JML - Halogen Oven

JML Halogen Oven

When I first saw this product advertised on JML's shopping channel I was in awe :) my husband laughed and said "Do you seriously believe that that works?" ... and I actually did!

But does it really cook 40% faster than a regular oven? Urm ... yes-ish it really depends on what you are cooking (and how much you trust the product).

According to JML the Halogen Oven means oven cooked taste at microwave speed.

It cooks forty percent faster than an average oven and still maintains that taste, this is because the halogen light source produces infra-red waves to heat food up quickly. This makes it great for roasting and baking as food crisps and browns like in a normal oven.

You receive an instruction manual in the box with the product - this gives you some 'suggested recipes' that include: Baked crumb-topped cod, Macaroni Bake, Open Apple Pie and Classic English Fruit Cake.

There is also a table which gives 'suggested' cooking times for different foods. Examples: Oven Chips (frozen) 18 minutes .... in my regular oven they take 20-25 minutes, so yes the Halogen Oven is quicker.

I personally feel that they should include a recipe booklet in with the product, you can of course buy one separately for an extra £4.99. According to the people on the TV and the video on http://www.jmldirect.com/The-Original-Halogen-Oven-PH1501/ you don't need a 'cookbook' you just use it like a normal oven.

You just have to be daring :) they are correct, this is just an oven - you cook in it like a normal oven, so don't worry too much about 'recipes', when you get used to the idea you will be fine.

So? Why should I purchase one?

The main part that I find fascinating is that you can see into it!! I know you can laugh but little things interest me. Usually I open and close my oven door 'to check cooking' around 3 or 4 times, each time letting all the heat out .... with the JML Halogen Oven, you don't need to open it, you can see through the clear bowl all around the food that's cooking. How cool is that!!

Then there is the self cleaning function (yes - it even cleans itself!). Set it to wash, add 1.5cm of cold water and a dash of washing up liquid and let it run for 15 minutes. The combination of heat, swirling motion and the washing up liquid will clean it up quickly. Plus you can watch it cleaning :) amazing.

You can cook anything in this oven that you can cook in your regular oven. It grills, bakes, boils, defrosts and roasts – for perfect potatoes, pizzas, roast chickens, vegetables, casseroles and so much more. Its not like a microwave where you can only cook certain food stuffs, this is simply an oven that cooks quicker - think of it as a space-age oven of the future.>br>

So how much can you fit into it? This was my worry as it doesn't look very big. It holds a generous 9.5 litre capacity bowl, and includes 2 racks so you can cook on two levels at once.
The JML Halogen Oven is 1300W Mains powered and measures 36.3 x 36.3 x 23.3 cm.

Healthy meals are a cinch with the Halogen Oven. It drains fat away from meals. So instead of using your tabletop grill you can now pop your chicken, sausages, pork chops into the oven and let them cook through and still be healthy as the fat drains away.

I like it - its funky and in tune with up-and-coming kitchen appliances. People want food faster now as we mostly work longer hours, so instead of microwaving a meal or ordering in a takeaway .. with the JML Halogen Oven you can cook a well balanced nutritious meal 40% quicker than in a 'regular' oven ... and it cleans itself! What more could you ask for?

My rating: 8/10

If you have the hots for the Halogen Oven then get yours at £59.99 from http://www.jmldirect.com/, ASDA, Homebase, Robert Dyas and Wilkinson.

Firefly Tonic Drinks

Firefly Tonic Drinks

Natural Healthy Energy

Life's short, and to get the most out of it, we need energy. Lots of it. But we want to stay healthy too.
Firefly tonics contain natural energising ingredients, in a delicious, healthy drink.
They work with herbal experts to find natural formulas that work - right now.

Firefly say NO to sugar and artificial ingredients. Fundamental.
And the result: Firefly Tonics. Healthy drinks that give you natural energy - fast!

Firefly Tonics are available in 40 countries which is pretty amazing as they are a relatively small company.

To find your nearest stockist please visit: http://www.fireflytonics.com/our-drinks/where-to-get-firefly/

Each drink is in a 330ml glass bottle, the bottle is a very smooth shape and is covered completely with a plastic coloured wrapper. I found the tops quite hard to initially open as they are quite slim and you need a firm grip.
All Firefly tonics are still fruit juices with added herbal extracts, they can be consumed at any time of day. All Firefly tonics are best consumed cold.

I tried the following Firefly Tonic flavours: Wake Up, Detox, Recharge and Sharpen Up ... and all were gorgeous :)

(Red) Wake up is flavoured with Peach and Green Tea, the drink actually contains Peaches, red grapes, white grapes, green tea, mate and kola. It was smooth with a little after kick of peach. Containing only 106 calories per bottle, one bottle was enough to refresh me and it did indeed wake me up a little.

(Orange) Detox is flavoured with Lemon, Lime and Ginger, the drink also contains nettles and burdock to help clear your head. The lemon and lime give the drink a zesty kick followed by a punch of ginger. It was tasty and although I was a bit dubious about drinking nettles ... I couldn't taste them one bit (even though I don't know what they taste like in the first place). 113 calories per bottle.

(Silver) Recharge is a blend of Pomegranate, Lime and Elderflower. Extra ingredients include kola nut and chilli. I must admit that this blend was my favourite, it was smooth and refreshing but had a slight fiery aftertaste that was very pleasant. 98 calories per bottle.

(Green) Sharpen Up contains Grapefruit and Passionfruit. This flavour was my least favourite as I am not a big fan of grapefruit and it is quite punchy with the sharpness of grapefruit. However it is refreshing and clears your pallet causing your to literally 'sharpen up'. 110 calories per bottle.

I was very impressed with Firefly Tonic Drinks, the design of the bottles are striking, the flavours are refreshing and ingredients healthy. Each bottle retails are between £1.50 and £2.00 a bottle, which for the ingredients and healthy properties this is quite a reasonable price.

http://www.fireflytonics.com/

My rating: 8/10