The Breville Fast Slow Pro™ is simply a BRILLIANT appliance. It’s basically a pressure cooker but it knows the time, temperature and pressure that different foods need. See what I mean? Its BRILLIANT.

As you know I own quite a few appliances. You name it. I have it. But I’ve never ever owned a pressure cooker nor can I remember the last time I went to someones house who owned one.

However a food blogger friend of mine has been regularly posting about her pressure cooker recipes and I was intrigued, to say the least.

So when the Breville Fast Slow Pro™ arrived, I immediately invited Carole over to teach me a thing or two about using a pressure cooker. While she talked about the ins and outs of pressure cooking, I chopped a few ingredients for the soup.

Recipe for Split Pea Soup

1 carrot – diced

1 parsnip – diced

1 onion – chopped

2 celery stalks – chopped

2 cups of  rinsed dried split peas

6 cups of vegetable stocks (4 cups of stock and 2 cups of water – to be honest)

salt and pepper.

Directions: Put all these ingredients into the Breville Fast Slow Pro™, close the lid, press a few buttons and wait 25 minutes. Could cooking get any easier? I don’t think so.

In 25 minutes – Carole opened the lid and just like magic, dinner was served. Yes – Carole got to open the lid as I must admit I kept thinking the pot was going to explode. But Carole assured me that these days, pressure cookers are safe, safe, safe.

I had so much fun that I made a second batch of soup. Seriously.

Here’s a few things that I learned from Carole:

Some Definitions:
QR – quick release
NPR – natural pressure release
PSI – pounds per square inch

Things I Can Look Forward to Making:

I can take a frozen chicken breast and have dinner ready in 45 minutes
I can make half an acorn squash in 15 minutes
I can make beets in 24 minutes.
I can make small potatoes in 5 minutes.
I can make a whole sweet potato in 15 minutes with natural release

Great Websites about Pressure Cooking:

www.pressurecookingtimecharts.com
www.pressurecookingtoday.com

Plus she says that it’s important to follow recipes and the instructions that go along with it. (note to self)

Happy Cooking!

Disclosure: Breville Canada provided me with this appliance, however all opinions are my own.

 

Newsflash: There’s a new appliance in my kitchen. It’s the Philips Airfyer. Take a peek… Isn’t she beautiful?

Besides being gorgeous, here’s a few other first impressions:

-It’s simple to use: i.e. one dial is the temperature control and the other dial is the timer. This could not get easier.

-The cord is in the back and slides beautifully into the appliance. No more dangling cords that need to be wrapped around an appliance!!

-You don’t need to use any OIL. (or if you do..it’s less than a tablespoon). The technology in this airfyer is genius.

-My kitchen didn’t heat up and I’m anticipating using the Philips Airfyer ALL SUMMER LONG.

So what did I make?

-baked potatoes (in 12 minutes)

-a piece of salmon (in 10 minutes exactly)

Voila…dinner!!

For more information:

 http://www.philips.ca/c/home-cooking/viva-collection-airfryer-with-rapid-air-technology-hd9220_26/prd/en/ 

Disclosure: The Philips Airfryer was provided to me however all opinions are my own.

There’s a new toy in my kitchen and it’s called My KitchenAid Diamond Blender!! I mean, seriously…look how gorgeous it is!!

Besides the fact that this is one gorgeous looking blender, I want to point out other aspects  of the blender that I’m loving!

Here’s five reasons why I’m loving’ this blender:

a) It does a great job crushing ice. Apparently this is the ultimate test for a blender and my KitchenAid Diamond Blender aces this test!!

b) I love the TALL container that is super light weight and easy to clean. I could be easily making smoothies  or cocktails for a party of 8 in a nano-second!

c) It purees soup like a dream. This is super important to me as I will be making soups for the next 6 months solid. (it’s an obsession during the winter).