Tag: Product Reviews

4-5 years ago, my husband was at Costco and got sucked into one of those blender demos that they do there sometimes.  It was for the Blendtec Blender.  He was really impressed and ended up buying one.  My reaction was something like, “How much?  For a BLENDER?”

However, I really must say, this little baby is by far my favorite and one of my most frequently used kitchen appliances, along with my Kitchenaid Mixer and toaster.  I use it for everything!  The counter says 851 times.  My favorite feature of this wonderful machine is the ease of cleanup.  I don’t think I would ever use it if it was hard to clean.  I used to avoid using a blender because it was hard to clean.  Not so with this wonderful machine.  Rinse it out, put a little dish soap and water in, and pulse it for 10 sec.  Done!

The other amazing thing about this machine is that it really does blend anything.  Seriously.  We started out with smoothies, of course, but I use it for everything.  I make pancake batter, baby food, salad dressing, whip cream, and make a killer raw vegetable soup that comes out HOT with soup mode.  It will even grind wheat.  I recently found a blender recipe for butter that I’m thinking about trying and seeing if it’s cheaper.

I’ve heard the Vitamix blender is very comparable, and Costco also sells that, but I haven’t ever tried it.  It would be really fun to do a side by side comparison and give you my review.  Maybe someday.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a cool kitchen gadget, this definitely fits the bill.  If you have one (or even if you don’t) please let me know what you think (I’d love some comments).

Flour.  Exciting topic, huh?  But, I have recently discovered what a difference it makes.  When we lived in Utah, I used to buy Lehi Roller Mills flour.  I thought it was pretty good stuff, and I could buy it for cheap at Costco.  I was a little sad when we moved to Michigan, because I was going to miss the stuff.

Well, I’ve just been using the cheap Costco brand here, but a few weeks ago, my husband came home with a discovery–King Arthur Flour.  He got a sour dough starter, a few recipes, and a flour recommendation from a fellow foodie at work.  He came home and started baking pizza crust and ciabatta bread.  And, we could tell a difference with the King Arthur Flour  (I feel like I’m in a commercial, but I’m completely serious).

Next, I tried some of our favorite recipes–cinnamon rolls and pretzel bites–with the King Arthur Bread Flour.  They turned out better than they ever have before.  I’m really blown away by the difference.  So, now, I pay almost $1 a pound for our bread flour (which I figure really only costs me a couple extra dollars a month), and see it as money well spent!  Check out their web site.  It’s really informative and has lots of great recipes and products.