Arthritis Awareness Month: Tools in the Kitchen CONTEST!!

In honor of Arthritis Awareness Month, we are having a giveaway contest here on Brass and Ivory.  Two winners will each receive a set of six selected kitchen tools from the Stress Less line made by Trudeau.

Here are the contest rules:

• Using the letters from the word RHEUMATOID, create as many English words as you can.  Each word must have at least 6 letters and each letter in the word RHEUMATOID may only be used once.
• The persons who come up with the most 6+ letter words will win the giveaway.
• In the case of a 3-way tie, words duplicated on each list will be eliminated and the persons who then have the most unique words will win.
• Please leave your list of words in a comment below this post.  I have turned on comment moderation so that no responses can be seen until after the contest is over.
• All responses must be in by May 31, 2012 at midnight Eastern Daytime Time.  
• The winners will need to provide a mailing address and phone number so that the sponsor can mail you the prize.  Shipping is complimentary.  (You may send your contact information to me privately.  I will share it only with the contest sponsor and no one else.)
• You do not need to have arthritis to participate.  You do not need to purchase anything to participate.  You must be at least 18 to participate.

Disclosure: I received a set of the same six kitchen tools to test and keep at no cost to me.  The following is a description of the new line of kitchen gadgets and a brief description of my experience using them so far.  More detailed product information can be obtained on the Trudeau website where videos of the products in action are available as well.

"Trudeau is proud to introduce its exclusive new Stress Less line of kitchen tools designed to reduce the strain on hands and joints. Ideal for those with arthritis or limited hand dexterity, these products are great for anyone looking to make everyday kitchen tasks easier than ever. Each item comes with a lifetime warranty."

Stress Less Easy Grind Pepper Mill (valued at $34.99)

I really enjoy freshly ground pepper.  This pepper mill is BIG at 7.48 inches tall and comes full of peppercorns.  When I first tried the grinder, I could hardly turn the handle it was so tightly adjusted.  Pepper ended up on the counter top.  Loosening the adjustment knob helped a great deal while also producing a coarser grind (which I like).

Stress Less Easy Grind Salt Mill (valued at $34.99)

The salt mill is basically the same grinder as the pepper mill, however the handle can be turned in either direction to obtain more finely or coarsely ground sea salt.  Again play with the adjustments to find your desired balance.  When I first tested the salt mill, I couldn't even see that salt was coming out of it, the salt was so fine.

Both mills are made of light weight material, however the pepper and salt stored inside make them feel a tad bit heavy.  The wide-swinging arm on each grinder means that your elbow rotates rather than your wrist which may be helpful for some users and more difficult for others.  It depends upon your personal situation.

These grinders are too large for the spice rack next to my stove.  We'll see how long they get to stay on the not-so-large counter top next to my stove.

Stress Less Cheese Grater (valued at $19.99)

Can I confess than I've only enjoyed freshly grated parmesan cheese in a restaurant?  I haven't even owned a cheese grater in probably 20 years and I learned that hunks of parmesan cheese are expensive. 

I had to experiment cutting a piece of cheese to find that right size/shape which would fit under the flap of the grinder.  I also learned that the grated cheese comes out better if you put pressure on the flap while rotating the arm.  Unfortunately, my hands are not quite large enough to do this comfortably.  There may be a trick to it which I didn't figure out.  But freshly ground parmesan cheese does certainly taste good.  I will definitely have fun repeat testing this item.

[Note: I finally decided to watch the product video and saw that the demonstrator held the cheese grater in a different manner than I had.  I'll have to try that next time and see if it doesn't make using the grater more comfortable and easier.]

Stress Less Garlic Press (valued at $19.99)

Garlic is a must-have ingredient for dishes such as my favorite chicken noodle soup.  Rather than using a garlic press I purchased in college, I have been using a Ulu knife and bowl to chop and dice garlic cloves.

In contrast to the other items in this set, the garlic press feels very substantial in your hand as it's made of metal rather than light-weight plastic.  Very sturdy feeling especially as compared to my floppy plastic garlic press from college.  However the holes are much smaller on Trudeau's press which may or may not be preferable for some people.

This was one item which was quickly cleaned up and placed in the kitchen drawer to replace my older garlic press which will find its way into a donation box or garage sale.

Stress Less Safety Can Opener (valued at $19.99)

I grew up in a house with an electric can opener and use one now.  It was only in college and during power outages that I have had to use a manual can opener, the kind which requires lots of twisting motion in the wrist.  Wow, manual can openers have come a LONG way.  I had no idea.

I had to think logically a bit to figure out how to attach this opener to the top of a can, but once I did it was simple.  I used a can of peaches for testing.  Like the description says, there were no sharp edges created and the little pliers on the side of the device made lifting the cut lid easy.  I even replaced the "lid" back on the can and put the peaches in the fridge and plan to eat more today or tomorrow.

Stress Less Pizza Cutter (valued at $12.99)

This pizza cutter is HUGE.  I haven't used it yet but it looks to be rather effective although intimidating.  To be honest I haven't taken the packaging off because I didn't want to expose a sharp blade just yet.  I'll have to figure out how/where I might want to store this item before getting it out to use.  If I had a drawer in the kitchen devoted only to larger kitchen utensils and/or knives, it would be an easy decision.  But instead I have a really big pitcher/bowl on my counter in which these types of items are stored.  There is a very positive review of this pizza cutter on Amazon if you are curious enough to read it.  (I'll let you look it up though.)

I debated for over a month about whether or not to host a product giveaway.  But then I decided that being able to share the opportunity with readers was nice all around, especially for those who may have limited strength and dexterity in their hands.

Please leave your contest submissions below.  Happy word-creating!!