Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

breville canada

Breville the Bambino Plus: We Be Frothin’

By 6 Comments

Confession: I called my husband and asked him if this title was “funny and cool”.
Further confession: His opinion matters, because he’s my personal barista.

I’m not sure when it happened, but it did: at some point in our relationship, I stopped making coffee. Morning after morning, it just became tradition for my husband to bring me a steaming, aromatic mug of much-needed caffeine. In fact, I became so accustomed to the arrangement that in the rare circumstance I was saddled with the task, I became flustered with even the most basic machines.

The good news? My husband is happy to accept the responsibility, so my life – in terms of my coffee consumption, especially- is actually perfect.

Of course, since he’s spent years honing and perfecting his craft, my husband loves to test out any and all of the coffee makers, espresso machines, and everything coffee-related in between, that he can get his hands on.
Therefore, when the Breville the Bambino Plus arrived at our door for review (and to give away! Read on for the link), I could tell that my husband had ascended to java nirvana. …

Read More

Precision Makes Perfect: the Breville Sous Chef 16 Peel & Dice

By 241 Comments

Note: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

Fast. Versatile. Precise. Exactly how I like my food prep – and exactly how I like the small appliances handling my food prep to perform. Because I am usually time-starved, often caught in a rut, always cooking in batches and mostly dying to get out of the kitchen. What I really need is a sous chef, or something that perfectly – no, precisely – mimics one.

Introducing the Breville Sous Chef 16 Peel & Dice.
The Breville Sous Chef 16 Peel & Dice is one of the most revolutionary machines I’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing. It peels, dices, slices, mixes and chops in half the time of doing it by hand – and without any of the hassle. Its extra wide chute is designed for every shape of food, so you no longer need to chop your ingredients into smaller pieces before letting the appliance do the work. (I’ve always felt that pre-cutting foods completely defeats the purpose of using a food processor – wouldn’t you agree?) Aside from saving time and speeding up your meal preparation, the machine’s precise cut leads to even and consistent cooking and perfect textures. …

Read More

Colour Me Healthy: Colourful Eating, Deliciously Simple!

By 7 Comments

Heads up, friends: I’m so excited to offer my readers not one, but TWO amazing ways to WIN BIG with Breville Canada! Read on to find out how you can enter!

Sometimes, all you need is a little motivation. And sometimes, that motivation comes with three powerful stainless steel blades or a cutting disc surrounded by an Italian-made mesh filter.
A few weeks ago, I was challenged by Breville Canada to inject more colour into my diet. I mean, I’ve always had a pretty balanced approach to eating, but you know how they say it’s important to “eat a rainbow”? Well, previously… I suppose you could say my diet was a little more monochromatic.

Okay, a lot more monochromatic. …

Read More

Tea, Myself and I: Introducing the Breville Smart Tea Infuser

By 163 Comments

Note: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

I don’t just “pop in for a quick spot of tea.”

Growing up, I observed tea to be a ritual – never rushed. Tea leaves were selected by the season, the temperature, and sometimes, even the time of day. Aromatic spices were added for fragrance and flavour; the blends customized with cooling herbs or spicy roots. The focus was never on tea as a beverage – rather, a cup of tea was a means of achieving nourishment, comfort, and most of all, balance.

If you’re reading this, nodding your head, you may be a serious tea drinker – and you may need to be turned onto the Breville Smart Tea Infuser.
The raison d’être for this small appliance is quite simple: different teas need different degrees. The Breville Smart Tea Infuser knows the right temperature and steep time to bring out the best in your favourite teas – whether you brew green, white, oolong, herbal, black – or any combination in between. …

Read More

Breville Precision Brewer: When Style Meets Function

By

Note: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

I’m like the prodigal son who found his way home.

Yes, I’ve been dabbling in one-cup coffee makers and machines that use pods. And I know, I’ve touted the convenience, range of flavours and “it factor” that surrounds many of the trendy brewers on the market. But the truth is, although I felt very millennial in my choices, there was one thing that was missing:

A great cup of coffee.

After testing out the Breville Precision Brewer drip coffee maker, I shall never lose my way again. Forgive me, coffee gods, for I have seen the light – and that light is displayed in “My Brew Setting”, which allows me to customize any of the parameters like bloom time, brew temperature and flow rate to suit the particular coffee I’m using.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have caught my stories a few weeks ago when we tested out the “Gold Standard” setting, used to brew a perfectly robust yet balanced cup of coffee. Now there are a lot of technical features of the Breville Precision Brewer, but I’m going to break it down in the most simplest of terms – my only goal being for you to realize just how amazing this small appliance is. …

Read More

The Smoking Gun: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Flavour

By

Note: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

A few weeks ago, I confessed to a small – really, a *teeny* – bad habit: overspending on iced green tea lattes, to the tune of hundreds per year. I know! My bad. But I’ve since changed my ways and am happy to declare I haven’t purchased a coffee shop matcha beverage since.

However, I can’t enjoy my place on the moral high ground without admitting that I still have a few vices that cost a pretty penny, including (but not limited to) smoked artisan cheese.

Cheese please! We love indulging in really good Canadian cheeses and aren’t afraid to pay a premium for a quality product. However, we’re also smart enough to know when we’re paying too much, and lately, I’ve been pondering the markup of smoked cheeses like cheddar and gouda. Does the addition of smoky essence truly warrant an increase of up to $10 per 150g? Is there an easier (and more cost effective way) to add effortless smoke flavour enhancement to a wide variety of foods at home, including meats, cheese, dips, sauces, cocktails and more?
Introducing The Smoking Gun by Breville Canada. This wood smoke infuser allows you to infuse a variety of foods and drinks with natural smoky flavours like applewood and hickory without adding any heat. That’s right – no obtrusive smoking chamber, no fire hazard! Simply load The Smoking Gun with wood chips, light and blow smoke into a covered container of any kind. As soon as the container fills with smoke, remove the gun and swirl the smoke, allowing it to sit and infuse for a few minutes. (You can even try smoking foods twice for a deeper smoked flavour!) …

Read More

We Heart Dads: Foodie Picks for Father’s Day

By

Dear old dad. He often takes a backseat to mom, doesn’t he? I mean, we get all the glory for raising our kids, having awesome jobs, taking care of the home… you, know, doing it ALL… whereas fathers tend to be the strong, silent types (at least on social media). That’s why I truly believe Father’s Day should be celebrated loud and proud – let dad know he’s your number one guy, this Sunday and all year round!

Now I don’t know about you, but my husband is a foodie. So of course I decided to round up some of my favourite small appliances from Breville Canada – they’re innovative, affordable and perfect for Father’s Day.

The Smoking Gun. (Review to come!) Where there’s smoke… there’s flavour. This handy new small appliance adds an effortless finishing touch to your food by smoking meat, fish, vegetables, sauces and cocktails for a natural smoke flavour infusion. Simply load The Smoking Gun with wood chips, light and blow smoke into a covered container of any kind, stir or swirl and allow it to sit and infuse for a few minutes. You can even try smoking foods twice for a deeper smoked flavour!
We’ve been trying our hand at smoking with this innovative appliance and I’m at a place where I feel really good about it! Stay tuned for my full review. …

Read More