PRODUCT REVIEW: THE BIG EASY OIL-LESS INFRARED TURKEY FRYER

Last November, I made the best turkey ever, and thought I could never improve on it.  Then our friend presented us with a gift:  the Big Easy Oil-Less Infrared Turkey Fryer. 

I was initially under-impressed.  No way, at least in my opinion, could this product cook a better turkey.  I continued to rant, rave and complain to my hub, telling him I wanted to make a turkey like the one we had in November, on our grill. 

And now I’m eating my words.  Along with some of the most mouthwatering delicious turkey ever.  Not that last year’s wasn’t good – it was fantastic.  With the Big Easy, it’s better than fantastic.  And it’s fast.  A 13-1/2 lb. turkey was done in 2 hours, plus 1/2 hour resting time.  Top that, if you dare. 

The Big Easy is a little weird, if I may say so.  The turkey is placed feet first, kind of standing up, in the fryer.  Here’s what’s weird:  It cooks uncovered for most of the time.  Very weird.  (In colder outdoor temperatures, extremely windy days or towards the end of the cook time when extra browning is desired, use the wire mesh lid that comes with the unit.  It reflects infrared heat back into the cooking chamber.)  



I heartily recommend brining the turkey first.  I brined overnight with my soy-apple brine.  But, with the Big Easy, you can’t stuff the cavity.  The legs of the turkey must be spread and the cavity left empty so that the heat will circulate.  I told you it was weird. 

A disposable drip tray at the bottom of the unit conveniently catches all the drippings and makes the best gravy you will ever taste.



We had some friends for a Father’s Day dinner, and the turkey was definitely the star.  Uber-moist, flavorful, tender, delicious, succulent turkey.  Everyone, but everyone, raved.


We had appetizers and drinks on the patio first.


The weather was beautiful, and we all enjoyed relaxing while waiting for the turkey to cook.  Bob and Darian were already thinking about buying The Big Easy, and were anxious to try the turkey.   After trying it, they said they definitely will be buying one.


Mary and Jim are the friends who gave us the cooker.  They’ve done a whole chicken and a Boston Butt with theirs so far.











 





Eventually, we went inside and ate buffet style, and the serving plate that was most often visited was the turkey platter.  Even my Boston Cream Pie couldn’t eclipse the succulent turkey.

Before the night was over, I vacuum packed most of the turkey remains.  Yesterday we had turkey sandwiches with one of the thawed packs.  The turkey tasted just as fresh and delicious as it did on Father’s Day.  Next, we’ll be trying a Boston Butt.  Friends have already told us this unit makes formidable pulled pork BBQ.  You can also do Cornish Game Hens, pork tenderloins, beef roast, Prime Rib and whole chickens.  The Big Easy cooking rack (purchase separately) enables you to add veggies while the roast cooks.

Can you tell I like this cooker?  I wish I could say that Char-Broil has paid me to tell you about The Big Easy, but in truth, I’ve received no payment of any kind for this endorsement.

Update 7/3/11:  The Boston Butt is still being planned.  Last night, after a 4-hour marinating process with miracle marinade, we cooked a 1 lb. 11 oz. beef eye round.  It was tender and flavorful and made wonderful sandwiches for lunch.

PRODUCT REVIEW: BARLEANS ORGANIC LEMONADE FLAX OIL

 Barlean’s is the only flax oil I ever buy.  It’s organic, fresh-pressed, high-quality oil.  Flax oil is rich in omega-3 fat, a type of essential fatty acid that our bodies cannot manufacture and can only be obtained through dietary sources like flaxseed oil, wild ocean fish, wild game, grass fed livestock and fish oil.  Omega-6 fat, which tends to be inflammatory, is found in grain-fed livestock, vegetable oils, many processed foods and most animal fats like butter, sour cream, cream cheese and milk.  Ideally, we should decrease our omega-6 consumption and increase our omega-3 intake.  Adding flax oil to your diet helps to do that. 

I spoon some flax oil over my morning oatmeal, though you can just take it straight off the spoon or, for that matter, buy gelcaps.  Two brand new flavors are available for Barlean's bottled flax oil:  lemonade and cinnamon, to appeal to kids or adults who want more flavor.  I was neutral on the taste of flax oil before, but now I look forward to my daily tablespoonful because the lemonade flavor is so delicious.

You can purchase Barlean’s at your local health food store, or online.  It comes in a 12 oz. bottle that needs to be refrigerated.  Each bottle has a freshness date.  Once opened, a bottle should be consumed in 8 weeks for optimal potency.

Full disclosure:  No one asked me to do this review, and I am not receiving any compensation from Barlean’s or anyone representing Barlean’s.  I just happen to love this product and want to share it with all of you.

PRODUCT REVIEW: CUISINART 7-SPEED HAND MIXER

Recently,  CSN Stores representative Sean Ryan asked me to review a product from one of their many sites.  I chose the Cuisinart Power Advantage 7-speed hand mixer, for sale at CSN for $49.85 with free shipping.  It came with an instruction booklet, 2 general-purpose beaters and a whip.  There was no storage case.

I own a 450-watt Kitchen Aid mixer that I use for most mixing jobs, but the 5-quart mixing bowl is quite large for smaller batches.  It’s nice to have a hand mixer available for smaller batters. 

The Cuisinart 7-speed mixer has a powerful motor.  Though the advertising says it has a smooth start, in reality there is a little “jump” when the motor first starts.  If you have flour or powdered sugar that hasn’t been mixed in, it could splash out of the bowl, so it’s best to try to work it in slightly before you start the mixer.  In spite of that, I still love this mixer.  The beaters snap off easily and are a breeze to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.  It mixes batters smoothly and well and it’s comfortable to  hold.  The cord is adequately long. 
Because of the “jumpy” start, I only rated this product 4 stars out of 5 on CSN’s website.  However, I would recommend this product to anyone wanting to find a good, reliable  hand mixer for about $50.00.

O – HOW I LOVE YOU -- O!

Recently, my hubby and I, and two of our friends, ate at a fabulous Meditteranean restaurant  in New Bern.  We went ga-ga over the salad, served with a champagne vinaigrette.  The owner/chef chatted with us at our table, and I boldly asked her for the recipe, which she graciously declined to share.  So the four of us tried to recall the flavors, and I spent the next two weeks experimenting to come up with the recipe for champagne vinaigrette. 
I tried infusing my Colavita extra-virgin olive oil with lemon peel and garlic, and used a good grade of white wine vinegar, and just about nailed it.  Then I decided to buy some champagne vinegar just to see the difference.  Our local Harris Teeter carries several champagne vinegars, but I finally decided to go for O, a California-made champagne vinegar infused with lemon.  Quite by accident, I saw that O also makes a lemon-infused extra-virgin olive oil.  So I bought them both (almost $20 for the two).  

The salad in the photo below has some leftover grilled chicken that I shredded.  I sprinkled it with sea salt and drizzled it with the lemon-infused oil and champagne vinegar.

Here’s a simple green salad with champagne vinaigrette that I made and poured over the salad.  The key ingredient in the vinaigrette is parsley, lots of fresh chopped parsley. 

Instead of making tuna salad with mayonnaise, try drizzling  some O oil and vinegar on a  dish of tuna fish, cooked and cooled green beans, olives and sliced scallions for a refreshing change of pace.

Freshly cooked green beans come alive with a sprinkle of sea salt and a tiny drizzle of the lemon olive oil.

And don’t forget grilled broccoli – some sea salt, crushed garlic and lemon olive oil brings it over the top. 

Although I enjoyed all my experiments, I finally settled on a very simple way to make a champagne vinaigrette for a single salad.  It’s so simple, it’s ridiculous.  And it’s so delicious, it’s imperative to not not make it.

You don’t really need a recipe for this.  Toss your salad with a good sea salt (and, optionally, some freshly ground black pepper).  Chop some fresh parsley as small as you can.  Chop a lot, more than you think you will use.  You’ll be amazed at what it does for the salad.  Toss again.  Now drizzle your salad very lightly with the delicious lemon-infused oil and champagne vinegar.  Use as little as possible, hardly any.  For a single salad, try using 1/2 tsp. of each, adding more in drops. You just want to barely coat the greens, you don’t want any dressing laying in a pool at the bottom of the salad.  Toss the salad, taste, then add a little more if you need to.  This is a salad you will remember and yearn for.

While experimenting, I found that I’ve not only fallen in love with O, I’ve also fallen back in love with parsley, an underused and underappreciated herb.  It takes the dressing to the next level.

O, I love you, O.

Please note that I have not been compensated in any way for this endorsement.

PRODUCT REVIEW: AGAVE NECTAR

Okay, so I’ve been slow to get on the agave nectar train.  It’s because my research uncovered some startling facts, leading me to conclude that agave nectar is certainly not a health food.  So to use it to make a dessert “healthful” is counterproductive.  Typical agave nectar could contain corn syrup or even harmful contaminants; and worse yet, agave nectar is not as low glycemic as many think. 

But then I saw organic agave nectar and finally gave in.   After all, the USDA certified organic label means something.  Agave is lower in calories, and has no overbearing strong flavors or aftertaste.   And what’s so healthful about cane sugar anyway?    I decided to give it a try.  I selected one of my very best muffin recipes that has honey as a main ingredient, and substituted agave nectar for the honey.   The muffins tasted delicious, but the texture was tough and chewy.  I prefer my muffins to be moist and tender, not tough and chewy. 
I thought about the trash, but my neighbor and his wife are not as picky as I.  They gladly took the muffins and actually told me they were the best I’ve ever made.  Different strokes for different folks, I guess. 

Bottom line:  I agree with Cook’s Illustrated.  In their December/January 2010 issue, they mentioned their test kitchen had similar disappointing results with agave in baked goods,  and recommended it only be used as a sweetener for liquids. 

QUESTIONS:  What do you think about agave nectar?  Have you used it in baked goods?  What were your results?

PRODUCT REVIEW: NU NATURALS STEVIA

Recently, I was contacted by NuNaturals about trying their products. Since I’ve used Nu Naturals White Stevia Powder for several years in my baking, I consented. In addition to receiving the same stevia I’ve been using, two new products came my way: NuStevia Sweetener Stevia Baking Blend and liquid Vanilla Stevia, along with product information and recipes.

I decided to try my hand with the baking blend first, but unfortunately had less-than-stellar results. The baking blend, which measures like sugar, contains fiber along with Acacia, Guar and Xantham gums; and the banana-oatmeal muffins I made had a gummy texture, though they tasted great. They went into the trash, because they were so bad I wouldn’t even give them away. I am going to try again with a simpler recipe and use less of the baking blend to see if I can get a better result.

Next, I tried making a smoothie with the liquid Vanilla Stevia: a mix of toasted slivered almonds, vanilla yogurt, crushed ice, banana, mango, pineapple, cinnamon and chai spice blend. I sweetened it with the Vanilla Stevia, and it was delicious! I made another, switching the almonds out for peanut butter, and it was equally as good. I definitely like the liquid Vanilla Stevia!

Lastly, I tried an apple cobbler, sweetened only with stevia powder. My usual method is to use half stevia, half sugar; but I tried using the stevia on its own to see if I’d like it. Not only did I, but so did hubby. (I didn’t tell him there was no sugar in the apples, and he didn’t detect anything off-tasting. That’s because the Nu Naturals company has a technique for eliminating the bitter aftertaste that you get with most stevia products -- which is why I’ve been using NuNaturals myself. )

I heartily recommend NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia pure liquid and NuNaturals White Stevia Powder, in packets or loose. You can purchase these items at the NuNaturals website; they offer free shipping for orders of $35 or more, and their prices are comparable to what you will pay in stores. Their website also has more information about stevia, about their company and their products. You’ll also find recipes there.

Next post will have the recipe for the apple cobbler, and I welcome your questions and/or comments concerning this product.

QUESTION: How do you feel about sugar alternatives? Do you use them? If so, which ones?

PRODUCT REVIEW: SONY CYBERSHOT, 9.1 Megapixels, 15X Optical Zoom

Can you see any difference between these two photos? There should be a difference, because the top photo was taken with my new camera. After months of research, my hubby bought what he thinks is the next best thing to sliced bread. Since I'm not the world's best photographer, I probably goofed when I took both photos, because I can't see much of a difference. Positioning and lighting are so important, and I am so impatient. Taking more than one shot is also critical, and I'm usually too much in a hurry. I'm not sure we really needed a new camera after all, since neither of us is into photography. But we have it now. In fact, we have two cameras now.

The old camera is a SONY Cyber-shot, 4.1 megapixels, 6.1X optical zoom. It's a nice little camera, and great for idiots like me. The new camera is a SONY Cybershot, 9.1 megapixels, 15X optical zoom -- an updated version of our old one. It's slightly easier to use, but basically the same camera and is supposed to take good close-ups. True confession: I haven't read the instruction manual. Actually, I didn't read the manual for the first camera. I just point and shoot. Some day, when I have lots of time, I'll read the manual and learn more about photography.