Category Archives: Product Reviews

Instant Pot Review – Large Family Edition

09 Friday Feb 2018

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All opinions here are my own.  I gain nothing from them and purchased the units myself.

Second, I know there are about a million Instant Pot reviews out there.  And, I was reluctant to add to that list.  But, it is a thing and as such I get asked about it a lot.  But, I’m going to take a rather strictly large family take on it vs covering all the ins and outs.

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So why did I buy one in the first place?  I bought the first Instant Pot about a year ago after my (very inexpensive) rice cooker died.  The rice cooker itself had been an experiment.  We don’t eat a ton of rice, but I’d grown tired of monitoring the pot so it didn’t boil over when we did.  In that sense the cheap rice cooker experiment was a success because it proved that a least decent rice could be had with much less mess.

But, when it died I knew I needed to upgrade at least to a nicer rice cooker.  At this point the Instant Pot had been out for a while and gained a fair amount of traction.  I asked a few folks about theirs and everybody raved.  Plus, I don’t own a slow cooker or pressure cooker so this thing was going to theoretically cover a lot of bases.

All that being said, we don’t eat much yogurt and there are a lot of us so I went with a less common model – the 8Q LUX.  I’ll go into more detail below, but suffice it to say that I was able to do many things quite successfully.  However, I realized that I was stuck with either the entree or the boil over threats (potatoes/rice) in the Instant Pot.  So, about a year after I bought the first I added a 6Q LUX.  You see both above with Korean spare ribs in the 8Q on the left and rice in the 6Q on the right.

We eat a lot of soup/stew type items which easily translate to the Instant Pot.  We also eat a lot of mashed potatoes which the unit does well.  Most Instant Pot recipes are written for a 6Q version, but can be made in the 8Q version.  I find I really need the 8Q if I do larger meat pieces like pot roast or spare ribs.  I just cannot fit enough in the 6Q.  Mashed potatoes for us is pushing the limits of the 6Q, but very doable.  Rice is definitely fine in the 6Q.

I assume that the 8Q unit takes longer to come to pressure.  Frankly that is the thing I am still trying to wrap my head around.  Instant Pot recipes will tell you to cook an item for 15 minutes, while not acknowledging that there are significant pressurization and depressurization times.  I find most recipes take twice their stated length start to finish, even when a natural release time is indicated.  I’m not sure about the argument about it making the dinner process faster.  Maybe technically yes, but not by nearly as much as you think.

In my mind the best attribute is the relative lack of mess.  Especially if you rely on natural release, clean-up is pretty easy.  And, there’s no risk of boil over.  I do run them on the stovetop so the hood can catch the steam.  There are many suggestions online not to do this because the base can melt if a burner is accidentally turned on.  But, the first time I used it I put it on the counter and it released far more steam than I was comfortable with on my ceiling.

Also, like many plug in kitchen appliances, an Instant Pot is safer than a pot on the stove for little kids.  Again, there are warnings online about the burning steam during a release.  And, it is so easy to release the pressure that any child could do it.  But, unless your child is on the counter or you put the device on the floor, the steam will be nowhere near your child.  You really should flip the vent with an oven mitt and keep your face out of the way though.

In summary, I do like the Instant Pot.  Do I rave about it like some reviews you see online?  No.  But, for those of us trying to put dinner on the table while managing so much more it offers less mess, set-it-and-forget-it convenience, and a relatively kid-safe cooking experience.

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Travel Extras – Family Hotels

01 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by in Family, Product Reviews, Travel

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First, none of these entities/products have paid me for or requested an endorsement.  These are strictly my opinions.

Families of five+ have all sorts of logistical issues that smaller families do not face.  Restaurants, cars, hotels, etc. are all arranged around families of four.  And, we went from three directly to five!

For years we tried to stay at Embassy Suites hotels.  We could put the kids in the bedroom (two queen beds) and at least have the pull-out living room couch to ourselves.  Plus, they usually have above average breakfasts.

Last summer we stayed at a Homewood Suites near Philadelphia.  It was not as nice a breakfast, but they have two bedroom suites.  So, the little kids were in bedroom 1 (two queens), we were in bedroom 2 (one king), and our oldest got the pull out couch.  Plus both bedrooms had a bathroom, which is great for so many people.  We would do it again if we found such an arrangement.

When those two options are not available, we get adjoining hotel rooms.  This gives us four queen beds and two bathrooms.  But, while you can ask for adjoining rooms, the standard line is, “we’ll do our best, but we can’t guarantee it.”  It has almost always worked out though.

All that being said, this post was not supposed to be about hotel room configurations, but what you might want to bring to a hotel with your family that you’re not thinking of.

First, what not to bring.  At home kids often sleep with a bedfull of stuff – toys, stuffed animals, favorite blankets, etc.  The fewer of these you can bring the better.  It is just too easy to lose things when you have a lot of people in an unfamiliar cramped space.  If you do bring such items, I recommend making a list of them so you can do a complete check before checking out.  We did have one hotel call us and mail us forgotten items, but I would not want to rely on that, particularly for sentimental items.

There are other things we have brought over the years.  When you have small children with bottles, sippy cups, etc.  you will need to bring your own cleaning supplies.  Bring some dish detergent, a brush if necessary, and gloves if you prefer.  I usually lay out the cleaned items on a washcloth from the bathroom, but you could bring a towel for that purpose also.  Realize you will be using the bathroom sink so you really will be making do.

Another thing you must consider with small children is baby proofing.  Your hotel room will never be baby proofed as well as your house, but you can improve it from its basic state.  Upon arrival, remove anything you can that will be dangerous for your child or that you don’t want them getting in to.  First on my list is almost always those pads and pens near the beds.  Next, you will probably want to move the TV remote to a less accessible location.  If they will be an issue for your child, you can unplug table lamps and put them on the floor of the closet.  Other miscellaneous items can be moved to the top shelf of the closet.  Ideally, these would be put back at checkout, but the hotel will understand if you don’t.  The things I’ve never found a good way to babyproof is the phone, which is always in a very accessible location and cannot be unplugged.  Since you are unlikely to use it, I’d recommend tucking it behind the nightstand/under the bed before the child notices it.

If you are staying for any length of time, you may want (or find you need) to do laundry.  For many years I brought Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets.  They do fine for everyday wear.  You will need more if you have a true stain, like spaghetti sauce, or a sick child.  Today, I’d recommend throwing a couple of Tide pods in your luggage as well.  They’re not as mess free in luggage so double wrap them, but they’ll do a better job on your laundry if needed.

A couple of other things to consider:

  • laundry bags of some other method by which your kids will know dirty laundry from clean
  • a portable booster seat if you have a little one
  • a boot dryer comes in handy in ski country, but also if your sneakers get rained on
  • hangers with clips to dry swimwear in tight spaces

Apologies again for the lack of pictures.  I think that will be a theme with this series.

Really, Wikki Stix?

18 Thursday Jan 2018

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First, I actually like Wikki Stix.  And, the kids like Wikki Stix.  We’ve used them many times.  And, they’re not paying me anything to say that.

For those who don’t know what they are, Wikki Stix are roughly footlong wax covered string.  I’m not sure they would describe them quite that way, but it gets the point across.  You twist and push them into each other to connect them to make 3D things.  Or, they stick to paper for 2D art.

We got a pack for home recently that included this two-sided note.

The ONLY thing on this list that might work well is the first bullet about jar and bottle opening.  But, the jar lid has to be pretty small to get enough of a grip and it might well just slide off.

I have never had a Wikki Stix stick well enough to hold watches, jewelry, or eyeglasses together.  Those items need to go in a secure pocket until they can be repaired properly.  A Wikki Stix will give you a false sense of security and probably result in a lost item.

My personal pet peeve was bullet 3 – sports equipment.  If the grip is wearing out on your tennis racket/golf club/hockey stick/or other item with a replaceable grip, please do not use a Wikki Stix.  It will not hold and then you will have a projectile which could be causing more damage.  Just set it aside until it can be regripped or replaced.

Lumping bullets 4, 5, 6, and 9 together, Wikki Stix are not nearly sticky enough to secure anything, fetch something from out of reach (let alone when a little dust enters the picture), or organize metal objects.  Maybe they are much stickier when they leave the factory.  But, they are not that sticky when one first opens the package and they get less stick as they age.

Finally, the around the house and holiday categories are a mixed bag.  Yes, they do stick to paper, but probably not long enough to trust an important date on a wall calendar to one.  Gravity will likely win.  Using them as twist ties seems sketchy at best.  Securing a candle might work.  And, as for wine glass identification, it is better than nothing.

But, I think the real point here is that this list goes overboard in the name of Recycling.  It gives Recycling a bad name because it tries so hard to come up with obviously flawed ways to avoid throwing Wikki Stix away.  “If the kids have outgrown their Wikki Stix” (and they are actually still sticky, of reasonable length, and reasonably straight), offer them to another family or preschool program.  Attempting to do anything on the Recycling note will only result in frustration.

I think its too bad Wikki Stix feels a need to include such a note with their product.  Some products should be reused/recycled.  Some products should be replaced with reuseable/recycleable alternatives.  But Wikki Stix are comparable to play dough.  When they’re done they’re done and one shouldn’t feel bad about letting go.

A Review of Stop & Shop’s Recipe for Korean Stir-Fry with Pork and Asian Noodles

15 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Groceries, Product Reviews, Recipes

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Korean Stir-Fry with Pork and Asian Noodles

I’ve been trying some new recipes while we are between baseball and soccer seasons.  First, right off the bat, this is a recipe we would try again.  That being said, I think some comments and modifications are in order.

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Some notes about us, because that may affect how you perceive the comments:

  • We don’t eat many stir frys.
  • We’ve never had veggie noodles.  And, I’m the only one here who really likes sweet potatoes.
  • I haven’t cooked these noodles or with Korean BBQ sauce before, but those both seemed well within our reach.
  • I am a zero pepper person, though most of the family would prefer things spicier.

There are definite pros:

  1. This recipe is super easy.  The most time consuming thing was cutting up the pork.  Plus, it gives suggestions for preparation that can be done in advance.
  2. It is good and was accepted by all the kids.
  3. It’s quick, and makes a complete meal in one pot.
  4. The ingredients are not hard to find.  I did not buy all of them at Stop & Shop, despite this being their recipe.  I’m sure I could have.

But, I would change things up a bit:

  1. It needs more sauce, like double the amount.
  2. And, I think pretty much anyone could handle a spicier sauce.  They sell a spicy Korean BBQ sauce also which I would recommend.
  3. The sweet potato noodles felt a bit gimicky.  They tasted fine and were cooked properly, they just didn’t seem necessary.
  4. On the other hand, this could easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the pork.  You wouldn’t be missing much, but I would leave the sweet potato noodles in.

In summary: more sauce, possibly spicier, and leave out either the sweet potato noodles or pork.

**Stop & Shop is not everywhere within the US.  In the Metro DC area, for example, it is known as Giant.  Maybe other names elsewhere.

Fitbit Service vs Performance

09 Friday Jun 2017

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Not sure if this is a positive endorsement, or an indictment of Fitbit.

I was gifted a Fitbit Charge about 10 months ago.  I’d thought about getting one for a while, but hadn’t pulled the trigger.  Having set it up, its been interesting to see what it had to say but I try not to be a slave to it.

Most noticeably, while the base flights of stairs goal came almost automatically, getting to the magical 10K steps was rare initially.  I bumped the stair goal to 20 flights a day and I still get there most of the time without thinking hard about it.

The steps, on the other hand, were interesting.  Moving alone added a couple of thousand steps.  Yes, we have a bit more square footage.  But, from Fitbit’s perspective its the attributes of newer houses that increase the steps.  For example, modern hallways are wider by code so just crossing the hall from the bedroom to the bathroom takes almost twice as many steps.

So, it does what it says it should do.  And, its interesting data for one’s life.  Does that make it worth purchasing?  That would be your decision.

Now, for the meat of the post though.

Over the winter the band on my Fitbit Charge started bubbling and then last month it separated entirely so it is no longer a band, but an open circle.

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Mr. Google told me that this was a reasonably common problem and I should contact Fitbit for a replacement.  This was a remarkably quick, hasslefree process and my replacement (now purple as I couldn’t find red on the color choices) arrived soon after.  It synced and we were off and running again.

But, then I discovered that the only two other people in my immediate family to own Fitbits also had theirs fail (for various reasons) within the first year and were having Fitbit replace them at no charge.  So, now a bunch of folks I know plus all those who wrote in to Google about their experience have free replacement Fitbits.  (There was also an option of a significant discount on an upgraded model.)

So, is this a ringing endorsement.  It does perform as advertised.  It’s easy to use.  And, their customer service is great.

Or, is in an indictment of their poor quality.  Maybe both.

Product Thoughts – Socks and Goldfish

01 Thursday Jun 2017

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I didn’t really have enough to say on either to make they’re own post, so let’s put two random things together.

A request to the sports sock makers – and really all sock makers out there:  Please include the size on the socks.  We’re all now used to baby/toddler socks being marked with the size.  It’s a useful pattern for their anti-skid materials.

But, it can be done with big people socks also.  See how the M for medium is stitched into the red bulk socks from Target.  I have “S” and “L” Target socks too.  It makes life so much easier.

In contrast, the yellow soccer socks are entirely unmarked.  These are a small and large pair.  And, yes, its reasonably easy to tell them apart.  But, that’s just because we don’t have anyone wearing medium at the moment.  Plus, I hand down soccer socks to the next person, which often means storing them for a bit.  So apart from yellow (town team sock color), I try to buy different colors for different sizes.  But, that’s not the best solution.  Just stitch the sizes in.  Thank you, in advance.

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On an entirely different topic, I was given a pack of whole grain cheddar Goldfish crackers.  Now, they don’t taste bad.  But, they definitely don’t taste like the original.  I think they’re less tasty, which might also lead one to eat fewer.  Whole grains might be better for you, but is part of that “betterness” just that we’re eating fewer of those carbs because they don’t taste as good?  As you can see, the main nutrition spec on the package is almost exactly the same.

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Last Week’s Accomplishments – The Cuisinart Replacement Blade Arrived!

16 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Accomplishments, Family, Product Reviews

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Unless you have been in hiding, or don’t think about kitchen stuff at all, you probably know that in December Cuisinart recalled about 8 million food processor chopping blades because metal fragments were coming off in people’s food.  You probably also know that they’re getting a lot of bad press because of how long its taking to get people new blades, despite telling them to throw out the old one immediately.

I filed for my replacement blade on December 16, 2016 – three days after the recall went out.  On December 22, I received a form email, thanking me for my patience.  It also said they’d let me know when my blade was on the way.  I received basically the same email again on February 4, 2017.  It also included their much discussed online recipe book (apparently it contains recipes that require the chopping blade), but I haven’t looked at it.

Well, months went by and I didn’t hear from them again until it just showed up on Friday.  I definitely would prefer to have the blade vs another email, but it should be pointed out that they never did alert me that it had been shipped.

Some pictures of the new vs old blade and the lengthy set of instructions (obviously meant to prevent them from being sued by the customer or trash collector that cuts themselves).  Clockwise, its the new blade in its complete packaging, the new blade out of the packaging, the two blades together for comparison, and the old blade packaged for the trash.

I have used the new one and it works fine.  It’s also easier to clean, which is a nice side benefit.  But, it took the full six months to get here.

Other things that happened last week:

  • I managed to get the whole house cleaned, at basically the same time.
  • We hosted a Mother’s Day brunch.
  • The younger boys had their last skating class.
  • I went to the 5th grade camping trip meeting.
  • The contractors came by to adjust the doors.
  • We had 4 baseball games.  We also had more rain and thus rain outs.
  • We had 3 soccer games.
  • We went to soccer and baseball practices.
  • The older boys had bike club.
  • We went to the kindergarten concert.
  • We went to the art show where the 3rd graders’ work was on display.
  • We went to a high school baseball game.

Do I have to buy the Starbucks Snacks …

24 Friday Mar 2017

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Obviously the answer is no.  You never have to buy anything specific, least alone a snack from a drive through.

I am not a coffee drinker, but I do stop by Starbucks from time to time for a hot chocolate because it’s pretty good.  I’ve also never bought food much at Starbucks, until I was pregnant with my youngest.  Then, inevitably, I was hungry in between the preschool drop off and whatever errand I was running that day.  So, I tried a Cheese & Fruit Bistro Box.  For the uninitiated, this includes apple slices; a mix of dried cranberries and almonds; small chunks of brie, cheddar, and gouda; and some multigrain crackers.  While nothing spectacular, this was all pretty good.  But, one day they were out so I tried the Protein Bistro Box which includes an egg, apple slices, grapes, cheddar cheese, muesli, and honeyed peanut butter.  The egg was a nice addition so that became my go to box.  Though, ideally I’d have the egg, three cheese mix, grapes, and apples.  The other items are not fine, but I ate them because they were there not because they were my favorites (excessive calories are not a problem in our hose).

Then, the baby was born and not faced with 24/7 hunger I stopped buying the Bistro Boxes.  Enter the Sous Vide Egg Bites this past January.  Since we own a precision cooker (item required to sous vide things), I wanted to give them a try.  And, they were pretty good.  Add to that that soccer/baseball season is coming up pretty soon so I’ll be spending many entire Saturdays away from the house.  I thought, maybe I can replicate these snacks, only with the ingredients I want.  They would be reasonably healthy and are designed to grab and go.  They include things that, in many cases, are already at home.  And, it would be a lot cheaper to assemble them myself.

So, I purchased some divided Tupperware containers to keep the wetter things from the dryer things or the colder from the warmer (though I’m trying to keep anything extra warm or extra cold).  And, behold, I have everything I need for homemade Bistro Boxes – apples, grapes, cheese, egg, and crackers.  My plan is to assemble on Friday night so I can grab and go on Saturdays.

Then I came to the heart of the issue, the egg bites.  I found some inspiration from Anova (https://anovaculinary.com/easy-homemade-sous-vide-egg-bites/), bought some 4 oz jelly jars, and adapted the recipe to what I had at home.  These came out lighter than Starbucks’ version – more like the creme in creme brulee.  But, they were tasty, easy enough, and batch cooked so I’ll have them for a while.

Sous Vide Eggs
Adapted from Anova

Ingredients:
12 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated gruyere cheese
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp diced red pepper (this could be about anything, but you’re looking for 4-6 Tbsp total volume)

Directions:

  1. Set your precision cooker to 172°.
  2. In a blender, combine the eggs, heavy cream, cheese, and salt.
  3. Divide among 12 4-oz jelly jars, filling about half full.
  4. Divide the peppers (filling) among the jars.
  5. Use the rest of the egg mix to top up the jars.
  6. Use the two-part lids and close to finger tightness.
  7. Submerge the jars in the water bath for 1 hour.
  8. When done, if you are not eating immediately, move to a cold water bath to bring to room temperature before stashing in the refrigerator.
  9. They can be eaten straight from the jar.  Or, use a butter knife around the edge to loosen from the jar and invert.  When ready to eat, microwave for 30 seconds.  (Or, I’m sure a few moments under a broiler to brown would be great.  I just haven’t tried that yet.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hoover Air Cordless 2-in-1

09 Thursday Mar 2017

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I purchased this vacuum cleaner about six months ago to replace our previous canister vacuum and Dust Buster that were on their last legs and so hit the trash in the move.  Best decision.

It is so light and easy to use.  Yet, it picks everything up.  The light on the front of the upright unit is extra bright so you can see all the dirt that soon will be gone.  The upright transitions easily from carpet to hardwood floors, which is great for area rugs.  The wheels roll smoothly on both surfaces.  And, it becomes thinner than most vacuums to go farther under beds, couches, etc.

The handheld unit comes apart for easy cleaning.  That process is quick and intuitive.  And, most importantly, unlike the Dust Buster it doesn’t create a big new mess near the trash can.  I have washed the filter once.  I made sure to dry it thoroughly, but I’m not even sure that was necessary.

The crevice tool stores on the upright, but installs on the handheld unit.  It has worked everyplace I’ve tried to use it, though I could imagine having an even smaller crevice tool.  This one more lengthens the opening vs making it narrower.

If there is a downside, it might be the battery.  Generally, it doesn’t bother me.  But, it only has enough juice for one floor at a time.  With small children I am frequently interrupted anyway.  I’ve also forgotten to put the battery back on the charger on occasion so it ran out extra quickly the next time.  To address this, I’ve ordered the extended run time battery.  I expect to alternate the two with one always on the charger, but we’ll see how much I appreciate the extra 10 minutes of run time.

Even if you have a full size vacuum for deep cleaning or longer run times, the ability to pull this out of the closet and quickly tackle the job is wonderful.  I bought this myself and am getting nothing for recommending it, but I would highly recommend a Hoover Air Cordless 2-in-1 to anyone.

A Review of Eataly’s Paccheri al Forno Recipe

03 Friday Feb 2017

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First, this is not a review of a dish from their restaurant, but a review of the recipe for the dish from their website.

I’ve mentioned before that I received a box of Eataly foods for Christmas.  Two items in the bag were paccheri (large cylindrical pasta) and canned cherry tomatoes.  I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with those so I started poking around online and found many recipes that put the two items together, but only Eataly’s used 1 can of tomatoes.

In retrospect this should have been a sign.  Compare their picture of the dish to mine.

There is a lot more sauce.  Also, the cheese is still inside the pasta vs melted into a puddle on the bottom.  The flavors of the dish were fine – like lasagna.  Overall, though, it was unnecessarily complicated.  And, it came out nothing like the picture.

I found there were some other oddities as well.  For example, the steps (paraphrased) were in this order:

  1. Make tomato sauce.  Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
  2. Make the cheese filling.
  3. Boil the pasta.  Drain and cool.
  4. Stuff pasta with filling.  Top with sauce.  Bake.

Basically the entire recipe is written as if done at different stations at a restaurant.  The parts of the dish would be done filling, pasta, sauce by a single home cook to keep things at the right temperature.  Also, with the ingredient quantities listed, there is far too much pasta for the amounts of filling and sauce.  You would need three times the sauce (3 cans of tomatoes per pound of pasta was the typical amount I found in other recipes) and double the cheese filling.

All in all I found this disappointing as Mario Batali has plenty of cookbooks.  I’ve never tried cooking from one so I don’t know if they present similar problems.  But, I did try the Risotto with Tomato & Basil from Eataly and its instructions were similarly odd/insufficient.  This is definitely an area they need to work on.