A few weeks ago, food writers at the National Chicken Cook-Off watched a watermelon salsa demonstration. All the ingredients were placed in scooped-out watermelon shells, and the cooks -- fellow food writers called up from the audience -- used hand-held immersion blenders to puree them together.
1. Puree soups and sauces. Simply immerse the blades of your hand blender into the vegetable chunks that's cooking in the pot. This eliminates the need to transfer the soup by batches into a blender and back again into the pot to continue cooking. It can also be used to blend sauces and to smooth lumps out of gravy.1/4 pound jalapeno peppers (or to taste), seeded and choppedCut the tomatillos into quarters. Heat the oil in a large heavy saute pan over medium high heat. Saute onions for a few minutes and then add the tomatillos, garlic and jalapenos. Saute until the onions and garlic begin to brown. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle the cumin and chili powder over the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Cool. Place in a blender or food processor with the watermelon and puree. To serve, after the salsa is dished, sprinkle with salt. Makes 6-7 cups. -- National Watermelon Promotion BoardThe result was pretty tasty, although it had a smoother texture than most salsas.1/4 cup fresh minced garlic7. Make solid food digestible. If you simply want to make solid food more digestible for a loved one who may have a hard time swallowing it, then hand blenders are the implements of choice.3. Blend baby food. We all know babies can only consume so much and it would be too much to blend boiled squash, sweet potatoes and potatoes in a traditional blender. There would be too much waste! Hand blenders are better alternatives since you can simple blend what baby needs in much smaller containers.1 pound white or sweet onion, minced2 1/2 pounds medium tomatillos (peel off parchment-like coating and rinse)1 cup tomato sauce or pureeAccording to the Chile Institute, dairy products such as milk, yogurt and sour cream have another heat-easing advantage. They contain a substance called casein, which helps disrupt the burning sensation.1/4 cup ground cuminBut it's easier to add more heat to a recipe than it is to dilute or diminish it. When making something spicy, it's a good idea to mix in only part of the chiles or spices at first and then taste before adding more.If you end up making a dish that's too fiery, the June 2007 issue of Cook's Illustrated advises adding an ingredient on the opposite end of the flavor spectrum.2. Blend drinks and make smoothies. From milkshakes to fruit smoothies, hand blenders allow you to make the exact amount in a glass or some other container. You don't waste ingredients since you don't have to fill an entire blender, and thus save yourself the hassle of cleaning the whole thing. Fill only your glass or container about two-thirds of the way and blend in! Hand blenders are even strong enough to break the ice for your smoothies. If you're making milk frothing for your chocolate fondant, an immersion blender (that's another name for the hand blender) may also be used.Cook's Illustrated's test-kitchen personnel made five-alarm chili and salsa. A small amount of sugar was added to one batch of chili, and another batch of chili was served with sour cream. Both ingredients had a cooling effect, but the sour cream's effect was more pronounced.Kosher saltWith simple hand blenders, you can easily prepare food in a matter of minutes without the hassle of complicated clean ups after. A word of caution before using your hand blenders: Make sure you familiarize yourself with the operation by reading the manual first. Always ensure that you don't fill containers to the brim, otherwise you'll have to clean up a lot of splatter on your walls afterwards.Read our shocking Blendtec Total Blender review and don't forget to use this Blendtec coupon code.For the salsa, a small amount of sugar was added to one batch, and olive oil was added to another. Both ingredients equally took the heat level down a notch.E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.comWatermelon is one more option in the fruity salsa trend, with mango, peach and pineapple as some of the other favorites. Besides being flavorful, the sweetness helps cut the heat. That's a boon to those of us who like to taste the spicy flavor of foods rather than have our mouth burned into numbness.
E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com
Author: Valerie Phillips Deseret Morning News
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