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Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker? Yes, Please!

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Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker

 

As a Food Network fan and a raging kitchen gadget/small appliances addict, I’m downright ashamed of myself.  I had no idea, whatsoever, that the beauty above even existed.  This is the Ball ® freshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker and, obviously, the possibilities are endless.  I have no idea how it flew under my kitchen gadget radar.  How could it have never crossed my path before?!

The only thing that matters is I have it in my sights now.

I’m completely wild about jams and jellies. Whether I’m smearing them on cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, toast, or homemade sourdough bread, they make life brighter, sweeter, and oh-so yummier.  And like everything else in the foodie kingdom, anything made at home is going to be even fresher and more delicious.

I’m in!

The Jam & Jelly Maker would make an excellent (and I mean excellent) gift for foodies. Just be sure to grab one for yourself while you’re at it.  That’s how I roll and I’ve never regretted the system.

From The Food Network:

With the Ball ® freshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker, you can treat your family to delectable fresh fruit preserves and spreads at any time. The appliance provides an easy, fast process for making old-fashioned jam. You can choose to make a variety of spreads with fruit ingredients like blueberries, peaches or strawberries along with pectin, sugar and butter. You can even make a reduced-sugar recipe for low calorie jam.The innovative new Jam Maker appliance will make a fruit spread in just 30 minutes. Instead of the traditional time-consuming large batch canning method, the user friendly jam and jelly maker can make small batches. Now you can try-out fun new recipes and experiment with old recipes without the commitment of making a large batch. After washing and crushing 2 2/3 cups of fruit, sprinkle 3 tablespoons of pectin over the fruit and add 1/2 teaspoon of butter. With just a press of the jam button, the unit begins stirring and cooking the ingredients. The maker will signal when it’s time for the 3 1/3 cups of sugar, which should be added gradually.  Ball ® freshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker!

Le sigh.  I love you Food Network….

Find Jams, Jellies, and Preserves Cookbooks on Amazon!

Great Gift Idea for Health Enthusiasts: Hamilton Beach Juice Extractor

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Hamilton Beach Juice Extractor

Chances are good that you have health enthusiasts in your life and on your shopping list. With the (long overdue) health food movement in full swing,  a lot of us could be considered health enthusiasts ourselves.  Fortunately there are a lot of healthy kitchen tools and small appliances that make it easier to eat and live healthier. Juice extractors, for example, are one of the easiest, fastest, and most efficient ways to make sure we’re getting all the fruits and vegetables we need in our diet.

The beauty pictured above is the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor.

Features

  • Fits whole foods – for less pre-cutting
  • Easy to assemble and store
  • Powerful 800 Watt motor
  • Dishwasher safe parts
  • Includes recipes, tips and juicing cup
  • Extra-large pulp bin lets you juice longer – use pulp in recipes or for composting

Product Description

Tired of those expensive, sugary juices filled with preservatives and questionable additives? Ready to retire your old juicer and upgrade to something better? The Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor can take nutrition to the next level and help you kick-start a healthy lifestyle.

Eating healthier and incorporating fruits and veggies into snacks or meals doesn’t have to be boring, expensive or time-consuming. In no time flat, before you can say “over-priced juice bar,” the Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor extracts the juice from a whole apple. This kitchen staple and secret weapon proves that there’s a fast, easy way to add more produce into your daily diet. What’s more, there is no need for adding sweeteners or preservatives, making juice the ultimate healthy drink.

Rated a “Best Buy” by a leading consumer advocacy publication, the Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor flawlessly performs the task of extracting juice from whole fruits, vegetables, citrus fruits and tomatoes with efficiency and speed. Equipped with a powerful 1.1 horsepower motor, an extra-wide feed chute and a stainless steel cutter/strainer, it quickly processes whole fruits and vegetables — with no pre-cutting — to produce invigorating, healthy juice. –  See Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor for A LOT more information.

Other Great Gift Ideas for the Health Conscious!

Gorgeous Large Electric Skillet

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Large Electric Skillet

A few nights ago, I saw a really cool recipe on one of my favorite shows – Good Eats with Alton Brown. Alton made an amazing looking French Onion soup in an electric skillet. The soup looked so delicious I could practically smell it through the television. It made me anxious to try his recipe (all Alton Brown recipes are great) AND it reminded me that it’s time… way past time, that is.. to replace my electric skillet. I think it’s pretty safe to say that if anything in your kitchen looks like something Alice would use to whip up something for the Brady kids, it’s time to upgrade.

The Electric Skillet shown here is a great-looking alternative. It’s from Anna’s Linens and is available online only.

Features:

  • 12 x 15 inch cooking surface
  • Sturdy, tempered glass lid with stainless steel rim and cool touch knob
  • Glass lid to easily monitor food as it is being cooked
  • Easy to read, detachable, adjustable temperature probe (Warm – 450°F)
  • Deep interior for roasting or frying
  • Warm setting is perfect for keeping food warm on a buffet
  • Non-stick surface, eliminates the need for oil or butter
  • Easy carrying, heat resistant handles
  • Includes instructions with recipes
  • 1300 watts

Use the link (Electric Skillet) or the picture to take a closer look at this first rate electric skillet and be sure you check out Alton Brown’s French Onion Soup Recipe, it’s also first rate.

Panasonic Rice Cooker

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Panasonic Rice Cooker

Panasonic 6 Cup Rice Cooker

I’ve said it a million and one times, but the truth is always worth repeating: A cook is only as good as his/her tools. If you want to be the best cook you can possibly be and want your food to taste as delicious as it should, you must arm yourself with the best kitchen gadgets and tools.  That doesn’t mean spending an arm and a leg, of course, it simply means having good equipment at your disposal for a multitude of cooking tasks.

A rice cooker is certainly what’d I’d call a necessary kitchen tool.  Why would anyone want the headache of cooking rice on the stove when they can let a great rice cooker do all the work?  Best of all, the rice tastes better!

The Panasonic Rice Cooker
Cook rice in one step with the Panasonic 6 Cup Rice Cooker. This automatic electric rice cooker can prepare up to six cups of cooked rice with just the press of a button, then keep it warm for use later. A cooking light indicates when cooking is in progress and automatically extinguishes when cook time is complete. This advanced cooker then automatically switches to Warm Mode to maintain your rice at the perfect temperature. A see-through tempered glass lid allows you to easily and safely monitor cooking progress.

Easy to clean and use, a non-stick aluminum inner cooking pan makes for easy clean-up and helps prevent cooked rice from sticking. A rice scoop and measuring cup are included to help you serve rice.

  • One-Step Automatic Cooking:

    With just the press of a button, this automatic rice cooker prepares your rice to perfection

  • Keep Warm Feature:

    When cooking is complete, this advanced rice cooker automatically switches to Keep Warm mode, maintaining rice temperature

  • Accessories Included:

    A rice scoop and measuring cup are included to help you serve rice

Take a closer look: Panasonic 6 Cup Rice Cooker

Hot, Hot! Viking and Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers

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Viking 5-qt. Stand Mixer, Red

Some girls see a pair of  Suede Gucci Peep Toe boots and swoon – convinced they can’t go on living unless they have a pair in their closet.

Some guys see a 2010 Aston Martin v8 Vantage and just KNOW life would be sweeter from behind its windshield.

Me? While the boots are hawt and the car is sweet, my heart skips a couple of beats when I see stand mixers.  Truth be told, any mixers make me swoon right about now because (as luck would have it) my mixer gave up the ghost about a week ago… right in the middle of making one of my husband’s favorite desserts, Orange Cupcakes!

Naturally.

With enough arm power to get the job done, the cupcakes turned out deliciously.  The Cream Cheese Icing proved to be a chore I’ll never forget and never want to repeat.  My arm hurt, literally, for two days.  Within those 24 hours, I envisioned stand mixers like the Viking 5-qt. Stand Mixer, Red (shown above).

During the day, I swooned over how beautiful it’d look on my kitchen counter and during the night, I fell asleep picturing myself behind the wheel.

Product Description

A stand mixer is always a welcome addition to the kitchen. Add a pop of color like bright red and it’s even more exciting! Designed to meet the needs of the professional chef, this 5-qt.

Viking stand mixer offers a rugged, all-metal gear transmission and runs on 800 watts. Exclusive to this stand mixer are the V-style attachments, ergonomic cast-stainless bowl handle and two back-mounted wheels for easy positioning of the entire unit. Choose from primary, low and high speeds to mix, blend, whip and knead.

With the planetary mixing action in operation, it ensures thorough results. The pop-up head lift locks in both the up and down positions. The Viking stand mixer comes complete with beater, whip and dough hook plus a beautiful, stainless steel mixing bowl.

I’m not gonna lie, I want this mixer in the worst way.

The Food Network Store also has some hot stand mixers such as the Majestic Yellow Stand Mixer (shown below).  It’s a Kitchen Aid, so you know you’re in for top quality and top performance.  Kitchen Aid and Viking are excellent brands and refuse to let you down.

This, I like.

If I’d been using a Kitchen Aid or a Viking, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have had such a sore arm for 2 straight days!

Stand Mixers are MUST HAVES in the kitchen and these are two of the most beautiful ones I’ve found.  Of course, if you love basic black, silver, or white, you can find a stand alone mixer in the color you prefer.

While these stand mixers would make exceptional Christmas gifts for cooks, we should keep in mind how Heavenly it would be to use them, ourselves, as we make our Thanksgiving and Christmas.  You know the drill, one for us THEN one for them.

Click through either of the images or either of the links to take a closer look. (When you’re through, ladies… you really have to see the Gucci boots.)