The best of the products that made a healthy impact in 2022

With a new year just around the corner, this is the time when I look back to see what useful products I discovered.

The column that received the most 2022 emails was my peeling difficulty with hard-boiled eggs. Helpful readers shared numerous personal egg-peeling workarounds. After I wrote a second column sharing those workarounds, I spoke with a friend who, if you invited him to bring something to share at dinner, brought his outstanding deviled eggs. He told me he used a Cuisinart Egg Central ($39.95) cooker to hard boil his eggs. He said that eggs, once cooked and cooled enough to handle, peeled easily; the shells nearly slid off while still warm.

My friend was right. Honestly, it was difficult to spend that much on a single-use kitchen tool; I still bought one. I have been using my Egg Central ever since (making hard-boiled eggs, on average, once a week).

Next, I have been addicted to all kinds of bread for what seems to be forever. Bread was left off the list when I began a low-carb food plan. Plus, anything with wheat flour, beyond bread, like pasta, turned out to be foods triggering overconsumption.

Sure, there are several brands of gluten-free bread available. They may be missing gluten and wheat flour, but they are not missing any carbs; most are nearly as high in carbohydrate content (or higher) as regular wheat bread.

Then I discovered Carbonaut Gluten Free Bread. A slice of Carbonaut bread contains 14 fiber grams, whereas whole wheat bread (depending on the brand) contains just 2.4 grams. One 35-gram (slightly more than an ounce) slice delivers 40 calories (versus wheat bread's 93) and 15 carb grams (versus wheat bread's 17). For net carb followers, Carbonaut ends up with just 1 net carb, whereas that whole wheat bread has 14.7 net carbs.

Sure, there is a price difference; Carbonaut is $7.79 for a 19-ounce loaf versus regular bread's general price range of $3.99 to $5.99. Carbonaut does not have wheat bread's "wheat" flavor; it's a bit bland. It does toast nicely and can make a decent sandwich for a low-carb treat.

Outer Aisle brand Cauliflower Sandwich Thins ($7.99) is a true wonder. They absolutely require toasting to be at their best. Once toasted, they make an excellent wheat bread sandwich alternative. I use them for hamburgers instead of a standard hamburger bun.

Making an apple-to-apple comparison: a standard hamburger bun brings 140 calories, 26 carb grams, 1 fiber gram and 6 sugar grams to a burger. Outer Aisle's sandwich thins (two pieces) carry 100 calories, 3 carb grams, 1 fiber gram and 1 sugar gram. Yes, they are pricey. However, my supermarket puts them on sale once a month ($5.99), and Costco has a 14-count box for $9.49. I'm hooked on them.

Finally, if you love to bake and cannot consume gluten or wheat flour, several new gluten-free flour brands are available. I've tried Cup4Cup's MultiPurpose Gluten Free Flour ($16.99/3-pound bag) to make a pie crust for a cherry pie that I shared in a recent column. It worked perfectly. It's not low in carbs, coming in at slightly more than wheat flour (26 versus 24.4 grams). It did not trigger wheat cravings, though.

Here's wishing you a happy and healthy New Year.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.