May 23
Coffee and crowdfunding aren’t new bedfellows, but an Italian project to rethink the espresso machine, La Fenice, may be the most ambitious we’ve seen so far. The chrome and wood … Continue reading
May 23
SpinChill: Cold Beer in 60 Seconds
Posted in: Today's Chili
Take two really smart Mechanical Engineers from the University of Florida, give them a luke warm beer and they come up with a brilliant idea. They used their knowledge of engineering, heat transfer and their love of cold beer to come up with the SpinChill.
They found that cooling a container of liquid in a tub of ice took much longer than if that container was constantly spinning. The reason for this has to do with heat transfer. If the container is just sitting in the ice the outside layer of the liquid cools and it insulates the inner liquid which slows down the overall cooling process. By spinning the container it allows the warm liquid in the center to reach the outer edge where it can be cooled instantly.
You would think that by spinning a can of a carbonated beverage it would make it explode and spray everywhere upon opening. Again, these guys are pretty smart and go into great detail on their site about the difference between shaking a can and spinning one. We won’t go into that amount of detail in this post, but trust us, it won’t explode. Immediately after spinchill-ing your beverage, you can open the can and have a nice refreshingly cold beverage in 60 seconds.
One of the things we wondered about was bottled beverages. It says on their site: “The Spin Chill quickly cools almost any container of beer, soda, or wine by spinning it in ice.” But they don’t show it being used with any bottled beverage. For $29.99 you can own one of these now, or for $12.00 you can buy just their “Chill Bit” which has an adapter to run off of your own drill.
via Gadgeteer
Apr 22
Sous-vide cooking isn’t new, but Mellow aims to make it mainstream with its eponymous “kitchen robot”, a smart appliance that can not only cook but cool, and all controlled from … Continue reading
Apr 18
There are items that can do multiple jobs and make our lives easier. The Swiss Army Knife is a prime example, as it has a variety of tools in one place that don’t necessarily correspond with one another, but come in handy. Sometimes a marketing team gets together and makes something that is multifunctional, but in a way that doesn’t make much sense.
One such product is the TowlHub, as it will give you 4 USB ports, a wine stopper, speakers, and a place to put your paper towels in the kitchen. It’s not that these things can’t be together in a single device, more that it doesn’t make sense. You don’t generally want any electronic gadgets around water, and seeing that we use paper towels during cooking, cleaning, and a myriad of other activities that often include H2O in the kitchen, this would not be the safest place for your gear.
If you do like the idea and think you can keep this far enough away from the sink, it would be nice to have an easy-access Bluetooth speaker that would never be moved around. The wine stopper hiding in the top of the towel holder would be nice, but it will look a bit weird once it is in use. If you’d like to have the hub without the speakers it will cost around $50, and with them in place it will be around $80.
Available for purchase on SkyMall, found via Redferret
[ The TowlHub – when multifunctional goes overboard copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Apr 18
I know that R2-D2, the little astromech droid that could, and did in fact, play an extremely crucial role in the Rebel Alliance striking at the heart of the Galactic Empire before, is also a little bit domesticated. What do I mean by that? Well, it might be able to get out of tight spots against other droids that are far larger and more powerful, but it is also a decent hand in the kitchen. Case in point, this $19.99 Star Wars R2-D2 Measuring Cup Set.
The Star Wars R2-D2 Measuring Cup Set, as its name suggests, will feature an entire set of measuring cups that resemble parts of R2-D2. In fact, its whole body is built from a quartet of measuring cups: 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 cup. You will not be able to find this anywhere else, as it is a ThinkGeek creation and exclusive, and has also been officially licensed by Lucasfilm to roll off the production lines. The detachable utility arms can be used as nested measuring spoons of 1/4, 1/2, 1 tsp, and 1/3 tbsp, while the dome itself is both 1/2 cup and 1 tbsp. It might be able to withstand a laser shot or two, but this R2-D2 is extremely averse to being placed in a microwave.
[ Star Wars R2-D2 Measuring Cup Set spruces up the kitchen copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Apr 16
Hammacher has certified yet another device and deemed it to be fit enough to carry the “The Best” prefix, and this time around it would be the $249.95 Best Waffle Maker. What makes this particular home appliance deserve such a title, and why does it cost so much? As you know how the saying goes – pay peanuts and you end up with monkeys. The Best Waffle Maker is no monkey business, this I can assure you, as it has consistently produced perfectly cooked waffles and was easy to use. This chef’s-grade appliance sports dual grid surfaces within its rotating clamshell, allowing one to bake a couple of 7.5″ diameter Belgian waffles simultaneously.
With the Best Waffle Maker, you will be able to keep the hunger pangs of your family at bay, and in tests, both waffles came out evenly baked. This translates to a golden and crispy texture on the outside, and yet remaining nice and moist right down in the middle, all without having to carry any burnt or raw spots that are found in the waffles which were made using lesser models. Apart from that, the nonstick plates also make it a snap to remove cooked waffles, while its handles remained cool to the touch so that you do not end up burning yourself by accident. The Best Waffle Maker would let you know when it is preheating, ready for batter, and when the waffles are ready.
[ Best Waffle Maker quells those hunger pangs copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Apr 09
It’s awesome how you can buy something and it will show up on your doorstep the same day, or the next. Fewer and fewer people take the long way around of shopping in stores, only to find they don’t have exactly what they’re looking for. We’re getting to a point where Amazon can provide you pretty much anything, at amazingly cheap prices.
Seeing that we all forget things around the house until we absolutely need them, Amazon is launching the Amazon Dash. This will let you keep a virtual shopping list by either saying or scanning the item that you need. This can be used by your whole family, and you can add items as you go. This connects via your home WiFi network, and will put everything you scan in a cart on your Amazon Fresh account. All you need to do after that is go on your computer or mobile device, purchase your items, and schedule a delivery.
You can hang this on the fridge, or in a convenient location in the kitchen. Of course, Amazon Fresh is only available in Southern California, as well as the San Francisco and Seattle areas, so this doesn’t really apply to anyone who doesn’t live around there. This device is free, but the Amazon Fresh service costs $300 a year, and you’re not likely to find bargain-hunting deals. To get in on this action for those who are in that area, you’ll need to get an invitation email.
More information on Fresh.Amazon
[ AmazonDash will make sure you never need to leave your home again copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Apr 08
Changing up your diet for the better can be very stressful and time consuming. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it can take weeks to get in the swing of recording your food intake as well as the associated calories, salt, sugars, and more that are in it. Having a food scale handy can help, but that will only give you the weight, and there is a lot more information that you need to keep track of to really improve yourself.
The SITU is a smart food nutrition scale that is hoping to make getting into a healthier diet regimen far easier. When it’s not being used with a tablet, it’s just a regular food scale, but working with an iPad, it can tell you the exact nutrition information for whatever you place on it. This will make eating homemade meals far easier so you don’t feel as though resorting to prepackaged food is your only option. Of course, this can also be used by athletes who want to optimize their nutrient intake, those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or those who just want to know what they’re eating.
If paired with a tablet, this can tell you the specific content of salt, sugar, vitamins, and minerals. It can help you learn about the food you’re eating, and possibly help you to make better decisions when putting things on your plate. On the app, you’ll be able to add your favorite foods so you don’t need to search for anything when making a meal you create often. This will still take a little time to get accustomed to, especially with finding all the specifics if you don’t know what you’re doing, but it is a good start. Those who have interest will be looking at around $116 for the scale.
Available for crowdfunding on Kickstarter
[ The SITU will make calorie counting a breeze copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Apr 02
I must say that people are way more health conscious in this day and age compared to a few decades back, and organic produce have started to gain traction among consumers despite being more expensive than regular foodstuff on store shelves. You know what they say about eating – you are what you eat. For those who want to bake your own bread since you have full control over what goes in, then you might want to check out the $299.95 Gluten Free Bread Maker.
The Gluten Free Bread Maker comes with a pair of kneading paddles as well as a unique single-rise cycle, allowing it to bake moist and fluffy gluten-free bread. Bread lovers, too, would be spared from the leaden or rubbery texture which more often than not spoils gluten-free baked goods, since the appliance’s double paddles would do its part to make sure that enough air is incorporated into the dough so that a light texture is yielded. Normal bread machines tend to subject delicate gluten-free recipes to a deflating second rise, which this model avoids since it requires only a single rising period to produce a fluffy 2-lb. loaf. Each purchase comes with 10 gluten-free recipes and an instructional DVD to help you get started right away.
[ Gluten Free Bread Maker bakes you guilt-free moments copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Mar 31
Not everyone loves to invite guests to their home, as some of us prefer to keep our home, well, private, and away from the curious eyes of the rest of the folks out there. Others, however, see the home as a place where they can have warm fellowship with their other friends, and if you happen to be sanguine in your approach to life, then you might be interested in the £19.99 Glowing Coasters. Each set of 4 will boast of Radium-226 (Red), Plutonium-244 (Blue), Uranium-238 (Green), Thorium-232 (Orange) isotopes to excite the geek in you.
These Glowing Coasters are no ordinary coasters, and thankfully, they do not carry any kind of radiation that will make you grow a tail or perhaps a third eyeball, but rather, will work on regular batteries. The Glowing Coasters also do not depend on sorcery of any kind, but rather, it will use pressure-sensitive coasters to light up your beverages, with each of them capable of emitting a soothing radioactive glow. Each set would run on eight 3V CR2032 batteries (which are thankfully included to help you get started right out of the box).
It goes without saying that these are not dishwasher safe at all, so a simple act of wiping it with a damp cloth to keep it clean will do.
[ Radioactive Elements Glowing Coasters add a dash of style to your home copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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