Silicone to Save the Chef’s Day

by Alison - on February 25th, 2013

I just learned some quick facts about silicone. It withstands heat of up to 500°. It is virtually resistant to oxygen, ozone and UV light. It can be created to conduct electricity. Microbes cannot grow on silicone. Thanks Wikipedia. After understanding factoids like that I get why silicone has become a go-to product for kitchen tools. We found a few on Solutions.com that make all the sense in the world.

One of the ongoing debates about plastic bags and plastic food containers is the toxicity of them when heated and their effectiveness as food cooking devices. Knowing what I now know about silicone I say every pro and amateur chef should invest in one or more Silicone Cooking Bags. Available for $19.98, these eco-friendly containers hold about 4.5 cups of liquid or food. The sliding lock gives you a leakproof seal. Then pop it in the microwave, hot water or freezer. It can handle both extremes. And once you are done drop it in the dishwasher for easy cleanup.  Another silicone savior is the $24.98 roasting laurel. If you have ever cooked a turkey you know that quest of getting air underneath it. Roasting pans work, otherwise you have to build that pile of vegetables to create some space. Or if you try to bake stuffed vegetables and keep them upright in the process you probably have a need for this device. And obviously it is easy to store and can be put in the dishwasher. I say, yeah for silicone!

Remotely Control Your Home

by Alison - on February 27th, 2013

Did your grandparents have a light timer in their living room? I think many did. Back when burglaries were fewer and farther between it made sense. Unfortunately crime is on the rise. (I’ll resist going on a political tangent) Burglars are much smarter. So we the home owners/dwellers must better prepare our domiciles. House sitters have become a popular option. Or maybe your neighbor stops by to turn lights off and on. Smarthomes enable remote control of many items in the home. But not all of us can afford a True Smarthome (or can’t retro fit ours).

Announced yesterday at Mobile World Congress, and covered by CNN, in Barcelona is a solution to use our everyday technological capabilities when it comes to remote household control. The BeeWi Mobot will make your grandparent’s timer look archaic! At its simplest the device is a power socket. Plug your light, appliance or gadget in however, and Mobot takes over the control. Multiple Mobots in the home can communicate via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, with  master Mobot also having a SIM card installed. This, of course, means the master Mobot communicates with the outside world via iOS app (no mention of Android yet). Voila. You can control the full gamut of Mobot connected devices from anywhere in the world. Change the lighting while you are away from home. Pop on the TV to entertain the dog. Turn the TV off as a reminder of teenagers about bedtime. Start the washer while on your way home from work. Or scare the heck out of family that may be home! In addition to controlling power on devices, Mobot offers a motion detector which texts you after movement in the house or you can set it up to turn lights on when you walk in. BeeWi anticipates launch later this year at about $195 (£130) for a master and $80 (£50) per additional plug. Sure it is an investment, but for control and awareness of activities at home it should be worth the money.