Homes and Gardens

The Ring Stick Up Cam Wired is the latest addition to Ring’s portfolio. It is a security camera, with two-way talk, that can be viewed remotely and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications

It’s been a while since a new VAX vacuum has come my way. Here an offering that the demonstrator held up with two fingers of one hand and as far as I know he was not a weightlifter so it is quite a light unit that can be used on floors, upholstery or ever picture rails.

A handheld stain and odour removal so if your pet misbehaves it need not be a disaster. So this is not a carpet vacuum or carpet room cleaner this is a handheld battery operated spot cleaner so ideal for an accidental spill or pet misbehaving.

While I have a Nespresso machine I like the taste of Cappuccinos and Dolce Gusto machines do one as good as a decent Barista can make but of course there are two great advantages, you make them at Home and they are a quarter of coffee shop price.

I am sure we all get spiders in the bath and I am told that autumn is the peak time. While some things freak me out, spiders are not at the top of my hate list but really large ones can be challenging especially those that do not want to be put in a glass to be disposed of.

The Hitachi 460W 2.1 soundbar model AXS460BTU offers a convenient way of providing reasonable quality sound – something that slim-line TVs often lack.

Not something to stick onto your table to roll out the pasta to very thin slices or ribbons but a tool that allows you to put the ingredients into and, out of the unit comes the pasta – and noodles – ready to be cooked and eaten.

The Vax Blade 2 Max is a very efficient lightweight A-rated handstick cordless vacuum cleaner with a longer than average runtime. It could well be the only vacuum that a family will need

Having recently told you about a kitchen scale that is treble the normal maximum of 5kilos, another arrives shortly afterwards. This one is from Terraillon and is called The Chef Kitchen Scale and it has an amazing 15 year guarantee.

The Homedics MyChill Personal Space Cooler operates on the evaporative cooling principle and can sit on the corner of one’s desk to provide a localised stream of cooled air.

In a way a throwback to the past a mechanical timer which works solely by counting down from a set figure to zero and then ringing a bell to warn you, a simple process that should still enable you to extract things from the over without them burning.

With a choice of five input streams, this next product belongs to Edifier’s family of speakers.

While for some a kitchen scale able to measure up to 15 kilos may seem overkill for others especially those using large copper pans will say at last. As the dimensions are bigger so to the great relief of those with less than perfect sight is the display.

As an ex chef and keen home cook for over fifty years I know that food poisoning is a rather nasty - and for some – potentially dangerous condition. So basic hygiene is key and knowing when various items are hot enough to kill bugs is vital so a quite simple tool like a meat probe is not just useful but vital especially when dealing with larger items.

This product consists of ten bags of one size and five bags of a larger size, three air exaction valves and a pump to remove the air so whatever you want to ‘keep fresh’ without air making it go off, you are able to store items in a fresh state for far longer by being in a vacuum.

Filtered water is often the best option simply because unfiltered water can have a taste and as this could even be kept in the fridge it is also chilled. So it is opportune for those who drink bottled could switch to something like Zero Water. One large supermarket chain has recently increased a two litre bottle of own brand water by 25% that is when they have stock.

A visit to the HMS Belfast on the Thames introduced me to a company called Cello and its range of televisions.

A while ago I got up early to attend a presentation and eventually I received the first of the requested items from this event. One of - shall we say – more difficult things to get hold of but in a way something that may be of use to a great number of people.

As well as being used for meat, as its name indicates, the Heston Blumenthal Precision Indoor/Outdoor Meat Thermometer from Salter can also be used for other applications such as jam and cake making. It will enable a cook to take much of the guesswork out of their work and ensure that meat is properly cooked all the way through.

With a model number of R1850DB, this Edifier speaker kit belongs to the company’s multimedia range of audio offerings.

While the desk version recently reviewed is small enough to tuck away when not required this is a far larger offering that would certainly dominate any environment that it would sit in as it is close to one metre tall but it will cool a larger area.

These Salter digital kitchen scales have a rated capacity of 10kg and can weigh small amounts to an accuracy of 0.1g and so will prove a boon to any serious home cook as well as giving confidence to those on a learning curve.

The Sinkstation from New Soda is described as a sink preparation colander. It is a fresh and versatile approach to the standard boards used in the kitchen for food preparation.

This is a column fan described as a ‘Mini 15ʺ Desk Fan’ but it also works just as well on the floor, any fan is likely to disturb papers and while this at lower levels did not do this the rotating action of the unit is likely to catch the eye when on a desk.

For those who already have a coffee machine of choice this unit can give you the froth you sometimes want to get the perfect Latte or Cappuccino or even should you want it - cold frothed milk - it is quick and easy to use and works even with semi-skimmed milk.

This is a multi-functional pressure cooker as not only can it work as a conventional pressure cooker but also has the ability to be a slow cooker – there’s an oxymoron – cook from frozen ‘to sear’ and according to the book even prepare desserts.

While I must confess to already being a convert to Nest as I have their Smoke Alarm/Carbon Monoxide detector their Indoor Camera was new to me having been brought to my attention by an on the ball PR person trawling through previous reviews.

A new name to me but I got up at the crack of dawn – or what is the crack of dawn to me at my age – and travelled through the London rush hour for a briefing held at a house in the Kings Cross area of London to get to know their products, I liked what I saw and in time you should hear about three of the items I saw, first an overview of their whole range.

A lot of homes will have a Dimplex radiator, they are ideal for an extra splurge of heat. The latest offering does exactly that and a bit more for a start it can be remotely controlled by Bluetooth and an App but while earlier offering had a thermostat not much else, with this you can set in advance the times to go on/off automatically and still have a manual override.

Watching an expect demonstrator can persuade a lot of people to buy things. I saw one sharpening with this product all kinds of knifes with edges - even serrated examples – then for effect - I am sure - an old axe was produced and this too was sharpened and then a soft tomato was sliced up thinly with it, everyone was suitable hooked.