Tableware – Page 18 – Beyond The Kitchen Sink

No dessert until you finish your rocks

I’m not quite sure why this Laminate Rocks Placemat appeals to me. I guess it could be some sort of primeval instinct that makes me imagine that these river rocks could be a place setting for a delicious grilled salmon or other similar catch. Maybe it’s just the changing of the seasons, and like so many others, I start looking forward to future weekend getaways.

If you’re hunkering to get back to nature, but the daily grind is keeping you city-bound, the next best thing might just be to bring nature to you. This ~~sweet~~ vaguely 70’s looking placemat might not completely satisfy that craving, but it sure would look nice holding up a salmon bagel.

Also available in Grass and Palm.

Loopa Spill-Resistant Bowl

Some kids never learn. Or at least it seems like they never learn. Either way, if you are a young parent sick of holding back the tears over spilled milk, check out the Spill-Resistant Bowl. Working like a gyroscope, the brightly colored bowl steadies itself whenever handled. Now when your young one picks up the bowl, the food stays on the inside and not over everything else.

Of course the handles encourage your child to actually grab at the bowl, so there may be some (even greater) awkward dining moments in their teen years. By then of course, you’ll be actively condemning their choice of dates, so really it’s a win-win.

Better Butterer for better buttering

No longer do you have to wrestle with a quickly melting pat of butter when trying to season corn. Butter falling off of the knife or not melting properly can now be a thing of the past. Bypass the butter knife completely with the Better Butterer by Progressive.

Simply place one stick of butter in the device and you’re ready to enjoy hot buttered corn. The contoured shape fits over the surface of any ear of corn, and the butter melts as it comes in contact with the hot corn. With no knife for the butter to fall off of, the butter stays on the corn, and not on the plate. Better buttering is a breeze with the Better Butterer.

On-demand caramel apples: The Apple Dipper

Some people like to keep a dish of candy on a nearby side table. Whenever the candy craving hits, a sweet treat is never too far away. As practical as that may be, some people appreciate other sweets adorning their tabletops. Like caramel. Melted caramel.

The Apple Dipper is probably not intended as a perpetual sugar-dispensing device, but it does have that capability. Designed to melt caramel and keep it heated, the dipper is a fun way to create caramel apples. Turn it on, fill it up and dip away. Be careful though, with the ability to keep caramel in a continual ready-to-dip state, that candy dish is going to get jealous!

One cup of coffee at a time

For those that absolutely must have freshly-made hot coffee, here is the Bodum Bistro Mug Press. With the inclusion of a grooved lip, it is designed to rest directly on the rim of your personal coffee mug. Fill with your favorite ground coffee, let it steep and press down when ready. The result is a cup of piping hot coffee, (almost) ready to drink.

Like a French press, except on a small scale, the Mug Press is sure to create a delicious cup of coffee precisely to your liking. However, the lack of a carafe strikes me as unsettling. I donâ€™t like running out of coffee, and I donâ€™t know many coffee drinkers who do. Iâ€™ll stick to the French Press and the comforting thought of a refill just being a pour away.

Make ice spheroids for orbiting a chilled wine bottle

Why settle for boring old ice cubes when you can have ice spheroids? This Ice Orb Icemaker not only makes some cool looking ice, but can also act as a wine chiller too. To make the novel shaped spheroids, simply fill the silicon shell to the marked line, insert the inner bucket and place it in the freezer. The water is kept in spheroid formation until you later pop it free as ice.

The ice mold makes 21 spheroids of ice, but even better it doubles as an ice bucket. Perfect for chilling wine, the bucket is 5 inches tall with a diameter of 6 inches. It holds a good amount of 52 ice spheroids at a time, which means your bottle of wine with be chilling in style for as long as it lasts.

***Update 10/16/24: Exact product melted away and is no longer available. The good news is, you can always make new ice. Here’s a different Silicone Ice Bucket that doubles as an ice maker.

ALLADINBOX Ice Cube Mold Ice Trays, Large Silicone Ice Bucket, (2 in 1) Ice Cube Maker, Round,Portable (Dark blue)