Every month, new products vie for our attention in the highly competitive lifestyle market. To make your purchase decision easier, we test exciting new products in advance and report on our experiences.
Food favourites, technology goodies or new fitness methods: the lifestyle world has new, exciting attractions in store every month. So that you can find your way through the product jungle, we test exciting new releases for you and tell you openly and honestly whether the purchase is worthwhile.
Gluten-free bread mix from My Makery Editor Lena plasters this tasty bread in a few days. ©PR
Price: 6.99 euros
To use: Bake delicious gluten-free bread and enjoy it without feeling heavy in your stomach.
Application: The preparation of the dark walnut and chestnut bread is very simple. Simply take the bag out of the box and mix the contents with 300 ml of water and 8 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Then knead everything briefly and form the dough into an oval loaf of bread. In the oven, wait and then enjoy.
Conclusion: The chestnut bread is crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside. It tastes great fresh, but it’s also delicious toasted. It has a good taste of its own that is not too intense to mask the chosen cold cut and the walnuts it contains are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and are therefore healthy. The delicious gluten-free bread made from organic ingredients such as chestnut, linseed and hemp flour was completely cleaned up within three days. There is a point deduction for the long baking time. The bread is baked in a preheated oven (200 degrees top/bottom heat or 180 degrees convection) for a whopping 75 minutes.
Something to snuggle up to Editor Anke snuggles up in this practical blanket. ©PR
Product: Bedsure Sleeve Blanket, 170x200cm, 1.4 kg, microfibre
Price: about 33 euros
To use: Cozy like a blanket, but practical like a jacket
Application: Unpack, put your arms in your sleeves, snuggle up your feet and feel warm.
Conclusion: The first impression: a great red, fluffy soft and very light – a dream! The blanket came on a hot August day. When we sat longer in the garden in the evening, it got quite chilly: Perfect! The first use for the ceiling! For my height of 1.70 m, the blanket is long enough to even keep my feet warm and thanks to the sleeves it doesn’t slip off my shoulders even when I’m reaching for a book or a wine glass. The mobile phone is always ready to hand in the fanny pack. I now use the blanket almost every evening, be it in front of a fire bowl in the garden or on the couch to read. Where I used to reach for the thermostat to turn it up a few degrees, I now reach for the ceiling. A cuddly companion for evenings on the couch, balmy summer nights on the balcony or at the campsite.
Cook to save time? Editor Katrin tests a pressure cooker. ©PR
Product: Pressure cooker Vitavit Premium from Fissler
Price: 309 euros
To use: With the pressure cooker, food should be prepared in a way that saves time and energy and is rich in vitamins. The pressure cooker is suitable for all types of stoves.
Application: The frying of the first ingredients worked smoothly with little fat through the frying surface. After all the ingredients and the appropriate amount of water are in the pot, the lid can be put on and closed with a twisting motion. You will hear a click and the lock indicator on the handle will change from red to green. That gives you a safe feeling. Using the included cooking time finder for all possible ingredients, I can quickly read the recommended cooking level and time for my dish and select the appropriate cooking level on the lid before I turn on the stovetop at the highest level. The traffic light system on the lid shows me when I should reduce the heat (yellow) and when the recommended cooking time starts (green). At the end, what happens with the control button on the handle is steamed off. Then the pot can be opened.
Conclusion: I’ve never had a pressure cooker before and I knew from a long time ago that my mum was always a little excited when she used hers. So I was curious to see how my first time with the new pot turned out. My stew was on the table in no time at all (just 6 minutes cooking time) and what can I say: the preparation was quick and uncomplicated and the vegetables were extremely fresh and intense in taste and colour. I’m already looking forward to preparing more of my classic recipes in the pressure cooker, because in addition to the time and energy savings, I was particularly impressed by the taste.
Cookware with new technology Editor Susanne is enthusiastic about the easy cleaning of the new pan. ©PR
Product: Circulon SteelShield C-Series frying pan, 25 cm
Price: about 100 euros
To use: Hybrid cookware combines the cooking pleasure of stainless steel with the easy cleaning of a non-stick coating.
Application: Turn on the stove and start frying.
Conclusion: The Circulon frying pan promises easy cleaning and the cooking properties of a stainless steel pan. At first glance, the pan definitely looks different than conventional non-stick pans. The mix of stainless steel grooves and PFOA and pollutant-free non-stick coating impresses me at first. I’m seeing something like this for the first time. I start my test with the preparation of a frying pan. For me, this is crucial for the performance of a pan. It heats up very quickly and I turn it down faster than with my conventional pan. The egg does not stick and is easy to lift out of the pan. The subsequent cleaning, which can be done without much scrubbing, is really excellent. Even after prolonged use, the pan can still be cleaned very quickly and easily. In addition, the pan can go in the dishwasher, in the oven and is suitable for induction cookers. I am thrilled and can warmly recommend the hybrid pan.
Brushing your teeth is easy! Editor Laura brushes her teeth thoroughly with the Oral-B electric toothbrush. ©PR
Product: Oral-B iO Series 10 electric toothbrush with 3D tooth tracking
Price: 349.99 euros
To use: The Oral-B iO 10 is designed to use artificial intelligence and position recognition to help clean teeth thoroughly and gently.
Application: Apply toothpaste and put it in your mouth. The toothbrush determines the position. Meanwhile, the magnetic iO Sense charging station gives me personalized live coaching and shows me where, when and how I need to clean. I can choose between different cleaning programs. The application is really easy.
Conclusion: At first brushing my teeth felt unfamiliar because I had no experience with electric toothbrushes. I had to suppress the routine movement in my wrist. After a few days it was no longer a problem. The vibration is very gentle. The app is really motivating and only now did I realize that I used to clean one side much more thoroughly than the other. It is impressive how precisely my cleaning behavior is determined on the outside, inside and chewing surface and I particularly like the intelligent pressure control. If there is too much pressure, it lights up red, if there is too little pressure, it lights up white. And I have to admit, although I was skeptical – my tooth feeling is different.