Corelle: A Quality Made Dinnerware

Posted by Catur Setiawan | 9:10 AM | , , , | 0 comments »

Corelle is one of the famous brands of dinnerware that is both of the highest standard and affordable. The various product lines and pattern styles of Corelle can showcase the different ambiance you can set for your home.

Dinnerware is a set of dishes that includes serving pieces and drinking vessels. One of the recognized brands of dinnerware worldwide is Corelle. It is popularly known for its strength and durability. Their quality glass dinnerware is noted to be break and chip resistant. It is made through a hub lamination process, having three-layers of glass bonds. This kind of process produces a durable, lightweight and multi-layered dinnerware.


Corelle dinnerware features an affordable and yet attractive product. It is a wonderful achievement of the Corning Glass Works R and D scientists. Moreover, it is easy to clean, just as it is fade resistant, microwave and oven safe at about 350 degrees. The unique enamel is made up of lasting decorations. This is since it has become a part of the glass during the whole process.

Corelle dinnerware usually consists of 2 glass compositions, namely the core and the glaze. It is thermally bonded. It forms its shapes and tempers with the glass, making the patterns stand for a long time. Lamination on the product makes it much stronger than the usual individual components.

All products are sealed with a protective wax coating which can easily be removed. Thus, Pressware Manufacturing in Corning produces up to 100 million pieces each year.

Corelle Vitrelle and Vitrelle 2 is also an advanced technological glass material known for its strength and versatility. These products are sold under Corelle Livingware, Corelle Ultra and Corelle Lifestyles. Vitrelle offers a three year warranty against chipping and breaking. This is while stoneware offers a mere one year warranty.

There are six product lines that have different quality variations. This would include Correlle Livingware, Impressions, Square, Lifestyles, Ultra and the Heartstone.

o Livingware - They offer smart and savvy dishes that will impress your dinner guests. They provide a 3 year limited warranty.

o Impressions - This type combines both new trends and timeless traditions, adding elegant experiences to your dining room. Its classic look and pattern assortment will flatter decors and table settings.

o Square - This is the newest innovation designed by Studio Levien of London. It features a square sleek design, along with rounded corners, where in, rims are flared. This timeless featured product also has a 3 year limited break and chip warranty.

o Lifestyles - With cutting edge fashion patterns, this product line will not make you worry about cracks, scratches and stains.

o Ultra - This type is known as virtually unbreakable by Consumer Digest. It has the legendary properties of versatility, along with the heavier weight most people prefer.

o Hearthstone® Stoneware - This type features different designs for a dependable stoneware collection, especially for people who have a casual lifestyle.

Corelle's casual pattern style includes the following:

• Anna - This has a groovy pattern that looks fun and fresh. It perfectly complements the retro trend. It is fabulously designed and follows a color scheme.
• Autumn Mist - This features the falling leaves design, along with soft muted colors of a pure white plate.
• Bahia - This is a casual classic of ocean blue colored scrolls in plain white dinnerware.
• Bamako - This has a traditional round feature at the center, having a sleek square shape plate and rounded corners. It is inspired by ethnic trends, especially for its rich color and texture.
• Bamboo Leaf - This is designed with a nature outing trend of green colors.
• Basketweave - This has a pattern that was influenced by woven handmade baskets, creating a timeless design.
• Bella Vista - This features a festive and hand-painted look for its leaves, along with the golden sunlight and whimsical vines, making it more dynamic.
• Berries and Cherries - This is for the traditional and casual dining of red and blue fruit designs.

Corelle also produced a contemporary set of patterns. It has accents of black, red and grays as its finishing touch. This includes the following:

• 4 dots
• Asian Bloom
• Bay Leaf Green Square
• Blue Diamonds
• Circles
• City Block
• Cumin Orange
• And Chili Red Round

Another traditional pattern, more on having a style with a romantic ambience, includes the following products:

• Abundance
• Antique Linen
• Apple Harvest
• Apricot Groove
• Blue Swirls
• Botanique
• And Boheme

Corelle continuous to become popular because of the high customer satisfaction rating it receives. They aim to further improve as a producer of dinnerware that has lasting durability and quality.

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The Best Professional Cookware

Posted by Catur Setiawan | 10:39 PM | , , | 0 comments »

There are numerous kinds of cookware that offers the most features which is real value for money. These kitchen tools are made up of durable materials for better performance and durability. Some classic cookware offers hand-made craftsmanship with the use of raw materials, which is a good material for cooking, and avoids toxins due to some chemicals used in cooking surfaces.

Cookware is an essential tool for cooking. They are commonly used for food preparation that comes in different types such as saucepans, cooking vessels, frying pans, kitchen knives, and many more.

These kitchen essentials are made of different materials like aluminum, copper, stainless steel, carbon steel, ceramics, glass and a lot more. There are various types of professional cookware available in the market today, which offers a lot of functionality for the cooking professionals.

Here is some of the best cookware available in the market:



Emerilware Stainless Cookware by All Clad

The Emerilware Stainless line by All Clad was designed in combination with Emeril Lagasse, perhaps the most popular chef and television character of our time. The Emeril Stainless Cookware line boasts its solid performance with reasonable prices. The base is made up of stainless steel, which is combined with aluminum and copper for perfect heat conductivity and satisfactory performance. In addition, the base disk is enclosed by an external elegant stainless steel for ease of cleaning and adds perfect resistance to rust. The cooking surface of the pan is made up of a non-reactive stainless steel and also comes with an ergonomic heat resistant handle that is securely mounted to the pan. The lids are made of tempered glass, with a stainless band for easy visibility.

Kuhn Rikon Circolo Cookware

The exclusive Kuhn Rikon Circolo cookware is one of the popular kitchen cookware in the US. This cookware is a perfect companion for the chef because of its perfect performance. The cookware is made of an aluminum core for better heat distribution and high performance. The exterior is made of polished stainless steel and a brushed stainless cooking surface. The handle does not have any interior rivets for easy cleaning. This piece of cookware is safe to put in dishwashers.

Cuisinart Cookware

The Cuisinart Multiclad Pro cookware is one of the famous names in the cookware industry. Cuisinart Multiclad Pro comes with an aluminum core with brushed stainless exterior finish. The cooking surface is made up of the best material that does not discolor. Other Cuisinart Multiclad Pro cookware features include:

•Dishwasher safe
•Cool Grip handle
•Oven safe to 550F
•Tight-fitting lids seal in moisture and nutrients.

Piral Italian Terracotta Cookware

This cookware is an 1870 cookware collection by Piral. This is an excellent classic cookware that is hand crafted using the most honored Italian method of pottery making. The cookware is made of simple combination of Italian clay and water.

By using these raw materials, these kitchen tools offer a healthy cooking experience. Dishes can cooked on even heat and these kitchen essentials offer an alternative way of cooking by avoiding the hazards of by-products or toxins, which are being sucked into the food from the cooking surface. In addition, the glass-like finish makes the item easy to clean and can be used for cooking, food service and food storage as well.

Le Creuset Cookware

The Le Creuset Cookware is another product boasting the French craftsmanship of a hand-finished cookware. The classically-designed cookware can uniquely perform the needs of the most demanding chefs. These products are considered one of the favorites of chefs around the world.

Le Creuset Cookware features:

•Porcelain coated cast iron spreads heat more evenly.
•Can retain heat longer.
•Does not react to acidic foods.
•Tight-fitting lids that gently cooks food while sealing in the flavors.
•Porcelain coated cast iron can be used with nearly all heat sources: electric, induction, gas, and ceramic cover ranges.
•Phenolic handles and knobs are safe in the oven up to 450°Fahrenheit/232°Centigrade.
•Le Creuset can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
The Le Creuset porcelain coated cast iron cookware is guaranteed by a lifetime warranty.

In cooking, it is essential to have the best cookware in order to maintain a perfect cooking experience that will surely result in exciting and delicious food.

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Why do you think many prefer automatic espresso machine for preparing their tasty brew? Simple...it does everything automatically, that is, all by itself without any user intervention. Great...how much time is saved? What these automatic espresso machines do? Grinding of coffee beans, putting them in the hopper, filling and heating the necessary amount of water and finally giving you the best coffee each and every time is what these automatic espresso machines do. You need not worry about preparing coffee anymore. You just have to clean the dishes. How easy! Few automatic espresso machines even fill the hopper with coffee powder for you to use the next time.


It is always a good method to read the automatic espresso machine reviews before you buy them. However, don't read the reviews that are available on the manufacturer's website. In general, manufacturers try to pose that their product is only "the best" in the market. What you have to do is read automatic espresso machine reviews that are written by people who really own such a machine.

These manufacturers will have their own Internet websites where the customers will be allowed to post automatic espresso machine reviews. Here, a customer or a buyer can post both the advantage and disadvantage of owing an automatic espresso machine. This helps the manufacturer to know what really people want and at the same time gives the potential customers an edge about how the espresso machine really works. Merely reading an automatic espresso machine review is not going to help you. Understand the concept and make a thorough analysis based on the automatic espresso machine review that you read. This is what is going to help you in taking the decision.

Key element in any espresso is its grinder as this is what is going to determine the consistency of the coffee. This is the reason why some owners have a grinder separately for this purpose. However, if you have read automatic espresso machine review that is not biased, you would have understood that it is not the grinder that determines the taste of the brew.

Key features in an espresso machine:

Do not stop your research with the manufacturer's website alone. There are other websites that deals with automatic espresso machine reviews. It is worth looking at automatic espresso machine reviews that are posted in different websites when you are going to invest your hard earned money on espresso machines. Make your decision depending on whether the machine has a facility to be connected directly to the water line or you will have to pour water manually or it is possible to do both. You can be well prepared if you know the pros and cons of the automatic espresso machine.

When reading through an automatic espresso machine review read it thoroughly and see if this is what you are looking for in your machine. No machine will have all positive reviews, which is for sure. Don't go for a machine that has only negative reviews. If you are not familiar with various brands that are available in the market, reading through the automatic espresso machine review will give you an idea about various brands along with its pros and cons. This will help you in getting the machine that suits your need as well as fit your pocket.

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Good Fast Food

Posted by Catur Setiawan | 12:10 AM | , , | 0 comments »

A crop of new quick-service restaurants make it easy to enjoy healthy eating outside your home.

By Kirsten Henri

Whole grain breads? Check. Cage-free eggs? Check. Organic veggies, free-range meats and pesticide-free fruits? Check, check and check.

You’ve stocked your fridge and kitchen cabinets with the essentials to encourage your kids to eat healthy. You’ve made sure that they have plenty of options that are good for them and taste good, too.

But then you take them out to eat and what do you get?

Often, it’s kids menus that are overrun with processed chicken nuggets, greasy fries, and macaroni and cheese made with questionable “cheese product.” There’s rarely a vegetable in sight and you can forget about finding anything organic.

Fortunately, smart restaurateurs are catching on to the idea that families want to continue eating healthy when they eat out. Although not all establishments are on top of this trend, we’ve found some forward-thinking restaurants that are.



Burgerville
www.burgerville.com

A restaurant chain that sources its food locally, is environmentally responsible and has a social conscience? We’ll take it! There are 39 Burgerville quick-service restaurants, scattered throughout the Pacific Northwest. We all know that a burger is not the healthiest choice for everyday eating. Nonetheless, these burgers are made with free-range beef that is devoid of antibiotics and hormones; the franchise also serves garden burgers and free-range turkey burgers. All ingredients—from the halibut for the fish and chips to the Tillamook cheese on the cheeseburgers—are locally sourced in the Pacific Northwest.

Burgerville’s kids’ meals are served with either apple slices or fries. Soft drinks cost the same as a glass of milk, which allows parents to make an ordering decision based on ingredients rather than price. Burgerville also makes healthy choices for its employees and for the environment. The company offers no-deductible medical, dental and vision insurance to its hourly employees at the low cost of $30 per family per month. Under this plan, 155 previously uninsured children now have health insurance. As for planet protecting, all used cooking oils are turned into biodiesel and in 2005, all of the chain’s restaurants became 100% wind-powered.

O’Naturals
www.onaturals.com

An impressive food pedigree (co-founder Gary Hirshberg is president and CEO of organic yogurt-maker Stonyfield Farm) and a family-friendly focus make O’Naturals one of our favorites. Ingredients are organic whenever possible and each location sources seasonal produce from local suppliers and farmers. Kids menu offerings include sandwiches like hormone-free turkey or grilled cheese on flatbread, served with your choice of organic milk or juice and carrot sticks with ranch dip. Locations are both child-friendly—dedicated kids sections are stocked with dollhouses and trains—and environmentally conscious, incorporating natural sunflower seed-husk panels and locally salvaged wood into the decor.

Although there are currently only five O’Naturals locations (in Maine, Massachusetts and Kansas), construction has started on a franchise in Orlando, Florida, with four to six more restaurants planned for 2007.

Organic To Go
www.organictogo.com

While it doesn’t specifically cater to kids, Organic To Go has plenty of soups, salads and sandwiches that will satisfy children and parents alike. The first “fast casual” café to be officially certified as an organic retailer by QAI (Quality Assurance International, the leading independent certifier of organics) aims to use 100% organic ingredients in all of its breakfast and lunch items. O To Go serves meats with no hormones, antibiotics or nitrates added, locally grown produce when possible, and always has vegetarian options, like a Thai-style veggie wrap. Items like O To Go’s yogurt parfait and vegetable soups make good, nutrition-packed choices for kids.
With 11 retail locations already on the West Coast, O To Go has big plans for expansion in 2007. Expect to see branches opening in Colorado, Chicago, Texas and soon, farther east, too.

Panera Bread
www.panera.com

Panera’s presence in 37 states makes it a very accessible option. The restaurant’s “white whole grain” bread was developed with kids in mind, particularly those who might be more finicky about the appearance and flavor of regular whole grain breads. The kids menu includes an organic American grilled cheese, antibiotic-free smoked turkey and all-natural peanut butter and jelly, each served with a squeezable tube of organic yogurt and a choice of organic milk, chocolate milk or apple juice.

Other Choices

Whole Foods and Wild Oats
Healthy grocery chains with a national presence offer prepared foods and seating areas. Wild Oats is ramping up its offerings over the next year to include prepared box lunches and more child-friendly items.

Kidfresh

Is Kidfresh the wave of your kids’ dining future? This NYC-based, child-centric café uses organic ingredients and serves portions based on the nutritional needs and caloric content recommended for the ten-and-under set.

Chipotle
A streamlined menu of oversized burritos and taco salads might not be healthiest choice for everyday eating, but Chipotle gets a nod for its careful sourcing of ingredients and made-to-order philosophy. Keep in mind portions are large for little guys and some items are higher in calories and fat.

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How Juice Fasting Changed My Life

Posted by Catur Setiawan | 9:18 AM | , , , | 0 comments »

At sixteen years of age, I began the dangerous journey of exploring psychedelic drugs. A bad L.S.D. trip resulted in daily, excruciating headaches. To deal with the pain, I started to use painkillers, tranquilizers, cannabis and alcohol. Five hazy years of my life were devoted to escaping pain through drugs.

I become more reckless in my drug use. With callous disregard for my life, I injected a syringe full of P.C.P. It was a dangerous dose. This injection severely damaged my kidneys, increasing my pain level. Anger and self-hatred turned to hardened resentment. I hated the world, but I had no one to blame but me.
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Seven years later after my first experience with drugs, I was forced to live with the consequences of the abuse to my body. My short-term memory was nonexistent. My skin was a sickly yellow. I was constantly tired. My kidneys burned with pain, my leg muscles would spasm and ache while standing. As my job required working on ladders for long hours, I lost my job! It was a dark, dismal, depressed and hopeless existence.

Finally, with no other way out, I got down on my knees in prayer and surrendered my life to God. I repented, gave Him my life and asked Christ to enter my heart. At that moment, nothing happened but five hours later the sound of angels rejoicing penetrated deeply into my cold heart. I would never be the same. Everything changed. I had a burning fire inside. I had purpose, meaning and connection for the first time. I started a new exploration of the spiritual world. Joining a Christian youth group, I made new friends who did not use drugs and supported me through my recovery. I used my experience to help others not go down the same path. I spoke before thousands of students in high schools about the dangers of drug abuse and many made commitments to stop using drugs.

Life now had meaning and purpose, but my body and soul were still damaged. I was still sick. Years of drug abuse had devastated my health. When I heard about fasting, I was at the point where I was willing to try anything. I discovered a book called Rational Fasting describing how a dying man had returned to health. Not only had he overcome a fatal illness through a strict vegetarian diet and fasting, his newfound health surpassed the vitality of his youth. For me, the message shouted out hope.

The benefits of juice fasting helped me to feel better physically and mentally

I continued to study and found books on juice fasting. As a teen I had tried water fasting and ended up vomiting over the toilet on the third day. Juice fasting made sense. I bought a cheap juicer and started experimenting. My favorite was cantaloupe juice. Second was honeydew and third was my veggie combination of carrots, apples, lemons, celery and beet. After several short juice fasts of three-to-seven days, over a one-year period, I felt better physically and mentally. The benefits of these short fast encouraged me. I started working out in the gym and eating healthier. My body healed enough to return to work but I was still tired—standing on ladders caused intense pain in my legs.

I went on a thirty-day juice fast

A thirty-day juice fast was the turning point in my life. The first few days were difficult, but as I continued I felt much better. At the twentieth day of the fast, I started working fourteen hours per day at hard, physical labor in the hottest summer weather. I climbed the ladders with ease. My energy level drastically increased.

There were other improvements as the fast went on. I needed less sleep, my mind cleared, and my memory was now functioning. Leg muscles returned to health, and back pain lessened due to the healing of my kidneys, leaving me a virile young man.

The juice fasts changed my life radically

My life radically changed! For the first time in years I was pain free. Instead of suffering, it became a joyous experience. The healing came like water to a parched, drought-stricken heart. The thirty days of fasting on juice was a miracle that changed my life. Not only was my health renewed, but I also experienced vitality, energy and clarity of mind, and the aging process was drastically reduced. Next to becoming a Christian, this fast had the second greatest impact on my life.

To go from sickness to health in 30 days was more than I believed possible. Changes so dramatic demanded answers and that hunger for understanding birthed the writing you now hold in your hand. I wanted to understand why fasting healed so powerfully and how to support that healing through diet. I wanted to help others who had health problems. Although I could not spell or type, and had almost no writing skills, a burning passion kept me going.

My battle with food addiction

After the fast, I faced new challenges. Fasting was easy compared to trying to stay on a healthy diet. My compulsive addictive nature changed forms. My war was now with food. Little did I know this was the start of a five-year war with food addiction? After the fast it became even more important to eat healthy, as the fasting had drastically increased my sensitivity to harmful foods. The wonderful clean feeling of the fast faded as I entered the world of eating. I started studying nutrition book what to eat and how to eat in order to support the benefits I had received from the fast. Even with this knowledge I still wrestled with compulsive eating. I decided the problem demanded serious study and effort. I studied books on weight-loss, self-esteem, addiction, coping with failure, goal setting, and every resource I could get my hand on to understand my inability to control my behavior. I started the book, Eating in Freedom, and by the end I was free. Yet even with that knowledge the road through life brought many challenges and failures came and went. I now know that life’s journey has many imperfections and know that humility is the only response to grace for we all fail.

In looking back to my discovery of fasting, I see that it was not an accident. The people who have had such profound effect on my life have not been there by coincidence.


The above juice fasting article was written by Guest Writer, Tom McGregor, author of Eating in Freedom, which you can download into your computer today.

Tom had an overeating disorder and once ate an entire gallon of ice cream in one sitting and almost froze his stomach. He shares his story in this article: My war with food addiction.

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Healthy cooking and diabetes management:

A healthy diet is not only critical to proper diabetes management, but will also help in maintaining desirable weight, controlling normal blood sugar levels, and preventing heart diseases.

Always consult your physician, registered dietitian (RD), or nutritionist to assist in planning and preparing healthy meals.

Some healthy cooking tips include the following:

  • Use vegetable oil spray instead of oil, shortening, or butter.

  • Steam vegetables using a low-fat broth or water.

  • Season foods with herbs and spices, vinegar, lemon juice, or salsa.

  • Use low- or no-sugar jams instead of butter or margarine.

  • Eat or cook cereal with skim milk or 1 percent milk.

  • Use low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, or nonfat yogurt.

  • Drink fruit juice that has no added sugar.

  • Eat chicken or turkey without the skin.

  • Broil, roast, stir-fry, or grill meats. Always buy lean cuts of meat.

  • Use lemon or lime on fish and vegetables instead of butter or sauces.

  • Use canola or olive oil in food preparation instead of vegetable oils.

  • Buy whole grain breads and cereals.

Physicians and other experts can provide helpful resources that further cover meal planning, offer healthy recipes and cooking tips, suggest exercise programs, manage weight, and more. Excellent diabetic reference books and pamphlets are also available through your library or on the Online Resources page of this Web.

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