Watching pots boil

 

A watched pot

Someone may have said this before about the watched pot that never boils, but the Chef’s Choice International Cordless Electric Kettle is one you’ll want to watch. The phrase “dinner and a show” also comes to mind, because when the bubbles start to boil in this clear showcase over a brushed stainless steel base, there’s dancing that becomes a storm of drama. Then, you have hot water for coffee, tea, oatmeal and soup. My mom is still questioning the need for a separate appliance, but this little beauty is a game changer, boiling water faster than a stove or microwave. It shuts off and the cord adjusts and hides in the base. Other than telling you how efficient is the Electric Glass Kettle Model 680 is, I can think only of clichés to tell you how awesome it is to think “I want tea” and be sipping from your warm mug so quickly. I love that this device encourages me to drink more for my health.

Rice

Winnie will host the 44^th annual Texas Rice Festival, Oct. 2-6. Are you ready for rice? If your family can go through 20 cups of cooked rice faster than your gumbo pot can empty, make some counter space for T-fal’s  3 in 1 Rice & Multi Cooker. Maybe your healthy lifestyle calls for some shrimp, rice and steamed vegetables. This 600 watt beauty goes for grains and the 5-layer non-stick pot helps deliver even heat distribution. All sleek and steel-looking, this big cooker has a handle that makes it easy to tote your meal or store your pot. As much rice as we Southeast Texans go through, this is another durable T-fal offering that’s bound to come in handy this family-feeding holiday season.

The Scrubbies

The one thing I want a good cleaning pad for is my glass-top stove burners. With a slim, pink pad of power from The Scrubbies Company, I can keep both the surface and the pad clean, because one peels away layers of the pad when needed. This Made-in-America product scrubs everything from vegetables and patio furniture to shower stalls and kyaks. Makers call it “The only cleaning pads you will ever want.”

By accident

Here’s why my skin is feeling better. Okay, I’m convinced. When something really works, just a little bit of the good stuff can go a long way, and can be worth the price tag it fetches. Consider MitoQ, discovered by accident (like Viagra, Quinine and Botox, makers say) when people of science were seeking something else. This time researchers at Cambridge University were looking for a cure for liver damage created something to reverse the signs of aging. Here’s what they say: “MitoQ, a topical serum that softens the skin while lightening and actually reversing the signs of aging, is a patented blend of unique ingredients, which scientists Mike Murphy and Rob Smith stumbled across while trying to find a cure for liver disease.  Their work culminated in the discovery of a delivery system that floods cells with antioxidants directly into the mitochondria, the source of free radicals, which are responsible for aging and tissue damage.” They say mitoquinol is proven to be 1,000 times more potent than other CoQ products on the market and delivers ingredients deep down to mitochondria to rejuvenate cells, encourage natural production of collagin and elastin and, what we are all looking for, a radiant “lit -from-within glow.” I feel glowing and look forward to pumping a dallop from my sample bottle each night. Readers, I’ve heard a lot of you talking about your skin-care regimen, so face up: You might want to check into this “accident.”

ddoiron@panews.com