Appliances and Kitchen Gadgets

Smart Coasters

(Credit: Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories)

You may not need help determining if the beverage you are drinking is hot or cold, but some people might. Luckily, these coasters will tell you just what you need to know: red for hot, blue for cold. A light encapsulated inside the coaster changes to the appropriate color depending on the temperature of your drink.

Empirical evidence shows that there is a great need for temperature awareness in today's modern world. For example, we have specially designed beer packaging that tells us when the beer is cold (hint: it's when the mountains turn blue). And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that famous McDonald's lawsuit regarding spilled hot coffee. These Smart Coasters are hermetically sealed and powered via a solar cell, so unlike your leg (which can get third-degree burns), they will be fine if you spill your drink on them.

The DIY coaster project is just one of many created by Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories for the new cookbook/lab manual, The Hungry Scientist Handbook. Other projects from the team include Computer Chip Trivets, Crafty Fridge Magnets, and Edible Origami.

Put together by authors Patrick Buckley and Lily Binns, The Hungry Scientist Handbook is an idea that stemmed from a group dinner party. The result is an excellent example of what can happen when like minds get together and brainstorm. Other notable projects from the book include caramel lace lingerie and pomegranate wine. Clearly aimed for discerning and crafty adults. Good stuff.

(Via Gizmodo)

What it lacks in form, it makes up in function.

(Credit: Cuisine Technology)

If you're trying to figure out why an arctic chill "cook" top would come in handy, then you can start by remembering the first time you had Dippin Dots. Using liquid nitrogen, inventor Curt Jones was able to freeze cream so quickly that it ended up forming into beads instead of solid blocks. Using his background in cryogenics, Jones revolutionized the way we thought about the frozen treat, and now molecular gastronomists are using liquid nitrogen to freeze all sorts of confections.

Several months before the release of the Anti-Griddle, restaurant El Bulli (known as the frontier of molecular gastronomy) released a similar invention constructed from a metal plate over a bowl of the same liquid nitrogen used to freeze Dippin Dots. (Chow.com) The problem with this construction is that, although effective as a freezing agent, liquid nitrogen can be unpredictable. The electric Anti-Griddle can be plugged into any outlet and cools to its steady -30 degree F temperature in about 15 minutes, so it achieves the same effect as liquid nitrogen without using wild chemicals.

Some chefs have used the Anti-Griddle to make crème anglaise lollipops, while others, like Chef Grant Achatz of Chicago's Alinea restaurant, have created more complicated confections like frozen mango puree with sesame oil. The manufacturer recommends that you spray the surface with cooking spray and use nonmetal utensils, and also suggests using thicker liquids with stronger flavors (since the cold temperatures on the Anti-Griddle can dull your tastebuds). The invention has not only won the hearts of high-end chefs; it also impressed the folks at Food Network, who gave it the 2007 Food Network Award for Tasty Technology.

Skybar Wine Preservation & Optimization System

(Credit: Frontgate)

Making decisions can be difficult. Even when the choices presented offer a win/win result. I happen to like cheese. So, if I am faced with a simple choice, say cheddar or Swiss, it can be hard to decide between the two--or the myriad of other possibilities that exist. As you can imagine, grocery shopping for me can sometimes be quite an ordeal. Luckily, I am comfortable and aware of my indecision while in the supermarket. My solution? Purchase one of each.

But what of those times that making a choice leads to a commitment? No, I'm not talking of anything too serious, just choices that are somewhat important--such as which bottle of wine to open, the red or the white?

Sometimes a product comes along that actually does make life easier. The Skybar Wine Preservation & Optimization System from Frontgate is just such a device. Three independently chilled chambers store your wine and keeps them ready at their optimum temperature. Each chamber is equipped with a pouring spout that smoothly decants your wine of choice directly into your glass. Vacuum technology preserves open bottles of wine for up to 10 days.

With three chambers, the choice between red and white is obsolete. Simply open one of each. Now if I could only figure out what to put in the third chamber.

via Acquire

You know how it is. You spend all this time in the kitchen cooking. Still, you desperately want to keep up-to-date on your soaps, so you really do need a television in the kitchen, but counter space is at such a premium. What's a chef supposed to do?

Sometimes an appliance just tries too hard.

(Credit: ILVE)

According to the good folks at ILVE, you should replace your ordinary range hood with "the most advanced kitchen rangehood on the market"--the VELA, which comes with a built-in LCD TV screen.

According to ILVE, this is the "ultimate indulgence." And I want to believe, but I'm just not feeling the love. First of all, most of us don't have kitchens the size of showrooms, so you're not getting the distance necessary to make this a comfortable viewing angle.

Second of all, when you look more closely at the specs for the VELA, you notice that it has a 10-inch flat LCD monitor with a remote control, an RCA cable outlet, and DVD input. In other words, you've got a monitor, and how you get it to display content is really your problem. I'm picturing cords draped festively across the kitchen, and it's really killing the whole "space age" look the company's going for.

The actual hood part of the appliance is made from stainless steel and has touch-screen controls, a filter light indicator, and a washable grease filter. If you're in Australia, you can check it out at your local ILVE showroom.

As seasons change, my thoughts are turning not only to winter cooking--mmmm, stews, braises, and roasts--but also to the return of hot tea. In that state of mind, I fell in love with this silicone tea infuser and lid while flipping through the pages of the October Bon Appetit. Available in three cheery colors, its shape taps right into my childhood obsession with Strawberry Shortcake.

Cuteness aside, I like that the nonslip silicone stem will stay put over the edge of your cup so you don't have to fish it out of boiling water. And the matching lid doubles as a tea caddy when you're done steeping. It's dishwasher and microwave safe, and just $6 online.

Combination dehumidifier and water-purifier WaterMill creates up to 13 quarts of water a day.

(Credit: WaterMill)

Summer has officially come to a close, yet it seems still to linger in the air. Baseball playoffs are just getting underway, BBQ parties are still going strong, and it's still hot out. It's downright humid, in fact. So hot and humid that a nice, cool glass of water sounds great right about now. If, like me, you're dreaming of water being not in the air, but in a glass, then WaterMill might be just what you're looking for.

WaterMill by Element Four is a combination dehumidifier and water purifier. I know that when I feel like I'm swimming through hot and sticky air, I wish I could have an army of dehumidifiers surrounding me. All the better if they make clean, drinkable water, too.

The WaterMill attaches to the outside of your home and is capable of producing 13 quarts of water per day. Water is absorbed through an air filter and then passes over a cooling element. The cooling process condenses the water into droplets, which are then filtered and sterilized via ultraviolet light. At this piont, the clean water can be routed into your home, to the fridge, a spigot, or even just a water cooler.

Since WaterMill is designed for outside use, I can't help but imagine stringing dozens of these things together. Imagine if every city block had these running at full force. Besides the obvious benefits of having clean water to drink, just think how comfortable it would be walking down the street during the height of summer --or even fall.

(Via Dvice)

Meet the bartending robot, Bar2D2, the radio controlled drink dispenser.

(Credit: Jamie Price)

If you want to be the life of the party, it turns out you're better suited if you happen not to be alive at all. Case in point: Bar2D2. This non-sentient bartender-bot certainly seems to be the life of the party in this Flickr photostream.

Designed and constructed by Jamie Price, the radio-controlled bartender/bar was unleashed on the crowd at the recent ArcAttack Mad Scientist Ball. Far from an unwelcome robotic intrusion, Bar2D2 made friends with everybody from Darth Vader to Freddy from Nightmare on Elm Street at the Sci-fi-themed convention.

And who wouldn't want Bar2D2 unleashed among them? Bearing good will gifts of alcohol, the drink droid includes a carousel that holds six bottles. Bar2D2 not only handles mixed drinks, but also comes equipped with a beer dispenser. Need a canned mixer, such as Coke or Red Bull instead? Bar2D2 has you covered, with a lower cooler drawer incorporated right into its base.

This is just the beginning for Bar2D2, as the designer has plans for future versions. Considering how awesome this first iteration looks, I hope a major manufacturer picks it up. With your own Bar2D2 in tow, you are to sure to be a hit at any party you attend.

(Via Hack a Day)

No two are alike.

(Credit: Doha Chebib)

I've always been a fan of thrift stores. I suppose it's a direct correlation to the fact that I absolutely hate shopping. That is, I hate shopping for specific things I need. It doesn't matter if it's clothes, electronics, furniture--or even kitchenware; shopping is a chore. I find that thrifting is a treasure hunt without that impending feeling of need hovering over my head. I could do just as well with or without that macramé owl, but when something I already own breaks, I know I have to go shop for a new one. Thrifting is fun; shopping is responsibility.

My predilection towards thrift stores guarantees that I'll never have a (completely) matched set of tableware. Almost always something good or interesting catches my eye: a serving platter, or a "set" of three vintage plates, even coffee mugs make for some entertaining purchases. While I may have gotten to the point in my life where I can match a dining table with appropriate chairs, I still prefer to have a little variety served on top of said table.

Luckily, there's a cure for those of us who find comfort in mismatched surroundings --at least when it comes to bowls. Designer Doha Chebib from the Loyal Loot Collective created Log Bowls quite possibly for people like me. The bowls are individually handmade and come in a large variety of shapes and sizes. Using only locally reclaimed trees, the Log Bowls are shaped and then painted in any number of colors. To finish them off, they are sealed with a water-based gloss finish. Not only would they complement that macramé owl quite nicely, but they also happen to match my already existing "set" of tableware.

(Loyal Loot Collective via Boing Boing)

Design concept EPOS-lite merges payment and ordering into one small device.

(Credit: Behance)

You know that future we're all waiting for? The one where magic happens on a day-to-day basis? It just got here a little bit early. Well, maybe. At least the design concepts keep pushing the envelope, making sure that the future will eventually get here.

The EPOS-lite by Allport is a design that the maker describes as "the world's lightest cash register". Of course, no "cash" is actually involved, as the EPOS-lite is a charge machine. By combining that function with a restaurant menu, future diners will have the ability to order and pay from the same device.

While it may not be the future-future we hope for, it is another step in that direction. Possible spawns from this design could lead to a whole new way to eat on the go. Imagine, for example, an ordering system tied into a GPS-enabled cell phone. Users simply order what they want wherever they are and their food gets delivered to their location. If the hungry patron changes their location, the GPS function simply updates and responds accordingly. Of course, some sort of helicopter-robot-waiter would have to be invented first before this imaginary technology ever takes off.

As for the EPOS-lite, the designer should start looking into possible alternative uses. (I'm telling you, automatic miniature heli-delivery is gonna be big) Other, more established (and well-funded) 'pay-at-table' options are already in use.

(Via Gizmo Watch)

(Credit: Williams-Sonoma)

I like to grill as much as possible--steak, chicken, and more--but I always get a little frustrated by the long list of things I can't cook on the grill. Even if I have the grill already heated up, cooking fajita meat doesn't work; it just falls through the slats. The Grill Tray provides a flat surface that lets me cook just about anything on there. I can even pile up tortilla chips and cheese and serve up nachos hot off the grill.

Williams-Sonoma sells the Grill Tray, although it's actually handmade at a Pennsylvania foundry. It is made from a patented aluminum that looks like pewter. The tray is 16.5 inches long by 16.5 inches wide. It's hand-wash only, but the Grill Tray is heat-proof to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Grill Tray can be used for a few other tasks beyond cooking on the grill top--it works just fine in the oven and on the stove top. It can also keep dishes warm after you get them to the table. You can also use it for chilled dishes: refrigerate or freeze the tray and load it up with whatever you want to keep cold.