Hot Pot learns a pizza lesson

hotpot

All cookware should come in 2-in-1 form. What has worked so well for pizza toppings can easily be incorporated into other dishes. Take for example, this 2-in-1 Hot Pot (11-in.) by Tayama. Perfectly designed with a slightly off-center divider (one flavor is bound to be more popular), the hot pot makes it easy for diners to not only choose their own meats and vegetables, but what to dip them into too.

With one side filled with a spicy stock (the larger side of course), and the other not so spicy, eaters are given a choice aimed to please particular palates. Be careful which side you fill up with the good stuff though; you don’t want to be left with an abundance of anchovy-ham-pineapple stew.

Creme brulee branding iron

Crème brûlée branding iron at Savoy, NYC. Photo by Melissa Hom.

For a new take (done in old way) on creme brulee check out what Savoy is doing in NYC. Instead of using a butane torch to brown the top of the custard, they opt to use a branding iron. While you probably won’t find a Creme Brulee Branding Iron any time soon in your local kitchen gadget emporium, consider that a good excuse to visit the restaurant next time you find yourself in the Big Apple.

LED Placemats can’t hold a candle to… well, a candle

Sylvania LED Placemat

Oh, the lowly placemat. It sits underneath our plates, garnering none of the attention reserved for the attention hog that is our dinner plate. (Even more so if actual hog is involved). Whatever pork dish you may prefer, it will have to share in the limelight if you are using these LED Placemats from Sylvania.

Operating on a button cell and offering up to 20 hours of battery life, the placemats twinkle and shine, gently illuminating your meal. As romantic as glimmering novelty placemats may be, I don’t think candle makers have anything to worry about quite yet.

(Via Oh Gizmo)

There’s now a reason to show off your ladle

Tate Otama from Mikiya Kobayashi Design

Most utensils suffer from a lack of notoriety. It’s not the fault of any particular cooking implement; most are resigned to spend their time buried in the junk utensil drawer. While utensils, in general, do not seek out the limelight, they could use a little more face time with the kitchen.

Yesterday I wrote about the Swissarmius, a storage/display option for utensils, and following up on that trend, today we have the Tate Otama from Mikiya Kobayashi Design. The freestanding ladles offer an elegant design married with practicality. Always at the ready, the ladle stands tall and proud—if just given the opportunity.

(Via Domestic Geek)

Something for everyone–brie on the grill

Gourmet Village Brie Baker

Cheese served with bread is a combination that has seemingly endless possibilities. Adding heat to the equation makes those possibilities truly endless. From the strong to the mild with bread to match, the taste combination afforded by this simple staple is both comforting and delicious.

The Gourmet Village Brie Baker is a stainless-steel pan designed to be used directly on the grill. The 4.75-inch diameter baker can also be used in the oven. While ribs, burgers and chicken may be the star of your barbecue, adding a side of warm, melty cheese is sure to be a crowd pleaser. In fact, considering the possibilities, you may just want to pick up two of these handy little pans.

Wide-mouthed frog serves up no flies

Frog Dip Bowl & Spreader

I had a frog growing up. Well, a frog-shaped cookie jar, that is. I think he had a yellow bow tie. While that distinguishing feature somehow made raiding the cookie jar OK, this wide-mouthed frog has a bowlful of dip in its belly.

The Frog Dip Bowl & Spreader brightens up the party spread. Good for dips and cheeses, the earthenware frog comes with a spreading knife to match. It’s not easy being green, but this little guy keeps trying — hopefully those aren’t flies in that dip!