Nutri Bullet – now cook gourmet foods whenever you want

Have you ever wondered that when you are sitting in a restaurant, relaxed, just thinking about what you will have, there is so much work going on in the restaurant’s kitchen? Believe me, there are some serious ideas behind every dish. How many different types of ingredients are added to make the dish taste unique? Of course in the restaurants they use different types of appliances to do things with such efficiency. What if I tell you that you can also cook different types of delicious gourmet meals at home with the help of an appliance? Today I am going to share with you a compact blender, food processor and electric juicer and the best part is, this is not super expensive but extremely helpful when it comes to cooking without fretting.

I think with the correct appliances at hand, you can do miracles in the kitchen. You must have read in my articles numerous times about the Food Chopper, Mortar Pestle and Stand Mixer. I use these appliances whenever I can to cut, chop, powder, knead or mix things. Today we are going to discuss another of my favorite appliances - Nutri bullet.

Unlike a Mortar and Pestle or our traditional Indian Shil Nora (stone spice grinder) a Nutri bullet does the work more quickly and efficiently. Think about all those birthdays and get together parties, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, preparing homemade food is always a lot of work. Plus, having a party at home however small it maybe leads to tons of other things like planning a menu, cleaning the home and getting ready on time to meet everyone. This is where Nutri Bullet comes to my rescue. It has three cups and two strong blades which make everything easy. 

The Extractor Blade:

Starting the party with appetizers is always a great idea and whether we are getting them from the store or preparing them at home, a nice homemade chutney or dip goes great with almost anything. I use the Extractor blade to prepare a quick hot cilantro chutney. Not only this, I also make all types of purees and juices with this blade. In fact, this blade is aptly named as Extractor because it extracts the nutrients of the vegetables and fruits while making the juice. It's also great to prepare Indian style cold coffee (prepared with instant coffee, ice and cold milk). The best part about using Nutri bullet is, it works great even with small quantities, like for Kancha Posto, a very small amount (only 3 tablespoons) of ground poppy seeds are used. 

Of course, you can also prepare batters for Dosa (South Indian savory crepes) or Vada (lentil fritters) and while you have the extractor blade connected, use it to grind some yummy coconut chutney as well. Remember my signature dish? Earlier I used to prepare Butter Chicken with readymade tomato puree but now I always use the puree of fresh tomatoes to prepare the gravy. There is a dish called Saag Chicken which is prepared by making a puree of spinach, onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes and slow cooking it with the Chicken, cream, butter and spices. Nutri Bullet makes it so easy for me to prepare gravies and curries like this whenever I want. There are a couple of Bengali gourmet dishes like Chicken Rezala (this dish is prepared with a fine paste of cashew and poppy seeds) and Macher Jhal (Fish curry with mustard seeds paste) and it’s dishes like these which make you appreciate a good appliance even more. Believe me it is really hard to grind a fine poppy seed paste specially if you are doing it manually. You need a good deal of patience and time for all that manual labor.

The Milling Blade:

Now let’s talk about the second blade which is the Milling blade. This is used to grind dry ingredients into powders. Now it may seem that you won't be using this blade much but believe me, having such a powerful blade at home does wonders to your cooking. I have completely stopped buying any readymade powdered spices because I prefer to grind them fresh at home. Be it Garam masala, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Coriander or Cumin Powder the aroma and flavor of the freshly grounded spices is much more deep and complex than the pre-grounded ones. I grind small quantities of spices which are used frequently and keep them in airtight jars. 

Now that you know how the blades work and what all they can do, let’s talk about some important pointers-

Where to keep the Nutri Bullet:

When using Nutri Bullet, always place it on a level surface near a plug point, you don’t want the appliance to slip off the counter while you are using it. I always keep it on my kitchen counter away from the sink, this also helps to keep it dry. 

How to Use:

When making purees, do not pour any hot liquids because the steam will seal the cup and the blade. Also, never fill anything above the MAX line. Believe me a little care goes a long way.

How to Clean:

To clean the Nutri Bullet, just fill the cup with water and run it for a few seconds. This will release all the stuck particles from all the places which are hard to reach (like behind the blades). After this, simply hand wash the cups and blades with warm soapy water and rinse. I have also washed it several times in the top rack of my dishwasher on a normal cycle and the blades and cups are still as good as new. Just make sure to take them out before the drying cycle starts. The reason is, drying elevates the temperature which can damage the blades and cups so make sure to either take them out or switch off the drying cycle of the dishwasher.

If you do decide to buy this amazing time saving appliance, I would highly recommend you to read the instructions before installing and using it for the first time. I do hope that it will help you enjoy cooking delicious gourmet meals at home like I do.

Bon Appetit!

Recommended Reading:

• Mortar and Pestle
• Shil Nora – stone spice grinder
• Food Chopper and its Importance in Our Kitchen
• Dhania Chutney (Cilantro Chutney) 
• Kancha Posto (Bengali recipe: Raw Poppy Seeds Paste) 
• Know more about Posto (Poppy Seeds) 
• Butter Chicken (Indian Recipe: Chicken pieces in a creamy buttery gravy) 
• Garam masala
• Make Cumin Powder at Home 
• Pineapple and Banana Smoothie
• Alur Dom (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with gravy)
• Prepare the Buttercream Frosting
• Alu Chochori (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with Indian Spices)
• Doi Mach (Bengali Recipe: Succulent Fried Fish in Yogurt Gravy)
• Chicken Nutrela Kabab
• Urad Dal Bengali Style (Biulir dal/ White Lentils Soup)
• Alu Posto (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with Poppy Seeds)
• Chicken Masala
• Avocado Smoothie
• Avocado Strawberry Smoothie
• Butter Paneer (Indian Recipe: Fresh Cheese in a creamy buttery gravy)
• Cream of Asparagus Soup
• Kalo Jeere diye Alur Torkari (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with Nigella Seeds)
• Amritsari Chole (Delicious Chick Pea gravy with Fresh Cheese)
• Bake the Chocolate sponges and Vanilla Fruit cake layers
• Moong Dal ka Halwa (Indian Yellow Lentils Dessert)
• Mutton Rezala (Bengali recipe: Tender Meat in Cashew Poppy Seed sauce)
• Kosha Mangsho (Bengali dish: Slow cooked aromatic Mutton gravy)
• Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Postor Bora (Bengali recipe: Poppy Seed Fritters)
• Chingri Alur Dalna (Shrimp and Potatoes Gravy)
• Jhinge Alu Posto (Ridge Gourd and Potatoes With Poppy Seeds)
• Paneer Bhurji (Crumbled Fresh Cheese with sautéed Onions)
• Apple Puree/ Apple Mango Carrot Puree
• Carrot Puree/ Carrot Avocado Puree
• Triple Berry (Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry), Banana and Oatmeal Puree
• Green Power: Green Beans Puree/ French Beans and Pear Puree with Yogurt
• Allahabadi Chatpata Alu (Spicy Tangy Potato Gravy of my Hometown)
• 5 Minute Purees – Blueberry Avocado Banana Puree and Cherry Mango Banana Puree
• Breakfast Purees – Pear Oats Plums Blueberry and Pear Oats Apricot Mango
• Chicken and Barley Puree with Sweet Potato or Butternut Squash
• Avocado Purees – Avocado Cherry Banana Puree and Avocado Orange Banana Puree
• Sweet Banana – Banana Avocado Pineapple Puree with Yogurt and Banana Golden Beet Mango Puree
• Butternut Squash, Strawberry and Golden Beet Puree
• Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Butternut Squash and Mango Puree
• Khichri (Lentils and Rice with Garden Veggies Puree)
• Cheesy Chicken Pasta with Zucchini Carrot and Cilantro
• Kiwi, Carrot, Butternut Squash and Mango Puree
• Carrot, Apple and Ginger Puree
• Plum Apple Avocado Puree
• Red Lentils Puree with Turnip, Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes and aromatic Cloves
• Mamma’s Dahi Bara (Lentil Fritters with creamy Yogurt, Chutney and Spices)
• Cheesy Chicken Pasta with Carrot, Yellow Squash, Apple and Oregano
• Green Beans and Asparagus Puree
• Green Beans, Green Apple and Avocado Puree
• Pear, Turnip, Collard Greens, Purple Carrot with aromatic Star Anise
• Cheesy Chicken Pasta with Carrot, Tomato, Pear and Mint
• Blueberry Strawberry Peas Avocado Puree
• Beef Beetroot Yellow Squash Puree
• Sweet Potato, Mango and Avocado Puree
• Kiwi, Green Beans, Peas, Strawberry and Blueberry Puree
• Carrot, Peach, Butternut Squash puree with Clove
• Kiwi, Green Apple and Banana Puree
• Gujiya (Crispy Flaky Indian Sweet Dumpling stuffed with Milk Solids and Nuts)
• Butternut Squash and Kiwi Puree
• Plum Puree
• Plum, Blackberry Puree with Yogurt
• Plum Cherry Mango Puree
• Carrot Peach and Cherry Puree
• Mangoes Cherries Peach Acorn Squash and Mint Puree
• Collard Greens, Yellow Squash and Sweet Potato Puree
• Turnip Pear Broccoli Yellow Squash
• Apple Blueberry Puree
• Beef, Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Puree
• Rice Pudding with Apple and Banana
• Chicken, Yellow Squash, Apple with Nutmeg
• Chicken, Mango and Broccoli Penne
• Ginger Beef with Veggies
• Cheesy Chicken Pasta with Golden Beets, Acorn Squash, Peas and fresh Parsley
• Papa’s Kosha Mangsho (Grandpa’s Special Goat Curry)
• Garlic Tomato Pasta Puree
• Chicken Broccoli Fried Rice/ Casserole
• Egg Devil (Bengali recipe of Croquettes with egg and minced meat/ Indian Scotch Eggs)
• Mangsho Bhat (Chicken Rice with Potato and Tomato)
• Pot Roast
• Mamma’s Matar Paneer (Peas and Indian Cottage Cheese in a tomato gravy)
• Beef Pasta with Spinach, Tomato and Carrot
• Zucchini Pear Mango Purée
• Pear Banana Oatmeal
• Chole Chawal (Chickpea curry with Rice)
• Sweet Potato, Kidney Beans, Purple Carrots and Green Apple
• Shahi Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese in a creamy gravy)
• Collard Greens, Pineapple and Apple Puree
• Mango Banana Coconut Cream (with Yogurt) Puree
• Apple Mango Kiwi Banana Puree with a dash of Vanilla Extract
• Kathal ki Sabji (Enchor/Jackfruit in a Tomato Curry)
• Beef Barley Stew for the Babies
• Cardamom Chicken with Vegetables for the Babies
• Purple Carrots, Butternut Squash and Dried Apricots
• Chicken, Acorn Squash, Golden Beet and Ginger Powder
• Chapli Kabab with Lachha Paratha
• My Non-Traditional Sukhto (Bengali recipe: Mixed Vegetables)
• Chana Masala/ Chole Masala
• Thandai (Refreshing Indian Drink)
• Shortbread Cookies with a hint of Carom Seeds
• Keema Matar (Minced Goat meat/ Beef with dried Peas)
• Dal Makhani (Creamy Urad Dal/ Black Lentils with Rajma/ Kidney Beans)
• Koraishuti’r Kochuri (Deep Fried Puffed Bread with Pea Filling)
• Panch Mesali (Bengali recipe: Mixed Vegetables)
• Saag Chole (Curried Spinach and Chickpeas)
• Egg Curry (Bengali recipe: Fried Eggs curry)