No joke: Reviewing the best fruitcakes

Kitchen & Food
By Sarah Burns on November 25, 2009 in

We review the best fruitcakes.

Once the butt of bad holiday jokes, fruitcakes are making a comeback. Gone are the liquor-laden, rock-hard confections of yore. Today's cakes literally offer a lighter touch and contain more interesting ingredients.

For instance, Southern-style fruitcakes, like the best-reviewed Mary of Puddin Hill Pecan Fruit Cake, are typically chocked with nuts and contain no alcohol.

Monastery fruitcakes (usually bathed in booze) offer a more balanced cake-to-fruit ratio and are light on nuts. The Gethsemani Farms Kentucky Bourbon Fruitcake, made by Trappist monks, is dubbed by one reviewer to be "the cake against which all past and future fruitcakes will be judged."

Once the butt of bad holiday jokes, fruitcakes are making a comeback. Gone are the liquor-laden, rock-hard confections of yore. Today's cakes literally offer a lighter touch and contain more interesting ingredients.

For instance, Southern-style fruitcakes, like the best-reviewed Mary of Puddin Hill Pecan Fruit Cake, are typically chocked with nuts and contain no alcohol.

Monastery fruitcakes (usually bathed in booze) offer a more balanced cake-to-fruit ratio and are light on nuts. The Gethsemani Farms Kentucky Bourbon Fruitcake, made by Trappist monks, is dubbed by one reviewer to be "the cake against which all past and future fruitcakes will be judged." Read more

Target's half-price steam mop worth a look on Black Friday

Home & Garden
By Sarah Burns on November 25, 2009 in

Bissell Steam Mop Deluxe

Steam mops are a good way to clean tile and vinyl kitchen floors, but the bet models are pricey. Target's leaked Black Friday circular reveals that the store will offer the Bissell Steam Mop Deluxe, normally $100, for only $50 that day. We think this is a good deal, since the regular Bissell Steam Mop is a Best Reviewed item in the most recent ConsumerSearch report on steam mops.

Steam mops are a good way to clean tile and vinyl kitchen floors, but the bet models are pricey. Target's leaked Black Friday circular reveals that the store will offer the Bissell Steam Mop Deluxe, normally $100, for only $50 that day. We think this is a good deal, since the regular Bissell Steam Mop is a Best Reviewed item in the most recent ConsumerSearch report on steam mops. Read more

Apple puts more bite into the newest Macs

By Carl Laron on November 25, 2009 in

Apple's newest iMacs
While the introduction of Microsoft Windows 7 has garnered the lions' share of press in recent days, Mac fans have a few new goodies to enjoy as well. Following up on some noteworthy updates and price cuts earlier this year, Apple just completed another round of product refreshes that adds more features and power to the iMac and Mac mini desktops and the MacBook laptop. Noteworthy upgrades include a brand new 27-inch iMac with what experts say is a gorgeous display and excellent performance. To get the lowdown on the latest iMac and everything else Mac-related, be sure to visit our newly-updated report on Apple laptops and desktops. Read more

Feeling crafty? Wal-Mart and Jo-Ann Fabrics have good deals on Cricut paper cutters

Home & Garden
By Sage McHugh on November 25, 2009 in

Papercraft

A Cricut is a machine designed to cut out designs and letters in various fonts and sizes. It's ideal for scrapbooking, card making, home decor, paper crafting and more.

Wal-Mart is offering the Cricut Expression Cutter for $188 and it's available in four colors. Since the Expression normally sells for $279, that's a pretty hefty savings.

Thirty consumers review the Cricut Expression at Amazon.com, where it earns a solid four-star rating. The majority of users rave about the machine, praising its efficiency, precise cutting, and versatility with various designs and fabrics. Scrapbook.com, a website for scrapbooking enthusiasts, has 57 reviews of the Expression. There, the machine receives a perfect five-star rating, and users are absolutely thrilled with it.

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Three-wheelin'! Check out these Black Friday deals on tricycles

Fitness & Sports
By Sage McHugh on November 25, 2009 in

Radio Flyer Big Flyer

Considering a tricycle for your little one this holiday season? Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us are offering Black Friday deals on two Radio Flyer models.

The Radio Flyer Big Flyer (shown), normally $50, is marked down to $30 at Wal-Mart. The Radio Flyer Classic 12" Tricycle, originally $70, is on sale for at Toys R Us for $50.

So, which bike is right for your child? You might want to read our report on kids' bikes before purchasing a tricycle at a big-box store. Experts actually recommend buying bicycles at professional bike shops, where knowledgeable employees can find the bike that's right for your child. The bicycles sold at big-box stores tend to be lower in quality and may be set up incorrectly.

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Black Friday: don't rise early for a wireless router

Computers & Internet
By Molly McLaughlin on November 24, 2009 in

Communicating computers

Is your loved one trapped with a wired internet connection? If you want to set them free with a  wireless router, don't bother going shopping this Black Friday. While Best Buy, Staples and Wal-mart are offering some deals, according to their leaked Black Friday circulars, these deals are not what they seem.

Best Buy is offering the Linksys WRT160N for about $60. This router gets good reviews from CNET and PCMag.com, as well as positive user feedback. So far, so good. However, this very router is currently selling for about 32 bucks at Amazon.com, and 45 bucks at Staples. Interestingly enough, this Linksys router isn't included in Staples' Black Friday circular. Staples is offering the NetGear WNR1000 RangeMax 150 for $35, and Wal-mart offers a similar model, the Belkin N 150 router, for $30. Sounds good, right?

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A clean fight: Finding the best hand sanitizers

Health & Beauty
By Sarah Burns on November 24, 2009 in

Clean hands

Swine flu fears have prompted a renewed interest in hand sanitizers. We found reviews that should be interpreted cautiously, however. Why? Fraudulent products claiming to fight the H1N1 flu virus have been popping up, including some hand sanitizers. In September 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to three companies that claimed their alcohol-free hand sanitizers could protect against H1N1. The makers of SkinWear and Viraban have since removed the claims from their websites, but although the Soapopular website says it has removed the claims, ConsumerSearch found the words "H1N1, swine flu" in white-on-white text on one of the website's pages as of November 2009 -- invisible to readers (unless you highlight the text), but not to a search engine.

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Is it curtains for Saab?

Automotive
By Alex Nunez on November 24, 2009 in

2011 Saab 9-5

General Motors just announced that the deal it had in place to sell Saab to Koenigsegg Group AB, a consortium led by Christian Von Koenigsegg, whose Koenigsegg Auto manufactures ultra-exotic supercars, has fallen apart. This does not bode well for Saab's future, which is now very much up in the air. In its brief press release, GM quotes CEO Fritz Henderson as saying that the automaker will "assess the situation and advise on the next steps next week."

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Which Wal-Mart Black Friday TV deals are worth getting up for?

Electronics
By Carl Laron on November 24, 2009 in

TV Shopping

Wal-Mart's Black Friday circular includes a healthy variety of HDTVs. Videophiles looking for high-performance televisions will likely want to line up elsewhere, but there are a few decent deals to be had for those looking to score a respectable HDTV at an equally respectable price.

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Massive recall involves 2.1 million Stork Craft baby cribs

Family & Pets
By Christine Frietchen on November 24, 2009 in

Stork Craft Crib

November has been a bad month for baby products. On the heels of a huge recall of Maclaren strollers, the Consumer Products Safety Commission has announced a recall of 2.1 million Stork Craft cribs, some of which also bear the Fisher-Price logo. The problem? The cribs' drop-side hardware, according to the CPSC, "can break, deform, or parts can become missing. In addition, the drop-side can be installed upside-down, which can result in broken or disengaged plastic parts."

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