"I wanted a parmesan grater that was really comfortable to handle as well as beautiful to look at, and the curved, tapering shape is lovely. But it was also important to me to make this a proper Italian grater, by which I mean it shaves the parmesan into sandy rubble rather than aerated threads."
We think it look a little more like an egg than a straight up door knob.
Since we constantly test coffee makers and other kitchen gadgets, we need every inch of counter space we can find. Our current paper towel holder doesn't hold the paper towel roll securely, and we're always stuck with a large amount of towel unrolled on the holder. Also, current paper towel holder location next to the stove isn't ideal. Our biggest complaint? We have to hold our current paper towel holder with two hands to dispense towels. Hey - who has 2 free hands while cooking?
Lately all I crave is sushi, japanese pickles - put it in a Bento box and I'm a happy man! I just found this very cool looking vacuum sealed bento lunch box -Zojirushi Mr. Bento. The bowls also stack conveniently inside the washable container, which employs vacuum-insulated stainless-steel construction to preserve the temperature of its contents for hours. Mr. Bento is also made of stainless steel and includes a carry strap for lugging your lunch around.
Everyone has a cold fridge - what about a hot fridge?
Typical cool fridges work with a refrigerant (most often Freon gas.) When the refrigerant is liquid condition, it sucks heat so that the fridge does cooling. The idea of Hot Fridge is based on an experimental use of waste heat from a refrigerator and is inspired by Gudul (Ondol), the traditional under-floor Korean heating system.
By having its structure and condenser redesigned, the fridge is able to store not only cold food but also warm food. The condenser is on top of the fridge allowing you to keep left-over food warm until next meal. Hot Fridge is easy to move so you can pull it to bring warm dishes on the dinner table.
Create Your Own Carnivale with the Old Fashioned Cotton Candy Maker
Get into the summer and fall carnivale season and create your own cotton candy right in your kitchen! We love cotton candy but could use it a bit more than only once per year when we go to the Topsfield Fair. It's the essence of carnivals and good times. And it's easy to make using this Old-Fashioned Cotton Candy Maker. Designed to resemble those used at candy stores and carnival stands, this one sits right on the kitchen countertop, and it's easy to use. Comes with cone holders and uses air spin to create that childhood favorite - just use the flavored sugars of your choice.
We've got a serious cucumber problem due to having 3 cucumber plants producing way too many cucumbers for us to eat. We've been going back and forth on making pickles or not. I'm pretty excited to find some Japanese Pickle presses to help solve the problem.
The varieties of tsukemono japanese pickles are endless, with literally thousands of types to choose from and hundreds of techniques for making them! Popular pickled vegetables include Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, bamboo, turnips, gobo (burdock root), ginger, Japanese cucumbers, and Japanese eggplant.
The first Japanese pickle press we found was this large rectangular shaped Tsukemono pickle press (see above). It holds 3 liters and is 9 3/4 inches by 7 inches. Use for making Japanese style pickles by seasoning the vegetables and pressing the liquid out with the press.
The second one we found is a bit more stylish and comes in pink. Nice! I'm going to make some trips to the local Japanese eatery/market and also ask around but both of these look like a great start.
Okay - so we return from vacation with a LCD TV for your kitchen, and you might say - what? Well, our vacation TV situation was limited, which in the end, was a very good thing. We managed to have 6 days on the beach with near perfect weather. However, each night making dinner I would have loved to have a little TV viewing pleasure while we prepped things, chatted, or even put on a Friday the 13th to laugh at.
The Pioneer FDM-1000A LCD TV DVD/TV Combo for under your cabinets, allows you to watch your favorite DVDs, the news, or just listen to the radio in the kitchen. The FDM-1000A has a 10-inch color LCD screen with a 16-to-nine aspect ratio that gives you a beautiful and sharp color picture. The LCD screen swivels up to 180 degrees so you can view it easily from almost any angle in the room, and the screen folds flat for convenient storage when it's not in use. The FDM-1000A plays DVD, DVD-R/RW, and DVD+R/RW DVD discs, as well as music CDs and CD-R/RW discs. And for those of you with digital pictures, this unit is JPEG-image compatible as well.
Kitchen Temporarily Closed Due to a Much Needed Vacation
It's vacation time at Kitchen Contraptions. We'll be off the ether for about a week taking some much needed R&R on the beach with friends.
The fall is shaping up to be a great season for Kitchen Contraptions. We will continue our pursuit of finding the best kitchen gadgets and other cool kitchen items. We will also have some contests, freebies, and other cool things happening this Fall.
If you haven't already - sign up for our mailing list. It's the only way you'll be eligible for many of the freebies we'll have this Fall.
We also added a new title to the Blogpire - The Cooking News. We think you'll enjoy the recipes, wine info, and other cooking related items each day. Michael & Jennifer are both total foodies and will bring you the best of what they find each week.
I just saw this new Krups oven over at my friend David's place. It has a really unique clean new look about it and I have to say I was a little jealous. Even though I have a toaster convection oven myself, this one looked like it was from the future and is a bit more stylish.
The Krups toaster convection oven has 1600 watts of power alternating between top and bottom quartz heating elements, this toaster oven toasts, broils, bakes, reheats, and more. Now, it won't handle cooking a chicken like my current toaster oven, but it will make a mean english muffin. For toasting, the oven offers nine levels or browning with a countdown timer, and for broiling, it uses the top elements only, with high and low settings.
Flip Flap The Solar Powered Plant: Our Money Where Our Mouth Is
We have been adding funky things to our kitchen window sill for quite awhile. We have enjoyed the Flip Flap over anything we've ever put there - even fresh lavender from our garden.
We first covered the Flip Flap in February earlier this year, and then went on a mad hunt to find one. This resulted in purchasing both a Flip Flap and a Flur Fleur. We keep the Fleur Fleur in the bathroom window sill because it's not solar powered and more for "scaring the piss" out of our guests when it open ups.
When we host dinner parties, everyone always asks about Flip Flap. What is it? And when I say, "It's a solar powered plant.", people always laugh and then say how cute it is. We love our Flip Flap and we're pretty glad we forked out the cash for it.
We've been following the solar cooking craze all Summer, and if you hadn't noticed the end of Summer is fast approaching. We suggest if you can't buy a solar cooker, you may want to build your own.
We found a site called, "Back Woods Home", which has all the details on how to get beyond more traditional cooking method and go FULL SUN. The best thing about building your own solar cooker? All you need to do is get some card board boxes, glue, and other things around the house and you're good to go.
simplehuman is looking for the best ideas on how to make your home more organized and are sponsoring a contest you can enter using Flickr. All you have to do is post a photo and description of your home organizational tip on Flickr. Tag your photo with the keyword "organizethis". The top 20 entries will be posted on the simplehuman blog, and the author will win one free simplehuman stainless steel step can of their choice.
For the winners who want a free year’s supply of sure-fit liners to go with their new simplehuman can, just post a review of your simplehuman can on your blog or the simple human blog.
We have been very into the simplehuman dish rack, garbage can, and bread box. We currently have their grocery bag holder for plastic bags you want to reuse for "various purposes". Hmmm...what can we organize to win the contest and score that can!
I never really thought my rock tumbler was enough in my life when it came to "tumbling things". Now as an adult I can tumble meat and marinade it at the same time thanks to Eastman Outdoors!
Eastman Outdoors brings the vacuum tumbling technology and marinating perfection restaurants, butchers, and delis have used for decades, to the home chef. The Reveo offers better, no-mess marinating than traditional methods in 10 minutes rather than 24 hours, while using only half the amount of marinade most recipes require. The Reveo barrel is also dishwasher-safe, and includes a full one-year warranty plus a detailed instruction booklet with dry and liquid marinade tips, tumbling time guidelines.
I'm pretty sure I need tumbling guidelines and limitations.
Back to School: George Foreman Grill, Hot Pot, and Toaster Pack
It's back to school time and you're going to need some options other than ramen noodles to eat everyday. The George Foreman Back-to-School Promotional Pack Up includes three essential appliances for creating the a modern "DORM" kitchen away from home: a George Foreman grill, a Toastmaster hot pot, and a Toastmaster two-slice toaster.
With these three items we bet you can make: Bacon & Eggs, Toast, Grilled Cheese, Grilled sandwiches, and hot water for tea. Hmmm...what else?
Cooking outdoors should be fun, and what's more fun than an outdoor wok? How about one designed for outdoor cooking. We have always used the top of our grill for brazing food, but I never had the thought of maybe putting our wok on top of the grill. With this contraption - we won't have to.
The Hot Wok is great if you fancy a change from barbecues or indeed to complement your barbecue. It is the new cooking sensation which allows you to enjoy healthy well-cooked food outdoors. The set contains a 30cm round bottomed wok made from 1.5mm carbon steel with heat resistant wooden handle, a cast iron gas burner and gas kit of regulator and tube.
We just saw this new glassware from Bodum this past weekend. There are a bunch of different models around that have an inner and outer piece of glass producing what is in effect - a clear travel or insulated mug like piece of glassware. Mouthful.
These double-walled drinking glasses made of insulated, heat-resistant Borosilicate glass keep cold drinks cold and hot ones hot. The medical-grade glass was made for lab use, and is actually lighter and thinner than traditional glass, and that's what makes them unique.
If you get a chance to pick up one, you can't imagine holding a cup of hot coffee in it but forget the hot coffee is in the inner piece of glass and not all the way to the outer piece. The Pavini shown above is for drinking beer, but it would also work for hot drinks. A set of two 12 oz. Pavina double wall coolers is $19.95 at Bodum.
We've been trying to shake it up a little bit this August and think outside that box of a thing you call a kitchen. We currently have lots of off the wall items in our kitchen - including a Flip-Flap solar powered plant from Japan - why not a fishbowl? If it looks this good, we think we may need to get one for our kitchen to be place right in back on the sink.
Cheung describes his inspiration for the 1984 Fishbowl as:
"Life inside a goldfish bowl ain't a lot of fun without a little privacy! The intention with 1984 was to create a true sense of abode for our beloved little friends; solid white walls and three generous (domed) portholes with views from the hallway to the living room"
The futuristic fish home that was the star of Australian design exhibition WORKSHOPPED 01 debuts for sale in September 2005. The 1984 Fishbowl has a recommended retail price of $395 and is available for sale through info@workshopped.com.au
We're starting to believe there is an infinite amount of bottle openers. In fact, we are starting to think we should add a category of bottle openers. Designed to be used with any twist off or standard cap type beverage, the Indispensable™ Bottle Cap Remover is outfitted with a soft-touch, non-slip grip ergonomic design allows for one-handed operation.
I'm going to need a tomato press very soon. As you can see from the picture on your left - I've got too many tomatoes coming off the vine soon (yes that is indeed my back porch!). The Velox Tomato Press removes seeds and peelings from tomatoes, leaving you with only the finest puree. the Tomatoe Press can also puree other fruits and vegetables through its durable stainless steel screen. The vacuum pressure base with lever holds firmly to your counter top with over 220 pounds of holding power and is made of natural rubber that is designed to resist age. This unit completely disassembles for easy cleaning and is dishwasher safe. It is made of a non toxic polypropylene that never stains, and comes complete with a catch basin.
There's a new Nespresso in town - the Essenza. We're going to try and get a review machine for comparison to the Nespresso Romeo.
"In addition to the new advanced extraction system developed by Nespresso that allows for its smaller size, Essenza incorporates a new lever system, enabling easy introduction of each capsule while ensuring perfect functioning of the machine. With one simple touch of the lever, users can manually control the quantity of coffee in each cup to satisfy their specific preferences by producing either a perfect espresso or “long cup” coffee (110 ml). As with all Nespresso systems, the Essenza is also equipped with a 19 bar high-pressure pump and thermobloc guaranteeing optimal extraction and thus, the full measure of aromas, body, taste and smooth crema that distinguish superb espressos and coffees."
Are these Weebles or bottle openers trying to be Weebles? If I drink a ton, will I wobble and not fall down when I use these openers? Anything that can open a beer and make us laugh has to be somewhat interesting right? These Bobble Openers can open other things besides beer but we think they work best with a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
We also want to remind you that publishers and supporters of Blogpire Productions have participated in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) this past weekend and we are donating all profits from the Blogpire this weekend (August 12th & 13th) to the cause. The PMC donations go to the Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber cancer institute.
Everyone needs a shocking pink rolling pin and especially one made of silicone. You know we love the Silpat baking sheet, so we're expecting to fall in love all over again with this little wonder. Sil-Pin™ is the only silicone rolling pin in the world. Non stick silicone makes rolling dough and clean up easy. Ergonomically shaped, contoured Zinc alloy polished handles make for a comfortable grip that keeps your hand next to the roller.
This is actually two tools: a rind slicer and a cheese slicer. These two tools have to get along and they do - slicing cheese and getting rid of the right amount of rind every time. Eva Solo has also worked out that removing the rind doesn't have to mean a broken cheese slice wire, as the stainless steel knife will be used to remove the rind and not the slicer. See - great things do come in pairs.
Diamond studded fridge anyone? LG is making what looks to be a high end fridge aimed at J LO. Yuck. I can imagine this same type of person might pick up said fridge in a Hummer. Yuck again. It's going to be a limited run of 200 units and we can't tell whether those diamonds are real or fake. I bet they're real.
I'm not british and neither is this site, but the thought of having a tea timer at my beck and call sounds intrigueing. Imagine cooking up a nice set of pastries and having the Tea Timer worry about a perfectly steeped cup of tea. The timer isn't cheap (about $50 US) but if you drink tea a bunch it might be well worth it. After the 100th cup - you're looking at paying your little servant less than $.50 a cup and then at 200, less than $.25.
We really hate the Kitchen Timer on our stove currently. It is a usability nightmare and often impossible to shut off with wet or dough covered hands. We've been looking into something stylish and easy to shut offf in the kitchen countertop timer arena. The Jacob Jensen Timer is suitable for counting down a pre-programmed time which should be perfect for cooking. The time can be set from one minute to 12 hours and you can adjust it up and down during count-down. Resetting is easy by gently pressing both sides of the functional key for two seconds. The timer features both an acoustic and visual alarm, which is deactivated by pressing any side of the functional key. Any side!
Leading British designer Tom Dixon’s eco ware is a range of rugged, functional tableware, fine enough for formal occasions, tough enough for outdoor use, and robust enough for every-day. Eco ware is made from bio-degradable bamboo fibre eco-plastic, is safe for hot drinks, and dishwashers, and has a reasonable life of 5 years, after which it can be used as a plant pot or simply composted back to the earth.
We are always on the lookout for the perfect window sill thing. Look no further! These precious little egglings look and feel like a real egg, but crack it open and you get a supercool garden for your window sill. Made of white porous ceramic, each comes with a terra cotta tray and seed pack. Growing is EASY plants grow for up to five months in the eggling's fortified peat mixture, then you can plant them directly in soil.
I guess accidents do result in cool products. According to Vessel, they thought they were getting Blue-Green Candeloos and got well - Bloo Bloo! If you aren't familiar with Candela products, they are rechargeable lamps you can use like candles (much safer) for when the lights go out or if you'd just like them to go out. :-) Perfect for a romantic evening in the kitchen or just having fun.
I was never a religious person, but now I am. There has to be a god when you can find such cool egg stuff like these three totally cute egg gadgets! Each Egg Toon has a single purpose: Timer, Yoke Separator, or Hard Boiled Egg Slicer. Imagine these guys staring you down, "Please use me. I'm lonely. Just eat an egg!"
You only need to put the code "SUMMER" into the checkout at Kitchen & Home Gadgets and you'll get 1/2 off on all Cuisinart products you buy. The Cuisinart 7 Speed Blender has a powerful motor that crushes ice without adding liquid. 40-ounce glass blender jar with drip-less pour spout. Easy-to-read and clean touchpad controls with indicator lights. We have been looking for a dual-purpose blender/food processor. For 1/2 off...maybe?
I need to start my own moisture farm now. Then I can head down to Tashi Station and get some new gear for my landspeeder. No - seriously the Waterex water maker condenses water out of the air and will then serve it to you hot or cold. If you live in a humid area then I bet this would be a nice addition. However, it costs about $1780 bucks. Ouch! The Waterex web site claims the Waterex is energy efficient and has a five stage filtration system for only the purest water to drink after some extraction from the air. I don't think we will be putting our money where our mouth is with this one, but who knows. Maybe I'll strike it rich with my new moisture farm.
Having just gone through a kitchen renovation I found this page and set of projects to be really helpful in learning about renovation in general.
"Renovating your kitchen is usually the most cost effective upgrade you can do to your home. Even in an old house, most people opt to renovate or replace rather than restore - I like the look of old coal burning or wood-burning stoves, but I want my dishwasher and garbage disposal, thank you very much. But, you can replace your kitchen in a way that is still sensitive to the age of your house."
We scour each week to find the best of the best from all the Blogpire blogs. We've got some juicy morsels for you this week and some info on an event all of our blogs are sponsoring.
Publishers and supporters of Blogpire Productions are participating in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) this weekend and donating all profits of the upcoming August 12th weekend to the cause. Nearly 4,000 cyclists will take part in the ride this August 6 and 7, 2005. They will travel six different routes, riding between 89 and 192 miles over one or two days, through 46 scenic Massachusetts towns.
More can be learned about the PMC program at www.pmc.org, and donations can be made at:
Imagine at your Backyard BBQ having professional sized and portioned burgers created from your own burger mix!Press out perfect patties in an instant! Non-stick aluminum forms meat fast, makes dozens in minutes. Adjustable thickness up to 1 1/2". Dishwasher safe.
Can you say Jetsons? The Nuvo Tix Toaster/Panini Maker is yet another of designer Luca Trazzi's funky kitchen appliances. The space age yet simple design brings style and function to your kitchen. The 600-watt toaster makes both toast and panini sandwiches - imagine some melted cheese over rye bread with this? Features include a browning control dial, toasting indicator light, 2 sandwich clamps with ergonomic handles and a slide-out crumb tray for easy cleanup.
I want to be fat and have a fat fridge. The fridge is perfect for temporary living spaces, small apartments, and the movie THX 1138. It's made of inexpensive materials and runs on an electric cooling system. It stands only 5 feet tall and also has six slots on the front of the fridge for pictures. Nice!!!
We loved the Knork now the Moscardino Spork! They're small enough for easy use by children and great for an all around eating implement. The sporks are made of Mater-Bi, a completely biodegradable starch-based plastic, which stands up to repeated use and prolonged contact with liquids, achieving 90 percent degradation in about 50 days under normal aerobic composting conditions.
Door Knob Parmesan Grater
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Lately all I crave is sushi, japanese pickles - put it in a Bento box and I'm a happy man! I just found this very cool looking vacuum sealed bento lunch box -Zojirushi Mr. Bento. The bowls also stack conveniently inside the washable container, which employs vacuum-insulated stainless-steel construction to preserve the temperature of its contents for hours. Mr. Bento is also made of stainless steel and includes a carry strap for lugging your lunch around.
Get into the summer and fall carnivale season and create your own 
We've got a serious cucumber problem due to having 3 cucumber plants producing way too many cucumbers for us to eat. We've been going back and forth on making pickles or not. I'm pretty excited to find some Japanese Pickle presses to help solve the problem.
Okay - so we return from vacation with a LCD TV for your kitchen, and you might say - what? Well, our vacation TV situation was limited, which in the end, was a very good thing. We managed to have 6 days on the beach with near perfect weather. However, each night making dinner I would have loved to have a little TV viewing pleasure while we prepped things, chatted, or even put on a Friday the 13th to laugh at.
It's been a big week for the Blogpire. 
I just saw this new Krups oven over at my friend 
We just saw this new 
We really hate the Kitchen Timer on our stove currently. It is a ![Eco Bowl[Ekm]195X300[Ekm]](http://www.kitchencontraptions.com/images/eco_bowl%5Bekm%5D195x300%5Bekm%5D.jpg)
Imagine at your Backyard BBQ having professional sized and portioned burgers created from your own burger mix!Press out perfect patties in an instant! Non-stick aluminum forms meat fast, makes dozens in minutes. Adjustable thickness up to 1 1/2". Dishwasher safe.
