INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Before you choose a contact lens, or any type of eyewear, it's important to have a thorough examination and fitting with an eye care specialist. An eye exam is required to determine your lens strength and to acquire a prescription for contact lenses. A fitting is necessary to ensure that your lenses fit the shape of your eye and can comfortably meet your needs. You will most likely need one or more follow-up exams after receiving your lenses. These are typically scheduled one week after getting your lenses, then either one month or six months after, then on an annual basis. If you're planning on wearing your contact lenses every day, then you have some flexibility in choosing soft or rigid lenses; however, if you only plan on wearing your contacts on weekends or special occasions, you may be better off choosing soft lenses. While soft lenses can be worn comfortably on a part-time or full-time basis, rigid lenses must be worn full time in order to remain comfortable on your eyes. Any contact lens will correct your vision, giving you better clarity than no lens at all; however, rigid lenses are generally considered to provide the sharpest possible vision of any type of contact lens, especially for users who have astigmatism. If you need sharp, near-perfect vision for work, consider talking to an eye care specialist about whether a rigid lens might work best for you. Improper lens care can lead to a whole host of vision problems, including fungal infections, bacterial infections, and corneal ulcers. Daily cleaning is required by both soft lenses and rigid lenses. The exception is daily disposable contacts, which are thrown out at the end of the day. Because soft lenses are typically replaced on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, there is less risk of irritations or infections caused by build up on the lens. If you don't mind taking the extra care and maintenance to keep your contacts in good condition, rigid lenses may work fine for you; however, if you are worried about your ability to take care of your lenses (including the risk of losing lenses), you may want to consider a soft lens.

SUMMARY: Get an eye exam and fitting. Consider how often you'll wear contacts. Determine how important sharpness of vision is. Decide how much care/effort you can put in.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When deep frying foods at home, you'll get the best results using an electric deep fryer, stockpot, deep saucepan, wok, or Dutch oven. However, any type of cookware will work as long as it's big enough to hold several cups of oil (along with your food) and resilient enough to withstand extremely high temperatures. A standalone deep fryer, of course, will offer the greatest convenience and ease of use for most fry jobs. In terms of standard cookware, the high, angled walls of stockpots and woks are especially useful for catching oil splashes. The term "smoke point" refers to the temperature at which a certain type of oil burns. The best oils to use for frying are therefore ones with high smoke points. Canola, vegetable, peanut, and corn are among the most commonly used varieties. If you prefer, you can also use a blend of several different oils to achieve just the right flavor. For a slightly healthier alternative, try substituting some of your main frying oil with coconut, avocado, or palm oil, or even ghee (clarified butter) or rendered animal fat. Extra-virgin olive, sesame, and other unrefined oils, along with butter and shortening, all have low smoke points, and should never be used for deep frying. The thermometer will allow you to check the temperature of your food throughout the frying process. This will ensure that it comes out with the perfect savory flavor and crisp, golden-brown texture. You'll use the tongs or spoon to stir your food as it cooks and remove it from the fryer once it's done. If you don't have a thermometer, a wooden spoon can also double as a temperature-checking device. Dip the tip into the oil. If bubbles appear around it, it means your oil is hot enough. Never use a plastic spoon for deep frying. The hot oil will cause it to melt in a hurry! Racks made specifically for cooling fried foods will work best, but you could also use one or two removable racks from a toaster oven. If neither of those are an option, line a large serving dish with a thick layer of folded paper towels. When it comes time to take your food out of the fryer, you'll place it on your cooling surface to give any standing oil a chance to drain off. It's a good idea to put down some paper towels even if you're using a separate drying rack. The absorbent layer will help soak up even more oil.

SUMMARY: Do your frying in a piece of heat-resistant cookware with steep sides. Select an oil with a high smoke point. Grab a deep-frying thermometer and a pair of tongs or wooden spoon. Prepare a cooling rack or layer of paper towels to remove excess oil.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The oil needs to be deep enough so that you can submerge the chicken pieces. Plan on using about 2 quarts (1.9L) of oil. You can use another neutral-tasting oil. Avoid olive oil, however, as the flavor is too intense. This may take a few minutes, but do not step away from the fryer. Once the oil starts to heat up, the temperature will rise rapidly. Use a candy-making or oil thermometer to keep track of the oil's temperature. If you don't have a thermometer, stick a wooden spoon handle into the oil. The oil is ready once you start to see bubbles around the handle. The breasts and wings will be ready in about 12 to 14 minutes. The legs and thighs will take about 15 to 18 minutes. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reads 165F (74C). Use a meat thermometer to gauge the temperature. The oil should be deep enough to ensure even frying, so there's no need to turn the chicken pieces. Make the chicken easier to remove by placing the chicken into a fryer basket, then dipping the basket into the hot oil. To help keep your counter clean, place a baking sheet under the cooling rack to catch any oil drips. Once the chicken has cooled off to room-temperature, it's ready to serve! Don't put the chicken on top of newspaper or paper towels. This will trap the steam in, causing the chicken to go soft. If you used a fryer basket, lift it out and hook it over the edge of the deep fryer. Use tongs to pull the chicken pieces out.

SUMMARY: Fill a pot or deep fryer with at least 5 inches (13cm) of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is 350F (177C). Fry the chicken in batches for 12 to 18 minutes. Use a pair of metal tongs to transfer the chicken to a wire cooling rack.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: At about 25 minutes, open the pot and test the cake for doneness with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If it has crumbs stuck to it, continue to cook the cake, testing it every 5 minutes. Some cakes may require longer than 30 minutes to bake. To do the toothpick test, simply poke a toothpick into the center of your cake, then pull it out. Try not to peek at the cakes, otherwise the heat will escape and slow down the baking process. To remove the cake, simply flip the pan over onto a flat surface and let the cake slide out. Peel the parchment paper away, then flip the cake back over. The cake is done after this. You may want to level the top for a nicer finish, however. If you plan on frosting the cake, you must let it cool off completely on a wire rack (about 10 to 15 minutes). If you don't the frosting will melt off.

SUMMARY:
Cook the cake over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.