Serving

Poor R2-D2. Once everyone's favorite chirping bot, it's now reduced to serving as a lowly desktop accessory or novelty USB key. And as if this weren't bad enough, it's beheaded on a regular basis. We can hear Tim Moynihan weeping as we speak.

But all that pales in comparison to its latest incarnation--as a soy "source" bottle. "All you have to do is pour some soy sauce into his orifice, close him up, and then pour," Tokyomango says. The horror.

Today we close out our three-part series on Thanksgiving cooking (read about gadgets for cooking the turkey here and gadgets to help with side dishes here) with--what else?--sweets. An informal poll of eaters around our office revealed that pumpkin pie is far and away the preferred closer for a Thanksgiving meal, though apple and pecan pies also have a respectable following. And while I considered dishing up tools for such alternative desserts as cr?me brulee and fondue, it seems prudent to stick with tradition; some folks I talked to view even pumpkin cheesecake with suspicion. So I focused … Read more

Making a Cylon Jack-o-Lantern will be a piece of cake--er, pie--with the Pumpkin Gutter, a $12 drill attachment that lets you zip through the sticky pumpkin prep stage and get right to carving. All you have to do is cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin, use the dishwasher-safe Pumpkin Gutter to loosen the strings and thin out the walls, and then dump the guts out. The tool even leaves the seeds intact for those who like to turn them into snacks.

We're always wary of seasonal gadgets, which often turn out to be a waste of … Read more

When computer geeks come to Japan, they head toward the electronics neighborhood called Akihabara. But when food freaks visit Tokyo, their destination is Kappabashi-dori, a mile-plus-long street sporting several dozen stores that carry all manner of kitchenware and food.

Here you can find coffee cups half a storey tall, a thousand kinds of bowls, plastic sushi, restaurant ware, and more bento boxes than you can shake a whisk at.

CNET's sister sites CHOW and Reviews have joined their mighty forces to bring you "Cooking up a high-tech kitchen," an in-depth look at several kitchens' worth of cooking … Read more

With the winter holidays rapidly approaching, everyone seems to have baking on the brain. I'm already plotting which pies are on the docket for me this winter, and as the weather turns colder, big plates of lasagna are starting to sound mighty good.

While you think about what kinds of pies, casseroles and other baked dishes you might whip up, it's also a good time to make sure you have all the right equipment--ahead of time, of course, so you don't find yourself stuck at the last minute.

This flexible stainless steel spatula is pure genius. It'… Read more

For tiny apartment dwellers with limited kitchen space, this collapsible dish rack could be very handy. It's made of two separate pieces of plastic that fit together to make a dish rack when you need it. They can then be taken apart, laid flat and tucked away in a drawer when you're doing prep work and need the counter space.

I can't imagine it would be sturdy enough for pots, pans or heavy casserole dishes. But even if it can only handle the everyday stuff, the ability to tuck it away to clear the counter top or … Read more

Will product designers ever stop finding inspiration in the simple shape of an egg? The smooth, rounded shape of the Form trio of kitchen tools owes its existence to a photograph of an egg admired by designer Charles Job. The set consists of an egg timer, an egg slicer and a salt and pepper set that snap together. Each tool is available in your choice of sleek black or white plastic. "Boil an egg; slice it and eat it with salt and pepper--that is the essence of Form," says the product Web site.

If you want a little splash of lemon or lime juice for your tea, you might be tempted to make do with one of those plastic facsimiles. But two Danish designers have come up with a more elegant solution: a stainless steel twist that you can screw directly into a fresh lemon or lime. Give the citrus a squeeze to coax a little juice from it. You can also leave the twist inside the lemon when you return it to the fridge, so fresh juice is always a squeeze away.

Need more juice? Look to this concept juicer from designer … Read more

I'm at that age where most of my friends are starting families, so I find myself shopping for a lot of baby stuff. In fact, I've developed a bit of a reputation for giving the kind of wildly impractical baby gifts that only a non-parent would buy. But the Squirt baby food dispensing spoon just might help salvage my reputation as a gift-giver. Parents can fill the bright orange bulb with up to three ounces of baby food, then secure the spoon on the end. A squeeze of the bulb dispenses a bite of food onto the spoon, … Read more