Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 31, 1994 TAG: 9409010039
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Funny how three little words can strike terror and dread into consumers' hearts. But who hasn't, at one time or another, found those words emblazoned across a product he or she already considered perfect? And how often has the attempted betterment in fact botched up a good thing?
Who told them to alter the color or size? What was wrong with the way the cap unscrewed? Did anyone say the product didn't taste good? Who'd they research for this change and why, you wonder, as you set off on yet another quest for a suitable substitute.
Sometimes, though, an improvement does make sense, has been thoughtfully researched for good reason and actually makes a product better.
For example, "Taste this:" a recent press release for a new, improved electric can opener invited. "A can of tomato sauce and a can of dog food mixed with a can of tuna. Throw in a can of sliced pineapple...top that off with a can of baked beans and a few cans of clam chowder. Those are the tasty ingredients that together form the filthy, tacky residue that most likely clings to your can opener because it's always been so darn hard for you to clean."
Sunbeam-Oster's solution is its new "Pop and Clean" electric can opener with a dishwasher-safe stainless steel cutter wheel and star blade module that pops off for cleaning.
The company also says the opener's independent-handle design is easier for older hands to operate, although the "aging baby-boomers" targeted by the feature probably are a little young to care about it yet. Still, you've got to give Sunbeam credit for trying. It's not easy to improve on an opener, though that's never swayed companies from the effort.
According to Consumer Reports, which last rated them in 1987, electric can openers have spawned some interesting attempts at improvement since their invention in 1956, including combinations with a radio, a pencil sharpener, a night light, a clock and a blender. Ultimately, though, the report says, a can opener should be simple and straightforward to operate and open all shapes of cans, including oval or rectangular sardine tins, without skipping, jamming, rolling off track, mangling labels, splattering or submerging lids.
The Sunbeam opener, selling for about $20, is a little lightweight but ultimately fills this bill and has a built-in knife sharpener to boot. Look for it at local retailers.
Also look for Crisco in a new, improved incarnation so simple and basic you wonder why someone didn't think of it years ago: premeasured sticks that, like butter or margarine, let you just slice off the measure called for in a recipe.
No change in content of the 83-year old product, specially formulated for baking, that boasts no animal fat. And the sticks' resealable, recyclable plastic containers, like their cousins in the cans, need no refrigeration. One-pound, 4-ounce packages, in original and butter flavors at about $2 per package, are in supermarket baking sections now.
Some people would say anything is an improvement on tofu. But those who eat and enjoy the thick soybean curd will probably find the firm, white herb-infused blocks of it from Twin Oaks Community Foods in Louisa a delicious and welcome change.
John Kessler, general manager of the community's tofu division, said it's been making tofu since 1991 and started the herb variety about six months ago in an effort to get more flavor into it and give it broader appeal. Kessler said the community, halfway between Charlottesville and Richmond, is now looking into possible additional flavors, different textures or maybe a reduced-fat version. Job one, though, he said, is to expand production capacity and the sales base.
One-pound blocks of the herbal tofus sell for under $2 at the Roanoke Food Co-Op. The "fine herb" variety contains basil, chervil, tarragon, marjoram and chives; "Italian herb" has minced garlic and onion, basil, crushed fennel seed and cracked black pepper. Either makes a mean noodleless vegetable lasagna, using a recipe adapted from Polly Pitchford's and Delia Quigley's "Cookin' Healthy with One Foot Out the Door ($8.95, The Book Publishing Company, Summertown, Tenn.) - a carefree kind of cookbook that includes over 140 tasty, egg- and dairy-free recipes that cut the amount of time spent in the kitchen when doing vegetarian cooking. Most recipes require under 15 minutes to prepare, and that's hard to improve on in almost any kind of cooking. To order, add $2 postage and handling and write to the Book Publishing Co., P.O. Box 99, Summertown, Tenn. 38483 or call (800) 695-2241.
\ LASAGNE WITH A KICK
(see microfilm for recipe.)
Shelf Life runs twice a month in the Extra section. If you have an interesting new product, cookbook, contest, gadget or gew gaw, tell us about it. Write to Shelf Life, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010.|
by CNB