Hidden Helpers: Your Kitchen’s Not-So-Secret All-Stars

It sits on your kitchen counter, silently mocking you. When you got it as a wedding present, you were so pleased — surely this streamlined, gleaming appliance would be put to good use every day, making your meal preparation easier. And you did use it — once or twice. Now it sits gathering dust and moving only when you clean the counter beneath it. Most of us have something like this stashed away in our kitchens — that “must-have” gadget or appliance. Sometimes they are forgotten about entirely because we’re not sure exactly how to use them; sometimes, they get used all the time (microwave, we’re looking at you) but without harnessing their full potential. Here’s a quick look at a couple of these hidden kitchen helpers — along with a delicious recipe designed to maximize each one.

Microwave Oven: Look Beyond Leftovers
Virtually every American kitchen has a microwave, and virtually every microwave gets daily use. But be honest: When was the last time you used your microwave for something besides popcorn or reheating leftovers? (No, defrosting frozen meat doesn’t count.) This quick-heating device actually uses radio waves to warm food. These waves aren’t absorbed by plastic, glass, ceramics or paper — meaning they heat only the food. (Metal reflects them, which is why you can’t use foil or metal utensils in the microwave.) This makes the microwave an amazingly effective kitchen cooking tool.

Chicken Parmesan

FAST FACT
You can use your microwave to help get the most juice possible out of citrus — lemons, limes and oranges that have been slightly warmed up will be easier to juice. Just microwave each one for
around 20 seconds before slicing and juicing.

Food Processor: More Than Just Slicing & Dicing
If you have a food processor, chances are you’ve used it for things like chopping onions or slicing carrots. But did you know you can use your processor to perform a wide range of food prep tasks: grating cheese; making bread or pizza dough; even whipping eggs or cream? It’s all about the proper attachments. Just make sure you’ve placed the right blade on the processor before you start working on your food. Whatever you use it for, the food processor can certainly take a lot of the “grunt work” — the slicing, dicing, pureeing and chopping that are so time-consuming — out of cooking, making it so much easier for you to create delicious, healthy meals.

Spicy Cheese Soup

FAST FACT
When dicing or pureeing foods, use the pulse technique — short, one- or two-second bursts of chopping, followed by one or two seconds of rest. This will allow the food to drip down toward the blades, helping to ensure even chopping.