Q: I'm planning a road trip in an older vehicle with a CD and cassette player, but no AUX jack. I have a cassette adapter with a mini-plug, but I've become accustomed to playing my music from a USB stick in my newer vehicles. Is there some gizmo that can let me use a USB stick through my setup?

A: You can do this with a car Bluetooth RF adapter with a USB port or TF card slot. These devices transmit a radio signal to the car radio to play music from a TF card or your smartphone's Bluetooth connection. You select the frequency on the adapter to find one without any interference from local stations, then tune the radio to match. I've found the sound quality to be even better than a cassette adapter.

If your car has a cassette player it is very unlikely that it also has Bluetooth. As an added benefit you will be able to connect your phone to the adapter via Bluetooth and make hands-free calls.

The adapters I have tested play music only from a TF card and the USB port is for charging, but now you can find adapters that play music from a USB flash drive, as well. There is an adapter from UNBREAKcable on Amazon for $24.99 that looks like a good fit.

Outdoor cooking tools

I love to cook and often test equipment. Here is an old recommendation I've used for years and a new one I just found.

The favorite is the ThermoWorks ThermoPop instant-read thermometer. It's aptly named. It looks like a lollipop, and the temperature pops right up when you use it. It's well worth the $35 cost. (thermoworks.com)

My new pick is the Food Party Outdoor Pizza Oven. If you have ever been drawn to the portable gas-fired outdoor pizza ovens that are all the rage but can be quite expensive, this one is a great value. There is a bit of a learning curve, but the results are worth it if you stick with it. Start by making 10-inch pizzas rather than 12-inch pizzas, and make a big batch of dough so you can make several pizzas at once to practice. I make my dough in a bread machine (I collect bread machines and experiment in making all kinds of bread with them) and use the dough to make calzones and strombolis, as well.

Give the oven plenty of time to heat up before putting in your first pizza. Don't put it in too far, to avoid burning, and rotate it with the pizza peel as it cooks. In about a minute you will have a fresh, hot pizza.

The oven retails for $299 and often is on sale for $249 with a checkbox coupon. It includes a pizza stone, pizza peel, infrared thermometer and carrying case. (amazon.com)

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.