The NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto is a beverage brewing system brought to you by Nescafe and Krups. That’s sure a mouth full, isn’t it? After unboxing the thing and setting it on the kitchen counter, my spouse took one look at it and named it “The Coffee Duck”, but for the review I’ll stick with calling it the Gusto. What it is is a system combining a Krups-built simple to use one cup at a time brewer with a  capsule-based beverage system by Nescafe. Yikes, still a mouthful! Its a dead-simple system to make a single cup of coffee-house class drink, minus the barista, the mess, and for the most part, the danger associated with espresso machines, milk foamers, coffee grinders, etc. Once you get the hang of it, the Gusto actually does what it claims. … [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Home Tech

Tagged: Appliance, Coffee, Kitchen

NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 20, 2009 at 7:38 am.

There are two beverages that I would be hard pressed to live without. Tea and Diet Coke. I love tea, but I’m addicted to Diet Coke. I drink the 20 ounce plastic bottles from vending machines at work and cans at home. Even though I recycle, I often feel guilty at the number of bottles and cans that I go through in a week. For this reason, I happily accepted the offer to review the SodaStream Fountain Jet soda maker. I was eager to see if the machine would offer fountain style taste and if it would help me save money and reduce can usage at home. … [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Beverage, Kitchen

SodaStream Fountain Jet Starter Kit Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 13, 2009 at 12:37 pm.

Do you use your refrigerator as the family bulletin board? If so, do you use tape or magnets to hold your lists and pictures? Tape can leave a sticky residue and some magnets can scratch and mark up the surface of your refrigerator. The Endo Clip is a magnet, but it won’t hurt the surface it’s affixed to. Check it out.  … [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen, Magnet

The Endo Magnet Clip Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2008 at 1:18 pm.

I’ve been a tea drinker my whole life. No stinky coffee for me thank you very much! ;o) I was raised on cheap Lipton bagged tea. But as an adult, I discovered loose tea and am always trying new varieties of green, black and white teas. To fix a cup of loose tea, you need some type of infuser that will hold the leaves as they brew. Gamila Company’s Teastick Gem is just such an infuser. Let’s give it a try…

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen

Teastick Gems Loose Tea Infuser Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 2, 2008 at 10:00 pm.

I did not start drinking coffee until I was in the service and was 19 years old. After a 6-year stint, I’m able to drink anything resembling coffee and probably have drunk things I shouldn’t have. If it is burned at the bottom of steel pot and you add water and re-heat, is it still coffee?

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen

Grindmaster OPOD Single Serve Hot Beverage Dispenser Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 30, 2008 at 10:08 am.

Here’s my quick look video review of the Snap Capp, which was sent to me by Convenient Gadgets & Gifts.

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech, Travel Gear, Video Reviews

Tagged: Kitchen

Video Quick Look at the Snap Capp originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 6, 2008 at 10:00 pm.

Here’s my quick look video review of the DoneRight Timer from Tuscan Concepts Inc..

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech, Video Reviews

Tagged: Kitchen

Video Quick Look at the DoneRight Timer Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 23, 2008 at 8:22 pm.

I don’t know about all of you, but the first thing I do after getting seated on a flight is to open the seat back pocket to find the latest issue of the Skymall catalog. I didn’t change that habit on my last trip when I went out to San Francisco for MacWorld Expo. One of the more interesting items that I saw in the catalog was the tiny iwave cube portable microwave from icube designs. Coincidently, a few days after returning from the trip, I was contacted asking if I might like to review this mini appliance. Of course I said yes. Let’s take a look…

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen

iwave cube Portable Microwave originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 19, 2008 at 9:18 pm.

Do you still write your weekly grocery shopping and errands lists on scraps of paper, only to lose them before it’s actually grocery day? Or maybe you keep your lists on a PDA or Smartphone, which requires time for formatting and sorting? If you would like an easier solution than those two methods, I have something really cool to show you today. It’s the SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer from SmartShopper Electronics, Inc.

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen

SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 22, 2007 at 8:30 am.

I remember this episode of “Roseanne” from years ago. The Connors were sitting at the breakfast able and Dan was yelling at Roseanne. The reason being, she was double dipping into the butter and leaving food crumbs in the bowl. I remember laughing and going, “I know, I hate it when someone does that!” May sound strange, but hey, I get annoyed by seeing someone’s food crumbs in my butter. Here to possibly save “Dan” and me from the crumbs is the One Click Butter Cutter.

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen

One Click Butter Cutter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 26, 2007 at 5:17 pm.

“Don’t worry honey, I just fed the dog for today”
“Um.. I already fed the dog two hours ago!”

This type of conversation is a common one in my household. From feeding the dog to cleaning out the fridge, it can be complicated to keep track of it all. When I saw the DaysAgo timer, I knew that I had try one as soon as possible, so that we could stave off potential canine obesity in my household.

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen

DaysAgo Digital Day Counter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 15, 2007 at 5:50 pm.

And now for a review that isn’t quite a gadget, but since a lot of gadgeteers might be able to use it, I thought what the heck. First of all, how many of you have a counter top or cabinet crammed full of snack bags that require clips to keep them closed and their contents fresh? If you’re anything like me, you have more packages then clips and have to resort to double clipping or using weird items as clip substitutes.

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen

QuickSeals originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 5, 2007 at 7:41 am.

I enjoy cooking and tend to be the main person in my household to do this task everyday. Until now, my method for timing dishes on the stove and oven has been accomplished using the timer in the microwave, the grandfather clock in the living room and the timer built into my stove. That doesn’t sound like a problem does it? Well it is when you forget what time source was used for which dish. And then there’s the fact that the grandfather clock doesn’t actually buzz when the time is up.

… [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Home Tech, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Kitchen

Chef’s Quad-Timer Professional originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 10, 2006 at 9:46 am.

You’ll never shed another tear while chopping onions. However, you will look like a big … [visit site to read more]

Filed in categories: Spotlight Gadgets

Tagged: Cooking, Kitchen

Spotlight Gadget: Onion Goggles originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2006 at 5:36 am.

You probably never imagined that drinking your morning cup of coffee or tea would give you the ability to display your Gadgeteer spirit, did you? I mean, besides a coffee maker, what type of gadgets could a gear-head use to help with that first blast of caffeinated goodness? How about a special mug that can mix the sugar in your tea or the cream in your coffee? The Brando Whirl Wind Cup to be precise, can do just that.

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Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Kitchen

Gadget Brando Whirl Wind Cup originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 24, 2006 at 2:21 pm.