NEW PRODUCTS

Great Grips help hands get a firm hold

For many elderly, and especially those with arthritis, the simple task of opening a door or turning on a faucet can be not only painful, but sometimes impossible.

“The original idea behind Great Grips was to create an affordable and versatile solution to make it easier for everyone to grip and turn doorknobs,” said Patrick Going, co-inventor of the product along with fellow Coloradoan Bill Youmans.

Originated in 1989, these doorknob twisters have received special recognition from numerous organizations, including the American Society on Aging and the Arthritis Foundation.

Great Grips are easy to install, just wet and affix. Even if fixtures are not the standard size or shape, Great Grips can be stretched to 300 percent of their original size to fit small or industrial-size knobs.

After teaming up with investor Ron Rubin and Steve Kaiser, a 25-year injection-molding veteran, Great Grips are now available in any color, including a highly effective glow-in-the-dark version.

Great Grips are made of a soft, latex-free material. They not only insulate against hot and cold, they eliminate static shock and are available in antimicrobial versions to help prevent the spread of germs.

Prices range from $8 for a pack of two to $17 for the home modification kit that includes two clear grips, one glow-in-the-dark grip (for use on doors, faucets, propane tanks, pill bottles, etc) and one set of hot-and-cold-colored grips for faucets.

For more information, call 800-346-5662 or visit www.greatgrips.com.

KITCHEN

Throw me the ice cream, please

There’s not much better after a game of hot potato than a cold bowl of ice cream. So, why not combine the two?

If this sounds good to you, check out the new MEGA Play & Freeze from Industrial Revolution. Basically, it is a ball you add ingredients to, keep in constant motion and, voila, ice cream.

All you have to do is add ice and rock salt to one end and typical ice cream ingredients (cream, sugar and vanilla) to the other, keep the ball moving for about 30 minutes and presto.

“We had originally developed the Play & Freeze for those who enjoy camping, but its popularity has taken it beyond that to both indoor and outdoor settings such as parties, barbecues, family get-togethers and other social activities,” said Steve Llorente, marketing director for Industrial Revolution Inc.

The original Play & Freeze makes 1 pint of ice cream ($30); while the Mega version, only 30 percent larger, makes a quart ($40).

Play & Freeze ice cream makers are made of durable polycarbonate, are lightweight and come in a variety of bright colors.

For those imaginative ice cream aficionados who want to go beyond your basic vanilla, Industrial Revolution offers LorAnn’s Flavor Fountain. The flavors are concentrated, unsweetened and each 1.7 ounce bottle contains enough flavoring for more than 3 quarts of ice cream.

Available flavors include banana-coconut, black raspberry, bubble gum, butter-pecan, chocolate-fudge, caramel delight, cinnamon spice, mango, mint-chocolate, mocha, orange cream, and strawberry. Retail price is $3 a bottle.

For information, visit www.icecreamrevolution.com and www.industrialrev.com.

Counting on food freshness

Tired of wasting food because you aren’t quite sure if it’s still good or not?

Toss those worries, not your food, away with the DaysAgo Digital Day Counter from double u products inc.

The device came into being while Deborah Stephens Stauffer and Kathleen Whitehurst were working on ideas for a new business venture. During a break, Stauffer asked Whitehurst if she would please feed her son. Opening the fridge, she saw several half-full baby food jars with warnings to use within three days of opening.

“So, how do you know how long they’ve been open?” Whitehurst asked. “Oh, I wish I knew. You can’t believe how much food we have to throw away because we can’t keep track,” Stauffer replied.

Eureka!

The DaysAgo is the first digital day-counter that easily answers that question. The counter attaches to containers through either a magnet for metal surfaces or suction for others. It has a digital screen that starts counting days once you touch the button.

Not only will it help with foods that spoil quickly, like baby food and leftovers, it also can be used to track days for numerous other tasks from watering your plants to dispensing medications.

A DaysAgo package includes two counters with either a magnetic base or suction attachment. Counters sell for around $11 each and are available in several colors. They are operated by watch batteries, which are replaceable.

For information, call 800-401-4906 or visit www.howmanydaysago.com.

The single mother of invention … cubed

“What am I going to do with 50 little cubes of pesto?” Lisa Brock asked herself six years ago.

The single mother of two and former financial services executive was reading a magazine article stating that ice cube trays could be used to freeze more than chicken broth.

She thought it was a great idea, but didn’t know quite what to do with all those little cubes. She looked to find suitable containers to hold more manageable sizes.

“Then I realized the things didn’t exist,” she said.

Despite knowing nothing about plastics or marketing, she took the plunge from her home in Lake Oswego, Ore., and founded Food Cuber LLC.

“I told my kids the worst thing that could happen was that we would lose everything, live in a shabby one-bedroom apartment, drive a beat-up used car and they would hate me for the rest of their lives,” she said. “But, they stood by me.

“Now, three years and a lot of hair dye later, here we are.”

FoodCuber hit the market three years ago and, since that time, Brock has not had a single item returned.

Simply put, FoodCuber allows you to preportion and store food in one simple step. Just fill the cubes, snap on a lid and store them in the freezer, fridge or cupboard.

The FoodCuber makes sense for all sorts of people and tasks, from dieters looking for portion control to parents seeking a way to keep homemade baby food fresh to home gourmets with a desire for air-tight containers to store their special sauces to pet owners who make their own dog or cat food.

FoodCuber is available in three sizes similar to ice cube trays, only deeper. Each tray is designed with a fill and half-fill line, allowing for two useful, easy-to-view measures per tray. The  1/2-cup tray holds eight servings, the 1-cup has four compartments, and the 2-cup has two.

They are available separately or in a set and the lids are interchangeable. FoodCubers are dishwasher and freezer safe. The single tray with lid (any size) is $7.50; the set of trays (one of each of the three sizes with three lids) is $20.

For information, call 866-302-2823 or visit www.foodcuber.com.

LIGHTING

Basic lighting in classic black and white

Getting back to the classic look, W.A.C. Lighting has introduced the Black/White Double-Paned, Cut-Glass Quick Connect Pendants.

Handcrafted by some of the world’s highly skilled artisans, each shade is produced with two panes of glass fused together and then cut by hand, creating a three-dimensional design. Each is a work of art.

Three cylindrical pattern pendants are offered — the Daytona, Harlequin and Groove. Each is 4 5/8 inches wide and 9 inches tall. Buffet-shaped glass lampshades, each 3 7/8 inches wide and 4 1/8 inches tall, are available in three pendant styles — Hendrix, Chaplin and Hepburn.

For design continuity, W.A.C. Lighting offers matching sconces with wall brackets finished in bronze, brushed nickel and chrome. Hendrix, Chaplin and Hepburn shades are also available as sconces with a depth of 4 3/8 inches and 9 inches in height.

The Daytona, Harlequin and Groove styles are also available as ADA sconces that are 3 7/8 inches wide and 11 1/8 inches high to meet the Americans With Disability Act’s standards. A 60-watt candelabra lamp is included.

Prices range from $135 to $220 each, including hardware.

For more information, call 800-526-2588 or visit www.waclighting.com.

— Copley News Service