---

[ GADGETS ]

Cutting board liners protect

If you're concerned about cross contamination in the kitchen, these handy, flexible, lightweight cutting board liners may provide you with some peace of mind.

The liners come in various colors and sizes and are designed to be placed on your existing cutting board. This way you can use a different liner for each ingredient, so that raw meat juices won't contaminate fresh fruits and vegetables. Colors or picture imprints of meats and produce on the liners help you keep them straight.

Because they're flexible, the liners can also be used to transport chopped ingredients to pots or pans.

The only downfall is that they may not be big enough for a large job, such as several pounds of meat, which means meat juices may drip onto the cutting board surface.

The liners are available at most stores that sell cutting boards, in packs of two or three for around $5.

---

[ ENTER TO WIN! ]

Give breadfruit a chance to shine at Hana's cook-off

Got a yummy breadfruit recipe? Kahanu Garden in Hana Maui is sponsoring an ulu cook-off as part of the Aloha Week Festival in Hana on Oct. 13.

Entries are sought in four categories -- appetizers, soups and salads, main dishes and desserts. Contestants may prepare as many entries as they wish using the various types of breadfruit grown at Kahanu Garden. Prizes will go to the first- and second-place winners in each category, along with one overall grand prize.

Contestants are encouraged to be creative, as breadfruit can be cooked and eaten at various stages of growth. "Our cook-off is a fun way to show just how versatile ulu can be," says Kamaui Aiona, director of Kahanu Garden, a non-profit tropical botanical garden on a 294-acre site in Hana. More than 120 varieties of breadfruit collected from throughout the Pacific are grown there.

The cooking contest runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Hana Ball Park. Registration is required by calling Kahanu Garden, (808) 248-8912.