Appliances and Kitchen Gadgets

The quest to make kitchens around the country more eco-friendly just got a little easier. NatureMill, a San Francisco-based company founded by an MIT grad in 2004, is adding to its lineup of indoor automatic composters.

NatureMill's composters speed up the process of composting by heating, mixing, and aerating the waste that gets put into it. After two weeks, fresh food waste can be turned into nutrient-rich fertilizer for the garden, according to the company. They're small enough to fit into a regular kitchen cabinet (20 inches long by 12 inches wide by 20 inches high), and to … Read more

I recently had some time to scroll through the shortlisted entries in Designboom's Dining in 2015 competition, in which industrial designers were encouraged to conceptualize products that will fit how we eat in 2015. Though the winning entry, the Leaf Spoon, was stunning in its simplicity, I much preferred the anthropomorphized grater pictured above, called Scratch my back. I'm dying to recruit this guy to help me out in the kitchen. (Do you hear me, Alessi?)

One of the other more visually stunning entries is "Plus Minus F," an orb-like salt and pepper set that uses … Read more

For a while now, it seems we've been reading about Batter Blaster everywhere. For whatever reason, the food blogging crowd has been simply captivated by the latest addition to the food-in-a-spray-can family.

Batter Blaster, a spray can of pancake (or waffle) batter, started hitting store shelves in the fall. Even though it's still available only in select stores, it caught the attention of food and kitchen bloggers immediately. Some praised it for its brilliant simplicity. Others scoffed because...well, because it comes in a spray can. Most early reviewers just seemed to love it for its kitsch value. … Read more

If I am to believe the ladies interviewed in the Russell Stover TV commercials that have been airing nonstop for the last week, Valentine's Day just isn't the same without chocolate.

But must we submit ourselves to the bland boxes of milk chocolate fruit creams in the name of tradition? For those ready to graduate past the yellow box of Whitman's, it seems there are new high-quality, specialty chocolatiers popping up everywhere.

One of the more creative options I've seen is Koo-Ki Sushi, which does a pretty amazing job of making chocolate that emulates pieces of … Read more

Sometimes watching sci-fi shows can be depressing. On the one hand, the imagination blossoms with all the possibilities the future holds. On the other hand, everything you see? You can't have it. Because you know what? You don't live in the future. Sorry. No gagh for you.

So it's with mixed feelings that I point you, dear readers, over to io9, who has put together a list of the best sci-fi kitchen gadgets. The list of neat things you can't have includes such wonders as the knife that toasts your bread while it cuts, and the … Read more

Here at CNET, many staffers can't bear the thought of life without their Treo, Blackberry, or iPhone. But for those who haven't jumped into the digital era, here's a new take on the old-fashioned to-do list written on the back of your hand.

With the To-Do Tattoo, you can write out your shopping list and then transfer it to your hand (or other body part of choice), where you know you won't lose it, drop it, or have it unexpectedly run out of battery life at the grocery store.

The To-Do Tattoo comes with an ink … Read more

With people around the country looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment (not to mention all the companies clambering to make some green off the new green trend), eco-friendly kitchen accessories are popping up as fast as a field of bamboo shoots.

Some of them are even taking the form of bamboo. Specialty distributors and big-name retailers alike are now pushing bamboo kitchen utensils, bowls, cutting boards, and dish racks.

Part of the reason for the explosion of bamboo products is that it's a greener alternative to traditional wood, so it's getting attention from people … Read more

Got some stuff sitting in your pantry that's been there a little too long? The expiration date is just around the corner, and you want to cook something new that doesn't require going to the store? Lucky for you there's SuperCook, a service that lets you figure out things to eat based on what you've got. Unlike some other services that do this, SuperCook separates the wheat from the chaff (poor choice of phrases I know) by showing you the recipes you can make with what's in your kitchen, and those that require a few … Read more

With all the talk of lolcats and their beloved "cheezburgers," it's no surprise that this cheeseburger in a can is spreading like wildfire across the Web. Apparently you just open up the can and take out the cheeseburger, and maybe heat it up somehow before you eat it. Amazing. I guess these mean we're really prepared for the zombie apocalypse.

The "Cheeseburger in a Can," sold by a German outdoors retailer called Trekking Mahlzeiten, is only 257 calories, which is awesome, but it still costs 3.95 euros, which our lousy exchange rate translates … Read more