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Geeky Gadgets
6 days ago
- Geeky Gadgets
5 Must-Have Open-Source Android Apps to Simplify Your Life
Finding the right Android apps that balance functionality, privacy, and efficiency can often feel overwhelming. Open source apps offer a transparent, customizable, and frequently ad-free alternative to proprietary software. These apps not only prioritize user privacy but also provide practical tools to streamline daily tasks and enhance productivity. In the video below from Enoch Boateng, you'll discover five exceptional open source Android applications that stand out for their utility, user-focused design, and privacy-conscious features. Watch this video on YouTube. Tomato: A Streamlined Pomodoro Timer If managing your time effectively is a priority, Tomato is a minimalist Pomodoro timer designed to help you stay focused. The app uses the Pomodoro Technique, breaking your work into manageable intervals—traditionally 25 minutes—followed by short breaks. However, the timer durations are fully customizable, allowing you to tailor the app to your specific workflow. Tomato also provides detailed productivity insights, including visual graphs that track your progress over time. Built with Material 3 design principles, its clean and modern interface ensures ease of use. With its focus on simplicity and transparency, Tomato is an excellent tool for boosting productivity without unnecessary distractions. Grit: Your All-in-One Task and Habit Tracker Grit combines task management and habit tracking into one cohesive platform, making it easier to stay organized and motivated. You can categorize tasks into areas such as personal, work, or health, making sure that your priorities are clearly defined. The habit-tracking feature includes a visual habit map, which helps you monitor progress and maintain consistency. The app also supports scheduled reminders, so you'll never miss a task or habit. Additionally, home screen widgets provide quick access to your daily goals, keeping everything you need at your fingertips. With its intuitive design and dual-purpose functionality, Grit is a valuable tool for anyone looking to stay organized and build positive habits. Momentum: Build Consistency with Ease Momentum is a habit tracker designed to help you establish and maintain routines effortlessly. Its straightforward interface includes features like a calendar view and streak tracking, which can motivate you to stick to your habits over time. The app also integrates an AI assistant that suggests habits based on your goals and provides timely prompts to keep you on track. Momentum prioritizes user privacy by offering offline functionality and local data storage, making sure your information remains secure. Whether you're adopting a new habit or breaking an old one, Momentum provides the tools and structure needed to succeed. Toolbox: A Versatile Utility App For users who value efficiency and versatility, Toolbox is an all-in-one utility app that offers a wide range of features. It includes tools such as a stopwatch, compass, text manipulation utilities, and encryption options. Developers will appreciate advanced features like SSH connections and HTTP utilities, while creative users can explore tools like a whiteboard, music analyzer, and random generators. Despite its extensive functionality, Toolbox remains lightweight and ad-free, making sure a smooth and seamless user experience. This app is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking a comprehensive, privacy-respecting toolkit to handle a variety of tasks. Thor App Manager: Take Control of Your Apps Thor App Manager is a powerful yet lightweight tool for managing your Android apps with precision. It offers advanced features such as batch installation and uninstallation, app freezing, and process termination. For rooted users, Thor unlocks additional system-level controls, including package editing and deeper app management capabilities. The app also provides tools for APK management and app data backup, making it an essential resource for users who frequently customize or experiment with their Android setup. Thor's focus on functionality and precision ensures that you can manage your apps confidently and efficiently. Enhance Your Android Experience with Open source Apps These five open source Android apps demonstrate the potential of transparent, privacy-focused software to deliver meaningful functionality. Whether you're looking to improve productivity with Tomato and Grit, build better habits with Momentum, access versatile tools with Toolbox, or gain advanced app control with Thor App Manager, these applications cater to a wide range of needs. By choosing open source solutions, you can enjoy a customizable, ad-free experience while maintaining control over your data and privacy. Take a look at other insightful guides from our broad collection that might capture your interest in Open source Android apps. Source & Image Credit: Enoch Boateng Filed Under: Android News, Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Take your tomatoes out of the fridge: this is the best way to store them
Tomato season (which runs from June, peaks in July, ending around September) is in full swing – and so is the annual debate about how best to store them. Some swear by the fridge, convinced it keeps them fresh for longer, while others insist this kills their flavour. In many homes, they're left to sunbathe on the windowsill, loiter in the fruit bowl or languish in the tray they came in. So, what's the best approach? Several factors affect how long tomatoes stay in peak condition at home, including variety (there are more than 10,000 types worldwide), ripeness and the distance and conditions they've endured during transport. But how you store them matters just as much. Tomatoes are fussy. Too cold and their texture turns woolly, and their glorious flavour disappears; too warm and they collapse into mush before you can say 'salad'. We spoke to the experts – scientists, retailers and chefs – to find out how to keep tomatoes at their best and make the most of them as they hit their summer peak. Why you shouldn't store tomatoes in the fridge Put a ripe tomato in the fridge and over time, its gorgeous flavour and aroma ebbs away. That's because many of the compounds – known as aroma volatiles – that make them delicious are suppressed at low temperatures, as Professor Graham Seymour, emeritus professor of plant biotechnology at the University of Nottingham, explains: 'when you store tomatoes at 5C, the normal temperature of home fridges, you really do influence and reduce the levels of the aroma volatiles.' He points to a landmark study in the Journal of Food Science, which found that tomatoes stored at 5C for just two days lost a noticeable amount of flavour and scent. After eight days, the drop was even more significant. Texture is also affected by chilling, which is why tomatoes kept in the fridge can sometimes become 'mealy'. Low temperatures damage their cell membranes and disrupts water retention, leading to a dry, grainy texture. The optimum temperature for tomatoes The sweet spot for storing tomatoes is around 20C (about room temperature in the UK), Professor Seymour says. At this temperature, aroma volatiles stay active and the risk of mealy textures is minimal. How best to store ripe tomatoes Ripe tomatoes should last at an ambient temperature of 20C for seven to 10 days. Keep them on the kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight and away from fruit like bananas (see below) to maintain maximum flavour and succulence. Tomatoes don't like airtight containers, so put them out where they can breathe. 'If you're putting them in a low-oxygen environment, perhaps with condensation, this might cause mould to build up,' Professor Seymour says. Tomatoes are climacteric fruits, which means they continue to ripen after picking. If you want to slow the process because you won't use them all straight away, keep them somewhere cool, like a cellar or pantry. 'If you have a suitable storage area at a temperature of 12.5C-14C, then ripening will be slowed,' Professor Seymour says. 'Flavour could still be altered somewhat, but it's much better than storing them at 4-5C in the fridge. I am afraid like most things it's a compromise,' he admits. How best to store underripe tomatoes If you have unripe or hard tomatoes, try keeping them next to bananas or apples – fruits that give off ethylene gas as they ripen. This triggers the tomatoes' own ripening enzymes. Sunshine may help improve the texture and flavour of some unripe specimens – try popping them on a window sill or a sunny spot in the garden. Should tomatoes be stored upside down? Some websites claim that storing tomatoes top-down, or keeping them on the vine once picked, helps them stay fresher for longer. It's plausible, but there's little scientific evidence to support this, says Dr Philip Morley, technical executive officer with the British Tomato Growers' Association. 'Tomatoes still attached to part of the vine may retain moisture for a little longer, although this hasn't been properly studied,' he says. 'And turning tomatoes upside down could, in theory, slow moisture loss through the scar where the stalk was.' Any benefit would depend on the variety and skin thickness of the tomatoes, and the room temperature they're stored in, he says. How to store tomatoes in packets Some supermarket tomatoes are sold in plastic packets with perforations to allow airflow and reduce condensation. These designs aim to protect the tomatoes during transport and prevent moisture build-up, which can lead to mould. Nick Brooke, from the fresh produce team at Waitrose, agrees tomatoes should be kept out of the fridge but advises to keep them in their original packaging,' to preserve their flavour. 'Open them when they are required for maximum freshness,' he says. 'Once they are open, we recommend that they are placed back in their wrap and sealed or re-covered.' Other factors that affect the lifespan of a tomato Tomatoes have different lifespans for many reasons, including the variety and how far they've travelled. Very hard tomatoes that are a pale orange-red colour – often significantly cheaper than others – will keep for weeks out of the fridge, but the trade-off will be lack of flavour. 'Many commercial tomatoes contain a mutation called the ripening inhibitor mutation,' says Professor Seymour. 'It slows ripening down, so very cheap tomatoes can seem to last forever, but this can also affect taste as well. They're often as hard as cannon balls.' Size matters too. Cherry tomatoes have a higher surface-area-to-volume ratio than bigger varieties, which means they lose moisture quicker and are prone to drying out in extremely hot conditions, says Dr Morley. The difference might be slight, but if your kitchen feels like a furnace in summer, larger tomatoes are more likely to stay in good nick for longer. To improve your odds of both flavour and shelf life, Dr Morley suggests buying British-grown tomatoes. These are typically produced in glasshouses, carefully handled, picked when ripe and travel shorter distances to your plate than imported ones. 'If you buy ones from Morocco or Spain, they tend to use long shelf life varieties,' he says. 'Also, British tomatoes haven't gone through the supply chain, rattled around in crates and been exposed to different temperatures.' The shorter the journey from plant to plate, the longer tomatoes are likely to stay in peak condition. He recommends producers such as Isle of Wight Tomatoes, which sells a wide range of varieties – coeur de boeuf, cherry vine, san arrentino plums – and colours direct to consumers. Home-grown or farmer's market tomatoes generally aren't bred to ripen slowly, so they're never going to outlive supermarket cannonballs. But they've been spared the knocks, chills and long journeys of their shop-bought counterparts – and that not only means they taste better but often keep surprisingly well too. How to store tomatoes in the freezer Tomatoes can be frozen whole or chopped, but due to their high water content, they're best used in cooking once defrosted. According to the anti-food waste charity Love Food Hate Waste, blanching tomatoes before freezing can help preserve the texture. Whole cherry tomatoes can be frozen and added straight from the freezer to soups or stews. Got a squishy tomato glut? Cook it into a sauce and freeze that instead. What to do with underripe tomatoes… Claire Thomson, chef and author of Tomato (Quadrille, £24), recommends cooking underripe tomatoes. Thickly slice 500g tomatoes, season, then dredge in flour, beaten egg, and finally panko breadcrumbs. Carefully deep fry until golden and transfer to a baking dish. Mix 100ml double cream with a chopped garlic clove, a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Pour over the tomatoes, top with grated Parmesan, and bake at 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6 for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling. …and overripe tomatoes Overripe tomatoes make fantastic, easy cold soup: blitz 750g overripe tomatoes, 75g stale bread, a handful of blanched almonds, a couple of garlic cloves, a few mint leaves and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil in a food process or blender. Season well and serve chilled.
India Today
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Chicken curry, daal, paneer korma: Desi menu at Lord's on Day 4
The Lord's Cricket Ground decided to serve a desi menu on Day 4 of the India vs England Test match on Sunday, July 13. Lord's, which is well known for its sensational in-stadium catering, served dishes like chicken tikka curry, daal, paneer korma, amongst other stadium curates an exceptional food menu under the supervision of expert nutrition teams. On Sunday, Lord's served an exceptional mix of subcontinental and continental dishes. The fans visiting Lord's rave about the diverse, high-quality menus that elevate the match-day experience well beyond the boundary vs ENG, 3rd Test, Day 4: UpdatesENG vs IND, 3rd Test: Lord's Day 4 Menu Tomato & Basil Soup (V)Chicken & Wild Mushroom LasagneServed with rocket, Parmesan, and a caramelised onion ciabatta sliceFillet of CodServed with crispy whitebait, gremolata, asparagus, courgette, and a tartare veloutChicken Tikka CurryPaneer Korma (V)Butternut Squash & Spinach Girolle Risotto (V)Served with rocket, Parmesan, and a Parmesan crispLentil CurryPrawns in Marie Rose SauceBasmati Rice & PotatoesMixed Vegetables: Beans, Peas, Sweetcorn & EdamameFruit SaladGreek Yoghurt with Summer Berries Courtesy: Lord's Culinary Heritage of Lord'sThe venue's culinary offerings range from hearty British classics to modern, Michelin-influenced dishes curated by celebrated chefs like Tommy Banks and Tom suites serve gourmet three-course lunches, featuring dishes such as treacle-cured beef fillet, chicken terrine, and delicate panna cottas. Guests in the prestigious Long Room are treated to fine dining in a setting steeped in cricketing history. For those in the Grand Stand and Nursery Pavilion, the experience includes a rotating buffet, afternoon tea, and a full bar — with everything from seasonal salads to artisan the players' dining room is a talking point, offering meals like lamb railway curry and five-bean chili to cater to both international tastes and nutritional needs. Public visitors also enjoy options at Pelham's and the Harris Garden, with offerings like pies, BBQs, and traditional afternoon Dominate Morning Session on Day 4Indian cricket team went back to the pavilion during lunch, having taken 4 early wickets against the English side. The England cricket team got routed by the fast bowling of the Indian team in the morning of Day 4. Some fiery confrontation was expected between the two sides after how both teams finished Day 3. The hosts however steadied themselves after the lunch break with Joe Root and Ben Stokes surviving some exceptional bowling of the Indian seamers.- EndsMust Watch
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Mira Rajput reveals her favorite evening snack, here's why you should try it too
Who doesn't love a chai with pakodas in the evening? But, sometimes going the healthy way can be beneficial too. Shahid Kapoor's wife, Mira Rajput Kapoor, revealed her favourite healthy evening snack on her Instagram stories. 'Just me and my soup,' she wrote. Kanikka Malhotra, Consultant Dietitian & Diabetes Educator, told why soup is an excellent snack for several reasons. First, being primarily water-based, it helps keep you hydrated, which is essential for overall health. Soups can also be nutrient-packed, offering a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants depending on the ingredients used, such as immunity-boosting vegetables and lean proteins. Additionally, soups are gentle on the digestive system, making them ideal for those with sensitive stomachs or anyone looking for a light yet satisfying snack. The warmth and texture of soup can also provide a sense of fullness, helping to curb cravings and prevent overeating. Mira continued and shared her recipe for a clear veggie soup in the next few stories, which includes lots of vegetables, no store-bought stock, and a touch of sesame oil for flavour. She suggests adding coriander leaves or green onions for extra taste, describing it as super light. -Tomato Basil Soup: A classic comfort food, this soup is rich in lycopene, an antioxidant linked to heart health. -Lentil Soup: Packed with protein and fiber, lentil soup is a hearty and satisfying option. Add a sprinkle of roasted flaxseeds for extra flavor and crunch. -Vegetable Broth with wheat Noodles: A light and refreshing choice, this soup can be customized with your favorite vegetables. -Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Soup: This creamy and flavorful soup is a great way to enjoy sweet potatoes, a nutrient-dense root vegetable.
Winnipeg Free Press
09-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Winnipeg Free Press
Getting jiggly with it
Saturday is Eat Your Jell-O Day. In honour of this gelatinous holiday, we've done just that. Below you'll find Homemade recipes for sweet and savoury gelatin dishes submitted by Free Press readers, along with tasting notes from myself and colleagues Ben Sigurdson and Jen Zoratti. EVA WASNEY / FREE PRESS Clockwise from top left: Broken glass torte, spring parfait salad, orange jellied salad, tomato aspic. But first, a brief history of 'America's most famous dessert.' The use of gelatin in cooking dates back centuries. Previously considered an upper-class ingredient, owing to the labour involved in rendering animal bones, jellied dishes became a staple cuisine of 20th-century America thanks to the invention of 'portable gelatin.' Jell-O was trademarked in 1897 by carpenter and cough-syrup maker Pearle Wait in LeRoy, N.Y. — today home to the Jell-O Gallery Museum run by the LeRoy Historical Society. The society credits savvy advertising, including colourful recipe books and catchy jingles, with the product's widespread popularity. As an easy-to-use foodstuff, Jell-O also benefited from the rise of home economics, which preached efficiency, esthetics and order. While Jell-O was initially marketed as a light dessert, savoury moulded salads took inspiration from aspics before them and found an audience during the Depression, giving homemakers a creative way to stretch ingredients. The postwar processed-food boom kept savoury congealed meals en vogue until the 1950s and Jell-O, now owned by Kraft Heinz, has since returned to its sweet beginnings. And now, on to the eating. (Full disclosure: None of us grew up eating much Jell-O, so these dishes don't carry the fond nostalgia others might experience.) Tomato Aspic 1 (85-g) pkg lemon or lime Jell-O 250 ml (1 cup) boiled water 250 ml (1 cup) cold water 1 (540-ml) can stewed tomatoes, drained* Note: Tomatoes can be substituted with 625 ml (21/2 cups) mild, chunky salsa. Dissolve Jell-O in boiled water, stirring until powder is completely dissolved. Add cold water and stir. Refrigerate. When jelly is partially set, stir in drained stewed tomatoes. Pour into a mould or bowl greased with cooking spray and chill for at least 2 hours. — Donald L. Adamson Tasting Notes Jen Zoratti: It smells good, like tomato soup. Ben Sigurdson: I get salsa. Eva Wasney: I'm getting V8 vegetable juice. JZ: One, two, three, go. The flavour is actually pretty good. But I think this needs to be on something, like a cracker, then I might be OK with it. A straight forkful to the dome is a bit intense. BS: It's not the ideal delivery mechanism. EW: My problem with both of the savoury ones is that they use sweet lemon Jell-O, so I think there's a little bit too much sugar for my palate. BS: There are some big chunks of tomato here; should it be more finely chopped? EW: The recipe called for canned stewed tomatoes, which I did not strain first. That was a mistake and it ended way up too loose. Spring Parfait Salad 2 (85-g) pkgs lemon jello 250 ml (1 cup) boiled water 750 ml (3 cups) celery, diced 150 ml (2/3 cup) green bell pepper, diced 75 ml (1/3 cup) carrot, diced 500 ml (2 cups) cucumber, diced 125 ml (1/2 cup) radishes, sliced 250 ml (1 cup) salad dressing or Miracle Whip 125 ml (1/2 cup) crushed pineapple, drained Juice of one lemon Dissolve Jell-O in boiled water in a large bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until partially set. Add celery, green pepper, carrot, cucumber and radishes to a large bowl. Stir in dressing, mixing until vegetables are coated. Stir in pineapple and lemon juice. Add to Jell-O, stirring to incorporate. Pour into a greased mould and chill until set. — Shirley MacFarlane Tasting Notes EW: I'm really proud of how this one turned out. It is so satisfying to unmould a Jell-O. This one came out perfect, with a big thwump. JZ: It's very pretty; it looks like it's from the 1950s. BS: Wow, it's so crunchy. EW: This actually tastes quite familiar, almost like a coleslaw meets a relish. BS: That's my least favourite condiment. I hate relish and I dislike pineapple. JZ: I like the flavour in the background, but it's a textural nightmare for this girl. I have a lot of texture issues with food, so I'm proud of myself for trying this at all. BS: So do I, but I'm feeling adventurous. EW: Well good for you guys for getting outside your comfort zones. I have a bit of an issue with calling this a salad, but I do like it. JZ: But what is a salad, if not a bunch of vegetables in dressing? Orange Jellied Salad 1 (85-g) pkg orange Jell-O 1 (284-ml) can mandarin oranges, drained and liquid reserved EVA WASNEY / FREE PRESS Broken glass torte delivers textural variety and jewel-like colours. 250 ml (1 cup) boiled water 175 ml (3/4 cup) mandarin orange liquid 1 (85-g) pkg Dream Whip 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract Dissolve Jell-O in boiled water. Stir in reserved mandarin orange liquid. Chill in the refrigerator until partially set. Make Dream Whip according to directions (whip powder with milk and vanilla until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes). Using a stand or electric mixer, combine Jell-O with prepared Dream Whip. Stir in mandarin orange segments. Pour mixture into a greased mould and set in the refrigerator overnight. — Cindy Plett Tasting Notes EW: I'm not sure if the oranges are supposed to be suspended throughout, but they all just kind of dropped to the bottom of the mould. BS: It smells like a creamsicle. Very vanilla too. JZ: That slaps. I think this needs whipped cream, or like a cold element on top of it for a little bit of juxtaposition. BS: This is good; I like this. EW: Oh, it's really light and fluffy. Very refreshing and not too sweet. And it's definitely the jiggliest of the bunch. Broken Glass Torte Filling 1 (85-g) pkg lemon Jell-O 1 (85-g) pkg lime Jell-O 1 (85-g) pkg strawberry Jell-O 750 ml (3 cups) boiled water 1 (7-g) pkg Knox unflavoured gelatin 60 ml (1/4 cup) cold water 250 ml (1 cup) pineapple juice 500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream 125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla Crust 500 ml (2 cups) graham crumbs 125 ml (1/2 cup) melted butter 125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar Dissolve each package of Jell-O into 250 ml (1 cup) boiled water and pour into three greased 8×8-inch pans. Chill in the refrigerator until completely set and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Note: The Jell-O can be made in advance to cut down on waiting time.) Add Knox gelatin to the cold water to soften. Add pineapple juice and gelatin to a small pot and bring to a slow boil on the stovetop. Set aside or in the refrigerator to cool. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and vanilla. Fold in the cooled pineapple-gelatin mixture. Fold in the Jell-O cubes. To make the crust, mix graham crumbs with melted butter and sugar. Press two-thirds of the crust into the base of a clear glass dish. Pour in filling and sprinkle with remaining graham crumbs. Refrigerate for two to three hours. — Karen Burns Tasting Notes EW: Look at that cross-section. JZ: These Jell-O colours are beautiful. This is totally something I could see making a Christmas tradition. EW: And you could definitely play around with the flavours. I like this one quite a bit. There's a bit more textural differences because the Jell-O is solid, the whipped cream is light and the crust is crunchy. BS: Wow, this one might be my favourite. And it doesn't come across as super old-fashioned to me. EW: It's crazy that it's the same base ingredient in all of these dishes. People have gotten really creative, it's like, what can't we put in Jell-O? BS: What did you learn while making all these Jell-Os? Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. EW: Jell-O is very easy to work with, all you have to do is boil water and wait. And the presentation, in the end, is very satisfying. JZ: It seems like you get a lot of juice without much of a squeeze. EW: Exactly. We're currently looking for camping recipes for an upcoming edition of Homemade. Visit to fill out the submission form. Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
