Problem:

I work at a small office where no one else drinks coffee. I don’t like having to brew a cup of coffee at home and then twice more each day at the office.

Solution:

Make a big pot of coffee at home and pour the rest of the coffee into a high quality coffee thermos that retains heat and keeps it fresh.

Reality:

Thermos Review

Not all coffee thermoses are created equal. I’ve tried about 4 or 5 different brands of thermoses over the last few years. I’ve tried Insulated Coffee Thermoses, Insulated Stainless Steel Coffee Thermoses. My latest is called a, Vacuum Stainless Steel Coffee Thermos by Liquid Solutions. Below is my comparison of all of the thermoses that I’ve tried at the office in the last 6 years. Below each brand, you can compare my own experience and opinions with other user reviews. Also, you will see where you can save a few bucks by buying your next thermos online from Amazon.

Here is how I rate the following Thermoses. Read the rest of this entry

Cookware Review

Stainless Steel Pan

If you're like me, you're tired of searching for not-stick cookware every 3-years. Stainless Steel Pots and Pans are very expensive. Knowing that my cookware is going to get banged up, scratched and lose it's protective non-stick coating after 2-3 years, I wouldn't mind paying a little more to get a set of pots and pans that will hold up a little longer. Consider this review on Stainless Steel Pots and Pans a work in progress. I intend to continue to research what's best for my needs in my own kitchen and update the content on the stainless steel pots and pans. There are some Teflon, and non-stick pans in this group, as I feel they do have some redeeming features, as well.
For this review, I will be researching All Clad Cookware Sets, Calphalon Tri Ply Stainless, Bialetti, T-Fal, Mirro Cookeware and Kitchenaid Cookware. Pots and Pans have always been a sticky subject with me (excuse the pun). I want cookware that is not only durable and non-sticking, but convenient, easy to handle, cook with and clean. Let's see how these brands of stainless steel pots and pans stack up against each other.

All Clad Cookware Sets

All Clad Cookware Sets

If All Clad Cookware sets look very expensive it is because – well, they are very expensive. You can expect to drop close to a grand for a 14-piece All Clad Cookware set. However, you can find the 10-piece sets for much, much cheaper, below. All Clad Cookware is made from shiny Stainless Steel with an aluminum layer in-between to help conduct heat. The advantages to All Clad stainless steel cookeware, or any stainless steel pots and pans for that matter, are beauty, durability and consistently even cooking temperatures. There are a few disadvantages to stainless steel besides the price tag. I’ve been told by some user of All-Clad Products that they don’t like having to use an oven mitt for the stainless steel lid handles. Because the aluminum middle layer conducts heat, the lids get darn hot! Touching the handle of the lid while it’s cooking is like touching the bottom of the hot pan! This doesn’t bother me too much because I quite often use a Cast Iron Pan to cook and am used to being careful with the handle. One of the other disadvantages of All Clad Cookware is that stainless steel takes a little more effort to clean. Supposedly there are some products out there to make cleaning easier. One final complaint, and for me, it’s a biggie: I absolutely cannot stand the rivets which fasten the handle on the inside of the cookware. We purchased a cheaper set of T-Fal last year that has these rivets. Food tends to stick on them and they are a real nuisance to clean. Is there not a better way to fasten the handle on such an expensive set of cookware? Besides the few complaints I’ve mentioned, All Clad Stainless Steel pots and pans are definitely on my recommended list for long term, beautiful cookware. Read the rest of this entry