BillyKnowsBest

The Best Laundry Softener/Fragrance: Good Home Co. Pure Grass

My mother has many talents and strengths, but cooking and cleaning aren't among them.  Still, she tries, and appreciates a good laundry product as much as anyone.  She fell in love with the Good Home Co. Pure Grass Laundry Fragrance, but could not bring herself to pay the steep price ($25).  Yes, if you compare it to Downy or Snuggle it's mighty expensive, but on a per-wash basis, it's an affordable luxury, and it is natural, biodegradable and not animal tested.  So she got it for Mother's Day... because the mother of the son who knows best, deserves the best.  Skip the 32oz glass bottle, and go for the  64oz "refill."  And get free shipping when you order it from drugstore.com/beauty.com , where you can shop both stores with a combined checkout.  Other fragrances include Lavender, Paris Rain, Beach Days and Italian Citrus, but Pure Grass is our favorite.

DC Shoe Cabo Flip Flops

I was in LA last week, and stopped by the new A Bathing Ape store.  A Bathing Ape is a cool Japanese limited-edition street wear clothing brand that has just landed at  8001 Melrose Avenue.  If you're in LA (or NY at 91 Greene St) you should check it out (unfortunately, they don't sell online, though you can find some items on eBay.)  They're just down the street from the DC Shoes store, where I picked up a great pair of super-comfy flip flops: The DC Cabo.  Buy them online -- free shipping, no tax, free returns and a 10% discount at shoebuy.com.

The Best Projection Clocks: Oregon Scientific

I've always been a fan of Oregon Scientific's atomic projection alarm/weather clocks. There's something really comforting about waking up in the middle of the night, and just having to open your eyes to see the current time projected on the ceiling.  And it's really useful having the outdoor temperature displayed as well. The first ones I had were fucntional, but not terribly stylish.  The next generation were designed by Philippe Starck, a big improvement.  The newest generation offer truly intriguing design and more advanced technology like infrared motion sensors and induction chargers, which make them perfect for design freaks and tech geeks.  Find them lowest=priced at newegg.com.

The Best Fragrance-Free Skin Care: Liiv Botanicals

Fragrance-free skincare presents a few challenges.  First of all, fragrance-free doesn't really mean scent-free.  Many of the ingredients in these products have a scent -- in fact, it's because of these scents -- often unpleasant in the case of anti-aging and therapeutic ingredients -- that fragrance is often added to skin care products.  Which means that fragrance-free skin products -- those without added fragrance -- are often either very basic in terms of their anti-aging efficacy, or sometimes unpleasant smelling.  Liiv Botanicals is a breakthrough new line of skin care products from Avon's Wellness group.  It's fragrance-free, dye-free and preservative-free, but most importantly, it feels great, smells great, and relies on a unique blend of plant-based ingredients (Fennel, Cucumber, Apple, Lemon, Camellia and Rose.) to provide anti-aging, skin caring properties.  Choose "representative delivery" and enjoy free shipping on your purchase through May 31, 2008.

The Best Bagels in New York: Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company

Normally, I wouldn't even bother trying a bagel as big and round as the ones at Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company, but they opened half a block from my apartment, and my friend Juan stopped in and picked up a couple for me a few weeks ago.  As a New York City-born Jew, I have some pretty high bagel standards, and I have to say, these hand-rolled water-boiled bagels are as good as they come: with a perfect chewy tooth-iness.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop in and try one.  Ironically, you won't find them in Brooklyn, but you will find two locations in Queens, and the one near me at 286 8th Avenue, between 24th and 25th st.  They don't ship yet, but the website looks like they intend to. (H&H, Murray's (8th ave) and Murray's (6th ave) fans: Take the challenge before you comment!)

The Best Surge Protector for Your Computer:APC Power Saving Essential SurgeArrest

My college buddy David Pogue wrote about this in today's New York Times.  The APC Power-Saving Essential SurgeArrest is a surge protector that also detects how much current your computer is drawing, so that when the computer is shut down, it cuts off power to three plugged-in peripherals that would otherwise continue to suck and waste power.  For those of you... um, us too lazy to reach down and flip the switch on our surge protectors to shut off our external hard drives, cable modems, printers and whatever else, this is the perfect solution.  It's in stock, and low-priced at PC Connection for $23.58.

The (new) Best Rice Cooker: Zojirushi NP-HBC10

When I previously wrote about the Best Rice Cooker, I may have exaggerated a little bit when I said it turned out "perfect rice." I should have said "near perfect," because, in fact, while most of the rice was perfect, there was usually a small amount of overcooked rice on the bottom of the pan.  Now, some people really like that hard, crusty bottom, but it does belie the "perfect" descriptor.  Zojirushi has solved this problem by putting an induction heating system into its newest top-of-the-line rice cookers.  Induction allows the entire cooking bowl to heat, eliminating the hot spot of a standard heating system.  Truly perfect rice - and more: I made lentils in it last night!  Perfection has its price, however -- just under $300 for the 5.5 cup model (It also comes in a 10-cup and 3-cup model) at amazon.com. If that's beyond your budget, check out my previous recommendation - about $100 less.

The Best Tomato Plants By Mail: Burpee and Chileplants.com

Most years I start tomato plants from seeds (easy when I had a greenhouse in LA, hard now that I have a windowsill in Manhattan), but I often augment my self-started seedlings with purchased ones.  I've had the best luck with plants from good ol' Burpee.  This year, I ordered their Best of Show collection.  Six plants, five different varieties, $19.99.  The plants come sturdily packed for shipment, and ready to put in your garden.  Last year, I ordered from Cross Country Nurseries, which was recommended by Organic Gardening magazine, and actually specializes in chile and pepper plants. Overall, I was less pleased with the plants, except for one variety that has earned a permanent place in my small plot: The Black Cherry tomato.  These dark-fruited gems are really meaty, sweet and tasty.  I can't wait to pick the first ones off the vine this year.

Monogramed Christmas Stockings from Neiman Marcus

I'm Jewish.  But I spent most of my childhood in a Catholic neighborhood, jonesing a Christmas tree, which my father adamantly refused to provide.  (The "Chanukah Bush" was a nice gesture, dad, but really didn't cut it.)  As a teen-ager, I reveled in my friends' family Christmas celebrations, and adopted the holiday as my own when I shared an apartment in New Haven with my Protestant pal Bill Dodge.  Ironically, I celebrate it now with my siblings, step-mother Chris and my Dad, who, in marrying the second time out of the faith, brought Christmas home.  Yay!  My favorite part is the filling and emptying of the stockings, which thanks to my friend Tracey's family I embraced fully, with my own special stocking,  monogrammed by me with glue and glitter.  If you're not feeling so crafty, you can let Neiman Marcus do the work for you, and order one of these needlepoint-monogrammed stockings.  The remaining Angel and Bear motifs are on sale for $38. 

The Best Way To Spice Up Your Cooking: Amore Hot Pepper Paste

I have previously written about the Best Garlic Paste, and can't believe I hadn't written about this companion product. Amore Hot Pepper Paste is my favorite way to kick up the flavor in almost any dish.  It's hot and tangy, like the hot pepper paste you often find at Chinese restaurants.  The convenient squeeze tube makes it easy to store in your fridge -- just a small dollop does the trick in sauces and sautéed foods. Buy a six-pack for $17.14 at amazon.com.