No More Spilled Salt

OXO Good Grips Salt and Pepper Shaker Set

Sometimes good things come in small packages. The same could be said about good ideas. Often overlooked, salt and pepper are two kitchen essentials that pack a punch despite their size. The spices are so ubiquitous that hardly a second thought is given to their delivery conveyance. Salt and pepper deserve more.

The OXO Good Grips Salt and Pepper Shaker Set takes the everyday table item and adds a simple twist: A spout. The simple idea makes it easy to pour a teaspoon of salt without unscrewing the cap and spilling it all over the place. Now if they only add a grinder (at least to the pepper shaker), then the everyday spices can go back to being taken for granted.

Win Friends With Salad

Oxo Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker

Homer Simpson, the sage of a generation said, “You don’t win friends with salad.” While this sentiment might be all well and true, perhaps it is time to consider the salad dressing as the source of all the missed connections. After all, the stuff you find in a bottle at the supermarket in no way compares to homemade. The problem is, while it may be easy to whip up a batch of oil and vinegar, storage and serving usually requires a little more effort.

The Oxo Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker may not actually win you any friends, but you certainly won’t lose any either. Featuring a wide opening on top, and cup, milliliter and ounce measurements marked on the sides, the salad shaker makes it easy to make your own salad dressing. For serving and storing, the watertight accessory has a flip top lid that lets you shake, serve and store all with one container. And of course, you could always use it as a marinade shaker for meats.

Cutting board takes over the kitchen sink

Oxo Good Grips Over-The-Sink Cutting Board

Small kitchens can be difficult to work in, but that doesn’t have to hold you back. Even if you have absolutely no counter space, solutions exist to get you through the prep work. Kitchen islands and workstations come in many shapes and sizes, practically guaranteeing that you will find something to expand your space. However, even if every available square inch is occupied, there is still room over the kitchen sink.

The Oxo Good Grips Over-The-Sink Cutting Board creates a workspace where before there was none. The cutting board slides over the sink with expanding rails that stretch out up to 9-inches. A stainless steel basket attaches to the arms, and serves as an easy transportation device to the cooking pot. Complete with non-slip edges, the cutting board holds firm as you chop, slice and dice, making certain the cooks everywhere get the most out of their kitchens.

***UPDATE 9/9/2013***

The link above no longer works, but here is a similar model that one-ups the Oxo by including a strainer. Maybe a bit smaller, but reviewers seem to like it.
ExcelSteel 201 Expandable Stainless Over The Sink Strainer With Cutting Board

Chop salad right in the bowl — and more

Salad Chopper Bowl

Like many others, I find myself using appliances and tools for tasks that they are not designed for. Be it a screwdriver as a hammer or a fork as a knife, there are hidden uses lurking in all of our hand tools. Sometimes, they are not so hidden.

This Salad Chopper and Bowl from OXO looks to me like it has a second, more useful application. Sure the bowl is great, but I can’t really see myself chopping vegetables inside of it. Some pieces would end up too big, some too small, and all of them oddly shaped. Instead, I’ll choose to chop my salad the old-fashioned way, and serve with pizza strips that could only be cut from such an original salad pizza chopper.