Sometimes I get so excited about a product that I have to review it before I even try it. After some exhaustive research on electric meat grinders, I just ordered the Tasin TS-108.
I am looking forward to this as much as a kid looks forward to a Playstation 3 for Christmas. One of the top reasons I chose this particular electric meat grinder over all the others is that it seemed to the very favorite of those who are actually using it for my very same purpose: Making homemade, raw cat food or dog food. I viewed a very detailed video demonstration of how this meat grinder could be used to make a raw cat food recipe with the same ingredients I wished to use. (You can view this You Tube Video of the TS-108 in action at the bottom of the page). As demonstrated by the video, this electric meat grinder makes quick work of whole cuts of meat and bones. The Tasin TS-108 easily handles and grinds-up the bones in raw meat like turkey, chicken, hen and other poultry products. This is perfect for making a delicious raw food recipe for cats or dogs. Dogs and cats need the nutrients from the bones and skin on raw meet. We tried buying our own raw cat food in a brand called, Rad Cat. This is an excellent product, but shipping, handling and the middle men who bring it to the pet stores make it cost prohibitive  as a long term solution for feeding our two cats. I knew there was a better way, but it would require a high quality electric meat grinder to make it possible. Of all of my research, the Tasin TS-108 comes on top for a few reasons:
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The Tassimo vs Keurig Single Cup Show Down

Single Cup Brewer

This Tassimo vs Keurig Single Cup Coffee maker showdown is a result of my life-long desire to enjoy the best tasting coffee at home without the muss, fuss, mess and expenses of a fancy Starbucks Type Heavy Duty coffee brewer or without having to drive to a Starbucks and wait in line behind phony coffee drinkers. Haven't you ever wished you could just make just one 8 ounce cup of really hot, strong coffee at home without having to wait in line behind those sweet-drink fake-o coffee foo-foo snobs ordering their latte with half-and-half and just a splash of this and that with nutmeg and whipped cream, etc, etc? You only want a good, strong hot cup of coffee and you're willing to pay $1.68 - $2.50 for it, depending on whether or not it's sized as a Tall, Grande or Vente. Well, would if you could make a cup of coffee just as hot, fresh and strong for 1/3rd the price. Well, this is what the Tassimo vs Keurig single cup coffee makers claim they can do.

To be honest, I’ve never thought much of single-cup brewers. I used to think, “So, they brew one cup of coffee at a time? What’s the big deal with that? “Well, my recent visit at the Philadelphia Loews Hotel last week changed my mind completely. In our room was a Keurig Single Cup Brewer, with an assortment of Coffees, Teas and Hot Chocolate K-Cups. I’ve heard the constant bickering of the Tassimo vs Keurig debates, but what I didn’t understand was how convenient these single cup brewers are and perfect for a Hotel stay.
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Does a French Coffee Press Make Better Tasting Coffee?

French Coffee Press

I used to think a French Coffee Press was just another one of those snobby marketing ideas. As I quite often do, I’ve changed my mind a bit on the Coffee Press method of brewing coffee as I’ll explain in this review. First, a little history about how a French Press Coffee maker ended up in my home: I bought my, 8-Cup Bodum coffee press about 15 years ago when I started drinking Starbucks Coffee. For many years, I didn’t like Starbucks Coffee. In fact, I only drank light roasted coffees. I thought the Starbucks Dark roasted coffees tasted smoky and lacked the richness of lighter roasts. It wasn’t until I actually went into a Starbucks Store and ordered a regular cup of coffee that I got a new found appreciation for their darker, cream tasting roasts. The home coffee makers just don’t do a decent job. One: home coffee brewers don’t make it hot enough. Two, home coffee brewers don’t extract the flavor of the dark coffee grinds. Because the darker grinds are well roasted, the window for unlocking their flavor is extremely critical So, one day about 15 years ago, I asked my Starbucks store representative what kind of coffee maker it would take to get the coffee to taste as good at home as it does the store. They showed me a Bodum French coffee press and I bought it on the spot. Why? Read the rest of this entry

Hansgrohe Metro Faucet

American Standard Faucets

To understand why my wife and I were in the market for a Gooseneck Pull Down Kitchen Faucet, a little history is in order: Number one, our old, Arwa Kitchen Faucet with the pull-out sprayer was leaking from the inside. It needed to be replaced and good riddance!. The Arwa Faucet came with the house along with our Kindred Sink, and while it looked nice it was a nuisance. I replaced the cartridge on it couple of years ago and finding service for it was next to impossible. I had to do a Google image search just to identify the unfamiliar brand, Arwa. I was fortunate enough to locate an exact match of the image on Google and called the service center in Tucson for a $29 replacement cartridge. I never felt comfortable dealing with a kitchen faucet that cannot be purchased or serviced locally. While I liked the faucet overall, I didn’t care for its low height clearance which made cleaning big pots and pans more of a challenge in our deep sink. The attached hand sprayer was powerful, nice and convenient, but wouldn’t it make more sense to have a pull-down sprayer in a large, deep sink? Yes, it would. A gooseneck faucet with a pull down sprayer would be the perfect solution. Delta and American Standard Faucets sounded like good brands to look for, so I set out to find one. You’re probably wondering how I got my hands on two different brands of Kitchen Faucets for review in such a short time.  Before I begin ranting and raving about American Standard Faucets, let me tell you about removing the old Kitchen Faucet.
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What is the Best Coffee Grinder?

Is the best coffee grinder the one that lasts forever or the one that you wish would last forever?  The very first coffee been grinder I ever owned was a Christmas gift from my father-in-law 25 years ago. This small, electric Krups Coffee Bean Grinder still works as good as it did since the first day we used it. It is the best coffee grinder based on reliability. This is amazing considering the number of times I overfilled the small storage bin and had to use a thin knife to pry it open. Once coffee is ground in an overfilled grinder, they tend to become very hard to open. This problem lends itself to analyzing the second part of my opening statement. Is my highly durable coffee bean grinder one of those appliances I wish would last forever? I can't say that it is for one reason: It is too small. Don't get me wrong; our Krups Coffee Bean Grinder is plenty big enough to grind enough beans for one, 12-Cup Pot of Coffee. The problem is that over the years, the novelty of grinding beans prior to brewing a pot of coffee has worn a little thin with me. I'm a little bit tired of having to scoop beans into the coffee grinder, plug it into the kitchen wall outlet then make a tremendous amount of noise grinding them for the next 30 seconds while people are trying to watch television in the adjoining den. My favorite coffee is still the "Roasted by Starbucks" brand at Costco which comes only in the whole bean variety. I would prefer it if were pre ground and I could simply use my air-tight canisters to keep it fresh. Once the bag of coffee beans is already open, I don't see how it can be kept any fresher. I'd prefer to grind larger batches of coffee beans at a time. I also get a little bit sick of having to plug the coffee grinder into the wall, then deal with wrapping up the messy cord. As I've mentioned before, I loathe electric cords and cables. Unfortunately, the Braun is a well made indestructible coffee maker which has never given me enough reason to replace it. While I've tolerated all of these years, I started wondering if there was a bigger, larger Industrial or Commercial Coffee Grinder that would grind an entire bag of coffee at one time? Or, perhaps there is a battery or hand crank coffee grinder that could make the job at least more convenient, if not easier. Sounds like it's time for a review on Coffee Bean Grinders. Best Coffee Grinder? Here are a few of the popular brands and models. I've also included some of the other types; hand crank coffee grinder, battery coffee grinder, etc.. If you're looking for cheap coffee grinders, they will be covered at the very end of this review and the results may surprise you. The Best Coffee Grinder is not the most expensive. Read the rest of this entry