Healthy Option for the muncher.

Let's face it,  I think everyone of us has the habit and desire to munch while relaxing, whether it be popcorn during a movie, soft pretzel while we walk the mall, or some cookies while relaxing to our favorite prime time tv show.  I know I'm guilty of it, so I will start...."Hi I'm Steve and I'm a muncher!"

Yes I'm as guilty if not more so than a lot of you, and I have tried healthy alternatives, whether it be fruit or vegetables.   The problem I've found with most is that I can take down a whole carrot, or an apple in no time flat, and even though I know it's all in my mind, it's not the same as munchable foods.  There is something satisfying about sitting there and eating a lot of little things.  Grapes are the first alternative that usually come to mind, and while it may be a better choice than that bag of Reese's Pieces,  we need choices and variety.  My new alternative idea is take out your food processor and that slicing disc and go to town bagging up some fresh veggies.  I have started with celery.

I know that some people will say, just grab a stick of celery and munch away, but holding onto a stick of celery we will eat it till it's gone and either move on to something else or get more and more.  In my personal experience, while I still might sit there and eat it till the bowl or bag is empty, I still tend to take more time to eat a stalk of celery if I have to eat small pieces bit by bit. If you want some proof of this fact, look at past gatherings, where only a vegetable relish tray is sitting out.  Doesn't it last a good while, but look around, most people will continue to get piece after piece.

So now not only have I gotten my fix of using my kitchen gadget, I've bagged up a couple of healthy alternatives that I can munch on through my next movie.

My First Food Processor

Ok, I'm not young, but not old either.  And I've been cooking for ages since I was 10 at the very latest, probably earlier.  And while I've picked up and looked at many a gadgets, for the longest time I saw little to no use for a food processor, and was detracted by the enourmous cost difference of the models out there.   I've learned in other areas you get what you pay for, but I also avoid paying for the best for something I may use the least.   So when looking at food processors online, I was overwhelmed with options and prices.   And let's face it reviews online are only partially helpful.  Who really posts reviews about an item, either those who have had a bad experience or marketing gurus for the company who post the same review on several sites.  I tend to lead toward brands from which I've had good experiences.  So in this instance when I finally decided I wanted to get a food processor, I was slightly lured toward KitchenAid.  So I looked heavily at KitchenAid, but at $100 for the 7 cup, I really wasn't convinced that was the way to go.  I was hard pressed to say if it was large enough for what I wanted and for $100 thats a lot to find out that it wasn't large enough.  But to go up to the larger 12 cup model was a pretty big jump in price.  When I could get a 14 cup Black and Decker for half the price of the KitchenAid 7 cup.  Oh decisions, decisions!!!

Finally my mind was made up for me.   While wondering around Target, as usual I was inexplicably dragged towards to the kitchen section (yes that unknown force of what I really need for my kitchen, well maybe it's want, but as my 2 year old son uses them interchangeably, why can't I?)  The KitchenAid 7 cup was on clearance for $30 off.  Even though it was still $70 and more than the larger Black and Decker, it is after all a KitchenAid, that same brand that makes those powerhouse mixers that we all want to own.

Well I'm happy to say, I couldn't be happier with the end results.   I've managed to fit enough into it for most of my concerned items.  While I did empty it a couple times while slicing potatoes, I think it's a small consolation for the space it saves me and the ability to leave it out, that my wife has afforded to me while I am still in the experimentation phase.

Thus far I have made pie crust (so simple and fast with a food processor), pumpkin cheesecake, sliced up potatoes for a dish, and some homemade ham salad from cold cuts.  This device thus far has earned a place on my counter as something I think i will probably use quite often. 

So for my first recipe I will share my simple ham salad.


Ham Salad:
3-4 medium sliced pieces of your favorite ham.
1 stalk of celery
1 hard boiled egg
2 tablespoons of relish
Mayo or Miracle whip to taste


Place all the ingredients minus the Mayo into the food processor, pulse a few times till it is as chunky or smooth as you like.  You could include the mayo as well, but I was too afraid of over pulverizing the ingredients, so I chopped this up and the combined it with mayo in a seperate bowl. Simple ham salad for appetizers or sandwiches. 

Bon apetit

Welcome to the first edition!

Welcome to the first installlment of the The Gadget Chef.  I'm just an ordinary guy, who enjoy's cooking, but I'm always looking for ways to make cooking quicker and easier without sacrificing taste.  I've also been trying to incorporate more healthy ways to cook too.  I've tried many gadgets out there, some with success and some with miserable failures.  But my biggest goal is to limit what space I take up with what gadgets.  As a person with a less than sizable kitchen, counter top real estate is so important I can't be the type that has several gadgets out all the time, and I'm also the type that if it's not out and handy, I'm likely not to use it.
So through the course of this blog I will give out some info on those items I've gotten over the years and how I use them, and some recipes, and be sure to share yours too, or comment if you've tried them.