Ozeri Deluxe Stainless Steel Frother with 4 Attachments

I have been disappointed time and time again by frothers, because they’re made so shoddily and don’t last. I’ve bought several, from big national brands to smaller, lesser-known brands and to a one, they’ve all failed. I think, finally, I’ve found a frother that will be with me for the long haul. And I have Ozeri to thank.

Most frothers seem to made to be uni-taskers, as well as disposable. Use it to froth milk and then put it away, hoping it works the next time you need it. Ozeri, however, made their Deluxe Stainless Steel Frother to be used all over the kitchen , for multiple jobs, and to last and look good doing it. The frother comes with 3 different attachments, and a spare frothing head. The beater and whisk heads seem dainty, but the whisk held up to a couple of eggs in a cup for an egg wash, and the beater did just fine for a small amount of ganache for a cake. Ozeri refers to it as a “cocktail mixer”, but I’ve retasked it in this house since we don’t drink cocktails. It was dynamite, however, for a vinaigrette for my salad. Yay. Powered by two AA batteries, it has two settings (low and high, up to 15,000 RPM’s!!) to meet the needs of whatever task you throw at it. And the stainless steel body is a cinch to clean and feels solid in your hands. The top mounted clicker to turn it off and on is easy to use and reach as well. It comes with a matching stainless steel stand, but it’s a little finicky about placement and because there’s heft to the frother can become unbalanced easily, so I don’t always use it. But that’s a minor quibble about what I consider a bulletproof product. After a soild 2 weeks of use, this frother has had nary a hiccup and I foresee it becoming a long standing member of our little family. Ozeri even included the batteries this time (How I love that!) so you’re good to go right out of the box.

Frothers come and frothers go, and anyone who’s had one can attest to that. Nothing’s more frustrating than a product you come to depend on and it fails you. Ozeri understands this and makes their products top-notch and made to last. But I know that Ozeri would stand behind their products 100% if for some reason it failed you, and for that, as well as the above reasons, I recommend this product highly!

Get in touch with Ozeri’s family of products:

• On the web
• On Facebook
• On Twitter
• On Amazon
• On Pinterest
• On Instagram
• Buy your own right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Ozeri.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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Kitchen Hearts Silicone Baking Mat Set

I do more baking than anyone I know. As a result, I’ve got a wealth of tools to assist me and I’m always on the lookout for something new and innovative to help me along. Over the years I’ve graduated from wax papers and sprays to parchment and silicone mats. If you’ve used one, you know they quickly become indispensable. But Kitchen Hearts had something I’ve yet to try: A ROUND silicone pizza mat!! Oh, baby!

Silicone mats are probably one of the most versatile tools in a kitchen. They can be used for a multitude of things, and be used hundreds of times before needing to be replaced. From a splatter-catcher in the oven, to making french fries, cookies, macaroons, or biscuits, there’s almost no limit to the goodies one can make on a silicone mat. They clean up with a little warm soapy water, need no oils or sprays to be non-stick, and virtually nothing sticks to them. Fats and oils bead up, and little crispy bits fall right away. They are also oven safe up to 475 degrees, so the limit is really your imagination!

Ideally. Sadly, 9″ Kitchen Hearts Pizza mat came with a critical defect. See, silicone mats are almost just that: silicone. The silicone, however, encases a fiberglass mesh weave that gives the mats some tensile strength and help to hold it’s shape better. But when you puncture the silicone, the fiberglass is exposed and it’s time to toss the mat, both for health and safety reasons. And my round mat had exposed fiberglass all around the outside edge. Not only would that let water in and ruin the mat, but it’s unsafe. One should never consume the fibers from fibergalss, and putting a sticky dough on exposed fibers a sure-fire way to do just that. So I didn’t even get to try it, sadly. The large mat (a now-standard half-sheet 16.5″ x 11.6″ size) did not have these issues. I may contact the company about this because I’m really hoping to a new tool in my kitchen!

Connect with Kitchen Hearts:

• Online
• On Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Kitchen Hearts.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Cozyna: Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder Review #CozynaGrinder #Cozyna

I have been expanding my tea and coffee collection when it comes to devices, tools, and just trying to simplify the process of making the best brew possible. I learned with time that the most expensive devices do not always outperform the simple and most common methods used, and this even comes to grinding coffee beans. I don’t want to waste 15 minutes cleaning out tools and machines to enjoy a cup of coffee for five minutes.

We have a plug-in grinder by a major manufacturer and when it’s time to clean it out and dry it, all the parts make this a hassle and takes me 20 minutes from start to finish and this is even me being conservative with the time it takes the basin to air dry. I stopped using it to just keep it clean! With spring around the corner, it was donated to a better home where maybe someone will actually reap the benefits of using it. I started reading on grinders and ceramic ones seemed to have the most satisfactory ratings and they are simple to use, clean and keep handy.

Cozyna uses a stainless-steel body and this not only looks gorgeous but most importantly, it’s easy to keep clean and the object is sturdy to use, hold in hand and will provide you with many years of use versus a plastic body grinder. Odors also do not stick to stainless steel, so no worries if the grinder gets a splash from tomato sauce and then smelling it every time you touch it. The best part was being able to customize the grind to fit with the roast, type of beans and just my taste. I’m not limited and it’s not like my other grinder that required sometimes two run to just achieve the texture I desired because it tended to bind at the end, and start missing chunks of beans. Not a great start in the morning when you are sifting through coffee to try to re-grind what was missed. Not having to unscrew the grinder and just setting it via the knob makes it as easy as using a pepper mill!

Retail Price Point: $29.99 via Amazon

Results:
I currently have a steam machine to produce coffee and teas in and a french press as well. Again, part of simplifying the kitchen from the tools I have and actually use, versus just “things” that I owned and just stored. It’s amazing how much room I have now and best of all, I can easily access the things that I actually need without trying to stack, move and just become slightly frustrated by stuff that just collected dust. I wanted a medium to fine grind for a bean that had a medium roast. I added the beans and the Cozyna grinder is easy to hold and did not cramp the inside of my hand. Very few binds were experienced, so the ceramic burrs do the job and I was extremely satisfied with the final product. The grounds had a uniform look and texture, the smell made you eager to start brewing, and I can easily say the Cozyna grinder produced a better final product than my plug-in grinder. Simple to clean, store and use, so I could not ask for anything more! Well, maybe a lock on the top handle, as when grinding with gusto, it tends to pop off. But that’s just picking nits.

Connect with Cozyna and simplify your life at:

• On-line
• Amazon
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• #CozynaGrinder
• #Cozyna

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Cozyna.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Kitchen Simple: Danish/Dutch Dough Hook #Review #DoughWhisk

I always wanted a Danish Dough hook but was unsure I needed one. I have a nice collection of whisks, spatulas to even pastry cutters but that dough hook was the one kitchen tool I did not own. My baking magazines and catalogs always displayed a gorgeous pastry with a Danish Dough hook sitting proud and pretty by it’s side, but when my mixer came with a dough hook attachment, it sort of rained on my Dutch Hook Dough dreams. With all the kitchen tools we own, adding another means making room or someone’s gotta go bye-bye and I have separation anxiety because in my world, every tool does a job or jobs! My Husband keeps that rusted hammer outside to abuse while the prettier hammer gets used only when something pretty goes up, and back it goes to hang on it’s hook and never left outside!

I came cross several Danish Dough hooks but some were just weak that I could imagine them snapping when used. Bought one at one of those discount outlets and it broke when the cashier went to bag it and it fell. I thanked her for testing it out for me because I need a tool that does not need to be babied and it was not a far fall!

In comes Kitchen Simple’s Danish/Dutch Dough Hook. It has a nice weight and is hefty enough to work with. I was trying a new cinnamon roll recipe and it grew into trying different cinnamon varieties, so I baked and baked one weekend. I needed a tool I can count on and because I was working with a yeast dough, cleaning the stainless steel one that came with the mixer meant waiting for it to cool off enough or come into the right temperature before I even started. I did not have time to wait while I was trying to proof 4 dough bowls at the same time, but the Kitchen Simple’s Danish Dough hook kept up with me and as I used all my large bowls to make and make cinnamon rolls.

Retail Price Point: $8.95 via Amazon but when I clicked the link, it went down to $7.95

The hook was easy to use and I needed no instructions. I just pretended I was the hook on my mixer, set my timer, and produced the perfect sweet dough time and time again. Easy to clean and it’s also sort of pretty looking in my eyes. It’s the tool you are happy to have and did not know you needed until you have one. Plus, I got a good amount of exercise and I figured that made up for taste testing :).  I also found uses for making quick breads to even just scrambling eggs, it does the trick and easy to clean and stands nicely just air drying after washing.

Get your Kitchen Simple Danish Hook today:

• Amazon
• #DoughWhisk

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Kitchen Simple.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

The Simple Baker: Premium Silicone Baking Mat for Macarons #Review #macaronmat

 

Being a baker means I need products I can count on and a multi-tasker is a must in my kitchen. The Simple Baker does everything my expensive silicone baking mats do, plus as much as I did not appreciate the circle pattern at first, I became to really like the convince it provided. My cookies never touched each other, so I have to admit I’m not the best spacer I thought I was!

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The mat yielded the same results as my french branded mat and clean-up was a cinch. The mat cleans up instantly with a little soapy water and I just fill the sink 1/4 way up, make some bubbles and suds on top of the mat and this I find is the most gentle way to clean the mat with no sponge and/or sink brush needed. I simply roll the Simple Baker mat (without creating fold or creases) and use a silicone band to keep it in place.

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I wanted to test the silicone mat out with by making dark chocolate ganache cookies. The cookies are a butter base recipe and I tried both round shapes and heart shapes when baking. My baking time was adjusted, as these silicone mats provide even baking, which tends to accelerate the baking but produces what I call the “perfect cookie”. You get a soft flaky texture on the inside with a cookie top crust that stays in place and only crumbles until you take a bite.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling

Cookies in all shapes can be baked

Perfect results every time!

 

Retail Price Point: $17.97 via Amazon

The Simple Baker Mat will save you money in the long run and pay for itself. I use parchment paper and that gets costly over time and can be a wasteful expense. These silicone mats are reusable, do not hold odors, and are also safe because they are non-toxic. The silicone used is food-grade quality and no need to add extra fats or oils to make them non-stick……their finish stays non-stick time and time again!

Connect with The Simple Baker at:

• On-line
• Amazon

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from The Simple Baker.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

MatchaDNA: Wireless Milk Frother Review #MatchaDNAmilkfrother

I’ve been fortunate enough to review a couple of types of Matcha green tea here on my blog, and until now I was content using a whisk to mix it up nice and frothy. A couple of downsides to that is, as I’ve mentioned before, the tea stains things almost instantly and fairly permanently. The other is beating up my poor mugs with the whisk. That’s a thing of the past now thanks to MatchaDNA’s frother. For those unfamiliar with a frother, let me tell you it’s a kitchen tool you don’t know you need until you have it. And once you have it, you don’t know how you got along without it.

Mine is a no frills, simple frother. I use it for sweet drinks, savory drinks, for teas, milks and coffees, hot products or cold. It was a stainless steel whisk and shaft meaning it shouldn’t stain, rust, discolor or be affected by whatever drink or sauce you use it for. Yes, you can use this frother with a bechamel sauce or a vegetable puree. It’s small and compact which means it won’t take up a ton of precious counter space, and lightweight and maneuverable enough to not be a burden when you need it, like some hand mixers. Also, unlike hand mixers, this little dynamo is powered by by 2 “AA” batteries (sadly, not included), so no worries of dragging a cord through a sauce, or the sink, or a hot  stove-top. When I’m done with it, I put a couple of drops of dish soap and turn it on in some hot water, wipe and it’s ready to go again or go back in the drawer. It feels well made enough to last me many years, too. Sounds like a winner to me.

A little tip for those of us who love whipped cream but hate the calories and overly creamy texture: A few tablespoons of milk in a small sauce pot, over a medium heat for a couple minutes, and then froth to create a light and airy foam. Spoon over hot tea or milk, with a little grind of cinnamon sugar, and Starbucks ain’t got nothin’ on this. With 1/3 of the calories and fat too.

 

Connect with MatchaDNA:

• On the web
• On Facebook
• On Twitter
• On YouTube
• On Amazon 
• #MatchaDNAmilkfrother

I received the above product(s) free of charge from MatchaDNA.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Tryazon: GEFU and Wheat Belly, Healthy-n-Lean 2015 Party Review #GEFU

We are still in January and while many of us started at the beginning of the month with positive changes and planning for the “new you in 2015”, many of us are probably running dry when it comes to ideas, making time to eat well, and falling back into 2014 habits.

I’m all for making what I do today (i.e. eat veggies) so much better and even different. Why not? I grill, bake, saute, even eat veggies raw to just mix-it-up a bit. In comes GEFU, with a heck of a line of products that make eating healthy and well easier but in some ways better. I say better because it encourages us to eat as we should be eating, not feel like a perma-diet! I love pasta and I can reach a moment where I think making pasta primavera means at least it has veggies……so it’s sort of healthy. I even try 75% veggies with 25% pasta and my results are, I’m still craving pasta! GEFU not only will make my veggies a texture and let’s just say it, a shape that is more desirable. Their line of kitchen tools will make any dish from any cuisine a little new again. It goes beyond just pasta for Italian meals but think Asian dishes with vegetables that match rice noodles or just the vegetables themselves become the noodle!

I received these 4 GEFU kitchen tools to experience:

• GEFU Spirelli Spiral Cutter in action on YouTube; Spirelli product details via GEFU

• GEFU Julienne peeler, Striscia

• GEFU Lemon Juicer

• GEFU Julienne Peeler ASIA (new to the US)

Plus, a cookbook:

• Wheat Belly 30-minute (or Less!) Cookbook

 

The Spirelli Sprial cutter (Item #13460) is the go-to and easy cleaning tool to achieve that “spiral cut” you desire.  Love that you can easily use it and it’s dishwasher friendly, due to the way the product is made.  You have stainless steel combined with high quality plastic that will provide many days filled with spiral julienne strips.  You can use any vegetable, which is firm in texture.  This includes carrots, jicama, potatoes, zucchini, radishes, cucumbers and the list goes on.  Create salads using raw ingredients or you can par-cook, to fully cook vegetable so the possibilities are really endless.  I was able to add a new twist to an Italian salad by having a more desirable texture and shape.  The olives I left whole, so it would mimic little “meatless meatballs”.  I sometimes had to thin out a vegetable that was too big for the hole, however I now know to purchase medium sized ones when using this product.  I give this product a 4.5 out of 5 rating do to how much you can do with it.

Retail Price Point: $29.99 on-line and available on Amazon, to Bed, Bath & Beyond

 

Presco Lemon Juicer (Item #124585), is of course more of a citrus juicer and not limited to lemons.  I have a juicer but the type you slice and then press, so let’s call it a citrus presser.  Mine tended to dirty more by needed a knife and a cutting board, to then the press itself.  Get the towel ready because it was also a sprayer.  Thankfully, with GEFU’s Presco juicer, I just dirty one item to complete the task.  The stainless steel pierces any rind and I get every last drop where it belongs.  The skin is left intact, so I can even use a zester to get more use out of my citrus.  I give this product a 5 out of 5 because it’s one of those that changes a common task into a new way and let’s face it, less messy!  Also, dishwasher safe.

Retail Price Point: $9.99 on-line and I found the product on Amazon, Sur La Table to Bed, Bath & Beyond

 

The Striscia julienne peeler (Item #13660) has changed how I make Asian dishes to even what I spent a good amount of time doing, “stick fries”.  You simply take a vegetable and just like a regular peeler, you peel and get perfect julienne cuts every time.  Cuts prep-work time and I now go from doing the prep-work the night before, to doing it that same day.  The handle is ergonomic and easy to hold and control, something you want when some potatoes can be extra starchy and wet to carrots causing things to slide.  The cutting/peeling portion is made of quality steel and produces cuts every time.  I was able to use cucumber to make an awesome yogurt base salads, that went great with the flat bread and beef kebabs.  It’s a meal we already make but this just created a better and more uniform cut than I can produce with a knife……also no hand cramping!

Retail Price Point: $19.95 on-line and via Amazon, plus this one seems very popular and available at many authorized retailers

 

This product is new to the U.S. and called the Julienne Peeler ASIA (Item #50410).  Shaped like a mandolin cutter, this product produces julienne cuts on one side and the reverse side, has a grater.  Like with many GEFU products, they used Japanese steel for the blades and the tool has a nice handle for control.  The grater portion has two types of surfaces, one for puree grating (i.e. horseradish, ginger, and the like), and the other has a spice grater for harder ingredients like allspice and nutmeg.  As you can see, the Asia portion in the name does not limit it’s uses.  I gave this one away via raffle because if I did not have all the components (separately unfortunately), I could see saving space and time with one tool.  I give this product a 4 out of 5 for making julienne cuts easy (I was told by my guest that won and tried it) and being really 3 tools in one.

Retail Price Point: $24.95 on-line and I did not see wide distribution yet, as this is a new product

 

 

Not everything via diet books is always a fad and some diet books to hit areas about our overall eating.  With products being filled with corn, wheat, and really just fillers, no wonder we sometimes don’t feel at our optimum.  The Wheat Belly 30-minutes or less cook book allows the reader with ease to produce quick meals (no excuses!) that are healthy, delicious and gluten-free.  The way we should not eat sugar with every meal, well we probably should think about eating wheat with every meal too!  The book was easy to follow and even if you don’t want to make this your only way of eating, it’s an addition for those times you want to eat different.  Some of the guests felt the products needed and especially when cleaning out the pantry, was costly and restrictive but we all agreed that incorporating some of this diet is a must.  It’s cleaner and not to be taken at 100% (at least for us) but it showed us what more we can do with products we already buy (i.e. rice flour, bean flours, nut flours, ect.).  I don’t think it’s a book you can dismiss fully and it’s good to start 2015 with real changes!

Retail Price Point: $13.50 on Kindle and $16.37 Hard-cover

 

I was very happy with all the products provided and holding an event that focuses on vegetables is really cost efficient and easy to hold.  Most of us like eating the final products in their raw state or blanched and cooled quickly to preserve that crunchy texture.  We are all unfamiliar with GEFU products and not only were this great, but they have a huge array to choose from.  Now, I have my eye on that pasta roller! 🙂

 

 

Connect with GEFU products at:

• GEFU On-line
• GEFU Facebook
• GEFU Twitter
• GEFU Pinterest
• GEFU Store Locator (why go nutty when this tells you where to find products) 🙂
• WheatBelly on Amazon
• #Tryazon
• #GEFU
• #WheatBelly

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Tryazon, GEFU and Rodale Publications.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.