Apt528 Review: Foldtuk Bakeware

FoldTuk Bakeware

$15.99 - 21.99

Apt528 Rating: 4.9 out of 5

Super functional multi-use kitchenware that's a great investment for renters looking to save space.  Newlyweds should definitely add this to their registry!

The Review

Space is one of the biggest concerns for renters.  Fitting pots, pans, and mounds of tupperware into a cramped kitchen can be a huge pain.  Which is why I was thrilled when the folks over at Foldtuk sent me a sample from their bakeware line.

Let me start off by telling you what Foldtuk Bakeware is.  It's amazing.  That is it. 

Foldtuk is a tupperware/bakewear combo that folds flat for storage.  Made of Ceramber, it supposedly heats and cools faster than silicone and can be used in the oven, microwave, dishwasher, fridge, and even the freezer.  To test these claims, I used my Foldtuk in each situation.

Cooking
First, I baked a loaf of apple cinnamon bread.  I didn't use any cooking spray since the Foldtuk claims to be non-stick.  The loaf cooked evenly and didn't have any weird plastic taste like I thought it would.  As you can see from the pictures, a little of the loaf stuck to the bottom, but I can't tell if it's from not using cooking spray or because I've never baked a loaf before and I had no clue how to get it out of the bakeware.  Considering my past experiences with cookware, I'm guessing I'm the one at fault!

Dishwasher

With normal pans, you have to do a little scrubbing to completely remove all food residue. We did no scrubbing whatsoever. We simply stuck the Foldtuk in the dishwasher and it came out looking like new!

Microwaving

With the oven and dishwasher out of the way, my next test was the microwave.  I got out my packet of instant mashed potatoes and got to work.  I'm sure most of you are cringing at the thought of instant potatoes but you'd be cringing even more if you tasted my cooking.  I'm horrible!

Thankfully the Foldtuk was wonderful and did a great job of cooking our instant mashed goodness...just look at the steam coming from the container!

Freezer

The last test was the freezer.  I forgot to take pics of this one...sorry!  Long story short, I froze some steak tips for a few days.  There was a little freezer burn which leads me to believe the container wasn't closed properly since my tupperware test proved it is air-tight.  Still, the food thawed out quickly in the fridge and the meal turned out well.

Tupperware
To test it's food storage abilities, I filled my Foldtuk with water, then tossed it, turned it, even dropped it on the floor. Not a single drop of water came out.  Not only is the helpful around the kitchen, but it's great for packing a lunch.  Finally, I don't have to worry about spilling salad dressing in my purse!

Storage
While the Foldtuk is great at cooking and freezing, its storage abilities are the most impressive.  We've been putting off purchasing a Pyrex cooking set for months now, simply because we have no room to store all the pieces.  The Foldtuk takes care of that by collapsing into a slim 1 inch height.  Fold it down, snap on the lid, and your storage problem is solved.

Conclusion
The only downfall to me is the Foldtuk's price.  The 6-cup rectangular container retails for $21.99.  For a thrifty gal like me, $21 seems outrageous. However, when you take into account all of the Foldtuk's functions and the fact that you can store it anywhere, $21 seems like nothing! 

You can also buy the Foldtuk in other shapes (square, circle, and rectangle), colors (orange, red, black, and blue), and sizes (4 or 6 cup).  On top of that, there's also a Foldtuk roaster so you can cook easily cook and serve a big meal all in one collapsible container.  Apparently, there's also Foldtuk cookware in the works.  Collapsible pots and pans?  I'm SO there!

Etsy Shop of the Week: Junk Culture

I've been a Junk Culture fan for quite awhile so it's no surprise that they're now an Etsy Shop of the Week! Junk Culture's carefully chosen stock of brightly colored items makes you yearn for the 60's. After just a minute of browsing through the shop you're sure to find everything you need to turn your apartment into a cozy vintage home.

Etsy Shop of the Week: LetterPunch Design

I came upon LetterPunch when I was planning my wedding.  We wanted something cute, quirky, and unique to capture the greatness that was going to be our amazing retro wedding.  Invitations set the mood for what's to come so you can't just pick anything.  With LetterPunch Design, you don't have to.  All of their designs have that playful edge while still being elegant and classy.

Unfortunately our last minute decision to move the wedding up a year and cut our guest list to 27 (we're crazy like that) left us with not much time for invites.  Our loss.  Thankfully, you still have a change to snatch up a few LetterPunch creations of your own.  Elegant, modern, vintage, and contemporary...no matter what your wedding style, LetterPunch has something to help make it the happiest day ever.  Who knew paper could hold such magical powers!

Butterfly Garden

Modern Formal

Perfect Equation

Nature Lovers

Punch Card

Uppercase Finds

While browsing around twitter (@apt528 if you're not already following us!) I found a link to an awesome Canadian store called Uppercase. Located in Calgary, Uppercase carries papergoods, books, and odds & ends that make your design senses tingle.

Take a minute to browse through the Uppercase store and you're sure to fall in love with them like I did. They carry pocket mirrors adorned with kitchy vintage typewriters (my favorite!), flowers, maps, and letters. Totes are screenprinted with bold typography, and notebooks are made with such detail that I shutter at the thought of ruining them with my sub par ramblings.  The best part is that most Uppercase products incorporate vintage materials. Vintage maps, magazines, and prints are used on the mirrors and journals...it's the best of both worlds!

If cupid's visited you a little early, you'll love the gallery section where they feature prints to bring out the romantic in you.

Etsy Shop of the Week: Crank Heart Pony

The Etsy Shop of the Week is moving to the Apartment 528 Blog.  We went a few weeks without doing a Shop of the Week while I was getting the Store setup, but now we're back with the awesome Crank Heart Pony.

Crank Heart Pony is a mix of new and old with handmade jewelry and wallets side-by-side wih sophisticated vintage pieces.  The vintage lover in me wants to buy every mug in the store while the rest of me wants to snatch up makeup bags!  So many tough decisions!  My advice: shop now to catch the awesome deals on earrings ($10 off), vintage (20% off), and bags and wallets (15% off).

Harlem Wristlet

Vintage Scalloped Planter

Golden Owl Pendant and Necklace

Wheaton Condiment Set

Know an Etsy shop you think deserves to be the Shop of the Week?  Leave a comment below.

Apt528 Review: Kenmore Iron w/LCD Temp Control

Kenmore Iron w/LCD Temp Control
$39.99 (reg $49.99)

Apt528 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A great iron with nice features, though a retractable cord would have been nice.  Steam feature is just okay

The Review
The Kenmore Iron w/LCD Temp Control comes packed with a lot of features.  First off, there's an LCD monitor above the handle with two buttons that let you scroll through the list of heat settings (cotton, silk, wool, etc.).  There's also a dial at the very top that goes between no steam, light steam, and full steam.  The steam feature only works on the higher heat settings to keep you from ruining your favorite silk top!

Every now and then, you need a little extra help to get rid of stubborn wrinkles.  Thankfully, the Kenmore has two buttons, one that adds a burst of steam and one that sprays a mist of water to help loosen wrinkles.  The water tank is pretty big...I use the iron on a daily basis for my husband's pants and shirts and only fill it about once a week, as opposed to my old iron which had to be refilled constantly.  My only complaint here is that the water tank can be hard to see through...you can't always see clearly where the water line is. Not a huge deal, but something I noticed.

The iron comes with a handy self-cleaning feature that gets rid of all the mineral deposits and buildup that happen in irons.  Simply fill the water tank, hold the self-cleaning button, and allow the water to drip out of the bottom of the iron and into the sink.  The whole process takes less than 5 minutes every month or so and protects your clothes from being stained with the disgusting buildup that can occur with dirty irons.

One thing I wish the Kenmore had is a retractable cord.  My old iron had one as do most irons nowadays.  It's nice to be able to push a button and have the cord wrap itself up inside the iron. While they didn't provide a retractable cord, they did leave ample space for you to wrap the 10 foot cord around the base of the iron...not all irons have cord storage space so you're forced to wrap it around the baseplate.  Oh, and yes, i said 10 foot cord.  You can iron practically anywhere with a cord that long!  Of course the long cord could be the reason why the cord's not retractable...not enough room to store something that long.

Another downfall for me was the upright steam feature for use on drapes and hanging clothes.  I tried using the feature on a shirt that had light wrinkles but found it a little awkward to manage.  Of course this is just an extra feature of the iron, not it's main function.  If upright ironing is something you plan on doing quite often, you'd be better off buying an actual steamer.

I forget to unplug my iron all the time.  I always think I'm going to come back and use it or put it away but I end up running late and heading off to work forgetting that the iron is still on.  Sure enough, Kenmore thought about people like me and included an auto-shutoff feature.  If the iron is on for more than 8 minutes without use, it shuts off.  If you leave it in the down position for more than 30 seconds without movement, it shuts off.  It's the perfect thing for me...I don't have to worry about my house burning down while I'm at work!

The last feature is the storage strip which runs along the baseplate.  When the iron's hot, the strip is red, indicating it's not ready for storage.  Once the iron cools down, the strip changes to black, meaning it's okay to put away.  Now you can check the strip before putting the iron away to make sure it doesn't burn anything in your storage closet.

I'd recommend the Kenmore Iron w/LCD Temp Control to anyone in the market for a new iron.  at $39.99 it's a great feature-packed iron that will last you quiet awhile.

Christmas on the Cheap

So I forgot to tell you about the great deal I found on artificial Christmas trees. If you're landlord doesn't allow real Christmas trees because of the fire hazard, head on down to Family Dollar where you can get a fake tree for as little as $10!


Yep, $10 can get you a 4' tree. $15 gets you a 4' pre-lit tree, $20 a 6' tree and $25 a 6' pre-lit tree. How do ya like them apples? Jerome and I bought two trees from them: a 6 footer for our main tree and a cute little 4' pre-lit tree in a champagne color for the lounge...it's retrotabulous!

Not only does Family Dollar have super affordable trees, but they also have cheap decorations. Of course some of the decor looks as cheap as its price tag so you won't find everything you're looking for, but you will find the basics like Christmas lights for $2 and plain ornaments for $1. Can't beat that!

Another great deal: Old Navy's Christmas stockings for just $1!! They're not the cheap plain kind either...they have several different colors with all kinds of designs.  They don't sell them online so I can't provide a link or picture, but if you have an Old Navy close by, I'd recommend stopping by and grabbing one.

From one Apartment to Another

Apartment 528 would like to thank the fine folks over at Apartment Therapy Boston for including us in their Marketplace section. It's such an honor to be featured on the mecca of all interior design sites!!

Also, we'd like to share two new additions to the store: the "Take it off" Coat Rack by Paperdoll Woodshop and the new Stationery Set from David Paul Seymour. Enjoy!

"Who'd You Write?" Stationery Giveaway

If you could write to anyone - past, present, or future - who would it be?  Answer that question and you could win a free stationery set for the Apartment 528 Store!

First, head to the Store and browse through our awesome stationery selection.  You can pick stationery from David Paul Seymour, Joom, and Decoy Lab. 

More from Joom

Decoy Lab Note Cards

Next, think of the person you'd most like to write to and why.  Your answer could be anything from Justin Timberlake to tell him he's The One for you to George Washington to ask him his thoughts on the Iraq war.  Get creative!

More from David Paul Seymour

Once you've chosen your person and why you'd want to talk to them, sumbit your answer using one of two methods.

1. Leave a comment below telling who you'd write and why.
2. Tweet your answer (the who and the why) to @apt528 on Twitter.  Make sure to use the #whodyouwrite hashtag OR post a link to the tweet in a blog comment.

The most important thing of all...don't forget to put your name and a way to contact you.

The "Who'd You Write?" Giveaway ends Sunday at 11:59 ET so make sure to enter now!

Apt528 In Boston Stuff Magazine!

I missed you!

I've spent the past month working on the relaunch of the Apartment 528 Store and have neglected my faithful readers. But believe me, it was all for a good cause! Now the Apt528 Store is bigger and better with new features like the ability to create wishlists, better product views, and most importantly, the introduction of new designers Decoy Lab and Paperdoll Woodshop.  Of course switching the Store over to our new web host meant that both the blog and email were down for a week but we're finally back in business.

Paper Cuckoo Clock (By Decoy Lab) - $28

Bird Stationery Set (by Decoy Lab) $10

M is for Magazine Holder (By Paperdoll Woodshop) - $38

Robot Wine Holder (By Paperdoll Woodshop) - $38

And what better way to start off the first new blog post of December than by offering all you awesome blog readers a 10% discount on your next Apt528 order using code BLG10 at checkout (valid through Monday Dec. 7th)!! In addition to the 10% off, all Apt528 customers get FREE SHIPPING through the month of December. Now that's what I call a deal :)

In addition to the great discount, I have other exciting news. Apartment 528 was featured in Boston Stuff Magazine's Holiday Issue. If you're in the Boston area, make sure to grab a copy and check out Apartment 528 plus other great stores and products great for holiday gift giving!

Love the Mustache Salt & Pepper Shakers featured in the Stuff article? Head over to the Apt528 Store. to pick up a set. Don't forget to use your discount code BLG10 to get 10% off now till Monday 12/7.