while i do believe that money does not buy you happiness, money DOES buy you really great kitchen tools to make your life easier. i'm actually a bit shocked it has taken me so long to talk to you about immersion blenders because it was the first cooking tool i bought, but i guess there is no better moment than now. 

i can not sing the praises of immersion blenders enough. before i bought a food processor or my stand mixer, i ran out to sur la table and bought a $39 kitchenaid version that lasted me YEARS. now now, calm down. i'm going to tell you why the hell you need such a tool that you have likely never heard of. well, here is why. 

at it's most basic, the immersion blender is a tool to puree things with out having to transfer your food to a blender or food processor. you literally stick the end of the immersion blender into your food and blend the hell out of it. or just blend it a little bit if that is how you roll. the first thing i used it for was for smooth soups like butternut squash and potato leek. but now, it does so much more in my kitchen. 

many of the options for sale come not just with a blender attachment, but also with a whisk. in some cases (if you spend a bit more money) you can get one that has a blender cup attachment (built in food processor) and a larger cup with a lid that you can blend up drinks in and store. 

i use it to puree sauces like my coffee bbq.

and i use the additional blade and cup attachment as a food processor to blend up fruit for my tasty cakes. basically, if you can dream it up, the immersion blender can handle it. 

the holidays are headed our way and the immersion blender is the perfect thing to give as a gift or to put on your own list. you can get the one that i use HERE or you can shop all the option HERE.
xo, a

as you expand your cooking horizons and get a bit more adventurous in the kitchen, you will want to invest in a few tools that help make things more efficient. as my husband says, "you need the right tool for the right job."

i love making home made potato chips, pickled cucumbers or crispy fried onions. but all three require very thin, precise cuts. and for most of my schooling (which included six years of my own trial and error, and my former prep cook husband's encouragement) i did not have the patience or skill to make the slices necessary. i probably still don't when it comes to potato chips. so one of the first tools i invested in was a mandolin. it comes with adjustable blades for different cuts (slices, julienne, french fry) as well as a handy dandy handle to protect your fingers. i actually have two sizes now. one for our kitchen and one for our catering bag. they are easy to use, easy to clean and can cut the time of a ten minute prep job to just minutes. and of course they have them on amazon. we love amazon. you can find the large on HERE and the smaller one HERE. 

mind all ten fingers when using the mandolin. i don't always use my handle now that i'm comfortable, but i highly recommend it until you are comfortable with your tool. 

you can adjust each of the three blade attachments for larger or thinner cuts. the handle is great for steady slicing. 

place these bad boys on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush with an oil that has a high smoking temp and bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 f. lightly salt and serve. 

if i ever need a bunch of onions or shallots sliced for fried or caramelized shallots, i bust out the mandolin. nothing faster than the swipe of the hand. watch those fingers. this is not a test!

perfect slices. every time. 

xo, a