Lush Food & Drink

Explainers

Explainers

How kitchen gear actually works, answered in the first two sentences and backed by the figures our guides already publish.

Each explainer takes one question a buyer types into a search box and answers it with the published numbers from the products we have compared, then links to the guides that go with it.

Personal Blender vs Full-Size Blender A personal blender makes one drink in the cup you drink from, with published cups of 16 oz to 24 oz. A full-size blender makes a… Immersion Blender vs Regular Blender: Which Do You Need? An immersion blender goes into the pot, which suits soups, sauces and emulsions; a countertop blender is a sealed jar that suits frozen drinks and completely… How Does an Immersion Blender Work? A motor in the handle spins a small blade inside a bell shaped guard at the end of a shaft. The spinning blade throws liquid outward,… How to Vacuum Seal Food for Freezing Portion to one meal, freeze wet food solid before bagging it, seal on the moist setting, label it, then freeze the bags flat before stacking them. Vacuum Sealer vs Freezer Bags: Which Keeps Food Fresh Longer? A vacuum sealer, because it removes the air a freezer bag traps. How much longer is less settled than the marketing suggests: the makers in our… How Long Does Dehydrated Food Last? Months to years, decided by how much moisture is left inside the food and how airtight and dark the storage is, with fat the factor that… What Foods Can You Dehydrate at Home? Fruit, vegetables, herbs, meat, yogurt and flowers, plus purees and sauces if you have a lipped liner. The temperature range on your machine decides which of… How Does a Food Dehydrator Work? A low heating element warms the air, a fan moves it across open trays, and the moving air carries water vapor out, so food dries without… What Else Can You Cook in a Rice Cooker? Anything that cooks in water at boiling point: oats, quinoa, lentils, pasta, soups, steamed vegetables and fish, eggs, even a steamed cake. Nothing that needs browning. Why Does Rice Stick to the Bottom of a Rice Cooker? Because the heating element sits under the base, so the bottom of the pot is the hottest surface and the last place water leaves. A thin… Can You Cook Brown Rice in a Rice Cooker? Yes, and cookers with a published brown rice program handle it automatically; on a basic on-off cooker you need a soak, more water and sometimes a… How Much Water Should You Use in a Rice Cooker? Fill to the water line inside the inner pot after adding the rice, using the scoop that came with the machine. No rice cooker on this… Rice Cooker vs Pressure Cooker: Which Is Better for Rice? A rice cooker senses when the water is gone and stops, which makes it more consistent; a pressure cooker is faster but depends on you getting… How to Make Waffles Crispy in a Waffle Maker Turn the browning control up and let the waffle finish cooking without opening the lid. Crispness is moisture leaving the crust, so the levers are heat,… Belgian Waffle Maker vs Regular Waffle Maker Belgian irons have deeper pockets and a coarser grid for thick, soft waffles; classic irons use a shallow fine grid for thinner, crisper ones. How to Stop Food From Sticking to a Panini Press Preheat the plates fully before anything goes on, and keep the coating clean. Almost all sticking comes from a plate that had not reached temperature or… Panini Press vs Sandwich Maker: What Is the Difference? A press has ridged open plates that flatten and mark a sandwich; a sandwich maker has shaped plates that seal it into pockets and cut it… What Can You Cook on an Electric Griddle? Anything that cooks flat: pancakes, eggs, bacon, French toast, grilled sandwiches, quesadillas, smash burgers, fish fillets and teppanyaki vegetables. What you can add to that list… Electric Griddle vs Grill: Which One Should You Choose? A griddle is a flat sealed plate, so fat pools and batter behaves; a grill is an open grate over a tray, so fat drips away… Can You Use an Indoor Grill in an Apartment? Yes. An indoor electric grill has no charcoal, no propane and no open flame, which is what leases and building rules restrict, and two of the… How to Clean an Indoor Electric Grill Unplug it, empty the drip tray, and wipe the plate while it is still hand warm, when steam does the work and set grease has not… How Do Smokeless Indoor Grills Work? Fat drips through an open grate into a water-filled tray below the element, so it is quenched instead of burning, which is where almost all grilling… Indoor Grill vs Outdoor Grill: What Is the Difference? An indoor grill is an electric appliance with a heated plate and a published wattage; an outdoor grill burns gas, charcoal or wood and publishes BTUs… How to Prevent Mold in a Countertop Ice Maker Drain the tank and leave the lid open whenever the machine is not in use, because melt water is recycled and anything growing in the tank… How Much Electricity Does a Countertop Ice Maker Use? No maker of any ice machine on this site publishes a wattage, so the listings cannot answer it. What they do publish is daily output, which… Why Does My Ice Maker Make Cloudy Ice? The white center is dissolved air trapped by fast freezing, which is what every countertop machine does; clear ice needs slow freezing in one direction. Can You Leave Water in a Countertop Ice Maker Overnight? Overnight is fine, especially if the machine is running, but drain the tank whenever it will sit unused, because melt water is recycled rather than discarded. How Long Does a Countertop Ice Maker Take to Make Ice? Bullet machines publish six to seven minutes for the first small batch, cube machines eight to ten, and nugget machines fifteen to twenty. Nugget Ice vs Regular Ice: Which Is Better? Nugget ice is compressed flakes, so it chews, cools faster and dilutes faster; regular cubes are dense, so they last longer in a glass. How to Clean a Countertop Ice Maker Properly Drain and dry the tank after every run, wipe the chamber and sensor weekly, and descale with vinegar or the maker's solution every month or two,… Why Is My Countertop Ice Maker Not Making Ice? Almost always the water is below the pump intake, the full-basket sensor is blocked, or the machine was moved recently and needs a day upright. Countertop Ice Maker vs Freezer Ice Maker: What Is the Difference? A countertop machine makes ice in minutes but cannot store it; anything in a freezer takes hours and then keeps the ice indefinitely. How Do Countertop Ice Makers Work? A pump lifts water onto chilled metal prongs until a shell of ice forms, then the machine warms the prongs for a few seconds so the…