Category: Accessories

Corn Capper reinvents corn capping

Corn Capper -- corn holders

Along with the rest of humanity, I thought the issue regarding the holding of corn in the hands while eating was resolved. Apparently we were all wrong. Working in a not-so-secret laboratory somewhere, one enterprising individual has revealed the folly of our ways by creating a new product: The Corn Capper.

It turns out those pokey little corn-shaped holders aren’t the end all of corn holding technology. They do suffer one fatal flaw: it is necessary to grasp the hot corn in order to jab them into either end of the cob. This moment of discomfort can now be avoided by simply installing the Corn Capper before cooking the corn. They slide right on to any sized cob and offer full coverage for easy gripping. This must be how ancient man felt when upgrading from a square wheel to one that is round.

Don’t forget to take the meat off the tree

Prosciutto Ornament

It’s National Get Rid of the Tree Week, but before you do, make sure you safely pack up all those little ornaments and stuff them away for another year. While it’s generally not recommended to file away meat products for a year, I think you’ll be OK with keeping this Prosciutto Ornament under wraps. The hand-painted glass meat ornament was made in Poland, and while they were recently half price at Sur La Table, the decoration is currently unavailable. Just like real prosciutto, you got to get to it fast. Good stuff.


***UPDATE 12/2/2013*** The above ornament is still out of stock, but here are some replacement meat ornaments ready for the tree (or really any shrubbery all year ’round).


***UPDATE 12/6/2017*** Looks like Sur La Table made a new ornament instead. This time it’s prosciutto with melon. (I still think the older one is cooler!)

***UPDATE 10/16/2024*** Here’s a Prosciutto di Parma Vintage-Inspired Glass Blown Ornament that rivals the original!

Prosciutto di Parma | Cody Foster Vintage-Inspired Glass Blown Collectible Christmas Ornament

Slicing (garlic) without jail time

Garlic Slicer

You know that scene in Goodfellas when they are in jail? And whatshisname is slicing garlic so thin that it melts in your mouth? That has always appealed to me. (The garlic, not the jail time.) While I may have picked up a few cooking tips from Martin Scorsese films, generally I still crush garlic. There may be a ton of garlic crushers or mincers out on the market, but I still usually prefer to simply whack it with a knife. (The broadside of a knife, that is.)

For those that desire thinly sliced garlic without doing time, the Garlic Slicer may be the answer. Made of 18/10 stainless-steel, the handheld gadget delivers three uniform slices of garlic with a simple twist of the wrist. It holds up to two cloves at a time, and the remainder can simply be stored in the fridge for later use… with no need to bribe anyone in order to go on a garlic run.

***UPDATE 1/11/13*** The link above no longer works, so check out the new one below, but beware: unlike Goodfellas, the reviews aren’t so hot!

Kuchenprofi Primus Twist-Top Garlic Slicer in 18/10 Stainless Steel

Abracadabra! You may now drink your beer!

UTILO Deluxe Bottle Opener with Black Handle by Blomus

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. – Clarke’s Third Law

Of course, you are not going to be fooling anyone if you don’t have a magic wand. Everybody knows that magic requires a magic wand. That’s like Magic’s First Law. But in a pinch, a thing that looks like a magic wand will do. Especially when faced with a case of beer.

The UTILO Deluxe Bottle Opener with Black Handle by Blomus is a uniquely styled bottle opener. Similar in styling to a classic magic wand, the bottle opener may not fool anyone into believing you magically opened the beer, but open enough of ‘em and they just might.

Automated s’more maker does the smushing for you

Micro S’Mores Maker

The best part of a s’more is pushing it together. There is nothing more barbaric than seeing a full-figured marshmallow that hasn’t been smushed into s’moredom. Right out of the microwave (or campfire for you s’more purists), the first thing to do is to smush that sucker together. It is a satisfaction that should be shared amongst all foods; it is pure enjoyment on an instinctual level. (Perhaps that’s why clamshell-type grills and panini presses are so popular.)

Unfortunately, the cold, modern, technological world has given us the Micro S’Mores Maker, a damnable machine that automates the s’more-smushing for us. Worst of all, it does this in only ten seconds. The world may never again see an unsmushed s’more, except out in the wild. Which might not be such a bad thing — back to nature as it were.

(Originally via Geekalogie)

Roll your own hot dogs (wherever you want to)

Nostalgia Electrics Vintage Collection Carnival Hot Dog Cart with Umbrella

With the street food craze still going on in full swing, it’s time to get back to basics. While we may never know what the original street food really is (noodles in China being a good bet), the iconic street food item of the modern era in the U.S. (or at least NYC) is the hot dog. While the close companion of the hot dog, the hamburger, might best be prepared on a backyard grill, the hot dog just isn’t a hot dog unless it comes from the street. Or at least a cart.

Continue reading Roll your own hot dogs (wherever you want to)