A Bachelor's Weblog to Urban Cooking where speed and simplicity comes before taste!

Did you miss part one?

Here’s the next installment:

1999 AD Kitchen of the Future

Atomic Kitchen

Share This

Have you seen the ads? It’s an intriguing little appliance, that’s for sure. The Nu-Wave Oven is so far only available online or by calling the 800 number.

By combining the power of conduction, convection, and infrared cooking, the Nu-Wave Oven cooks foods thoroughly and quickly. Our patented 3 way cooking allows for meats to be moist and succulent but also crisply browned.

The Nu-Wave Oven is easy to use and dishwasher safe. You’ll be amazed at the amount of time this revolutionary product will save you in the kitchen!

Image: MyNewWaveOven

Share This

Some of the food, gadget, and cooking trends from last year are overly complicated, and some are just plain silly! Are there any in particular that you’d like to see go away and never come back?

My opinion? I’d probably pick useless one-trick gadgets that take up too much room in my fairly compact kitchen and don’t do enough to justify their rent. Don’t get me wrong, I love gadgets with a passion that defies logic…but I have to use them often enough, or else they have to have multiple uses to gain precious drawer space in my kitchen! So, out with the melon baller and the turkey baster. I mean, really!

What would you like to see go? A particular cuisine? A kitchen decorating style? Gadgets that break too easily?

Share This

Homemade Ranch Dip and Salad Dressing Mix
A dry mix you can make ahead and add to light sour cream to make your own homemade ranch dip.

Make Your Favorite Recipes Healthier
What can you do with old family favorite recipes, those personal treats you grew up with but now avoid because they contain too much fat, cholesterol, whatever? Jean tells you how to create your own recipe swaps!

Busy Family Meals
If you’re going to eat meatloaf, make it count!

Share This

On Thanksgiving Day, in a fog of post-turkey bliss, I stumbled across a post by Core 77 showing off a couple of YouTube videos from the 50s and 60s, showcasing various Kitchens of the Future predictions. Well, guess what, boys and girls? It’s now officially THE FUTURE according to the timeline set by most of these videos.

I decided to go exploring on YouTube and see if there were more of these gems out there, and oh yes, there certainly are!

Have their dreams come true? Well…hmmmmmm…see for yourself!

Kitchens of the Future

Vision of year 2000 from year 1957

Kitchens of the Future

Share This

Share This

This pretty much falls into the category of “Oh Brother, what next?” Which pretty much means that we need to talk about it! This gadget is now a couple of years old, but this is the first I’ve managed to come across it. Silly or useful…what say you?

Via: Michelle Cheung at OhGizmo!

Share This

How many of Under the High Chair’s list of stupid gadgets do you have? Shhhh…whisper it to me…I promise not to tell. I used to have the one pictured above :-)

Share This

I can really only think of one situation in which you would need a Remote Control Beer Pager, and then you probably don’t really need to find that beer, do you?

Never lose your suds again! The Beer Pager is the perfect gift for that forgetful someone who always misplaces their drink. Just drop your favorite beverage into the Beer Pager the next time you’re at a crowded party. If you go to the bathroom or start talking to a hottie and forget where you placed your beer, just click the remote control button. The Beer Pager will proudly belch and flash colorful lights so you can easily find your drink!

Image: DrinkingStuff.com

Share This

Have you wanted to try brewing your own, but you’re just to intimidated by all the equipment and ingredients? If you’re anything like me, you get home from the Beer Kit store missing one crucial ingredient. Well, here’s the answer: The Mr Beer Kit contains everything you need except for the water! According to the write up, you’ll be enjoying your first batch of home brew in just 14 days.

How about making yourself a hero with someone this coming year?

Image: Plow&Hearth

Share This

A pyramid lunch box! Why didn’t someone think of this before? Now you won’t have to try to figure out whether or not you’ve got the proper proportions for your lunch. Hmmm…can we get one for dinner too? I think mine will need to be bigger ;-)

We’ve all seen the food pyramid before. You know, that thing that hangs on the wall of the dentist we try to convince we’ve been brushing 3 times a day? Considering all the rhetoric out there on healthy eating it seems amazing that no one has thought of this before. The Pyramid lunch box by Li Jianye categorizes your lunch according to the food groups with the intention to guide the user to a healthier lifestyle through a balanced diet.Now once you’ve broken down and categorized your big mac into its constituent food groups you’ll be on the fast track to the runways of Paris.

Images: Yanko Design

Share This

Even though Halloween has passed for the year, the horror fan on your gift list will still adore plates and serving pieces from Folded Pigs!

Images: Folded Pigs

Share This

Rettocamme Craft has a whole line of coasters and trivets fashioned from bottle caps. Fun, huh? Proceeds from sales help fund Rettocamme dance events. Visit Rettocamme.com for more information on this unique group.

Image: Rettocamme Craft

Share This

Football Party Food~ Guacamole Football Field
For all your football playoff, college bowl game, and Superbowl parties.

The Pressured Cook’s Paella
Qui mange bene, viva bene. Who eats well, lives well. Try Jean’s low fat, low cal version of that Italian classic, paella.

Busy Family Meals
How about a grilled cheese sandwich that’s been upscaled to an art form?

Share This

Isn’t it nice to have a few really easy meals right after Christmas so that you can spend a day or so just decompressing? But you still want them to be tasty and comforting, even if they’re easy. So how about this? Take the humble grilled cheese sandwich, and elevate it to a new art form! That’s what my husband and I think of these sandwiches. You can leave out all the extra goodies if the kiddies only like them traditional. I’m also thinking that the next time we grill, I’m going to construct these on a long loaf and wrap them in foil in order to do them panini style!

Easy to make in under thirty minutes, even if you do have to grate the cheese! Don’t cheese and slice it…it’s much better grated and mixed with the other ingredients.
Get the recipe!

Share This

Share This

I think I need one of these Magic Bowls! Actually, I need an entire set of these magic dishes…wonder if I can talk Ant’s Pottery into making them for me ;-)

Image: Ant’s Pottery

Share This

Ice Cream Ball

No you don’t need one, but you know that you and the kids want one!

With the unique Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker, you can make ice cream while on camping trips, at picnics, barbecues, and many other places. You don’t need electricity to make great tasting ice cream, but rather just add ice and rock salt in one end and ice cream mix in the other end. Then, have a ball as you shake it, pass it, or roll it around for 10 to 15 minutes. The ice cream mix can be as simple as cream, sugar, and vanilla or you can try a more adventurous flavor from the included recipe list or make up your own concoction. Made of durable polycarbonate, the Ice Cream Ball is lightweight, portable, and easy to clean.

Image: Amazon.com

Share This

I love hand-turned wooden items! Here are a couple of wonderful gadgets, handmade by WoodElements. My favorites are the biscuit cutter and the honey dipper.

Biscuit Cutter

Heirloom-quality biscuit cutter is hand turned, sanded silky smooth and finished with food-safe mineral oil.
Great for cutting out biscuits, cookies and other tasty treats.

Honey Dipper

Honey dipper is hand turned, sanded silky smooth and finished with food-safe mineral oil.

Share This

Well not the entire utensil, but there are gorgeous lampwork glass beads decorating the handles of the utensils that Rufus and Roxy sell. I’d love to have some mis-matched appetizer knifes and forks like these :-)

Images: Rufus and Roxy

Share This