Home Cooking

Why press buttons when Alexa will perfectly nuke your next Hot Pocket

NEWS – Here’s just one more indication that we’re getting closer to the day when we can just ask a replicator to make us a sandwich. Case in point – GE’s new smart, scan-to-cook microwave which works with your phone or your voice to heat up your food without pressing a button. You can use your phone to snap a photo of the barcode on your pre-packaged food, and the microwave will set the right time with the right power setting for you. This feature currently works with 3,000 meals and food items with more items being added as time goes by.

If using your phone to control your microwave takes too much effort, the new .9 cubic foot GE microwave also works with Amazon Alexa, so you can say… “Alexa, start the microwave”, “Alexa, add 30 more seconds to the microwave” and more. With voice control, you can easily start defrosting the frozen rump roast without having to touch any buttons on the microwave, or add an extra 30 seconds to heat up the coffee you forgot about.

The GE .9 Cu. Ft. Capacity Countertop Microwave Oven is currently priced at $154.98 (that price includes an Echo Dot) on Amazon.

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Why press buttons when Alexa will perfectly nuke your next Hot Pocket originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 6, 2018 at 5:02 pm.

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Why press buttons when Alexa will perfectly nuke your next Hot Pocket

NEWS – Here’s just one more indication that we’re getting closer to the day when we can just ask a replicator to make us a sandwich. Case in point – GE’s new smart, scan-to-cook microwave which works with your phone or your voice to heat up your food without pressing a button. You can use your phone to snap a photo of the barcode on your pre-packaged food, and the microwave will set the right time with the right power setting for you. This feature currently works with 3,000 meals and food items with more items being added as time goes by.

If using your phone to control your microwave takes too much effort, the new .9 cubic foot GE microwave also works with Amazon Alexa, so you can say… “Alexa, start the microwave”, “Alexa, add 30 more seconds to the microwave” and more. With voice control, you can easily start defrosting the frozen rump roast without having to touch any buttons on the microwave, or add an extra 30 seconds to heat up the coffee you forgot about.

The GE .9 Cu. Ft. Capacity Countertop Microwave Oven is currently priced at $154.98 (that price includes an Echo Dot) on Amazon.

Filed in categories: News

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Why press buttons when Alexa will perfectly nuke your next Hot Pocket originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 6, 2018 at 5:02 pm.

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Pampered Chef Breakfast Sandwich Maker review

REVIEW – You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Given that, with our busy lifestyles we need a tool that can help us make quick, healthy choices for that most important meal.  The Pampered Chef Breakfast Sandwich Maker aims to do that by giving you a better, faster and more convenient choice than your local drive-through.  But can it live up to the expectation of a tasty breakfast sandwich?  That’s what we are going to find out today…

What’s in the box?

The Pampered Chef Breakfast Sandwich Maker consists of four parts: there is a ceramic deep bowl that is the base of the sandwich maker.  This is where you put the egg that is the centerpiece of your sandwich.  Next is a deep silicon tray where you can put any other sort of filling you want heated – Canadian bacon, a veggie patty or any other sort of pre-cooked item.  It is important to note that you cannot use frozen meats in the sandwich maker – all fillings need to be pre-cooked and at worst, refrigerated but not frozen.  After the filling insert is a shallow silicon tray for your bread.  An English muffin, a thin sandwich round or even a tortilla will work.  Finally there is a ceramic top.

How does it work?

OK, so let’s get started.  I love an over-medium egg sandwich, so that’s what I will begin with.  After greasing the bottom of the ceramic bowl with butter as instructed, my lovely assistant is ready to crack a large egg into the bowl.

According to the instructions, if you are making an over-medium egg you should use only 1 egg.  If you are scrambling the egg, you can use 1-2 eggs.  One egg it is.  I also like Canadian bacon, so we add the deep silicon tray with a single slice.

We are ready for stage 1 cooking.  I place the ceramic lid on the bowl, place it in the microwave and begin.  The instructions state that cooking times are calculated for a 1200 watt microwave, and as my microwave is a measly 1100 watts, I adjust up from the suggested 30 seconds cooking time to 40 seconds.  And so the interminable wait begins.

Visibly 30 seconds older, I remove the bowl from the microwave and the top from the bowl.  Adding the shallow insert and a sliced English muffin, I return the lid to the top.  Another 30 second eternity in the microwave.

Now comes the hard part: removing from the microwave, I have to let the bowl rest for a whole minute before removing the trays and assembling my sandwich.  Patience is a virtue, just not one of my virtues.

A minute later, I open the container to…disappointment.  The egg is not cooked.  At all.  It is still a liquid mess.  The Canadian bacon, on the other hand, is dried out on the edges, a classic sign of over-cooking.

I replaced the lid on the pot and begin cooking the egg in 10 second bursts as instructed.  After an additional 30 seconds, the egg yolk is a hard mess but the white part is still mostly liquid.

OK, so over medium is not going to work.  Did I mention that I love scrambled eggs?  After a thorough cleaning and then re-greasing the bottom of the bowl, my lovely assistant breaks a single egg into the bowl and we scramble it.  Despite what my high school guidance counselor said, I learned from my mistake last time.  This go-around I put the egg in the microwave by itself and cook for 30 seconds per the instructions for a single-egg scramble.  After 30 seconds, I remove the bowl, add the tray with another slice of Canadian bacon, and cook for 10 seconds.  Yes, I know, I am going off script here, but I am trying to reach the happy center of the experience – a fully cooked egg, Canadian bacon that does not look like it spent 6 months in the Sahara, and an English muffin.

After the initial 40 seconds, I add the muffin and cook for a final 30 seconds.  Another minute wait, and another disappointment.  While the Canadian bacon is fully cooked and in pretty decent shape, the egg is still mostly uncooked.

After two more tries making scrambled eggs, I am completely unable to get a nicely cooked egg.  Either it is horribly overdone or undercooked.

What I like

The Pampered Chef Breakfast Sandwich Maker is nicely made.  My wife loves the pieces and will re-purpose them for other uses.  Unfortunately, you just can’t use it to make breakfast sandwiches.

What needs to be improved

I’m not sure – it seems to me that there are 2 issues at work here.  First is that a “one approach fits all” way just doesn’t work.  There are too many variables, specifically in the microwave part of the equation.  The second is that in order to get past the first you have to have some sort of innate cooking skills, or the patience and time to go through many failed experiments to find the combination that works for your ingredients, your microwave and your time.  And with a limited selection of ingredients that are compatible with the sandwich maker (and the associated breakfast boredom that would set in with those choices), it seems like a lot of work for a very limited return.

All I know is that I have to go back to the old, less convenient way of making breakfast sandwiches.

Final thoughts

The Pampered Chef Breakfast Sandwich Maker seems to fail at its basic function: cooking an egg for a breakfast sandwich.  My microwave is as standard as they come, and no amount of tweaking the cooking time yielded a nicely cooked egg.  I suppose I could have used a pre-cooked scrambled egg patty, but then if I did why would I need the sandwich maker?

Another concern is the bread.  A good sandwich (in my humble opinion) has a toasted bread.  The sandwich maker gives you a steamed muffin.  Adding the muffin is a crucial part of the cook timing, so if you choose to toast and not use the sandwich maker for your bread, there is even more adjustment you need to do to ensure your ingredients are not overcooked.

Price: $29.95
Where to buy: The Pampered Chef web site
Source: The sample of this product was provided by The Pampered Chef.

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Pampered Chef Breakfast Sandwich Maker review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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In the midst of a storm when all else fails, the Kovea Spider Stove will do the trick


NEWS – Every year when hurricane season is approaching, I cannot help but remember my ordeal in NYC during Hurricane Sandy. During that storm, I spent 14 days without electricity and heat, and many nights I purchased food from the only restaurant that was somehow able to survive. While I did have gas during the storm, and while I was able to light my electronic ignition stove with matches, I often wonder what would have happened if I had an electric stove, or if the gas lines were damaged and unable to deliver gas. Since that storm, I have stocked up on a few emergency items that include propane powered indoor heaters, but I am still undecided about a stove.

Today, during one of my bouts of surfing the internet, I came across the Kovea Spider Stove. This little stove is powered by fuel canisters, has an anti-flame system pipe providing a powerful and stable flame, sits low to the surface, and allows you to place the fuel canister away from the stove for added safety. It is also very portable with its foldable pan support legs. When all else fails, including the loss of electricity and gas, it seems like it can get you through preparing a meal.

If you would like to learn more about the Kovea Spider Stove, or if you would like to purchase it, you can head over to Amazon and check it out. It is available for $59.90

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In the midst of a storm when all else fails, the Kovea Spider Stove will do the trick originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 13, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Serve food at the correct temperature with these insulated bowls

NEWS – Few things are more disappointing than working hard to prepare a delicious meal but finding the cooked veggies are cold and the salad is hot by the time everyone gets to the table.  (Yes, I know – first-world problems…)  These insulated bowls with lids from Oggi will keep your food at the right temperature throughout your meal.

The bowls are made of 100% stainless steel.  Polyurethane insulation is sandwiched between the two layers of steel to keep foods at the right serving temperature.  The double-wall construction also prevents condensation or heat transfer to your table top.  Prepare the bowls to maintain the proper temperature by filling them with hot water or by placing them in the freezer or filling with ice water before filling them with food.

Oggi offers these bowls in a 1-quart ($19.95), 2-quart ($29.95), or 3-quart ($39.95) size.  They are available for purchase at The Grommet.

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Serve food at the correct temperature with these insulated bowls originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 12, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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