Kitchen Gadgets

Cuppow is a silicone drinking lid that converts any wide-mouthed canning jar into a travel mug.  Canning jars are sturdy, heat-resistant, easy to clean, and cheap, but their wide openings don’t make them a travel-friendly mug.  Simply replace the seal with the Cuppow, screw the ring back on, and you have a eco-friendly cup that [...]

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I’m addicted to Diet Coke. I don’t drink gallons a day or anything like that (spoken like a true addict…), but I do drink a 20 oz. bottle almost every day with my lunch. That probably doesn’t sound like a lot, but I can tell when I’ve been drinking it too many days in a [...]

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The Combo Liquor/Wine Bottle Lock from Franmara will keep your important spirits safe from sneaky sippers. The lock is constructed of stainless steel and provides a customizable 4 digit combination lock. You can buy one from Amazon for $19.99.

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OK, I’ll admit to a fascination with robotic floor cleaners.  I’ve owned a Roomba since 2006, so when I had the opportunity to review the Mint Automated Floor Cleaner from Evolution Robotics, I eagerly volunteered.  The Mint would address a limitation of the Roomba, because it is targeted specifically at hard surface floors, something the [...]

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When the opportunity to review the high-tech Home Chef Apron by iRepel came around, I volunteered immediately. Before I was foolish enough to go to law school and join the computer/online industry, I worked as a chef for a few restaurants. This meant I spent a great deal of time turning kitchen whites and my [...]

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Forget the candles and greenery centerpieces for your holiday table.  This year, you can decorate with candlesticks that are scale replicas of Darth Vader’s lightsaber.  Of course, the Star Wars Lightsaber Candlestick is from ThinkGeek.  The  detailed candlesticks are molded in chrome-plated zinc alloy, and they stand 8.5″ tall.  They come with 3 10″-long dripless, [...]

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I saw this on BookOfJoe and thought it could be fun to exercise some literary talent while waiting for my bagel to thaw out in the micro. This could be a fun thing for the office fridge too.  As we run to the magical mystical appliance this weekend looking for gobble left overs, why not [...]

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There are various wines out there, red, white, Chablis, Riesling, etc. but no matter what kind of wine you desire there are those out there that like their wine served at room temperature  and some who prefer it chilled.    However, keeping wine in one’s refrigerator can make the wine too cold and not properly [...]

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The holiday season is upon us, and that means parties with families and friends.  Why not use the Chemistry Cocktail Set from ThinkGeek to show everyone that your heart belongs to the lab.  You’ll get an Erlenmeyer flask with glass stirring rod, a reaction vessel shaker, four test-tube shot glasses, and a metal rack to [...]

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Many people say that the French press coffee maker is the perfect equipment to make perfectly brewed coffee.  Many other people think that coffee made in the French press is too bitter and has a lot of sediment in it.  The Softbrew Coffee Maker from ThinkGeek helps you get the rich flavor of the French [...]

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What do you do if you’ve opened a bottle of wine but didn’t finish it?  Thumbs Up, a UK-based company, has the answer to that question with their Automatic Wine Preserver.  This battery-operated device fits over the bottle opening; press a button, and the Wine Preserver automatically pumps out up to 75% of the air [...]

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We aren’t beer drinkers here at the Cloninger house, but this cute Deluxe Mini Kegerator and Draft Beer Dispenser from EdgeStar makes me wish Sprite Zero came in 5-liter mini kegs.  It may be small, but the Mini Kegerator uses DraughtKeg™ carbonator pressure technology so you’ll get a “pub-quality pour” every time.  It has precise temperature [...]

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I am a coffee lover (tea too) and I always like a little coffee in my steamed milk.  In other words, save your espresso, save your coffee black, bring on the dairy! I cannot always get to Starbucks for my morning java.  And for years, I have had to live with cream and sugar or [...]

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If you like homemade ice cream, but don’t like the large quantities that most ice cream makers produce, check out the Sassafras Ice Cream Maker from Sassafras Enterprises.  This little ice cream maker produces about 1 pint total, and you can even make two flavors at once.  You don’t need salt, and you don’t have [...]

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At Last!!!!!!!!  My cry has been heard! Not to be outdone by Dunkin Doughnuts, Starbucks is now getting into bed or…waking up…not sure which… with Keurig K Cup.   Dunkin Doughnuts has announced that you can now purchase their coffee blend in the single serve K Cups designed for the Keurig Coffee Brewers. Earlier they [...]

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I was watching a rerun of Dr. Oz yesterday, which had a segment on kitchen gadgets. One of the products that caught my attention was the iSi Twist ‘n Sparkle beverage carbonation system. Instead of using a kitchen counter cluttering appliance like the SodaStream product that I reviewed 2yrs ago, it just uses an easy [...]

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We all know fruit’s good for you however in Australia, due to Cyclone Yasi devastating Australia’s  crops, bananas are very expensive.   So I don’t want to chuck a banana in my gadget bag or pocket and end up with bruised, mushy and inedible  fruit, they’re just too expensive to waste.  That’s besides the devastating effect that [...]

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The built-in thermometer in these BBQ tongs will give you a temperature reading within 5 seconds of picking up a piece of meat from the grill.  The Parasia International Digital BBQ Tongs have a LCD digital display that shows the temperature, sounds an alarm when the food has reached the set point, and detaches so [...]

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I had previously reviewed another label maker by Dymo which is plugged into the USB port of your computer. Using built-in software, you could create and print labels from your PC. I also made a snarky comment about handheld labelers and needing to be an expert texter.  The P-touch 1290 label maker from Brother is [...]

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Wacky Practicals has developed a new take on the conventional tea kettle, a collapsible version that is made of silicone.  The Pack Away Kettle has a stainless steel base that does conduct heat so it will stay hot after boiling.  It is safe for all heat sources, electric, conduction, and gas stoves.  Now you can [...]

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