Home and Kitchen

News, reviews and articles about home and kitchen products.

Now you can control your Phillips Hue lights from your Mac computer

hue menu mac app

I got the Phillips Hue lights starter kit for Christmas, and I control them with an app on my iPhone or iPad.  Sometimes I’m at my computer and would like to turn on the lights, but I can’t unless I have one of my mobile devices with me.  Phillips made the API available for third-party

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iDevices iGrillmini review

idevices igrillmini 1b

The Gadgeteer Kid and I are huge carnivores, as are many of our friends and family members. We barbecue year-round, especially during the summer months. As many of you aficionados of the grill know, cooking everyone’s meal to perfection can be a challenge. Well, the folks at iDevices have recently introduced the iGrillmini, a smaller,

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Fellowes introduces AutoMax business-class shredders, the first truly “walk-away” shredders

fellowes

This post brought to you by Fellowes, Inc. . All opinions are 100% mine. Fellowes invented the personal shredder back in 1990, but they haven’t been resting on their laurels.  Since then, they’ve continued to improve and develop new products that help protect your personal information from prying, criminal eyes.  Fellowes’ customers are extremely satisfied

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Have freshly brewed coffee at the end of the world

Jetboil Flash Cooking System Java Kit

With the Jetboil Flash Cooking System Java Kit, you can have fresh coffee when you’re camping, riding out the power outages in the aftermath of a storm, or while trying to survive the zombie apocalypse.  With each 100g Jetpower canister, you’ll be able to brew 12 liters of coffee in the FluxRing cooking cup with insulating cozy (one

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KOR Nava hydration vessel water bottle review

kor nava 2

We all know that we should be drinking more water, but it can be tough to accomplish that task when your tap water tastes like…well, tap water. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I prefer the taste of bottled water over tap water, which can often have a funky flavor. Bottled water

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This connected window air conditioner keeps your home cool on your schedule

quirky aros air conditioner 2

Programmable thermostats are great for minimizing heating and cooling costs while maximizing your comfort, but they don’t work for people who rely on window air conditioning units.  Leave it to the folks at Quirky and GE to develop the WiFi-connected Aros Smart Window Air Conditioner.  It works with the Wink app, so you can monitor,

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Shake up your kitchen and make your own butter

Buttercup Butter Maker

If you’ve ever thought that it might be cool to make your own butter, but stopped short of buying an old wooden butter churn, there’s a new and fairly inexpensive gadget just for you called the Buttercup™ Butter Maker from Chef’n. This clever device is a fun and educational way for kids to learn where

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Prevent damage to your expensive pots and pans with Glideware

glideware pot racks 2

In our old house, we had room in our kitchen for a big, ceiling-mounted pot rack.  In our new place, there’s no room for the rack in our tiny kitchen.  We have to fit all our expensive All-Clad cookware in a cabinet under the cooktop, and we have resorted to putting paper plates between the

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Dyson Digital Slim DC59 Animal rechargeable vacuum review

dyson dc59 2

You might be wondering, “Julie, what’s up with all of these vacuum reviews that you’ve been posting lately?” You’re not alone, I’m also wondering why I keep saying yes to vacuum review offers. Maybe it’s some deep seated need to make sure my carpets are clean. Nah… More likely it’s because I hate my 1000

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I scream, you scream, we all scream for soft serve ice cream!

cuisinart soft serve ice cream

Summer’s coming, and there’s going to be many people making ice cream for dessert for their cookouts.  Instead of hauling out the old-fashioned electric – or hand-cranked – maker that requires rock salt and a lot of ice, why not use the Cuisinart ICE-45 Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker?  The double-insulated freezer bowl

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As seen on TV: Wow Cup spill free drinking cup review

wowcup 1

I don’t have any little ones running around at my house, but I’ve seen enough kids to know that when cups and beverages are near them, a mess is bound to happen. When the sippy cup was invented, I bet parents all over the world cheered. Sippy cups definitely can help prevent messes, but they

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Keep your grocery list organized with the Hiku Scanner and your iPhone

hiku1

The Hiku Scanner is a small handheld scanner that recognizes both barcodes and your voice. With a real 1D linear imager like the ones used at grocery store checkouts, the Hiku Scanner instantly adds items to your shopping list without any need for writing or typing. When you finish that last box of Rice Crispies, just press

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