Bellini Kitchen Master

I was raised by an appliance junkie. If it whirled, buzzed, chopped, diced or sliced, my mom had to have it. Those gadgets vowed to make life easier in the kitchen. One of her countertops was packed with these single-function appliances. When colored appliances came out, she started all over again. I promised myself I would never be like my mom and collect appliances, but then I peruse my countertop and I’m seeing a familiar pattern here.

Back in the day, there were no such things as multifunctional appliances, it had a single purpose and that was it. Today in the 21st century, things are different. Creative companies have invented more versatile appliances that can do several functions, allowing you to downsize your inventory. One of these appliances is the Bellini Kitchen Master.

The Bellini is a Kitchen Master indeed; it’s one handy countertop appliance. It has an 800-watt motor, a 1000-watt heating element with 8 precise temperature settings and offers 8 different functions. It comes with everything you need to mix, chop, stir, blend, knead, whip, weigh, steam, emulsify, grind, heat and cook your freshest ingredients. You read that right, you can also cook in this unit — every step is done in the Bellini — no other appliance is needed. Impressed? I am!

The Bellini unit comes with a:
♥ 2-liter stainless steel bowl/jug
♥ lid
♥ measuring cup
♥ stirring blade
♥ chopping blade
♥ cooking basket – heat resistance
♥ 2 steam accessories – heat resistance
♥ mixing tool
♥ spatula
♥ scale
♥ user manual
♥ recipe book – with more than 90 recipes

Unveiling the Bellini Kitchen Master was both exciting and intimidating. The fun part is getting a new appliance, but the challenging part is learning how to use it properly and effectively. Having such a versatile appliance will both simplify and ameliorate meal preparation and multitasking.

To begin your Bellini experience, I would suggest you try the included recipes first before you venture out and try to alter any familiar recipes to accommodate the unit. There’s a learning curve involved with the settings and certain rules need to be followed, and you don’t want to be second-guessing yourself. This is what I did; I stuck to the recipe book so I could get my bearings on how this machine operates. Bellini also has several recipe videos to kickstart your experience.

If you need to weigh any ingredients, the unit comes with a digital scale. It features a large blue LCD screen with touch-sensitive controls that read in 4 different units of measure.

Although the Bellini looks bulky and heavy, it’s actually lightweight and can be lifted and carried easily. To get started, place the unit in an area where you can do all the steps. The suction feet will keep the unit tight in place for the duration – I totally love this feature. All recipes begin by choosing a blade – either the chopping or stirring blade – installation is really easy with the lever under the bowl. At first, the bowl will feel like it doesn’t fit, but once a blade is attached and the lid is secured, it fits perfectly. I did though have a hard time putting the lid on the bowl and align the arrows. You need some girl power to turn the lid and lock it in place. The Bellini will not work unless the lid is locked in place – a great security feature.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

My first attempt at the recipes was making the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. The recipe literally walks you through every step and includes speed settings and time. It took about 25 minutes to roast some red peppers, but the rest of the recipe took only two minutes and we had a big batch of delicious fresh hummus. We’re big hummus fans, but we’ve never tried a recipe with roasted red peppers. It was so tasty that I’ve made it several times for my family. It’s great as a vegetable and chip dip, but some of my family put it on their eggs and mashed potatoes. It works!

I want to add that I thought the Bellini would be noisy like my other appliances, but it’s a little quieter than my big blender which I use every day. While cooking though it has a gentle hum that you barely notice.

Basic Risotto

I’ve seen risotto made on various cooking shows, but they made it sound like it was difficult to make, so I never attempted it. But, with the Bellini, I thought I’d go for it. I followed the instructions and after 20 minutes I should have had perfect risotto, but I didn’t. Turns out I did not use the required rice. Who knew there would be a difference, but there is. I simply adjusted the time to cook the rice for another 30 minutes – like I would if I were cooking it on the stove and it turned out. At the same time, I took the lid off and attached the steam basket filled with cauliflower and broccoli. After 30 minutes I had perfect rice and steamed veggies. I then continued to follow the remaining step in the recipe and served yummy risotto to my family.

The first step to make Risotto is to put your shallots or onions in the bowl and pulse 3 times. Then add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and set your temperature, speed, and cooking time. It took 8 minutes with the measuring cap removed from the lid.

The next step you add your organic vegetable broth, rice, and wine and cook at 100 C on speed 2 for 18 minutes. But, because I used a different rice, I added another 30 minutes to the cooking time. At this point, I also added my steaming basket filled with fresh veggies. There is a section in the recipe book that lays out some guidelines on steaming time for specific vegetables, seafood, and chicken breasts. For vegetables, it’s suggested that the pieces be no bigger than 1 ¼ inches in size so they steam evenly.

When the 30 minutes was up, I removed the steam basket and added some cheese and Italian vegan sausage pieces to the rice and stirred for about 30 seconds on speed 2. My family loved it.

The result was perfect. The Bellini turned what I thought was a complicated recipe into an easy-to-make a family meal. The unit did all the work and clean-up was quick.

Smoothie

Every morning we start our day with a smoothie, normally we fill our blender with fruits, supplements, and super greens. The Bellini was able to step in and blend a smoothie equally as well.

We tossed in some frozen strawberries, pineapple, a banana, a little bit of cinnamon, and some organic coconut milk. I blended all the ingredients for 30 seconds on speed 10 — at this speed, it’s quite noisy but tolerable. It pulverized the frozen fruit nicely and seconds later we had a cool refreshing drink.

For clean up, the instructions suggest adding some dish soap and warm water in the bowl, then setting the Bellini to stir at speed 3 at 100°C for a few minutes. But, I didn’t find it worked very well. I found it much simpler to wash the bowl by hand and then let it air dry.

The more I use the Bellini, the more comfortable I become with the accompanying recipes, and with a little patience and practice I’ll try out new ones. It didn’t let me down, every recipe I tried turned out. It does make life a lot easier in the kitchen using one appliance instead of 2 or more. The Bellini is a resourceful kitchen appliance that cuts prep time down significantly and keeps dishes and clean-up down to a minimum. Now I’m discerning what gadgets I can remove from my arsenal of appliances to reduce the clutter.

With the holidays fast approaching, we’ll be entertaining family, friends, and unexpected company. The last thing we want is to slave in the kitchen. With the Bellini Kitchen Master, you can add your ingredients, adjust your settings, and go enjoy the holiday season. It would also make a perfect Christmas gift! Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received the Bellini Kitchen Master for review only. All opinions are my own.