Productopia

Simple, yet versatile: The best Dutch ovens

By Sarah Burns on November 20, 2009 in

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Le Creuset offers many solid Dutch ovens.

With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, many cooks will be breaking out their Dutch ovens. Don't have one? These versatile pots can bake, deep-fry, braise and even boil foods. Many cooks also conveniently use them to whip up soups and stews.

So how do these products differ from stockpots? Popular Dutch oven sizes are in the 5- to 7- quart range, while stockpots are usually 8 or 12 quarts. Unlike stockpots, Dutch ovens can be easily transferred from stovetop to oven, right to the table. Current Dutch ovens consist of uncoated cast iron, enameled cast iron or feature stainless steel construction.

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Staples and OfficeMax have some great printer deals this Black Friday

Computers & Internet

By Molly McLaughlin on November 20, 2009 in

Black Friday

Yes, printers are practical gift, but some people like practical gifts - especially if you set up the printer too. Discounted printers abound at Staples, OfficeMax, Best Buy and Wal-mart - but some are better deals than others. Whether you're in the market for an inkjet printer, laser printer or multifunction printer, there's savings to be had - and this year, it's either at Staples or OfficeMax. Here are our picks for the best printer deals, based on the reviews we've analyzed.

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Target's Black Friday price on CHI flat iron not so hot

Health & Beauty

By Scott Nyerges on November 20, 2009 in

Black Friday

The CHI 1-inch Flat Iron Straightener ($90 on sale) caught our eye in the Target Black Friday circular, because it's one of the Best Reviewed products named in the ConsumerSearch report on flat irons. It's a favorite of professional reviewers, earning kudos from ConsumerReports.org, Cosmo Girl magazine and Pursebuzz.com.

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Target and Wal-Mart go head to head with $3 and $4 appliances

Kitchen & Food

By Sage McHugh on November 19, 2009 in

Black Friday

At an eyebrow-raising price of $3 apiece, Chefmate kitchen appliances are among the cheapest doorbusters we've seen in Target's leaked Black Friday circular. The $3 Chefmate specials include a 12-cup coffeemaker, toaster, slow cooker and sandwich maker.

Walmart has a similar Black Friday doorbuster: your choice of $4 appliances, including a mini chopper, a 2-quart slow cooker and a hand mixer.

Theoretically, you could equip your whole kitchen for $17. These gadgets are priced as impulse buys, but we couldn't find reviews for any of them, and several of the pieces aren't very practical.

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A pocket full of pocket-sized camcorders

By Scott Nyerges on November 19, 2009 in

Black Friday

Given the popularity of mini camcorders like the Pure Digital Flip Mino (*Est. $130) and Pure Digital Flip UltraHD (*Est. $160), it shouldn't be a surprise that many retailers are featuring at least one similar model in their Black Friday circulars. Target, Kmart, Kohl's, Radio Shack, Best Buy and J.C. Penney are all hawking mini camcorders, yet none of these retailers are selling the same one.

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Not very holiday-ish, but there are some decent deals on fridges this Black Friday

By Christine Frietchen on November 19, 2009 in

Black Friday

Shopping for major appliances doesn't sound that Christmas-y, but if your refrigerator is on its last legs, we spotted some good discounts at Sears, Best Buy and Home Depot. All three are advertising French-door refrigerators as part of their Black Friday sales, with sale prices ranging from $798 to $1,399, but not all of them are good bets.

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Will smartphones kill the GPS?

Electronics

By Tara Tuckwiller on November 19, 2009 in

Editors Notes

More and more people are skipping car GPS receivers, The New York Times reports, and getting turn-by-turn directions from smartphones instead.

"More than 40 percent of all smartphone owners use their mobile devices to get turn-by-turn directions, according to data from Compete, a Web analytics firm," reports the Times' Jenna Wortham. "For iPhone users, the figure is even higher, eclipsing 80 percent."

And while smartphone sales keep rising, GPS device sales have plummeted, the Times says. Smartphones now look and perform a lot like traditional car GPS units, thanks to apps from major GPS makers. The Navigon Mobile Navigator (*Est. $90) and TomTom for iPhone (*Est. $100) both get good reviews, as do some cheaper apps like the MotionX GPS Drive by Fullpower (*Est. $3 per month or $25 per year).

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Wal-Mart's Black Friday deals trump pretty much everyone else's

By Christine Frietchen on November 18, 2009 in

Black Friday

Wal-Mart's leaked Black Friday circular is now posted -- and if you've been following this stuff, you'll see it's chock full of deals that trump pretty much everyone else so far. We'll be posting more in the coming days, but here's a quick preview...

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Epson's PictureMate Charm tops among snapshot printers

Computers & Internet

By Molly McLaughlin on November 18, 2009 in

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If you're interested in printing 4-by-6-inch photos at home, a dedicated photo-printer is the way to go. Photo printers are great for printing shots during a party and make a great gift. The Epson PictureMate series of inkjet snapshot printers consistently earn top ratings in reviews. The line's newest addition, the PictureMate Charm (*Est. $150), offers even better photo quality than its predecessors, the Dash (*Est. $140) and the Zoom (*Est. $200).

The Canon Selphy CP780 (*Est. $90) is a good budget photo printer, though you'll pay a bit more for paper and ink. Reviewers generally rate it just behind Epson's PictureMate models. The Selphy CP780 and its siblings use dye-sublimation technology, which results in prints that have no pixelation and are more saturated than those seen from inkjets.