Homemade Best Alternative to Store Bought Foods
July 8th 2010 06:32
With study after study suggesting our reliance on processed foods is a major factor in the nation's alarming obesity rate and other health challenges, what can home cooks do to reduce this reliance and still get food on the table quickly and conveniently? One answer may lie not in the pantry, but elsewhere in the kitchen cupboard.
"So many Americans own food processors, blenders and stand mixers they keep hidden away, and too few use them on an everyday basis to process foods the healthy way," notes Debbie O'Connor, senior manager of brand experience for KitchenAid. "It often takes just a few minutes more to assemble fresh ingredients and mix them versus opening a box of pre-mixed ingredients, yet the difference in quality and healthfulness can be enormous."
According to O'Connor, some of the fastest and easiest homemade alternatives to store bought foods include coleslaw made in a food processor with less mayonnaise, salsa made in a blender with less sodium, and a simple "quick bread" dough mixed in a stand mixer with no hydrogenated fats or preservatives.
Those interested in taking serious charge of what they eat can take things a step further. For example, the hard-working KitchenAid stand mixer, found in more than 10 million American homes, has been the preferred tool for generations of bakers unimpressed with packaged cake mixes. The mixer can even be outfitted with optional attachments for grinding grain, making homemade sausages and burgers (including reduced fat turkey and chicken varieties), and making pasta from whole grains.
"The secret is to leave these appliances on the countertop as a constant reminder to use them," says O'Connor. "They're practical, they come in great colors and finishes, and keeping them visible is the best way to ensure they get used."
*Based on a September 2010 survey, KitchenAid was found to be the home kitchen appliance brand chosen most often by members of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the American Culinary Federation when asked about refrigerators, ovens, cooktops, ranges, dishwashers, microwave ovens, electric mixers, blenders, food processors, kitchen gadgets and toasters.
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