Cookset stainless steel vegetable steamer

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A good steamer

This is a good quality steamer.  I've used steamers of this design for many years and this is as good as any I've had. 

The steamer is made of what looks to be good stainless steel which is still looking pristine after several uses.  It's a sensible size and will fit into most pans from the smallish to the pretty large.  It's solidly made with firmly attached legs and a central column for lifting it out.  This is a little short but it's adequate; the shortness does make it easier to store, though, and the column can be unscrewed and removed if you prefer.

In short, if you're looking for a vegetable steamer, this will do you well.  Recommended.

Amazon page HERE

Nokia Thermo - Smart Temporal Thermometer

Rating: 1/5

Review:
Requires phone app and account set-up to work at all

This thermometer will not work at all without a phone app and an account, set up with Nokia, which records, "analyses" and keeps all your data.  This is not what I was expecting, nor is it what I wanted; I thought I was getting a simple device for taking a person's temperature easily, quickly and reliably.

Once unpacked it is impossible to activate the thermometer until you have downloaded and installed the app.  Even this isn't simple because the instructions are incorrect.  They direct you to a website which doesn't exist, but I eventually found the app myself by searching the Play Store for Nokia Thermo.  Once installed, it insists that you register and set up an account, and at this point I rebelled.  It's just a blooming thermometer, for heavens' sake!  I don't want yet another account which I have to log into to use the thing and – worse – I don’t want some anonymous company to have access to my own or my family's personal and medical information, thank you very much.

So…I'm afraid I can't comment on how the device is in use, because I won’t use it on those terms.  I can see the point for something complex like a heart trace (I use the Kardia device in this way and it has been invaluable) but for a single, simple number like a temperature it strikes me as simply absurd.  I recognise that other people may feel differently and be happy to use the app and its features, but you may wish to be forewarned.  For me, this is very overpriced, ridiculously over-complex and very intrusive.

Amazon page HERE