Keeping Time.

I hate wearing watches. I especially hate wearing watches when I'm going to be all hot and sweaty. It's part a comfort issue, but it's probably more importantly a vanity thing. Since I don't wear a watch normally, if I were to wear one whenever I'm out in the sun, I'd be stuck the rest of the time with this horrible tan line. It's really not a problem when I'm on my bike, but when I'm out on the water, I often need to know the time so that I can get the boat back punctually. And when your floating around the middle of the bay, it's not like there are a lot of people you can stop to ask for the time. I used to just attach a watch to the rigger of my boat, but then I would sometimes forget to remove the watch when I was done. However, I think I have solved my problem with the Hogwild Snap Watch.



Because it fits loosely around your wrist, it is quite comfortable. I like that it's the totally minimalist watch. No stop watch, lap timer, etc. It just tells you the time (I don't even think it tells you the date). Not to mention it's a waterproof watch for less than $10. The loose fit also means that it moves around while you're wearing it, so as far as I can tell, no tan line!

Originally posted here on 12/16/04. It should be noted that while I still think this product is cool in theory, the battery seems to die relatively quickly, and so I have not used it for the last 6 months or so. Instead, I have these clips that I will post about soon.

I was at Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday looking for coffee grinders (my Mr. Coffee grinder broke after only a few weeks. I ended up finding nothing better, so I'm giving the Mr. Coffee another try) and, as an impulse buy, I got the EuroSeal.



I'm sure you have all seen the device before, but it's rare to bring one home. I think i was given "as seen on TV"-purchasing genes from my dad. I remember around the holidays, there was this old run down mall in Aurora, CO that would have all kinds of stands set up in the middle of the mall selling knives, etc. Now, they have actual As Seen on TV stores. We had lots of that crap in our house including my favorite, the knock off nordic track. My previous experience buying as seen on TV goods from Bed Bath and Beyond was so successful (I bought a safety can from them. Unfortunately it seems that no one else agreed with me on the awesomeness of this product as it no longer seems to be made. I hope mine doesn't break) that I decided to give it another go. So, what do I think?

I unpacked my crammed freezer full of rubber banded bags and EuroSealed them all. Everything now lays nice and flat with their airtight seals. On top of that, I no longer have to collect rubber bands that I get in the mail (apparently mail that is forwarded seems to come in rubber bands. as does broccoli). I do agree that there is a slight learning curve to get the perfect airtight seal, but I'm sure that once I master it, it'll become one of my most treasured kitchen appliances. I give it two thumbs up.

Garlic Twist

(Copied over from my other blog)

The other day I stopped by Viking Home Chef, and I couldn't help myself: I purchased a Garlic Twist. I am perfectly aware that this item falls into the category of gadgets I really don't need. Luckily, it compensates for its lack of utility with its small size. So, for those of you who believe in things like the garlic press, this is the gadget for you. It successfully minces rather than smashes your garlic, and it's much easier to clean. For me, I figure it saves about 2 seconds off the time it would take me to mince the garlic with my knife, which, in itself, is not a very good sell. However, I'm usually too lazy to spend even the 5 seconds it takes to mince garlic. So the real enticement of this gadget is the fun factor. Since it's fun to use, I am more likely to take the 3 seconds to mince my garlic with the garlic twist (as opposed to just skipping the garlic, which I often do) than I am to mince with the knife. Yeah for worthless gadgets.

On vegetable peelers.

The other day I was reading my free trial issue of Cook's Country Magazine. In their article about cooking broccoli, they mention that in order to peel the stems of broccoli, don't even try using a vegetable peeler. Stick to a knife since most peelers aren't sharp enough for the job. Definitely not the case with my Messermeister vegetable peeler.

In case you don't know me, I like the idea of keeping a minimal kitchen (which unfortunately has not been the case as of late). So, for years I thought that the vegetable peeler fell into the category of unnecessary items. For the occasional times I needed to peel a carrot, I just pulled out my paring knife and took to it. However, at some point I decided that I was ready to invite the peeler into my family of kitchen utensils. I was walking around the Williams-Sonoma in Chicago with my ex-roommate and almost bought the Oxo peeler. However, R pointed me to the messermeister instead. It instantly caught my eye as the blades were actually serrated. Seemed like a very intelligent idea for peeling soft items like tomatoes. On top of that, it peels through thick stalks with ease. Unlike most of my other purchases, I rather impulsively went with the Messermeister without my typical lengthy investigation, but it's definitely a choice I'd make again.