Right after our recent move I discovered that there were a few things missing in our kitchen--I forgot to pack our kettle, my salad spinner broke, I forgot my rolling pin... the list can go on. That had never happened to me before and the situation needed to be remedied quickly. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, we eat a ton of greens and drink a lot of tea.
Fortunately for us, CSN stores contacted me and offered to do a product review. Originally I was like a kid in a candy store and wanted to try NEW gadgets, but then I remembered my dim situation... so I was even more excited to go shopping for items I really needed and see if they would be something that I could recommend to friends, family, clients and readers. So I got 3 items from CSN stores that I will review today [btw, I found it pleasant yet almost overwhelming shopping at CSN stores because they have SOOO many choices! But who would complain about that?!]
First, I got myself a kettle. There were so many to choose from and I was tempted to go for something that looked absolutely unusual [that would be me], but at the end of the day I wanted something functional, simple and easy to clean. So I picked Aroma 1.5-Liter Stainless Steel X-Press Water Kettle
I am very happy with the product. It has a self-shut-off function. I pour water into it, turn the kettle on and go about doing whatever tasks might be at hand.
Next I needed a salad spinner... BADLY! I don't like having water in my salad, except what is already in my greens. So, I picked the cutest, largest spinner I could find: Chef'N Salad Spinner Meringue with Arugula Basket. Hello, beautiful!
Not only is it cute [a must in my kitchen :)], but it is very functional. The handle, unlike the other two spinners I had [one was a little cranking handle I had to circle around and it would get stuck once in a while, making horrible noises, the other one had a large handle releasing to the top [very high] and turned out to be too tall for me when it was on a counter] the handle on this spinner releases only a couple of inches up and requires very little effort to press down. In addition to that there is a little handy STOP button that can be pressed if you decided you got all the water out and don't want to wait for the spinner to come to a stop on its own. Both, I and my husband, give this spinner two thumbs up! My only desire would be for even a bigger size of the same model.
The last item I got from CSN stores was a cute little palm peeler.
I heard about it before but surely have not tried it. I primarily got it out of curiosity. I found it to be functional and even fun to use, but only on bigger, round items, such as apples, or large potatoes. I am a bit too scared to use it on smaller items, unless I really take the time to watch where the blade is. So, I could give it only 3.5 stars.
Overall I am a very happy girl with my new toys. I now have more things on my wish-list that I am still missing :)
Thank you, CSN stores! [BTW, CSN stores sell all kind of things: kitchen gadgets, furniture, lighting and even modern rugs, so check them out.]
Next I will move on to something even more exciting.
For a long time I had be more than curious to check out Blendtec Total Blender. My friends used it and spoke highly of it. I had my first [blender] love--VitaMix, but a girl like me likes options. I felt so blessed when I heard from the Blendtec team who offered for me to do a product review and then to either keep the blender or to give it away. YEAH!
I loved the wide base of the container. With the width of it I required no temper as I do with Vita occasionally to push items down when making smoothies or soups. However, something like a temper could be helpful for more solid ingredients, like nuts, to keep ingredients going.
In the first month of having Blendtec we used it over 200 times [yes, that is true]. The blender is one of the best and is great for high quality, high speed blending. At the end of the day, however, I already did have a great blender that I adore, and I wanted to make someone else a happy healthy eater. I found the right person to give the blender to, when we moved--my very own dear, 81-year old mother. It was so easy for me to teach her how to blend her own soups and fruit drinks by pointing out a few useful, pre-programmed buttons--no English required! It was awesome to see her pull it out and make fresh, healthy foods that did not have to be cooked to be soft [Mom has dentures, so hard foods are out of the question for her]. So, this wonderful machinery found a deserving home, and I found another favorite gadget.
Lastly, and deliciously so, I wanted to brag on raw truffles sent to me by Ulimana company. I got a little sample packet and had to split it with the people I love.
In the first month of having Blendtec we used it over 200 times [yes, that is true]. The blender is one of the best and is great for high quality, high speed blending. At the end of the day, however, I already did have a great blender that I adore, and I wanted to make someone else a happy healthy eater. I found the right person to give the blender to, when we moved--my very own dear, 81-year old mother. It was so easy for me to teach her how to blend her own soups and fruit drinks by pointing out a few useful, pre-programmed buttons--no English required! It was awesome to see her pull it out and make fresh, healthy foods that did not have to be cooked to be soft [Mom has dentures, so hard foods are out of the question for her]. So, this wonderful machinery found a deserving home, and I found another favorite gadget.
Lastly, and deliciously so, I wanted to brag on raw truffles sent to me by Ulimana company. I got a little sample packet and had to split it with the people I love.
We all liked every single truffle and were SAD to see them melt away in our delighted mouths. Even my non-vegan, milk-loving Mom was smacking her lips with delight. TWO THUMBS UP, Ulimana!
Great products! And great day to you all!
Great products! And great day to you all!
[DISCLOSURE: The reviews in this post are my opinion. I received no compensation from any companies mentioned in this post to provide a positive review. They had sent me the product to be reviewed, but no other form of financial compensation had taken place].
