Product Review PUERSI Cookbook Stand (Wooden Cookbook Holder)

 

This is a pretty simple, but very nice-looking, cookbook stand. It is easy to put together and does not require any tools to assemble. You just slide the two notches together and set it down.

The stand is smaller than the picture makes it seem, but it will hold a reasonably-sized book (a book with 8.5" x 11" size pages with around 400 pages, give or take). It is too small, however, to hold an oversized book or a book that has a lot of pages such as the "America's Test Kitchen" cookbook, which has large pages and is well over 1000 pages long. 

The stand can easily fit in the corner of your counter without taking up too much space. It is perfect if you have a part of the counter that is kind of a "dead zone" that is too small for prep space or to put something like a blender. The stand could be a bit larger to accommodate larger books. But, for the books that it can hold, it does a great job, it looks nice on the counter, and does not feel flimsy.

Product Review: Umbra Venti Swing-Top 16.5-Gallon Kitchen Trash Lid– Large, 35-inch Tall Garbage Can

 

The first can I received was shipped in a huge Amazon box, with a smaller inner box (with old labels on it) indicating that it may have been a returned item. The inner box was all bent up, and when I opened it, the can had two huge cracks on each side of the cylinder, which basically caused the thing to fall apart. Needless to say, I returned that one. I just received the replacement which was shipped in a smaller box, was packaged much better, and was not damaged at all.

I use the SimpleHuman "P" type trash bags which were way too big for my 10-gallon garbage can. They fit perfectly in this, and I am definitely not wasting a portion of the bag now with the can filling up before the bag does. I like that there is a ring to hold the bag in place and keep it from slipping down into the interior of the can. I am not a huge fan of the swing-type lid, but as long as you do not have something that is too stinky in the can it is not a huge issue. But, one thing that would make it better is a lid that fully closes the interior.

Product Review: Joseph Joseph Drawer Store - Compact Cutlery Drawer Organizer

 

I originally purchased the two-pack of these silverware holders, but I had enough silverware left over that I got a single one to put the rest in. These fit easily in a drawer and are much better at keeping silverware organized than the trays that require you to stack pieces on top of each other. And, they take up a lot less space than those, so you can get items that would not fit in a regular tray in the drawer as well. I definitely recommend these.

Product Review: 28 PCs Large Food Storage Containers with Airtight Lids

 

Overall, this is a great set of food storage containers. They are easy to store and clean and the snap-lids are very nice. The only change I would make is to get rid of the small, round containers and add one additional larger container. Although the small round containers are good for bringing things like salad dressing or cheese with your lunch to work, they are not all that great when it comes to actually storing leftovers, which was my main purpose for getting this set. That said, I still recommend it.

Product Review: OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Airtight POP Round Canister Set

 

This is a set of three food storage canisters. I have three sets of these now. They look great on a kitchen counter, or you can easily store them in a pantry or cupboard. There is a large, medium, and small canister, each of which holds a decent amount. The large canister can easily hold the contents of a 5-lb bag of flour and still have room to spare. While they do not vacuum seal, they are airtight so that air that is not already in them cannot get in once the lids are on, and they will definitely keep pests out (whether it is a random fly that gets in the house, or you have the misfortune of having mice getting into your kitchen), and unless you have an extremely smart pet, they will not be able to get into them either. I have flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, pasta, and cookies stored in my various canisters, and they work great for all of them. I definitely recommend these.

Product Review: Joseph Joseph Kitchen Drawer Organizer DrawerStore Set

 

This is a set of two silverware trays that fit easily in a drawer and are much better at keeping silverware organized than the trays that require you to stack pieces on top of each other. They also take up a lot less space than those, trays so you can get items that would not fit in a regular tray in the drawer as well. I definitely recommend these.

Product Review: Cuisinart CPT-320P1 Compact 2-Slice Toaster

 

This is a very good toaster. It is definitely an upgrade from the cheap plastic toasters you can get at the grocery store. Once you find the setting you like on the dial for how toasted you want your bread, it does it perfectly all the time. And, it has a warming feature that will warm your toast up again without toasting it any longer. So, if you toast your bread but do not eat it right away for some reason, you can warm it back up without risking burning it. And, it has a bagel setting for thicker slices of bread, as well as a crumb tray that pulls out completely (as opposed to a door that opens and dumps crumbs all over the counter). While it is not ultra high-end, I definitely recommend it if you are looking for an intermediately-priced toaster.

Product Review: mDesign Plastic Tea Bag Divided Storage Organizer

 

I have a large box of green tea that I purchased at one of the warehouse clubs. The box from the store was huge and took up a lot of room, this is a much better option for storing the tea bags. It is large enough to store all the tea bags, and can easily be placed at the front of a cupboard or pantry for easy access. If the tea bags are larger, you may have to put them into the separations at an angle as there is no way to adjust the size of the inner portions that form the separate boxes. You could also use these for craft supplies, however the lid is not locking, so if you accidentally dropped it, or it fell from a shelf, whatever you put in it would go everywhere. But, this is a great option to hold individual tea bags.

Product Review: Settings Plastic Clear Soup Spoons

 

These are a bit smaller and less sturdy than some other plastic spoons out there. That said, they are perfect for things like soup or cereal. They are not as good for something like non-soft-serve ice cream. When eating regular ice cream they can (and probably will) easily break. But, if you need them for a cookout or something along those lines, they are a fine value for the amount you get.

Product Review: Newness Premium Apple Corer Remover

 

It is great if you want to make baked apples, or some other dish where you do not necessarily want wedges, but want the core removed. 

It is not flimsy at all (which can happen with less expensive kitchen gadgets), is made from quality material, and is easy to use. I am very satisfied with it.

Product Review: Filtrete Advanced Under Sink Quick Change Water Filtration System

 

I installed this in the process of installing a new faucet, so the whole process was a bit more complex than it probably normally would be. My only complaint with the process is that the written instructions contradicted the arrows on the filter housing showing the input and output sides (go with what is on the actual housing). Once you get that figured out, it is a pretty easy process. 

There is a slight dip in water pressure when running cold water, but it is still much better than the faucet mount filter where when you switch it to filter the water it dribbles out and takes forever to fill up a pan, large water bottle, or pitcher. It is also a lot better than filling up a pitcher that has a filter in it and you have to wait for the water to drip through the filter and have to fill the upper chamber at least twice, to fill the pitcher up. And, the water does taste good after being filtered. I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: Valisy Brushed Nickel Stainless Steel Single Handle Pull Down Sprayer Spring Kitchen Sink Faucet

 

I have a townhouse that was built in the early to mid-1970s and built with very cheap materials. I have been looking to replace the faucet with an inexpensive but nice pull-down faucet, and this one has been great. It was very easy to install. The instructions were written in somewhat broken English but were easy enough to follow. I also installed an under-sink water filter while I was putting this in which added a little bit of complexity to it, but honestly, the hardest part was getting the old faucet off. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a replacement faucet but do not necessarily want (or need) to get a high-end faucet.

Product Review: GT Express 101

 

The GT Express 101 was pretty dominant on the cooking infomercial circuit for a few years around 2010. If this were as nonstick as the infomercial claimed, it might have been a better idea. Unfortunately, however, it is not anywhere near that nonstick, which because of the way it is designed makes it very hard to clean thoroughly. 

The cooking surface is very small, which is good when it comes to portion control, but it is very hard to get even a small amount of food into it so your portions have to be smaller than you intend. If you use both sides, you can make enough for one person, but you cannot reasonably cook for two in it. The only thing that merits it getting two stars is that it does cook food pretty evenly, and does cut down (somewhat) on cooking time. That in and of itself however does not make all the other hassle worth it.

Product Review: C CRYSTAL LEMON Fire Blanket Kitchen, Fire Blanket Fire Suppression Blanket

 

This is one of those items that you hope to never have to use, but want handy if you need it. It is a fiberglass blanket that can be used to douse any fire, aside from an electrical fire. In the package, it is small enough that you can store it under your kitchen sink. Or, you can hang it from something like a command hook. Unlike fire extinguishers, they will not expire, won't make a mess, and can be reused multiple times. It is definitely worth the pickup.

Product Review: LocknLock Easy Essentials Pantry Airtight Rectangular Tall Food Storage Container, Pasta Box

 

This is a great storage option for Spaghetti or Lasagna noodles. It will keep the pasta much fresher than it will be in the box (or bag) once you have opened it. The container is not completely airtight like a vacuum seal would be, but there is a seal between the lid and the container, and there are notches on the container that the lid flaps lock onto when you fold them down. So, once the cover is on and closed, you do have to worry about it coming loose or the pasta spilling out if it falls over. Nor do you have to worry about pests getting into the container. It is definitely a good storage option.

Product Review: Kitchen Sink Faucet Splash Guard

 

This silicone drying mat goes around some types of faucets (e.g., the pull-down sprayer-type faucets) with an elongated base. You definitely will need to measure how much space you have on either side of your faucet, and the space behind your faucet (if you do not have a sink in an island), as well as measure the diameter of the base of your faucet to make sure this will fit around it. 

Assuming you do have the space, it is super easy to install. The "hole" is not closed, so you just pull the two sides apart and put it around the base of your faucet. There is enough room on either side to store set a sponge and one of those dish wands, as well as setting your dish soap on it. It has sloped channels that hang over the edge of the sink and drain water into the sink. So, it will help keep your counter dry and more organized.

Product Review: Glisten Garbage Disposer Cleaner

 

This is a good garbage disposal cleaner with a nice lemon scent that is not overpowering. To use it, you run hot water on full blast in the sink for a minute, then turn the water down to a trickle. You put the entire packet in the disposer and turn it on, and run the disposer until you cannot see foam (until you hear a whooshing sound), and then rinse any foam from the sink. The whole process takes about three minutes. There are three packets in the package. It would be nice to get a couple more per package in case you need to clean the disposer a couple of times during the month. Chances are, however, that most people will only need to use one per month.

Product Review: True fresh dishwasher cleaner tablets 18-Pack

 

This is a pack of 18 dishwasher-cleaning tablets that you run through a cleaning cycle (with the dishwasher empty) and it cleans the racks and sprayer arms, but will also remove lime scale from the heating elements at the bottom, clean the tubes and pumps, etc. Basically, it cleans all the parts of the dishwasher where water (and the food particles on your dishes go). You just put it in the door that will hold the cleaning pods or soap and run the dishwasher like you normally would. 

Obviously, unless you take your dishwasher apart you will not be able to see all of the parts that the packaging claims it will clean, but I can definitely confirm that what I can see on the inside of my dishwasher looks a lot better when I run a cleaning cycle with this. If you have an older dishwasher, you might want to run 2-3 cycles with this the first couple of months and then ease back to once per month. But, if you have a relatively new dishwasher, then this will keep it looking and smelling clean on the inside for a long time. I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Dawn Powerwash

 

Dawn Powerwash is basically a liquid foam version of their platinum soap. This is essentially a two-pack including one bottle that has the spray head attached and a second refill bottle that you can attach the spray head to when the first bottle runs out. 

The big advantage of this over liquid dish soap is that you have better control of where it goes because of the spray head, and have better control over the amount that you are using. And, you can use it in ways that you cannot use liquid soap. For example, I use it to spray my silverware after I put it in the silverware holder in my dishwasher, especially if I do not plan on running the dishwasher right away because it helps to loosen any stuck-on food particles. It is a bit more pricey than liquid soap, especially since there is no generic version (that I have seen anyway), but it is definitely worth it.

Product Review: Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Pods

 

You get a decent amount (37 in each package) for a reasonable price. I am not quite sure why they put 37 in the package, but if you wash dishes once or twice a week, this pack will easily last two to three months. They can be used in any dishwasher that has a door for pods, and they get dishes clean, without food particles or residue (as long as you do not stack the dishes in a way that prevents water from getting to all the surfaces of a dish). It has regular dishwasher detergent and Dawn soap to fight grease, as well as a rinse aid, so you do not have to purchase that separately. Personally, I like that this is packaged in a bag as opposed to the larger tubs because it saves space under this sink.