You know when you get a present, and you open it up, and go, “Wow! Thank you so much,” but you secretly don’t have the foggiest clue as to what the person who cared about you was thinking of when they bought you that gift? Well, I received a gift just like that last Christmas, and today I am completely converted to the BlenderBottle. By the end of this post, I hope you will be too!

That’s right… I have gotten a few gifts that make me go hmm…. I honestly thought the wife was hinting that I needed to hit the gym more! (I do.)

Once I opened the lid, I saw the whisk ball inside, and the light went off in my head. At the very least, I could make myself an omelet! Sure, everyone talks about this item for protein shakes, let’s make an omelet with it. Here is how easy it with the BlenderBottle:

First the ingredients go into the bottle. Here you see 1 egg, 1 tbsp. cream, chipotle Tabasco, salt, pepper. Give it a vigorous shake until the works is mixed up.

Pour into a heated omelet pan. (In this case, we have some green onions wilted in a little bit of butter.) Cook over super low heat, gently folding the sides up once in a while, so the eggs can set. If you feel like a champ, you can even flip the omelet.

Here it is, all done! The best part? Cleanup is a snap.

The Good

• The mixer comes with the BlenderBall® – a surgical-grade stainless steel mixing ball that is like a wire whisk – BlenderBottle ensures smooth mixing for the thickest of ingredients. I even made Caesar dressing with this bottle using mayonnaise, Parmesan, and other goodies.
• BlenderBottle makes it easier for you to mix your recovery or meal replacement drinks. This is especially important after you work out, when you need that extra pick-me-up. In my case, a bit of protein whey powder, a touch of Gatorade, and plain old water are all that’s needed after my workout.
• The BlenderBottle is available in two different products: the BlenderBottle Classic (the one I got for Christmas,) and a water bottle that can also be used as a portable mixer- the BlenderBottle SportMixer™. (Unfortunately at the time of this writing, the SportMixer is only available in the U.S. – but you can also get it at my Amazon Store.)
• The BlenderBottle is dishwasher safe, and is BPA and Phthalate free, and are available in a variety of colors. It’s nice to know that you can actually have a plastic product that won’t give all sorts of yucky chemicals to chew on after you’ve worked hard. Otherwise, what would be the point?

The Bad

• Okay, so there isn’t too much that is bad about this product. The one thing I wish is that the lid cap had a way to be tightly closed. I found out the hard way that you need to keep your finger on the cap when you are shaking it, unless you like protein shake all over your cupboards. It’s a nitpick, I know – but there it is.
• Another nitpick about the cap, I can’t add a complete recipe to the bottle, close it, and transport it. Some might say, “So, you can just add water at the gym.” That’s true, but if I wanted to make my Recovery Drink, I wouldn’t be able to get the ingredients at the gym. The Sport version solves this problem.

Conclusion:

At it’s first appearance, the BlenderBottle looks like it’s a one-trick pony. I thought the same thing too. As I have shown you in this post, I was completely wrong. You can use it for making marinades, vinaigrettes, omelets, smoothies, and yes, even protein shakes!

This is one item that I think you should have in the kitchen. You won’t be sorry you bought it, that’s for sure.

Your Turn – A Giveaway!

Okay, so the fine folks over at BlenderBottle have given me two of these babies to give away. All you have to do to enter is one of the following, and leave a comment: (You can do this multiple times, just leave a comment for each time you complete each task.)

• Tell me what you would most like to make with a Blender Bottle
• Follow @Jason_Sandeman on Twitter.
• Like the Well Done Chef! on Facebook.
• Subscribe to the Well Done Chef’s YouTube Page
• Add the Well Done Chef! to a Google+ circle.
• Subscribe to the Well Done Chef by the RSS feed or subscribe to Well Done Chef! by email.
• Like the The Official BlenderBottle Page.
• Follow @BlenderBottle on Twitter.

Contest closes at 23:59 March 1st, 2012. I will pick two winners at random from the comments, and contact you so you can get your awesome Blender Bottles. Contest open to Canadian and United States Residents only.

You might be asking yourself, Why would someone who is trained in the classical arts of cooking need a book like this? By the end of this post, I’ll have told you why I think this book needs to be on your shelf.

Sure, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. People look at how I cook these days, and they think that there is something magical going on. (I am not trying to toot my horn here, just give you the impression that I see.)

The irony is that while I can pull off some decent creations, I got to my skill level by screwing up a LOT. In fact, I even had someone on the apprenticeship board look at me, and tell me, “You’ll never be a chef.”

See, cooking to me is like a huge library – with all sorts of volumes you could peruse. Interesting books, filled with technical terms. There was a lot to learn, and I am a natural researcher. It’s what I live for. I could tell you until I was blue in the face what needed to be done, but not necessarily be able to actually execute it.

How does this tie in with Ruhlman’s Twenty?

Part of my culinary training was indeed the theory lessons. I would say it was maybe 10-15%. The other 80-90% was all about the practical part. What did those classes, (where I cooked like I was actually working,) teach me? How to think in the kitchen. A regular response from my chef instructors to any question was, “What do you think?”

That’s exactly what Michael Ruhlman is doing with this book. First, you need to be thinking of what you are doing. Mise en Place. From there, the book unfolds – but the base is always back to the thinking.

The Review:

The Good:

Oh my, the pictures are awesome in this book. Everyone knows I am a sucker for pictures. They are beautifully styled, and most show the finer points of the technique Ruhlman is trying to show.

Easy Chicken Stock – I love how he slips this one in. I have already given you a couple posts about how to make it on your stove, or even in your crockpot. Bonus points for this alone. Just don’t put tomato paste in your chicken stock – it’s all I ask.

The cooking fundamentals are broken down into the core basics. The ones I learned in school were a bit different, but almost match Ruhlman’s to a T. They are: THINK, SALT, WATER, ONION, ACID, EGG, BUTTER, DOUGH, BATTER, SUGAR, SAUCE, VINAIGRETTE, SOUP, SAUTE, ROAST, BRAISE, POACH, GRILL, FRY, CHILL.

The Bad:

In the section “WATER,” Ruhlman states that, “One of water’s most important attributes is that it boils at 212°F/ 100°C.” – I wish he would have put the phrase “at sea level” there. Again, a stupid nitpick, but as a chef who cooked high in the mountains of Jasper, Alberta, I can tell you there is a difference – especially when you are sous vide cooking. This goes back to the “THINK” aspect. Water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes, (96.8°C or 206.2°F,) so you may not just want to blindly follow a recipe for sous vide.

A bit of a gripe – this book is NOT for novices. I found it in a cookbook section – but that is more the Store’s fault. I talked to 3 people that said they were confused while reading the recipes inside, and felt that there was no rhyme or reason. Once I explained the point of the book to them, they got it. While there is a foreward in the book telling the format, it still wasn’t obvious to people.

Sous Vide – Honestly, I take a bit of exception to the point of sous vide cooking replacing a traditional direct or indirect approach. Sure, you might take the guesswork out of how your steak is cooked – but something is just different about sous vide compared to tradition.

The Ugly:

There is no ugly in this book. I tried to find it, I really did. There are a few nitpicky points I don’t agree with, (like tomato paste in chicken stock,) but that’s not a deal breaker for me.

Conclusion:

This book belongs on your shelf. I have a copy, plus an electronic copy for my iPhone. Why would I have it? Even a chef can learn something from this fantastic tome. You can tell a lot of thought was put into it, the presentation, the layout, and the execution.

Is it the only book you’ll ever need? No.

But what it will do is make you think, using a set of core fundamentals as your base. You’ll never look at another recipe the same way again – and you will have freed yourself from the conventional recipe. You will be able to execute a recipe based on technique, and how you think it through, verses whether someone can write a recipe dumbed down enough for you to execute exactly.

At that point, recipes become a list of ingredients, nothing more. That is how the professionals think – and that’s the best thing I have heard in a long time when it comes to cookbooks.

Your Turn

What is your favorite cooking fundamental from the above list? Let me know in the comments.

I have links for the book reviewed that link to my Amazon store. If you were to buy a book through that link, I could get about a half a cup of Timmy’s! Thank you!

It has been a long time since I last reviewed a cookbook, and today’s offering isn’t even a cookbook! No worries though, I think this book SHOULD be on your shelf if you have been recently diagnosed, or are a veteran diabetic.

Go visit Ginger’s site here, or buy the book at Lulu.

Nick over at Macheesmo posted “What do You Want to Be Made Of?” – a great, thought-provoking piece that got my wheels rolling. Go over there and check out what Nick wrote. Don’t worry, I’ll wait!

I love the three parts:

You Are What You Eat Eats.

I am living proof that you are what you eat. I used to eat a lot of sugar/carbs, drink coke like there was gonna be a shortage – and I ruined my pancreas in the process. Further, what meat I ate came from a factory farm, or worse – unknown.

Mechanically separated chicken, beef patties from thousands of different cows. Don’t shake your head at me – you eat the same when you eat at the drive-through.

You Are What You Use Uses.

Nick moved to the Rockies a couple months back, and I can identify with him. I used to live/work in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Out there you are in a pristine environment where you would have to be a total retard to not want to preserve.

I picked up an awesome book called “The Green Kitchen Handbook” by Pollution probe. (Link goes to my Amazon Store) There are lots of good ideas in there on how to make you kitchen green.

You Are What You Do.

All the points on that part are just money. Exercise, volunteer, and read. Three things I think we all don’t do enough of.

One thing I might add to it – ask the question, “WHY?” That single question can get us in a lot of trouble, but it ALSO opens the door to a lot of discovery.

For example…

I have started reading about food traditions. We really don’t eat a lot of food that our grandparents did.

Why?

We have left them in the past because of our fears of saturated fat, etc.

Why should I care?

How do you think they became traditions? Sauerkraut is a great example.

Why is it that our ancestors went to great lengths to make the stuff?

Fermented foods are in a lot of ethnic cuisines. Take Kimchi for example – basically just a spicy version of sauerkraut. A story goes about how Captain Cook packed 60 barrels of Sauerkraut on his ship, and almost 30 months later opened it up for some Portuguese noblemen to eat. They actually took the rest of the barrel to give to their buddies ashore!

Why eat it?

Chock full of vitamin C, easy to digest, and “known” to protect the gut from irritating infections. Sauerkraut enabled Cook’s men to ward off Scurvy. (No, NOT oranges and lemons!)

That question led me to Liverwurst. Did you know that a person should be eating liver 1 time a week?

Why?

There’s a tonne of vitamin A, K2, and D3 in liver, with 4X the amount of vitamin C than you can get from an orange.

Why don’t we eat this stuff anymore?

Fear.

Why get our vitamins from a bottle, when our ancestors got it from the food they ate?

Why is our way (pills) better?

Why were our ancestors WAY skinnier than us?

See, asking “why” opens a door up into a whole new realm of possibilities. I think we are discouraged from asking “why?” as children, but I think it is THE question.

What do you think, and WHY? I would love to hear about it in the comments.

I love my iPhone. I seriously can’t remember just what the heck I was thinking when I chose Blackberry!

Since I have started working out training, (remember, working out is a bad word!) these applications have been right there with me. In the case of my nightly play walks with Hershey, they have been instrumental in tracking what I have done.

The argument could be made that one should not focus on how much you burned, etc. Phooey! I think you should know, so you can adjust if needed.

3 iPhone Workout Training Applications That You Should Have

Livestrong - What can I say? This item is the bomb all around! Track what you eat, your calories burned, and geek out in style! I just wish it gave a total for things like carbohydrates for mealtimes. It would be super awesome for a diabetic then! Now, it is not free, but worth the 2.99$.

iMapMyFitness is a must have for those who like to walk or run a lot. It has a built in GPS that tracks your every move. (Scary, huh?) You can save your workouts (damn! I forgot again! It’s TRAINING!) The only thing I have a problem with is figuring out calories burned. It’s probably just me though. There is an option for you to hook up a heart monitor to the dock. Now that is just cool!

Glucose Buddy is an app that is essential for those of you out there that are like me, Diabetic. You need a good thing to keep track of your glucose levels, and this application makes it easy to track your glucose values, medicines taken, and what you have eaten. All in all, a great application!

So there you have it, 3 applications for training I think you should have. What do you think? Do you have one that I don’t know about? Let me know in the comments!

It has been a while since I have reviewed a cookbook here at WDC. Today I will be reviewing the Yogurt Bible by Pat Crocker.

I am going to break it down by section to give you my thoughts on each.

A Review of the Yogurt Bible

Introduction

The health benefits of yogurt: When you first read this section, you might be taken in like I was. There was a nagging voice questioning the claims made by the author. If you like, check out some of the bibliography in the back to double check. I did, and I was satisfied. Too many authors make dubious claims without backup, but Mr. Crocker covers his bases here.

It doesn’t take much to convince me that yogurt is a healthy addition to my diet, but the science is all there in a neat little package.

Making Homemade Yogurt

This is a complete overview of what is needed to successfully make your own yogurt at home, completely and concisely stated. This is Yogurt 101, and the short section sets up the next section.

Homemade Yogurt Recipes

The next 25 pages are packed with awesome recipes. From Basic Yogurt recipes to Flavored Homemade Yogurts, this section will not disappoint. I suggest that a person make a couple batches of the Basic yogurts first before graduating to the flavored yogurts. Each recipe has a tips section in the sidebar that explains some points for each recipe. In a lot of recipes the tips are repeated. (An example is the instructions for scalding milk.) That is a bonus just because who wants to flip to page XX to find out how to scald milk?

The end of the section gives a brief troubleshooting guide in case anything goes wrong with your yogurt. There are not all the answers there, but a good start anyway.

Sweet and Savory Yogurt Toppings

The section is broken into 4 sections: Fruit toppings, Chutneys and salsas, Syrups and Sauces, and Dry Toppings. Each is to be used to accent your yogurt so that it will never get boring. Unfortunately, not a lot of them are diabetic friendly, but I think that replacing the sugar with Splenda might make the difference there.

Each recipe has a small sidebar that describes something about the recipe or gives a tip about using the recipe, or substitutions. I love cookbooks like that.

Healthy Body Systems

Okay, this is a weaker section of the book. I get that the author is trying to sell you on eating yogurt. The question I have is; if a person is looking to make their own yogurt, do you really need to try and sell the benefits to them? The part on incorporating yogurt into the diet is top notch, but the rest seems like scientific filler. Why would the average cook look this stuff up for Endocrine System health?

Whole Foods

This section is a little weak for this book. I think overal the section is wonderful, I just question why it is in a yogurt bible? I would even buy a book separately for this section alone, but as if I would ever remember to look in my Yogurt Bible about whole foods. I just think that maybe more yogurt based recipes instead would have been worth more to me.

The end of the section has a page called “Cooking with Yogurt.” That one page saves the section for me, but barely.

Dips, Spreads, Snacks and Starters

This section is pretty good. The one gripe I have on it is that it represents several traditional recipes with the addition of yogurt. For instance, Hummus (page 166) does not normally have yogurt in it. I get that this is a Yogurt Bible and all, but purists may object to that. Same with Guacamole (page 167), Avocado Aïoli (page 171), and Caponata (page 173.)

Soups

A nice section, but way too small. I wish that there were a few more recipes in here. The recipes they have are stellar. I would dig into the Coconut Chicken Soup (page 192) in a heartbeat. I think even the family would like it too.

Salads and Dressings

This section is broken into 2 parts: Salads and Dressings. The salad section is lean, again – take the whole foods and health section out and give me more recipes here. The dressings section is good though.

Each dressing is an update on the mayo-recipes you might be used to. An example is the Blue Cheese Dressing (page 204.) I think that the yogurt would compliment the blue cheese More than the mayo of the traditional recipe would. Smoked Garlic Dressing (page 206) has my favorite ingredient, smoked paprika in it.

Mains

The section is broken into 4 parts: Vegetarian, Fish and Seafood, Poultry, Meat (What?) Each has very nice recipes in it, for example – Sweet Potato Vindaloo (page 216) that caught me by surprise. I love vindaloo dishes, and this is something I would actually order from a restaurant if it was on the menu.

The Lamb Tagine (page 245) I could see feeding it to my family. The sweetness would compliment the lamb very well. I just wish that the last Tagine I saw didn’t cost 250$!

The only dish I can truly say I hate is the Turkey Tandoori. (Page 236.) The oven is only preheated to 350°F! Definitely not a Tandoori dish. I should make a post on that one of these days.

Sauces

The next section is so-so for me. I only say that because while there are some cool sauces (like the Red Thai Coconut Sauce,) I have to question why some recipes call for candied ginger. Seriously?

Desserts and Frozen Yogurts

This section is not so fun for a diabetic like me. The recipes are astounding here, but a lot would be off limits to a persopn lacking in self-control. (Like me!) I love the section on frozen yogurt. Perhaps making the yogurt with Stevia would be better for a person like me. I’ll just keep telling myself that!

Beverages

By far the most recipes in the book. I was pretty blown away by the section, even though there are a lot of smoothie recipes. I love the Moroccan Iced Coffee recipe (page 284). With the addition of a scoop or two of protein powder, you would have a great post-workout shake!

Glossary

Several terms relating to whole foods and health related stuff. I would have put the whole foods and health benefits section here, condensed. It just makes more sense to me that way.

Would I buy this Book Again?

I am so-so on this. There are a lot of wonderful recipes in the cookbook, but overall, there is a bunch of information I would not use packed in there. Some recipes bomb as well. (The aforementioned Tandoori Turkey.) If there were a lot more yogurt based recipes, I would recommend this book hands down. For me, I am torn on whether or not to return it. (That is, if I could even find the receipt.)

I would flip a coin. Heads I would buy it, Tails I leave it on the shelf. Harsh, but I am here to make sure you get value for your dollar. For that reason, I will not put it into my store.

I want to really quickly introduce you to a blog of awesomeness:

The Food In My Beard

What makes that blog so awesome is that every day I go there, there is always something unexpected, new, and innovative.

I recently read the “Meat Tart with Homemade Ranch Dip,” and now I wonder what the meat pie would be like if I added a bit of coriander, tomato, guajillo chilies, and Mexican quesa to the stuffing. Thing is, my mind gets going from the Beard himself.

That is what makes it blog the blog of awesomeness! A lot of blogs just rehash recipes, but this one is a true innovator, an experimenter. Go check him out today!

I just stumbled upon a very cool clip via ninjabetic.com (a cool site for Diabetics) about a very cool show called “Extreme Diabetes Makeover.”

I am going to share the clip with you, but here are a few reasons I think you should subscribe:

6 Reasons You Have To Subscribe to TCOYD’s Channel on YouTube

1. Your diabetes or pre-diabetes is not in control. You are at your worst state, and there is a point where you might get like I was, and complications will come.
2. There is not enough information out there. Do you know where to start? I didn’t. It is overwhelming, for sure.
3. There is too much information out there. The opposite of the abnove, it is hard to sift through all that information and know what to do.
4. There are a panel of experts that are dedicated to helping these people. That is important. Also, several of the people are diabetics themselves, which is of utmost importance in my books. Their views have more authority when they suffer from the same affliction.
5. Looking at other people’s experience will help your own. I find that I learn most from other people’s experience, especially what not to do. This is a great help to me, maybe for you as well.
6. Get your mind in order. Diabetes is big, and scary. It is also not really treated with the respect that it deserves. When I got diagnosed, I kept hearing comparisons to cancer and other diseases. It is very lionely out there, and knowing you are not alone can help you in that battle.

I am going to find a way to watch this show, even if it is just on YouTube. Bookmark it today!

Once a month I review a cookbook that I think is so awesome that it belongs on your shelf. I have not done that in a while, and I figured that I should get back on track with that. Why then, for my first review, am I not reviewing a cookbook?

Let me introduce to you MyPlate, brought to you by LIVESTRONG.COM. The web software I am about to share with you will change your life. It certainly opened my eyes to how I was eating. I posted before on the importance of planning your meals so you can eat smaller meals to lose weight. There is no cookbook that can match the MyPlate site for effectiveness and accountability.

The main screen - Click to enlarge

The best part is – it is free.

Sure, there is a premium membership that you could sink your teeth into, (pardon the pun.) On the whole, the rest is free.

Gold Membership for 45$, not bad - Click to enlarge

There are over a gazillion different food items in it’s database, making finding your food easy. There is even the option of creating your own meals with lists of ingredients, which is important if you don’t like entering the same stuff in every day.

Thousands of food items in the database, as you type - Click to Enlarge

Another great ability is creating meals. An example is my daily Bodum coffee. (16 oz black Bodum coffee, 1/4 cup 10% cream, 10 drops of Stevia glycerol.) Instead of entering in all those items, I can just go to “my meals” and select my saved meal.

You can create your own "meals" - Click to Enlarge

If you are a diabetic like me, there is even a blood glucose tracker with the MyPlate, so you can compare the amount of insulin with the carbohydrates, proteins, fat, etc that you are eating. If you were to follow through with this, you would get an accurate picture of how each of those items affects your glucose. That is GOLD to a diabetic newbie, and especially important for diabetic veterans as well.

The only complaint I have about the glucose tracker is that it is in American units. I wish there was an option to change the units to mmol (which Canadians and Europeans use.) I just don’t like to convert my values. Otherwise I would use the glucose tracker too.

blodd glucose tracker, if you don't mind the units - Click to Enlarge

There are mobile apps that are available as well that are just as slick. Now, they are not free, (it cost me 2.99$ for the iPhone app, and the Blackberry app cost 2.99$ as well.) They are intuitive to use, and can sync with the server. Nothing can be easier to track your progress.

There is a recipe builder that is okay as well. I am not fussy over the layout of the recipe forms – but that is probably because I am used to the software that I normally use. A benefit of the recipe builder is that you can put in your recipes that you normally use and then you will be able to find them in the database in a search later.

You can build your recipes into MyPlate for linkage later - Click to Enlarge

The exercise portion is awesome as well. Input the amount of exercise you do on a given day, and it will automatically deduct the exercise value from your caloric goals for the day. That is awesome because it then takes out the guesswork on how much you can eat. Seeing that total on the page really helps to see how much you have “left” to eat that day.

You can find your exercises in a long list in the database - Click to Enlarge

In all, I am still in love with this app! I want you to know that I have no connection to LIVESTRONG, or the MyPlate application. I simply think it is so awesome that you have to try it out.

Go ahead, check it out, and let me know what you think in the comments.

Get this book! Seriously, click here, read tonnes of reviews, and get the book. (*the last link goes to my Amazon affiliate page.)

Why am I so excited about this book? It happens to be one of the first books about a “diet” that I am reading where the author actually makes sense.I am about a 1/4 of the way through the book, and I am floored by its contents.

I am holding off reviewing the book until I am completely finished reading it, but for more information, you can also go to Mark Sisson’s site, Mark’s Daily Apple. There is a lot of information right there, that will be right up my alley.

Stop killing yourselves exercising, stop loading up on the carbohydrates. Read the book, and you will be educated, and opened to a really new way of life.

Your life may depend on it.