Killing bacteria with stylish kitchen appliances

There must be something in the air today--or the food, at least. Like the CulinaryPrep, the Lotus Sanitizing System from Tersano claims to eliminate fungus and other bacteria from food, but in this case with an environmentally safe blast of ozone.

As an added bonus, it also helps remove cat puke stains from the carpet. More on that in a second.

The unit, which sells for $169.99, is effectively a home ozone generator. A pump sucks in ambient air, and then hits it with a jolt of electricity. The electricity causes the oxygen molecules in the air, which consist … Read more

Actifry takes the fat out of frying

I'll never forget the summer my best friend received a FryDaddy home deep fryer as a birthday gift. For several months, accepting an invitation to dinner at her house required a willingness to shave a few days off your life span, courtesy of the platefuls of deep-fried fill-in-the-blank that she offered up to guests.

If only she'd received an Actifry, the latest appliance from European kitchen goods maker Tefal (in the U.S., T-Fal), which the company claims will make fried foods a little bit healthier by removing most of the cooking fat. With one tablespoon of oil … Read more

Cozy up to your 40-ounce

If you like King Cobra 40s but hate the excess dew you get on your hand from giant bottles of beer, then the 40cozy might be for you. Made out of neoprene, it hugs your beer in a range of styles including camouflage and a pattern of beers and crowns.

The company will even make custom designs for bulk orders (holiday bonus anyone?). 40cozy is also doing its part to be green as it reduces the need for those pesky brown paper bags. It even make cozies for tall boys! So if you are drinking 40s out of style rather … Read more

It's summer, so pump up the iPod ice bucket

What is it about outdoor music systems that makes manufacturers insist on designing them to look like ice buckets? Are they supposed to look like coolers or ice cream makers to blend in with the poolside decor?

Whatever. SkyMall, everyone's favorite catalog at 30,000 feet, is the latest to offer one of these picnic wannabes with its "Boombucket iPod Music System." Like others of its ilk, the $150 bucket claims to be "weather-resistant" and can play an iPod up to 8 hours per battery charge, though we wouldn't recommend dunking it for laughs.… Read more