INTERESTING PRODUCTS

Products. I'll begin with some products. The thing about getting new products is that I don't have to feel guilty about throwing out the old stuff...except perhaps cleaning products. Mr. Clean rubber gloves and wipes. There are actually a couple of pairs that you would find on the hands of Desperate Housewives with pretty cuffs. I suppose that if you happen to be dressed up and having a sort of formal dinner party, you don't want to clash with your outfit by wearing a pair of generic rubbers.

I liked the wipes. Much better than a paper tower for cleaning and absorbent enough for spills. You can put them in the washing machine and reuse. Haven't done that as yet. I did dust with one. Great for that!

Just when I thought that Hearthware, the makers of the NuWave Oven, did their line to now include the Pro and the Mini (It has been easily 4 years and I still haven't used the oven of my range) another product has emerged. It's called the Precision Induction Cooktop. The unit, which can be placed on your counter top, contains hidden coils that heat the pot or pan that you are cooking in, but the unit itself is cool to the touch no matter how high you program the heat.

It can replace the stove top of your range. When I'm cooking on my stove top, things seem to take a longer time than I expect. I found out that the reason is that the flames never seem to center on the bottom of the pan or pot on a higher temperature as the flames go outward. I don't know about you but I don't want to have to spend any time deciding which of the four to use. Forget about my wok. Couldn't get the correct heat, etc. I'm told that it will work on the PIC.

Not all cookware will work on the PIC. The bottom, at least, has to contain metal that a magnet can stick to. I have pots (cheap) made of stainless steel but a magnet won't stick. I have a few "green" pans, two that are magnetic and one that isn't. Hearthware sells cookware if you want to add to your order. So, at this point I don't have a pot to cook with but do have a pot to piss in. Incidentally, I've already tossed out cookware with Teflon.

The PIC is light weight and you can cook on your dinner table. Great for a dinner party making fondue or a family dinner having your offspring do some of the cooking while you watch. You, of course, have to keep in mind that the cookware itself will get hot.

Ceramic knives are the thing these days. You never have to sharpen them. zx Kitchen produces them in black, each of which comes with a rubber "cover" to store. I received the starter set with a paring knife and 6 inch chef knife. Cuts wonderfully. So out went the old knives (I have others that are not ceramic, some serrated). I realized that I don't need a set of steak knives for company. Not that they were great, either. A set of the, what I call serrate butter knives, works well and if I serve up food that requires more than that, I'll simply cut it up before serving. Check it out on www.zxkitchen.com