Diabetes Talking

Question:

How many people here smash up cauliflower into a paste and make it like mashed potatoes? How do you puree it?  Use a blender or just smash it up with a spoon?

Response:

How many people here smash up cauliflower into a paste and make it like mashed potatoes? How do you puree it?  Use a blender or just smash it up with a spoon?

If you go to Google Groups, then alt.support.diet.low-carb you can search cauliflower and you will find many many articles on how we use it as a substitute for potatoes, rice, and other things.  Cauliflower has been and will likely continue to be one of the most discussed items on this group. Mashing it up is only one way! Irv — Diagnosed Type II Diabetes March 5 2001 Beating it with diet and exercise! 297/215/210 (to be revised lower) 58"/43"(!)/44" (already lower too!) Visit my HomePage at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv/index.html Visit my Baby Sofia website at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv4/index.htm Visit my OLDTIMERS website at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv5/index.htm Irv Finkleman, Grampa/Ex-Navy/Old Fart/Ham Radio VE6BP Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Response:

Fauxtatoes, yumm! We just had this last night for dinner with a beef rump roast cooked in a slow oven (200 degrees, 4 1/2 hours.)  OMG, did it taste wonderful!  Even DH and kids, who are not ‘lc’, loved this. I used my blender and it was okay; much better than when I simply used my potato masher (kind of fibrous.)  I’m dropping hints like crazy around here for a food processor for my birthday, as I’ve heard that’s even speedier. — Linda 296/199/160 LC since Oct. 13, 2003 http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html http://community.webshots.com/user/mslewtoo "Are you telling me there are dead people in my living room watching videos?"–Nina (Truly, Madly, Deeply)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many people here smash up cauliflower into a paste and make it like mashed potatoes? How do you puree it?  Use a blender or just smash it up with a spoon?

Response:

I would use my food processor for something like that.  Easier to clean than the blender.

Really? Is this true of all food processors  they are easier to clean than a blender?

Response:

How many people here smash up cauliflower into a paste and make it like mashed potatoes? How do you puree it?  Use a blender or just smash it up with a spoon?

Yuck!

Response:

My best use for a stick blender is making soups or a pot roast…  Where you would normally have to run some of the soup through a blender in batches, you can just give the soup a ‘Buzz’ right in the pot. In the case of pot roast in a crock-pot, I remove the meat and buzz the veggies & gravy into a thicker puree. Making SF pudding. Steve p.s. ‘Buzz’ is attributed to Chef Ming Tsai (East meets West, Simply Ming, etc.)  In one episode, he uses a commercial ’stick’ blender.  It’s about 4-feet long and costs ~$1,000.00  :-)  I think he was making 50-gallons of some sauce…

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  The stick blender makes it the perfect consistency. Hmm…. may have to get one of these as I cant "pure" it enough when mashing by hand What else can one do with a stick blender?

Response:

I would use my food processor for something like that.  Easier to clean than the blender. A stick blender probably won’t handle ice, so if you ever want, e.g., an ice-thickened smoothie or shake, you likely won’t be able to do it with a stick blender.  They are different tools, for different purposes. My breakfast shakes include either frozen berries or ice, and I make them in the countertop blender.  I use the stick blender for pureeing soups and foods with consistency like the mashed cauliflower that started this thread. Different tools, different uses.

—– Bev

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A stick blender is fine, but there is no way it is more versatile than a standard blender.  A stick is easier to clean and I think for the mashed cauliflower it is ideal, but a blender is more powerful for many things.

Like what?

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I use my hand masher to make "rice".  Same technique as the "mashed potatoes", just don’t puree it.  It’s a lot easier to use the hand masher on cooked cauliflower than to grate it first. IMO, it would be difficult to mash before cooking.  Now, I’ve seen recipes for low carb ‘fried rice’ that uses grated cauliflower; in that case, you would grate it before you cook it.

—– Bev

Response:

How many people here smash up cauliflower into a paste and make it like mashed potatoes? How do you puree it?  Use a blender or just smash it up with a spoon? If you go to Google Groups, then alt.support.diet.low-carb you can search cauliflower and you will find many many articles on how we use it as a substitute for potatoes, rice, and other things.  Cauliflower has been and will likely continue to be one of the most discussed items on this group.

Also search for "fauxtatoes." — carla http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek

Response:

I have not used my standard blender once since getting the stick.  Any chopping or grating I need done, I use the food processor or coffee grinder I bought specifically for non-coffee stuff.

A stick blender probably won’t handle ice, so if you ever want, e.g., an ice-thickened smoothie or shake, you likely won’t be able to do it with a stick blender.  They are different tools, for different purposes. My breakfast shakes include either frozen berries or ice, and I make them in the countertop blender.  I use the stick blender for pureeing soups and foods with consistency like the mashed cauliflower that started this thread. Different tools, different uses. — carla http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek

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IMO, it would be difficult to mash before cooking.  Now, I’ve seen recipes for low carb ‘fried rice’ that uses grated cauliflower; in that case, you would grate it before you cook it. — Linda 296/196/160 LC since Oct. 13, 2003 http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html http://community.webshots.com/user/mslewtoo "Are you telling me there are dead people in my living room watching videos?"–Nina (Truly, Madly, Deeply)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I used my blender and it was okay; much better than when I simply used my potato masher (kind of fibrous.)  I’m dropping hints like crazy around here for a food processor for my birthday, as I’ve heard that’s even speedier. OK Question….. is it better to mash it BEFORE cooking? Or after cooking? Im just mashing with a spoon for now as I don’t have a "masher"

Response:

I have not used my standard blender once since getting the stick.  Any chopping or grating I need done, I use the food processor or coffee grinder I bought specifically for non-coffee stuff. A stick blender is fine, but there is no way it is more versatile than a standard blender.  A stick is easier to clean and I think for the mashed cauliflower it is ideal, but a blender is more powerful for many things.

—– Bev

Response:

 The stick blender makes it the perfect consistency. Hmm…. may have to get one of these as I cant "pure" it enough when mashing by hand What else can one do with a stick blender?

I mostly use mine to whip canned catfood for my elderly cats. They both had to have a couple of teeth pulled recently.  Because of painful teeth before the dental work, and spaces in their mouths after, they tend to have food fall out of their mouths all around the bowl, unless I puree it so they can lick it up like babyfood. (So if anyone has a cat who dribbles canned food all over the place when eating, or is trying to lick it instead of biting it and mashes it flat all over the bowl, have his teeth checked out.) —                 "There’s a seeker born every minute."

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I use mine every morning to make a yogurt, soy milk and fruit smoothie for breakfast.  Takes all of 30 seconds to make the smoothie and only about a minute to clean the blender by running it in soapy water.

I love mine for that too! I have a neighbor who drinks cola and gives me the empty 2-liter bottles. I cut off the top of the bottle and that makes a mixing container just the right size for using the stick blender. I keep the smoothie in it in the fridge and when it’s empty throw it away. (My neighbor drinks a lot of cola. I don’t like smoothies for breakfast, but I make a yogurt drink (the cut-down 2-liter bottle holds a full carton of yogurt plus other stuff) with water and a little whipping cream. Make it thin enough to pour, and then it’s easy to pour half a glass full and fill the glass with whatever I want at that meal. (More water, more cream, milk, fruit juice, etc. Extra whey might work too if one wants extra protein.) There’s a wonderful Indian shake called ‘lassi’ like that (I’ve forgotten what spices they use). Very popular with mango pulp blended in. (I think the combination of yogurt culture and mango makes the whole thing lower-carb and/or lower glycemic than the numbers would indicate.) I suppose you could use it anywhere that you’d use a normal blender, but it’s much easier to clean. They’re pretty inexpensive.  I got a Braun 200-watt one for around $30 Canadian.

I can’t imagine chopping nuts or anything tough, but maybe we’re talking about different tools. Mine is called a ‘wand’ and the brand is Rival. About $30 in California, with a cord: the battery types are more expensive iirc. Skinny

Response:

I forgot about this.  The stick blender I bought has optional attachments (cost extra, didn’t need them) so it can be used as more than just a blender. Here’s a website that shows all the attachments and it’s a good price if you’re in the U.S.: <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004S9GX/103-3967278-… It has been for me.  I put my $100 standard blender away in a cupboard after buying my $30 stick blender.

—– Bev

Response:

A stick blender is fine, but there is no way it is more versatile than a standard blender.  A stick is easier to clean and I think for the mashed cauliflower it is ideal, but a blender is more powerful for many things. Curt

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suppose you could use it anywhere that you’d use a normal blender, but it’s much easier to clean. So bottom line a stick blender is lots more versatile than a standard blender in your opinion? A good investment?

Response:

It has been for me.  I put my $100 standard blender away in a cupboard after buying my $30 stick blender. So bottom line a stick blender is lots more versatile than a standard blender in your opinion? A good investment?

—– Bev

Response:

How many people here smash up cauliflower into a paste and make it like mashed potatoes? How do you puree it?  Use a blender or just smash it up with a spoon?

I don’t really think of it as a potato substitute. Probably because I think it’s better than potatoes. I don’t like the texture if I put them in a food processor, so I use a regular old handheld potato masher thingy. LCing since 12/01/03- Me- 5′7" 265/165/140 & hubby- 6′ 310/188/180 http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lcer09/my_photos

Response:

I suppose you could use it anywhere that you’d use a normal blender, but it’s much easier to clean.

So bottom line a stick blender is lots more versatile than a standard blender in your opinion? A good investment?

Response:

I used my blender and it was okay; much better than when I simply used my potato masher (kind of fibrous.)  I’m dropping hints like crazy around here for a food processor for my birthday, as I’ve heard that’s even speedier.

OK Question….. is it better to mash it BEFORE cooking? Or after cooking? Im just mashing with a spoon for now as I don’t have a "masher"

Response:

 The stick blender makes it the perfect consistency.

Hmm…. may have to get one of these as I cant "pure" it enough when mashing by hand What else can one do with a stick blender?

Response:

I use mine every morning to make a yogurt, soy milk and fruit smoothie for breakfast.  Takes all of 30 seconds to make the smoothie and only about a minute to clean the blender by running it in soapy water. I suppose you could use it anywhere that you’d use a normal blender, but it’s much easier to clean. They’re pretty inexpensive.  I got a Braun 200-watt one for around $30 Canadian. What else can one do with a stick blender?

—– Bev

Response:

I cook it longer than normal to get it mushy (drain it VERY well), then use a hand masher to break it up, and finally puree with a stick blender.  I tried just throwing it into a food processor, but it always came out lumpy and watery.  The stick blender makes it the perfect consistency. And of course, add whatever you’d normally add to mashed potatoes like butter and cream, etc. How many people here smash up cauliflower into a paste and make it like mashed potatoes? How do you puree it?  Use a blender or just smash it up with a spoon?

—– Bev

Response:

How do you puree it?  Use a blender or just smash it up with a spoon?

I use a stick blender – lightning fast and no lumps to remind me it’s really…choke…cauliflower.   Even my non-LC husband said they were like smashed taters (of course, doctored up a little with cheese, bacon bits, etc.).

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