Fruity Kitchen Companions

The saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is not just limited to the red globe. Most fruits are great sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber; and are low in calories, too.

We check out some kitchen appliances that help you make fruits a regular part of your diet.

1. Cream ‘em

If the idea of guilt-free ice-cream, sorbet or frozen yoghurt appeals to you, the Yonanas Frozen Treat Maker is your perfect kitchen accomplice. The juicer lookalike turns frozen fruits into the consistency of soft serve. Fruits that are creamy work best. So, think bananas, avocados, and papayas. You can even mix different fruits to create new flavours.

2. Juice ‘em

The Kuvings Whole Fruit Slow Juicer is the sort of hassle-free appliance you want. This machine juices your fruits whole so you can forget about chopping, slicing, or dicing.

There are typically two types of juicers: centrifugal and masticating (or cold press). Centrifugal juicers spin fast to extract the juice but, in so doing, introduces more oxygen and heat to the juices that destroys some of its nutrients. Cold press juicers, like the Kuvings slow juicer use a gentle, grinding method to extract the juice. This retains more of the nutrients and enzymes in the fruits, so you can store the juice in the fridge for up to 72 hours. Juice extracted from the traditional centrifugal juicer should be consumed immediately to avoid oxidation and loss of nutrients.

The Philips Viva Collection Juicer wins the convenience contest. The model incorporates a QuickClean feature that lets the juicer clean itself within a minute. Its 700-watt high speed motor along with the extra large feeding tube can accommodate whole fruits, making it a real time-saver.

3. Blend ‘em

What is the difference between juicing your fruit and blending it? A juicer extracts only the juice, while a blender pulverises the whole fruit, resulting in a thicker, smoothie-like beverage. If you want more out of your fruit, opt for the blender.

The blender is also one up on the regular smoothie maker as it is an all-purpose appliance which can crush, puree and liquefy. This means it can also be used to prepare soups or whip cake frosting.

The multi-function KitchenAid Diamond Blender is an all-rounder, with its 1.76 litre capacity, a patented diamond design, and stainless steel blades which can cut through ice to thicken your fruit smoothie. It has five other functions – Hot Food, Chop, Mix, Puree, and Liquify – so you can decide how finely you want to decimate your food. The Hot Food function also comes with a Soft Start feature so that it increases speed slowly which prevents splashes.

If you only want to make a fruit smoothie, the Kenwood 2GO Smoothie Maker is a practical and fuss-free choice. With a 300-watt engine, its ice-crushing ability is quite impressive.

4. Chop ‘em

If you want to chop up fruits to toss into your salad or make a dip, a food processor is what you need. It is different from a blender in that it cannot handle liquids or ice. Instead, it chops, purees, shreds, and grinds. The Cuisinart DLC-2ABC comes complete with stainless steel durable blades, a 250-watt motor, and three-cup capacity.

Alternatively, if your appetite is smaller, the KitchenAid Mini Chopper might come in handy. A one-touch operation lets you chop and puree a wide variety of fruits and food.

5. Keep ‘em Fresh

This device has not made its way to Singapore yet but we sure hope it will soon. Called the Fruit and Veg Saver, it is a non-toxic organic disc that absorbs ethlyene gas, the chemical released by fruits and vegetables as they ripen that speeds up the decaying process. With the disc, you can reportedly triple the shelf life of your produce. Each disc, retailing at under £5, can last up to three months.

With these fruit-friendly kitchen companions, eating an apple a day is no problem at all. In fact, you can have a whole bag of them and other fruits as well. No more excuses for not meeting your required daily intake of fruits.

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