Product Reviews {CSN Stores, Blendtec and Ulimana}

Right after our recent move I discovered that there were a few things missing in our kitchen--I forgot to pack our kettle, my salad spinner broke, I forgot my rolling pin... the list can go on.  That had never happened to me before and the situation needed to be remedied quickly.  I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, we eat a ton of greens and drink a lot of tea.

Fortunately for us, CSN stores contacted me and offered to do a product review.  Originally I was like a kid in a candy store and wanted to try NEW gadgets, but then I remembered my dim situation... so I was even more excited to go shopping for items I really needed and see if they would be something that I could recommend to friends, family, clients and readers.  So I got 3 items from CSN stores that I will review today [btw, I found it pleasant yet almost overwhelming shopping at CSN stores because they have SOOO many choices!  But who would complain about that?!]

First, I got myself a kettle.  There were so many to choose from and I was tempted to go for something that looked absolutely unusual [that would be me], but at the end of the day I wanted something functional, simple and easy to clean.  So I picked Aroma 1.5-Liter Stainless Steel X-Press Water Kettle

I am very happy with the product.  It has a self-shut-off function.  I pour water into it, turn the kettle on and go about doing whatever tasks might be at hand.

Next I needed a salad spinner... BADLY!  I don't like having water in my salad, except what is already in my greens.  So, I picked the cutest, largest spinner I could find: Chef'N Salad Spinner Meringue with Arugula Basket.  Hello,  beautiful!

Not only is it cute [a must in my kitchen :)], but it is very functional.  The handle, unlike the other two spinners I had [one was a little cranking handle I had to circle around and it would get stuck once in a while, making horrible noises, the other one had a large handle releasing to the top [very high] and turned out to be too tall for me when it was on a counter] the handle on this spinner releases only a couple of inches up and requires very little effort to press down.  In addition to that there is a little handy STOP button that can be pressed if you decided you got all the water out and don't want to wait for the spinner to come to a stop on its own.  Both, I and my husband, give this spinner two thumbs up!  My only desire would be for even a bigger size of the same model.

I heard about it before but surely have not tried it.  I primarily got it out of curiosity.  I found it to be functional and even fun to use, but only on bigger, round items, such as apples, or large potatoes.  I am a bit too scared to use it on smaller items, unless I really take the time to watch where the blade is.  So, I could give it only 3.5 stars. 

Overall I am a very happy girl with my new toys.  I now have more things on my wish-list that I am still missing :)

Thank you, CSN stores! [BTW, CSN stores sell all kind of things: kitchen gadgets, furniture, lighting and even modern rugs, so check them out.]

Next I will move on to something even more exciting. 

For a long time I had be more than curious to check out Blendtec Total Blender.  My friends used it and spoke highly of it.  I had my first [blender] love--VitaMix, but a girl like me likes options.  I felt so blessed when I heard from the Blendtec team who offered for me to do a product review and then to either keep the blender or to give it away.  YEAH!
I loved the wide base of the container.  With the width of it I required no temper as I do with Vita occasionally to push items down when making smoothies or soups.  However, something like a temper could be helpful for more solid ingredients, like nuts, to keep ingredients going.

In the first month of having Blendtec we used it over 200 times [yes, that is true].  The blender is one of the best and is great for high quality, high speed blending.  At the end of the day, however, I already did have a great blender that I adore, and I wanted to make someone else a happy healthy eater.  I found the right person to give the blender to, when we moved--my very own dear, 81-year old mother.  It was so easy for me to teach her how to blend her own soups and fruit drinks by pointing out a few useful, pre-programmed buttons--no English required!  It was awesome to see her pull it out and make fresh, healthy foods that did not have to be cooked to be soft [Mom has dentures, so hard foods are out of the question for her].  So, this wonderful machinery found a deserving home, and I found another favorite gadget.

Lastly, and deliciously so, I wanted to brag on raw truffles sent to me by Ulimana company.  I got a little sample packet and had to split it with the people I love.

We all liked every single truffle and were SAD to see them melt away in our delighted mouths.  Even my non-vegan, milk-loving Mom was smacking her lips with delight.  TWO THUMBS UP, Ulimana!

Great products!  And great day to you all!