Product review: OXO Good Grips Large Wooden Spoon, Soup Spoon

 

I bought an OXO soup spoon to replace an old, well-used wooden spoon. The OXO spoon looked nice, but I discovered that I did not like how it felt once I began using it. It had a very rough finish, which I felt on my lips when I tasted sauce or soup. The OXO soup spoons are made out of beech wood with a natural finish, but they have a rough factory finish that is not smooth or polished, like high end or well-used spoons.

With some elbow grease, I turned this disappointing spoon into a great spoon that is a pleasure to use. I started by sanding it with 400-grit sandpaper. I could see how it took off a lot of rough tiny pieces that landed on my work table. Then I switched to 1000-grit sandpaper, sanding with the grain, not across it. After about 10-15 minutes of polishing, I washed it and let it dry. The water raised the grain a bit, and I took advantage of this to sand it again with 1000-grit sandpaper. After another 10-15 minutes of sanding, I saw the wood acquired a shine. It began feeling smooth and pleasant to touch. It had a polished feel. After wiping off the dust, I applied a thin layer of mineral oil wood conditioner that I use on my cutting boards, Poppyella Sunshine food-safe wood balm. After an overnight rest, I buffed the spoon with a cotton cloth. Now, it feels like a different spoon, nice and polished. I am grateful that the OXO spoon had a natural finish that could be fixed with a little bit of elbow grease.

Review of Oxo Soup Spoon

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Alfalfa Seeds – Non-GMO Organic Sprout for Growing, Resealable Bag, Homegrown Sprouting Seeds

 

 

I bought this bag of alfalfa seeds for my home sprout-growing kit. I have grown three batches so far, and the seeds have been doing great. I do not see any seeds that have not germinated.

I use one tablespoon of seeds and follow the instructions I found on the internet for growing sprouts: one overnight soak, followed by three days of twice-a-day rinsing while keeping the jar covered, followed by 2-3 days of keeping the jar uncovered but out of direct sun, with twice-a-day rinsing.

Once the sprouts are ready, I dry them and store them in the refrigerator in a covered plastic box lined with a paper towel to absorb any moisture. They remain fresh and crisp for a week.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Nature Jims Alfalfa Seeds  

Product review: Seed Sprouting Jar Kit. Jars with 316 Stainless Steel Lids, Drip Tray and Stand (video review)

 

I have been using this kit for about a month and have harvested 3 sprout crops. I selected 316 steel because it stands up to rust best, and I also wanted a kit with blackout sleeves.

I purchased the alfalfa seeds separately. I use one tablespoon of seeds and follow the instructions I found on the internet for growing sprouts: one overnight soak, followed by three days of twice-a-day rinsing while keeping the jar covered, followed by 2-3 days of keeping the jar uncovered but out of direct sun, with twice-a-day rinsing.

Once the sprouts are ready, I dry them and store them in the refrigerator in a covered plastic box lined with a paper towel to absorb any moisture. They remain fresh and crisp for a week.

I found that I actually do not need two jars. I use one jar and start growing the next batch when I know I am close to finishing the previous batch.

Everything fits and works perfectly. I have only one minor complaint: the neoprene sleeve has a smell, which I can still smell a month later despite washing the sleeves several times.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of SBMKK Seed Sprouting Jar Kit

Product review: Kitchen Aid Blender Repair Kit - Coupler replacement

 

My trusty KitchenAid blender was still running strong, but the coupler on the base had worn out and crumbled. Instead of buying a new blender, I found a replacement kit that came with two couplers and a thin wrench. This kit worked perfectly!

To replace the part, I first had to remove the old coupler. I used the skinny wrench included in the kit to hold the old coupler in place and I used a 10-inch pipe wrench to grip the metal base and turned it clockwise to loosen and remove it. The channel lock wrench did not open wide enough to do the job, but the pipe wrench made it much easier.

Installing the new coupler was a breeze. I placed the new part on the post and turned it counter-clockwise to tighten it. I used the pipe wrench to finish tightening, but was careful not to over-tighten. My blender is now working like new!

9704230 Blender Coupler with Spanner Kit Replacement Parts Compatible with KitchenAid KSB5WH KSB5 KSB3 Driver available on Amazon for under $8!
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★



Review of Kitchen Aid Blender Repair Kit

Product review: Square Glass Food Storage Containers with Lids, 32 oz, 4 pack

 

I’ve been using these containers for two months now, and they’ve proven to be highly effective. Their square shape makes them ideal for efficient storage in the freezer, maximizing space with ease. The 32-ounce capacity is perfect for my needs, and the set of four containers is just right for storing leftover soup from my Dutch oven. I love that they’re made of glass. It feels safe for food storage, lets me see what’s inside at a glance, and allows me to reheat the soup directly in the container.

Ali Julia review of Square Glass Food Storage Containers with Lids

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Winco Stainless Steel Round Egg Ring for eggs and pancakes

 

The ring is made out of stainless steel and has no non-stick covering (I am avoiding non-stick cookware due to the release of toxic fumes). I oil the pan inside the ring and the sides of the ring with a brush, and it works pretty well - minimal leaking and no sticking. The only problem I had was that it cut through the paper envelope it was mailed in and got bent (both the handle and the circle became an oval). I decided I could live with the bending imperfections, but I wish it were mailed in a box instead. It should have been obvious that sharp metal objects would not get along with a paper envelope.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of Winco Round Egg Ring

Product review: Ninja NC201 CREAMi Breeze Ice Cream Maker (Video product review)

 

 I got Ninja Creami ice cream maker because I wanted to make sorbet and ice cream with unique flavors. So far, I am very pleased. I got Ninfa Creami Breeze directly from NinjaKitchet, as this new model is unavailable on Amazon at the list price of $199. Ninja Creami has many recipes online, which I used as a base to help me with proportions and ingredient ideas.

Some of my own observations:

(1) Ninja instructions stress that the service of the frozen ice cream should be level when it is inserted into the ice cream maker. Every time I freeze the ice cream, it freezes with a hump in the middle. I use a spoon to shave down the hump so the top surface is even.

(2) If the ice cream is not as creamy as I like (sometimes it has a wet sand texture), I add milk or cream and respin to get it perfectly smooth.

(3) If you don't eat all of the ice cream and have some leftovers, before putting it back into the freezer, I make sure to level the top of the ice cream so it is ready for a new respin before you consume it the next time.

I am looking forward to many more experiments!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Ninja NC201 CREAMi Breeze Ice Cream Maker

Product review: Fecolmena Round Aluminum Foil Liners Papers for Air Fryer

 

Fecolmena Aluminum Foil Papers are basically pre-cut aluminum foil. The papers are very thin and do not hold their shape; they fold in the air fryer due to airflow. I hoped they would be similar to aluminum pans which I often use in my air fryer, but they have no stiffness at all. If one wants liners with aluminum foil thickness, using aluminum foil rolls and cutting or folding the sheets into round shapes is much more economical than using these liners.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Review of Fecolmena Round Aluminum Foil Liners

Product review: OXO Good Grips Apple Corer - Kitchet gadget for baked apples and apple pie

 

 

It seems that apple corers have two dominant designs, one that opens its jaws and one (like this one) with a solid ring that does not open. After studying the reviews for both, I noticed that the corers with jaws that open eventually start jamming and need to be fixed. The problem is that the moving pieces jam, overlap, and form an oval instead a circle. This issue has to be fixed every time you use the corer.

This corer is made out of stainless steel solid right; the ring has serrated teeth that are very sharp. The serrated end cuts through the apple like it was butter. The handle is large and comfortable to hold. Cutting through the apple requires little force if you agitate the teeth back and forth.

I was interested in coring apples for baked apples rather than apple pies. This means I wanted to remove the apple core but not go all the way through the apple. Unfortunately, that is impossible as there is no mechanism to cut at the bottom without going through the apple. My solution is to remove the entire core and then use the bottom part of the core as a "stopper" by inserting it back into the bottom of the hole. The stopper leaks but provides some way of holding nuts or whatever else you want to stuff the apple with.

Before the Oxo corer, I used my grandmother's method of removing the apple core with a spoon, which remotes the pits while leaving a nice clean area for stuffing the apple. But it is much harder to scoop out with a blunt spoon than using an apple corer.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of OXO Good Grips Apple Corer

Product review: MUCXNIIY 1-2 Cup Disposable Pleated Coffee Filters, 100 count, pour-over-coffee

 

I use these filters in a pour-over coffee maker. I typically use #4 or #2 cone filters and decided to try these pleated filters because the price was reasonable. These filters are small and fit my set-up well. Each filter is 2.2 inches tall on the side a#2nd 1.75 inches wide. At the open end, they are 6" wide. From now on, I will consider this option and pick which filters to buy purely based on the price per filter.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of MUCXNIIY 1-2 Cup Disposable Coffee Filters, 100 count

Product review: Pour Over Coffee Maker by Unbreakable

 

 I love this style of the coffee maker.  This unit replaced a very similar coffee maker that I have been using for the last ten years.  What happened to the old coffee maker?  The filter became a bit too clogged (despite my attempts at cleaning it), and the coffee drips very slowly.  

The new filter and carafe work very well.  The coffee flavor is perfect!  I have tried many other coffee-making methods, and this one is by far my favorite.

Note that the carafe is NOT unbreakable, "Unbreakable" is the name of the company selling this coffee maker.  The handle of this carafe is very thin (thinner than the old unit, which is precisely the same size), so I am keeping the old carafe just in case this carafe breaks.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: FavorKit Pasta Maker Attachment for KitchenAid

 

 Home-made pasta tastes good! This pasta roller and cutter make the job easier. The attachment fits the KitchenAid mixer perfectly. Making pasta does take some practice. As you see in my video, my pasta is not perfect, but I hope it will improve with more practice. One needs to learn the consistency that dough should be before you put it on the roller; you need to dust it enough with flour it will stick (and those rollers are a bit hard to clean). You need to roll the dough strips on a thick-ish setting a couple of times, make the setting thinner, and do it a couple of times. Cleaning is easy, provided the dough was floured well. Instructions say not to immerse in water. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't put it in the dishwasher.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: FavorKit Stainless Steel Slicer Shredder Attachment for KitchenAid

 

 This set of three shredders fits our Kitchen Aid mixer perfectly. It is made out of stainless steel and is dishwasher safe. It has been through the dishwasher several times as I write this review with no problems.

The first project, captured in the attached video, was shredding potatoes for making latkas (potato pancakes). They came out as good as shredding potatoes by hand (compared to the food processor, where the consistency is not quite right). My husband is the latka master and gives this shredder high marks!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: MAEXUS Jar Opener Kit, 4 in 1 Jar Opener, ineffective jar opener tool

 

These tools did not work for me. At all. The jar opener claws are very wide; I can barely grasp them with one hand. Squeezing the claws requires a lot of strength, and it is much harder to open jars using the tool than using a grippy pad. I tried several jars, and I could not open a single one.

The tool to pull up can tabs worked better, but it is harder than using a bare hand, and it is easy to spill the can using the tool.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆
 

Product review: Aukuel Microwave Splatter Cover with vent

   

This is a set of two plastic microwave covers made. Each cover is 10.5" wide, just enough to cover a dinner plate. The covers are meant for reheating, not cooking. The instruction says to use only 6 minutes at a time, not longer. I have used microwave covers before; what I liked about this is the handle that allows one to remove the cover without getting steam on their hands. The top of the cover has a vent with various settings (opened, closed, small holes). It does a good job catching splatter.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Ulalov Gooseneck Electric Kettle with Temperature Control

 

 I have a fairly small place allocated for the tea kettle and was worried that this kettle might be too large because of the platform and long spout. Turns out the kettle is small and fit nicely into the nook where the old kettle lived.

The heating platform is 8.5" x 6.5".
The kettle is 9" high (not counting the knob on the cap)
The width of the kettle (from the spout tip to the handle outer edge) is 10.5."
The kettle holds three 8 oz mugs of water. 24 oz fills it to the max line.

The electric cord is short, only 27.5", and I have to use an extension cord.

The thin long gooseneck spout works well; the stream it produces is not too weak, and it is easy to aim.

I like being able to control the temperature. A "keep warm" feature is nice. The kettle is stainless steel. The only way you can tell if the water is boiling is by looking at the temperature, which shows exactly what the water temperature is as the water warms up. The kettle automatically shuts off at the temperature I selected. When it reaches the temperature, it beeps (beeping can be muted). To start heating, you need to press the same button you rotate to change the temperature. If you want to turn off the plate, you need to hold down the same button for a few seconds until the display turns off.

The handle is well balanced. The cover sits firmly inside the kettle, and you don't need to hold it when you pour. The stock photo showed a person holding the cap as the water was poured, and I wondered if the cap was loose. It is not.

Negatives? The way the kettle was shipped. It arrived without an outer box. The package was beaten up by the post office, and the ugly shipping label cannot be removed. I always keep boxes for appliances, and I was annoyed that this box was in such bad shape. No shipping box is just not appropriate for a 70-100 dollar kettle. It was pure luck that the dent was not where the thin spout was located within the box, or it would have been bent!


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: 4.5 QT VILIWIN Airfryer Oven Mini Air Fryer with Touch Screen Air Fryers with Nonstick Pan and Auto Shut Off

 

I have been using Viliwin Air Fryer for the last week. I cook probably a dozen dishes from deserts to main entries. It worked flawlessly.

The size of the appliance: 12.25"tall, 11" wide. The inside rack is an 8" square.  It has a 39" power cord.

I love being to fry without oil; it feels much healthier.

One of my favorite dishes is maple yogurt chicken. It comes out crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.  I marinate chicken slices, dredge them in flower/seeds mix, and put them in the fryer's cup. If I  have enough chicken to make two layers, I do not use all the chicken because only the top layer pieces come out crispy. I cook the chicken at 350 degrees and 20 minutes.  

In the attached video, you see several of my favorite air frying dishes, from baked apples to hash browns.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: AOKLANT Pet Food Can Cover, the Universal Silicone can lid

 

Even though this can cover is a perfect fit for can food cans, we learned that we couldn't use them because the cats refuse to eat the food that was in the refrigerator. They love the same food when it is freshly opened. We tried warming in the microwave and leaving it sitting on the kitchen table; somehow, they know it is not fresh and refuse to eat it.

I found that these covers do work with other containers (human food) - like soup cans, tuna cans, tea tins.  Those are not as useful - we rarely eat half a can of soup.  Note that these covers do not work with yogurt containers because their edges are too thick.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Farberware Professional Stainless Steel Soft Can Opener

 

Farberware can opener is a heavy-duty manual can opener. It is made out of stainless steel.  I thought the grey handle would be made out of soft silicone, but it is made out of hard plastic.  However, it is large, and its size makes it easier to turn than a small knob.

The can opener weighs 7.2 oz and has a nice heavy feel to it.  The rounded handles are comfortable to hold. The new edge of this opener is sharp and creates a good clean cut. My old can opener has gotten dull, and only after using this new one, I realized how dull it has become.  This upgrade was overdue.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: HomeBuddy Fermentation Crock with Weights - 1 Gallon (3.8 Litre) Ceramic Sauerkraut Crock

 

 

 

The fermentation crock arrived damaged, with one of the ceramic handles broken off during transit.  I was disappointed, but the main body of the crock was intact and useable.

It came with a recipe book, but the Eastern European recipe was different from how my grandmother did it, and I stayed with the recipe I recalled from my childhood.

The recipe called for four tablespoons of salt for one large cabbage; my grandmother did it by weight. The salt amount is 2% of the weight of the cabbage.

The recipe called to add 2cm of brine (salted water) to the bottom of the crock. My grandmother did not add any brine; she just let the natural juices generate the brine.

The recipe called for caraway seeds; my grandmother only used cabbage and a carrot for some color.

The instructions on how to use the crock are not very detailed.  The instructions were missing some key points.

1) I wash the cabbage and save a large outer leaf to put on top. This helps to keep small pieces from floating up when juices build up in the crock.

2) Remove the core and thread the cabbage. Weigh the cabbage and any other vegetables you might be adding, like carrots. Weight the cabbage and add 2% salt.  So, if you have 1000 grams of vegetables, you need to add 20 grams of salt.  I use grams because it is easier to calculate, and most scales have unit options that allow you to change from oz to grams.

3) After adding salt, I pound the cabbage + salt mixture with a pounding stick.  You can also squeeze with your hands if you prefer.  You want to see the juices starting coming out of the cabbage.

4) After I see the juice, I transfer the cabbage into the crock, cover it with a large leaf, and place the stones on top of the leave.

5) Some recipes call for adding brine at the time (say 5 grams of salt and 250 grams of water), but my grandmother did not do it, and neither do I.

6) As a final step, I add water to the water well and put the cover on.  Do fill the water well to the rim, as the cover will display some water and spill.  You need to make sure the water well has water for the entire period to form a seal.  Note that my grandmother used a plate on top of a regular pot, which held a big round rock.  The plate sat on a cloth to prevent insects from entering the pot, but the air could enter the fermentation pot.

7) After five days you can see if you like the taste. The flavor will get more intense with time, but the cabbage will lose its crispness with more time.  You will have to find your favorite combination.  Attached video shows results after 7 days.

10) When the ideal flavor is reached, refrigerate the cabbage, and this will stop fermentation.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆