Reviews and Recommendations
Here are some brief reviews and recommendations for kitchen gadgets and tools that I use and have found to be very helpful. You may see some of them featured in the blog posts. I have included a brief review with each item. All of the pictures were taken by me of equipment that I use and own. None of the photos or equipment has been supplied by a third party or the manufacturer.
As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links here are affiliate links and we will earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through those links.
Brentwood KT-1780 1.5L Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle
Brentwood KT-1780 1.5L Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle
I purchased this cordless tea kettle in December, 2012. I have used it just about every day since then and it has never let me down. At first I was a little disappointed because once it boiled the water it turned itself off. But I soon learned that by shutting itself off it does not waste electricity. I just don’t turn it on until I am ready to brew my tea. By using my tea cup to measure the amount of water to put in the kettle, I never waste water either.
Blue and White Covered Mug
Blue and white covered mug.
Although I do drink some coffee, most of the time I drink tea. Since black tea does not taste the same once it has been reheated in the microwave, it is best to keep it hot as long as possible. This is where a covered mug comes in handy. I have had this mug since September, 2014. While I have other mugs with lids (all mugs should have lids as far as I am concerned), this is my favorite. The lid does not fit snugly on the top, so this is not a travel mug.
Secura 4-Quart Electric Water Boiler and Warmer with Blue Night Light
Secura 4-Quart Electric Water Boiler and Warmer.
As I mentioned earlier, the Brentwood cordless electric kettle shown above is so handy that I use it almost everyday. However, there are times when we have visitors and need more hot water that should be available all of the time. That is why we bought this water boiler. Once the water comes to a boil, it stays warm. There are two settings; 208º for coffee, tea, soup, etc., and 176º for green tea. It also has a blue night light for use in a dark kitchen. This has been so popular that we have had visitors go home and buy one for themselves.
There are a lot of these on-demand water boilers out there. You can get them with clocks, timers, and other extras, but we found this one to be economical and reliable. We purchased this in May, 2016 and it has never given us any trouble in spite of the fact that I dropped it once (oops!). The only drawback to this machine is that it does not have an on/off switch. You have to unplug it to turn it off.
CDN TM8 Digital Timer and Clock with Loud Alarm
CDN TM8 Digital Timer and Clock with Loud Alarm
I know. It’s just another timer. Right? Well not exactly. When my hearing started to deteriorate, I had to get a new timer for the kitchen that was both loud and reliable. I first saw this timer at a Starbucks kiosk. In spite of all the noise, I could still hear it. So in November of 2011 I went out and got my very own. It has three modes. There is a clock, a count-up timer, and a count-down timer. It is loud enough to hear in a noisy kitchen but not harsh. It is also small enough (6.8 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches) to fit in a shirt pocket. There is one particular feature that I really like. When the count-down timer reaches zero, the alarm will sound for 1 minute. At the same time it starts to count up. So if you happen to be out of the kitchen when it goes off, it will tell you how long ago the timer went off. Now you know how long something has been overcooked and how much you should panic. Please note that if you follow this link, you can buy two at once for a discount.
