Home and Kitchen

News, reviews and articles about home and kitchen products.

Here’s the true secret to easily spreadable butter

butter crocks

It seems many people are looking for the perfect method for buttering up their toasts and bagels.  Julie was disappointed with the knife that promised to use the heat of her hand to make butter spreadable that she reviewed yesterday.  As Julie mentioned, butter can actually be left out on the counter without refrigeration, but […]

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ScoopThat! and SpreadThat! self-warming ice cream scoop and butter knife review

scoopthat 1

I love ice cream and I love butter, but what I don’t love is having to wait for them to soften and melt so that I can scoop and spread them. Is there a solution other than just waiting? Maybe… The self-warming ScoopTHAT and SpreadTHAT ice scream scoop and butter knife claim to solve these

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Get ready for Oktoberfest with Das Can-In-Stein

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Your barware might not include expensive ceramic or metal beer steins, but you can simulate the look with these Das Can-In-Stein beverage can holders.  Simply slip any standard 12 ounce can into the “scaffolding”, and you’ll have a stein, complete with handle and thumb-opened hinged lid.  Although it looks like pewter, Das Can-In-Stein is made

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Viatek Night Stars Landscape Lighting review

IMG 4040

Ever since my granddaughter visited Disney World, she’s been asking when I was going to put “Fairy Lights”  in the trees around the house.  I’ve been able to deflect, usually with the promise of ice cream, but now I can answer her request using the Night Stars light.  Although my initial thoughts were “who needs

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These SmartPlanet lunch containers expand to hold your lunch and flatten for the trip home

eco collapsible lunch containers 2

SmartPlanet has a line of lunch containers that flatten up for compact carrying home after the lunch is eaten.  More importantly for people with not much storage in the kitchen, they don’t take up a lot of storage space, either.  The Collapsible Eco Meal Kits have BPA-free silicone bases that open to hold your food,

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Simplify your home automation with the SmartThings Hub and app

SmartThings

There are a lot of home automation devices out there, each with their own app. As you work towards the smart home of your dreams, before long, you’ll have multiple apps for your multiple devices. You can simplify things by controlling everything with the SmartThings Hub and iOS/Android app (you’ll need at least iOS 7.0

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ClockONE is an insanely cool E-ink clock with an equally insane price tag

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The ClockONE from Twelve24 is simple and beautiful. It’s a wall mountable 39.37 x 13.78 inches (1000 x 350 mm) clock that features a digital display that uses E-ink. The clock runs for one year on one CR2450 button battery and mounts to the wall with a magnet. I love the look of it and

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No more waiting, now you can spread butter right from the fridge

spreadthatknife

Or at least that is what the SpreadTHAT! Heated Butter Knife claims to be able to do. The unique thing about this hi-tech kitchen gadget is that it doesn’t use any electricity to warm the knife. It uses a non-toxic titanium coating to conduct the heat from your hand down to the blade, allowing you to

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No more crawling under the desk to plug things in with the Wall Mounted Outlet Extender

wall mounted outlet extender 2

I just put an Elfa shelving unit in my tiny kitchen with no counter space.  I now have a place to work while preparing food, but plugging in my little KitchenAid chopper requires me to crawl under the unit and reach behind the water cooler to plug it in.  I was thinking about getting a

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KitchenAid brings a whole new look to the SodaStream Sparkling Beverage Maker

kitchenaid soda stream

Julie reviewed the SodaStream a few years ago and determined it was an economical way to make your own sodas at home.  It gives you the option to make regular, diet, and caffeine-free sodas and flavored waters, but it did look a bit utilitarian.  Big deal, you might say, but there are some people out

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The Android app for Belkin’s WeMo line of home automation products is now available

belkin wemo android app 2

I reviewed the Belkin WeMo Smart Home Automation Switch about a year ago, and at the time, you really needed an iOS device to control the products.  There was an Android app, but it was in beta, but Belkin announced late last month that the Android app is ready.  Just like with the iOS app

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Your refreshments will be assimilated by the Borg

thinkgeek borg fridge 2

This cute little Borg Cube can keep your food or beverages at the proper temperature.  It has a temperature switch, so you can refrigerate or warm the contents.  It measures 11.5″ in each dimension on the outside, and the storage area inside is 6″ x 7.5″ x 8.25″.  It’s more like a desk-top fridge than a

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