Cooking

Eating out at a restaurant can sometimes seem like a magical experience. But the coordinated dance between the back of the house and the front of the house is one that relies on timing, skill, and experience. However, all that being said, there is still an element of surprise when a plate of eggs, hash browns, and bacon gets set down in front of you in a matter of mere minutes. Yet this feat happens in diners across the country countless times a day.

Replicating that experience at home is not necessarily the impossible task it may seem to be. … Read more

My culinary life won't be complete until I have the raw, awesome power of a Sushi Bazooka in my kitchen arsenal. Want. Desperately.

I've made sushi before. It was an inglorious exercise in frustration and failure. That's probably why I prefer sashimi. It's also why I have such respect for talented sushi makers.

Finally, there's a kitchen gadget that panders to my lazy sushi-making skills. It's essentially a sushi extruder. Pack the tube full of rice and whatever ingredients you want to go in the middle. Close it. Push down the plunger. Roll up the resulting sushi log in seaweed. Instant apathetic sushi!… Read more

For some, there is always room for dessert. Meanwhile, for the more savory-inclined, hamburgers and hot dogs may be the more eternally available option. The two meat-in-a-bun products may have always gotten along splendidly, but that doesn't mean there has always been enough room for the two.

The Cuisinart GC-15 Griddler Compact Grill Centro is the smaller version of the previously covered Cuisinart GC-17 Grill Centro grilling behemoth. The diminutive device measures 15.7 inches across and is 10 inches deep. With a height of only 5.6 inches, the little indoor-grill-that-could is well suited for any countertop where … Read more

The campfire is an essential part of the camping experience, as is mourning the loss of countless marshmallows and hot dogs that slide to their doom due to unstable spits. The needless destruction of so many fire-roasted foods doesn't have to be part of the outdoor experience. While scouring the surrounding area for a branch or twig will never be completely abandoned, there is another way.

The Auspit Fire Fishin' Pole is a camping gadget that combines necessity (as s'mores are mandatory) with fun. Meant to resemble a fishing pole, the fire pit accessory allows you to efficiently … Read more

If there is one thing our eventual robot overlords (will) have taught us, it's that everybody needs to eat. Whether it be bolts for the robots or burritos for their fleshy subjects, sustenance is required for all moving parts no matter the form.

While the not-so-distant future holds many questions regarding robot-human relations, at least for now they still willingly do our bidding. Our burrito-building bidding, that is.

The Burritob0t is a food printer designed by (human) Marko Manriquez. Conceived as a thesis requirement for the graduate program at NYU-ITP, the project is constructed using mostly open-source hardware and software. The complete details are documented and presented on the tech section of burritob0t.net.… Read more

Sous-vide cooking has been getting a lot of attention recently and for good reason: cooking food in a water bath at an exact and consistent temperature provides unique results. As the method keeps gaining popularity, appliances and gadgets are cropping up designed to make the process accessible and affordable.

The Nomiku combines a heat source with an immersion circulator. Many other consumer appliances do not integrate an immersion circulator into their designs. The capability to circulate water (in this case at 10 L/min) allows for more consistent results. Unfortunately, the cost of integrating an immersion circulator into these devices … Read more

Summer is here and already it is easy to see how fast it will go. The warm weather beckons us outside for fun in the sun, where good times and food will go hand in hand for the upcoming months. With all this time flying about, before we know it the fun will be over (or at least have to be moved inside). And that's when we trade the burgers and the grill for the stew and the slow cooker.

Even though summer has just begun, the Crock-Pot SCCPRP500-LTD Slow Cooker (in a "Limited Edition Crocktober Pattern") … Read more

Having the right kitchen gear there when you need it is a great way to get the job done right. However, as we all know that idealized reality doesn't always happen. Most often a quick substitution of gear or gadget provides an acceptable (or even superior) level of utility. But sometimes, you just have to make it yourself.

The DorkFood DSV Temperature Controller conquers half the battle when attempting to repurpose a piece of kitchen equipment into a sous-vide cooker. The controller is meant for use with a manual slow cooker or similar, non-digital appliance and monitors the temperature … Read more

Barbecuing is an outdoor activity. Some might call it a sport. There are certainly enough competitions that one could easily view it as such. Considering some of the hunks of meat that end up on the grill, it also is not difficult to see barbecuing as being a strenuous activity. Fishing is also said to be a sport (or at least it has its competitive elements). Therefore, it only makes sense to put a grill on a boat.

For those who are into either competitive fishing or barbecue, Hammacher Schlemmer has the answer to all your grill-on-the-go needs. The Barbecue Dining Boat … Read more