Great and Useful Christmas Gift under $30

Shops want you to spend – yet gifts needn't be pricey to mean something.There is even an article on pre-No Unnecessary Present Pact(NUPP) which is a campaign to raise awareness on ever receiving a gift you never used for Christmas.

The NUPP campaign aims to take the stigma out of NOT giving unnecessary gifts just for the sake of it, fighting the over-commercialisation of Christmas.

• It isn't anti-presents. Family Christmas gift-giving's a lovely tradition. Yet a tick-list of presents for friends, which will only languish unused in cupboards, isn't. 
• Not giving can be a bigger gift. Buying presents can oblige friends to do the same, even if they can't afford it.
• What about small gifts? Maybe you can agree to a limit gift cost to $30 and some thoughts.

Crock-Pot SCV401TR 4-Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker, Red

• Serves 4+ people
• 4-quart capacity
• HIGH/LOW cook settings
• Convenient WARM setting
• Removable oval stoneware
• Dishwasher-safe stoneware and glass lid
• Stylish, red exterior with white border, red accents and plastic handles
• Recipes included

Hamilton Beach 58148A Power Elite Multi-Function Blender


 

• Powerful ice crushing with patented Ice Sabre® blades
• Durable 700 Watt peak power motor - life-tested to blend 8,000 frozen drinks
• All the power you need to mix, puree, dice, crush ice, and more - with only 4 simple buttons
• 12 blending functions
• Unique, patented no-mess pouring spout
• Wave~Action® system continuously pulls mixture down into the blades for smooth results every time - no more ice chunks
• Dishwasher safe 40 oz. glass jar is thermal-shock tested to withstand extreme temperature changes
• Cord storage
• Backed by 3 year warranty

Oster FPSTMC1250 Top Chop 4-Cup Chopper

•          Large 4-cup capacity chopping bowl with built-in measuring scale
•          Easy press 'n pulse button for better; more precise results
•          Razor sharp stainless-steel chopping blade
•          Powerful 250-watt motor for exceptional performance

Mr. Coffee CG13 12-Cup Switch Coffeemaker, Black
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• Brewing Pause 'N Serve
• Removable filter basket for easy cleaning
• Dual water window to monitor filling capacity
• On/Off indicator
• Water filtration adaptable for better-tasting coffee

Versatile food processor under $50

What does a food processor under $50 offers in term of feature and performance? This is what we are going to check out.

1.Hamilton Beach 70740 8-Cup Food Processor, Black

This food processor is able to chop onions, slice salad ingredients, shred cabbage, grate cheese, mix sauces or preparing pesto. It also comes with a stainless steel chopping blade, slicing and shredding disc. This food processor have a powerful 450 Watts motor and 2 speed plus speed control. This food processor beats the manual work of chopping onion which would bring tears to anyone eye.  




Amazon Star Rating : 4.9/5
Currently it is retailing at $34.99 in Hamilton Beach website but Amazon is having a discount which the same model can be purchase at $29.

•    Lid flips over for compact storage
•    Dishwasher safe bowl, lid & blades
•    S-Blade for chopping, mixing & pureeing
•    Reversible slice / shred disc
•        Large feed chute - fits a whole block of cheese to reduce pre-cutting

2.Black & Decker FP2500B PowerPro Wide-Mouth 10-Cup Food Processor

Just how powerful is the Power Pro Wide-Mouth Food Processor? So powerful, that Black and Decker had to design special heavy-duty suction cup feet to keep it in place while it slices, chops, shreds, grates and purees whole apples, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, blocks of cheese or any other whole foods with ease. With a fierce, 500-watt motor and tons of torque working in concert under its sleek and sturdy exterior, this is one heavy-duty piece of machinery that performs as great as it looks. Currently retailing in Black and Decker website for $69.99, however, if you were to purchase it at Amazon, there is a huge discount on the price at $39.92 with free shipping.

Amazon star rating : 3.50/5.0

• 10-cup capacity
• Wide-mouth feed chute
• Soft-touch Mylar buttons
• 2 speed settings, plus pulse
• Safety-interlock system
• Heavy-duty suction-cup feet
• Cord storage
• Dishwasher-safe parts

3.KRUPS GVA20840 Mini Chopper including Emulsifying Disk for Sauces and Stainless Steel Housing, Silver

Although this is a mini chopper, it still have the feature and function of a food processor.Chop, puree, blend and emulsify solid and liquid foods with one touch with the Krups GVA20840 Mini Chopper. An emulsifying disk is included to make this a verstitle mini chopper; it can be used with liquids to make whipping cream, mayonnaise, dressings. Compact and powerful, the Krups GVA20840 Mini Chopper has 300 watts of power and a 13 ounce capacity. Twin safety start feature; the bowl has to be locked in placed and the lid completey closed to operate. Heavy non-slip motor base ensures machine stays in one place during use. Machine is easily turned on and off by pressing the lid. “Spill-proof” seal in lid ensures clean preparation

Amazon star rating : 4.0/5.0

Currently KRUPS GVA20840 is retailing at $49.99 at KRUPS online store and is discounted at $28.92 in Amazon.

How to get ready a meal in 15 minutes!

I was watching Jamie Oliver 15 Minutes Meals over the TV and I was wondering how does he ever manage to get everything ready in such short time. 

Before we can start the actual process of cooking a meal, all vegetable have to be cut, shred and finely sliced. I can't imagine putting the whole head of broccoli into a soup or just throw a whole onion bulb into my cooking. Beside's the cutting up work, most homemaker would also wash their vegetable thoroughly when they came back from the market.

After many episodes of Jamie Oliver 15 Minutes Meal, I have discovered his secret to quick preparation of raw vegetable for cooking. Almost all of his recipe have heavy reliance to a single appliance, the food processor. 

A food processor comes with interchangeable blades and disk for the purpose of slicing/chopping vegetables, grating, grinding of certain item like nut, shredding of vegetables,  pureeing and sometime mixing and kneading dough. It does comes very handy especially for full time homemaker as the repetitive task of cutting, slicing, grating and shredding of vegetables using a food processor make cooking breathtakingly easy.



The food processor standard blade is the Sabatier blade or S shape made from metal and other shredding and slicing disc.The thickness of the slicing disc can be customized to many types of measurement such as 2 mm, 3 mm and 6 mm. There is also a special holder for the blade and the disc.

To operate the food processor, just pushed the food down the feed tube and it contact the disc at which point it is grated and sliced into the bowl. Even the feed tube width can be customized. 

How to choose a correct food processor for our use? The food processor comes in the measurement of 4 cups+, 7 cups, 9 cups, 12 cups, 14 cups and 20 cups sizes. Most household would need the basic food processor at the size of 4 cups+ or 3 cups for their need. 

On average a food processor cost less than $100 and its not an expensive gadget. All modern food processor is designed with features for the convenience of cleaning and washing after each use of the food processor.