Posted by Grace Kang, June 24, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, the future is now. We teased you with the spice gun back in 2008 and a year later we have the Condiment Gun! It's actually been around for a while, but I'm sad to say this is the first I've heard of it. Methinks I have a lot of ketchup shooting to catch up on. Some words of warning: Apparently this is not designed to fire chunky sauces and is not a toy. There's also no safety so don't go stumbling around with this at your next dinner party. $24.98, from Things You Never Knew Existed; £14.95, from Firebox.com
Posted by Jamie Forrest, June 2, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Photograph from Balakov on Flickr
For some reason the American kitchen is a breeding ground for useless gadgets, tools, and knickknacks. Do we really need a separate tool to make balls out of melons? (Actually, melon ballers are quite useful for many different tasks, but that's a subject for another post.)
Living in New York City, where most apartments have tiny kitchens with only a handful of cabinets, I am forced to be ruthlessly Spartan with my gadgetry. This is why I am generally opposed to cheese knives. I tend to follow Alton Brown's golden rule: never own a kitchen gadget that has only one use. So what kinds of knives do work well with cheese? My suggestions, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, June 1, 2009 at 12:25 PM
The Sham Wow, the shammy-towel-sponge wonder, should watch its back. The paper towel also has many skills. Crumple it up into a ball, throw it into the air, and it will fall down (fall down!). Fold a paper towel up into a vaguely diamond shape, put a string on it, it's a kite. You can even rip them into craploads of squares. Looks like Vince of Sham Wow/Slap Chop has a little protege. The video, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robyn Lee, May 14, 2009 at 5:35 PM
By using the spreadsheet-like grill grid Gridus from Art. Lebedev Studio, grillers who once said, "I'll take the one on the left," can now say, "I'll take the one in B7 to C22, but if you could cut off that burnt part from C7 to C9, that'd be great." [via swissmiss]
Posted by Carey Jones, May 6, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Good espresso is indispensable, but at-home options are few—classic
Moka Pots that don’t get a decent crema, or modern machines that are clunky and pricey.
And now there’s a third option: the Mypressi Twist ($129), available for pre-order now. This hand-held wand runs on tiny gas cartridges, requiring no other power. Fill the machine with ground espresso (or an espresso pod) in one chamber, and hot water in the other. Pull the trigger, and the gas pressure forces water through the coffee, pouring a strong extracted shot.
Of course, the Mypressi begs a few questions—how many gas canisters does this thing go through? (And how suspicious will I look buying that many?) If it’s dependent on hot water, is it really portable? And if I toss it in my purse, as they suggest, will everything in my bag smell like coffee? But doubts aside, it's a cool step forward in coffee technology. [via Diner's Journal]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, May 5, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Remember Vince? After his ShamWow! fame, he pitched the Slap Chop, a life-changing thingamabob that chops, minces, and dices in seconds. Now his infomercial has been tricked out, and would make great background noise for a spin or aerobics class. The video after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, March 23, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Since your Monday could probably use a little dose of Paula's cackle and charm, watch her at the International Home & Housewares show in Chicago this morning, picking out some of her favorite new kitchen and gardening gadgets. Did you know red is the number-one color for pots? Paula did! And did you know she has eight dogs that she wants to feed the latest barbecue squirrel treats? (One of her pups, Chelsea, looks antsy on camera, and Paula gets all puppy-talk with her.) She also points out that "we're nesting more," hence a budding childrens' gardening apparel market. Watch the video after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 1, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Here's something I never thought (and still don't think) I'd ever need: a butter dispenser that turns a stick of butter into long, thin, easily meltable ribbons of dairy fat goodness. Maxspace has all your butter ribbon needs in clear and opaque versions for $14.99. You can even make other shapes besides ribbons. [via DVICE and Book of Joe]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, January 16, 2009 at 12:15 PM
These red claws may look like lobster appendages but they are apparently for humans. Step off, spork. Trongs are the latest in hybrid utensil fashion. (Wait, what does the "r" represent? Tongs plus, uh.) Nobody would think you were weird at all if you kept them in your bag, just in case the saucy buffalo wing attacked. In this 30-second promotional video, the robotic music seems to build up to something really cool and climactic, but that never happens. Watching people who seem to believe Trongs are the wave of the future, though, does have its appeal. The video, after the jump.
And if you're left feeling hungry for more Trongs multimedia, play the game! (A lady in a low-cut top throws chicken at you.)
Continue reading »
Posted by Robyn Lee, January 15, 2009 at 12:30 PM
The Wunder Boner is a tool that debones fish. That is all. Under any other name it would merely be a rod on a stand that makes ripping the spine out of your freshly caught fish a breeze, but instead it's that fishing tool with the funny name. The infomercial's frighteningly earnest actors almost convince me that I need this product, mostly the guy who thoughtfully says, "My wife would like that." Also, according to the announcer, "every tackle box and every kitchen should have the Wunder Boner."
You can buy the Wunder Boner at the appropriately named website, spinelesswunderboner.com. And if you really, really like the Wunder Boner, it looks like the patent is for sale. Watch the video after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robyn Lee, January 7, 2009 at 12:30 PM
Who's Vince? Just an enthusiastic infomercial host (also of Shamwow fame) who wants you to get a Slap Chop, a tool that chops, minces, and dices in seconds. But it does so much more. Some of Vince's promises:
You're gonna be in a great mood all day because you're gonna be slapping your troubles away with the Slap Chop.
This tuna looks boring. Stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life. Add this tuna, put it here like this—now you're gonna have a nice tuna salad. Look at this, you're gonna have an exciting life now.
The onions with the skin. Alright, this is making you cry, it's making me cry. Life's hard enough as it is; you don't wanna cry anymore.
My favorite parts feature animated sparkles and tinkly sound effects (see 1:14 and 1:26). Vince has won me over. Watch the video after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, December 20, 2008 at 2:00 PM
I just had a déjà vu. In second grade, the girl next to me at the lunch table started laughing. She laughed so hard that cherry-red Jell-O came shooting out of her nose. I thought I was going to barf
What spurred this nostalgic trip down memory lane? None other than the two bad boys of condiments: Ketchup Charlie and Mustard Marvin. Charlie shoots ketchup out of his nose, like either a sweet, syrupy nose bleed, or like a little girl’s lunch Jell-O, depending on your point of view and personal history. Mustard Marvin hurls yellow mustard from his wide open mouth—spewing out what I tried to keep down. You see how the condiment twins brought me full circle.
Just screw one of these Spread Heads on your condiment bottle and recreate your own elementary lunch room memories.
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, December 12, 2008 at 2:15 PM
As winter, with its gray skies, whipping winds, and white Christmases rolls in, all I want at the end of the day (or in the morning when I first wake up, or right now, in the office) is a magically warming and charming and energizing cup of hot chocolate. But it seems like the only way to make one without much effort is to rip open a paper packet of powder. Even Starbucks starts with syrup. But I don't want hot cocoa. I don't want hot chocolate milk. I want hot C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E.
Dynamic duo Williams-Sonoma and Bialetti (of espresso pot fame) have co-released the Hot Chocolate Pot. Plug it in, pour in some milk, and add fresh chopped chocolate—or mix, cocoa, syrup, or whatever you fancy—set the timer, and walk away. When the bell chimes minutes later, the pitcher is full of perfectly steaming hot chocolate, thick and rich, and because of the frothing attachment, with the creamy and jubilant head of a cappuccino. No more chalky powder, thick chocolate milk skin, or burnt pot bottoms. And now you can try your own flavors: lavender white hot chocolate, spicy dark chocolate, and three chocolate blend.
Related
12 Days of Hot Chocolate [Serious Eats: New York]
Photo of the Day: Hot Chocolate Haiku
Anybody Have a Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe? [Talk]
How to know you’re too sauced to drive after your holiday party: use the iBreath, an attachment for your iPod or iPhone that measures your blood alcohol content. It also doubles as an iPod FM transmitter. [via Boing Boing]
Posted by Robyn Lee, December 3, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Here's a cool Chinese pottery-inspired mouse from Hong Kong-based design store Goods of Desire, in partnership with Microsoft. It reminds me of the bowls my grandparents used while I was growing up. [via Boing Boing]
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 1, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Make magazine presents a reader-submitted video from Ted Goessling and Zachary Gens, who have created the Uber Tuber, a compressed-air-powered potato bazooka that they use to propel spuds at a grid of wires that slices them into fries. Behind the grid is a backstop that catches the potatoes and funnels them into a waiting fryer below. It's more Rube Goldbergian than it is practical, but it's fun stuff nonetheless.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, November 29, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Either legend or fact has it that the first written record of s'mores dates back to 1927. But chances are, they did it the old-fashioned way back in the Roaring Twenties—with a twig and a roaring fire.
Thank goodness for modern technology. This handy little gadget microwaves two perfect s'mores in 30 seconds. A water tank heats them through evenly (no more gushy marshmallow and cold, hard chocolate), and the arms hold the top graham cracker in place so there's no slip and slide. And it's dishwasher safe; although, chances are, you'll still get pretty messy.
Posted by Robyn Lee, November 22, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Deep fried turkeys may be delicious, but making them can result in serious burns if you don't follow safety precautions. To avoid having to call 911 because your house is burning down, get this Oilless Turkey Fryer for $199.
The fryer uses infrared cooking technology, which "penetrates meat evenly and seals in juices, resulting in a moist inside and crispy outside without the hassle or fat of cooking with oil." Just add your own propane tank and you're ready to go! [via Uncrate]
Posted by Robyn Lee, November 20, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Fill the cylinder of the Turkey Cannon with your favorite cooking liquid, stick a turkey on it, and let it roast to perfection. Like in a beer can chicken, the liquid helps cook and flavor the bird from the inside, resulting in a faster cooking time and more flavor. [via CNET]
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 16, 2008 at 1:00 PM
[via Wunami]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, November 11, 2008 at 5:55 PM
When you're in a bind, the Swiss Army knife usually does just the trick. Nail file, screwdriver, and all-around snipper of things—what a little superhero. But what about when your tummy grumbles? Also an emergency, except the knife can't really help. Introducing the Swiss Chocolate Knife. A one-time use, but what a good time it would be. [via Gizmodo]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, November 9, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Speaking of hunting, have you always wanted your thermos to look like ammo? This shotgun canister will earn you major points with outdoorsy hunter types. $24.77, from greatbigstuff.com [via Boing Boing Gadgets]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, October 21, 2008 at 4:00 PM
George Foreman, the boxing champ and patron saint for college students eating grease-less chicken breasts everywhere, has reached a whole new level. His new Lean Mean Fryer ($149.99) undergoes a "spin cycle," like a washing machine, to get rid of fried fattiness. The Smart Spin™ technology claims to knock out "up to 55 percent" of grease, but still deliver on crispiness.
This spinny fryer makes me wonder: what if you take fried foods on the swing ride at the fair? Will it have the same effect?
Posted by Erin Zimmer, October 17, 2008 at 12:45 PM
BANG, BANG, BANG! That's the sound cleanliness makes! The Kitchen Gun is just like any normal gun (dangerous, makes loud noises, could kill people) except it also turns a dirty, grungy sink into a sparkly surface (with bullet holes, mind you). This silly commercial appeared on the BBC sketch comedy show, The Peter Serafinowicz Show. Video, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 13, 2008 at 10:00 AM
You know, you're just askin' for failure when you use a microwave for anything other than reheating leftovers or popping popcorn. But I'm weirdly drawn to this crazy bacon-cooking contraption. Hang the strips from the lid of the WowBacon Cooker pitcher and the fat renders down into the bottom while it cooks. Sure, you're not going to get as juicy a bacon experience as you would if you pan-cooked the strips, but think of the ease of collecting the fat for use in other recipes. My guess is that this would be perfect for a recipe that called for crisp-cooked bacon—though who knows how well a microwave would do "crisp." $19.95 plus $7 shipping and handling, from wowbacon.com [via Boing Boing]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, August 27, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Photograph from Amadika on Flickr.
A kitchen tool for a chef is like a bowling ball for a bowler. It's special, and sometimes so irreplaceable, even a similar-looking, similar-functioning object of the same name will not do the trick. Today, the San Francisco Chronicle revealed 10 of their favorite kitchen tools—from the offset spatula (a spatula at an angle for maximum bending) to the spider (a hand-held, portable strainer).
What are your favorite kitchen tools?
Posted by Erin Zimmer, August 25, 2008 at 7:30 AM
If Starbucks and Staples got married, they might birth this latte printer machine. Recently featured at a graphics trade show in Los Angeles, the OnLatte repurposes your standard inkjet printer to use caramel syrup instead of ink. Nothing says good coffee like a foamy recreation of the winged Pegasus. [via the Kitchn]
Posted by Robyn Lee, August 22, 2008 at 4:45 PM
For the person in your life who loves eating a bite-sized piece of chocolate every hour in a controlled setting, get them the Chococlock. The clock releases a piece of chocolate once an hour. Grab the piece within its 30-second exposure to the outside world and the calories are all yours! If you miss your scheduled appointment with the chocolate, you'll have to wait another hour. Or press the cheat button that releases a piece on demand. Or just open a bag of chocolate candies. Bonus feature: the Chococlock also dispenses non-chocolate matter, like Skittles, or Advil! [via Gizmodo]
Previously: Wake N' Bacon Alarm Clock: The Best Sleep-Ending Device Ever
Posted by Emily Koh, August 2, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Give your drinks more of a, uh, prehistoric touch with these "Fossiliced" dinosaur ice cube trays. What's next, bugs-trapped-in-amber ice cubes? (Or is that just bugs trapped in ice? Eww...) [via Boing Boing]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, August 1, 2008 at 12:15 PM
The late cartoonist Rube Goldberg, known for his drawings of absurdly complex devices that perform otherwise simple tasks, inspired this cocktail-mixing machine, which allows a seedless cucumber to travel through a matrix of cups until finally sliced and ready to garnish a vodka lemonade. You could probably fix the same drink—with just your hands—in about a minute, but why would you ever do that? The viewing experience is all the more enjoyable with polka music playing at the end.
Continue reading »
Posted by Lucy Baker, July 16, 2008 at 11:45 AM
According to Fast Company, Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water last year, which is more than we spent on "iPods or movie tickets." From corporate buffet lunches to health club vending machines, restaurants, and home refrigerators, bottled waters such as Poland Spring, Evian, and Perrier account for a huge percentage of what we drink every day. But how healthy is bottled water, for us and for the environment?
Bottled Water: No More Beneficial Than Tap
Not very, according to many experts. All drinking water, from fancy Italian Lurisia to plain old Brooklyn tap, has to meet the same standards for consumption. Bottled water is more or less an appeal to vanity. We buy it because it makes us feel fit, virtuous, and hip, when in fact it is no more beneficial than what comes from the kitchen sink, in addition to being more harmful to the earth. Consider how much fuel is used to transport bottled water around the world—according to Fast Company, in the United States alone it's a weekly equivalent of 37,800 18-wheelers delivering nothing but water. Add to that all the plastic and glass bottles, and you've got a whole lot of wasted energy.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, July 16, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Remember the scene in Hook when Rufio's bangarang fighting words inspired an all-out food fight brawl in Never-Never-Land? Too bad the Lost Boys didn't have this state-of-the-art Zing! catapult spoon for optimal launching of pretend food. The built-in spring means less spoon deaths by way of breaking at the utensil's neck. [via Boing Boing Gadgets]
Posted by Erin Zimmer, July 15, 2008 at 7:30 AM
I have a friend with a fetish for mini things. Travel-sized toothpaste, those midget ketchup bottles at upscale restaurants, adorable jam jars at high tea. She really needs to know about this $155 "Handspresso," as does the mini things fetishist in you. Like a bike, it uses the "pump air" method to generate pressure, eliminating electricity altogether.
Whaddaya think? Any use for a gadget like this in your morning routine?
Posted by Emily Koh, June 30, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Photograph taken by Melissa Hom, from Grub Street
Now there's no excuse for finding cartilage in your warm peekytoe crab cake with shaved cauliflower at Le Bernardin. They use an ultraviolet light that distinguishes crabmeat from cartilage (the cartilage appears a much brighter white), which executive chef Eric Ripert discovered last year after seeing it on a French TV program.
Related
The 50 Best Restaurants in the World, per S. Pellegrino
Eric Ripert's New Website
In Videos: Anthony Bourdain Interviews Eric Ripert
Posted by Amanda Clarke, June 26, 2008 at 11:00 AM
I acquired a Nuscüp (pronounced: noo-skoop) adjustable measuring cup last year out of curiosity rather than need. I already had an adjustable measuring cup—the Metric Wonder Cup—with which I was perfectly content, but thinking it might make for a worthwhile write-up here on Serious Eats, I scarfed up the last Nuscüp in stock at the local Sur La Table—a boxless floor model.
Initial Failure
My first experience with it was one of utter disappointment. As soon as I got home, I ran to the sink to measure out some tap water; the water slipped right past the rubber gasket (around the edge of the cup’s adjustable bottom) and into the body of the cup. I took the Nuscüp apart (it is constructed of two interlocking pieces for easy cleaning), washed it, reassembled it, tried to measure water again, and failed. I wasn’t sure if it was just a useless, poorly designed gadget or if the cup had been damaged during its life as a floor model. Mildly disgusted either way, I threw the cup in my gadget drawer where it stayed until recently, when I was packing up for our kitchen renovation.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 18, 2008 at 10:00 AM
This internet-compatible coffee-maker appears to have some vulnerabilities to hacking. As posted on the Security Focus website:
Fun things you can do with a Jura coffee maker:
1. Change the preset coffee settings (make weak or strong coffee)
2. Change the amount of water per cup (say 300ml for a short black) and make a puddle
3. Break it by engineering settings that are not compatible (and making it require a service)
The connectivity kit uses the connectivity of the PC it is running on to connect the coffee machine to the internet. This allows a remote coffee machine "engineer" to diagnose any problems and to remotely do a preliminary service.
Best yet, the software allows a remote attacker to gain access to the Windows XP system it is running on at the level of the user.
Compromise by Coffee.
I don't know, kids. Old Mr. Coffee might be scratching his head when it comes to this newfangled internets, but at least he's not going to hack my computer. I don't know why you'd want an web-accessible coffee-maker anyway.
Posted by Amanda Clarke, June 12, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Equipped with little more than a hibachi grill and an improvised chimney (a rusty old bottomless chicken-feed bucket that has been a part of his life for at least as long as I have), my father has expertly rendered some of the most delicious, perfectly cooked steaks of my life. On the other end of the spectrum, he’s also been known to make phone calls to the 800-number on the back of a frozen fish stick box to inquire whether or not said fish sticks could be microwaved rather than baked and how to do so.
Cooking can be uncertain ground with dads, but eating and gadgetry rarely are. So, gifted chef or Chef Boyardee, here’s a spectrum of gadgets and gizmos to satisfy all sorts of chow-loving pops.
'Equal Measure' Measuring Cup
If Dad’s a lover of trivia and does anything that might require the use of a measuring cup, the Equal Measure might be for him. Whether he’s mixing up marinades or cement, he’ll no doubt delight in discovering that one cup is only a smidge less than the volume of “water in a cumulus cloud the size of a bus” and lots of other interesting volumetric facts. $12.99, from ThinkGeek
Continue reading »
Posted by Sarah Wolf, June 12, 2008 at 10:30 AM
No, someone did not sneak an iPhone into the pile of strawberries next to the fondue pot. That's because no one wants his iPhone to be eaten—which makes Homade's chocolate bar-inspired Chococase iPhone protector seem like a somewhat dangerous idea. If it were my $400 gadget extraordinaire, I would rather decrease the chances that someone might try to take a bite out of it. Besides, brown rubber kind of ruins the high-tech appeal. Still, I guess it is sort of cool looking. Just keep it away from anyone who looks hungry and nearsighted. [via Boing Boing Gadgets]
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 5, 2008 at 12:00 PM
When I look at this motorized, scooter-based beer cooler, you know what I see? I see a marauding gang of 12 to 15 frat boys, on spring break, riding from hotel to motel to pool to beach.
That's not a slam on frat boys. You see, the next logical and ridiculously glorious extension of this "14 M.P.H. beer cooler" is that you'd get together with your buddies and form a 14 M.P.H. beer cooler biker gang. Fraternity brothers already have the legendary party skills; they're notorious for pranks; they're in college, so they've got the time; and they could use house funds to equip themselves.
A 500-watt motor drives the cooler, which can hold up to 24 twelve-ounce cans and eight pounds of ice, for a range of 15 miles on a charge. Scooler supports up to 300 pounds. $499.95, from Hammacher Schlemmer [via Restaurant Girl]
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 3, 2008 at 9:45 AM
Photograph courtesy of Cia_B
The OctoDog is a zany little plastic contraption that converts ordinary everyday hot dogs into octopus-lookin' works of ... edible art? Blogger Cia_B recently got her hands on one and puts it to the test here. I especially like the photo she took (above), comparing an octofied wiener to the real thing. Brilliant. OctoDog, $16.95 plus shipping, from OctoDog.net
Posted by Amanda Clarke, May 22, 2008 at 11:00 AM
For most of us, Memorial Day weekend marks the launch of the outdoor dining season, marshalling in a summer of picnics, barbecues, and pool and beach parties. As I find the standard gear marketed specifically for such occasions (folding picnic tables, special baskets and packs for tableware and flatware, enormous tong/spatula/fork sets, etc.) to be flimsy, fussy and/or cumbersome, I turn to camping suppliers when I’m looking for tools to get my outdoor eat on. There I tend to find equipment that is robust enough to withstand the elements and a good bit of jostling, lightweight and compact enough to be easily transported on foot, and just plain sensible for outdoor/remote usage.
Now, I appreciate the simplicity necessitated by al fresco dining—unfussy meats and vegetables grilled to order or foods prepared in advance and served out of coolers—all of it eaten off of plastic or disposable plates. I’m good with all of that, but I do appreciate my gadgets, and in the heat of summer, especially in areas removed from ready access to such creature comforts as running water and electricity, I can think of nothing quite so satisfyingly decadent as a slushy beverage. Enter my latest camp-supply find: the Coleman portable blender.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robyn Lee, May 16, 2008 at 10:30 AM
There are cases to protect whole bananas from turning into bruised, mush-filled bags, but what about when you want to just protect the cut end of half of a banana? The NANA Saver™ Banana Holder is designed to grip onto the exposed end of your half-eaten banana and keep it fresher for longer by reducing its exposure to air. And since it's shaped like the missing half, It's kind of like a prosthetic for your banana. Make your banana feel whole again! [via The Presurfer]
Related
Banana Cupcakes: Buttercream vs. Cream Cheese?
Photo of the Day: Banana Wall
Forbidden Love of Hot Dog & Banana
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 28, 2008 at 5:45 PM
As author of The Elements of Cooking, Michael Ruhlman has inspired others to really think about what they keep in their kitchens. Now he lists his own must-have gadgets, after venting about some real crap that he's got no use for:
I’m not the first to suggest that a tool that has only a single use is just as useful in the garbage as it is in your drawer. A mango slicer, please. An egg separater—Jesus, an egg separator! We are born with the perfect egg separators, right at the end of our arms!
His fave tools? Among others, a big knife, a little knife, and "the most important tool in the kitchen: kosher salt."
Related
What's Your Favorite Kitchen Tool?
Tools Kept for Once-a-Year Dishes: In Praise of Unitaskers
Posted by Matthew Amster-Burton, April 28, 2008 at 11:30 AM
If you're into gadgets and looking to make your own baby purees, Williams-Sonoma is now selling the Beaba Babycook.
Pronounced "Bay-OBB-uh," the device has been popular for several years in Europe and is now available in the US. There's a video on the Williams-Sonoma site showing how it works. It's basically a mini-chopper than can steam food before you puree it. The industrial design is tops—with chubby curves and lime-green trim, it looks like a dollhouse accessory, albeit with a sharp blade.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 26, 2008 at 11:00 AM
If only the late 1980s flick was actually about a courageous electronic kitchen tool with a microwave Siamese twin! Now, that would have been an animated adventure. Twenty years later, we now have a LTM9000 toaster-microwave duo which combines two food heaters that have clearly been flirting from across the countertop. One night, when the kitchen lights were dimmed and nobody was watching, they quit the winky faces and went for it. The married life seems to be treating them well, and could open a whole new world for multi-tasking kitchen appliances. A Cuisinart mixer-cum-pepper grinder? Or lemon zester that opens cans? [Via OhGizmo!]
Related
Behold the Micro-Microwave
Battle of the High-Tech Toasters
How to Make Thin Egg Sheets in Your Microwave
Posted by Robyn Lee, April 24, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Driving is already frustrating enough: $4/gallon gas, collapsing bridges, the screaming kids in the back. The last thing humanity needs is the difficulty in simply enjoying french fries from behind the wheel... and failing. It's only inevitable that errant fries will spread their grease and salt all over your car's interior. There are containers for gum, chips, and nuts that fit in a cup holder, but the standard french fry container just won't fit.
However, thanks to Improvements, purveyor of "Quick and Clever Problem-Solvers," you can get a French Fry Holder for your car! Kind of. It's sold out right now, but if it weren't, you too could indulge in the convenience of a container whose no-slip rubberized base fits into your standard cup holder and holds one order of fries. There's even a clip-on ketchup cup for easy dipping! And if you're not eating fries, you can use it to hold other snacks. With so many uses, you can't afford not to have one.
Related
The Col-Pop, an All-in-One Chicken Nugget and Soda Cup
I Am Tired of Spreading Cream Cheese on a Bagel for Myself
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 18, 2008 at 11:00 AM
If you're highly particular about the quality of your toast, check out Cool Hunting's Toaster Challenge where they rate four kinds of toasters: Alessi SG68, Viking VT200, Breville Smart Toaster BTA820XL and Krups TT6190. The winner was the Breville Smart Toaster, a toaster so advanced that it's not even on the market yet. When it does, you'll have access to a toaster that features "an LED panel that counts down and also employs a robotic function that slowly submerges the bread into the glowing coils and raises it again after an abbreviated two minutes (at the medium setting) of toasting." Read all the toaster reviews at Cool Hunting.
Previously:
In Videos: My Incredibly Cool Toaster
Turbo Toaster Browns Bread in 50 Seconds
Toaster-Shaped Phone
Posted by Gordon Mark, February 25, 2008 at 6:30 PM
First there was the hamburger phone from Juno and then the sandwich phone. Now comes the toast phone. This concept from Brazilian design student Renata Quintela comes with two bread phones and a toaster charger. [via Gizmodo]
Posted by Robyn Lee, February 6, 2008 at 10:30 AM
In the future, there will be no need to reach across the table for your salt and pepper; just ask your dining companions to shoot it right onto your food with the spice gun! [via bb gadgets]
How many times have you been out camping and all you wanted was the power to make a pitcher of frozen drinks in about 30 seconds? We've all been there. Coleman has come to the rescue with their Rechargeable Portable Blender, perfect for all those times you're nowhere near an electrical outlet and you just really need to blend something. [via bb gadgets]
Posted by Amanda Clarke, December 13, 2007 at 1:00 PM
With their gift guides my cohorts have already supplied you with a bounty of great ideas for everyone from the cook to the baker to the cocktail maker, but what about those Serious Eaters left on your gift list who have everything already? Nobody wants to get somebody a duplicate, and gift cards just aren't much fun to give. But, while your cousin the cook may have a few spatulas in his kitchen, does he have a lime green one with a mouth that hangs on a tongue hook? And your sister-in-law with the amazing set of vintage ceramic tableware in some pattern with a name you can never remember, though it doesn't matter because all the circulating pieces cost more than your net worth? Surely she already has salt-and-pepper shakers, but how could she turn away a pair of white birdy-foot salt-and-pepper shakers?
With the stragglers left on your list in mind, I've assembled a merry band of misfits that are sure to find a place on the table or in the kitchen of the Serious Eater who has everything. (Prices do not include shipping unless otherwise noted.)
Continue reading »
Posted by Matthew Amster-Burton, December 12, 2007 at 3:30 PM
A visitor from the future has landed on my refrigerator door. Its name is SmartShopper. It's an electronic shopping list, and catalogs like Sur La Table and The Sharper Image are pushing it this holiday season. And if your idea of fun is getting into a screaming fight with your fridge, I highly recommend you pick one up.
SmartShopper is about the size of a Big Grab of chips and weighs a pound. It's solidly built, takes four AAs, and sticks firmly to our refrigerator. It has a built-in thermal printer. And it's easy to use. Just press the blue "Record" button and say what you want to add to your list. SmartShopper will present you with its three best interpretations of what you said. For example, earlier today I pressed the button and confidently intoned, "Yogurt." SmartShopper replied:
Continue reading »
Posted by Amanda Clarke, October 19, 2007 at 9:30 AM
I came to Dubai full of excitement. I knew that it was the new capitol of glitzy luxury and indulgence, but I had gleaned from various sources that the city's souks (markets) were vibrant crossroads, redolent with the character of old Arabia, where one could procure just about anything.
I was certain I would find all sorts of interesting and unfamiliar regional bits and pieces for kitchen and table. Unfortunately, after visiting nearly every souk on the Dubai map and all the narrow shop-lined streets in between, aside from a few chintzy mass-produced Arabian-coffee pots, I found little exceeding the inventory of any Chinatown or flea market back home.
Then, just as I was reaching my threshold for oppressive heat and aggressive sales tactics, I came upon a row of chubby stainless steel sentinels (above). Were they juicers? Blenders? Novel rice steamers? I snapped a quick photo and tentatively moved on, hoping to unravel the mystery without inviting the attention of vendor hungry for a sale.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, September 5, 2007 at 6:30 PM
Brendan I. Koerner, who writes "The Goods," an underappreciated but often hilarious column in the Sunday New York Times business section, says that Bluw, a London design firm, has finally come up with a cheap, space-saving alternative to the wine rack. It's called the Wedge. And according to Koerner, it actually works:
...Though the package copy recommends that each two-piece set be used to hold a maximum of six wine bottles, I was able to create a very stable 10-bottle pyramid.
Even after downing several glasses of pinot noir, in order to affect a partygoer’s clumsiness, my jostlings of the pyramid caused almost no discernible movement.
The Wedge, $9.95 a pair, at Firebox.com
Posted by Joe Campanale, July 13, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Today we add yet another new voice to the Serious Eats mix—Joe Campanale. Joe will be joining us on Fridays to touch on topics from the world of wine. Cheers! —The Serious Eats Team
By Joe Campanale | Is there anything the iPhone can’t do? Well the whole winemaking thing is up in the air. But you can now make wine from your home computer using a new invention called the WinePod ($3,500). Just dump in (er, carefully place) 15 gallons of grapes (about seventy-five 750ml bottles), and use the interactive software to control the whole process, from pressing to aging.
But make sure you don’t use Thompson seedless or Concord grapes. These are part of an American vine variety known as Vitis labrusca and have a distinctly foxy taste that exists somewhere between Welch’s grape juice and an off-vintage Manischewitz. Instead, hunt down your favorite Vitis vinifera variety such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, or Kadarka, then plug in your WinePod and wait a year to enjoy your Main Street Cuvee!
Posted by Ed Levine, June 4, 2007 at 5:20 PM
I'm a big fan of Brendan Koerner's "The Goods" column in the New York Times Sunday business section. Yesterday he wrote about a newfangled outdoor cooker, the Orion. Here's how he described it: "a cylindrical, stainless steel gadget that resembles something out of the Apollo space program. Powered by charcoal, the Orion envelops meats in waves of hot air, also known as convection currents."
According to its inventor, Christian Fitzgerald, "This not only eliminates the need for turning but also preserves juiciness and reduces cooking times. He estimates, for example, that the Orion can cook a 20-pound turkey in two and a half hours, and six racks of baby back ribs in 75 minutes."
Here's my question: Does the Orion make anything crisp on the outside? I, for one, need that crisp, crusty exterior on my meat.
Posted by Alaina Browne, May 18, 2007 at 3:25 PM
This peanut butter mixer
would have come in handy during our peanut butter and jelly celebration. Use the peanut butter mix to blend your just opened and separated peanut butter, then store it in the fridge where it will maintain its blended state. [via Cool Tools]
Posted by Lia Bulaong, April 30, 2007 at 2:00 PM
I've long been a fan of Regina Schrambling's Gastropoda, which is refreshingly acidic when many food blogs are nothing but saccharine, so I got an extra big kick out of reading what is essentially a paean to her newly-purchased immersion blender in the LA Times. She cops to immediately "going as crazy as a Martha Stewart groupie who has just discovered the glue gun"—she "[whips] through pesto, tapenade, asparagus soup, red pepper purée and hummus, while also grinding walnuts into flour and converting a hard roll into fluffy bread crumbs" in a mere forty-five minutes after ripping her blender out of its box!
Schrambling points out that you can easily drop a few hundred dollars on blenders graded for use in professional kitchens, but why bother when she's so clearly happy with her new KitchenAid KHB100, which goes for $42.99 (after a $5 rebate) on Amazon? I think I know what my next kitchen equipment purchase is going to be.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, February 6, 2007 at 7:56 AM
I can't decide whether this mushroom kitchen timer is so cute it's hideous or so hideous it's cute, so I'm just going to say that it's 3"x3.5", from Japan (if you hadn't already guessed), $12 at Fred Flare, and you should buy it if it makes you happy.
[via Apartment Therapy]
Posted by Lia Bulaong, February 2, 2007 at 2:37 PM
Wired's Super Bowl Party Gadgets roundup starts out reasonably with a $45 Black and Decker food processor for guacamole, and immediately escalates to the $2500 grill with a sound system you see at left. I don't have to try too hard to justify that—it's a fair price, if you're serious about grilling and do a LOT of it, and anyway gadget roundups have to have at least one big ticket item—but then a few items later comes the $200 garbage can, notable for the infrared sensor that opens the lid without you ever having to touch anything. Sorry, but that's just obscene.
Posted by Nathalie Jordi, January 23, 2007 at 2:56 PM
I'm a gadget minimalist, but the following kitchen tools culled off the Well Fed Network's various sites are kind of intriguing:
--The Food Loop, a kind of reusable kitchen string (for tying up joints of meat, piles of stockpot veg, etc.)
--The OXO Angled Measuring Cup, so that you don't have to bend in half when you're pouring out milk or oil.
This one, on the other hand, is just stupid: Spepper, a salt-and-pepper mix.
But I LOVE these toasters by the Sarut group!
Their Nemo whisk and graters are cute too, although they look less well designed.
Posted by Nathalie Jordi, January 16, 2007 at 5:27 PM
Okay, I pointed to these guys already but they keep giving and giving, I can't resist. Check out these (apparently discontinued, sadly) sushi USB drives, strawberry milk sausage, and sushi-making robot.
This "head tired sexy knee pillow" has NOTHING to do with food but it may be my favorite thing on the site.
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 15, 2006 at 2:29 PM
In its default setting, the Microwave Vase looks like nothing more than a regular vase; once food is placed inside and the top knob is adjusted for time, then it becomes an actual microwave, cooking your food in a heartbeat. When the food is finished, the little green leaf on top lights up to let you know that your meal is ready. Wasn't this an accessory in the The Sims?
Microwave Vase [Yanko Design]
Posted by Alaina Browne, December 13, 2006 at 2:30 PM
Not yet available in the U.S., this device takes the Egg Muffin maker concept to the next level with the addition of a coffee maker.
Here's an an ingenious way to make a complete breakfast at home without having to inundate your kitchen with single-use appliances. This new product from Japanese company Chuo Sangyo lets you make coffee, eggs, and toast all in one breath. It only takes 10 minutes and one outlet. Amazing.
–Lisa Katayama
One Machine Makes Toast, Eggs, and Coffee [TokyoMango]
Posted by Alaina Browne, December 5, 2006 at 12:03 PM
Every weekday between now and December 22, I'm going to do a food enthusiast gift idea. There will be ideas for all gift-giving budgets, so if you find yourself stuck for a present, and the myriad lists other people have created can't help, you might spy something here. Today we begin with a Wine Knot from Modern furniture purveyor Design Within Reach. An "ingenious interplay of shape and color," Wine Knot holds six liter wine bottles, with space in the center for a magnum. This is a wine holder for display, not cellaring. $98 from www.dwr.com.
