Product Reviews - Pocketful of Joules

4 Kitchen Gadgets I Love + 1 Still Unopened in the Box

While I wouldn’t say I’m a big “gadget” person, I do love a tool that saves me time… especially in the kitchen. I’m more of a ‘cooks because we need to eat’ kinda girl and not so much a ‘cooks because I like it’ person. So, whatever makes my life easier when preparing dinner, the better

Here are 4 of my favorite kitchen gadgets, as well as 1 I just got influenced into buying and haven’t even taken out of the box yet:

Gadget #1: Garlic Press (link)

I bought my very first garlic press probably 20+ years ago from a Pampered Chef party and it is STILL being used in our house. A couple years ago, I decided to buy a second press so that if the first one was in the dishwasher, I didn’t have to pull it out and wash it by hand. Best idea ever! These things make my life so much easier, because I just throw the garlic clove in there, squeeze it directly into the pan and I don’t have to touch it at all.

Gadget #2: Adjustable Measuring Spoons (link)

I switched to adjustable measuring spoons a decade ago and I’m never going back. It’s just so easy to measure 1 TBSP of one thing and then adjust it to a 1/2 tsp of the next without getting a ton of spoons dirty. In fact, I bought a second TBSP spoon for the same reason as the garlic press… less handwashing because I use them ALL the time! Also, with some recipes I use one for my wet stuff and the other for my dry stuff. Easy peasy!

Gadget #3: Rubber Jar Openers (link)

I always keep a couple of these in the kitchen and they pretty much last forever. These little rubber grips are invaluable when you have a super tight jar that needs a little extra oomph to open. The best part about getting a multipack, is that you have an extra to also keep with your nail polish stash for those dried tight polish jars!

Gadget #4: Digital Meat Thermometer (link)

A meat thermometer has 100% improved my cooking over the years. Now I know exactly when a meat is done, rather than cutting it open to check the color and letting all the juice out. With that being said, I do go through these kind of quickly as I’m rough on them and break them every year or so. I use them probably 3-4 days a week though, so the cost-per-use is low enough that it makes sense to keep replacing them.

New Gadget: Vegetable Chopper (link)

I was 100% influenced into buying this chopper by two different creators over the last few weeks. They just made it look so easy –- you stick your veggie in there, shut the lid, and BOOM you have a nicely chopped veggie all ready to go. It’s a TIME SAVER! And it is so easy that we will eat more vegetables! At least, that’s what I told myself when I ordered it. And it’s been sitting on my kitchen island unopened in the box for a week now. Sigh. I think I need to watch some more chopping videos to get in the mood to chop stuff.

If you have the veggie chopper, tell me how you use it and maybe I can get inspired to use mine?

Disclosure: This post contains a Amazon affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Cupshe Swimsuits Thoughts

I don’t know if you all are familiar with Cupshe swimsuits, but I was recently looking for some cute, a little sexy, well-fitting and not-too-expensive options and they came up in my search. My only previous experience with the company was back in 2018, I had ordered a high waisted bikini set for $24 and it was just kind of ‘meh’.

I saw three swimsuits I really liked that had good reviews, so I figured I’d take a chance and hope that at least ONE of them worked out for me.

Here’s what I ordered:

Source: Cupshe.com

Going Live Tummy Control One-Piece Swimsuit, $40 (link)
Red D/DD Bikini Top & Tummy Control Bottoms Set, $41 (link)
Emerald Tease Green Monokini Swimsuit, $35 (link)

I figured the black one-piece was my safest bet – it had a slightly textured fabric that I thought would be nice for visual interest, there is a tummy control situation and the top is adjustable with the tie-strap that you can adjust to your body.

The red bikini was a crap-shoot. I’m not much of a bikini girl, but I thought it would be fun and cute for hot tub time with my sweetie (who thinks I look good in basically anything). Once again the bottoms had a tummy control thing going on and I was excited to see how the top fit, considering that they were made for a larger cup size. Also, they have a tie in the back, which works much better for me than the bra-like clasps on some swimsuits.

I threw the last one in simply because it was green and sparkly. I mean, COME ON. It’s so dang cute! Yes, there is a lot of boob going on, but I figured it would be great for when we rent a house with a pool and it’s just the three of us there – nobody to judge and I’d feel spicy hot in my sassy sparkles. Right?!

So, I placed my order and waited a few days until my package arrived… Once again, crossing my fingers that at least one fit me properly with plans to return the others.

You guys. When they arrived and I had my try-on party I was flabbergasted.

THEY ALL FIT SO WELL!

The fabric was soft and well-constructed. I used the sizing charts for my order and everything fit me properly. There was appropriate support in the chest area with nothing flopping around, sagging or trying to break free under an armpit. They didn’t ride up my butt to give me a massive wedgie. My tummy was gently hugged, but in a comfortable way rather than feeling like a shapewear sausage.

Believe me, I am not the girl who puts on a swimsuit in the middle of the winter and thinks I look good, but I was STRUTTING around in them. And if this 48-year-old, mid-sized mom felt great in all three of them, I knew I had to pass the word along to all of you.

Anyways, no, I’m not sharing my try-on photos here BUT they may make their way to my Instagram over spring break or over the summer, because HOT DAYUM are these swimsuits magical.

So, if you’re in the market for a swimsuit this spring/summer, I’m throwing in my recommendation to give Cupshe a try. I was pleasantly surprised at what I got for the price and will definitely keep them in mind next time I need to order swimwear.

Disclosure: This post is NOT sponsored by Cupshe – I’m just sharing because I ordered the swimsuits with my own money and really like them. This post contains Shop My affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Empty’s – March 2025

I’ve had this series called “Empty’s” for a few years now and basically it stemmed from the thought that it’s helpful to revisit an item after it’s been used long term and you decide whether to repurchase it. Or not.

Here are the items in my Empty’s bin today:

EOS Shea Butter Lotion in crème de pistachio – find it here on Amazon

I am OBSESSED with this lotion. I love pistachio, almond and vanilla scents and the scent of this lotion is absolutely intoxicating! It’s also what I would consider a ‘medium’ level of moisturizing, so it works great for all-over body use. I use this 1-2 times every day and love, love, love it. This one is 100% a re-buy for me.

Farmhouse Fresh Three Milk Ageless Moisturizer – find it here on the Farmhouse Fresh website

I’ve been using this facial moisturizer since Spring 2024, so I’m at almost exactly 2 years of daily morning use now. It combines botanical milks, cucumber extract, time-release retinol and a clinical age-reversing peptide. It also has just the right amount of moisturizing for my morning face lotion needs. This one is also a re-buy for me and I anticipating continuing to buy it again and again.

If you enjoy my Empty’s posts, you can find my previous posts here:

Disclosure: Not sponsored. This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.