Thursday, November 23, 2023

Review of Yummy Can Bacon Product

 A while back on a visit to the Jessup, Maryland Ollie's Discount Store, I stumbled upon a device called the Yummy Can Bacon. It's a device of sorts that cooks bacon in a microwave oven. It's made of plastic and features 3 parts: a long high lid with steam vent that covers the rack the bacon slices lay on, a bacon rack you can lay up to 8 slices of bacon on and which connects to the bacon grease catcher base of the device and the bacon grease catcher base which is deep enough to hold all the bacon grease that will drip off the bacon as it's cooking.

Ollie's claims the device would normally retail for $19.99 and, they sell it for $9.99. I don't know how true their claim is for what the device would normally sell for. The device comes with a sheet that gives suggested cooking times based on the number of slices of bacon you're cooking and the power of your microwave oven. I've found these times reliable and have split the difference between the low and high times.

Compared to other microwave bacon cookers which I don't remember the names of, this device does a good job. Unlike 1 device I remember buying which featured a tray the bacon lay on which wasn't long enough for the slices of bacon and made it necessary to cut them into 2 pieces, the rack on this device can handle a normal slice of bacon. Also, it does a good job of catching all the bacon grease though I have found a little of it can get on the side handles of the device.

One thing I would warn prospective users of this device is how hot it can be when it has finished cooking the bacon. I would strongly recommend you use some cooking heat gloves to protect your hands and fingers. Also, I would advise you to be careful of the hot bacon grease. You might want to let it cool for a little while before throwing it out. I wouldn't recommend you pour the grease down your sink drain as it might clog the pipe.

One down side to the device I've found is cleaning it especially the bacon rack. I imagine you can use the device again without cleaning it but, you may get your fingers messy as there will be a grease residue on the base, rack and inside the cover. This is why I prefer to clean the device every time after I've used it.

If you want your bacon particularly crispy, you may have to experiment with the cooking times to find the right time to get the results you want.

Overall, I've been very pleased with this device. It's a very easy way to cook up to 8 slices of bacon with no splattering like you'd have if you cooked it on top of a stove. I feel Ollie's offers it at a good price and, the last time I was at their Jessup, Maryland store, they still had some of the devices. I don't know if other places sell it or at what price. I would think you could find it on Amazon or Ebay though I don't know this for a a fact. Keep this device in mind if you want an easy way to cook up some bacon. Bon Appetit!

Friday, November 17, 2023

Review of Maryland Lottery's Win $100, $200 or $500 Scratch Off Game

On October 23, 2023, Maryland Lottery launched the win $100, $200 or $500 for the second time. I remember this game because I did have some luck with it the first time it came out, The game features just 3 prizes: $100, $200 and $500. Like its previous version, it costs $20 to play. Also, like it previous version, it has some of the worst odds of winning among scratch off games: 1 in 9.14 per a lottery ticket I bought.

On the ticket, it claims to offer 3 times more $100 prizes. I don't know if that's true or not. At the time of this post, there were 348,041 $100 prizes left as well as 142,070 $200 prizes left and 17,338 $500 prizes left. Like the previous version, it has the same $$ instant win symbol. Also, it offers 30 chances to win though that doesn't mean as much as the 1 in 9.14 odds. The game is very like its cheaper $10 version. 

At the time of this post, Maryland Lottery is offering a second chance drawing where you could win $100,000. The lottery is offering multiple drawings on this prize. Unlike the previous version, Maryland Lottery is promoting this game as a holiday game. The ticket has Christmas tree ornaments and streamers on it but, it doesn't have any other connections with the holiday. In that way, it's like its previous version. It's a decent game but, it can be a real gamble. I've played this latest version and, like its previous version, you can get clobbered on this game if you're unlucky. On my thumbs up scale, I'd give it a 1 out of 2. Good luck to you if you decide to take a chance on this game.

Please see my standard disclaimer for any reviews I write and post about various Maryland Lottery games. This disclaimer is valid for this review too. Like all games I post on this blog, I bought the game ticket with my own money and didn't receive any remuneration from Maryland Lottery nor do I have connection with them.