Eating cake with a fork is so last year. In fact, forget about plates too. These Norpro Cakesicle pans from Target offer a new alternative just in time for summer: stick a stick in it. One eight-cakesicle pan also comes with 25 sticks and a free recipe booklet.
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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]
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.)
The latest Ikea catalog recently hit mailboxes and the web. Most of us probably have a little Ikea in our kitchens, whether it's just a paper-towel holder or an entire suite of cabinets and cupboards. For 2008, trends seem to be primary colors, openess, and wall-mounted bars for hanging all manner of kitchen gear. After the jump, a few snapshots to whet your appetite.
Dwell, the beloved magazine about living with modern design, recently offered a short series on kitchen items that have rightfully achieved icon status. In the July/August issue, Heather Wagner rounded up nine classic tools and gave background on the origins and creators of each. From the Peugeot pepper mill to the Iwata rice cooker to the Starck lemon juicer, the list is a fascinating starting point for discussion about what kitchen objects we hold as timeless and which are simply commodities. I, for one, consider the KitchenAid stand mixer pretty close to synonymous with the actual idea of a mixer. I really can't see myself replacing it with anything else. Here is Wagner's honor roll:
For other occasional pieces on kitchen gear and kitchen design, head to the newsstand and pick up a copy of Dwell. The magazine's website is making great strides (its blog even has an RSS feed now), but it still can't hold a candle to the print version.
Yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle offered a feature on the solar oven—a piece of culinary gear that I'd never heard of, much less seen. It basically looks like one of those tanning reflectors that have gone so incredibly out of style for sunbathers. Instead of holding said reflector up to your face, you leave it in your backyard and drop in some tater tots or just about anything that needs baking at 350 degrees or more. Here's a description of the product, which, obviously, works best in sunny climates:
Most solar ovens rely on the greenhouse effect. The Sun Oven, for example, consists of a well-insulated box with a glass lid and four reflective panels that direct sunlight into the box. As the sunlight is absorbed by the oven's black interior and any dark-colored dishes place inside, it converts into heat, which is trapped inside by the glass lid.
For more on solar oven technology, where to buy it, and its advantages and disadvantages, check out the full article and collected sidebars. You'll even find a slew of solar-oven-friendly recipes, including Buttermilk Cornbread and Shrimp & Lemon Skewers.
File this one under the third "G" -- Unclutterer, a slick new blog that offers advice on staying organized, just posted a straightforward howto about creating a personal cooking notebook, using Post-Its, sheet protectors, and a three-ring binder. It's the site's latest post on reducing kitchen clutter, and while most Serious Eaters might be hard pressed to go on the drastic cookbook diet they suggested in a previous column, I can whole-heartedly endorse the wonders of sheet protectors to extend the life of printed recipes beyond one sauce-drenched session. They're also great for adding pages to the aforementioned three-ring binder without having to rummage through your desk drawers for that ultimate unitasker, the hole-punch. My only amendment to Unclutterer's recipe-binder recipe: spring for a "break-back easel" binder that's built to stand up on its own , saving you time and counter space as you dart between binder, mise en place, and stove.
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