the action, scoop the diced carrots and add them to the bowl. Add small batches through the food tube and push it using the food pusher. With small pulses, start the shredding and increase the speed.

Repeat the pulsing step until you get a smooth shred to remove it using a spatula and use it fresh or store it in a food-safe sealed container for after use.

Grating carrots in a blender is as simple as shredding them in a food processor. Prep the carrots in the same way mentioned above and cut them into smaller pieces instead of dicing them into bigger chunks. This will make the blender blades move smoothly.

Next, put the pieces into the blender and grate them using the highest speed on the blender. The blender blade will have bigger perforations, which gives you thicker-sized strips than a shredder blade.

Shredding and grating carrots will take the same time and effort. Use it in pies and cakes, and it will taste both ways. So it is up to you to pick the process. If you are looking for a smooth texture, go for shredding, or look for a little bit of thick texture, go for grating the carrots.

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You can make fresh and delicious pie crust using a food processor at home. Freshly made dough gives you the best flakey layers. So let’s begin with the necessary ingredients.

The process requires only a few ingredients easily found in your home. You will need some food-grade plastic wrap to freeze the dough.

1. Flour: Use any unflavored all-purpose flour to base a pie crust. If you are a beginner, go for all-purpose or refined flour because it will be easy to handle. But if you are a little experienced, go for any flour like wheat or pastry dough to get a nice texture on your pie crust.

2. Sugar: This is totally optional. If you like your pie crust a little sweeter, go for it. Be careful while adding sugar because this may loosen the dough and make it hard to roll out. Adding sugar provides a nice rich brown color to the pie crust

3. Salt: Just use a pinch of table salt and mix it thoroughly; adding salt will unlock the flavors of the pie crust.

4. Ice Water: Ice water will give the dough a strong fix, holding it together. Add some ice cubes into a small water bowl and mix until the cubes dissolve. You must add enough water to the dough to make it into a clean ball. Without enough water, the dough might be clumpy and break while kneading. You can substitute water ice cubes with buttermilk, vodka, or orange juice cubes, adding more flavor to your pie crust.

5. Butter: Butter is the main ingredient to get a flaky crust. But, using excess can make the crust tender, and this flavor is strong enough to dominate the flavor of the fillings.

6. Shortening: Adding shortening gives you perfect crimping on the edges of the pie. Although this can make the dough very tender, it is easy to shape your dough. In addition, it has a mild flavor, not as strong as butter.

Many people confuse about what to add to your pie crust. Well, we say add both! Yes, both butter and shortening together. Butter gives a rich flavor, while shortening gives a nice texture to the pie crust. This way, the crust will be easier to shape and assemble too.

Now that you have assembled all your ingredients let’s get into the process.

1. Take a large bowl and add a cup of flour, a single tablespoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix all the dry ingredients using a whisk or a fork.
2. Add cold butter and chilled shortening pieces into the mixed dry ingredients.
3. Use your hands and toss the butter cubes until they are coated with the flour, and use a fork to cut through the pieces of butter and shortening.
4. Let these be a little chunky, then add 4 spoons of ice cold water to the above mixture and mix it using a non-stick or rubber spatula.
5. Check for the water level required and add at regular intervals; adding whole at a time can create lumps and will be hard to get texture.
6. The dough should not be as loose as a pizza base; it should not be too dry.
7. Adding water is an important step in maintaining the consistency of the pie crust. However, it should still have little clumps so that it would be pizza dough.
8. If you add water all at once, you need extra flour to eliminate the excess water; this will give you a hard and rubbery pie crust.

1. Release the dough onto a clean flat surface or a Silpat mat. Do not forget to dust the base before you place the dough on the floor or the mat.
2. Dust your hands with loose flour and start kneading and shaping the dough
3. into a ball. Add low pressure while kneading the dough, or it might get hard after you bake it.
4. After gathering the dough into a ball, cut it into two halves and roll them into a one-inch thick layer.
5. Then cut the layers into discs and wrap both discs using food-grade plastic wrap.
6. Place the discs in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours before you use them. After that, you need them to rest for at least one night to two days to get a perfect texture.
7. You can also store them for three to four months in the freezer.

1. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and let it rest until it reaches room temperature; this will hardly take 5 to 10 mins.
2. After preparing your filling, roll out the discs starting from the center and dust the base properly so it would not stick down.
3. Roll the discs as per the diameter of your pie dish, and let the layer be 4 to five inches more than the diameter of the disc.
4. Now place it in the dish and frame the edges; take the other disc and roll as the previous one. Finally, cut it into strips to make the top of the pie.
5. Place the strips over the filling and arrange designs as you like.

Why buy processed pie crust dough in a supermarket where you can make it at home? We guarantee it will taste much better than the one available on the market. All you need to do is follow our steps to make the best flaky homemade pie crust. Resting the dough properly is the key to the best flaky brown-colored pie crust.

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The main function of a blender is in its name. That’s right, it blends! It not only mixes all the ingredients but also liquefies them.

Blenders are usually used to make smoothies, purees, soups, and sauces. Liquids are blenders’ best friends because they handle them very well. Apart from blending, you can use it to soften hard food items. Its fast motor and solid blades finely mix all the ingredients and convert them into a smooth liquid form.

Blenders come in basic and advanced forms. The job of a basic blender is to blend soft solids into a smooth liquid mixture or paste. Some blenders are also able to make ice creams or nut butter. Advanced or powerful blenders can easily crush ice or other solid ingredients.

A mixer gets power through electricity that beats, mixes, whips, and grinds ingredients. It mixes both liquids and solids and evenly mixes all the ingredients. Mixers come with various blade attachments that beat and whisk ingredients together. You can also make batters and dough using a mixer.

Mixers are mainly used for baking and cooking preparations. This means more food is prepared in less time. Mixers come in two forms- handheld and stand mixers.

There are two situations where a blender can work as a mixer and where it cannot.

You can use a blender as a mixer to prepare items like pancake batter. It may not give a fluffy texture as you get in a mixer, but some blenders come with a foaming jar to help you add air into the liquid mixture.

You can never use a blender to prepare the dough. Though high-power blenders easily crush ice and solid items, they cannot mix items like flour. So a blender cannot be used to make bread or cookie dough. You cannot also use a blender to whisk egg whites or make your batter fluffy by beating air into it. Mixer can perform these jobs easily.

The conclusion arises that you can use a blender as a mixer for certain purposes only. Like you can make a batter with a blender but don’t expect it to be fluffier. You can use it to make smooth pastes or smoothies. However, you cannot expect even a high-power blender to make cookie or bread dough for you. It is not suitable to perform these tasks. Using a blender as a mixer totally depends on the type of activity you’re performing.

1. https://www.techadvisor.com/review/kitchenaid-stand-blender-k150-3812671/

2. https://borneobulletin.com.bn/making-full-use-of-the-blender/

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You just need a mortar and pestle to make pesto, just like it’s done traditionally. You can add ingredients of your choice. Do not stick with basil all the time. You can try baby spinach, mint, cilantro, kale, or celery. Basically, any herbs will give the best-flavored pesto.

Pesto, made traditionally, has loads of garlic, seeds, and herbs. Add all the ingredients and work the mortar and pestle. You can use the nuts of your choice, many prefer walnuts and pine nuts, but you can also use sunflower seeds or peanuts. These have vibrant colors, and the texture is literally everything you need for pasta. You can use them along with wraps and sandwiches too. The cheese makes it even more flavorful and soulful.

Pesto is native to Italy, but most of the pesto sauce you encounter anywhere is much different from the original. It is because of the difference in the ingredients and the methods of its preparation. For example, the pesto in Genoa is made from fresh garlic and basil, which are native to their specific region. The basil has more round-shaped leaves, much thicker than the usual ones. They also use specially prepared cheese. So obviously, it’s not surprising when pesto sauce tastes heavenly in Italy.

And many restaurants prefer to make it by chopping and grinding most ingredients using a knife. If you are looking for even textured pesto for your pasta, try the traditional hand chopping method. Follow the instructions and gather the ingredients mentioned below. This batch of pesto sauce can serve 4 to 6 plates of pasta, reduce or increase the quantities as per your requirement.

• 2 large spoons of fresh herbs; you can use baby spinach and cilantro as a substitute for basil.
• 6 to 7 garlic cloves ( use freshly peeled ones, not the canned and pickled ones)
• 1 spoonful of nuts  (sunflower seeds, walnuts, or pine nuts will be the best choices, or even peanuts if you are not allergic to them)
• 125 to 130ml oil  of your choice (olive or sunflower oil will taste the best )
• 2 cubes of grated cheese ( Parmesan and Pecorino)
• 1 small tablespoon of white wine
• Salt and pepper as per your taste

1. Take a fresh chopping board and make sure it is dry.
2. Start peeling the garlic cloves and crush them down with a knife. Put the little crushed garlic cloves and put them into the mortar.
3. Use the pestle and work out with it for a smooth smashed texture of garlic.
4. Then add in the basil or the herbs and grind till it is a smooth paste.
5. Add nuts and salt to taste and mix it up.
6. Then add enough oil along with cheese and mix. Pecorino cheese is very important if you want that authentic Italian pesto.
7. In the end, add white wine and pepper, add oil if it is not creamy, and mix.
8. Use it fresh or freeze it for a week and use it every day.

There are many best ways to use pesto sauce; you can make delicious pasta. This could be the best sauce substitute for pizza if you are out of pizza sauce. Add loads of mozzarella cheese on the top and enjoy. You can use it for grilling veggies and cottage cheese for amazing appetizers. If you are looking for breakfast options, try hash browns, baked potatoes, and pesto. Many love to add a nice dollop of pesto to omelets; this adds a lovely flavor to them.

You can store pesto sauce in freeze bags inside a freezer. This will keep it fresh for four days. Ensure you have enough oil left while you freeze it, so it will not spoil quickly.

Just scoop some frozen sauce and drizzle hot pasta water on it so it will be easy to mix in with gnocchi or other pasta. For extra fun, sprinkle some lemon zest on the top. This will make a perfect meal if you wanna impress someone.

Pesto sauce is the perfect deal for someone looking for a garlicky touch for their meal. Making pesto sauce is a little tricky, but once you master it, you will never buy it from a store. Add any herbs of your choice, and it’s gonna turn yum. Just check the oil content to get the perfect creamy pesto sauce.

1. https://www.fda.gov/media/102587/download

The post How to Make Pesto Without a Food Processor appeared first on Kitchen Matts.

Toaster ovens can function as mini-ovens. Those that prepare food faster than a standard oven occupy less space since they are relatively small.

It can make toast, pizzas, as well as other foods. It can bake comparatively tiny pastries and nachos, brown the tops of savory dishes and ravioli, and grilled chicken without requiring your comprehensive oven to be turned on.

A toaster oven preheats at cooler temperatures than a normal oven, making it ideal for units of work such as heating meals or making garlic bread.

The oven has a heat exchanger on the upper edge and bottom that knows how to cook meals from the inside out. A convection oven, on the other hand, involves cooking from across all ends at the exact same time.

Toaster ovens are frequently accustomed to buttered toast, breakfast sandwiches, and English pastries. They can, however, be used to bake cookies, muffins, and biscuits. In addition, several users sometimes grill a medium-sized chicken or a rib of lamb in them.

• Toaster ovens are excellent for roasting and caramelizing meals. However, despite their relatively warm natural order, they can sometimes overcook food that contributes another flavor element to a dish.

• A toaster oven’s high-temperature level is simple to reconfigure.

• Toaster ovens are the tiniest kitchen counter appliances currently offered. Furthermore, they are lightweight and portable.

• Due to how they warm up a meal, they necessitate a much longer preparation temperature, which can contribute to food flaking out and becoming difficult to chew.

• A more energy and power consumption option for the kitchen may raise your monthly utility bill.

• Perhaps the exterior of a toaster oven can get extremely hot when being used, so be cautious not to approach it and burn yourself.

A convection oven is a powerful and flexible household electronic device that utilizes a blower to distribute warm air in and out of a meal.

Convection ovens maintain a constant surface heat all across the oven. As a result, convection ovens use less than traditional ovens because they prepare a meal quicker.

Comprehensive convection ovens are available, as are standard cooktop ovens. The ideal convection oven would first warm the atmospheric air, followed by the ingrained blower will push the excess heat around all over the oven to equitably cook your feast.

And if you tend to favor food heated to a temperature, baked, or browned until the outer layer is crunchy, this might be your electronic device.

• Since they all have a similar heating capacity, you are never required to be concerned about flipping a pan to make sure they are even cooking.

• With the exception of standard ovens, which lose heat when more recipes are added, a convection oven helps ensure all meals are prepared to the appropriate heat.

• Grilling with a convection oven is much speedier and allows you to prepare food at a reduced temperature.

• It might be difficult to get a loaf and baked goods to rise in a convection oven whenever the blower runs.

• A convection oven is more expensive because of its additional functionality.

• Even though meals cook faster in a convection toaster oven, you might not be capable of following each of the directions in the cooking method.

Convection ovens with distinct properties were created specifically for people who are passionate about cooking.

Whereas the toaster oven’s accessibility and speed are rather appropriate for individuals who lead a solitary living. Let us be more knowledgeable buyers by utilizing every electronic device to our advantage.

One such key consideration is cost. A convection oven can be purchased with a massive enough expenditure. On the contrary, toaster ovens should be prioritized if your revenue is modest or you are a college graduate currently residing away from your family.

Toaster ovens can also add subtlety to aesthetic and classy kitchens, even though a convection oven takes up more counter space. Furthermore, it blends together better together with the kitchen’s lavish and contemporary layout.

It is preferable to place the toaster oven in a tiny kitchen with minimal kitchen cupboards to maximize kitchen space. Your belongings should be neatly arranged in the cabinet’s nook.

Toaster ovens do not need to be installed. Simply disassemble them, place them on the shelf, and connect them. After your space becomes compact, you can also transfer them from one spot to some other. Convection ovens necessitate purpose-constructed cabinet doors, which may involve on-site adjustments to achieve the ideal alignment.

The toaster oven seems to have a maximum output of 1000ml and an overall average range of 1200W to 1400W. As a result, one can prepare 2-3 huge hamburgers or reheat multiple dinners simultaneously.

The convection oven comfortably accommodates massive dishes. It can hold up to three platters of different meals and cook them all at the exact time. It makes no difference due to the obvious maximum output of 4500W.

While considerate, neither is superior, seeing as their capabilities are so dissimilar. Thus, each category is fully committed to every kitchen task at differing stages. Those that, of course, eventually have advantages and disadvantages.

Which in itself is preferable depends significantly on their requirements. However, the product will undoubtedly always be the perfect aide when implemented in the proper application.

We genuinely recommend users need not aim to overcrowd a toaster oven with massive food preparation activities. Instead, consider the convection model if you want additional features, equipment, power generation, and accessibility.

• Use low-sided cookware if you already own them. For example, consider grilling trays and rimless bakery plates.

• But don’t go out and purchase new cookware; we also get excellent outcomes with encrusted baking trays.

• Plenty may not always be preferable. For example, heat cannot disperse when there is no movement between your food and the upper end of the toaster oven.

• Do not wrap your meals. Concealing your meals with a griddle or plastic wrap prevents immediate airflow.

A Convection oven excels at preparing large quantities of food, particularly baking bread. Although the toaster oven has a simpler additional technique, it still provides high performance and convenience. It will always feed you for even an entire day.

Users can utilize the oven to prepare sausage rolls for morning tea, bake cupcakes for tea time, or heat food scraps for meals.

Ultimately, a convection oven is a direction to turn if you need to cook a proper meal quickly. A toaster oven seems to have many benefits for the technologically advanced food critic for medium- to small-scale employment, from cooking a few baked goods to grilling a slight barbecue.

The post Toaster Oven VS Convection Oven appeared first on Kitchen Matts.

Can a blender be used as a food processor? If you change a few blender settings, it can perform the functions of a food processor. But you will have to use it in small batches, and you can’t knead dough or make a pastry dough with it.

The simple yes or no won’t be sufficient to answer it since it depends on what function you need and what recipe you are making. Let’s see how we can use a blender instead of a food processor.

As long as you make small batches of dishes, you can easily use your blender as a food processor. A few settings need to be adjusted at a time, and you are all set.

• You need to change the speed settings first because blenders work at a very high speed allowing solid foods to get blended in just a minute.
• If you just want to chop your food in a blender, do not use any liquid, turning it into a paste.
• Use the Pulse Setting to make course food such as bread or cookie crumbs. If your blender doesn’t have the pulse setting, run it on high speed for 30 seconds.
• You can also pulse various other items like garlic, ginger, carrots, etc. To chop them, pulse them a few times till it reaches the consistency you require.
• Use the puree settings or add liquid to the batch to make a smooth puree.

Note: Since most blenders can’t hold much food or chop larger amounts of ingredients, use the blender in smaller batches.

It will be easier for you to make several recipes using a blender still; there are some things that only a processor can do. Those are grating, chopping, slicing, shredding food, or kneading since a processor has several other attachments to perform all these functions properly.

Among the various recipes, let’s see some of the common ones which can be done using a blender instead of a food processor.

If you want bread crumbs, you can make them using your blender. Just divide your bread slices into quarters and put them inside the blender. You can let it mix until you get the desired size of bread crumbs you need.

If you wish to make baby food but don’t have a food processor, your blender can easily perform the job. Put your cooked vegetables inside the blender and mix until a smooth paste is made.

Make delicious salsa with a blender with a few quick steps. First, add roughly chopped vegetables, spices according to your taste, and water into the blender. Voila, your delicious salsa is ready!

You can quickly make soup with a blender. Some blenders even heat the soup with its high-speed setting. If your blender doesn’t support that, you can always add hot water to make the soup.

Blender salad dressings are always delicious. All you need is right ingredients, and your tasty salad dressing is ready.

You can shred or grind your cheese easily in a blender. Just put small dices of cheese inside the blender and put it into high speed for 30 seconds or till the cheeses get shredded the way you wanted.

Blenders can easily chop ice for juices or ice creams when put on high speed. Put 3-4 ice cubes at a time and mix them until you get the right consistency.

Not all blenders support chopping ice or shredding cheese, so you need to check the motor power sharpness of the blades first. Otherwise, you can end up ruining the performance of the blender.

Overall, a blender can be used as a food processor but only in the case of certain ingredients. A blender’s ability to function as a food processor depends on its motor’s power, and the higher the power is, the more solid foods it can chop, slice, dice, etc.

A blender’s main function is to break down solid foods into a smooth paste, and the food processor performs several other functions like blending, chopping, slicing, or grinding the ingredients. Both can be used in place of each other, but a blender can only function as a food processor with certain items.

For example, you can make thick consistency recipes like soups, slushies, smoothies, and ice-creams in a blender if you don’t have a food processor.

Though you need to be careful with the ingredients, you are putting them inside the blender when using it as a food processor because the power of the motor may or may not support it.

Using a blender as a food processor will not only save you a lot of money it will also save your time and kitchen space. There’s always an alternative to everything, and blenders are an alternative to a food processor.

Tell us in the comments if you liked this alternative and share it with your buddies!

The post Can A Blender Be Used As A Food Processor? appeared first on Kitchen Matts.