Kitchen gadgets, safe sanitizing, COVID news and more: Tech Q&A

What's the best kitchen tech? Kim Komando knows. (Fox News)

Each week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products, and all things digital. Sometimes, choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job. Do you have a question you’d like to ask me?

Tap or click here to email me directly. I’d love to help you.

Instant Pot tech

Q: I am in love with my Instant Pot. Are there any other kitchen techie-type gadgets that you use?

A: Your question is timely, considering how many people are stuck at home and experimenting in their kitchens. There is an astonishing range of high-tech gadgets that will help you master new culinary skills, many of them considered “smart” devices.

One such device helps you with sous vide cooking, a method that requires specific times and temperatures to get precisely right. The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker is both sophisticated and easy to use, and you won’t believe the results. Other equipment is more analog, such as the gas-powered pizza oven that comfortably fits in your backyard.

Tap or click here for a list of kitchen gadgets you’ll use time and time again.

Accelerate PC

Q: I lost my job and can’t afford a new PC. What steps can I take to speed up my computer?

A: Two tricks for speeding up any computer are (1) scan your hard drive for viruses, and (2) remove files and programs you no longer need. If you don’t have any malware, a sluggish operating system is usually due to too much bulk, especially if there are programs running cumbersome background tasks. But which items are safe to delete?

Cleaning out your Windows PC’s hard drive is more complicated than ever, but thanks to BCUninstaller (you’ll have to guess what BC stands for) you can easily pinpoint expendable files and remove them. Consider this part of your spring cleaning for 2020, perhaps the ideal task for someone under quarantine. The best part: It’s free.

Tap or click here to learn more about BCUninstaller and download it.

Like what you just read? Visit Komando.com for more tech tips and news.

My show’s podcast

Q: I don’t want to talk to my wife when walking. I would like to listen to your radio show instead. Is it also a podcast?

A: You can find my weekly podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. For casual listeners, this will probably suffice. But if you really want to know all the latest news in consumer technology and hear from the likes of anyone from former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer to a person wondering how to get a job working at home, you will want my national radio show.

My radio show podcast is only available on my website. It’s commercial-free too. You’ll have three month’s worth of shows to dive into. For a limited time, use discount promocode “Kim” during signup to try it free for 30 days.

Tap or click here to get my national radio show podcasts.

Sanitize the remote

Q: You said to clean your TV remote because of COVID-19. What’s the safe way to clean a universal remote so I don’t ruin it? If I do, we’re back to 4 different remotes.

A: The remote can be a dangerous thing to forget because everyone in your household will (literally) get their hands on it. To start, before using a disinfectant cloth remove the batteries. Secondly, one of the most effective tools you can use for those minute nooks and crannies is a cotton swab. Once you have thoroughly cleaned the faceplate of a remote control, a simple wipe down twice a day should be enough to keep your device sanitary.

Tap or click here for my video about safely cleaning your remote.

Best coronavirus maps

Q: There are so many different coronavirus maps online. What’s the best, most comprehensive, and accurate map? I want news and stats.

A: Understand, I am very particular about my sources of information, especially right now. The pandemic has been the perfect opportunity for hucksters and con artists, who want nothing more than to confuse the public and manipulate people with secret agendas. The volume of fake news associated with coronavirus is almost beyond measure.

The Coronavirus News Monitor not only provides detailed maps and statistics but news analysis – including fake news and major trends – from all over the world. The website provides up-to-the-minute indexes for media coverage, levels of panic and the latest verifiable headlines.

Tap or click here for more about the Coronavirus News Monitor.

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch The Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television, or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.

Learn about all the latest technology on The Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters, and more, visit her website at Komando.com.