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When Is a Fever Too High?

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:49:00 PST

With the nasty flu bug making its rounds, there's only so much eating healthy, getting enough rest, washing your hands, getting a flu shot, and avoiding germs one can do. If you're unlucky enough to get the flu, your body will hike up your body temperature to boil away all those germs. So is there a point when your temperature can get too high?

When you get the flu, a sudden high fever is totally normal, and it can get as high as 104° F and last for three to four days. The best thing you can do is to rest and drink plenty of fluids, since a fever can cause you to become dehydrated. Don't attempt to cool off your skin with cold packs since they'll just make you shiver, which will end up raising your body temperature. Instead you should alternate between taking Tylenol and ibuprofen every four hours to help reduce your fever. Alternating these meds will help to prevent accidental overdose, and sometimes the combination of the two will be more effective in bringing down your fever. But if your fever persists for more than five days or goes over 104° F, call your doctor and get some medical advice immediately.

Do You Have an Oven Thermometer?

YumSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:00:16 PDT

While I might be a late-night baker, I have never trusted the temperature of ovens. Instead I rely on a trusty oven thermometer. My somewhat new oven is about 25 degrees cooler than what the knob says, so with my thermometer, I can adjust the temperature and cook time correctly. With Fall in full swing and baking on the brain, I'm wondering, do you use one?

Product of the Day: SpongeBob Musical Thermometer

GiggleSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:00:00 PST

I can't think of anything more miserable than feeling under the weather, shoving a thermometer up your rear (you know, it can go there) and then hearing: "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob! SquarePants!" That's exactly what the Musical SpongeBob Digital Thermometer does. It takes your temp and concludes with a musically-induced headache. Some may confuse this for a kiddie thermometer, but last I heard, child abuse ain't something we encourage in these parts. Click here to hear Bob the temp-taker in action.

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Off To Market Recap: Candy Thermometer

partysugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:12:19 PDT

Last week YumSugar and I got into a heated discussion about candy thermometers. We both have candy thermometers that we use but are totally disappointed with. I've purchased several of the same one and it breaks every time I use it. YumSugar's thermometer isn't specifically for candy and lacks a fixture to clamp it to the side of the pot. So I asked you to help us out and find the most efficient candy thermometers. I told you it had to be a reliable gadget that actually works. You saved your candy thermometers in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Candy Thermometer.

The thermometer that gets me the most excited to make caramel is this digital one found by daddio49. Battery operated and easily attachable to a pot, it can be set for a specific sugar or deep frying temperature. Once the desired temperature is reached, it flashes and beeps-this is a candy thermometer that would make geeksugar proud. Take a look at all of the tools you found by scrolling through the list below.

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To learn more about TeamSugar's fabulous bookmark capability, refer to geeksugar's how to.

The Ultimate Kitchen: Instant-Read Thermometer

YumSugar — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 04:19:32 PDT

A good instant-read thermometer is one tool that is really great to have around the house. I can't tell you the number of times it has saved me from serving undercooked meat or chicken. When choosing a thermometer you want to make sure you get one that is easy to read, has a great response time, is accurate (this should be priority one), and has a well thought-out design.

The thermometer that gets all the praise (you'll see the chefs on America's Test Kitchen touting this one, as well as Alton Brown) is the Thermapen thermometer. It's well known for its super-fast speed and accuracy, plus the probe portion is quite long (you'll be able to get to the true center of a pot roast) and conveniently folds in. It's available in several different colors, however it doesn't come cheap. This guy is the king of thermometers and its price tag shows: $84.95.

Two more that won't break the bank, including one that will let you know when things are done, so

The Taylor High-Temp Thermometer is a reliable instant-read thermometer that should last for years. The large digital face allows for easy reading, and it has a switch that will convert from C to F. It also has a wide temperature range (-58F to 500F) and is available for $12.99.

Finally, if you're working on a large pot roast, or whole chicken, it's really great to know when something is done. If you constantly have to open the oven door to check, you're letting all that warm air out. To prevent this problem try a programmable cabled thermometer. This one by CDN has a thermometer portion that is on a stainless steel cable and can withstand high heats (just don't put the tip directly on a hot surface). Stick the thermometer into the roast, trail the cable out the door, close the oven and plug the thermometer into the base. The base, has a large digital display and can be programmed to beep once it hits a certain temperature. Now you really can set it and forget it! This model is available for $29.95 and comes with a 5-year warranty.

3 (Nearly) Effortless Ways to Get Gorgeous Hair When It's Hot

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:32:00 PDT

Summer is about to begin, and the thermometer has already reached new highs, so why spend hours fussing with your hair? There are easy ways to keep your mane in check when it's hot out, so we turned to celebrity hairstylist Marcus Francis to find out how. Read on to see his tips.

5 Things I Wish I Registered For (and 5 I Wish I Hadn't!)

Sara Yoo — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:15:01 PDT

Though we may be loathe to admit it, one of the most exciting - and frenzied - moments of wedding planning is setting up a registry. While deep down I knew that marrying the man of my dreams was the best present of all, other visions, like that of a perfectly appointed home, turned me into Dirty Harry with the scanner gun. A fondue set? I'll take two. The enormous countertop convection oven? We'll make room. Salt and pepper shakers shaped like mated doves? You get the picture.

It's easy to go crazy when registering for wedding gifts, but ending up with a pile of things you'll never use results in annoying trips back to the store for returns or very full storage closets. Eight years after my perfect wedding, I can't help but think that I should have provided my generous guests with better direction as I watch the dust collect on the paella pan I've never used. Every bride's needs are different, but I've come up with a list of five items from my registry that are highly underutilized and five items for which that money would have been better spent. Tell us: what are your must-have registry items, and what do you wish you left off your list?

Five Things I Could Have Done Without

Preassembled cookware sets. Those 10- or 12-piece cookware sets may seem like a great deal with many stores advertising "deep" discounts vs. buying individual pieces, but I found that I ended up with pots and pans in sizes I've never used. Take the time to register for individual pieces (you may even find that you like pieces from a few different cookware lines) in standard sizes that make sense for your frying, sautéing, and simmering needs.
Cooking utensils. Basic utensils like rubber spatulas and wooden spoons are a wedding-registry must have. But I've found that many of the specialized tools I thought I would need have gone untouched. There are so many variations of potato mashers, strainers, ladles, and whisks that you ought to take your time finding the perfect one for you.
High-ticket single-use tools. Cookware companies would love to sell you pasta cookers, egg poachers, asparagus pots, and butter warmers, often at a few hundred dollars a pop. My pasta pot rarely sees the light of day, because I opt instead for a standard stockpot and colander (which drains much better, IMO). By investing in the right standard pots and pans, you still can cook any of these items and save room in your kitchen cabinets while you're at it.

For the rest of the list as well as a list of items I'd register for instead, just keep reading.

What to Wear Weather Thermometer: Ga Ga or Gag?

Anna Monette Roberts — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:08:55 PST

Especially during colder months when the heater is on full blast, it can be a difficult and exhausting battle to help your kids make appropriate clothing choices. Have your lil ones resisted putting on an additional layer of long underwear only to complain later about being cold? The Apparel Indicating Weather Thermometer ($21) is geared toward kids to help them learn how to read a thermometer and dress accordingly.

The dial features large, colorful pictures indicating the appropriate clothing to wear for the corresponding temperature. There are three regional face options, so whether you live in the north with colder weather, the south with hotter weather, or somewhere in between, you can help your kids make the right clothing choices. Do you love this thermometer or do you think it's unnecessary?

4 Tips to Organize Your Medicine Cabinet

Emily Co — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:05:32 PDT

The medicine cabinet is a part of the home that no one really thinks about . . . until you need something from it. And when you finally do, you might find yourself wading through the items that should have been discarded to get to the medication you need. Or perhaps you're missing the needed item because you never noticed you were low on it because of the mess. Take some time to organize your medicine cabinet this week, so if someone falls ill or if there's an accident, you'll know exactly where to find supplies. Here are a couple of tips:

Discard expired medication: How long has it been since you've organized your medicine cabinet? If it's been a while, you probably have a lot of expired medication. The FDA has good tips on how to dispose of your medicine.
Take stock of what you need: Now that you've thrown out the old, it's time for the new. Restock your supplies with fresh ones and make sure you have the basic necessities - aspirin, aloe vera gel, Band-Aids, bandages, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, thermometer, adhesive tape, antiseptic solution or towelettes to clean wounds, eyewash, cough medicine, and instant cold packs.
Separate your supplies: You don't need to keep all the medical supplies together in one container. You should separate the medication based on factors like how often you need to use it and who the medicine is for (you, your kids, or pets).
Start labeling: When you're done separating, place them into their requisite containers and label them with things like "first aid," "adults," "kids," "pets," or "miscellaneous."

The Star of the Easter Feast: Rosemary-Roasted Leg of Lamb

Camilla Salem — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:42:14 PDT

It wasn't until recently that I started to feel comfortable cooking large roasts. In particular, I'd always been intimidated by roasting legs of lamb, until I learned that with high-quality meat, minimal preparation is all you need for a result that's truly impressive.

Any roast requires significant cooking time, so this may not technically be a fast recipe, but it most certainly is an easy one. I prepped my massive leg of lamb in just five minutes. Garlic cloves buried into the meat, a bed of rosemary, salt, and pepper, and a bit of red wine in the pan, and things were good to go.

Timing and internal temperature are everything when it comes to this type of cooking. There is the "slow and steady" school of thought, which recommends low temperatures and long cooking times, but frankly, I just don't have patience for that most of the time. I start my roasts at a high temperature for about 25 minutes or so and then lower the temperature to finish the cooking process. One huge factor in cooking time is whether or not your leg of lamb has a bone. A bone-in roast will take more time, and you're looking for a slightly higher temperature on your meat thermometer to determine if it's done. Those factors aside, it makes a more impressive table presentation.

For the recipe, keep reading.