Product Review: Dishwasher Magnet Clean Dirty Sign

 

This is a small rectangular magnetic sign that can go on the front of the dishwasher. It has a door that can slide left and right to show whether the dishes in the dishwasher are clean or dirty. It is small enough (about 6 inches long and 2 inches high) to fit above most dishwashers' handles. And the magnet is strong enough to keep it in place. It also has a couple of adhesive stickers that you can use if the front of your dishwasher is not magnetic (e.g., if you have a cabinet panel on the front of your dishwasher). It is handy, especially if you have multiple people in your household.

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: 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: Vitamix Personal Cup Adapter

 

This is a set of two cups and a blade attachment that allows people who own an older Vitamix blender (I own the 5200) to make a smaller amount of whatever they happen to be making, without using the large blender container. It is perfect for making protein shakes/smoothies, but can also be used to make a greens drink, a smaller amount of homemade soup, etc. Basically, anything you can make in the larger blender you can make in this. 

Basically, you just put the ingredients in the cup, screw the cup onto the blade attachment device, and then attach that to the power base the same way you attach the regular blender cup. The cups and lids, and the blade attachment are all dishwasher safe. This is a big improvement over the large blender which is not supposed to go in the dishwasher, so this is much easier to clean. So, if you own an older Vitamix (any of the 5200, 5300, 6300, 6500, 7500, or 780 series), this is definitely worth picking up. 

Product Review: 3-in-1: Collapsible Magnetic Microwave Cover

 

This is a collapsible food cover for the microwave. It is made out of silicon so unlike the plastic equivalents, which cannot collapse, this one can flatten down to a little thicker than a dinner plate and expand to easily cover a large bowl. And, because it is bendable, it can be used as a hot pad to grab the sides of hot bowls or plates. There is a plug at the top that can be left open to allow food to vent or be closed to allow food to steam. When it is closed, you can pour a bit of water on the top to help the steaming process. And it can easily be rinsed off or put on the top rack of a dishwasher, so it cleans up a lot better than plastic covers. Even though it costs a bit more than the cheaper covers, it is definitely a "get what you pay for" kind of thing. I highly recommend it.

Product Review: UHMER Silicone Spoon Rest for Kitchen

 

This is a great kitchen accessory that allows you to put spatulas, whisks, or any other type of cooking utensil that you might set on your counter (and hence get it dirty) while cooking. There are four slots in which you can put longer-handled items like spatulas in, and then there is enough room on the larger side that you can set a regular fork or spoon. Then, after you are done cooking you can rinse this off, wash it with soap and water, or put it in the dishwasher. It is made of silicon so it is heat-resistant and easy to clean. If you are one who hates constantly wiping down counters, especially when food or sauces have dried and started to stick, I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: Keurig K-Express Coffee Maker, Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Brewer, Black

 

This is a good option for those who only want to make a single cup of coffee or hot cocoa at a time and only want to store the k-cup pods and not canisters of coffee or cocoa. This is very easy to use. Basically, there is a water container that you fill and put on the back of the unit. You put a pod in the top and then you can select to have it dispense 8, 10, or 12 ounces of water (depending on how strong you want your drink and the size of the cup you are using). There is also a button to have it make a stronger brew, which I believe waters down the contents of the cup less.

This is perfect for a single person, someone who has limited space, etc. The only thing I have discovered is that when it initially starts dispensing it can kinda spray the stream a bit, so you definitely need to make sure your mug is exactly centered under the spout, otherwise you will end up with some dripping down the outside of the mug. Also, I have found it helpful that after every few uses with a k-cup pod, do just a run to have it dispense hot water (so run it without a k-cup pod in it). That will allow it to clean the nozzle without doing a full descaling cycle which is needed every few months. Finally, the water canister has to be aligned just right in order for the unit to operate, so you may have to reposition it a couple of times to get the thing to run. So, if you are in the market for a k-cup coffee maker, do not need a bunch of bells and whistles, and do not want to spend a fortune, this is a good option.

Product Review: LONIN Sponge Holder Over Faucet Kitchen Sink Caddy Organizer

 

This is a basket that can be installed on a pull-down faucet that can hold sponges and/or scrubbers to keep them out of the sink (or a bin that can attach to the inside of the sink) and prevent them from getting soggy and/or trapped under dishes. Many times the bins will have small holes, but will not be small enough to allow a sponge sitting in it to really dry out. This is very easy to install, just screw off the end piece, put the basket around the faucet and then screw the end piece back on. The basket will move if you rotate the faucet from side to side, so you position the basket based on how far you rotate the faucet. As long as you wring out the sponge, it is not really a big deal to have the basket over the counter as you will only get a couple of drips which you can wipe up with a paper towel. This is definitely worth the price and I highly recommend it.

Product Review: Cooks Standard Wall Mounted Wooden Pot Rack, 36 by 8-Inch

 

I live in a townhouse that had an extremely small kitchen. I have since renovated the main level and the kitchen is a little bigger, but it still does not have a ton of storage space. So, I use this to store the vast majority of my pans (the most frequently used pans). The good thing about this is that you can adjust the position of the hooks so that you can hang larger or wider pans farther from the wall and the smaller pans closer to the wall. That way, the larger pans will not bang into the wall. You can put things on top of the "shelf" but, I would not put anything very heavy mostly because it will not sit flat because the top parts of the hooks will stick up through the slats. I put a couple of plastic things (a salad keeper and a colander) that will not do any damage if they were to fall off. It comes with six hooks, but could easily fit a couple more (I think they are available to buy separately).

I have not had any problem with this staying on the wall. It does come with drywall anchors, but it is best to get it into at least one stud if you can. Overall, if you are looking for a hanging pot rack, this is a good option.

Product Review: Norpro Bread Slicer with Crumb Catcher

 

If you like to bake your own bread and/or buy freshly baked bread (as opposed to the processed stuff), this is good to help you get even slices. The one drawback, however, is that the plastic part is a bit flimsy and can break unless you use it very gingerly. That is what knocks it down a couple of stars for me. But, as far as the evenness of the slices, it is great, and the crumb catcher is very handy making it easy to dump the crumbs out.

Product Review: Spice Rack Organizer with 24 Empty Round Spice Jars, 396 Spice Labels with Chalk Marker and Funnel Complete Set

 

This is a great spice rack. It has three shelves, each holding 8 bottles that are angled when you insert them. There are several sheets of pre-printed labels with the names of almost every kind of spice that go on the lids of the containers. When you put the bottles on the rack they sit so that the lids with the labels face out so that you can easily see what is in them. If you have some spices for which there is not a pre-printed label, there are some blank labels that you can write on with an included chalk maker.

Each of the bottles has a shaker top under the lid that pops off so you can fill the bottle. The shaker top also has a tab that you can pull up so you can pour the contents out into a measuring spoon. The stand is very sturdy and can either sit on the counter or be wall-mounted. It is low profile so it can easily fit underneath an upper cabinet. It is a good way to keep your spices fresher than they tend to stay in the store-bought bottles, and if you buy spices in bulk from a warehouse club you can fill these and put the large bottles in a freezer to keep the extra fresh (and not take up a ton of cupboard or counter space). It also comes with a silicon funnel to make filling the bottles easy. So, if you are in the market for a spice rack, this is definitely a good option.

Product Review: PB-JIFE! The Ultimate PB knife

 

The PB-Jife is essentially a long, non-serrated knife made especially for large peanut butter or jelly jars. It has an end that allows it to scrape the various nooks and crannies of the large jars and is long enough that your hand never has to go into the jar as you scrape the bottom. I tried using this on a nearly empty jar of natural peanut butter which I had gotten everything out with a regular butter knife that I could. Using this, I got another tablespoon and a half of peanut butter out, enough to cover a rice cake or spread on a piece of bread. So, it definitely works. a lot better than a regular butter knife. While, contrary to their rather cheesy but memorable tagline, it may not change your life, if you eat a lot of peanut butter, especially if you get the large jars, this will definitely be useful.

Product Review: AUOON Silicon Clip On Strainer

This is a strainer that you can use on a pot to strain pasta, boiled vegetables, potatoes, or the like. It is made of silicon (mostly) so it is heat resistant. The only non-silicon parts are metal that attaches the clips to the body of the strainer. You can put the strainer on the pot before it heats up or after the food is done (although you have to be much more careful so as to not touch the side of the hot pan). It provides enough room on all but the smallest of pots to add food to the pot after the strainer is on. For something that you put in the water before it comes to a boil (like eggs, potatoes, or the like), you can certainly put the food in the pot first, then clip the strainer on, and then start the burner under the pot. 

I have used this to strain rotini in a medium-sized saucepan and in that situation it worked perfectly. It allowed the water to strain without any of the rotini falling out. The holes of the strainer are big enough that water can get through them quickly, but not so big that food can get through. The only thing that I think could possibly get through the holes is angel-hair pasta, but even that would have to hit one of the holes at just the correct angle. Also, you could run into a problem if you are boiling a bunch of potatoes in a large stockpot. In that situation, I could see potatoes potentially falling through the open side of the pan. But, for boiling and draining a serving or two of pasta, it works great.