Yamaha Home Theater
I am a sucker for cool kitchen tech. Sleek and shiny gadgets, digital anything--I see them, and I want them, regardless of whether I need them. So what do I want right now? The new Media Chef from Belling.
This sweet-looking 8-inch screen is a digital cookbook--but it's so much more. It comes with 48 built-in cooking lessons and exclusive content featuring British celebrity chef Brian Turner.
The included remote lets you pause, rewind, and play easily, and when you're not using it as a cookbook, the display makes a stunning calendar, MP3 player, or digital photo frame.
Coming really soon, we hope, and not just to the U.K. Current pricing is slated at around $270.
Portion control can be a bit of a problem when it comes to shaping hamburger patties. I tend to recommend a patty about the size of the palm of your hand, but when my husband follows my directions, we wind up with hamburgers about double the size I would make.
The Adjust-A-Burger makes turning out hamburgers easier and even a little faster. You just set the measurement to the burger size of your choice: your options include half-pound, one-third pound, quarter-pound, and Store.
The Adjust-A-Burger can come in handy if you want to make up a big batch of hamburger patties, and it offers the added bonus of ensuring that all of your hamburger patties cook evenly. Because they're all uniformly sized, you don't need to cut into each burger to make sure it's done. Cleanup is equally simple; the Adjust-A-Burger is dishwasher safe.
There are actually two versions of the Adjust-A-Burger: the regular-size model, which is 4.5 inches in diameter, and a slider version, which is 2.75 inches in diameter. The full-size burger prep tool is priced at approximately $8, while the slider version is priced at about $7.
When it comes to egg timers, the BeepEgg really stands out. When you're boiling eggs, you simply plop the plastic egg into the pan along with the real eggs you're planning to cook. The BeepEgg will warn you when your eggs reach the soft-boiled point by playing "Killing Me Softly."
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Firebox)
If you'd rather have medium-boiled eggs, just wait to remove your eggs until you hear "I Wish I Was A Hen." And if you're after hard-boiled eggs, it's just a matter of waiting until you hear the strains of "Carmina Burana." The egg also beeps when the water starts to boil.
The BeepEgg uses an internal thermostat to measure the water temperature throughout the cooking process, and uses the information to calculate just what is going on inside the nearby eggs. It's important to store the BeepEgg alongside your real eggs, to make sure that they all start out at the same basic temperature.
The egg timer works well with medium and large eggs. If you normally go for extra large eggs, just remember to wait 30 seconds after the BeepEgg bursts into song. The BeepEgg is for stovetop use only--if you're planning to cook your eggs in the microwave, this egg timer can't really help you.
Geek, eaters, and children alike, rejoice! Thanks to Lego, you can now say "Lego (let go) my ______" and not refer to Kellogg's Eggo Waffles (or the Lego-shaped variety).
Lego's online store has several household items available. My favorites are the Lego head shakers and the Lego ice tray. Now I just need to build a dining table out of Lego pieces and I'd be set for dinner.
Sadly, the Lego head shakers are not available online in the U.S., but the 1x1 pixel block shakers are available.
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For years, I've tried unsuccessfully to persuade my family that it's in their best interest to write foods down on the shopping list. They simply aren't interested, they can't find a pen, there is no paper, or they just don't want to. So every week, I find myself starting from scratch, writing, and rewriting.
The SmartShopper sounds like a good solution. It's a voice-activated "shopping assistant" that uses voice recognition software to track groceries and errands.
The interface seems simple enough: hit "record" and say, "apples," or whatever you've just finished eating and need to replace. The unit stores the list alphabetically on the LCD so you can quickly review items.
You can also record errands--just say, "Bank" or wherever else you need to go. If the SmartShopper doesn't understand or recognize your entry, you can add your own information to the master library.
Since an alphabetical list wouldn't be too helpful in the store, when you hit print, you'll get a categorized list--deli, produce, frozen foods, and so on--with errands at the top of the list. The list prints on thermal paper, so you don't need to buy ink, and you can get a three-pack of replacement rolls for about $8.
The SmartShopper is magnetic, so you can stick it on your fridge or mount it to a wall. It runs on four AA batteries and currently costs about $100.
I'm a person who doesn't like surprises. I don't like practical jokes, I hate unexpected visitors, and I loathe peeling a banana and finding it's rotten. In a perfect world, a grapefruit would still be good three months after I bought it. The designers of the latest product in the battle for fresh fruit might be able to do just that.
Active Fresh Blue Technology is the secret behind Blue providing fruit with the same type of light they receive in nature, which allows fruit to stay fresh longer. According to Yanko Design, the blue LED is the key to keeping your fruit fresh, extending its shelf life, and increasing the nutrients in the fruit that keep it healthy before it's picked. The same technology has been used in refrigerators manufactured by Arcelik and Mitsubishi to keep food fresh longer and kill bacteria the same way.
Right now, you're reading this with a look of sheer confusion on your face. You're wondering how something that looks like a glorified fruit bowl will keep your peaches perfect.The technology behind Blue isn't new but is still in its experimental phase. Mitsubishi's line of Folio refrigerators utilizes photosynthesis to increase the nutritional value of vegetables and fruits stored in the crisper. The LED increases the vitamin C through photosynthesis by 150 percent, which in turn helps to increase the shelf life and reduce bacteria. The color apparently also plays a role in how healthy the produce is with orange producing 50-percent more vitamin C in broccoli. The Cosmo Plant Company in Fukuroi, Japan, currently grows lettuce using red LED, which is apparently its favorite due to chlorophyll running on red photons, and the company produces 7,000 heads of lettuce a day. The lettuce matures three times faster than being grown outdoors and has decreased the company's electric bill by 60 percent.
Still in its concept phase, a price and a release date hasn't been announced yet. While it won't keep it fresh forever, you'll at least get your money's worth for those $3-a-pound pomegranates.
With people around the country looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment (not to mention all the companies clambering to make some green off the new green trend), eco-friendly kitchen accessories are popping up as fast as a field of bamboo shoots.
Three bamboo utensils from various vendors.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Some of them are even taking the form of bamboo. Specialty distributors and big-name retailers alike are now pushing bamboo kitchen utensils, bowls, cutting boards, and dish racks.
Part of the reason for the explosion of bamboo products is that it's a greener alternative to traditional wood, so it's getting attention from people looking to make home products more environmentally friendly. Bamboo grows very quickly, making it a nuisance when planted in your neighbor's yard but highly renewable as a wood source. Bamboo is also naturally antimicrobial and moisture-resistant, or so says Crate & Barrel, which now sells dozens of bamboo-based kitchen items, furniture, and bath accessories.
None of that might matter to the average consumer as much as one other attribute--it's also gorgeous. Many bamboo products have a beautiful golden brown color to them, and they're often made with two complementary shades of wood for added style. Going green never looked so good.
After a long break for the holidays, I returned to work Wednesday to an even longer list of things I'd intended to write about way back in 2007. In the spirit of living up to resolutions for at least the first week of the new year, I'll attempt to get some of those things published in the next few days.
The SideSwipe Mixer Blade is an accessory for stand mixers (which were being pushed hard by retailers over the gift-giving holidays and no doubt turned up under quite a few trees in December). It's a blade similar to the regular paddle that comes on a KitchenAid mixer, but it's got silicone "fins" that stick out from the main blade, so they can actually scrape the side of the mixing bowl while the mixer's in action.
Right now the $25 blades are available for just a handful of KitchenAid mixers, but the company plans to release versions for Kenwood, Cuisinart, and Viking mixers this year and next.
Given the flimsy nature of most of the silicone kitchen equipment I've seen, it's hard to imagine the SideSwipe Mixer Blade surviving anything thick like a cookie or bread dough. But for thinner, more liquid jobs, like brownie batter or icing, it seems a dream come true. When I think of all the spatulas that have been needlessly destroyed as I tried to scrape down a bowl with the mixer running, it seems such a pity that no one thought of this before.
(Via Apartment Therapy)
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 crème brulee and fondue, it seems prudent to stick with tradition; some folks I talked to view even pumpkin cheesecake with suspicion. So I focused on tools that will make your pie baking and serving a little easier this season.
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Hug the Cook)
I'll admit to being rather casual about measuring ingredients, and I'd normally scoff at a single-purpose tool like the Baker's Butter Slicer. But baking under pressure for a holiday changes the game--I want to get the quantities exactly right. This stainless steel tool frees you from approximating based on the (often misaligned) butter wrapper and cleanly cuts the precise amount of butter you need for your crust.
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King Arthur Flour)
Not everyone has the skill to roll out a perfectly round, rightly sized, evenly thick pie crust that doesn't stick to counter or rolling pin. This plastic Pie Crust Bag makes rolling the dough ridiculously simple: just zip your lightly floured dough into the bag and roll. When it's the right size, unzip the bag and turn your crust into the pan. As others have suggested, this could be a handy way to let your kids practice their rolling pin skills.
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Williams-Sonoma)
If your recipe calls for blind-baking an unfilled pie crust, you'll need to weigh it down to prevent shrinking or bubbling during baking. You can use large quantities of uncooked rice or beans as an impromptu weight, but if you bake more than one pie a year it'd be worth it to purchase these washable, reusable ceramic marbles. The weights provide heft to hold your crust in place and, because they're ceramic, help distribute heat throughout the crust.
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Sur La Table)
Also known as pie vents, these narrow ceramic funnels prevent fruit pies from bubbling over by allowing steam to escape. Place the little bird in the center of your pie and distribute filling around it. Then cut a slit in the top crust and place it over the bird, letting the top crust rest on its shoulders. The little guy comes out when you cut the first slice of pie.
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Pampered Chef)
My mom had one of these when I was growing up and I was always a little scared of its resemblance to a torture device. But it is hands-down the fastest way to prep apples for pie. You impale the apples on the sharp end, then turn the crank to push out the core and spiral the apple past the peeling/slicing arm. It might be a little too hard core (ouch!) for a single pie, but if you're tasked with baking multiple pies this season, it'd be a worthwhile investment. Works on pears and potatoes, too.
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Harriet Carter)
No one wants the last bite of pie to be rock-hard and charred. This reusable aluminum shield covers the rim and protects it from burning or drying out. Sure, you could do the same thing with carefully applied aluminum foil, but on the big day every shortcut helps.
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iSi)
Get the thick flavor of preservative-free whipped cream without dirtying yet another bowl. An instant cream whipper contains a multiple-use gas cartridge that puffs up heavy cream at the touch of a button. Top that pumpkin or pecan pie with a dollop of real whipped cream, or just let the kids shoot it directly into their mouths. Also good on hot chocolate all season long.
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Modern Spirits)
It never hurts to have a backup plan. Modern Spirits' Pumpkin Pie Artisan Vodka is made with real pumpkin puree and spices and is based on a family recipe for pumpkin pie. The makers suggest pairing the sipping vodka with desserts, but we think it'd make a fun, festive finisher--on its own or in cocktails--for minimalists and drink lovers.
Today, we forge ever forward in an attempt to bring you the kitchen gadgets that will make your Thanksgiving preparations go as smoothly as possible. You can read our previous entry on cooking the turkey here. And Friday we'll satisfy your sweet tooth with a feature on gadgets used to make desserts. Today, we focus on the all-important side dishes.
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Sur La Table)
Multitier oven rack
A chronic problem with Thanksgiving meals is managing oven space, namely, finding space in the oven for all the side dishes and dips that need baking while your 25-pound turkey hogs all that prime real estate. This multitier rack makes it possible to bake several dishes at once, making it easier to manage the timing of the entire meal.
Awesome.
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Williams-Sonoma)
Digital timer
This digital timer, which we discovered just the other day, is practically made for cooking the Thanksgiving meal. It can be used to time up to three dishes, each with its own distinct alarm. The clocks can count up or down, which is helpful for keeping track of the different types of dishes that will be cooking (or cooling) at the same time.
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Bed Bath & Beyond)
Stuffing cage
There's no doubt about it. Stuffing is one of the most important side dishes on the Thanksgiving Day table. This stuffing cage won't make it taste any better, but it'll make it way easier to collect from the turkey cavity when it's done. And isn't that what gadgets are for? Just be sure your turkey is big enough to accommodate it. This one's 9 inches by 4 3/4 inches.
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Amazon.com)
Immersion blender
Immersion blenders have a lot of potential uses. They can be used to emulsify a salad dressing or puree soups without dirtying a blender or food processor. These days, a lot of immersion blenders come with attachments that mean the blender can double as a mini food processor or hand mixer. With the whisk attachment, you can whip eggs or whipping cream. With the chopper, you can chop nuts or fresh herbs. It might not replace a food processor or stand mixer in the long-term, but with all the moving parts that go into creating a big meal, a good immersion blender is like an understudy that knows all its lines. It'll do a competent job--and take up less counter space than those big and showy celebrity appliances.
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Amazon.com)
Potato ricer
If you really, really, really, really don't want lumps in your mashed potatoes, a potato ricer is for you. Personally, I have always found that cooking the potatoes thoroughly and whipping them in the stand mixer does the trick. But I've been known to leave the skins on mashed potatoes on occasion (the horror!), so who am I to judge?
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Oneida)
Mandoline
In general, mandolines get mixed reviews from people on message boards--some people swear by them, and others let them gather dust for months at a time. If you're ever going to pull one out, Thanksgiving might be the time. Mandolines make it possible to quickly and easily get perfect, uniform slices, so this year's scallop potatoes can really shine. It's also good for turning a regular salad into something a little more special; various attachments and settings make for pretty salad toppings. Likewise, there are plenty of vegetable peelers out there that will dress up fruits and vegetables for this special occasion.
