A Kitchen Fantastic

Funky Teatowels and Napkins

2006-06-30T06:45:00.000+01:00

We were browsing around one of our fave stores, Shelf, the other day when we noticed these fab teatowels and napkins for our kitchen. The lovely shop owner told us that they are produced in France by Atelier LZC so naturally we checked it out. And ooh la la what a find! See more stuff for kitchens at atelierlzc.fr
Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household

Fast Cups

2006-06-24T09:56:00.000+01:00

Looking at these glasses, I bet you can already feel that fragile, plasticy sensation of holding a disposable cup. But no my friend, you'd be wrong, for these are made of pyrex. Designed by Maxim Velcovsky for Qubus Design, these funky glasses are moulded in the shape of fast food vendor cups to fool the eye but not the hand.

Check them out at qubus.cz

Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household

The Eco Kettle

2006-06-23T21:22:00.000+01:00

We just about had a blue fit when we saw our latest power bill - which is why we're really keen on this funky eco-kettle. Apparently, most of us boil twice the amount of water we need in the kettle. This adds up to a lot of wasted power, especially considering how much tea we drink! The unique double chamber in the eco-kettle makes it easy to control how much water you boil, saving you power. Take that N-Power! *shakes fist*

Check it out at nigelsecostore.com

Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household, kettle

Funky Aprons

2006-06-20T11:14:00.000+01:00

As an urban hipster, you have a duty: dress to thrill. And that duty extends to the kitchen. Luckily for us, Lovely Lovely has designed this range of aprons that put the heat back in the kitchen. Part porn star, part truck-stop waitress, these aprons are fun and funky.

Check them out at lovelylovely.net

Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household

The Kitchen Tape Timer

2006-06-19T16:03:00.000+01:00

Pull the tape measure up. Throw raw egg into boiling water. Watch tape measure recede. Bell rings. Egg ready.

Check it out at addject.com

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The Meditarraneo Bowl

2006-06-16T00:32:00.000+01:00

There's something a bit fishy about this fruit bowl... something we can't quite place... is this a bowl or a piece of seaweed?

Actually this fruit bowl by Emma Silvestris is inspired by marine life and would look great in any kitchen. Made by Alessi out of steel with red epoxy resin, this baby is strictly hand wash only. And no, not in seawater. Wise-guy.

Check it out at alessi.com

Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household

FAQ: Kitchen Remodelling

2006-06-06T23:30:00.000+01:00

Our kitchen expert Charlie answers our most pressing kitchen queries...

What is the kitchen "work triangle"?

The kitchen triangle connects the three work areas in your kitchen. The distance between the areas should be no less than 4' and no larger than 9'. Do not let the three sides of the triangle total more than 26'.

Try not to let any traffic patterns violate the triangle. If two people are going to be working in the kitchen at the same time, allow more than the usual 4' between opposite work centers.

Flip Flop Mop

2006-06-02T15:53:00.000+01:00

We're eating a lot of fruit salad for breakfast now it's summer, and the floor will get sticky from the pineapple and orange juice, so we've come across the flip flop mop just in time . What could make cleaning your kitchen (or bathroom) floor more simple and fun than slipping these puppies on and sliding around until the works done. And with the "sponge-gloves" (trademark pending) we're designing, we could get the counter tops done at the same time too (from www.marielouise.se)

Technorati tags: kitchen, gadget

The Ole Colander

2006-06-01T21:28:00.000+01:00

What is it with tilty things lately? Things that tilt seem to be in vogue. At least on this set of blogs.

The Ole Colander goes straight from the sink to the dining table. Wash the fruit / vegetables on the pierced side, tilt, and serve them on the bowl side. And it's a very perky yellow colour to boot.

Check it out at dealtime.com

Technnorati Tags: kitchen, kitchens, household, colander

Celebrity Chefs Food Crusade

2006-05-29T17:18:00.000+01:00

These days it seems all the celebrity chefs are on a crusade to save us from ourselves. It all kicked off with that cheeky Jamie Oliver and his Feed Me Better campaign. He wanted to improve UK school dinners using TV as his political soapbox. I wonder if he's mates with Bob Geldof?
The huge success of Jamie's campaign seems to have other celebrity chefs jumping on the bandwagon, too.

Using his programme 'The F Word', Gordon Ramsey wants to revitalise the grand old tradition of the British Sunday Lunch. A great idea, even though we must add rather cynically that Ramsey is also using it as a platform to flog copies of his new book, 'Sunday Lunch'.

Jamie wouldn't do that. Aaaaah... Jamie...

Oh well, we've all got to make a buck I guess.
Other celebrity chefs also got a piece of the action last year by writing an open letter to Tony Blair asking for a ban on junk food advertising during children's TV programmes.

Is this the new way forward for the Olivers, Ramseys and Lawsons in Britain? To be a chef/political activist? Like a cooking Nelson Mandela? Who can give a rousing speech about the health of our nation, then whip up a flambe in three easy steps? We can but wait...

Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household, celebrity chefs, chefs, food and drink, tv

Kitchen Tip #9: Wooden Spoon Smells

2006-05-25T12:27:00.000+01:00

How to stop wooden utensils getting food odours

Soaking wooden utensils (like wooden spoons) in vinegar before use will stop them from absorbing food smells.

Natty Teapots

2006-05-24T23:14:00.000+01:00

We at A Kitchen Fantastic drink a lot of tea in our kitchen. Well one IS British after all, sweetie. And being British one can never have too many teapots. Designer Anna Kraitz however was in a decidedly un-British mood when she called her new range of teapots 'Lust'. A Briton would have been quite content to call them 'Agreeable'. We think Anna must be one of those saucy Europeans.

'Lust' porcelain teapots have funky lids with a star-like knob on top and a sweet flower on the underside. They come in Black, green, yellow, dark blue, white and red.

Yes, sweetie. One is rather impressed.

See them at launchdesignpartner.com

Technnorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household, tea, teapot, british

Delightful Dish Brushes

2006-05-22T10:24:00.000+01:00

If you're anything like us, you look at a pile of dirty dishes and inwardly groan. But doing the dishes could be something to put a smile on your face using these very cute dish brushes. Made of sturdy plastic, these playful dog/elephant dish brushes are designed by Giacomo Mutti for ViceVersa.

Check them out at viceversa.com

Technnorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household, housework, dishes, food and drink

FAQ: Kitchen Remodel Cost

2006-04-12T15:55:00.000+01:00

Our kitchen expert Charlie answers our most pressing kitchen queries...

What can I do myself to help cut costs?

You can do a bit of research - have a look at what appeals to you, and work out what you can afford to spend on the overall project. Look up a few kitchen suppliers and call them to find out what their average cost is. Then work out before you go what you do and don't want, so when you walk in to a kitchen supplier, you can avoid agreeing to any extras that might seem appealing at the time.

Always ask what "special deal" the company can offer you, even out of a sale period they would rather cut the cost to get your business than you go to the opposition - standardised kitchen companies always have a big mark-up on their furniture, whereas bespoke manufacturers can't discount quite as much as the product is made from scratch on your request, so their overheads are higher.

If you are having a granite worksurface, you could see if there are any local granite yards, contact them to find out if they supply directly to the public, if they install, and if you have a plan of your kitchen, take it with you and they should be able to give you a quotation from that.

You could save money by shopping for your appliances online, check out Buyers & Sellers or Kelkoo.

If you already have a good relationship with a builder or carpenter get comparative quotes for the kitchen removal, enabling works, and installation.

Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, design, home

Egg Cooker & Timer

2006-04-06T17:34:00.000+01:00

If you're tired of having your eggs overboiled, then this is the kitchen gadget for you. Designed by Madstrad, the egg cooker sets sit comfortably inside your saucepan and not only will the timer make sure your eggs are perfect, but the egg cups simply transfer from stand to plate as well - no yolk!

Technorati tags: kitchen, eggs, gadget

Natural Alternatives to Kitchen-Cleaning Chemicals

2006-04-03T06:01:00.000+01:00

Why spray chemicals all over your kitchen when, with a little bit of effort, you can make a natural alternative? In our case, the answer is sheer laziness *hangs head in shame* but here are a few recipes for DIY kitchen cleaners that are so simple, even we should be able to follow them.

Natural Alternative: Make Your Own Spray'n'Wipe
Ingredients: borax powder, baking soda
Mix 1/4 cup of borax powder with 1/4 cup baking soda. Add just enough water to make a paste. Use this for cleaning general kitchen surfaces, or add less water for scouring.

Natural Alternative: Make Your Own Window Cleaner
Ingredients: vinegar, newspaper, spray bottle
In a spray bottle, mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar and one liter of water. Spray on your windows and use the newspaper to clean.

Natural Alternative: Make Your Own Kitchen Floor Cleaner
Ingredients: white vinegar, baking soda, borax powder
Mix together baking soda and a bit or borax powder and add to your mop water. The borax will keep away many insects, except ants. The white vinegar can be used for rinsing to add a natural shine and keep away ants.

Natural Alternative: Make Your Own Disinfectant
Ingredients: citricidal or tea tree oil, water
Add 20 drops of citricidal or up to 50 drops of tea tree oil to a bucket of water. Stir well. Use this for wiping floors, counters, sinks, bathroom tiles, shower stalls, and toilet seats. If you would like to discourage mold from growing in your showers stalls, add 5 drop of citricidal to a spray bottle filled with water and spray on your tiles.

Note: Citricidal and tea tree oil can be found at your local health food store. Borax powder can be found in some drug stores, grocery stores, or craft stores.

(Please be careful; citricidal, tea tree oil, and borax powder should not be ingested by adults, children or pets. Not that you would, but just in case.)

Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, household, natural alternative, recipe, recipes

The Stamp Cup

2006-03-30T07:11:00.000+01:00

Feeling paranoid about your kitchen table getting ring-marks from mugs is apparently a sign of being middle-class. If that's true, these Stamp Cups which make a floral ring-mark pattern must be designed exclusively for the upper and lower echelons.

The pattern on the bases of the mugs complement each other so you can have fun making different ring-mark patterns. There goes the family heirlooom dining table... (from gnr8.biz)

Technnorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, mug, mugs, cup, cups, coffee, design, household

Kitchen Tip #8: No frills spills

2006-03-28T10:13:00.000+01:00

Clean up Spills

Clean up grease or oil spills by sprinkling flour over it. The flour soaks up the spill which makes it easily scraped up and disposed of.

Still Life Fruit Bowl

2006-03-24T17:34:00.000Z

Turning your fruit bowl into a piece of art is a great idea. Using the Still Life Bowl, when our fruit gets a little old and withered, we are making an artistic statement about the temporality of life, rather than a sheepish admission about our lack of fruit intake. So there (from indish.co.uk)

Technorati tags: kitchen, design, fruit, bowl, bowls

FAQ: Kitchen Remodel Cost

2006-03-24T16:20:00.000Z

Our kitchen expert Charlie answers our most pressing kitchen queries...

What makes a kitchen more or less expensive?

The quality of the furniture. The structure of the cabinets, the materials used, the finishes and fixtures and fittings employed during production and fitting all affect cost, as can the worktop and supplier used, and suggested appliances.

Invariably, the service varies too - at the standardised "off the peg" kitchen outlets you will have trained sales staff with a knowledge of kitchen design, whereas at a bespoke manufacturer it's the other way around - the staff usually have a design background and get sales training on the job.

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Kitchen Tip #7: Keep your Greens

2006-03-13T16:33:00.000Z

Longer life Veg

Leafy vegetables will remain fresh longer, if wrapped in news papers when you are storing them so they can breathe.

FAQ: Kitchen Remodel Cost

2006-03-07T09:37:00.000Z

Our kitchen expert Charlie from Roundhouse design, answers our most pressing kitchen queries...

How much will it cost to remodel my kitchen?

It really depends what you want to spend! The cost of your new kitchen has to be comparative to the price of the property it's going into - it's not worth the time or money putting an MFI kitchen into a Chelsea Town house or a Mark Wilkinson into a student flat.

On the high street, you could spend anything from £2000 up to £70,000. On the other hand, if were to visit Ikea you could probably get a kitchen for £1000-£2000 but you'd have to put it together yourself. Magnet offer a kitchen installation service and an average cost would probably be £8000-£10,000. If you were to go to a bespoke manufacturer, such as Roundhouse design, an average would be £20,000 - £25,000. A kitchen design from Alternative Plans, on average, would be more like £60,000-£70,000.

Wheat Cutlery

2006-02-27T17:27:00.000Z

Already recycling your paper, and buying organic fruit and vegetables? Well now you can throw dinner parties with eco-friendly "green" cutlery. With a 5 year shelf life, the wheat cutlery are derived from renewable sources and are heat resistant and microwave and dishwasher safe. A great talking point too.

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Kitchen Help - Roundup

2006-02-20T17:08:00.000Z

A Kitchen Fantastic scours the web to find only the most recent kitchen hints and hacks.

Tired of looking at that old linoleum? You definately need some flooring ideas for your kitchen. And once you've finished the kitchen floor you can concentrate on the kitchen cupboards. Or are dishes clogging the sink and the counters looking grimy? Fear not, discover how to Speed-Clean Your Kitchen.

Martha Stewart reminds us to Stock your kitchen with care while the Centre Daily suggests we get rid of our kitchen gadgets (maybe so we can get more collectable ones).

Finally, it's always a good idea to brush up on tips about Kitchen Safety.

Technorati tags: kitchen, kitchens, design, cleaning

Kitchen Tip #6: Eggs

2006-02-16T15:41:00.000Z

Three helpful egg type tips in no particular order

Keep boiled eggs in cold water for 5 minutes, this will make removal of the shell easier.
Cut boiled eggs with a knife dipped in hot water to avoid breaking.
Boiled eggs will last longer, if you store the shelled eggs in a bowl of cold water in a refrigerator.