Serving

Ah, the beautiful people. Stylishly waving their finger food rings around whilst delicately balancing the perfect canap?. Champagne glasses reflect off of the crystal chandelier above, bathing the fancy party-goers in intricately refracted light. Yet amidst the swirl of delectable excitement, a small group huddle in a corner, obviously too uncouth to join in the festivities. It is not the garish party hats perched upon their heads that has banished them, nor is it their propensity to wear leisure suits to black-tie affairs. No, it is their greasy fingers and crumb-crusted attire that give them away as the boorish step-cousins … Read more

I don't know how many times my mother told me not to play with my food. It never really took, though. And now that I'm an adult, I can play with my food just as much as I want.

I'm starting with the Condiment Gun from Firebox. You can load up this little pistol with whatever condiment you like--it comes with two cartridges, so you can easily switch--but I have to admit that I'm fond of plain, old ketchup. It's pretty easy to load, too. Pour whatever sauce you plan to shoot dinner with into … Read more

There are perhaps only a few places and times when really great ideas are born into existence. While doing the dishes, in the shower, perhaps at the beach while watching the waves endlessly cycle through their inspiring rhythms. Or maybe the truly good ones are saved for another activity surrounding a liquid: Drinking beer in a parking lot with some buddies. Which is exactly how Event Hog got its start.

The team at Event Hog brainstormed their line of BrandStands as a central gathering spot at entertainment events. The theory stemmed from a simple idea of creating a familiar environment--a … Read more

When we remodeled our kitchen two years ago, we chose a bottom freezer French door fridge, a choice we have come to love and appreciate more each day. Storing groceries at eye level in the fridge just makes good sense. The interior deli tray drawer is a great place to store platters for easy serving. Overall, it's easy to find--or put back--what I need.

But my fridge--one of the earliest of these bottom freezer French door beauties--juts out from my counters and interrupts the otherwise clean lines of my kitchen. And it is just a tiny bit irritating to … Read more

In a world where mad cow disease infects beef and E. coli infests tomatoes, a conscious eater can never be too safe. Freak disease outbreaks aside, perhaps the most preventable method of preventing unsafe food is to store and cook food at the right temperature.

Although there are plenty of thermometers out there that can do the trick, it seems counterintuitive to use the same thermometer to check the temperature in the refrigerator the inside of a rump roast, and the surface temperature of a griddle. The spread of food cooties would undermine the thought of trying to make cooking … Read more

White or red? It may be a common question that we ask ourselves when pondering which bottle to open for dinner. Especially when our palates have expanded beyond the simple "white with fish, red with beef" mantra of generations past. I mean, what about tofu? Sometimes a hearty red is what the situation calls for. However, our wine drinking predecessors were right on many an occasion. For example, the delicate flavor of fish usually is best with a white. So the best (and most fun) answer is simple. Open one of each. Ah, but then we will end … Read more

I've mentioned before that my interest in assistive devices is motivated by my son. But here's the thing: even if no one in your family has a physical disability or developmental issues, a lot of these products could still be useful in your home.

Anyone who cooks around kids knows that kids love to "help." And as tempting as it is to deny them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, it's really a better choice to honor them by teaching them the skills they'll need as they get older.

So here are a … Read more

Festive colors adorn the Preserve line of kitchen products. With fun colors such as Milk White, Berry Blue, Apple Green, and Ripe Tomato, these items are sure to jazz up your kitchen. Turns out, while you're spicing up your kitchen, you're helping the environment too.

Recycline, as the name suggests, is a manufacturer that relies on Earth-friendly, recyclable materials. All of their Preserve products are made from 100 percent recycled plastics or 100 percent post-consumer paper. By using recycled materials, the company is helping to preserve natural resources and create an incentive for communities to recycle.

From simple … Read more

Summer can be rough on oenophiles who lack a proper wine cellar. Even if your red wines survive the high temperatures, they'll still need to spend some time in the refrigerator to come down to an appropriate temperature before serving. But all too often the guests arrive and the wine is poured before you remember to chill it (at least, that's how it happens at my house).

Enter the Ravi Instant Wine Chiller. The two-part device includes a cooling tube, which you store in your freezer, plus a base, which is inserted into the neck of the wine … Read more