Appliances & Kitchen Gadgets

I vote for beer-can chicken.

(Credit: Chefs)

I'm going to make a bold prediction: bacon may well have been the favorite food obsession of the Internet during 2008, but beer can chicken is going to wrestle the mantle away this year. Of course, we won't know the results of this delicious statement well until mid-summer, but all the signs are there. We have seen a recent explosion of interest in the cooking method, and now we are seeing more products designed to deliver the classic meal. From ceramic cookers looking to mimic the process to simple devices resembling colanders or mesh steamers, the fact is clear that beer-can chicken is here to stay. However, it may be time to up the ante.

The BeeRoaster with Potato Clips builds upon the popular concept by adding the ability to roast up to four potatoes. Designed for both grill and oven use, the BeeRoaster can be used any time of the year. Featuring a simple one-piece construction, the bird slips over the center piece, while added wine or beer flavors the chicken. Additionally, you can simultaneously roast vegetables that will be flavored by the drippings from the bird. Attach four potatoes to really cook a complete meal, all with one device.

Beer-can chicken is an ingenious invention. The bird remains moist and flavorful, while evenly roasting on the outside. Even if beer-can chicken does not become even more famous than it already is, I certainly look forward to some delicious beer-can chicken tasting. Based on the simple truism that everything goes well with bacon, the only food that will ever really be able to share in bacon's glory is chicken; a food that everything tastes like.

You know you want it.

(Credit: Baconnaise)

There's a new player in town vying for the attention of your sandwiches and vegetables. J&D, a.k.a. Justin and Dave, first opened our eyes with Bacon Salt, which made everything taste like bacon. But for those of us who don't salt our bread, now we have Baconnaise.

Stemming from a customer suggestion about 6 months ago, it seems inconceivable that the world has been deprived of such a culinary achievement. As a nation of bacon-eaters would attest, it is a concept whose time has come. How we ever got along without Baconnaise is the real question. Some inventions clearly are for the benefit of humanity.

While I was under the impression that bacon went well with everything, apparently bacon and mayonnaise never really got along too well. (Could have fooled me!) They decided to settle their differences in the only way the knew how: mayonnaise wrestling. In the spirit of Halloween, click on through for some prefight smack-talk between bacon and mayonnaise.

Imagine the possibilities.

(Credit: Cook-N-Dine)

There are lots of foods that benefit from being prepared on a flattop grill. While this Portable Teppanyaki Grill from Cook-n-Dine may have Japanese food at the heart of its design, the reality is anything can be prepared with ease and delicious results.

I have in mind one particular street food of which I happen to be fond: the bacon-wrapped hot dog. Hot dog carts selling these tubes of pork delight have been gaining in popularity in recent years. (I first remember seeing them in Mexico many years ago, but that's a different story.) However, creating the ultimate form of the hot dog as it was meant to be enjoyed is not as easy as it looks. Upon frying some up, I realized that the fat would collect in the pan, creating an even greasier dog (not to mention unevenly cooked). The next time I found a hot dog cart I took a closer look and realized that the grill actually bent down, allowing for different cooking zones on one cooking surface. The fat would puddle in one specific place, and the hot dog could be moved accordingly.

So what do bacon-wrapped hot dogs and a portable teppanyaki grill have to do with each other? Only that this grill truly spans international borders, as it would be the perfect device for cooking up a batch. You see, besides being portable and all, the center bows down when hot--so all those delicious juices are collected into one spot! To further the degree of control, the temperature selector allows for heating from 120° F up to 430° F. With such precise cooking ability, people of any nationality will find a use for this grill.

(Via Appliancist)

Convenient and stackable

(Credit: P.B. Slices)

There are two things that are certain in life, and I'm not talking about death and taxes. These happen to be of the food-related variety. Even though I am sure you are well aware of these food truisms, they are always fun to repeat:

Peanut butter goes well with anything.

Bacon makes everything taste better.

You may be familiar with these food rules, but did you know they are not independently separate from each other? Bacon and peanut butter work together too. If you've never had a peanut butter and bacon burger, you just don't know what you're missing.

Yet, of course, rules are made to be broken. Or at least pushed to the breaking point. Cases in point: peanut butter slices and canned bacon.

Bacon in a can.

(Credit: MREdepot)

P.B. Slices threaten promise to do to peanut butter what Kraft did to cheese. Individually wrapped and perfectly shaped, the squares of peanut butter are being marketed as "convenient and stackable." I don't know how convenient they really are, but they certainly do appear to be stackable.

Next up is Yoder's Canned Bacon. In case you were wondering, it didn't fare too well in a taste test (From The Onion's A.V. Club). Although one intrepid food explorer commented, "If nothing else, there's a lot of value in canned bacon," since so much was left untouched on the plate.

Food technology is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it might not be wise to fool with the laws of nature. Best just stick to basics and combine these two familiar foods into delicious creations like peanut butter and bacon burgers.

Yoder's Canned Bacon and P.B. Slices via Serious Eats

Health concerns aside, one of the biggest drawbacks of cooking bacon is the mess: greasy splatters on your cooktop or stacks of soiled paper towels. The WowBacon bacon broiler ($20) promises to keep grease contained while cooking bacon to perfection--in your microwave.

Of course, cooking bacon in the device is slightly more complicated than just throwing it in a pan. First, you drape the bacon over a six-pronged rack and attach the lid to the top of the rack. Then lower the rack into the grease-catching cup and secure it with the attached clamps. The pitcher-like device is then ready to go into the microwave, where the bacon reportedly broils at more than 425 degrees. When it's done, lift the lid and rack out of the cup, pull the bacon off the rack (blotting any remaining grease if needed) and enjoy.

I'm not normally one for single-purpose gadgets, especially the "as seen on TV" kind. But, as someone whose BLT craving once drove her to attempt to fry bacon in a dorm room hot pot, I can see the appeal of this gadget for college students or other bacon lovers who'd rather not stand at the stove for their daily dose of salty pork.

The Bacon Press

(Credit: Williams Sonoma)

Sometimes, when I'm frying up bacon, it curls when I'm not looking. As it shrinks, some parts of the bacon strip lose contact with the pan, guaranteeing that my breakfast won't be as crispy as I was hoping. There have even been mornings when the bacon curled up into a pile, extra greasy rather than crispy.

If you have something to hold down your bacon--preventing it from curling up--breakfast goes a little better. Williams Sonoma sells a kitchen tool that does exactly that: the Bacon Press. This cast-iron press with a wooden handle is shaped like a pig. The Bacon Press holds bacon strips flat for fast frying. It minimizes shrinkage and cooks strips evenly. The Bacon Press is 8.5-inches long by 4.5-inches wide. It will fit in just about any 10-inch skillet.

The Bacon Press isn't just a one-use tool, either. You can use it to press quesadillas, grilled sandwiches, and just about anything that will fit in a skillet and you happen to want to flatten. The Bacon Press is hand-wash only, but that's to be expected--you wouldn't run your cast-iron skillet through the dishwasher, now would you?

Is there nothing bacon can't do?

(Credit: Archie McPhee)

When it comes right down to it, people simply don't floss enough to please dentists. I've convinced myself it's the true reason people put off going to see one. I know it is so in my case. Forget the drill, the shots or the uncomfortable scraping. No, it's something more. It's the look. That dentist look. You know the one. It's the same devastating look you got when you were a kid and your parents said they weren't mad at you--they were disappointed. No matter how often I floss, I always get reprimanded by the dentist for not flossing enough. Pangs of guilt cascade inside me as I wrestle with the inevitable conclusion that I let my dentist down.

Well, never again will I suffer that shame from a dental professional. Not as long as Archie McPhee keeps making Bacon Floss. The king of novelty toys and gifts has bestowed upon us a sure-fire way to get everybody to floss their teeth.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that 4 out of 5 dentists would recommend this. As there always seems to be one leftover dentist, I'm going to assume said dentist lacks a well-cultivated sense of humor. In fact, as far as I can tell, the dissenting dentist is probably my dentist. However, my parents did seem to each gain a sense of humor after I moved out, so perhaps there is hope for all dentist/patient relationships out there.

Archie McPhee is here to help. Having actually been to their retail location in Seattle, I can personally attest to the fact that they are here to put a smile on your face. And now they even want to make that smile beautiful.

Via Boing Boing via Nerd Approved via OhGizmo!

'Toast n Egg' combination toater/egg poacher

(Credit: Tefal)

Now this combination makes sense. Toast with an egg is undoubtedly a great pairing to start any day. The problem for me is that if I'm gonna make an egg, most likely I'm gonna fry it. Not necessarily because it will taste better, but more so for the absolute lack of effort it requires. Butter, pan, fry, done. Easy.

Anything that uses less pots and pans is a good thing in my book. The ability to crack an egg into the Toast n Egg from Tefal is a great idea. The unit comes not only with an egg-poaching tray, but also a meat-warming tray too for heating up pre-cooked meats. Immediately, those frozen sausage patties come to mind, and visions of homemade Egg McMuffins (whose inventor, Herb Peterson, sadly passed away this week) flash across my early-morning mind. Keeping in mind that it is only a meat-warming tray, I may have to think about substituting sliced ham instead. Or maybe left over bacon. From past experience I know there is enough residual heat in between the two slices of a freshly toasted English muffin to melt a slice of cheese. Add the egg and meat and it's easy to see that this is an appliance whose time has come.

Luckily the Toast n Egg appeals to the more heath conscious among us, also. Really, there is no need to for high-calorie add-ons like meat and cheese. Since the egg is poached in water without the use of oil or butter, it is entirely possible to make a quick and healthy meal to start your day. Add a liberal sprinkling of some Bacon Salt instead, and your arteries will thank you.

(Credit: Baconsalt.com)

Have you ever found yourself thinking that veggies would go down easier, if only they tasted more like bacon? You may want to top them with Bacon Salt. The brainchild of two bacon-loving former tech workers, the zero-calorie seasoning lets you add a bit of bacony goodness to any food product. It comes in three flavors--original, hickory, and peppered--and, according to this post from Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger, has been enjoyed on "potatoes (fried, mashed, whathaveyou), corn on the cob, popcorn, watermelon, pineapple, steak, eggs (fried, scrambled), green beans, assorted vegetables, chocolate, Bloody Marys, pasta, guacamole, and peaches." The salt is kosher and vegetarian, and the hickory flavor is vegan, but don't go confusing it with health food: the lengthy list of ingredients includes corn syrup, vegetable shortening, and MSG.

For the hands-on experience I relied on the taste buds of fellow blogger Jennifer Guevin, who says the faux-pork seasoning basically tastes like powdered Bacon Bits. So far, so tasty, but she also admits that her enthusiasm for the product has waned: "My affections turned sour when I realized that my boyfriend no longer thought any food was perfect until Bacon Salt had been added to it. Now Bacon Salt is my bitter kitchen rival." Consider yourself warned.