FoldTuk collapsible bakeware perfect for RVers

If you are both an RVer and a boondocker, the new FoldTuk line of cooking products are a good fit into your lifestyle. I liked the FoldTuk baking dish mainly because of the design feature that enables you to collapse the dish to one inch in height, requiring much less space in your cabinets when storing, always a good point in an RV.

But I found out it was a lot more also, each feature being an advantage to RVers and boondockers. For strictly convenience, the FoldTuk can be used in conventional, convection, infrared, and microwave ovens due to its green and petroleum free Ceramber material, which contains no toxic materials.

Ceramber, invented by an Ohio State University alumnus, Duncan Fung, is a ceramic/silicone compound that will not shrink or shatter (100% shattter proof) when moved from hot to cold conditions, allowing FoldTuk bakeware to move directly from freezer to oven. Also, because of the characteristics of its silicone base, food does not stick to the bakeware, meaning less effort and water needed for cleanup. It is also dishwasher safe.

What an advantage it is to be able to prepare a dish at home, snap on the air-tight lid and freeze it in the container you prepared it. When it comes time to cook, it goes directly from freezer to oven (remove the lid first), bake, and serve--in the same dish. If there are leftovers, simply snap the cover on and place back in the reefer or freezer.

For clean-up, most food will simple wipe out of the baking dish with a paper towel, making hand washing easy, or put in the dishwasher. For storing, collapse by pushing down on the top and snap the lid on and store. You can stack five FoldTuk baking dishes in less space than two similar capacity ceramic baking dishes.

You can find out more about FoldTuk on their Web site, where you can also locate a dealer.

Don't be in the dark: New led flash right at hand

If you're like some of us, you find yourself in the dark more often than you like--and usually without the benefit of a flashlight. We've got them stashed everywhere--in the glove box, the "junk drawer" and in the tool box. But none of them ever seem to be in reach when we need it. We've learned to take to flipping open a cell phone and allowing that feeble bit of light to help out.

Finally someone came up with a lightweight, small, but BRIGHT light that works. Mayfair Lane, an Internet retailer, brings forth Light Ups. These tiny (inch and a third by two and half inch) devices come on a clip that will stick to your belt loop, purse, or just in your pocket. No fumbling with a switch, just grab the Light Up and pull it away from the clip. The light divides into two pieces--a small portion staying with the clip--by way of magnetic attraction. Mayfair sent us a "Palm Tree" version of their Light Up and we've been using it for a few weeks.

The business end of the Light Up, as soon as it's parted from the clip, illuminates by way of three strong LED lights. These are bright lights, and they'll shine your path, help you spot the dog after it took off on your midnight walk, or brilliantly illuminate the keyhole on your RV. Once you're done with it, just move the light back into the vicinity of the clip and the strong magnet will "grab" the light, pull it home to its (if you will) docking port, and shut the rig off.

Unlike small, "toss it" flashlights, the Light Up is equipped with replaceable, long-lasting Lithium batteries, so if you get to like your Light Up as much as your tester does, you won't have to part with it. They also come in a wide variety of motifs. From pirate to palm tree, with a 23 other choices in between, you'll probably find a Light Up decorated to your taste. The company says they make a "fashionable key ring" but we're a bit more inclined not to add that extra weight to an already overloaded ignition switch.

Priced at $10 each, you can order them direct from mayfairlane.com.

"Pocket Disc" great for grandkids, safe for the RV

Taking the grandkids on an RV outing is great fun, but it's not always easy to keep them entertained. Enter PHD's Pocket Disc. Handcrafted from wool by Mayan women in Guatemala, think of Pocket Disc as the "safe" version of your old favorite Frisbee.

Pocket Disc is, if you'll pardon the pun, "catching on" with folks across a variety of lifestyles. At first glance you might mistake it as some sort of colorful, albeit oddball head wear for folks with smaller heads. Indeed, it could be donned as a headpiece, should you have the nerve. But it's a bit more fun to pick it up, and give it a flip. Caught by winds, you may wind up running a fur piece to catch up with it. But since it's made of wool, Pocket Disc will not endanger the windows or siding of your RV, and theoretically should be safe for indoor use.

Since the average RVer doesn't have a lot of knick-knack laden shelves, tossing Pocket Disc around the motorhome while en route to the next vista should be safe. Just keep the kids locked in their seatbelts--it should be a challenge to see how long they can toss it to one another before somebody goofs and lands it in some kind of out of bounds zone. Once in camp, send them outdoors to help relieve your nerves.

A Quartzsite area Frisbee dog specialist, Piney, volunteered herself and her Frisbee fetching Fido, Miss Dixie to act as test specialists for us. After a half hour of work, we determined that Miss Dix will need a bit more practice to adapt over to the Pocket Disc. Maybe it's the smell of the wool, but granted, Dixie was plenty happy to chase after (and catch) the marvelous toy, she was unwilling to bring it back for a further toss-out, preferring instead to abscond with the woolly creation and head under the nearest travel trailer with it. To be sure, Pocket Disc is sure to be a whole lot easier on canine teeth than the standard plastic flying disc--just be prepared to spend a little time making the transition. Maybe it's like switching from whole milk to non-fat.

The lightweight Pocket Disc is completely compactable, making it a natural for stuffing it into a daybag when taking off on a sight-seeing adventure. It comes with some rather "different" suggestions on games to be played, including this writer's favorite: Ceiling Fan 500. Say the directions, "Spread out around the room, toss a Phd (Pocket Disc) into the spinning fan and hope it zings your way so you can snag it before your opponent does." Loosely translated: Toss it in the operating ceiling fan and see how fast you can run away from your yelling "better half"!

Get your own Pocket Disc from Phd Productions or at one of over 500 specialty toy or outdoor retailers. The Classic Edition will set you back $9.99, or the heavier Sports Edition runs $14.99. Get more information or buy your own at www.pocketdisc.com. And remember, these discs are hand crocheted in Guatemala, helping local mothers send their kids to school.