Kitchen Gear Video Review: Happy Moon Chef's Knife

Want to buy one for yourself? You can snag a Happy Moon Chef's Knife on Amazon. 

We were provided this item free of charge in exchange for a review. All opinions are our own and we promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Essential Gear: AYL Silicone Cooking Gloves

AYL, which I learned stands for "Accessorize Your Life," was kind enough to send us* a pair of their wildly popular silicone cooking gloves to put through their paces. While silicone cooking gloves have been around for a while, AYL's gloves have a new trick up their sleeve--or up their glove, if you want to get technical. Instead of sticky, sweat-inducing silicone on the inside as well, the AYL gloves have a soft, heat-resistant cotton liner, which not only feels better on your hands but improves your grip as your fingers don't slide around inside the gloves.

I used the AYL gloves while cutting corn kernels off hot cobs and moving racks of baby back ribs from the smoker to the grill, and they were great! Gloves help you retain the dexterity needed to handle knives, tongs, or whatever your cooking weapon of choice, and with free fingers and the gloves' textured surface, I found it easy to keep the corn cobs steady while I carefully freed them of their kernels. And because the gloves are silicone, they don't get saturated when handling wet foods. Cleaning barbeque sauce off was easy with a soapy brush (just take care not to get water inside the glove while cleaning).

For a going rate of $18 on Amazon, the AYL Silicone Cooking Gloves are a no-brainer and a must-have in anyone's kitchen.

Get your set of AYL Silicone Cooking Gloves from Amazon: AYL Silicone Cooking Gloves

*We always strive to provide you with an objective, unbiased review, even when items are provided to us free of charge.

Product Review | Double-Walled Serafino Glasses

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

It's only mid-May, and it's already hotter than blazes in Atlanta. But it's grilling season, so I head out to the patio, mop my brow and complain about the humidity. Fortunately, I can keep an ice cold beverage with me at all times thanks to my double-walled Serafino glasses which keep liquids at the ideal temperature whether hot or cold.

These cups are made of durable borosilicate glass, which is unaffected by heat and shatter resistant -- perfect when you have a handsy toddler around! I doubt it could withstand her throwing it on the ground, but at least a nudge shouldn't do these in. The Serafino glasses are microwave and freezer safe and come with a one year warranty to boot.

The double wall design keeps your beverage within the inner wall, so you don't get sweaty drinks that leave rings on your tables. I can't even think of drinking a hot beverage right now, but if that's your thing, this glass will be cool to the grip even when filled with hot coffee. These are fairly large sized glasses, and while their curvey. double-walled shape is attractive, I wouldn't bust these out at a dinner party. They're more of an everyday casual dining option.

When I poured myself a cold glass of water with no ice, just the way I like it, I was impressed to find that my water was pleasantly cool even an hour later despite the high temperatures outside. As of today they sell on Amazon for $34.95 for a set of 4.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Quick & Easy Weeknight Dining: Tasty Bite Product Review

When I was originally asked if I'd be interested in trying Tasty Bite, a brand that sells quick-to-prepare Asian and Indian vegetarian/vegan meals, I said yes. Not because it sounded tasty (it didn't), but because I'm not one to turn down something for free. They lost me at vegetarian and double lost me at microwavable packaged foods.

Turns out I'm a snob for no good reason, though, because these suckers are good! Normally I turn my nose up at vegetarian food because I'm a carnivore at heart, and I can't imagine being satisfied with just vegetables. I especially hate food imitating other food, so no tofu for me. But these dishes aren't imitating anything. They offer Indian and Asian entrees, noodles and rice dishes that tasted surprisingly similar to what you'd get at a restaurant, and I was satisfied even without meat.

I rarely eat packaged foods because they're all too often stuffed with all sorts of gross ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or unpronounceable additives. But that's not at all the case with the all-natural Tasty Bite line. Want Channa Masala, an Indian Chickpea dish? It's made with just Onions, Water, Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Sunflower Oil, Coriander, Salt, Spices, Chilies, Bay Leaf, Turmeric. Just like you'd do at home if you had way more time on your hands. 

When it came to taste, I had seriously low expectations. So low that I let my sister try one of the packs first, Madras Lentils. When she started raving about them and asking where she could get more, I realized I might be missing out on something.

So one night when I couldn't figure out what to make, I threw together the Thai Lime Rice and the Channa Masala not even caring that it was Asian and Indian. 90 seconds later, I was eating a very flavorful dish, no effort required. Can't beat that after a long day at work! I usually avoid convenience eating because it leads to pigging out on pizza or settling for sandwiches for dinner, but these bad boys were tasty and felt like I was eating "real" food instead of processed junk. On another night, the Mr. checked out the Asian Toasted Sesame Noodles and had the same reaction. You can find more options here and a smaller selection at local Costcos and Whole Foods.

So I stand corrected, and I would highly recommend Tasty Bite to anyone who enjoys Asian and Indian flavors but doesn't always have time to whip up something from scratch or head to a restaurant.