Your Blender Deserves More Respect

This is a reprint of our editorial director J.M. Hirsch’s weekly newsletter. Want this, plus recipe round-ups from our culinary team? (And occasional letters from Chris?) Sign up for our recipe newsletters here.

You won’t believe me, but the secret to the best popcorn you’ll ever eat is your blender. And the best braised chicken. And the best carrot cake. And a pretty amazing creamy bean soup.

All of which is to say, most of us don’t have nearly enough appreciation for the magic this classic appliance can work.

Let’s start with the chicken. Or any recipe that calls for coconut milk, including tom kha gai, or Thai Coconut and Chicken Soup. At Milk Street, we’ve often struggled to recreate coconut milk-based recipes we learn overseas. That’s because countries like Colombia and Thailand have far better and fresher coconut milk than we get in the cans at U.S. supermarkets.

Then we learned a kitchen hack for making coconut milk at home that comes awfully close to being as good as fresh. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s actually fast and easy (thanks to your blender!), and the difference in taste is amazing. We’ve put together a whole explainer on how to do it here.

Once you’ve made the coconut milk, try it in that braised chicken or soup. Or any curry. And in this simple, tropical coconut rice, which would go perfectly with just about any of those dishes.

The carrot cake is another case of the blender working wonders. This isn’t your typical cream cheese-topped American-stye carrot cake (though those are plenty delicious, too). This is a Brazilian Chocolate-Glazed Carrot Cake. It bakes up especially moist, tender and sweet thanks to pureed carrots. Trust me on this one.

And while we’re on the subject of pureed carrots, you really should try our Carrot-Lime Soup with Cilantro. It’s just six ingredients (plus oil, salt and pepper), 30 minutes and—of course—your blender.

Speaking of soups, I’m a big fan of pretty much any creamy soup. And one of the easiest ways to scratch that itch is blending a can or so of beans into pretty much any soup. Instant creaminess, no cream needed. It’s what we do in our Creamy Fennel and White Bean Soup. Ditto for our Creamy Pinto Bean and Tomato Soup.

Now, about that popcorn. Ever wonder why movie theater popcorn is so much better than what we make at home? A big part of it is the salt. When you salt popcorn at home, you’ve surely noticed that most of it bounces off the popcorn, leaving you with underseasoned kernels and a mess of salt at the bottom of the bowl.

This is because granules of salt—whether table or kosher—are too large to adhere well to the popcorn. That’s why movie theaters use powdered salt, which is regular salt that has been finely ground. It sticks perfectly and evenly. And, thanks to your blender, it’s easy to make. Just add kosher salt to your blender then whir it until it resembles powdered sugar. When you add it to your buttered popcorn, start with just a little and taste. It coats so much better, a little goes a long way.

Finally, you know I won’t leave you without a blender cocktail. But I’m skipping the obvious frozen margaritas. Instead, I use the blender to create speed infusions. This is where you combine a base liquor, such as vodka, with a flavorful ingredient in the blender, pulse to chop it a bit, then let it infuse for a few minutes. Strain out the solids and you’re left with big flavor, fast.

Read all about how to use your blender to make a better martini here. And then use that trick to make a Lemon Grass Martini. Or play with the technique and sub fresh ginger or chili peppers for the lemon grass.

Cheers!

J.M. Hirsch

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