Thanks for visiting Ask Jo!
Jo Richardson is KitchenAid’s Australia and New Zealand’s home economist. She believes food is fun and to be enjoyed with family and friends. She also works with other iconic brands distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Peter McInnes such as Profiline Cookware.
Her style 
mixes pizzaz and laughter with a deep technical understanding of food science and an intuition for the contemporary Australian palate. She enjoys making sensational recipes from ordinary ingredients.
Jo’s work has featured in many of Australia’s leading food and home magazines, including Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, and The Australian Woman’s Weekly. She regularly presents cooking demonstrations at food festivals and industry events. If you’d like to see her cooking live in action, check out her calendar!
As a home economist with formal qualifications, Jo creates great family recipes for food producers, retail companies, magazines and appliance manufacturers. She takes raw ingredients and transforms them into stunning recipes and meals that scream “eat me!” In her work as a food consultant she makes the food photographed in beautiful glossy magazines, on television or the back of food packets.
Ask Jo is a blog where we love to hear from you! You can leave a message for Jo at the end of each blog post.
And don’t forget to join in the conversation with Jo and the Australian and New Zealand KitchenAid community at the official KitchenAid Down Under forum.
Hi Jo,
I’m wanting your recommendation for a really nice shortbread. Some are too sweet, some not so sweet. And I really like the idea of making the dough into a roll and freezing for a while then slicing, so I’ll be doing that with it.
Now that I have my new CANDY APPLE (!) Mixer I have to make some shortbread.
And I loved your Brown Sugar Pavlovas so I think I’ll make some and take then in to the market next Friday week. 3AW are doing the final afternoon show live from the market so I might just make some for the boys.
I’m ecstatic to finally have my Kitchen Aid Mixer.
Thanks for your enthusiasm.
Alison
By: Alison on December 2, 2009
at 10:20 am
Hi Alison,
i am delighted to hear you have yourself a mixer!
i love shortbread too and argree some are too sweet. the mixer will do a great shortbread and so quickly.
my favourite recipe is a stephanie alexanders recipe for passionfruit shortbread (cooks companion p. 503).
i have altered it a little removing some (about 1/4 cup) of the self raising flour and adding rice flour….. but the recipe it self is excellent – and adding the fresh passionfruit the flavour is devine.
the recipe uses a food processor but this is so easily adapted to the standmixer – simply do as the recipe says but use the flat beater…. the shortbread will form quickly. if it looks too soft just add a little more flour until it looks right….. the end result is a light butery crisp shortbread.
i also combine the flours first in the bowl using the whisk (have not sifted anything in years)! then set the combined mixture aside and then cream the butter and icing sugar.
the boys from 3AW will love your offering – should be a fun day. sorry i am not able to come along.
good luck and let me know how you are progressing with ‘candy’
By: jo richardson on December 3, 2009
at 9:14 pm
Hi Jo, I just love watching you on TVSN cooking the food you cook is fantastic. Do you have a cook book with your recipes and your handy hints. If so where can i buy one. There are so many things i would like to cook that i have seen you do. You are great. Coralie.
By: Coralie on January 4, 2010
at 8:29 pm
Hi Coralie,
THANK YOU! The best bet at this stage is to look on the recipe website. http://www.petermcinnes.com.au
There are over 200 recipes all created and styled by my myself! A book – would love that too and yes it is in the pipe line – but it may not be this year.
TVSN is great – delighted you enjoy the segments – so do I.
jo
By: jo richardson on January 5, 2010
at 2:58 pm
Hi Jo,
I recently purchased the artisan KFPM 770 food processor.
I am finding though that the blades sits far above the food in the large bowl and so I am limited to working in multiple batches in the small bowl for things like making cheesecakes. This seems really silly. Do you have any advice to offer?
Thanks,
Adrienne
By: Adrienne on January 16, 2010
at 5:28 pm
please call customer service on 1800 990 990. the girls will assit you. i am not really sure what the problem with the blade could be.
once sorted please let me know if i can help you with any cooking questions.
Jo
By: jo richardson on January 18, 2010
at 6:28 pm
Hi Jo,
Have figured out my problem so no need to publish my last question.
Thanks!
By: Adrienne on January 16, 2010
at 10:30 pm
Looking for your coloured coffee machines, I’m sure you make a light blue one
By: Mel Spring on January 23, 2010
at 11:03 am
Hello,
I love the espresso machine. very sadly there are only a few left in existance. What is in the shops, is in the shops. And then they are gone. No there is not a light blue, only avalible in black, cream, and metallic. I’m one of the lucky ones who has an empire red machine. Grab one while you can. They make a beautiful coffee.r
By: jo richardson on January 23, 2010
at 6:20 pm
Hi Jo, love watching you on TVSN. I would like to know if attachments bought in Canada would fit on the stand-mixer bought in Australia.
Thanks,
Barbara
By: Barbara on January 25, 2010
at 4:46 pm
Hello,
thank you – i really enjoy TVSN – the presentors are all delightful and we have fun!
YES, your attachments from Canada for the mixer will fit. The only piece that differs is the the ice cream bowl attachment…. all the others slicer shredder attachment, pasta rollers etc etc will fit
happy cooking
Jo
By: jo richardson on January 25, 2010
at 5:44 pm
I see that you are doing a live demonstration in Moonee Ponds at the end of the month. Rumour has it that a fabulous and glamourous tap troupe will also be making an appearance.
Thank you for your fabulous brunch ideas… definitely going to try those lovely recipes out on some unsuspecting friends on Sunday.
x
By: Jodie Hainey on February 2, 2010
at 1:49 pm
My fiance bought me the Boysenberry Artisan mixer today and l am looking at accessories to purchase for it. Could you tell me the difference between the RVSA Rotor Slicer-Shredder and the MVSA Rotor Slicer-Shredder, Thanks Cathie.
By: Cathie on March 21, 2010
at 5:10 pm
hello,
the boysenberry is a stunning new colour. the rotary shredder attachments are so wonderful to use. the newer model is the RSVA – it is the ‘new & improved’ model.
enjoy your mixer – what a lovely gift!
jo
By: jo richardson on March 22, 2010
at 3:07 pm
Do american attachments fit an australian mixer,
Thanks Cathie.
By: Cathie on March 21, 2010
at 5:25 pm
hi cathie,
yes absolutely all the attachments fit the Australian models. also even ‘old’ attachments dating back to the 1930′s will fit the mixer too!
happy cooking
jo
By: jo richardson on March 22, 2010
at 3:03 pm
hi carol,
the scraper bowl will / should just touch and knock the bowl as it is designed to scrape the edges and throw the mixture off the sides. yes, it is a little noisy with a ‘thumping’ sound.
if you feel it is knocking too much… simply adjust the beater to bowl clearance using a flat bladed scwer driver, turning it about a quarter of a turn each time to the right which will raise the attachment.
you can call the lovely team at customer service on 1800 990 990 if you want them talk you through this – but it is very easy.
i LOVE the scrape a bowl!
happy cooking
Jo
By: jo richardson on March 29, 2010
at 1:39 pm
Hi Jo, Happy Birthday. I have a question. I am about to make Coconut Butter & I would love to do this with my Mixer. The recipe states I need to juice the meat of a young coconut (the white part) in a juicer 3 times at a slow rate. This then turns into Coconut Butter – a-la-natural. I was wondering if I would be able to do this with the strainer.
By: Sheryl on May 18, 2010
at 7:41 pm
hmmm gooness what a good question. I have not tried this but feel the rotary shredder slicer with a course or fine drum would definately grate the coconut meat. the strainer would require a higher amount of water / liquid.
interesting sheryl.
please let me know how you go. maybe this is question for the forum? are you a member…
i hope i have helped you
By: jo richardson on May 18, 2010
at 7:50 pm
Hi Jo,
I recently bought myself a boysenberry mixer and I love it.
I often make dishes like meatloaf and meatballs with mince beef or chicken. I usually mix the raw ingredients together with my hands. My question is, can I use the kitchenaid dough hook to mix together these kinds of ‘heavy’ mixtures? If so, would I just use speed setting 1?
I look forward to your response.
Thanks!
Julie
By: Julie on July 20, 2010
at 2:16 pm
Hi Julie,
YES the dough hook is brilliant for mixing heavy mixtures like large meat mince quantities or heavy cakes. You can also ue the flat beater attachment and mix the meat until it is ‘sticky’ . This way the meatballs, meatloaf etc will hold together beautifully.
I normally do not add eggs or bread either. once the mixture is sticky it hold beautifuly and has a great texture. You can mix on a number of speeds, mostly i use speed 4 for this.
happy cooking and thank you for your question
Jo
By: jo richardson on July 27, 2010
at 6:55 pm