Classy and Opinionated Lifestyle Mom Blog
I’m passionate about cooking, baking, and home canning. You can always find me in the kitchen trying out a new recipe, baking a loaf of bread, baking cookies for the grandkids, and/or canning vegetables for the winter. While some people hate cooking, I absolutely enjoy …
I’ve been a profilic home canning and canning my family’s foods for the past 33+ years. I first learned as a little girl while helping my grandmother in the kitchen. I learned at a very young age the importance of growing, harvesting, and preserving your …
How many of you enjoy preserving food via the home canning method? I love it and I’ve been canning for over 30+ years! I’ve canned all kinds of things for my family to enjoy: fruits, vegetables, soups, stews, sauces, salsas, jams, jellies, marmalades, and more! I’m experienced with both pressure canning and the water bath methods.
* This post contains affiliate links.
Over the years I’ve used many different brands of glass mason jars, rings, lids, and accessories. Some brands are better than others. Some cost a lot more than their more affordable counterparts, and so forth.
One of my favorite AFFRODABLE brands to use is Golden Harvest. I’ve used their glass mason jars, rings and lids for years! I like them because they’re affordable and the quality is great! Unlike a lot of the other brands the products are made in the U.S.A.
Here’s an example of how you can save money by switching from a well-known popular brand (I don’t bash brand names) to Golden Harvest.
Two months ago I purchased a box of 12 lids of Name Brand for $10.99 per box. At the Dollar General Store I’ve been purchasing boxes of the Golden Harvest Mason Canning Jar Lids for $3.00, sometimes $3.50 a box depending on which store I shop. In my honest opinion, they’re just as reliable and as good as Name Brand that we’re all familiar with.
I wanted to make this post today to share my opinion & thoughts with other home canners who are looking to save some money on their expenses. Over the past 4 1/2 years that I’ve been using Golden Harvest Lids I’ve ONLY have had 1 jar not properly seal and trust me, I do at least 150+ jars a year. No lid will give you 100% positive results but I find that to be awesome!
If you don’t live near a Dollar General Store or if your store doesn’t carry them you can find them on Amazon for a decent price too. Not only do I like the quality and price of these lids…but I really LOVE that I’m supporting a U.S.A. company.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
Disclaimer: Writer personally purchased the products featured in this post and is sharing her 100% honest & unbiased opinion with the readers of the TCC blog. Your opinion may differ.
Your kitchen is one of the rooms in your home that is used the most. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be much of a cook, it is still where you go come mealtime. It might also serve other purposes relating to storage and …
My family spends a lot of time outside and we’re always on-the-go. We enjoy going camping, hiking, boating, and backpacking. Our beautiful planet has so much for all of us to see. As stewards of Mother Earth, it’s our job to help protect it. We’re …
Last month my toaster oven finally bit the dust. I had that particular appliance for 9 years and absolutely loved it. Yes, it was old but it was easy to use and got the job done! It was made by Hamilton Beach and I knew I would be replacing it with another one by that company. I love their kitchen appliances and have always been happy with past purchases from that brand.
* Item was personally purchased by the writer who is sharing her honest opinion on it with the readers of the TCC blog. This post may contain affiliate links.
I started my search for a new toaster oven by visiting two local stores. I like to see and touch things like this, so I wanted to see a few models up close and personal. After seeing a few of them, I knew what I wanted but didn’t want to pay that price. I hopped online and went to my go-to store Amazon where I found one at an affordable price!
What I purchased was a Hamilton Beach Easy Reach Countertop Toaster Oven. I selected this model because I hate digital control knobs and dials. I’m older and my eyesight isn’t the greatest. I find digital displays hard to read. I wanted a model with dials that were easy-to-read and simple to set. Nothing complicated.
Our kitchen is limited on counterspace so it had to be compact in size but yet hold enough food for the two of us. Yes, we’re empty-nesters so I don’t need a huge toaster oven sitting on my counter. The one I purchased has 2 adjustable interior racks and I really LOVE the roll-up door so that I can easily put things in and takes things out without making a mess or burning myself.
It can be used as a toaster, a convection oven or as a small conventional oven. You can bake, broil and toast in it. In the bottom is a removable crumb tray so you can easily keep it clean. I’m all about ease of cleaning!
The knobs (dials) are easy-to-use. The top knob sets the temperature that you need. Mine goes clear up to 450 degrees F for broiling. The bottom knob is for setting it to bake or toast and operates the timer from 5 minutes to 30 minutes in length. Let’s say I need to bake something for 30 minutes. I turn the dial to 30 minutes and when it’s done it will automatically shut-off! This is an important feature for me since I suffer with epilepsy. I don’t have to worry if I have a seizure that the house will burn down.
When my racks and baking pan need to be cleaned I put them on the bottom rack in my dishwasher. They come out sparkling clean every time with no pre-scrubbing at all. I store them all in the toaster oven to save on space. The outside is easy to clean too. I like to wipe it down with a cleaning wipe which gets off dirt & grease with ease.
Here’s a tip for all of you. To protect your kitchen countertops place your toaster oven on top of a tempered glass cutting board. It protects your countertop from heat, food droppings and grease. If that gets dirty you can place it in the dishwasher on the bottom rack for cleaning. I bought one a few years ago that blends in nicely with the color of my countertop.
If you’re in the market for a new toaster oven I highly recommend that you check out the models that are offered by Hamilton Beach. Especially the models in the Easy Reach style. This model is so easy to operate that even my 11 1/2 year old granddaughter uses it when she’s here. Great for empty nesters and/or families.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
Disclaimer: The writer personally purchased the product featured in this post and paid full price. The writer is sharing her personal experience with it and honest opinion on it with the readers of the TCC blog. Your opinion and experience may differ.
Have you ever heard of a noodle board? I had never heard of them until a few months ago. They’re handcrafted wooden boards with handles that fit across the top of your stove. This wooden tray (cover) gives the home cook more counter space when …
I use a vegetable peeler several times a week, even more when it’s canning season. I use them to peel eggplants, zucchinis, cucumbers, carrots, red beets, turnips, potatoes, etc. It’s much safer to use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove skin than using a sharp …