Sommaire pour February 2022 de Consumer Reports

LONG GONE ARE the days when cell phones were optional. They enable us to work, travel, order food, and connect to entertainment, family, and the world. As with any essential product, we want the best choices, which is why this month’s issue includes a guide to picking the phone service best suited to your priorities and budget. (See “The Best Cell Plan Deals for Everyone,” on page 46.) But no amount of tactical advice protects consumers from a mobile service market with too much consolidation and too little competition. Until recently, there were just four major carriers. With 2020’s roughly $30 billion Sprint/T-Mobile merger, which CR opposed, we’re down to three. Fewer consumer choices, of course, means less competition in the marketplace, which tends to translate into higher prices, lower-quality…

Convection Toaster Ovens WE TESTED: 49 models WE TEST FOR: How well a toaster oven bakes muffins and cookies, how evenly it toasts bread, how easy it is to clean, and more. ABOUT THE SCORES: Median: 57 Range: 35-74 GREAT TOASTING & BAKING WITH EASY-TO-USE CONTROLS Breville Smart Oven Air Convection BOV900BSSUSC $400 74 OVERALL SCORE QUICK TOASTING & LONG WARRANTY (3 YEARS) Cuisinart Deluxe Convection TOB-135N $180 69 OVERALL SCORE NICE PRICE & EASY TO CLEAN Black+Decker 8-Slice Digital Extra Wide TO3290XSD $100 67 OVERALL SCORE Big-Screen TVs WE TESTED: 55 models with 70-inch or larger screens WE TEST FOR: Picture quality, including detail and color accuracy of images; sound quality; versatility of included apps and services; and more. ABOUT THE SCORES: Median: 65 Range: 49-86 EXCELLENT ALL-AROUND (77")…

ASIDE FROM PLAIN WATER, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. And that’s a good thing: Research suggests that drinking tea may lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and more. Some experts even recommend drinking 2 to 3 cups a day. But different types of tea offer different health benefits. Here, we compare the perks of four common teas. BLACK TEA This is the most caffeinated type of tea—about 50 mg in one 8-ounce cup—which is about half of what’s in a cup of coffee. Black tea leaves are rolled or crushed to release an enzyme that oxidizes its catechins (a type of antioxidant), giving the brew its rich flavor and color. Drinking it regularly may help strengthen your bones: In one study, postmenopausal…

20 MINUTES to cook most white rices 45 MINUTES to cook most brown rices TOOLS NEEDED ■ A fine-mesh strainer ■ A large mixing bowl or pot for soaking rice ■ A cooking pot big enough for your rice to double in size, with a tight-fitting lid to prevent steam from escaping STEP 1 Using a mesh strainer, rinse your rice in cool water until it runs clear to separate any clumps and get rid of the excess starch on the grains. It also helps reduce the dirt, dust, and arsenic that can be present in rice: Rinsing can reduce your exposure to arsenic by 30 percent. STEP 2 If you’re using heartier grains such as brown rice, or Japanese short-grain rice (typically used in sushi rolls), it’s generally a…

TO BE CLEAR, a cereal doesn’t have to be sugar-free to make it a healthy breakfast. “Let’s pick our battles wisely,” says Joan Salge Blake, RDN. If some sugar helps you make a fiber-rich, nutrient-packed cereal part of your morning routine, it’s worth it. And our testers gave several lightly sweetened cereals high marks for nutrition and taste. Among the 10 that are recommended in our ratings, eight had around 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of added sugars or less per serving, and all received Excellent or Very Good taste scores. CR’s nutrition experts recommend choosing a cereal with less than 6 grams of added sugars (1 ½ teaspoons). When you consider the fact that people tend to eat more than one serving of cereal in a meal, you see how…

AFTER REPEATEDLY COMING up against all-cash buyers willing to forgo inspections, my search for a home in Texas was going nowhere fast. So I started looking for something different. Here are some options I found for people who might not be looking for just a new home but also a new way of life. COMMUNITY LIVING AT NEU COMMUNITY, opening soon in Austin, there are no bidding wars. Instead, buyers are received on a first-come, first-served basis. You can put down as little as $4,995 toward the purchase of a futuristic-looking “pod” made of skyscraper glass and metal. The pods can be bought individually or in multiples, and configured in numerous ways. When you purchase at Neu, you’re not buying the pods but shares in a co-op. “It’s the idea…

Fair Trade There are three main certified fair-trade seals on chocolate: Fair for Life, Fairtrade, and Fair Trade Certified. These ensure that farmers are paid more than market price for cocoa and that no serious labor violations occur on the farms, such as child labor or substandard wages. Sustainable This is a broad term intended to convey that the chocolate was produced using environmentally responsible practices. Because the term is vague and unregulated, it’s difficult to know for certain whether it’s actually meaningful. Rainforest Alliance This seal indicates that some or all of the chocolate is sourced from farms that have met Rainforest Alliance standards for protecting farmers, forests, wildlife, and local communities. Direct Trade This indicates that the cocoa farmer and the cocoa buyer work with each other directly…

IF YOU USE data sparingly, you can cut way down on costs with one of these offerings. All are prepaid, which means you purchase data up front, and if you use it up in a given month, you buy more as needed. MINT’S 10GB/MONTH PLAN $20 per line NETWORK: T-Mobile TALK AND TEXT: Unlimited in the U.S. Ten gigabytes is more than enough data to download favorite podcasts or even a TV show to your phone via cell signal. After three months, however, you have to commit to a year’s service to lock in the rate. If you run over the monthly data limit, you don’t get charged for more. Mint simply slows the data speed down—just like AT&T might for unlimited plan members who use up their high-speed allowance.…

THESE DAYS, MANY providers sweeten plans by bundling in services such as Amazon Prime, HBO Max, or Netflix free of cost. If you’re already paying for one of those services, this could be a way to save money. But be careful. Limited-time offers could end up costing you more once they expire. All things considered, here are some of the more attractive offerings out there. VERIZON’S PLAY MORE UNLIMITED PLAN $180 for four lines NETWORK: Verizon TALK AND TEXT: Unlimited in the U.S. If your family likes to stream while on the go, this plan lets you do so at up to 720p, which is good. It also includes regular access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ (together, called the Disney Bundle), plus six months of access to Apple Music and…

CAR BUYERS HAVE studied safety ratings for years to determine the level of protection a vehicle offers occupants in a crash. Until recently, those ratings largely focused on the people sitting up front. Safety groups and crash testers have recently turned their attention to the rear seat. In September 2021, Consumer Reports released its firstever rear-seat safety ratings, so car buyers can compare rear-seat safety across 35 popular new vehicles. Later this winter, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an independent safety-research group sponsored by auto insurance companies, plans to issue results from its new rear-seat crash tests—the first time results of frontalcrash tests with a dummy in the rear seat will be published for U.S. car buyers. These developments will make it easier for car buyers to determine…

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CR’S TEAM OF AUTO EXPERTS CAR SHOPPING over the past year has been a wild ride. Pandemic-related supply chain problems have thinned the selection of vehicles on dealer lots and driven prices higher than usual—sometimes well above the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). Even used cars aren’t a bargain these days, with sales prices at record levels. Why are deals so hard to find? It all comes down to supply and demand: Some people can’t put off buying a new car and are willing to pay more than the sticker price to get what they want. The highly rated and sought-after Kia Telluride, for example, has sold, on average, at about 17 percent above MSRP for the past several months, according to CR’s most recent data. The Kia…

Removing dust and fingerprints on an OLED, LCD, or plasma screen TV is easy, but it does require a careful touch or you could damage the screen. Turn off the TV: It’s easier to see dirt and smudges when the screen is dark. Use a soft, anti-static microfiber cloth—the kind used to clean eyeglasses. (Don’t use paper towels or tissues; they can scratch screens.) Wipe in circles with light pressure—pressing too hard could cause damage. For stubborn stains, slightly dampen the cloth with distilled water and gently try again. Never spray water directly onto the screen (water can get inside your TV and break it). Don’t use chemical cleaners, such as Windex, which can ruin screens.…

A SHEET PAN is a staple in any kitchen—but an inferior one can leave you with unevenly cooked food and be nearly impossible to clean. So in our search for the perfect sheet pan, we put 19 of them to the test: We loaded up each one with neat rows of sugar cookies to assess how evenly the pans baked both the bottoms and tops. Then we evaluated how well each sheet pan handled a complete dinner of chicken thighs, potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery. Finally, we checked to see how easy each pan was to clean and performed abrasion tests on the pans to gauge the durability of their top surfaces. In the end, we found a few near-perfect pans (shown below), and noted some key differences between the…

BLACKOUT CURTAINS The persistent glow of street lights can make it hard to fall asleep at night. In the morning, bright rays of sunshine can make it tough to stay asleep. Blackout curtains are lined to keep out all kinds of light that may otherwise seep through and around regular window coverings. And if you share your bedroom with someone who keeps different hours, an eye mask may prevent light from the hallway, bathroom, or reading lamp from waking you. WHITE NOISE MACHINE House or street sounds getting in the way of your rest? One of these small devices may be a welcome addition to your bedtime arsenal—although evidence of their efficacy as a sleep aid is mixed. You can also check out white noise apps or try tuning in…

IF BUYING A NEW HOME isn’t in the cards for you but you’re itching for a change—a new kitchen, a dedicated work space—and need a lump sum of money to do it, now may be the time to tap the value you have in your house, especially if it’s worth more than when you first bought it. A common way to do this is by taking out a home equity loan. Another is by doing what’s called a cash-out refinance, a type of new mortgage that monetizes the equity you have in your home, says Robert Heck, vice president of mortgage services for Morty, an online residential mortgage broker and consultant firm. Interest on these mortgages is typically lower than on home equity loans. Whereas a regular refinance replaces your…

TOP PICK Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight 72% Cacao $2.90 Mellow and slightly fruity with flavors of nuts and coffee. Creamy and smooth. BAR SIZE 3.5 oz. CALORIES 130 FAT 11 g SATURATED FAT 7 g FIBER 3 g ADDED SUGARS 6 g TOP PICK Hu Organic Simple Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao $6.70 Moderately sweet with strong dried-fruit flavors (think raisins or prunes) and hints of caramel. The texture is slightly crumbly. BAR SIZE 2.1 oz. CALORIES 180 FAT 13 g SATURATED FAT 8 g FIBER 3 g ADDED SUGARS 8 g TOP PICK Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao 60 cents A smooth, less-intense dark chocolate; a good one for milk-chocolate lovers to try. BAR SIZE 1.65 oz. CALORIES 160 FAT 11 g SATURATED FAT 7 g FIBER…

THERE ARE MANY options specifically for people 55 and older, but not all are good. AT&T dangles an Unlimited Elite plan discount for AARP members, for instance, but for two lines the monthly fee amounts to $130. The picks here are much less expensive and still include options for those who occasionally like to FaceTime with family or stream music out by the pool. T-MOBILE’S 55+ ESSENTIALS PLAN $55/month for two lines NETWORK: T-Mobile TALK AND TEXT: Unlimited in the U.S.; free texting to/from nearly 200 countries If you and your partner travel from state to state and like to stream movies on your phones or videochat with friends and family no matter where you are, this plan is pretty compelling. You get unlimited data use throughout the U.S., though…

You can probably change cellular companies without buying a new phone, especially if it was made in the past five years. To find out for sure, you can call the new provider or often just type the IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) number unique to your phone into an online tool on the carrier’s website. To find the IMEI, you may be able to just dial *#06#. Owners of iPhones can also go to Settings > General > About. Then scroll down to the number. The steps will vary on Android phones, but it’s relatively easy to find the instructions for your model with a Google search. If you’re still paying off your phone, you’ll have to settle up with your old provider before exiting its plan. You also need…

THESE ARE SOME of the features CR’s engineers evaluate to calculate our Rear-Seat Safety Score: 1. Head Restraints The restraints can prevent whiplash and other neck injuries during rear-end collisions. We give points if restraints are tall enough to provide sufficient protection to adult passengers, including those who sit in the middle seat. Head restraints that don’t require adjustment score better. To improve rearward visibility or help a seat fold flat, some rear head restraints can be stowed or removed when the rear seat is not in use. But seats without head restraints put passengers at an increased risk of injury. So we give points to vehicles that make it difficult for anyone to sit in a rear seat without a properly positioned or installed head restraint. 2. Advanced Restraints…

FIGURING OUT WHICH cars have various safety features in the back seat can be difficult—if not impossible—for consumers, says Emily Thomas, PhD, CR’s automotive safety program manager. So she and other engineers at CR’s Auto Test Center performed detailed evaluations, tapped data sources, and worked with automakers to tally which cars offer certain rear-seat safety features. From that tally, and the results of our child-safety tests, we developed CR’s new Rear-Seat Safety Score. As we collect more data, our ratings will expand to include more vehicles. The current list of vehicles we’ve scored is on the facing page. “The message from our new rear-seat safety testing is not that vehicles with lower scores are unsafe, but that they do not offer the same comparative margin of protection as those vehicles…

EXCLUSIVE RATINGS & REVIEWS BASED ON TESTING AT CR’S 327-ACRE AUTO TEST CENTER ELECTRIC CARS Tesla Model S Confounding Controls Spoil a Superb EV 60 OVERALL SCORE ROAD-TEST SCORE 88 HIGHS Acceleration, braking, quietness, hatchback versatility, no tailpipe emissions, low running costs LOWS Odd steering wheel shape, controls, access, long charging time compared with fueling a gas car POWERTRAIN 670-hp, dual electric motors; 1-speed direct drive; AWD RANGE 405 miles PRICE $94,990-$129,990 base price range $92,690 as tested THE UPDATED MODEL S probably would have garnered the highest road-test score we’ve ever recorded if it weren’t for its new yoke-style steering wheel. The yoke—similar to the half steering wheel pilots use to control airplanes—brings major compromises in usability, maneuverability, and comfort. It’s a shame, because the Model S is otherwise…

WHEN YOU HEAD to the airport, you want your free “personal item” to be both easy to tote and able to include necessities—while still sliding neatly under the seat in front of you. A backpack is just the thing for the job, but when our editors took a close look at 10 “travel” packs, we found that some work better than others. All of the bags we tried are roughly 18 to 21 inches high and 13 to 15 inches wide (a range that should meet most airline size requirements), and all were priced at $300 or less. We evaluated how well each bag accommodated and organized roughly 30 essential items, including personal care products; a change of clothing; books; tech items such as a camera, a laptop, and charging…

THE LATEST RATINGS FROM OUR LABS ALL WHOLEGRAIN If the box says “100 percent whole grain,” you’re good to go. LOOK FOR FIBER At least 4 grams is fine. If it has more, check to see whether processed fiber—which might not be as good for you—has been added. LOWER SUGARS Don’t focus on total sugars. Added sugars are what matters. Look for less than 6 grams per serving. VITAMINS AND MINERALS Some cereals are fortified with these, but skip any that also contain lots of added sugars. YOU MAY LOVE a bowl of Froot Loops, but you’re probably under no illusion that eating it is good for you. But what about Flax Maple Pecan Crunch or Smart Start? “Whole-grain cereal—especially if you eat it with milk and add some fruit—could…

IF YOU HAVE consistent sleep issues that interfere with your daily life, tell your doctor—who may refer you to a sleep specialist. If the doctor suspects issues like sleep-disordered breathing (such as obstructive sleep apnea), narcolepsy (daytime episodes of falling asleep suddenly), idiopathic hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness), or periodic limb movement disorder (repetitive leg and foot movement during sleep), they are likely to advise an overnight sleep study for a definitive diagnosis. These studies usually take place at specially designed sleep centers, where you’ll have your own room and bathroom. As you sleep, technicians will typically record your brain waves, heart rate, breathing, blood oxygen levels, snoring, eye and leg movements, and more. In the case of suspected narcolepsy or hypersomnia, you’ll also spend some daytime hours at the center,…

TWENTY-SIX PERCENT of buyers in CR’s survey bought a home as is—but you should consider that only if you have deep pockets. Surprise fixes can be costly—for example, a new well can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Most people buying a home should have it inspected by a professional. Look for one through organizations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors or the National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers. Also ask friends or family for recommendations. And if the inspection does not include it, check for mold, contaminants in water, and radon—a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Here’s what’s most important—and what’s less so. VERY IMPORTANT 1 Condition of the foundation 2 Condition of plumbing, septic tanks, and wells 3 Age and condition of…

IT’S NO SURPRISE that most of us believe a bar of dark chocolate is essentially a health food. Headlines have touted its nutrition benefits for years. But much of the scientific evidence to date has been contradictory. It’s true that potent antioxidants called flavanols are plentiful in the cacao beans used to make chocolate. And the darker the chocolate, the more cacao—and potentially the more flavanols—it contains. Like other antioxidants, flavanols have been shown to help blood vessels “relax,” reduce inflammation, and lower cholesterol. “Giving people chocolate or cocoa flavanols is going to have an effect on bloodvessel function and can improve blood flow,” says Diane McKay, PhD, an assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. It seems logical that better blood flow…

WHEN YOU’VE GOT more than two people on your plan, it’s hard to parcel out the gigabytes—especially when some of those people are mighty fond of Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube. The plans at right provide unlimited data use at a reasonable price. VISIBLE’S UNLIMITED PLAN $40 a month or less per line NETWORK: Verizon TALK AND TEXT: Unlimited in the U.S. In case you missed our praise for this plan in the low-cost category, it bears repeating, because the price per line dips as you add more people. Want four lines on Verizon’s cheapest unlimited plan? It’ll cost you at least $140/month. At Visible, you don’t get extras like free access to Disney+ or Hulu (see below for plans with great perks), but with savings like this, who cares? You…

NEWS & EXPERT ADVICE TO KEEP YOU AHEAD OF THE CURVE™ TREND Car Part Thefts Rise Sharply Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise, from about 100 a month on average in 2018 to more than 1,200 a month in 2020. The trend is fueled by rising prices for the precious metals platinum, rhodium, and palladium in this emissionsscrubbing equipment found on all gasoline-powered vehicles. Some hybrid models, such as the Toyota Prius, are at greater risk due to the high scrap value of their converters, which can exceed $1,000, according to the marketplace website AutoCatalystMarket.com. To deter theft, park in a secured garage or a well-lit area. If you park overnight in a driveway, install motion-sensitive lights. A catalytic converter shield can thwart thieves, but some cost $300 or…

CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER should always sit in the back seat. Here’s how CR’s Rear-Seat Safety Score takes their needs into account. REAR-OCCUPANT ALERT On average, 39 children die each year in hot cars, according to the advocacy group KidsAndCars.org. We evaluate warning systems that help prevent these deaths. Some cars can even sense if a person is left behind when the car is locked. CAR-SEAT FIT An improperly installed car seat may not fully protect a child, so we rate every vehicle we test on ease of installation for infant and convertible seats. We check LATCH accessibility, see how many seats can fit across a vehicle’s second row, and evaluate the installation instructions in the vehicle owner’s manual. BOOSTER SEATS We also check to see how easy it is…

SO FAR, NO NEW VEHICLES get top ratings across all of our scored categories for rear-seat safety. That will likely change, says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center, who oversees the program. “Automakers often update their vehicles in order to meet more stringent safety evaluations,” she says. In our first review, a few results and vehicles were particularly noteworthy: ■ The Genesis brand lags behind. Although the GV70 SUV features a first-of-its-kind radar-based rear-occupant alert, it fails to offer more basic rear-occupant protection. For example, no Genesis sedan or SUV has advanced rear restraints. A spokesman for Hyundai and Genesis told CR that the automakers are reviewing advanced rear restraints and “are committed to making these features standard.” ■ Some vehicles designed to carry lots of…