Kitchen Contraptions

All-Clad Cast Aluminum 5 1/2 Quart Dutch Oven with Two Oven Mitts

2010-03-16T11:56:22Z

We just got this dutch oven that was included as part of a larger set of stainless steel pots and pans we got from All Clad. This set includes an All-Clad Cast Aluminum 5-1/2-quart Dutch oven with stainless steel lid and two All-Clad red cotton oven mitts. We made a pretty groovy soup last night, and the dutch oven did the trick - heating evenly and was easy to clean up. The dutch oven is also ideal for making delicious braised meats in the oven while also being versatile enough to simmer soups and stews on the stovetop like we did last night. We're anxious to try a slow cooked chicken in it this weekend - should be delicous.

At All-Clad Cast Aluminum 5-1/2-Quart Dutch Oven with Two Oven Mitts

Hamilton Beach 500 Watt Wavestation Express Dispensing Blender

2010-03-15T11:44:44Z

Looking to make a frozen drink and then not have the mess of pour said drink from the blender? How about a spigot of smoothie fun? This blender is equipped with 500 watts of power, and works great for liquefying frozen fruit, whipping up creamy smoothies, making pureed soups, and more.The unit includes a 56-ounce dishwasher-safe DuraBlend plastic jar with a tight-fitting lid, generous handle, and drip-free spout for graceful pouring. So when it's time for the smoothies and party drinks - just tell your guests to fill up in the fridge.

At Hamilton Beach 54615 Wavestation Express Dispensing Blender with 48-Ounce Jar

Diamond Shaped Ice Mold - Bring Bling to Your Drinks

2010-03-12T13:12:12Z

I like diamonds and I really like diamonds in my drinks. This Diamond Ice Mold does the trick by allowing you to make a rather large "rock" and put said rock in your drink. Imagine making a giant picture of margaritas filed with diamond ice? I can.

Via Boing Boing at Diamond Ice Molds

Stainless-Steel Finger Guard

2010-03-11T16:49:44Z

Protect your fingers while chopping! This shield slips on to the middle finger, leaving fingers protected, but still free to manipulate the food. The tip of the shield holds the food the food in place while you chop

At Stainless-Steel Finger Guard

Coffee Mug and Milk Jug with Chalkboard Surface

2010-03-10T12:43:11Z

We're pretty big fans of something different in a coffee mug, and this integration of a chalkboard middle fits the bill. You can leave notes on either the mug or jug, and it'll be beneficial for learning kids to practice their alphabet or spellings right on their drink.

Via Gizmodiva at Swiss Miss

Oxo Good Grips Cherry Pitter - Pit Remover

2010-03-09T12:56:36Z

Having made a few cherry pies in our day with pit removal being a pain, it's nice to find this pit remover from Oxo. The Splatter Shield protects your work area from juices and removes for cleaning. The sturdy, die-cast zinc construction removes pits with ease by pushing the pit right out the bottom. The generous cherry holder accommodates large cherries like Bing and Rainier, and is recessed to secure smaller varieties. And if you're worried about having this in the kitchen with kids - it locks closed for convenient storage and safety.

At Oxo Good Grips Cherry Pitter

Cuisinart Green Gourmet Electric Skillet

2010-03-08T12:55:55Z

It's funny because we're not sure when the electric skillet left our kitchen, but we used to use one when we had an apartment all the time. We really like this powerful, environmentally friendly electric skillet because it lets you sear, fry, griddle, simmer or braise using a ceramic-based nonstick surface that’s petroleum-free and contains no PTFE or PFOA. The big thing about an electric skillet is you can typically make an entire meal right in it, and add ingredients as you cook to make a sizable meal for 3-4 people easily.

14"-round cooking surface provides more than 150 sq. in. of space.
Heat disperses evenly across the entire surface for consistent browning.
Nonstick surfaces are easy to clean.
Six temperature settings: warm, 250°F, 300°F, 350°F, 400°F and 450°F.
An indicator light turns off when the set temperature is reached.
The tempered-glass lid makes it easy to monitor cooking progress.
Polished-stainless-steel finish.

At Williams-Sonoma

Transfer Cutting Board - Move the Cuttings to Another Place

2010-03-05T12:43:44Z

The Transfer Cutting Board from Chris and Ruby makes the age old problem of moving your cut foods from the cutting board to the plate a bit easier. The cutting board has a round cutout for plates and is raised up slightly allowing the plate to slide right under for food transfer. We'd like to see have an adjustable set of feet underneath the cutting board to allow for larger bowls, salads, and other things besides plates, as we usually transfer to the final place or smaller prep bowls.

Via CraziestGadgets.com

DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker - Compact Espresso Machine

2010-03-04T12:44:15Z

We really like this 15-bar pump-driven espresso machine with durable stainless-steel boiler, that features 2 thermostats for separately controlling water and steam pressure. It also has a self-priming operation; accommodates E.S.E. pods and ground espresso. The adjustable swivel jet frother looks like it will whip up a nice latte, and the removable 35-ounce water tank is large enough to reduce trips to the faucet.
Measures 7-1/2 by 9-1/2 by 11-1/8 inches; 1-year warranty

At DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker

Follow Kitchen Contraptions on Facebook, Twitter, RSS, and Receive Our Weekly Newsletter

2010-03-03T12:44:11Z

All of the articles we post and other fun stuff here at Kitchen Contraptions can be followed in a variety of ways. Each day we post an article here or two so make sure and visit us on the web, and weekly you can of course get our newsletter via email. You can also now follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you're using a feed reader such as Google Reader or the like make sure and use our RSS feed. So make sure and take advantage of the variety of ways you can get our Kitchen Contraptions news, and we also encourage you to visit us right here every day as well.

Thanks again for being a loyal reader, and we look forward to sharing lots of Kitchen Contraptions news in whatever format you desire.

Wilton 101-Piece Cookie Cutter Set

2010-03-02T12:44:56Z

We're always on the lookout for variety in cookie making, and having 101 colorful plastic cookie cutters will definitely help. Popular shapes for Valentine's Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Christmas, and YES even Super Bowl Sunday. There's even a complete alphabet for fun cookie messages that you and the kids can make. These cookie cutters are also great for cutting out cookies, sandwiches--all kinds of foods--into different shapes; fun for crafting too and they work with play dough too.

At Wilton 101-Piece Cookie Cutter Set

February 2010 Monthly Round-Up for Kitchen Contraptions

2010-03-01T12:57:11Z

February was another cool but amazing month of Kitchen Contraptions - filled with kitchen gadgets, grilling, and other kitchen wonders like the new. Thanks again to all of our loyal readers for visiting us each day, and you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Cutting Boards

Cutting Boards for Tall Cooks

Espresso Machines

Nespresso Le Cube C185 Espresso Machine Now only $199

Free Standing Kitchens

The Ekokook Kitchen - An Eco Kitchen Fun to Cook In

Kitchen Gadgets

Knives

Pots & Pans

Reviews

Review: Vicera Ceramic Knives from Japan

Serving Wares

FingerTongs - Enables the Food Puppet In You

Small Appliances

Storage

Kiwi Guard - Protect Your Soft Kiwi

Kiwi Guard - Protect Your Soft Kiwi

2010-02-26T21:44:58Z

The Kiwi Guard case protects that soft kiwi you'd like to eat later in the day, so when you open your lunch bag you don't find kiwi grool. The case also features a green cutlery set to prepare and eat the kiwi whenever you want and wherever you end up.

Via Random Good Stuff at Kiwi Guard

Krups High Performance Deep Fryer

2010-02-25T22:13:18Z

Forget about eating healthy. Lets talk about eating fried foods. This deep fryer can cook over 2 pounds of food at the time. The dial adjusts temperature settings from 300°F to 375°F and LED .ights up when oil reaches the proper temperature. There is also a 30 minute dial timer, and it comes with a fry basket.

At Krups High Performance Deep Fryer

All Clad 12 Inch Stainless Steel Fry Pan with Lid - Frying Perfection

2010-02-24T13:27:08Z

We've been using this 12-Inch stainless steel fry pan with stainless steel lid from All Clad over the past week and love it. It features a 3-Ply bonded construction with aluminum core that distributes heat evenly, and they aren't kidding. We've made eggs to fried catfish, and clean up is easy as long as you leave a little hot water in the pan. Our favorite part is how the 18/10 stainless steel interior will not react with food.

At All Clad 12 Inch Stainless Steel Fry Pan with Lid

Cutting Boards for Tall Cooks

2010-02-23T12:44:06Z

We recently became aware of one thing in our kitchen - a hurting lower back after chopping and cutting for hours on end. We pretty sure a perfect height meets cutting experience would help our ailing back. So off we set to find an adjustable or even better height cutting board and we found WP.

WP offers cutting boards in a variety of thicknesses and heights to allow you to adjust your working height to one that is comfortable for you AND a specific task. They can also build kitchen islands and carts that are taller than standard.

At Help for cooks who don’t find standard counter height comfortable

Nespresso Le Cube C185 Espresso Machine Now only $199

2010-02-22T12:43:06Z

Normally priced much higher at $299, the Nespresso Le Cube is now only $199. The Le Cube measures 9 by 8-8/9 by 9-inch, and makes an exceptional cup of espresso or lungo coffee. You can even auto-program the amount of espresso you want in each cup. The Nespresso Le Cube works with coffee-filled capsules from Nespresso, and there is 12+ flavors available, along with seasonal flavors too.

At Nespresso Le Cube C185 Espresso Machine

Mauviel Copper Egg White Bowl with Ring

2010-02-19T13:28:09Z

This 10.6-inch copper bowl is made for beating egg whites. Yep - just egg whites. Why? Copper material interacts with egg proteins to produce fluffy, high-rise whites if you use well - a copper egg bowl. It features a brass side ring that lets the chef in your hold or hang bowl.

At Mauviel Copper 10-Inch/4.6L/4.9-Quart Egg White Bowl

Sanyo ECJ-PX50S 5-Cup Micro-Computerized Pressure Rice Cooker and Steamer

2010-02-18T12:55:43Z

We're always looking out for a really well reviewed rice cooker, and this Sanyo has the stars. This micro-computerized cooker makes up to 10 cups of cooked rice, and also functions as a slow cooker, pressure cooker, and steamer. We like multi-function appliances, and getting a bit of all of them into one is going to save counter space. It also has a nonstick inner pot, and 1-touch cooking options including a 24-hour timer. measuring cup, spatula, and manual with recipes are included with this rice cooker and steamer.

At Sanyo ECJ-PX50S 5-Cup Micro-Computerized Pressure Rice Cooker and Steamer

10" Silicone Spoontula

2010-02-17T16:20:24Z

This silicone spatula works as both a spatula for spreading and a spoon for holding batter or sauce. The silicone is heat resistant to 480º F. It comes in a set of two.

At 10" Silicone Spoontula

Cuisinart Multiclad Pro Stainless-Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set

2010-02-16T12:42:38Z

We've been looking into different types of stainless-steel cookware sets, and we think this set has a little bit of it all. The set includes 1-1/2- and 3-quart covered saucepans; 8- and 10-inch open skillets; 3-1/2-quart covered saute pan; 8-quart covered stockpot; steamer insert with lid for 3-quart pan.

Other features include:

Tri-ply 18/10 stainless steel construction with aluminum core; brushed exterior, mirror-finish interior
Solid 18/10 stainless-steel handles stay cool on stovetop; riveted for strength
Tight-fitting 18/10 stainless-steel lid seals in nutrients; oven-safe to 500 degrees F
Dishwasher-safe; limited lifetime warranty

At Cuisinart Multiclad Pro Stainless-Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set

The Ekokook Kitchen - An Eco Kitchen Fun to Cook In

2010-02-15T12:27:57Z

Ekokook's entire layout has been well thought out with fresh vegetable storage, water conservation, container gardening, waste sorting, recycling, and composting in mind. Each bin does some green function including a built-in compost ready locker to ensure you'll return the unused food back to mother earth. We also love the lines of the design with bright white and chartreuse green colors screaming modern and eco-friendly. If you combine the Ekokook with the Cornucopia food replicator of the future, we think you'll have the best of the eco and future world's of cooking.

Via Gizmodo at Inhabitat

Review: Vicera Ceramic Knives from Japan

2010-02-12T12:58:04Z

Vicera sent us a set of their ceramic Chef's Knife, Santoku Knife, and Utility Knife to review over the past two weeks. We've been using these knives daily in our cooking, and compared to the Kyocera knives which we've been using - we simply like these knives better. They are dishwasher safe, and the white blade compared to the black ceramic blade of the Kyocera knives is much thinner and we think cuts a bit easier. We also like the handle on the Vicera knives a bit more as well - the texture on the handle makes it grippier.

These knives are not cheap, but then again when is a great knife cheap? You're going to pay on average $59-$99 for these ceramic knives, and these should be thought of - IN ADDITION TO - the knives you're using. Ceramic knives are not good for deboning or doing task where the knives could be pitted agains something hard. These knives however slice perfect slices of tomatoes and other vegetables.

You're also not going to TASTE the knife - as the ceramic leaves no metal taste to delicate fish and other foods. We really like these knives, and a big thanks to Vicera for sending them to us for review.

Chef's Knife - Customarily the preferred knife for most kitchen tasks, our 6-inch/ 16cm Chef’s Knife bears a classic design for general use. Made in Japan.
Santoku Knife - Slightly smaller than the Chef's Knife, our 5.5-inch/ 14cm Santoku Knife is designed for those who want the virtues of a Chef’s Knife but seek a finer control over its use. Made in Japan
Utility Knife - Our 5-inch/ 13cm Utility Knife is designed for tasks too small for a Chef’s Knife and too large for a Paring Knife. The narrow blade is perfect for quick, routine cuts such as slicing sandwiches or pastries. Made in Japan.

At Vicera

AccuSharp Knife Sharpener - Sharpen Knives while Your Hands are Safe

2010-02-11T11:53:34Z

The Accusharp knife sharpener sharpens your knives quickly, easily and accurately, and protects your hands with the safety grip as you do it. You just draw the AccuSharp over the tool and your work gets easier. The sharpener features a diamond honed tungsten carbide sharpener.

At AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener

Ice Orb Silicone Vertical Ice Cube Tray - Chill Wine and Make Ice Cubes

2010-02-10T12:28:58Z

The Fusionbrand IceOrb, vertical ice cube maker,chills, serves, stores, and makes ice. The Iceorb will make 21 cubes of ice on its vertical wall and will store up to 51 cubes. Simply remove the inner bucket and fill the orb with water to the indicated fill line. Place bucket back in the orb (displacing the water), place lid on and pop into the freezer.

Once frozen, again pull out the bucket, pop the ice cubes out of the wall and either use, or store inside the bucket. The orb doubles as a wine bucket or as a serving vessel. The orb is top rack dishwasher safe.

At Fusionbrands Ice Orb Silicone Vertical Ice Cube Tray

FingerTongs - Enables the Food Puppet In You

2010-02-09T12:08:07Z

At just $17.95, the Finger tongs are silicone cooking tongs you wear on your hand, making it look like a giant puppet. The finger tong slides on to either your right or left hand and gives precise control when flipping food, turning sausage, stir-frying, etc. Tongs are 7 in length and are dishwasher safe.

At bookofjoe at Finger Tongs

Match and Munch Sandwich Cutters - Make Puzzle Piece Sandwiches

2010-02-08T12:55:00Z

These cool bread cutters will keep your young ones interested in having sandwiches, and interested in solving the sandwich puzzle presented to them - do they eat the left or right piece? The sandwich cutters are a set of 4 puzzle pieces, and since you'll be throwing the crust to the side, make sure and use it for bread crumbs or stuff. The cutters are higher than a regular cookie cutter so they easily cut through two pieces of bread without flattening the sandwich. It's available for $16.

Via Gizmodiva

Demy - The Kitchen Safe Recipe Reader

2010-02-05T13:14:09Z

The Demy is a recipe reader and digital library which comes with a touchscreen, splash resistant casing, built-in timers and converters and access to an online recipe archive of over 100,000 dishes. Priced at around $299.95, you add your recipes using an online web site, or adding recipes other demy users have submitted.

Kitchen-safe touchscreen recipe reader that holds your personal recipe collection in one compact device
7-inch touchscreen with an intuitive graphical navigation interface, adjustable font size
Comes pre-loaded with 250 recipes; can store up to 2500 recipes
Accesses recipes saved to Key Ingredient web site; syncs via included USB cable conneced to PC Splash-resistant design and sturdy plastic exterior can be cleaned with damp cloth
The Demy is powered by keyingredient.com, a site for you to find, create, share and collect your recipes. Membership is free and getting started is easy. Once you have a keyingredient.com account, you can use recipes from the Key Ingredient site or use your own recipes by typing them in or by sending your hard copy recipes to be transcribed for you using scanmyrecipes.com.

Via The Red Ferret Journal at Demy - The Kitchen Safe Recipe Reader

Kapoosh Knife Holder, Woodgrain Finish

2010-02-04T15:53:32Z

We just got some new knives and they don't fit in our old knife block. I'm thinking we may need to get one of these. The Kapoosh knife holder holds any knife at any time without the need for special slot. It has rods that allow you to mix and match kitchen knives from different sets or store any utensils anywhere in the block. The rods are removable and dishwasher safe.

At Kapoosh Knife Holder, Woodgrain Finish

SousVide Supreme - The Pros and Cons of Cooking from the Inside Out

2010-02-03T12:40:32Z

We've been covering the first "affordable" home sous vide cooking machine, and are pretty excited about it. We also are very excited about the uber review just published over at Gizmodo. If you don't know what a SousVide oven is - it offers the product of decades of refinement by top chefs, the SousVide Supreme Water Oven cooks sealed food at precise preset temperatures for consistent cooking, and wonderful flavors. Vacuum-sealed food loses virtually none of its flavor or nutrients during cooking, and the pressure encourages flash marinating, naturally enhancing the delicious tastes and aromas of the food with little added seasoning.

What does Giz thing about the SousVide Supreme over?

Pros:

Extremely easy to use, and works exactly as billed
It will not make you a great cook overnight, though it will help you achieve goals you may already have

Cons:

$450 is still too much for most home cooks, especially for something that they might not use often enough
Vacuum sealer equipment sold separately (and can be costly)
As large as a bread-maker or turkey roaster, equally hard to store when not in use
Interface not great; display lacks count-down timer, and buttons are sometimes unresponsive

We encourage you to click on through to see al the amazing items they made in the SousVide Supreme, and hopefully we'll have our own review soon as well.

Via Gizmodo at At SousVide Supreme Water Oven