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Keep plastics from spoiling your Thanksgiving leftovers

A word of warning about those Thanksgiving leftovers we're all looking forward to eating in the coming days. When it comes to reheating them, many of us will pop a plastic container into the microwave. Something that could turn your favorite fixins' into a toxic treat.

As busy moms and partners in an online recipe business, Michelle Jenkins and Susan Aprahamiam know a thing or two about making holiday cooking as quick and easy as possible. "That's our whole purpose of our business is to make it easier for people to make family dinners and to not spend a lot of time in the kitchen," said Aprahamiam.

But between the chopping, stirring, and blending. Both women admit to punching some numbers in the kitchen, too. "The microwave is definitely something we use everyday," said Aprahamiam. But is microwaving always safe?

It's been the subject of urban legend for years. And today, more and more in the medical and consumer community are questioning whether heating foods in plastic containers is really healthy. "I would never heat in plastic," said Dr. Susan Solomon.

Dr. Solomon studies the effects of microwaving on human health. She says there are plenty of studies that suggest more risk than benefit. "It's not smart," said Dr. Solomon. "The chemicals will leach into the oils that are in that food and then you'll be eating them as toxitiy."

In fact, studies have shown a chemical in many plastics, called Deha, causes cancer in some lab animals. "All these things that we think are making us have richer, faster lives...the point is our health is deteriorating and I believe plastics is one of the reasons for it," said Dr. Solomon. So what's a hungry eater to do?

The FDA has guidelines on safe microwaving. First, always check the bottom of your container. Many, such as take-out boxes and decorative plates, clearly state they're not safe for microwave use. Plastic wrap is another hidden danger.

Most consumers don't know you're supposed to leave at least an inch of room between the wrap and your meal. Otherwise you'll end up consuming the chemicals. Bottom line, until more is known Dr. Solomon recommends reheating in glass or aluminum the old-fashioned way.

A suggestion Michelle and Susan believe will make your turkey and trimmings all the more enjoyable. "It's just as easy to put it back on the stove to reheat it and serve it that way," said Michelle Jenkins. "And it looks more appealing and smells better, too."

Did plasma TV kill home pools?

THE idea of the traditional Aussie backyard is under threat thanks to a growing trend towards home theatre systems. In the battle for the leisure dollar, more families are spending their money on a state-of-the-art entertainment system instead of a swimming pool. Home theatres are now as common on house plans as the kitchen, garage and bedrooms.

Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) general manager Stephen Miller said there had been a sharp rise in the number of households dedicating a room for their viewing entertainment. "People are asking themselves 'Should we put in a swimming pool which we use three months of the year or should be put in a home theatre which we can use every week?'," Mr Miller said.

"Home theatres are also a lot less maintenance. "People are putting the same amount of expense usually reserved for a pool or a big holiday into a home theatre. "Swimming Pool and Spa Association spokeswoman Lisa Llewellyn admitted there was a move towards entertainment systems.

"The swing towards home theatre systems is more of a fashion trend which will turn around," she said. "A swimming pool is the great Aussie tradition. Swimming pools have been around for many, many decades and will always be there. "Alpha Pools' Julian Hart said pool builders were being challenged by home theatres.

"Yes definitely. There's always challenges and opportunities out there," he said. "We've had a dip in business, whether it's attributed to home theatre systems - I wouldn't know given the trouble we had last summer with water restrictions. "Tumbling prices are also seen as another factor behind the increased demand for home theatres which are now within the reach of an average family.

"It's no longer just a boys' thing, the kids are all starting to ask for it as well," CEDIA's Miller said. Burraneer resident Adam Bird said installing a home theatre had been money well spent. "Building a home theatre is something we've always to do," he said. "With two young kids it made going out very difficult so we wanted to bring the theatre to us.

"We had some good advice from the guys at Audio Connection down here in Caringbah and they designed and fitted the whole thing for us. "Our system also includes multiroom audio so we can listen to music out in the kitchen or on the back deck. "However Menai resident Diana Lipscombe said she was happier spending $40,000 on a pool, constructed by Pacific Pools, instead of a home theatre system.

"Having a pool means the kids are not playing the PlayStation and they're not watching the television," she said. "We like having parties and the kids just love being in the pool. They'd be in it everyday if they can. "It's a nice thing to look at even without anybody in it". "It (the pool) was a lifestyle choice, we didn't really care if it added value to our home. "Creating a dedicated home theatre usually starts between $20,000 and $30,000 which is roughly the starting price of a concrete in-ground swimming pool.

Vizio eclipses bigger rivals in LCD TV sales

A small California TV manufacturer will be fighting it out with consumer electronics giants Samsung, Sharp and Sony to be the leading seller of LCD televisions during the US holiday season.

Going into Black Friday sales, Vizio was the number-one brand for the second quarter in a row in North America, according to a report by the iSuppli research firm this week.

Vizio, which employs just 90 people in a southern suburb of Los Angeles, had a 13 per cent share of North American LCD (liquid crystal display) TV shipments, followed by Samsung with 12.8 per cent, Sharp on 12 per cent and Sony with 10.1 per cent.

Vizio has won its leadership by beating its rivals on price and selling its sets through warehouse club channels such as Costco.

It cannot compete with the massive research and development budgets of its bigger rivals and assembles its TVs from other manufacturers’ parts. But the quality of the sets and their award-winning design have been praised. It has provoked a response from the likes of Sony, which began offering cheaper LCD TVs with non-Sony parts in Wal-Mart stores.

"We believe it will be difficult for larger competitors to continuously pass along similar value propositions to Vizio HDTVs when you consider their massive operating and marketing expenses," says Laynie Newsome, Vizio’s sales vice-president. "We are very lean and mean and we make decisions and react to the latest in product development very quickly."

But iSuppli noted Vizio’s lead narrowed markedly in the third quarter as the bigger makers introduced new models and increased their market share from the second quarter by two to four percentage points.

"Vizio continues to succeed based on its combination of low-cost products and high-profile sales channels," said Riddhi Patel, iSuppli television analyst.

adidas tennis shoes | Nintendo DS | Unique Bracelet | Outdoor Sports | Telescopes The research firm predicts LCD TVs will overtake the traditional cathode ray tube sets in global sales in 2009. It estimates 76m LCD sets will be sold this year compared with 116m CRT sets, 11m plasma displays and 4.7m rear-projection TVs.