Cookbook Profile: The Blender Bible

The Blender Bible

by Andrew Chase and Nicole Young

"Blenders are an indispensable and extremely convenient kitchen tool," assert Andrew Chase and Nicole Young, authors of The Blender Bible. "From grinding spices to puréeing soups to mixing beverages to making batter, blenders help keep our cooking on a smooth track."

In this all-encompassing book, Chase and Young offer more than 500 delicious, eclectic recipes that illustrate its versatility.

The book is divided into chapters for:
• Appetizers, Dips and Spreads
• Salad Dressings
• Condiments, Sauces and Marinades
• Soups
• Breakfast, Dinner Entrees, and Side Dishes
• Desserts and Sweet Sauces
• Smoothies and Other Drinks
• Cocktails

The authors devote the last chapter to one of the best uses for the blender: making baby food. "Making your own at home is not difficult," say Chase and Young, who provide dozens of healthy, easy-to-make recipes, accompanied by an age guideline indicating what foods are safe at what age.

The wide range of recipes in The Blender Bible shows home cooks how this handy appliance can be used to make cooking any meal easier and faster. The book belongs on every kitchen bookshelf—right next to the blender.

Excerpt

Blenders are extreme useful in basic food preparation. Use them for:

—Making breadcrumbs. Break stale and dry bread into small pieces by hand. Pulse in 1-cup batches to desired consistency. (You can make cookie and cracker crumbs the same way.)

—Grating hard cheese. Cube cheese in 1/2" pieces. Blend on high speed in 1/2-cup batches.

—Grinding coffee. Grind coffee on high speed in 1-cup batches until desired consistency.

—Grinding spices. Grind spices on high speed in 1/4-cup batches until desired consistency.

—Whipping cream. Whip 1-cup cream on low speed until thick and smooth.

—Chopping nuts. Pulse 1/2-cup to 1-cup nuts several times, scraping down sides with a spatula between each pulsing.

—Making mushroom powder. Break up 1 oz. dried mushrooms into small pieces by hand. Pulse on high speed to a fine powder. Use as a seasoning in sauces to give a rich mushroom flavor.

—Preparing dried tomato paste. Pour 3/4 cup boiling water over 1 oz. dried (oven-dried or sun-dried) tomatoes. Let stand until soft, about 20 minutes. Puré on high speed until smooth, then strain through fine sieve. Use this sweet and intensely flavored puré in place of tomato sauce.

About the Authors

Andrew Chase is a chef, author, food editor of Homemaker's Magazine and associate food editor at Canadian Living Magazine. He is also the author of The Asian Bistro.

Nicole Young is an experienced and respected food stylist and recipe developer who gives regular seminars on making baby food.

Both Andrew and Nicole live in Toronto.

Buy the Book!

The Blender Bible
by Andrew Chase and Nicole Young
Robert Rose, Inc. (Firefly Books)
384 pages, $19.95 paperback
ISBN: 0-7788-0109-8
Information provided by the publisher.