I've taken a trip down memory lane for kitchen items that I blogged
about in mid-2015. I still use a goodly number of them. "Ancient" ones
include a Tupperware measuring pitcher, a Wearever air popcorn popper,
and an Osterizer blender, I've replaced some items that broke or have
improved capabilities or both reasons. I've accumulated a few newer
gadgets since the 2015 articles.
Several kitchen items have shown up in various articles and YouTube
videos I've produced over the years, mostly WRT to baking cookies or
cakes. The star of my YouTube videos is my Osterizer blender, which is
approaching 45,000 after being up since mid-2016. ("Stuck Blender Blade?" shows diagnosing and unsticking my blender blade assy, then reassembling and testing it.)
Back in 2015, I used a still-images Kodak camera (1760 x 1168
resolution shrinkable to 640 x 425). In contrast, my more compact Canon
takes varieties of stills and videos that surpass the Kodak, which broke
after over 10 years of use. My video shows hands-on handling of the
kitchen items, something of a show-and-tell session. Some viewers might
actually recognize or have some of the same objects. Interestingly, some
show up on the web with "vintage" in descriptions.
From "Vintage vs. Antique vs. Collectible | What’s the difference?"
Antiques have to be at least 100 years in age. That is what
makes a true antique according to respectable dealers. Vintage can be
anything from 20-99 years old and generally capture a sense of nostalgia
that’s relevant to the culture in some way.
I've identified the items in the video. In case you don't recognize
any or had anything similar, ask someone who's older if they owned such
an object. Maybe they still have theirs!
This hummus recipe is blender based, tweaked from my first batch in June 2021 (YT video, blog article). It's thicker and smoother, very little of it getting runny by the next few days.
Reduced water from 1/3 C to 1/4 C.
Picked out more bean skins by using a slotted spoon and slotted spatula, in addition to strainers.
Used puree setting more often than pulse or liquefy, cautiously using rubber spatula for thorough mixing.
The "EZ Blender Hummus" article and video
pertain to the actual procedure for making a batch. I include info
about some substitutions of several online recipes' ingredients for
convenience. This article goes into more details and extra info about
hummus considerations.
Ever wonder about the two bean names? When shopping for the beans, I
had thought chickpeas and garbanzo beans were the same, but wasn't
sure. "Chickpeas vs Garbanzo Beans: What's the Difference?" explains:
A chickpea or garbanzo bean both refer to a plant in the
legume category with the scientific name Cicer arietinum. ... Garbanzo
happens to be the Spanish term while chickpea is the common English
term.
I became curious about "chickpea" as one word instead of two, and
also what chick had to do with the bean. I could not find etymological
reason for "chick". The chick relationship seems to be that chickens
really like chickpeas. "Can chickens eat chickpeas?"
states "Chickpeas are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and some
other key nutrients. Plus, chickens seem to go for crazy for them".
Blender or Food Processor?
I used a very old blender because it's what I have, and no intention
of buying a food processor. Turns out to be loads of recipes that use
either appliance, even though I did a Google search for "blender or food
processor for hummus"
"Blender vs Food Processor" dives deeply into contrasting the two appliances, not specifically for hummus, though.
a blender is a better option for items with a lot of liquid,
like smoothies and soups. A food processor is best suited for foods
that are mainly solid and require more labor intensive handling, such as
chopping and slicing. However, since the line between food processor
and blender has, well, blended, you can find high-end appliances that
handle both tasks admirably.
In deciding the order of ingredients to blend, I felt smooth hummus
was more likely if I blended liquids and powders first, then added the
skin-removed garbanzo beans. The steps in "How to Make Hummus That's Better Than Store-Bought - Easy Hummus Recipe" seemed sensible for starting with mixing the liquids and powders, then adding the beans. (She added water later.)
Removing Bean Skins or Not
Some recipes advocate removing the garbanzo bean skins. The "Do You Need To Peel The Chickpeas?" section of "Easy Hummus (Better Than Store-Bought)" compares both batches, with pix, leaning towards skipping removal.
You can see, even from this photo that the skinless
chickpeas made for a slightly smoother hummus, but in our opinion it
really wasn’t enough of a difference to warrant ten minutes of skinning
chickpeas.
Two sites make good cases for removing the skins for smoothness and also looks.
Using Bean Fluid or Rinsing Beans and Adding Fresh Water
A few commenters at "Homemade Hummus Dip"
mentioned using the canned bean fluid (aquafaba) instead of fresh
water. Retaining the bean fluid sounds good for enhanced flavor and
ingredient conservation. OTOH, "Aquafaba: The Good, the Bad, and the Gassy"
convinced me to, uh, start fresh—"aquafaba contains a compound known as
oligosaccharides. ... The result is bloating and gas, ...."
Vinegar or Lemon Juice
I used vinegar because it's handy. I don't use lemons or lemon juice
often so am hesitant to get them, then think about using up excess. In
any case,
"Substitutes for Lemon Juice" mentions white vinegar substitution is 1/2:1 ratio. If wanting to use lemon juice, "How Much Juice Is In One Lemon?" helps with lemon juice measurements: "if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, you’ll need to use about ½ a lemon".
Tahini or Sesame Oil
Tahini, a paste made with sesame seeds, is a main ingredient in
hummus recipes. Weirdly, tahini is near peanut butters at my
supermarket. Even though I bought some tahini, I decided to try subbing
sesame oil. Some commenters at "Homemade Hummus Dip" mention using sesame oil, but only half as much as tahini.
Fresh Garlic or Garlic Powder
I didn't want to buy an entire garlic when I'd use only three cloves.
Garlic would also need cutting up, chopping, slicing. or pulverizing.
Powder form is much more convenient. "Garlic Substitutes" informs—"For 1 clove garlic, substitute 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder."
Olive Oil or Not
I omitted olive oil because so many of the recipes showed it as an
after-recipe addition, which I've not seen at eateries. I used one less
ingredient and avoided adding extra calories. For using oils other than
olive, "These are the best substitutes for olive oil" lists the following substitutions and describes them.
Informative Website for Several Hummus Considerations
"The BEST Hummus Recipe"
covers four items I've floated: blender vs. food processor, removing
bean skins vs. not, bean fluid vs. added water, and freezing or not.
Another beany topic is soaked beans vs. canned. She used a blender,
which appealed to me. Note: The quantities called for seem to be for a
double recipe; 30 oz of beans is about two cans' worth of beans.
Additional Notable Hummus Websites
"THE BEST OIL FREE HUMMUS IN THE WORLD"
provides a vegan, oil-free recipe (process start time about 1:40). The
ingredients, which include the bean fluid, and blending procedure are
straight-forward. With using a high-speed blender; the outcome somewhat
resembles soft-serve ice cream, Storage in fridge is good for a week.
"Super Easy Hummus"
provides a straightforward food-processor recipe in text and also
embedded video link. The info is pleasingly compact. Excerpted: "I
usually end up using about half of the bean liquid, so be sure to
reserve it! ... Also, I like to let the flavors blend several hours or
overnight before serving this."
"3-Ingredient Hummus Recipe from Nazareth"
is a bit lengthy, and the ingredients amount to five. However, beans,
tahini, lemon juice, salt, and water are as minimalist for ingredients
as I've encountered in my recipe hunts.
"Easy Hummus (No Tahini)"
calls for natural, unsalted peanut butter as a replacement for tahini.
He uses a food processor that already contains chickpeas; thus, no
determination if the beans are skin-removed or not. The simple process
looks good, with ingredients captions, but is missing quantities.
A few weeks ago, I spotted a post on LinkedIn that pointed to "Homemade Hummus Dip".
Some comments gave me ideas for substitutions so I might avoid winding
up with excess, seldom-used ingredients. I needed to click "Read
Directions" button to see instructions, but was glad the website show both ingredient and instruction sections compactly.
My hummus recipe is blender based; numerous other recipes call for
using a food processor. Some replacements, considering ease of use or
longevity or both (varying ratios):
Vinegar (subbing for lemon juice)
Sesame oil (subbing for tahini)
Garlic powder (subbing for garlic cloves)
Vinegar
Most recipes call for lemon juice. One called for both vinegar and
lemon juice. I used vinegar because it's easy. I wanted to avoid
overtarting the hummus, so used less sour fluid than called for (2
tablespoons instead of 3). "Substitutes for Lemon Juice" lists the ratio of white vinegar to lemon juice at 1/2:1.
Sesame Oil
Two commenters at the "Homemade Hummus Dip"
website mentioned substituting the tahini with half the amount of
sesame oil. Besides using half the amount of sesame ingredient, fewer
calories and fluid.
Garlic Powder
Fresh garlic seems to show up in all hummus recipes I looked into.
Even though real garlic is more authentic flavor, I didn't want to buy
an entire garlic. I'd need to peel off three cloves, then hassle with
skinning them or smacking them with a blade to make skin removal easier.
Chunks would also need cutting up, chopping, slicing. or pulverizing.
Pouring garlic powder's easy—1/8 teaspoon per clove!
Omission: Olive Oil
I noticed that numerous recipes called for olive oil, added after
making the hummus. I omitted it as unnecessary and extra calories, even
if it is supposed to be healthy. (Eateries that I've gotten hummus at
don't pour it on.)
I noticed that numerous recipes called for olive oil, added after
making the hummus. I omitted it as unnecessary and extra calories, even
if it is supposed to be healthy. (Eateries that I've gotten hummus at
don't pour it on.)
Recipe Process
My video has the following sections in addition to overall info:
Ingredients
Implements
Bean processing (draining, rinsing, loosening and removing bean
skins, re-rinsing and re-draining). (Skinning the beans makes for
smoother hummus.)
Blending (liquids and powders first, then the beans)
Finishing up (pouring into server, sprinkling paprika, serving or storing, stats
Recipe Afterthoughts
The process for separating the beans from skins was more involved than I anticipated. Why remove the skins? "How I get the shells off cooked CHICKPEAS (easy) - Steven Heap" shows a method. The best reasons for skins removal is just before the 3-minute mark.
My bean skin removal process didn't go as quickly and thoroughly as
I'd hoped. For making hummus the next time, I'll use a deeper, bigger
bowl and strainer, and also use a slotted spoon and spatula.
The finished hummus (10 1/2 oz yield) poured out thinner than I
expected. Best to use less fluid at the onset. Be mindful of amount of
fluid called for and how substitutions might affect viscosity.
On the second day, water started to separate from the hummus. I
scooped the thicker stuff for consuming anyway. Ob the third day, I
poured the rest into my salad greens and tossed. Tasty!
Does your blender blade seem stuck and not moving? Before you buy a new blender or blender blade, test for non-function, then try a home remedy of FIRST resort.
I'd had my Osterizer blender for, uh, awhile. It's one of my devices I refer to in my "Frequently Used Electrical Long-time Kitchen Items" article. A couple of weeks ago, I thought about using it to puree some canned beans for bean soup. As I hadn't used the appliance for a couple of years, I decided I should wash out the non-electrical parts.
When I removed the blade assembly and tried to gently rotate the blades around its disk, I winced when it didn't turn. I had a familiar, sinking feeling that the assembly froze up, same as its predecessor from maybe at least a decade or so. My recollection is that the replacement part cost half or more than half of a new blender—ten-ish or so dollars, at a bricks-and-mortar appliance repair place.
This time, I tried out a process that I distilled from some posts at "My blender blade is not turning?". The most helpful comments were by ceanothus, Andy, Jeffrey F, and Moondog. If your blender blade assembly sticks like I described, try my quick, no-cost home fix ("unsticking" procedure).
Unsticking a Stuck Blender Blade Assembly
A: Confirm that the Blade Assembly Does Not Swivel
The first row of images shows the assembled and plugged-in blender, the top view with lid removed and blades viewable, and separated parts in the order they belong.
Remove the blade assembly from the appliance, and gently try to swivel the blades on its disk. If nothing moves, follow this article's steps to safely "unfreeze" the mechanism.
Plug the appliance in, then press Pulse to confirm that the blender's shaft rotates freely. This action helps confirm that the blade assembly is at fault.
Re-assemble the appliance, and press Pulse just long enough to confirm that the motor hums but the blade doesn't move (perceived stuck), more confirmation that the blade assembly is at fault.
Separate parts again.
B: Use Boiling Water for Loosening the Parts of the Blade Assembly
The second row of images shows a saucepan of boiling water, then the pan with the blade unit right side up, alongside a spoon for retrieval. This process dissolves residue that might be stuck in normally movable parts.
Bring about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches or more water to a rolling boil. The water level should be high enough to submerge almost all of the blade assembly.
Use a spoon or tongs to gently lower the blade assembly into the pan, disk side down.
Boil the blade assembly for 3 to 5 minutes.
C: CAREFULLY Clean the Blade Assembly and Manually Swivel It
The third row of images shows the blade assembly after its removal from the pan.
Use a spoon or tongs to remove the blade assembly from the pan of boiling water, placing it on a cloth (terrycloth ok).
Using extra care to avoid hurting yourself with the hot and sharp blades or disk part, wipe the blade assembly dry. You should now be able to easily twist/swivel the blades from the disk part.
Carefully wash the blade assembly by hand with soap and water, and wipe dry. Confirm that the assembly still turns freely.
D: Re-assemble the Blender
The last row of images shows the re-assembling of the blender parts. Suggestion: Before re-assembling, wash all other washable blender parts.
Re-assemble the parts in the order as shown. (The second image shows the jar and rest of the parts turned upside down. Be sure that the gasket is between the jar and the blade assembly.)
Plug the blender in, and press Pulse to confirm that the blade assembly spins.
Periodically (monthly to annually), check that the blade assembly still freely spins. If not, try the "unsticking" procedure.
Want to peruse Oster blender spare parts? Also visit eye-catching bundling at Oster and Walmart: blade assembly, sealing rings (gaskets), bottom cap (which contains the jar items and seats onto motor unit), lid and filler cap (that might not work on your blender). Priced at just over $10, these kits cost much less than buying piece parts separately. YMMV WRT other possible sources.
For non-Oster blender parts, do a Google search for "blender parts [product name of your blender]".
Mounting Mason Jars instead of Blender Jars
In poking around for info about the blade assembly, was unable to find any about the blades, metal base, and bearing collar (?). However, I ran across images of Mason jars near or on blenders. Visit articles that describe using these jars to make their smoothies with instead of using the standard blender jars.
Caution: Firmly place a hand on top of the unit during blending to prevent the jar from unscrewing from the base cap.
Do you have kitchen gadgets or appliances that you you've had for a long time and still frequently use? I previously wrote about non-electrical kitchen items. This time, I talk mostly about electrical appliances, such as my popcorn air popper and salad shooter.
Wearever Popcorn Pumper 72000
This hot-air popcorn popper is listed as vintage, and having come out around late 70s, before microwave popcorn. This model has the butter warmer at the base rather than at the chute (73000). Looking at a webpage of poppers for sale, some people state usability for roasting coffee beans.
Works great still, and I use it several times a month. Instead of the included butter warmer, I microwave butter in a glass cup with a piece of wax paper covering the top. Yeah, more work, but I prefer to not put the aluminum warmer in the dishwasher.
Presto Salad Shooter
This appliance works like a portable food processor with a lot less bulk. I use it pretty much weekly, since the early 90s. It's great for slicing carrots for salads and multiple veggies for making veggie pasta.
Although the shooter has multiple cutting and grating cones, I use the slicing one the most often. Over the years, I'd put various cracks in the original slicing cone, Read my article for details of finding and buying the replacement cone (good purchase experience).
GE Hand Mixer
I've had a few mixers over the years. This one is maybe 10 years old; the previous one had a plastic free-rotation stand. This appliance gets the job done. It has only two speeds, and the beater blades sometimes don't lock easily. (I've never felt the urge to get a high-end muscly machine.)
Osterizer Blender
Hooboy! It's been in my household since the 70s! Over the years, I've used it weekly, but sometimes I've neglected it for long periods of time (years?). I used to use it frequently for pureeing chunky salsas. (I'm not wild about chunky salsas or similarly chunky pico de gallo. I've used it for chopping up ice and also blending hot butter into egg yolks for hollandaise sauce.
Maybe 15 years ago, the blades wouldn't rotate. Maybe I didn't fully dry the blade unit after handwashing it. I reluctantly bought a replacement, not thinking it sensible to buy an entire new blender.
GE 700-watt MIcrowave Oven
Yes! Only 700 watts! I've had this oven for about 25 years. It's so low- powered that most microwave meals list instructions for 1000 to 1100-watt ovens. Pretty much, if I'm doing a frozen meal, I add about 50% more time. A couple of the rack brackets are gone or broken, so I don't use the rack anymore. The lack of a full set of brackets don't seem to affect heating performance or make the oven unsafe to use.
Do you have appliances that you've had a loooong time that you still use regularly? How about sporadically? Eh, I have some electrical and non-electrical items that I use very infrequently or still haven't tried, but I'm not going there. :-).
My profession had been technical writer/editor. Through TheWriteJob clublet (blog at http://thewritejob.blogspot.com), I have been exploring my inner creative writing, which includes mostly language enlightenment, entertainment, and a-muse-meant. Over time, I have become more active with images and my YouTube channel.
