In most aspects of my life I’m not too fussed on gadgets, but in the kitchen? I want them all!
I dream of one day having one of those kitchens with sparkling granite work tops, a beautiful island, a breakfast bar and a freezer that I don’t have to battle with to squeeze items in and out of. I want my sparkling granite counters to be adorned with devices that do just about anything my tastebuds could dream of. Currently my open plan kitchenette is a long way from the fantasy in my head, but I’ll get there, one day!
So I don’t have the sparkly work tops (yet!) but what I do have is an exciting new partnership with Panasonic which I’m excited to share with you guys. I’m going to be testing out their kitchen appliances over the next year (gadget heaven!) to share with you what I think of them. This is my first time working long-term with a brand so it was important to me that it was a good fit. I’ve never used Panasonic kitchen appliances before, but it’s an ongoing joke in our house that in our ancient Panasonic tv is still going strong despite a hard life being moved from house to house! Needless to say I feel trusting of their quality.
Okay so first up to the plate is a juicer! Not just any juicer, a sloooow juicer, which apparently means it’ll get more juicy goodness out of whatever you decide to squish through it.
Being an incredibly impatient person I’m not great at reading instructions. But the juicer was really self-explanatory to assemble so I had it set up and good to go in no time; everything slots together nicely. I skimmed over the packaging it came in and quickly spied that this juicer can be used to process frozen fruit to create healthy desserts as well; which of course instantly became my focus. Instant healthy ice cream? So interested in that.
I decided that banana and mango would make a good combination. I sliced and diced them, popped them in a tub, did battle with my freezer drawers and left them overnight. When it came to nice cream time it was a case of dropping the frozen fruit through the top of the juicer and seeing what came out the other side. It is very satisfying how easily the juicer smooshes through whatever you offer it. Rock solid mango? No problem.
Now, this is where patience (reading the instructions) is a virtue, because it turns out the manual advises that frozen fruit is left to thaw a little before processing, to improve the texture. My dessert looked a little solid and icy as it immediately came out of the juicer. But leaving it to thaw a bit and a bit of mixing had it looking pretty damn convincing as an ice cream alternative!
No refined sugar, 2 natural ingredients and all of 5 minutes to process. Amazing! Not bad for a completely blind first attempt, huh?
Juicers have done the rounds of kitchens for God knows how long and yet one has never made it into mine. I’ve always loved the concept, but they’re historically bulky things that are a lot of faff… and I’m a low maintenance (impatient) girl. I love how slim this juicer is; at just 15cm wide it sits neatly on my (unsparkly) kitchen counter taking up minimal space. A lot of the parts are dishwasher friendly which is a big plus; sadly a few parts require hand washing although they were easy enough to clean.
So, got a juicer: made ice cream. I can’t say that I’m surprised with myself.
I’m looking forward to seeing what juices I can create with my leftover fruit & veg and how this new gadget can help with my 5-a-day and food waste. I’ll be sure to keep you posted đŸ™‚
Disclosure: this is a paid post. As always all thoughts are my own.