How can you cook a home-cooked meal without going to the grocery store?

For a long time, this was impossible.

But now there is a solution…

Blue Apron and Hello Fresh.

These companies recently developed a way for average people to order pre-packaged, pre-measured, ready to cook meals online and have them delivered to their front door. For a family with two working parents, these companies offer a healthy alternative to take-out and provide an easy way for anyone to cook a meal, even on weeknights.

Hello Fresh and Blue Apron were founded in 2011 and 2012, respectively, and aim to make cooking “easy as eating” and help people maintain a healthy lifestyle. Since then, these companies have become very popular, especially with working families, Millenials and young adults.

Here’s how it works…

Both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh have an online platform that allows people to browse the vast variety of meal options and choose which recipes they like best. This can range from Chipotle Black Bean Quesadillas to a Japanese Inspired Chicken Bowl. The recipes also allow you to filter results based on cooking time and the number of people you would like to cook for. Then, you can order as many meals as you would like and when you would like them delivered to your door. Overall, this is a simple process that can result in a quick, easy and tasty home-cooked meal.

This has many advantages for anyone with very little time to cook…

Increasingly, home-cooked meals are becoming less prominent in homes around the country. Many people do not always have the time to cook a meal every night. These companies are having a positive effect on nutrition and health.

If you have not tried Blue Apron or Hello Fresh before, I highly encourage giving them a shot.

Many innovations in the food industry in recent years attempt to increase the speed and efficiency of longer cooking processes. This includes marinating, braising, baking and slow-cooking.

Many of these processes take hours and maybe even days, and for a working family or a chef with limited time, these techniques can save a great deal of time. These include vacuum packing, immersion circulating, convection baking and pressure cooking.

Vacuum packing is a technique that has been used by manufacturing companies for a long time. However, this technology was recently modified for use with food. The process is quite simple. First, usually, a protein is placed in the vacuum bag with aromatic herbs or a marinade and sealed in the vacuum bag. The vacuum packing machine removes all the air from the bag, which speeds up the marinating process and adds more flavor to the protein.

Immersion circulating is somewhat related to vacuum packing. An immersion circulator has the ability to regulate the temperature of a container of water. To put it plainly, the water is circulated through the machine and the water is evenly heated. This can be used to cook foods in a sealed vacuum bag or sous vide certain proteins to ensure a perfectly cooked duck breast or filet. The machine has now gone portable and is now available to anyone that wants to elevate their cooking.

A convection oven is a type of oven that circulates the air in the oven so that the heat will be evenly distributed in around the food that is being baked. A traditional oven usually heats from the bottom, which can lead to uneven cooking or even burning. Convection heating is generally faster and will produce a more evenly cooked product.

Pressure cooking has been around in the culinary industry for quite a while, however, many home cooks do not know how to use it or where to purchase a pressure cooker. To provide some background to better understand how the pressure works, we need to discuss some chemical processes. Catabolic reactions happen at a higher heat and pressure, the same way liquids and solids change to gases at higher temperatures and pressures. The pressure cooker uses this principle to increase the speed of many slow-cooking processes. Pot roast can be completed in forty-five minutes in a pressure cooker whereas in a normal slow-cooker it may take up to five hours.

All of these technologies are just a few examples of the innovation of appliances in the culinary industry, all of which make more complicated cooking processes much easier and faster.

Almost everyone knows someone who is gluten-free. But beyond gluten intolerances and allergies, there are many allergens that are present in food. This includes, but is not limited to, nuts, soy, eggs, milk, and sesame. As a result, many grocery stores have capitalized on this by providing certain products that exclude one, a few or all of these allergens.

Not only that…there is a whole market in grocery devoted to specialty and organic items. Organic food, by definition, is not processed with chemicals and sold as close to natural as possible.

Whole Foods is one of the leading stores in specialty grocery in the U.S.

However, they are also one of the leading stores in the highest prices in the U.S.

Whole Foods is notorious for carrying expensive products, but many consumers with allergies cannot afford the premium prices that come with the products. Many people cannot buy hemp milk and ancient grains from the Middle East on a regular basis.

Here are some allergen-free foods that provide a great deal of nutritional value at a more reasonable price…

Spinach. This dark leafy green vegetable includes many vitamins and minerals that are a great supplement to a healthy lifestyle. These include iron, which is necessary for circulatory system health, vitamin K, which promotes gastrointestinal health and calcium, which supports bone health. This green is great in a smoothie with raspberries, blueberries, vanilla greek yogurt, and ice. This item is relatively inexpensive and versatile. 

Carrots. This vegetable contains beta-carotene which can be synthesized into Vitamin A in the body, which is essential to healthy vision and bone support. Carrots are great roasted with brown sugar and honey.     

Salmon. The fish is one of the healthiest proteins, and it can be found for a lower price when on sale. This fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which promote a healthy cardiovascular system. This is a great source of protein with a relatively low amount of unhealthy fat.

As you can see, it is easy to be healthy, and even allergen free, for a low price.

Imagine you are sitting at the kitchen table and you want to cut a banana, but you don’t have a knife. After the invention of the banana slicer, that dilemma is solved forever.

Although that is a ridiculous example, the idea of the “kitchen gadget” has become increasingly more popular as many of the gadgets make certain functions in cooking more efficient. There are machines that can make pasta from zucchini, slice an avocado, sous vide various proteins and more commonly, brew coffee in a matter of seconds.

This will be a review of sorts of the different styles of kitchen gadgets and some examples.

The first category includes most stationary tools. This can include gadgets including mandolines and the food processor. The spiralizer, a machine that can make zucchini pasta, is a more recently developed tool that is quite popular among people that are trying to eliminate an excess amount of carbs in their diet or people that want to eat healthier. The gadget itself is very simple. It includes a cutting surface and a handle to spin the squash. It is very easy to use and inexpensive. All in all, it is a good gadget that is worth investing in. 

Smaller tools are becoming more popular in the kitchen gadget industry. One specifically, an avocado slicer, has some interesting features, including a tool that can remove the pit with ease and cut the avocado into even slices. However, like the banana slicer, gadgets like the avocado slicer are somewhat unnecessary and frankly, a waste of money. Although the tool provides some specialization, it is not worth the investment. You will be much better off using a common butter knife.

The next category can be somewhat expensive, but these can be some of the best and most exciting gadgets on the market. This can include blenders like the Vitamix and a newer machine that can make an immersion circulator. An immersion circulator can “sous vide” different proteins, which can take any dish to the next level.

Finally, some gadgets are incredibly common and used frequently across the country. In this case, the Keurig is one of the most commonly used gadgets in the world of food and beverage. Keurig has revolutionized American coffee consumption. Making a single serving of coffee in a matter of seconds is convenient and economically beneficial.

Kitchen gadgets definitely have some pros and cons, however, there are many different factors that come into consideration when evaluating any one gadget.

For a comedic aside to this blog, click on the link and take a look at the reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/Hutzler-3571-571-Banana-Slicer/dp/B0047E0EII/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1539315051&sr=1-5&keywords=banana+slicer#customerReviews

Alex, I’ll take chemistry for 400, please…

This element has 7 protons, 7 electrons, and 7 neutrons. It makes up about seventy-eight percent of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a key element in ammonia gas, but it also has a wide variety of uses in the food industry.

What is nitrogen?

Nitrogen is a common element found almost everywhere on Earth. It is in all proteins, your DNA, plants, and the air. However, it is also commonly applied to food to change its texture and even flavor. There are two types of applications that are most prominent in the food industry today: nitro cold-brew coffee and ice cream.

Have you ever walked into a Starbucks and seen the stainless steel tap in the corner? That is the nitro cold-brew tap. Nitro cold-brew is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill cold brew coffee. It is infused with tiny nitrogen bubbles that result in a soft, silky texture.

If you don’t like coffee, however, I would not recommend trying it. This is a drink for the coffee fanatic that wants a stronger, richer blend of normal brewed coffee with the texture of a normal espresso with foam.

It is surprisingly simple to make- of course, you might need to get your hands on a tank of nitrogen.

First, the coffee shop will brew a normal batch of cold brew, but when it is attached to the tap, it will be infused with the nitrogen. However, instead of making it fizz like soda, these gas bubbles are very small and merely add the desired texture to the coffee.

Did you know you can make instant ice cream?

All you need is a gas that is pressurized and stored at -321 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the temperature of liquid nitrogen.

Now, when most people think of liquid nitrogen, they usually don’t associate it with dessert, but liquid nitrogen ice cream is a relatively new and exciting technique.

Because liquid nitrogen is held at such a low temperature, anything that comes in contact with freeze instantly. If it is slowly poured into a bowl of cream, sugar, and vanilla extract that is being stirred quickly, vanilla ice cream will be created in a matter of seconds. This also applies when making Dippin’ Dots.

Overall, not only does nitrogen have applications in these two food products, but it has a large number of other popular uses, some of which are still being developed by food scientists across the world.

When someone hears the words “molecular gastronomy,” the first thing that comes to mind is probably not about food. However, molecular gastronomy is a relatively new technique used by some of the most innovative chefs in the world and some of the most common frozen yogurt shops around the country. Molecular gastronomy takes many forms, including popping pearls and cocktail spheres, peanut butter powder, cold smoked products, foams, and many others. All of these products include a variety of safe chemicals in order to change the foods behavior, texture, shape, and flavor.

The first, and probably the most well known, form of molecular gastronomy is popping pearls, which can often be found in frozen yogurt shops around the country. They are made by a process called spherification. Any type of non-acidic fruit juice is mixed with sodium alginate, a derivative of brown algae, which initially thickens the juice. This liquid mixture is then dropped quickly into a bath of calcium chloride. When the sodium alginate in the liquid comes in contact with the calcium chloride, it forms a thin skin. This protects and conceals the juice inside and gives the food its signature “pop” when eaten. This also applies when making cocktail spheres, however, the sodium alginate and drink mixture is frozen prior to the calcium chloride bath, which allows for a much larger sphere, usually the size of a tablespoon.

Peanut butter powder is also an interesting application of molecular gastronomy. This food is made from tapioca starch, and it has many fascinating properties. When mixed with peanut butter in a food processor, the once spreadable peanut butter can now be dusted over a cake or dessert. However, once the powder comes in contact with water, it turns back into its original form.

Additionally, foams are becoming more prominent in modern restaurants around the world. A foam is a stabilization of air in a liquid, as an emulsion. Foams have been used in cuisine for a long time, however, a new technique is allowing chefs to make food foams in ways that have not been done before, by using a food foamer. This tool looks like a fancy whipped cream bottle, but it has the capability of making more than just whipped cream.

As time passes, chefs are eagerly attempting to innovate the world of food. As technology improves, they are creating new foods and ways of making a common food stand out on the plate.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Throughout a variety of posts, we will discover and learn about new innovations and ideas in food, including molecular gastronomy, the idea of the “kitchen gadget,” and many more. I hope you enjoy.

Image courtesy of Baking Warehouse