Tips & Tricks: The Ultimate Kitchen Utensil

I mean this with all my heart when I say it.  Everyone needs one.

The glorious IMMERSION BLENDER (cue solo spotlight and angels singing) is the culinary gods' gift to cooking.  I mean, it is seriously the nicest thing those guys have done since inventing the spatula or maybe Mickey Mouse shaped waffle irons.  And I liken the creation of the immersion blender to the brilliance of Velcro shoes.  They are both simple, time-saving devices that also happen to look pretty awesome.  Do you want one yet? Just wait.

In 1950, a Swiss genius named Roger Perrinjaque invented the immersion blender by basically taking the blades of a normal blender and sticking them on a long rod, or "wand"(magic), that can then be dropped directly into a pot of to-be-blended ingredients (like lumpy vegetables or boiled potatoes), eliminating:

(A) the need for transferring liquids from a pot to a blender to the counter and floor while on the way back to pot

and (B) the unnecessary dirtying of multiple kitchen appliances, making clean-up a SNAP

So why am I peddling this gadget?  I believe, there are two main reasons why people generally steer clear of home cooking:  MONEY and TIME.  But I think, and know, it is possible to make delicious, nutritious, and quick meals in your own kitchen without spending too many dollar bills or wasting too many hours.  To do this, you need to become somewhat comfortable in your kitchen.  But more importantly, you need the right tools.  And that's where our friend, the immersion blender, comes in.

When I'm exhausted or in a hurry and I need to make a quick meal, I almost always make soup.  Without much effort or culinary skill, I can cook, clean, and sit down to eat a bowl of freshly made, vegetable-heavy soup in a Rachel Ray minute (which generally averages around 30).  Since I always have frozen peas or corn in my fridge, I can even make soup when I don't have time to go to the store. It's a vitamin rich dish, out of virtually nothing, in virtually no time.  Add a little ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes and boom! you've got yourself one large bowl of tasty.  And if you have the time to pick up fresh veggies or happen to have some wasting away in your fridge, begging to be used, you can simply simmer those in a pot before blending or take a few minutes to broil in the oven, creating a deeper, smokier flavor.  Slightly more time-consuming, but slightly snazzier.

As for other uses, I take my immersion blender to town to create pestos (great for pizzas, appetizer toppings, and of course pastas), sauces (spicy, creamy, BBQ, curry), and even whipped cream!

If you are not convinced yet, this appliance is also a space saver - it is at least 1/3 of the size of a normal blender and fits easily on your counter top or in your cupboard.  It's dishwasher safe if you're lazy (like me) and also super easy to clean if you scrub on your own time (like me).  And it earns you money while you sleep.  Well that part is not true, but if you think of it in terms of cost in time saved, I'm sure it amounts to some sort of profit.

So seriously, do yourself, your stomach, and your clock a favor and grab one of these gems immediately! And mom, if you're reading this, I also think I want a pair of these.

Let's Make This Personal

Check it out Sodium Girl lovers - I have finally set up an official gmail account (and figured out how to take a sweet screen shot of it - no big deal) so that you can directly send me your sodium-free cooking questions, requests for tips and tricks, or recommendations for friendly restaurants.  Just sent a cyber note (also known as "email" to those of you who are super tech savy) to sodiumgirl@gmail.com and let me know what sodium-free quandary has been plaguing you.  And please, keep date requests to a minimum, cause this lady is taken.  Let the email spree begin!

Recipe Box: Project Bacon - Update

Round one of Project Bacon is complete - but we are far from finished. Although the pork smelled like bacon and even looked like bacon, it did not cook up like bacon. I tried frying it, baking it, and frying and baking it - but to no avail. My hypothesis - my cut of pork was too fatty and there was not enough meat. In the weeks following, I compared my strips to those at Whole Foods and they look quite similar, but not as marbled.

With test round 1 done, it's on to round 2. There is no giving up here until we have a sodium-free bacon and egg sandwich on the table. For round two, I'm going for a meatier piece of meat and a similar seasoning blend - cumin, smoked paprika, bonito flakes, pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper - maybe a little lemon juice?

It may be impossible to cure meat without sodium as the salt plays a major role in preserving and protecting the meat from developing botulism (no one wants that). It also breaks down the protein which gives it its texture and color. However, I have read that acids - such as vinegars and citrus - have similar molecular capabilities. So we will try a combination of a wet soak and a dry rub for the next go. And remember, it isn't about creating an exact replica, but an approximation that is equally satisfying - and like the pickles I made this summer, sometimes even better than the salted version.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on the transformation of my pork blocks into beautiful slices of "could-be" bacon. I cannot wait until they taste as good as they look.


And to keep your appetite whet for other sodium-free, impossible possibilities, the recipe-box will feature the following how-to's before the close of 2009:

PICKLING (salt-free, majorly successful, and really fun - also make great gifts!)
CURING OLIVES (just have to find some uncured olives to start...but I think I have my guy)
SAUSAGE MAKING (we have the grinder! now we just need the casing)
SOY and TERIYAKI SAUCE (you better believe it - it exists and it is delicious)

Tips & Tricks: A Terrible Parable - but helpful nonetheless

Let's face it, food tastes good with salt. French fries, pasta water, even chocolate - salt is everywhere and is the universally adored flavor enhancer. We are so accustomed to eating meals laden with the shimmering crystals that to cook or eat a dish without them seems like an impossible feat, or at least impossibly boring. When people find out that I myself cannot have salt, they remark that it must be horrible and if they had to do such a thing, they "would commit hara-kiri."

But this morning, I thought of an analogy that might illuminate the ultimately positive reality of eating sodium-free. Although it takes some getting used to, not relying on salt has helped me discover other ways to heighten the delicious factor in my food. Eating salt-free does not mean eating without flavor. Sweet butter (when browned) can add nutty, earthy and delicious notes to your food. Vinegars, which are mostly sodium free and can help lower your blood pressure, come in many varieties - apple cider, rice wine, balsamic to name a few - and lend a tang and a zip to meats, greens, and even ice cream when reduced to a sauce. And don't forget about spices - no one said you can't have spices, you just have to look for the brands that are salt-free. Cayenne, cumin, curry, star anise, coriander, fennel seed, mustard, white pepper, wasabi - holy mole, there is no shortage of options here. And then there's wine reductions and beer baths, honey and molasses, citrus and fresh herbs. Choices abound, your meals will never fall flat.

So here is a small tale to help highlight the silver lining of sodium-free living. And bare with me, this gets girly:

Limiting your sodium intake is like someone telling you that you cannot wear black anymore. Ok, at first, that seems like it would be difficult. People love wearing black. It's slimming, it's bad-ass, it's professional, it's easy. We all have the little black dress or the killer, I'm-going-to nail-this-meeting black suit. So at first, having to clear the closet of all your go-to black items feels like a bad practical joke. And having to re-fill it with other things (what could those even be?) and re-style your wardrobe (what will I wear!) seems like an expensive and ultimately time-consuming venture.

Then, a moment of brilliance. You realize, a nice navy dress doesn't look half bad and is just as snappy for business meetings. And actually, that metallic gold number you've had your eye on forever but didn't think you had the guts to pull it off, is actually way more bad-ass than that cliché (and face it, fading) black dress.

The point is, in having to limit your choices, you begin to discover new worlds, new combinations, new possibilities that you would have never otherwise explored. And when that black tie event rolls around and you can't put on the standard black outfit, you'll just have to settle for the fuschia pink pantsuit and honestly, standing out never ends up being a bad thing.

Recipe Box: Project Bacon

I just bought $15 worth of pork belly from the amazing butchers at Prather Ranch Meat Co. housed in the SF Ferry Building. While it might be easier to braise large chunks of the monster or dice and fry the fatty parcels - I'm going whole hog on this project and spending the next five days curing my very own, sodium-free bacon. With little bit of time, creativity, and advice from meat professionals, it is possible to open culinary doors that seemed permanently closed.

After a brief chat with my bacon Sensei, we devised a salt-free curing plan as follows:

1. In a metal baking dish, set the pork belly (skin/fat side up)

2. Cover with approximately a 1/4 inch thick of the following dry rub mixture: brown sugar, course black pepper, smoked paprika, and some crushed Emerald Cove Organic Nori to help leach out the moisture. Refrigerate.

3. After a few days, drain the meat juices and cover with another coat of the rub. Return to the refrigerator.

4. Apparently it only takes 5 days for a proper cure but letting it sit for longer will produce stronger flavors and the bacon itself will last for two weeks instead of one.

5. As for slicing, I am hoping to take the cured belly to my local butcher, Drewes Bros Meats, to cut it into the familiar long strands.

Stay posted for the end result and the delicious, bacon, hand-made pasta that will enfold!