Author: Kitchen Gadgets Blog

Mind the tea: Steeping in Zen

Bonjour Zen Glass Teapot with Glass Infuser

Zen Buddhism teaches us to be mindful. Certainly, part of the lesson of mindfulness is learning to not tromp around like a bull in a china shop. Clearly, when using this particular teapot, that lesson must be observed.

Delicate in nature, this Bonjour Zen Glass Teapot with Glass Infuser makes for an elegant display of tea service. The integrated infuser steeps loose-leaf tea, while the included wooden stand prevents stains by raising the teapot off of the table. Tea, as is life, is fleeting. Enjoy it while it lasts, or breaks—whatever the case may be.

Give wine the spins for a change

Revel Wine Wheel

Practically everybody has had that feeling: Uh-oh, I think I may have had one too many glasses of wine. The world starts spinning and it quickly becomes time to sit down. While there may not be much you can do while waiting to sober up, what you do after can vary. You learn from your mistakes and learn how to pace yourself, or you can look to exact revenge on the demon juice that caused this outrage in the first place.

Continue reading Give wine the spins for a change

On with the gifts, off to the wine

Metrokane Rabbit Super-Aerating Decanter System

Wine lovers are perhaps the easiest people to buy gifts for. You can always buy them a bottle of wine and be done with it. Or, you can delve into the deep, deep world of wine accessories. From decanters to bottle stoppers, gadgets exist at every price and interest level. For an impressive gift, decanters are the way to go, and since they come in so many shapes and varieties, they offer a good opportunity to add a little personal flair.

The Metrokane Rabbit Super-Aerating Decanter System is a unique decanter that combines form and function. Deceivingly simply in presentation, the decanter features a wine-spray funnel that directs wine to the glass walls, creating a shimmering wine waterfall. Designed to aerate as the wine descends, the tiny droplets pick up oxygen as they spray down the sides. Additionally, a fine mesh screen in the funnel filters out sediment, which further makes the wine immediately ready to enjoy. The best part is, that with ready-to-drink wine on the table, it’s easy to get past the gift giving and on to the celebrating.

Potato or potatoe, it all spells g-l-o-v-e-s

Potato Scrubbing Gloves

There’s something extremely comforting about knowing what things are what. Some of us like to have this information explicitly spelled out for us. However, these Potato Scrubbing Gloves may cause some confusion. Although they are clearly marked “potato”, I don’t believe they would fry up too nicely. If you don’t want to risk being labeled a potato yourself, veer away from these somewhat confusing gloves.

As a side note, there’s a joke in here somewhere about Dan Quayle not wearing his potato mittens to school as a child, but I’m too lazy to find it. Hmm… seeing as that is such a couch potato maneuver, maybe these gloves aren’t such a bad fit after all!

Play with your food (tray)

Child Puzzle Tray by Wendy Boudewijns for Royalvkb

Feeding your child with the tried and true ‘airplane’ method is all fine and good (it is tried and true for a reason), but for serious food fun it may be time to think of a more grounded approach. The Child Puzzle Tray by Wendy Boudewijns for Royalvkb practically guarantees your kid will be distracted at feeding time. Considering children and how they generally feel about their veggies, that’s probably a good thing. Plus, it all just fits together so nicely when done. Available at Unica for $66; no ‘vroom’ sounds included or needed.

Ninety million cans can’t be wrong

Spam, The Cookbook by Marguerite Patten

I want to want this cookbook, I really do. With 90 million cans of SPAM sold each year in the United States, there has to be something to the canned meat. After watching Anthony Bourdain explore the possibilities lurking in the ubiquitous blue can in Hawaii, I should get this cookbook. However, Hawaii being populated with SPAM fanatics, I still have to approach the mystery meat with caution. Oh, I trust Hormel has done a fine job in canning the substance, and Marguerite Patten has done a fine job of writing about it, but SPAM The Cookbook will just have to wait.

Then again, I should do something with the can that’s been reposing in my pantry since I picked it up on sale at Walgreens. Maybe I’ll just take a little peek inside…