What Do You Think About This?

Monday, March 21, 2016

LotFancy Heat Resistant Silicone BBQ Oven Gloves (Two Orange Gloves)

LotFancy Heat Resistant Silicone BBQ Oven Gloves (Two Orange Gloves)

First, I must disclose that I received my LotFancy Heat Resistant Silicone BBQ Oven Gloves heavily discounted, in exchange for an honest, unbiased, and thorough review. So I initially placed my order for these BBQ oven gloves on March 6, 2016. I received my BBQ oven gloves on March 9, 2016. On Tuesday, March 15, 2016, I decided to fry a large quantity of chicken legs, so this was a great opportunity to test out my LotFancy Heat Resistant Silicone BBQ Oven Gloves. This is because I have an electric turkey fryer that gets up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I will just pause the review for a moment right here because a "picture is worth 1000 words", as the common expression is used.

So this first picture is hot, boiling, cooking oil at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, inside of my electric fryer. The second picture is my LotFancy Heat Resistant Silicone BBQ Oven Gloves, after getting good and soiled from handling hot, greasy, fried chicken. The third picture is me holding the extremely hot, frying basket that just came out of the boiling oil in my electric fryer. Yeah, I was pretty adventurous there. After carefully touching the top of that metal handle on that basket and feeling no heat, I went for it. Another disclosure here: Please be cautious and use your own best judgement when handling scalding liquids, food, and equipment. I didn't plunge my hand down inside of the electric fryer. I cautiously touched that holding handle by carefully inching my hand down to it. After quickly touching, removing my hand back out, and feeling no warmth, that is when I used my own judgment to remove the scalding frying basket with the glove on.

So how do the LotFancy Heat Resistant Silicone BBQ Oven Gloves measure up?

Cons: The gloves were a bit slippery after the chicken grease and soiled in the grooves with chicken crust crumbs. However, this was nothing that a quick, hot soap and water wash up could not fix.
Pros: 1) These gloves are made of silicone, meaning that cooking oil and anything other substance you dirty the gloves up with, will not soak into them and compromise their performance . 2) They are easier to clean when soiled than oven gloves made out of fabric. I know this too because I had a pair of those too. They got soiled too bad and had to be trashed. 3) The LotFancy Heat Resistant Silicone BBQ Oven Gloves did in fact hold up to this test for me. I held a scalding, hot fry basket with scalding chicken, taken out of a 375+ degree electric fryer.

Would I buy these again if I needed to? Absolutely!!!

If you would like to purchase a pair, here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/LotFancy-Resistant-Silicone-Gloves-Orange/dp/B018QLEZ2I

Happy Shopping :)

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Chef Remi Digital Meat Candy Thermometer

First of all, I must disclosed that I received my Chef Remi Digital Meat Candy Thermometer at a heavily discounted priced in exchange for an unbiased, honest review. I placed my order for this item on March 11, 2016, through my Amazon Prime account. I received my thermometer, packaged very well and on time, on Sunday, March 13, 2016. I actually used my Chef Remi Digital Meat Candy Thermometer on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. I decided to fry a mountain of chicken legs, that were more than enough of a quantity to fill up an aluminum roaster pan (the gigantic pans that you purchase at the local dollar store). The chicken legs actually overflowed the pan when cooked. I had to stack them tightly on top of the pan and wrap them with Saran wrap. To cook an amount of chicken legs this large, I used my electric turkey fryer.

As you can see in the sixth picture, that is actually the previous meat thermometer that I would use when I bake, fry, and grill meats. That one is from Goodcook, and it has a needle. I took a picture of that one too so I could have something to compare Chef Remi's thermometer with. So how does Chef Remi's Digital Meat Candy Thermometer stack up? The only possible Con I could even think of is if the battery happens to run out. That really wouldn't be much of a problem though because the thermometer comes with a fresh LR44 cell battery installed for you. Moreover, the thermometer shuts itself off after 10 minutes of use. If the battery were to stop working, you can find LR44 cell batteries at the local dollar store.

Now for the Pros. For anyone that has ever grilled meat, have you ever had to fight off a big cloud of smoke while waiting for a needle thermometer to read? I have, and you have to stab and run. I can tell you that with Chef Remi's digital thermometer, I got an instant read. As I was taking my fried chicken out of the fryer, I got a 208+ degree read in Fahrenheit. That chicken was almost boiling, so I knew it was good and done. If you know the proper temperatures for different meats, the instant digital read will immediately let you know if you food is done with no doubts. This brings us to another pro, which is that you can change the degree settings on the digital thermometer to my preferred Fahrenheit, or to Celsius. The thermometer also comes in a hard, plastic carrying case with a hanging lanyard/carrying strap. My tablet took a blurry picture unfortunately, but there is also an adorable cartoon Chef Remi on the case. I thought that was cute. I love that you can keep the thermometer in its protective case, because I do have a small child. The tip of the thermometer is very sharp. The case is stylish but practical, another pro.

So for the big question, would I purchase Chef Remi's kitchen tools? Yeah! You bet I would! His digital thermometer out-performed the one with the needle that I was previously using. I would have to wait a minute or two to get an accurate read and still slice my meat to the bone, out of sheer paranoia.

If you would like to try the Chef Remi Digital Meat Candy Thermometer, I will place the link below.

Happy Shopping :)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RV3QAKS

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

QCAN Plus Fermented Soy Beverage

I filled out a sample form for QCAN Plus, and received my sample on February 11, 2016. I received a "Follow Up" email from the company on 2/17/2016.

Copied and Pasted from My Email:
Your health is your most important asset.

Greetings,

We hope you enjoyed sampling our Highly Nutritious Q-CAN Plus! If we may take a moment of your time, to acquire your thoughts on our beverage.

Did you enjoy sampling Q-CAN? Please express your thoughts by replying back to this email.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Best Regards

Qcan service team

Website:QcanSoy.com

So as you can see, BESO Biological Research, Inc. (that's the company that makes the product) seems genuinely concerned about their customers.

Now the company's claim is that the soy is fermented for the body to better absorb its nutrients. Again from their website, "Q-CAN Plus® is a fermented soybean beverage that is made with real USDA certified Organic Soybeans. The fermentation process breaks down beneficial soybean nutrients into a nutritious beverage and a part of a balanced diet." More information can be found on it at http://qcansoy.com/.

This was my reply to them a few minutes ago:

"Hi,

First of all, I would like to thank you for sending me a full sized, sample of your product. Some companies just don't do that. I received your product on February 11, 2016. I followed the directions on the bottle, until I used your product up. In my opinion, the flavor was a little weird. I loved the coffee and milk flavor, as I am a serious coffee lover. However, you do get a hint of the fermented soy with every sip too. That wasn't so bad, but burping it back up was. Unfortunately, I have a serious problem with GERD. Everyday that I drank your product, I was burping those flavors constantly. Those coffee, milk, and fermented soy flavors really conflict each other in a burp. Your customer service is great, but your product does not seem to agree with my digestive system.

Sincerely,

Taka

So there, you have my review. I don't like giving negative reviews on a product but that is life. The QCAN Plus caused me heartburn and didn't agree with me. Would I use this again? No. Could others find it beneficial? Yes.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Go Picnic's Ready to Eat Meals: Turkey, Stick, & Crunch Meal and Beef, Cheese, & Pita Chips Meal.

I emailed a company called Go Picnic on 2/1/2016. I told them how I wanted to make healthier snacking choices for my family and me. I also expressed my interest in their products. I kindly asked for samples and they obliged. Go Picnic makes ready-to-eat meals that do not require refrigeration. I received from them a Turkey, Stick, and Crunch Meal and a Beef, Cheese, and Pita Chips Meal.

The Turkey, Stick, & Crunch Meal

They sent me a Turkey Stick, and Crunch Meal that contained 2 hardwood-smoked turkey snack sticks (0.5 oz. each), Barbeque Popchips (0.4oz.), Tropical %100 Fruit Peel-a-Part (0.7 oz.), Tutti Fruiti fruit & seed blend (0.63 oz.), and a Chocomallocrispie chocolately rice crisp bar (0.49 oz.). The meal was 77g and 270 calories for one serving. The turkey sticks were well seasoned and had that deep smoky flavor. The Barbeque Popchips were light and airy, unlike regular potato chips, but good. The Tropical %100 Fruit Peel-a-Part was not too sweet. It actually tasted like natural fruit with no added sweeteners. It was a bit chewy, sticky, and tart, but good. The Tutti Fruiti fruit & seed blend was the second best part of this meal to me, besides the turkey sticks. It was a mixture of dried fruit such as pineapple, banana chips, cranberries, raisins, roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), and cherries. It was so good. Last was the Chocomallocrispie chocolately rice crisp bar. I tasted the chocolate and gooey-ness of the bar. It was good, but not as enjoyable as the dried fruit and nut mix. So if I had to rank what was in the box, it would go like this: turkey sticks; Tutti Fruiti fruit & seed blend; Barbeque Popchips; and Chocomallocrispie chocolately rice crisp bar. I was not full, but I was satisfied after eating this meal. There was also a Sudoku puzzle inside of the box and I love those!

The Beef, Cheese, & Pita Chips Meal

The Beef, Cheese, and Pita Chips Meal contained 2 beef sticks (0.5 oz. each), Copper Cowbell Gourmet Creamy Classic Herb cheese spread (0.75 oz.), Little Bread Hen multigrain pita chips (1 oz.), Sweet Perry Orchards Cashew Medley fruit & nut mix ( 0.62 oz.), and Professor Zim Zam's Extraordinary Sweets Nillamallocrispie vanilla rice crisp bar (0.49 oz.). This meal was 94g and 360 calories for one serving. The beef sticks were well seasoned but tasted like any other beef sticks. The prize of this meal was the multigrain pita chips with the gourmet cheese spread. I really enjoyed that part of the meal. I also enjoyed the cashew and fruit medley mix. I love cashews. The mix also contains Greek yogurt chips, dried cranberries, and raisins, a really good combination. Last was the Nillamallocrispie vanilla rice crisp bar. I really enjoyed this too. It was a bit sweet though. It had my sweet tooth tap dancing. If I had to rank what was in this box, it would go like this: Little Bread Hen multigrain pita chips with Copper Cowbell Gourmet Creamy Classic Herb cheese spread; Sweet Perry Orchards Cashew Medley fruit & nut mix; beef sticks; and Nillamallocrispie vanilla rice crisp bar. I did get full with this meal. And again, there was a Sudoku puzzle inside of the box.

The Big Question

Would I do business with this company? YOU BET!!! I have already been on their website. I loved the meals and I know my family will too.

Here is their website link: http://www.gopicnic.com/
Happy Shopping :)

Friday, March 4, 2016

One of My Reviews From My Facebook Group "Taka's Free Samples, Discounts, & Product Review (Week of 2-1-16 through 2-7-16).

"So the first thing I'm reviewing this week is my "aunt flo care package. " This included TENA pads, OB tampons, a coupon to get another free box of OB tampons, a TENA coupon, and AVC Cramp Cure.

1) AVC Cramp Cure- I purposely skipped pain meds/aspirin to see if it was some science behind this AVC cramp cure. After all, if it is supposed to cure "Charlie Horses" it should be able to cure "those cramps" too. I started chugging down and this stuff is SOUR/SPICY. It tasted like something you would lightly sprinkle in a salad, NOT DRINK! After trying to regain my breath, I finished it off and got in bed. To my surprise, I did notice within about 5 minutes that my cramps were taken down a couple of notches. They went from me writhing in pain to being mild and tolerable. The relief is much shorter term than popping an aspirin though.

2) O.B. Pro Comfort Regular Tampons- I am a '"pro applicator" girl, so I wasn't too crazy about trying these but said "they're free." Surprisingly, these were easier to use than fiddling with applicators. The downside is that applying them are "messy". Also, I should have gotten plus. I went through them. Final opinion, easier to apply and more comfortable but messy...vigorous hand-washing!!!

3) TENA- These double for pantliners and leaks. I love them. The only downfall is that they move...no wings. They are better for small leaks and not so much for "aunt flo."

Quest Bars are another thing I tried this week.

4) 2 Quest Nutrition Bars-The flavors were chocolate chip cookie and cookies and creme. I ate one for breakfast and it kept me full for a few hours. (No gluten, 20g carbs, 14g fiber, 9g fat, & <1g sugar) The cookies and creme was my favorite. They contain Stevia though. For anyone not familiar with Stevia, it is a sugar substitute that tastes sweet as you eat it, but leaves a bit of a bitter aftertaste. My daughter spit her piece out because of this. I also don't like scientific names in my food: Sucrolose, Soluable Corn Fiber, Erythritol, & Calcium Carbonate. The bars were still yummy though.

I also used my Epionce Skin Care samples this week.

5) Epionce Skin Care- I was skeptical but this skin care system Amazed me!!! I have very, very dry skin due to using Retin-A cream for really bad acne when I was a teen. My skin will peel and crack if I don't moisturize. it also will have a rough texture, especially on that ezcema patch on my face. After one day of using the system of the Gentle Foaming Cleanser, Intense Defense Serum, Lytic Tx, & Renewal Facial Lotion, I felt and saw a drastic change in my skin. The formulas were gentle on my skin and do not have an overpowering fragrance. Epionce gets people with extremely dry skin like me!!!!

If you like to sample free stuff join me at Taka's Free Samples, Discounts, & Product Review on Facebook. See you there.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/938364149604718/

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=965925816820709&set=gm.949663975141402&type=3&theater

Kim's Simple Meals Organic Homestyle Burger

First of all, I would like to disclose that I received this product for free, in exchange for a thorough and honest product review. So after long and thorough searching, I was finally able to find a Sprouts Farmers Markets in NE Piedmont, Atlanta. It was quite the road-trip and my children and me enjoyed our first shopping trip there. That's where I had to purchase the product. So, I just prepared this product today. It's Kim's Simple Meals Organic Homestyle Burger. As the instructions on the box say, you just add water and cook it. So when I opened the box, I saw an oat-like (oatmeal looking) mixture that smelled like barbecue potato chips. You could really smell the seasonings in it. You have to add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water to the mixture and let it sit until it is firm (a few minutes). it was gooey a bit like oatmeal too as I made the patties. I was able to form 2 monster sized patties, which I had to cook for 15 minutes on both sides. I love meat, but I have tried vegan products. The oatmeal texture had me worried until the patties were cooked. Kim nailed the taste! Once the cooked patties are put into a bun with added toppings, you almost get that illusion that you are eating a burger. You most certainly get that taste too. However, the texture is somewhat grainy and you can tell that you are not eating meat. It is close though. The first bite gives you the illusion that you are eating a burger until you begin to chew. You feel the grains and texture that is not quite like meat. Would I purchase this again? It's possible but not on a regular basis. It did satisfy my burger craving though. It was delicious but again, I could tell that it was not meat. The texture was off a bit. If there is someone that has been taken off of beef and red meat, this is definitely a healthier option. It's hearty and will satisfy you as if you ate a burger. I know vegans will absolutely love this. Honestly, I still prefer the meaty version. I didn't get the juices and firmness of biting a meat patty.

Oreos: My Sweet Tooth Salivates Just Thinking about Them

First of all, I have to disclose that I won the chance to be an Oreo Chatterbox, meaning that I got some free Oreos. It was great to win an Oreo Chat Pack because this is one of my favorite childhood cookies. So in my Chat Pack was a coupon to receive a free pack of Oreo cookies, and four nice coupons to give to a friend. Those coupons were save $1.50 of two packs of Oreos. Kroger's is my closest participating store, so that's where I went to pick up my Oreos. I decided to share my coupons with family members so we could have an Oreo party. I have a household of six, so one pack of Oreos is a tease. This is especially so when three of my children are teenagers. So my husband, my four children, additional family, and me attended our Oreo party. The flavors purchased were Lemon, Red velvet, Mint, Birthday Cake, & Cinnamon Bun. The additional packs were repeat flavors taken home by family members. Everyone's opinions were different on how the flavors rank but since I'm doing the review this is mine: Regular Oreos will always have their special place in my heart because those are the ones I grew up on. Out of the ones that were bought and tasted: Red Velvet wins; Lemon is a close second; Mint is third; Birthday Sprinkles are fourth; & Cinnamon Bun is last. They are all good though. The important thing is that family was together making fun memories, and you can't beat that.