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.

Which AirFryer Oven to choose: Ninja Combi vs NutriCook Steami? Neither the Ninja Combi nor the NutriCook Steami appears on any guide this site has published, so there are no maker figures here to compare them… Do you trust the air fryer timer, or do you check the food yourself? Trust the timer as a backstop, not as proof: check the food yourself, and use a probe or preset where the maker publishes one. Is a juicer, or a blender plus cheese cloth, superior for producing juice? A juicer separates juice from pulp in one step, while a blender plus cheese cloth blends the whole fruit and then strains it by hand, so… Is a blender machine useful for daily kitchen tasks? Yes: a countertop blender handles smoothies, soups, frozen drinks and nut butters, and the makers' published figures show how much capacity and power each model brings… Which compact smoothie makers are easiest to store? This site has not compared smoothie makers, so no storage ranking can be given from published figures. Would it ever make sense for a homecook to have an 18″ frying pan? For most home kitchens, no: an 18 inch pan is a commercial size, and none of the five picks in our frying pan guide comes close… How heavy is too heavy for an 11-inch / 28cm frying pan? The makers of the pans in our frying pan guide publish no weight for any single 11-inch pan, so there is no published threshold to check… How do I identify a good electric pressure cooker to buy? A good electric pressure cooker has a capacity that matches your household, a pot material you can clean and sear in, and a safety system the… How are pressure cookers made start to finish? Makers do not publish their full manufacturing process, but the published specifications of the cookers this site compares show what the finished build has to deliver:… How do you make a beef stew in the pressure cooker? Brown the beef in batches, add liquid and aromatics, then cook under pressure until the meat is tender, using the pot's sauté and pressure cook functions… What am I doing wrong? Sous vide and slow cooker are working very poorly? The two methods fail for opposite reasons: sous vide holds a low, steady temperature for a long time, while a slow cooker runs on high or… Can an Instant Pot be fixed? Instant Pots can be repaired in some cases, but this site has not compared any Instant Pot model, so no figures here come from its makers. Does a collapsible steel steamer basket work as an air fryer crisper tray? No, a collapsible steel steamer basket is not designed for air fryer use and the makers of the steamers compared here do not publish air fryer… Does Spidergrill Venom work with a Weber Original 22 inch grill? No published figure confirms it: Spidergrill Venom does not appear on any of this site's compared guides, and the makers publish no fitment data for the… How do you make delicious beef jerky in a food dehydrator? Slice lean beef thin, marinate it, blot it dry, then dry it at a temperature the machine holds steady until the strips bend and crack without… What stainless steel juicer works well for small batches? The Juilist 3-inch Wide Mouth centrifugal juicer is the pick here for small batches, with stainless steel finishes and a compact footprint, though its maker does… How to clean the outside of an inox frying pan? Wash the exterior with warm soapy water and a soft sponge, then dry it fully; for cooked-on marks, use a non-abrasive stainless steel cleaner and a… How much is too much liquid in a standard classic pressure cooker? The makers of the pressure cookers in this guide do not publish a maximum fill line, so the answer comes from the capacity each one states… How long to cook a chuck roast in an Instant Pot by itself? Instant Pot does not publish a pressure cook time for chuck roast, so the answer is not on the maker's spec sheet; the figures it does… Is the handle wobble on a new Hawkins pressure cooker normal? Hawkins does not publish a handle specification, and this site has not compared a Hawkins cooker, so there is no published figure here to call the… How long to cook a 1.25 lb chuck roast in the slow cooker? No maker in our slow cooker guide publishes a cooking time for a 1.25 lb chuck roast, so the answer comes from the roast's size and… Will 2 Instant Pot Inner SS Pots Stack Together for Storage? No Instant Pot inner pot appears in any guide this site has published, so there is no published figure for its diameter, height or rim shape… Which Aroma rice cooker is the easiest way to get fluffy jasmine rice? The Aroma ARC-393NG is the easiest Aroma rice cooker for fluffy jasmine rice because it has a one-touch operation and a nonstick pot with measuring lines. Do you cook air fryer food in one big batch or keep it small? Keep the batch small enough that hot air can move around the food, and cook in rounds rather than piling it up. What pellet smoker should I get? The only pellet smoker on the two cited guides is the Pit Boss Navigator 3-Series, a vertical cabinet model with a 50 lb hopper and 1,118… How many lbs would 40 medium canning tomatoes be? No maker in this site's canning guides publishes a weight for a medium canning tomato, so 40 of them cannot be converted to pounds from published… What makes the Nama cold press juicer a better choice than other options? This site has not compared the Nama juicer, so the answer rests on how the cold press juicers it has compared publish their chutes, motors and… Can smaller personal-sized blenders cut it? Yes for single servings of smoothies and shakes, but the published figures show personal blenders run smaller motors and smaller cups than full countertop models, so… Are butane stoves and grills safe to use inside a home or indoors in general? Butane stoves and grills are not safe for indoor use, and none of the indoor grills this site has compared run on butane. How do you wrap a grill for moving? Wrap the grill in moving blankets or cardboard, tape the lid shut, remove loose parts, and keep the unit upright in the truck. Can you use a big vessel for fermentation and a small one for storage? Yes. Ferment in the vessel that holds the batch and gives the right seal, then move the finished vegetables to smaller jars for the fridge. How would you go about canning a shelf-stable corn chowder? Pressure can it, not water bath it: corn chowder is a low-acid soup, so it needs a pressure canner and a tested recipe that leaves out… Is the Nama J2 juicer easy to clean? The Nama J2 does not appear on the Lush guide to juicers, so this site has not compared it and cannot state its cleaning design or… Which cold pressed juicer is the absolute easiest to clean? The Ninja NeverClog JC151 is the easiest to clean because its maker states that all juice contact parts are dishwasher safe. Which stainless steel juicer is easiest to clean after regular use? The Ninja NeverClog JC151 is the pick to start with, because its maker states that all juice-contact parts are dishwasher safe. How do you properly clean a blender without destroying it? Rinse the jar with warm water and a drop of soap, run the machine briefly, then wash the lid and blades by hand or in the… What are some uses for the Instant Pot Duo Plus Custom Sautee settings? The Custom Sautee setting lets you pick a heat level and a time, so you can brown meat, soften onions, reduce a sauce or toast spices… How to cook firm brown lentils for salads in an Instant Pot? Use a pressure cooker's manual pressure setting for a short, controlled time, then release pressure right away so the lentils stay firm for salads. Can you use milk powder in an Instant Pot, or will it curdle? Milk powder can be used in an Instant Pot, but it curdles when it is heated hard or fast, so it works best stirred in after… Is 400 degrees Fahrenheit air fryer enough to char food? Yes, 400 degrees Fahrenheit is enough to char food in most air fryers, because several picks in our smart air fryer guide reach 450 degrees Fahrenheit,… Can you break up the process of pressure canning into 2 steps? Yes: pressure canning splits into a preparation and loading step, then a sealed pressurized processing step, and the canner you own sets the limits on both. Why are all electric pressure cookers so tall? Electric pressure cookers are tall because the heating element, control panel, and safety hardware sit under and around the cooking pot, and the lid locks down… Are Instapots and pressure cookers interchangeable, or is the former better? An Instant Pot is a countertop electric pressure cooker with extra functions, while a stovetop pressure cooker or canner is a separate kind of pot, so… How do you cook a fresh shop bought pizza in an air fryer? A fresh shop bought pizza cooks in an air fryer at a moderate temperature, in a basket or on a rack large enough to hold it… Would it be a mistake to buy a pellet grill? (Considering the Searwood XL)? No, a pellet grill is a reasonable buy if you want set-and-forget wood-fired cooking, but the Searwood XL is not on our compared list, so this… Which juicer produces the least amount of pulp and is the most efficient? No pick in our juicer guide publishes a pulp-output figure, so the closest published answer is the Ninja JC151, which ships with a Less Pulp filter… What carbon steel pan for camping? None of the guides cited here compares a carbon steel pan, so this site has not compared a camping pan and no pick carries a published… Is a stovetop pressure cooker as reproducible as an electric one? No. A stovetop cooker depends on your burner and your attention, while an electric model runs a set program, so the electric route repeats more closely…