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05-23-02 - Product
Recommendation & Review:
One of the most frustrating things about eating out, getting take-out, or
trying new items when you're a low-carber, is wondering if what you think
is sugar free, really is sugar free.
We've accidentally eaten and drank a number of things over the last few years
that ended up being pretty full of sugar when I thought they weren't. From the
cola brought to your table to a sauce or dressing that you suspect might contain
sugars...
But there's a great item available now to protect low carbers from such
slips.
Low
Carb Nexus
brings us their Sugar
Free Way™ Test Kit — a
smart way to protect yourself from hidden sugars!
How do they work? They are plastic reagent strips much like Ketostix, except
they have a single reactive tip that remains green when no sugar is present,
but get deeper and deeper brown in the presence of sugar. The kit comes with
little clear pipettes that allow you to grab a tiny bit of the liquid to be tested
and then drop it onto the reagent strip (you would never want to put the strips
into your food/drink directly!) Then just check to see what the strip reveals and
you'll know if your choice is really sugarfree!
Items that are very liquidy are easy to check as-is, but if you want to
check a thick sauce, dressing, or baked good, set a bit aside, mix with a few drops
of water, and then proceed. I checked a bakery item by snipping off a tiny "crumb",
then allowing a drop of water to soften it for a moment, then testing it with the
stick. Just as I suspected, it was filled with sugar, even though it claimed not
to have any sugars of any kind. (The item I made from scratch, however, stayed
completely green... no sugars!)
We were very impressed and plan to keep these on hand from now on. Order two
bottles — one for home and one for your car or purse.
Get them at The Low Carb
Nexus™.
05-02-01 - Product
Recommendation & Review:
The need to make up low-carb and protein shakes in a hurry and when on
the go, on a trip, or at the office made us look for what was available
in a portable "mixer" that would really do the job right — and at a reasonable
price. We've tested various options over the last year and none of them have
been what we were looking for. But the one we tested this time is
worthy of a review here in our spotlight. During this meeting we tried the
Power Mixer from VitaMinder. At under twelve bucks and
with a good strong mixing action, we found this to be a suitable option.
Obviously it can't take the place of a real blender, but for quick
powder mix-ups, it did a splendid job and it did it quickly. It runs on
four AA batteries, comes with a very sturdy break resistant cup, and it
holds a generous 20 ounces! It couldn't be easier to use since you just hold
the top down and push the button.
If you're using it at the office or in a hotel room, there will be no problem
with having your can of Atkins or Keto (or whatever your favorite brand of
shake mix) onhand to measure and mix. If you use this on the go, we suggest
you purchase the single-pak shake mixes. However, one of our members suggested
keeping little snack-size ziplocs premeasured with the right amount of single
shake mix inside. Either way, it's a good, sturdy little mixer we think you'll
like.
The VitaMinder Power Mixer is available from The Low Carb Connoisseur.
11-21-00 - Product
Recommendation & Review:
One of the most luxurious things about our low carbohydrate
nutrition regime is that we get to have real whipped
cream. But it's also true that sometimes we want a fast
dessert or a quick topping, and getting out the mixer and
whipping the cream by hand is cumbersome. Wouldn't it be
easier if we could just have a dispenser at the ready like
the sugar-eating folks have with Redi-Whip?
Until now,
having a ready-to-serve whipped topping meant compromising
with something like Cool Whip. But those of you who
read our newsletter (Issue
#2), know that the chemicals, trans fats, and high fructose corn syrup
in it make it a poor choice.
But now, the problem is solved with the iSi Dessert Whip! It's a ready-to-go
Whipped Cream Dispenser that you add your own ingredients
to! You just pour in your cream, a little Splenda (or sweetener of your
choice) and perhaps a few drops of vanilla, and you're ready to go!
You can now enjoy delicious fresh, fluffy whipped cream for up to two
weeks, (under refrigeration) without any preservatives or stabilizers!
It works with the use of small steel silver lacquered chargers that contain
pure N2O. And they come with two dispensing nozzles for a variety
of decorative effects. So these are great for making elegant
showings for company or holiday parties!
But it can make more than whipped cream. It comes with a recipe book
for making Tiramisu, Chocolate Mousse, Mocha Creme and more. Or use
your imagination. Just substitute Splenda wherever it calls for powdered
sugar. Easy to clean, very versatile, and super-sturdy. No low-carb
cook should be without one!
The dispensers come in white, black, or red; hold a full pint, and are made
of sturdy aluminum. An illustrated instruction booklet is included as well.
The N2O Chargers are sold separately and come in boxes of 10 or
16.
They can be purchased at many specialty kitchen stores, and are also available online
at
The Gourmet
Gallery.
10-05-00 - Product
Recommendation & Review:
Here's a great kitchen find that a visitor wrote and told me about
several months ago, and I only recently got the chance to get one and
try it. I am so impressed with it, that I simply had to
include it in our reviews here and recommend its use.
It's called a Butter Bell Crock and it's a time-honored European method of
storing butter at room temperature for up to 30 days without spoilage or odors.
The base of the glazed ceramic crock encloses an insulated, airtight seal of
water that keeps the interior cool. The little lid (the "bell" part) doubles
as a serving dish when inverted and the lip of the top also provides a convenient
place to rest the butter knife.
Here's how it works:
You pack a stick (1/2 cup / 1/4 pound) of softened butter into the
cone-shaped part of the top. You pour a couple of inches of water into the
crock-shaped bottom. Then you up-end the butter into the water. The water
keeps the butter fresh for up to a month by preventing air contact and keeps
the butter cool (but not cold) in even the hottest weather. The butter will
keep better and longer if you change the water every so often (every 3-6 days.)
It works so well because the glazed ceramic container keeps the water cooler
than the outside temperature by insulating and reflecting outside heat.
I have seen three versions of the design - a clean French White, a charming
painted floral, and a rich cobalt blue. Since these gems sit out on display, you'll
want to pick one to accent your decor. If you like flavored butters (sweet vanilla,
lemon-thyme, rosemary-garlic, etc.) you may want to get more than one.
I found mine in a local kitchen store, but they are available online as well
and retail for around $20-$25. I've seen them sold online at:
Kitchen
Classics, and
Betty Crocker Catalog.
07-04-00 - Product
Recommendation & Review:
Okay, so we usually review things you can eat. Well, here's an exception - perhaps
the first of many. Because fresh baked bread
is now a part of my life again, when I happened upon this bread knife in a kitchen
store, it intrigued me (well, let's give proper credit here - Richard called it to
my attention.) One of the problems with eating low-carb bread is that it doesn't come
pre-sliced like we've been used to all these years. And getting the slices uniform and
thin enough to fit the carb-budget bill we set for ourselves is very important. A
confession: I am lousy at slicing bread. Or at least I was.
Our purchase of the OXO Natural Grip Bread
Knife was one of
the best things I've added to my kitchen arsenal in awhile. As you can see in the
photo above, it's shaped a little different. When you use it, you'll see how natural
it feels and how easy it is to always position for a perfect slice of bread. Now if I
want a grilled cheese sandwich on two slices of bread, I cut them thin enough
to equal 2 carbs each (about 1/4" slices using the recipe linked above.)
The knife has a curved, ergonomic handle that keeps hand elevated and reduces wrist
strain, plus it's stainless steel and dishwasher safe. I love this knife!
If you can't find one locally, you can order online from Amazon's Kitchen Department.
9-29-99 - Product
Recommendation & Review:
A Low Carb diet becomes more palatable and varied when you can incorporate
lots of nutritional and flavorful
(low carb) vegetables and fruits. The problem
I always had was that I like to use fresh ones - mushrooms, cauliflower, green
onions, lettuce and cabbages, peppers, squash, and yummy strawberries! But as
a busy lady with a work schedule that only allows me to shop at most once a week,
I kept finding I was throwing away produce that kept going bad before I could use
it! Costly and disappointing! But I've found the answer! The Evert-Fresh Corporation offers storage bags that
use a revolutionary technology to preserve freshness and prolong the life of
fruits and veggies without the use of chemicals! I purchased 2 lbs of
fresh strawberries about 10 days ago and emptied them into an Evert Fresh Bag. They are just as fresh and bright
red as they were the day I placed them in the bag. Under ordinary storage they
would have become shrunken, dried and molded in a few days. These bags pay for themselves
and I cannot recommend them highly enough! They come in packs of 10 bags (reusable)
and can be gotten in three sizes that will cover every need! You can
order them online if there's
no store in your area that carries them. Their representative calls herself
The Bag Lady, and she's very helpful! Try these!
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