Wine Cellar Express

AGES WINE IN 30 MINUTES!

Used simply as a bottle coaster for 30 minutes, the Wine Cellar Express features a powerful magnet built into its base that dramatically softens the harsh, bitter red tannins in young red wines in much the same way that aging would eventually accomplish. Enjoy While this may seem an unusual claim, the Wine Cellar Express has been tested by numerous wine experts, who confirm results of a softer, rounder feel and enhanced bouquet from the wine! Price $39.95 at 125West.com.

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Conditioning for Baseball

With winter upon us, it may seem that baseball is far away, but now is the time to start your conditioning program to be ready for the spring! I recommend the Triple Threat Baseball Conditioning Program available on DVD produced by Jeff Fourney (former strength and conditioning coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks). The 3-disc DVD set covers baseball-specific conditioning instruction for competitive baseball players, including the most important physical aspects of baseball...speed, power, and agility:

• Flexibility Training (16 min): covers proper warm up, dynamic and static flexibility drills, and exercises, to help improve full range of motion in baseball skill movements.
• Weight Training (27 min): learn to improve strength with baseball specific weight exercises. Learn proper lifting techniques to excel strength gains. Learn the secret of a strong man s game to help you rise above your competition.
• Medicine Ball Training (20 min): Functional and sport specific movements is what you will find with our Medicine Ball training system. A player who does not possess the specific explosive strength that baseball requires will find it difficult to climb the higher levels of baseball.
• Plyometric Training (16 min): plyometric training bridges the gap between strength and speed to create power.
• Speed Training (40 min): regardless how good your game already is, speed instantly raises it to another level and adds quality to your performance. Learn why the acceleration phase is the most important for a baseball player and how you can improve it to help every area of your game.
• Agility Training (23 min): improve your foot speed and balance. Reaction time and first step speed will improve with these exercises. Learn the mechanics of becoming an explosive base stealer and how to be more explosive out of the batters box to improve home to first base times.
• Advanced Speed and Power Suite Training (42 min): for enhanced take-off and jumps and specific base stealing techniques. Includes some of the most intense workouts from running drills that mimic the manner in which muscles fire and work in hitting, pitching, and all movements in the game.
• Advanced Power Cord Training (30 min): uses drills specific to baseball that apply explosive resistance through a full range of motion.

Bamix de Luxe Stick Blender

I have owned and used a Bamix stick blender for nearly 25 years, and it's still going strong! Designed and manufactured in Switzerland, the Bamix de Luxe stick blender (aka immersion blender or wand blender) is undoubtedly the most successful product of its kind with over 7 million units sold in all five continents. Use the hand-held Bamix stick blender for practically any kitchen food processing task, including mixing, chopping, crushing, blending, puréeing, whisking, whipping, stirring, grating, and grinding. The Bamix stick blender is simple to use, and its compact size makes it convenient to store on your countertop for use at any time. To operate the Bamix, select an attachment, immerse the wand, and engage the pulse switch with one finger. Operation is quiet and vibration free, and within seconds, you have a creamy sauce, whipped egg whites, homemade mayonnaise, chopped vegetables, crushed ice, foamy milk shake, or fruit purée. Price just under $150, the Bamix is available in the traditional white color, red, black, or silver.

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ZzZ-Chest

View the ZzZ-Chest Video

ZzZ-Chest converts from a decorative chest to a comfortable, full-size bed in just seconds. It is bed perfect for saving space in any room that serves as an occasional guestroom and ideal for everyday use in a small city studio apartment. No installation is required, making the ZzZ-Chest Bed an easy and affordable alternative to an expensive Murphy Bed. Other features include:

• Full-length, bi-fold innerspring full-size mattress developed for the ZzZ-Chest is included
• Raised sleeping platform uses front panel that folds down onto felt-covered extension runners
• Roomy storage drawers for pillows or bedding
• When closed, safety chains prevent front from falling if opened accidently
• Constructed with solid wood runners, solid wood framed particle board, real wood veneer, and MDF
• Available in three styles (Milan, Savannah, and Ravenswood) and different finishes

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The ZzZ-Chest is manufactured by Arason Enterprises, known originally for the innovative Fu-Chest, of Annapolis, Maryland. Pricing of the ZzZ-Chest is under $1800 and includes delivery.

Knife Sharpening Steels

A high-quality knife will remain sharp for a long time, if they are used exclusively for the purpose which they were designed (unlike me, who recently used a chef's knife to crack lobster claws and dinged the edge). Knives may be used for slicing, cutting, and chopping (vegetables). Bones (and lobster claws) should be chopped with a cleaver.

I recommend that the surface where you cut be wood or plastic. Harder surfaces, such as marble, blunt knife edges very quickly. The best surface is a an end-grain, butcher-block surface.

Even the best knife will loose sharpness over time, and regular use of a sharpening (honing) steel is recommened. If used correctly, the steel will remove microscopic amounts of metal from the edge until the edge is sharp again. Use the following technique to ensure success:

• Hold steel in vertical position with steel facing up.
• Bring the blade into contact with top section of steel at the start of knife's cutting edge (choil) near the blade's butt.
• Put knife edge on steel at an angle of 15° to 20°.
• Move edge in a wide arc down the the steel in such a way that the knife tip ends close to the handle of the sharpening steel.
• Repeat same using other side of blade—it is important to alternate sides (otherwise a burr will be left along last side sharpened).
• A few times back and forth should suffice—use progressively less pressure from one sharpening movement to the next.

Sharpening steels vary in quality, and the sharpening ridges on low-quality steels will wear thin very quickly. I recommend a commercial-quality sharpening steel, because it will restore quickly your knife edge and last for many years to come.

Click here to view F.Dick Sharpening Steels at 125West.com

Please note that a sharpening steel may be of limited use on a blades that are totally blunt and require the use of a grinding wheel to assume a new edge.

Ship's Bell

Ship's Bells by Weems & Plath
Annapolis, Maryland

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These deluxe nautical ship's bells are solid cast brass or nickel-plated brass with a beautiful polished mirror finish. When struck, each ship's bell producers a loud, rich tone. The lanyard is included (white for brass bells, navy blue for nickel-plated bells). Also included with each ship's bell is a bulkhead/wall mount bracket that allows you easily to lift the bell from the bracket for storage. Many bell sizes are available (8.5", 12", and 18" diameter bells meet the US Coast Guard requirement for larger commercial vessels).

The company Weems & Plath is located in the Chesapeake Bay town of Annapolis, Maryland, where it was founded many years ago by Captain Phillip Van Horn Weems. Capt. Weems was a leading navigator of his time, teaching at the US Naval Academy and later from a navigation school he founded. Charles Lindberg studied with Weems before attempting his solo trans-Atlantic flight. Admiral Byrd, a classmate of Weems at the Naval Academy, came to him for instruction before setting out for the North Pole.

A century earlier, Carl Plath's company in Hamburg, Germany, began manufacturing commercial sextants and magnetic compasses. The company developed the first gyrocompass installed on a commercial vessel in the year 1913. In 1928, Captain Weems became the North American distributor of C. Plath instruments, and hence the alliance of the two names into Weems & Plath. The company remains today a leading manufacturer of precision marine navigation instruments.

Reliable Ironing Systems

Reliable Corporation has been in business over 50 years in supplying commercial tailoring equipment. They offer a large selection of commerical-quality ironing and pressing systems from Italy. The irons feature detached boilers that produce high-pressure, high-temperature dry steam. Dry steam penetrates quickly deep into fabric fibers to soften them, cutting ironing time in half! The heavier weight of professional irons also speed the process. Commercial pressing tables with powerful vacuum motors for pulling the steam through garments also are available from Reliable.

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