Home and Kitchen

News, reviews and articles about home and kitchen products.

Freeze your own treats in these plastic zipper bags

zipzicles treat bags

When I was a kid, my sisters and I loved frozen treats that we called Icicles.  There’s a similar treat available now called Otter Pops.  I’m not sure what those ice-pops were made from, but I’m pretty sure it was nothing but sugar and artificial color and flavorings.  With Zipzicle Pouches, you can serve your […]

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And here’s the mailbox to complement your mid-century modern home

mid century modern mailbox 2

Yesterday, we told you about the Modfire Astrofire modern fire box for the backyard of your mid-century modern home.  Today, we’ll show you the perfect mailbox for your home.  These mailboxes were designed by a fellow North Carolinian, and his project was recently successfully funded on Kickstarter and is now in the manufacturing stage.  Now

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Build your fire in a back-to-the-future fire pit

modfire astrofire fire pit 1

I’ve had a life-long love of mid-century architecture and design.  We finally are living in a mid-century building, but it’s a condo building, so I’m not free to decorate the outside of my home.  In case you are lucky enough to have a fabulous atomic-age home with your own outdoor area, here’s the perfect fire

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Snap Power SnapRays Guidelight review

snappower snaprays 6

How many of these do you have scattered around your house? Would you like to free up your outlets but still have the functionality of a night light that only turns on when it’s dark? Me too, that’s why I helped fund the wildly successful SnapRays Kickstarter project earlier this year. I was very excited when my

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iDevices Bluetooth Connected Kitchen Thermometer review

idevices kitchen 2

In my household, I’m usually the one who makes dinner every night because I get off work first. I like to cook, but it cuts into my Gadgeteer work time if I am constantly running up and down the stairs to check the temperature of something that I’m baking in the oven. I’ve always wanted

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This Buddy will protect you from the dark

eton blackout buddy 2

Several years ago, a terrible storm in Greensboro knocked down a pine tree across the street from us.  The pine took down the power lines, which lit the tree on fire and caused the most incredible noises as the line arced and jumped around.  I knew just where my flashlight was, but was dismayed to

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Serve your kids a better drink in a better drink box

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Juice boxes are convenient for packing in a child’s lunch or for taking along on trips, but what they contain probably isn’t your first pick for feeding to your child.  Those juice boxes often contain beverages that are more sugar than anything else, so they aren’t nutritious.  Those flimsy cardboard boxes that can seem like

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Liftware gives those with hand tremors a better experience at meal time

liftware

Most of us take a lot for granted. We give almost zero thought to holding a spoon or fork, scooping up a bite of food, lifting it to our mouth and eating. It’s something we all do multiple times every single day. It’s a no-brainer. But for people who suffer from Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s

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It’s easy to score with Hat Trick BBQ tools

Hat Trick BBQ

Hockey season is over and you’re jonesing for some stick time, but the temperature outside could melt steel let alone your backyard ice rink. Hat Trick BBQ has the solution to get that stick back in your hands, or at least part of a hockey stick. Hat Trick BBQ has come up with a concept

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This sound generator produces white noise or fan sounds

lectrofan 2

If you like falling asleep to the sound of a fan but don’t want the air flow from an actual fan, the LectroFan is for you.  The LectroFan is a small white box (4.4″ X 4.4″ X 2.2″, 14 ounces) that can produce 20 masking sounds to help you sleep better.  In addition to 10

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“The Vessyl with the pestle has the brew that is true…”

Vessyl 1

Most of our appliances communicate with us now, so it was only a matter of time before our dinnerware did too. The Vessyl, created by a company called Mark One, is a 13 ounce cup that contains sensors which can determine the type of drink (including sodas, alcohol, smoothies, tea, coffee, etc.) as well as

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Hot beverage + coaster = koi pond

interactive fish cups and heat pads 2

These cups and coasters redefine cups with designs that change when hot beverages are added.  These borosilicate glass mugs have an interesting slanted shape and unusual stick handles, but they are otherwise plain when viewed from the side.  They have a fish-shaped metal piece on the bottom, and when you fill the mug with a hot

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Cammy IP camera cloud viewing app review

cammy 1

If you have ever been to a party where they say to BYOB – bring your own beer, then you’ll understand the concept of the Cammy IP camera cloud viewing app that requires you to BYOC – bring your own camera. As a diehard fan of Dropcam cameras, I was intrigued by Cammy for one important

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Make the Perfect Drink with this app-controlled bartending scale

perfect drink app controlled bartending scale

You’re having a party, but you don’t know a lot of recipes for mixed drinks.  Sure, you could run to the bookstore and buy a bartender’s recipe book, but where’s the gadgety fun in that?  Instead, purchase the Perfect Drink App-Controlled Smart Bartending Scale and you’ll have recipes for hundreds of drinks at your fingertips,

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Add a little personality to your Zoku Quick Pop Maker products

zoku character faces 2

We’ve told you about a variety of Zoku frozen treats makers, beginning with the Zoku Quick Pop Maker back in 2009.  That pop maker is still around, and Zoku has introduced an accessory kit that lets you add bits of fruit to your pop.  Using the cutters and the layout paddle, you can arrange small

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Give Fido a treat when you’re not home with your smartphone and the SocialPet system

socialpet1

We love our pets just like any other member of our family (maybe more depending on the family!), but the sad fact is that a large percentage of pets are left alone at home during the day while their owners are away at work or school. This means that the pet might get lonely for

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Build your lunch on this LEGO block lunch box

lego lunchbox 2

You can’t actually build with this giant LEGO, because the bottom lacks the indentations to join up the blocks, but you can use it as a very cool lunchbox.  The LEGO Lunchbox is shaped like a traditional 2X4 LEGO brick, but its top lifts off so you can store your lunch inside.  It measures 3.9″ X

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Stop people from opening your door – even if they have the keys to your deadbolt

easycomforts super grip lock

When we moved into our condo, the first thing we did was replace the deadbolt – and that’s despite living in a building with security locks on all exterior doors and the elevators, plus a doorman stationed at the door 24/7.  But what if you live in a rental where you can’t change the locks

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