Kitchen Gadgets Blog – Page 189 – Beyond The Kitchen Sink

i-Roast your own coffee beans

Serious coffee lovers are always looking for a new way to enhance the experience. I know from a personal standpoint, I have tried every type of coffee maker imaginable. Lately, I have centered on the stovetop espresso maker, but Iâ€™m always open to anything that might make my morning brew better. Perhaps itâ€™s time to look past the method and focus on a different step: coffee roasting.

If you are drowning in a sea of megabrew, it might be time to take your coffee game to the next level. The i-Roast 2 Coffee Roaster is a home device capable of producing fresh roasted coffee beans right on your countertop. With features such as five stages and preset roasting curves, your coffee-roasting game can be off and running immediately.

When you find your perfect roast, the machine can store it (along with nine other preferred roasts) in the on-board memory. The included timer and temperature gauge allow for consistent results. With a little experimentation, you can achieve quality results every time. Oh, and if you want to have ultimate precision with every cup of joe, check out some advanced tips and tricks, here.

(Via Home Appliances)

Barbecue Spatula Tongs for easy grilling

Just like it can be easy to overload on the condiments while grilling in the backyard, the tools to cook delicious steaks and burgers can sometimes just get in the way. For quick and easy grilling sometimes all you need is one tool — especially if that one tool does it all.

Williams-Sonoma combines two must-have grill accessories into one convenient tool with the Barbecue Spatula Tongs. With one end of the tool resembling a spatula, and the opposite end armed with an easy-grasping tong, the combination tool makes flipping even the most delicate foods a breeze. Just be sure that now you that you have a free hand, you occasionally set down the ketchup.

UPDATE 6/30/12: It looks like Williams-Sonoma no longer has this item, but here is the very similar (and well-reviewed) GrillPro 40240 16-Inch Stainless Steel Tong/Turner Combination.

Price Alert: double duty spatula almost half price

Clean out your spatula drawer and get cooking with the Chefâ€™n Switchit Spatula. Constructed of scratch-safe silicone with a sturdy steel core, the spatula features an asymmetrical design for easy reaching into any pan, pot or bowl. Both ends of the spatula are workable, with one side larger than the other. Able to withstand temperatures up to 650 degrees, the spatula is safe to use for most applications.

Three color choices: Clear, Lime or Cherry. Available in two different sizes: 10-inches or 11.5-inches. Both spatulas are on sale right now for $5.99. Dishwasher safe.

Grillin’ in the rain

I’m not sure how useful the waterproof feature of this thermometer is but if you are of the type to constantly drop your thermometer into water or beer (oh ok, waterproof makes sense now), then this is the solution you were looking for.

The Taylor Weekend Warrior Waterproof Digital Thermometer is an easy-to-use handheld device that helps you to ensure doneness in all of your cooking endeavors. The backlit LCD screen is viewable in low light and the three-inch stainless steel probe records temperatures from -40 to 450 degrees F. An auto-off timer and a minimum/maximum temperature memory complete the feature set that may be attractive to the beer drinking weekend warriors among us.

Brownies: No longer just for squares

The Wilton Brownie Cup Pan takes brownie baking to a new level. Instead of using a regular 8-inch square pan, add a little fun (as if brownies needed more fun) to your brownie mix by baking them into handy cups. Fill with ice cream or frosting for a truly special treat. The nonstick steel pan produces six 3.5-inch brownie cups per batch. Although the indentation is an inch and a half deep, how high you stack your brownie is entirely up to you.

O-Grill on the go

Finally, an answer to true grill portability. Anybody who has ever tried lugging around the top and bottom of a grill will understand; most grills don’t clasp shut, meaning that two hands are necessary to carry it ultimately resulting in two greasy hands.

Instead of grabbing the grill at all angles in an attempt to keep it from falling over, clasp the O-Grill shut and get on the road. The whole contraption folds up and fits in an optional bag for easy portability. Just attach a propane bottle and you are good to go… literally.