bookofjoe

All that Jazz — Meet the hottest new apple on the planet

From the September/October 2010 issue of Cook's Illustrated:

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Jazz Apples

The relatively new Jazz apple [top] — a cross between a Braeburn and a Royal Gala — has been the subject of a massive advertising campaign. Glitzy print ads, billboards and Facebook and Twitter pages aside, does this latest variety really live up to the hype? To find out, we tasted Jazz apples fresh and cooked in applesauce and apple crisp.

Snacking on fresh-cut slices, tasters thought the Jazz variety fused the sweetness of a Gala and the tartness and crunch of the Braeburn. They praised the fruit's refreshingly crisp and juicy texture, noting its likeness to pears, both the "almost floral" flavor and the "slightly gritty" texture. But its performance in the cooked applications was uneven. Simmered and then pureed with a tiny bit of sugar, salt and water, Jazz made an applesauce that remained almost "crunchy," despite being passed throught a food mill. In our Skillet Apple Crisp, however, Jazz proved a fine substitute for Golden Delicious; it baked up sturdy but soft, and its acid stoop out nicely against the sweet, buttery topping.

Our verdict? As an eating apple, Jazz makes a great alternative to sweet, crisp varietals like Gala and Braeburn. For cooked applications, it depends on the dish: Its hard, crunchy texture softens but stays nicely intact in apple crisp yet won't break down enough in applesauce.

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From where I'm walking on my treadmill, the "almost crunchy" texture of the Jazz applesauce seems like a benefit, not a hazard: File under "It's not a bug, it's a feature."

Spiral Eraser always has a sharp edge

An elegant solution to the blunt eraser problem, with a continuously renewing sharp edge

resulting from its screw-like design.

Orange, Black or White.

$4.50.

"Inception" Timeline

[via dehahs and Angela Gunn]

Datsusara MMA* Gear Bag

Hemp canvas with a polyester "nasty bag" to "separate the bad from the ugly."

Catchy, what?

$99.95. 

[via Utility Journal] 

*Mixed martial arts

Tip of a Door Stop

Those "Tip of a Flat Belly" ads have bored a hole in my brain to the point that I've now begun a new feature using the same fractured syntax.

Last night, while I was sweeping dust bunnies out from behind doors (at bookofjoe World Headquarters™ there's never a dull moment) I wondered what would happen if I put a door stop not in the customary and accepted position where it's clearly visible but instead behind the fully opened door, such that the door was the moving party and the door stop stationary, reversing the traditional arrangement.

Much to my delight, it worked and by concealing the door stop behind the door against the wall, the new placement made the doorway look a bit nicer.

Bonus: it's easier to open the door against the door stop than to move the door stop into position.

Solar LED Light Bulb

Four solar panels power a rechargeable, replaceable battery inside the rainproof bulb to provide four hours of light on a full charge.

I'll take one.

$15.

[via Utility Journal and The Gear Stash]

One Year — by George Maciunas

The early 1970s installation by a member of the so-called Fluxus group of artists resembles a huge store window in which are placed all the containers from which the artist ingested for a year.

It is part of a new show, "Contemporary Art From the Collection," at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

[via Carol Vogel and the New York Times]

Bungle in the jungle: Leopard print dryer

Party like it's $19.99.