Today's Kool Idea: Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones

Last week was a miserable time to fly to the west coast...trust us, we were there. The weather was severe enough to cause several flight redirects, delays and cancellations. There were babies crying, kids screaming and adults complaining everywhere we turned...at the airport and on the plane. And did we mention the turbulence? We were all shaking in our seats...literally. All in all, it was a frustrating, exhausting and noisy experience for those of us traveling.

Thank goodness for our Bose QuietComfort 2 acoustic noise canceling headphones...we give them complete credit for helping us keep our sanity. Bose really lives up to its legacy of acclaimed performance and total noise reduction with these headphones. Simply slip them on, and enjoy the peaceful reprieve as the noisy world around you fades softly into the background. In the airport, we used our Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones with our iPod, and plugged them into the in-flight entertainment system when on the airplane. The sound quality is superb...well balanced and detailed for superior audio. Of course, we wouldn't expect anything from this innovative and award winning company.

As if the sound quality and noise reduction of our Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones weren't enough, they are also incredibly comfortable to wear. The ear cups rest gently around the ear for an ergonomically crafted, cushioned fit. For those of you who prefer an "on the ear" fit, Bose also offers a QuietComfort3 model. It is reputed to have the same amazing quality as the Bose QuietComfort 2 with slightly different features, such as a lithium battery operation (instead of AAA) and slightly lighter weight.

We have read a few reviews complaining about the construction of the Bose QuietComfort 2 acoustic noise canceling headphones, particularly the earpiece rotators. However, we've had our set for a little over three years without a problem. Also, remember that no headphones will eliminate all noise...but, Bose does an admirable job of reducing distractions from engine, city and even office noise. Convenient to store in the slim carrying case, the Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones can be taken whenever you're on the move. Another interesting observation to consider is the impact our Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones have had in reducing motion sickness. Somehow (and we assume it's the noise cancellation feature) these headphones seem to balance out our inner ear, therefore significantly minimizing our nausea from flight turbulence. Go figure.

Whether we're traveling in a plane, working in an office drowning out our spouse or just want to relax and enjoy the type of sound quality that is arguably unsurpassed by Bose, the QuietComfort 2 acoustic noise canceling headphones have definitely been worth our investment. You might want to check them out..definitely a "kool" idea.

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Today's Kool Idea: Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle

The Daily Kool is always looking for quirky snippets of information to help inspire us with "kool" ideas. According to About.com, today is the anniversary of the first pancake ever made in New York City (1882). Our family loves these gluttonous little flippers...they are an easy, inexpensive and delicious breakfast (or lunch...or dinner). Sunday is the official pancake day in our household..there is just something about them that inspire a family to sit and eat together. Unfortunately, as our family (okay, and waistlines) continues to grow, one frying pan simply is not big enough to keep up with pancake demand. And really...who wants to clean more than one pan on a Sunday morning...or ever for that matter?

The Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle saved the day for us. We do have to confess that it was not our first griddle purchase. We started out with one of those large griddles that go across two burners with disastrous results..we just couldn't get it to cook evenly at all on our glass stovetop. We found the Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle for around $50...perhaps a little expensive, but such a great investment in our household! For the cost of about two family trips to the local IHOP, we can now finally all sit down and enjoy a pancake breakfast together at home. The Daily Kool chose the largest (it's really huge!) Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle (24") for our family, but you can choose a size (and price) that works best for you. Since we cheerfully admit to our ineptness at putting things together, we like that there was no assembly involved with this product. Since we like to use butter to add flavor when making pancakes, we have never truly tested the non-stick finish. What we can tell you is that the Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle is convenient, completely immersible for cleaning (and dishwasher safe) and a real time-saver. The temperature gauge is pretty accurate...there are some slightly cooler spots, but we just move the pancakes around while cooking to ensure evenness. We can't quite figure out why we still get a black residue on our hands when touching the bottom, though...okay, maybe we're being petty here, but hey...we never said we weren't shallow.

An electric griddle is a must have kitchen item for any family of 4 or more. The Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle was a terrific choice for The Daily Kool household. Sure, it works great with pancakes, but it's also fabulous for grilled cheese, french toast, eggs, etc. It also allows us to have plenty of room to occasionally get creative and use our pancake molds for the kids. Our Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle even inspired us to search for some terrific pancake recipes. Forever loyalists to Alton Brown from The Food Network, we have given you his yummy instant pancake mix recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients
6 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions: Combine all of the ingredients in a sealed container (check out our Lock and Lock post). Shake well to mix...use within 3 months.


Ingredients for "Instant" Pancakes:
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups "instant pancake mix", recipe above
butter, for greasing pan


Directions:

1. Heat your Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together the egg whites and buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.
3. Whisk the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
   
4. Pour liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix (in another bowl). Mix the batter just enough to combine...don't try to work out all the lumps.
   
5. Lightly butter the griddle, and wipe off immediately with a paper towel.
6. Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle. When bubbles begin to set around the edges and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until pancake is set. Serve immediately.
   
   
   

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Today's Kool Idea: Kindle 2

We at the DailyKool love to read all kinds of books, from romance to classics, science-fiction thrillers to autobiographies. Books can stimulate our imaginations and intellect, and is (in our opinion), the healthiest addiction to have and to instill in our children. Unfortunately, with technological advancements, there are so many other exciting and thrilling options available for entertainment, resulting in a loss of skill and passion for reading that is worth mourning.

Most of us have heard of Amazon's, commitment to bridge the gap between reading and technology with their innovative e-book reader called the Kindle. Launched in November of 2007, the Kindle sold out in its initial offering in 5 1/2 hours, and remained out of stock until April 2008. As of yesterday, Amazon's latest upgrade, the Kindle 2 is available nationwide to us voracious readers. Kindle 2 features improved battery life, 20% faster page-refreshing, an audio option for those of us who like our books read to us, and enough disk space to hold an estimated 1,500 books. Incredibly thin and lightweight, the Kindle 2 comes with over 240,000 books available for download. Amazon boasts many incredible features with this product, including a high-resolution electronic ink screen, adjustable text size, newspaper and magazine downloads, bookmark and annotation capacity, etc. With all these features and more, the Kindle 2 is arguably the best e-reader on the planet.

That said, the DailyKool must confess that we will probably not be purchasing this product just yet. Sure, we are impressed with the state of the art technology that Amazon has brought its customers...we are just unwilling to pay the hefty $359 (plus $9.99 per book) price tag for it. Though it is not a worthy investment for us, we can absolutely see its value for those with different lifestyles from ours, especially for the frequent business (or recreational) traveler. As Joseph Addison once said, "Reading is to the mind as exercise is to the body." The Kindle 2 is undoubtedly a really "kool" idea, and we applaud Amazon's continued efforts to keep us reading.