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Blenders and the march of technology

Hugh
2008-10-22 11:13:00 UTC

Yep, it’s that time of the week – the latest Kamikaze Cookery episode is available, and this time, we’re taking on… blenders.

Watch it over on the episode page or right here:

It must be a nightmare being a kitchen technology company. By and large, cooks are really pretty closed to the idea of new tech – even someone like me buys a new piece of kitchen technology incredibly rarely, and would far rather spend money on a cookbook the size of Belgium than, say, an exciting new blender.

The Bamix blender (£89.99 or therabouts) we feature in the episode really is the mutt’s nuts – it’s astonishingly good. But I’d have never bought one if we hadn’t wanted to test it for the episode. And it’s reminding me how much other cool kitchen tech there is out there that I’ve just not touched.

For example, the Tefal Actifry – apparently it’s an astonishingly good alternative to deep-frying that uses a tiny amount of fat. I’ve heard various people raving about them, but have I even seriously considered buying one? Hell, no.

Or the various halogen ovens (couldn’t find a useful link for these). Again, I’ve heard rave reviews. Apparently they’re pretty close to being a new way of cooking – we’re talking roast chicken in 15 minutes, plus pretty lights on your countertop. Have I bought one? Have I bollocks.

I’m a huge coffee fan. But have I bought myself a vacuum coffee maker, despite the fact that they supposedly make the best damn cup of coffee in all creation? Not so much.

And to that, add the fact that kitchen gadgeteers have to compete with lab equipment manufacturers and even hardware stores getting some of our hard-spent food money – it must be a pretty tough life.

No wonder some of them have started coming up with pretty unconventional tactics to sell their product.

Any kitchen gadgets you’ve been thinking of buying, but just haven’t gotten around to? Anything exciting that you think everyone should aquire?

Comments

Amanda | 2008-10-22 13:40:52 UTC

The only gadget I use with frequency, and couldn’t live without, is a hand blender. I make soup on a fairly regular basis, and it’s just a must-have.

With the exception of this, and my kettle that lights up blue when it boils, every piece of kitchen gadgetry I own, I’ve inherited from my mother – a recovered former gadget junky. From electric steamers to strange grater/slicer things that were bought at the Ideal Homes exhibition in 1987, they all remain unused…

Actually, I lie – I use the food processor once a year or so. Handy for making breadcrumbs and shredding things.

Worst gadget ever in the history of gadgets? Got to be the electric carving knife. You might as well take a hedge strimmer to your Sunday roast…

pajh | 2008-10-22 14:06:15 UTC

Electric carving knives! OMGso70s. What’s wrong with just using, you know, a knife?

The Bamix mixer makes breadcrumbs too (although admitted, not all that many at once). I think you could probably convince it to carve a roast for you with a bit of luck. Damn thing does everything.

Hugh | 2008-10-22 15:25:34 UTC

Electric steamers are, I understand, very handy indeed. I seem to recall seeing a NYT article on cooking just about everything in the world with a steamer – including softening onions and the works.

Stuart | 2008-10-22 17:26:26 UTC

Sorry, but your Amazon links are full of fail :(

So, when are you guys going to have a go with liquid nitrogen… in the name of Science!

Hugh | 2008-10-22 17:57:56 UTC

@Stuart – thanks, fixed.

I’m aiming to have a play with liquid oxygen rather than nitrogen later in this series, actually – we’ll see if that pans out. I’ve also just aquired the Fat Duck cookbook, so I may take a stab at some liquid nitrogen recipes from that at some point soon…

It’s something I definitely want to do.

Stuart | 2008-10-22 18:26:41 UTC

Yay! Links are full of win again ^-

Looking forward to someone else risking life and limb For Science ;)

Alison Rowan | 2008-10-22 21:19:30 UTC

I could not live without my hand-blender for soup – it’s the only reason I don’t end up dropping £3 a day on sandwiches at work. The main difference between the current £30 Breville and the old £6 one from Woolies is that the new one is metal and can be easily cleaned and the old one was plastic, a bugger to clean, and, eventually, started sparking blue, electrocuted me, exploded and caught fire.

I definitely recommend a model you can take the business end off to wash it…

Hakuo0000 | 2008-10-22 23:43:09 UTC

Oh, wow, who would of thought cheap stick blenders are made of fail. (<-So not sarcasm, just seems to come off that way)

Every now and again you can see Alton using one and I was thinking of getting one, but seeing as his doesn’t try to have an orgy with my floor and wall tiles I’ll think I’ll refrain from buying an expensive one and just save for a stand mixer (since I can’t be bothered to hold a hand mixer for about 15min for marshmallows. D:)

Any who, great bit of information and now I want soup. FOAMY SOUP. OF DOOM.

400 Babies!

Hugh | 2008-10-23 09:50:20 UTC

@Hakou – To be fair, there might be other cheap models out there that do better! But yeah, we weren’t impressed.

I tend to find my food processor can do most of what I’d use a hand mixer to do – that’s another potential option.

@Alison – yeah, we didn’t touch on cleaning, but that’s definitely another issue.

Amanda | 2008-10-23 18:09:11 UTC

Hmmm. Having now watched the episode, I think the poor old stick blenders have been portrayed in an unfairly unflattering light.

Yes – most of them will make a horrible mess if you don’t use a heavy bowl, or actually hold on to the light plastic beaker used to hold the liquid. And again, if you keep pulling it out to the surface of the liquid, it is going to splash everywhere. I think that’s kind of common sense, and would have been the sort of practical tip worth offering viewers.

I also thought the soup trial was also a bit unfair given the lack of liquid for it to work with.

When you tested the less powerful, and more expensive blender, I noticed that instead of the light plastic beaker, you used a glass cafetiere with a metal surround which looked a bit more substantial. I’d be interested to know if you thought the heavier container may have influenced the outcome?

I have a cheap Braun (and yes pajh, I pronounced it correctly!) 400 watt one that I use a lot, and I’m able to remain fairly bin bag free! I don’t think I would swap it for the more expensive one, but if I ever get the chance to try it I will prepare to be amazed!

Hakuo0000 | 2008-10-23 22:28:01 UTC

Hm, never thought of using a food processor. I have one to, so the next time I get a foamy soup craving or something I’ll be sure to try it.

@Amanda: I do think you have a lot of valid points, especially about the size of the bowl and amount of liquid, but I do think a well off, good blender, should work under any condition, not just one specific controlled one. Then again, I like unicorns. D:

And commas. Gwad, you gotta love those commas.

Hugh | 2008-10-24 10:38:50 UTC

Something we didn’t mention in the episode is that the beakers we used were the ones supplied with the blenders, and therefore presumably ideally suited to them! Or, you know, not so much.

The soup trial – yeah, I agree, which is why we did the brief test you saw with more liquid in the soup. Unfortunately, that resulted in more airborne soup, not less.

With the expensive blender, we used a cafetiere because it doesn’t come with a beaker, and my cocktail shaker had developed a crack in it! Having said that, I’ll just go test it with one of the other beakers now…

…

OK, back. I’ve just tested the Bamix using the Braun’s beaker, half-full, not holding it. Absolutely no splashing at all, even when I turned it to full power and inserted it into the liquid from above. I’m really impressed with that thing.

(Unfortunately, pulling at the top of the liquid is something you have to do to make foam. )

I wasn’t certain – I was, I’ll admit, slightly concerned that the cafetiere might have influenced the outcome. But no, it’s all in the blender.

Andrew | 2008-10-24 16:15:25 UTC

If you get round to reviewing the other sort of blender, you just have to try a Tailgator:

http://www.totallygross.com/

I’ve coveted one of these ever since I saw it in a skymall catalogue several years ago.

It’s a pity it’s gas (petrol) powered. Somehow it would be better karma if it ran on vodka (or tequila) (hey! perhaps it does, assuming the proof is high enough).

- Andrew

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