412 Nutrition & Wellness for Life Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Dishwashers can be built into the cabinetry and hooked up to the plumbing. Portable and countertop dishwashers have hoses that attach to the kitchen faucet and drain into the sink. They have the same features as built-in dishwashers, only for smaller loads, and are convenient when space is limited. Small Appliances Small kitchen appliances are portable devices that can be moved easily. They generally sit on the countertop in the kitchen. Each one is designed to accomplish and simplify kitchen tasks (Figure 17.2). A handheld electric mixer is a rotary mixing device with varying speeds, a motor, and removable beaters used to make batter, dough, frosting, and other ingredients. The mixer is held in your hand while in use. A stand mixer is a heavy-duty electric mixer with a variety of attachments and a powerful motor. The mixer is attached to a base, so your hands remain free. A blender is a tall glass, or plastic, container with a removable lid and motor- driven blades at the base, used to emulsify, liquefy, or puree, depending on the speed setting selected. These are commonly used for making smoothies, crushing ice, and pureeing soup. A food processor is an all-purpose kitchen tool used to quickly and easily per- form time-consuming jobs, like chopping, grating, mincing, blending, and slicing. Food processors come in various sizes and can come with a number of different blades for different tasks, including kneading dough. An immersion blender is a hand-held utensil used for light- to medium-duty blending of small batches of food. This portable appliance can blend or puree soup while it is still in the pot. An electric skillet is a countertop skillet that uses an electric element as its heat source, heats up quickly and evenly, and maintains the desired temperature with- out fluctuating. A lid helps retain heat and moisture. A slow cooker is a countertop appliance consisting of a large stoneware bowl that fits inside a heating unit. Slow cookers have lids and come in different sizes. This appliance is used for cooking food at a low temperature for a long period. Food can be placed in the cooker before you leave in the morning and it is ready to eat when you return later in the day. Slow cookers are used to cook foods that benefit from long, slow cooking, like soups, stews, and tougher, less expensive cuts of meat. A pressure cooker is a pot with a sealed lid that uses steam and pressure to cook food. The water inside the pressure cooker heats up and creates steam. When the steam cannot escape, pressure increases inside the pot. As the pressure rises, the temperature increases, which cooks food faster. A toaster is a countertop appliance used to heat and brown a variety of breads and pastries. They commonly have two to four slots into which the bread is placed. When the bread slices are toasted to the selected level of browning, they will pop up in the slots. The browning level can be adjusted by a dial on the toaster. A toaster oven is a small, countertop oven used to bake, brown, or reheat a wide variety of foods. When living in an apartment, the small size of this appliance makes it an excellent alternative to a full-size oven. It also produces less heat and uses less electricity than a full-size oven. Coffeemakers are used to brew coffee with or without electricity. There is a variety of models. Brewing glassware, like the French coffee press, brew coffee by pouring boiling water over the grounds and allowing the grounds to float to the top. When the desired strength is achieved, the press, or plunger, pushes the grounds to the bottom of the container and prevents them from pouring out with the coffee. Electric drip coffeemakers come in a range of models with many