Lotus Foods Stainless Steel Rice Cooker and Rice

Cooking perfect rice the healthy way.

The Lotus Foods Stainless Steel Rice Cooker and Steamer is a high quality automatic kitchen appliance. The insert is fully stainless steel with a heavy base. Both are important and very different from most rice cookers on the market. Cooking pots and pans, including rice cooker inserts, should be stainless steel and not so-called "non-stick". The "non-stick" coating is called PFA, for short. PFA is currently considered one of the most prevalent contaminants in the environment and in the body today due to the extensive use of this material for "non-stick" coating. The FDA has been considering banning its use due to the toxic nature of the substance, that can cause flu like symptoms from acute exposure. Stainless steel, on the other hand, is safe to use for food, but some people worry about rice sticking to the bottom of the insert. Part of the solution is to provide even heat to the bottom surface and the heavy bottom distributes heat evenly to help prevent burning. Keeping the insert clean and smooth also helps reduce the likelihood of rice sticking. A great way to do this is to use baking soda in a thick paste, to clean and polish all your stainless steel kitchenware. Baking soda is a safe cleaning product that works extremely well on many surfaces and is safe for you and the environment.

We were fortunate to not only test the Rice Cooker but also experience Lotus Foods Rice. We cooked and enjoyed tasting a wide variety of rices courtesy of Lotus Foods which included: Bhutanese Red Rice, Jade Pearl Rice, Brown Kalijira Rice, Forbidden Rice and Jasmine Rice. To get you started, Lotus Foods offers a Rice Sampler Pack . All were of high quality with great taste and textures and all unique from each other. One favorite and not common to those in the west, was the Forbidden Rice. This is a truly unique rice with a smooth, deep and rich flavor like no other rice we have experienced before. No wonder only the Empirer himself was allowed to eat this very special rice. Not only does Lotus foods produce outstanding quality rice, it also provides on the package, intriging information about the rice and its history, and Lotus foods buys its rice from small growers promoting Fair Trade practices.

For some terrific gift ideas, please visit this link.

For more information, please visit: www.lotusfoods.com

LeadCheck: Household Lead Test Kit

The health and safety of family members, particularly children, is paramount to us at Success Through Play, and that is why we were so happy to find Lead Check, the only EPA approved home lead testing kit. Lead, as Lead dioxide, was the source of white paint for centuries until it was replaced by safer and whiter titanium dioxide. Many of us may be presently living in a house which is contaminated with lead paint and not even know it. Even today, poorly purified titanium dioxide can contain significant amounts of lead from the natural mineral source, or the paint could have be adulterated to lower the costs.

According to the CDC, lead poisoning is one of the most common preventable pediatric health problems today. The CDC has established a Lead Poisoning Prevention Program with a goal of eliminating blood levels in children by 2010. Babies, toddlers and children may potentially be exposed to lead in a variety of common situations including eating lead tainted candy, household dust, bare soil, toys, clothing, furniture etc. Young children are especially vulnerable as they engage in frequent hand-to-mouth activities. To make matters worse, tainted lead paint chips have a sweet taste which can be very appealing. It is well known that lead exposure can cause cognitive and behavioral deficits. We recommend asking your pediatrician to order a simple blood test to find out your child's lead status. This simple screening test has the potential to identify children who have been exposed to lead and take appropriate measures. Lead poisoning can often go undetected for many years and we urge parents to be proactive.


Toys, a major concern
Recent studies and reports have found high levels of lead in painted toys, with no country of origin being completely free of problem levels. With the number of toys on the market, it is nearly impossible to find a truly complete list of properly tested toys. Healthy Toys is a good place to start, but budget and time constraints limit the number and variety of toys that they can test. The LeadCheck: Household Lead Test Kit is an invaluable tool that can add to your piece of mind by giving you the opportunity to safely test all of the toys in your children's toy box.

Other household surfaces
As mentioned, Lead continues to be a concern in homes from old paint on surfaces such as window sills, trim and walls. The Lead test kits can be used for these surfaces as well. When looking into a home or apartment to move into, first check its painted surfaces with the Lead Check kit.

The LeadCheck Swabs for Home Use, one of several toxic metal testing kits available from Hybrivet Systems, Inc for professional and home users, is very easy to use and verify the presence of lead in such items as toys and painted surfaces. The directions are simple and clear, just crush the two components, mix and apply using the swab and rub for 30 seconds. We used the test swabs on several toys. None of the toys we tested had detectable levels of lead. The test kit even includes lead sources to verify the swabs are working properly, which we also used and verified. We appreciated the kits simplicity of use, the included verification slips and the accuracy that has been lacking in previously available kits.


As with any chemical testing system, be sure to read and follow the directions and take proper safety precautions.

For further information, please visit www.leadcheck.com


The CDC provides the following Tips to Prevent Lead Exposure which is a must read.

Stay up to date with the latest lead recalls.


Giveaway winner!
Congratulations to John K.