LITTLE ROCK — Gifts. Christmas trees. Family dinners. Santa Claus. These are just a few of the things that come to mind when most people think about Christmas. Unfortunately for most of us homey types, Christmastime is also the season of cooking and cleaning. While technology can’t cook Christmas dinner, put up the lights or clean your house, there are a few handy, high-tech gadgets that can make the holidays a bit easier at home.

1 Nest Learning Thermostat, $249

Tired of having to adjust the thermostat every time the weather changes? In Arkansas, that can be a daily chore — even in December. The Nest Learning Thermostat can help. Created by the designers of Apple’s first iPod, this thermostat is designed to learn and remember its user’s ideal temperature settings. The Nest is compatible with 95 percent of low-voltage residential heating and cooling systems and can be programmed remotely from an iPhone, iPad, Android smart phone or Android tablet. Nest allows users to create a customized temperature schedule, reducing the need to reprogram the thermostat every day. It’s ideal for keeping house guests warm, or for saving energy by not running the heat while you’re out of town for the Christmas holiday. Simply set the Nest to warm the home to 72 degrees at 6:30 a.m., and the thermostat will turn on the heating and cooling unit while guests sleep to achieve the optimal temperature when they awake. Or set the thermostat to turn off the unit when no one’s at home and restart to an ideal temperature in time for your return. The Nest even learns your patterns and adjusts itself accordingly. It also helps with energy efficiency year round by keeping temperatures from fluctuating radically and by monitoring the unit’s air filter.

2 Insteon Hub, starting at $129.99

The next step to a completely automated home for the holidays is the Insteon Hub. It can help residents program lighting, wall switches, outlets and thermostats from any smart phone or tablet through the home’s wireless and electrical networks. Water leak sensors, motion sensors and door or window sensors can be attached to the Hub, which will send out e-mail or text alerts for any movement or leak detected. Better still, one unit can control your entire home.

With this handy device you can set Christmas lights to turn on and off automatically, turn other lights on when no one is home or monitor the house while out of town. The Hub works with any Insteon product, including light bulbs, energy monitors, dimmers and switches, security systems and even sprinkler controls. Each add-on makes the price go up, however.

Helpful hint: For Christmas lovers who just want to turn their lights on and off, the Belkin WeMo Switch is a less expensive alternative. This switch allows homeowners to turn on or off any electrical device using a free WeMo app. “You can plug lamps into them if you’re traveling and then schedule from your iPhone when the lamps come on,” says Stephanie McCratic, creator of the Evolved Mommy blog (evolvedmommy.com). “It’ll look like you’re home.” A regular WeMo switch costs $49.99, while a WeMo switch with motion detector retails for $99.99.

3 iRobot Roomba, starting at $349.99

Cleaning is another ritual before and after Christmas. So far, there isn’t an app or a gadget that will dust or declutter, but there is a robot that will vacuum. Meet the Roomba, the original hands free, robotic vacuum cleaner. First introduced in 2002, the Roomba has spawned several imitators because it’s so easy to use. Just push a button and let it clean. Roombas use a three-stage cleaning system that’s ideal for carpet, tile, laminate and hardwood floors. Higher-end models even feature a wireless command center and a dirt detecting system that uses optical and acoustic sensors to find dirt and debris. Roombas are small enough to fit under beds and in corners where most traditional vacuums can’t reach, and they’re ideal for those who don’t have the time or energy to clean their floors.

“At our house we have a Roomba because I don’t have time to spend my days vacuuming,” McCratic says. “It’s helpful because it does my vacuuming for me, and it’s entertaining because my 3-year-old loves it.”

Helpful hints: iRobot also has help for homeowners who need to mop. The Scooba preps, washes, scrubs and squeegees your floor for you, removing up to 98 percent of common household bacteria. Prices start at $499.99. The Mint is made especially for hard surfaces and can sweep or mop. Prices start at $199.99.

4 iRobot Looj, $299.99

McCratic may rely on her Roomba, but her husband has a completely different iRobot in mind. “My husband wants a Looj,” she says. “It’s by the people who make the Roomba, and it’s a gutter cleaner.” The Looj works in much the same way the Roomba works — simply press a button, place the Looj in your gutter and watch it travel along the length of the gutter doing its thing. The Looj is ideal for homes with multiple stories or for those who don’t want to spend an afternoon perched atop a tall ladder scooping slop out of their gutters.

“Our second story is like 30 feet tall. It makes me nervous to think about him climbing up on a ladder to clean our gutters,” McCratic says. The Looj allows one to keep both hands on the ladder while the leaves, dirt and clogs are cleared.

5 SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer, $149.95

Having trouble remembering what you need to pick up at the store for dinner? The SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer can help. The grocery list maker uses voice recognition software to compile a grocery list. Anyone in the family can add an item to the list by pressing a button and speaking into the unit. When shopping time comes, print a categorized list from the unit and head to the store. The SmartShopper will even allow you to create a list based on the layout of your grocery store or keep two shopping lists at once.

6 iGrill, $79.99

Need a good meat thermometer for cooking the holiday ham? Try an iGrill. Makers of the iGrill bill it as the world’s first grilling and cooking thermometer for iPhone and Android. Place the metal probe in the meat you plan to grill or bake, set the desired temperature and wait for the iGrill to alert you via your smart phone that dinner is ready. The iGrill is Bluetooth-enabled up to 200 feet, so Christmastime chefs can visit in the living room or hang out in the game room without fear of missing the timer’s ding.

“What’s interesting about the iGrill is it syncs with an app on your iPhone [or Android smart phone] and you can set it to play whatever you want when your meat reaches the right temperature,” McCratic says. “If you’re cooking a beef tenderloin, once it hits 145 degrees you can set it to play the ‘Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner’ song. The girl at AT&T told me that she set hers to play ‘Dixie Chicken’ when her chicken is done.”

7 Belkin Kitchen Cabinet Mount, $49.99 and Belkin Chef Stand + Stylus, $39.99

The Belkin Kitchen Cabinet Mount is ideal for cooks who prefer to read their recipes on an electronic tablet instead of a printed cookbook. The mount sets up under any kitchen cabinet or shelf and can be easily removed for storage once dinner is done.

Storage is a cinch, according to McCratic. “It actually folds up and fits in a single slot in your utensil drawer when you’re not using it,” she says.

The mount is compatible with iPad and Android tablet cases as well, so cooks can protect their expensive electronics from splatters, stains and smudges. McCratic recommends investing in a good protective sleeve, but a 1-gallon zip-close bag will do if you’re short on cash or time. Just place the tablet in the bag, zip and go. “That way your iPad won’t get wet or get gross stuff on it,” she says. The mount can also be used for watching movies or listening to music to pass the time while you cook.

A similar option is Belkin’s Chef Stand and Stylus. The stand can sit on any countertop or table, and the stylus is another option for cooks who don’t want to get their iPads or Android tablets messy while they’re cooking. The stand, like the cabinet mount, is compatible with most tablet cases. The stylus comes with its own stand and can be used on touch-screen tablets or to wake up an iPad. The chef stand and stylus come clean with warm, soapy water.

8 Hamilton Beach Set ’n Forget 6-quart slow cooker, $59.99

There are very few ways to speed up the cooking process for Christmas dinner, so why not slow it down with the Hamilton Beach Set ’n Forget 6-quart slow cooker. This appliance comes with a thermometer probe and includes three cooking modes — automatic, probe and manual. The automatic function allows you to cook using a digital timer and an auto shut-off mode. The probe option lets the chef insert the thermometer probe into the food — which can be as large as a 6-pound chicken or a 4-pound roast — through a hole in the top of the lid.

9 The Talking Measuring Cup, $59.95

Need exact measurements for making Christmas cookies?

The Talking Measuring Cup from Hammacher Schlemmer will announce the volume of wet or dry ingredients. Cooks can add multiple ingredients without emptying the cup, and the cup also allows for different densities such as liquids, solids, grains and so on. The Talking Measuring Cup has a capacity of 3 cups and is safe for use in the microwave and dishwasher.

For cooks who don’t want their measuring cup to talk back to them, a good alternative is the Taylor Digital Scale and Measuring Cup, available for $39.99 at Williams-Sonoma. This cup measures and digitally displays an ingredient’s weight on its removable handle. As European cooks have known for years, using weight — especially when baking — to measure ingredients is more accurate than volume.

10 FoodSaver Vacuum Packaging System, $199.99

Cooking and cleaning are one thing, but what about all those yummy holiday leftovers? Try a FoodSaver Vacuum Packaging System. The FoodSaver has a SmartSeal sensor that detects bags and automatically vacuums, seals and shuts off. The vacuum system also features a marinate mode that helps with quick food prep and a liquid detection system that senses the level of moisture in the bag and adjusts accordingly. “It’s also great for busy cooks because they can cook meals on the weekend and vacuum seal them for a fresh, home cooked meal that you can simply warm up during the week,” said Ashley Thill with Cramer-Krasselt, the public relations firm for Kohl’s.

11 iTouchless line of trash cans, starting at $89.99

Trash cans can be messy. Enter the iTouchless line of touch-free, odor-free trash cans. Most iTouchless cans come with a carbon filter gate for odor elimination and a series of motion sensors to detect when someone approaches with rubbish. Users approach the can, watch it open and deposit trash.

It helps keep germs and grime from spreading. The Step-Sensor model also comes with detachable sensor plates that allow the trash can to be placed in any corner.

12 iTouchless Sensor-Controlled Automatic Toilet Seat, $159.99

Much like the iTouchless trash cans, the iTouchless toilet seat is touch-free and germ-resistant. The toilet lid lifts when someone approaches and lowers after someone leaves.

The toilet seat has an adjustable sensor range for different size bathrooms and is available for round or elongated toilet seats.

HomeStyle, Pages 35 on 12/08/2012