Unusual stainless steel tea infuser

When I first discovered the magic of tea, I became somehow obsessed with knowing as much as it was possible about the history of tea and having my kitchen stuffed with all sorts of bags with different types of tea that I knew nothing about up until the day I had this revelation. I immediately became interested in everything that had to do with this delicious beverage and I started reading about it with the excitement of a little child that is allowed to do whatever he wants for a whole week, without restraints.

This is how I found about a legend that placed the beginning of the tea in the ancient China, where, 5,000 years ago, an early emperor called Shen Nung had an excessive precaution as far as hygiene was concerned. Therefore, one of his edicts required that the water was boiled before being drunk. One day, when the servants began to boil the water for the emperor and his court to drink, some falling dried leaves found their way to the pot with boiling water, giving it a brown touch. Amazed by the unexpected miracle, the emperor was courageous enough to taste the new liquid and found it spectacular. And this was the first day of tea.

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Since the day I’ve made my first research, I couldn’t just stop drinking tea and I’m quite impressed when I see people showing some interest in a beverage that is quite neglected (at least in my country).

In the given context, you’d understand the reason why I feel like being in the seventh heaven when reading an article about a tea-infuser and then write about it with my very own hands. The Sharky is no more, no less than a shark-fin shaped tea infuser, which is impressive because it’s a delicate mixture between the natural fear of people when it comes to sharks and the elegance, the pure British elegance, of a nice cup of tea.

Created by Argentine designer Pablo Matteoda, the stainless steel tea infuser (I assume it’s made of stainless steel) combines the dark and the bright side of life, in general, and of tea, in particular.

The Sharky tea infuser is still a concept, for the moment. Huge disappointment, right?

(Source: gadgets.boingboing.net)

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Conductive plates, the future of cookery

You can see the effects of the technological development almost everywhere, no matter how difficult it might be for you to imagine how something like this is possible. The truth is that technology appears wherever it is allowed to, without discrimination. Therefore, I don’t see any reason for you to be surprised of the unusual way that your kitchen environment is also affected by progress, becoming more spectacular than ever.

And, if you think about it, there’s nothing wrong with letting technology interfere in a universe that is more about art and design. But when you want to keep your food warm, while washing your hands and preparing the table for dinner, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if conductive plates would make their appearance in your kitchen.

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What you should know is that whatever designs you might have seen up until today for conductive plates, they are all in the concept phase, but, on the other hand, the technology has what it takes to make them a dream come true. The +/- hot plate is a concept created by Ami Drach and Dov Ganchrow for a contest organized by DesignBoom, called “Dining in 2015”, and it’s based on a mixture between ceramic and modern technology.

“At a time when almost every object around us seems to suddenly get Smart, from MP3 jackets to GPS cars to smart bombs, it seems appropriate to take that age-old baked piece of mud that we like our ancestors eat off of – the ceramic plate, and fuse it with contemporary technological know-how. We use the conductive properties of silk-screened gold or Amorphic Metal films in the same manner printed circuit boards or car windshield defrosters work. Hook up the plate to an electrical source and the current will run through the “decoration” keeping food stuff warm”.

Ok, maybe the idea of having all sorts of cords in your kitchen, at the dinner table, isn’t what you would like most, but come on! This is too good to be true!

(Source: Dvice)

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The D+Caf strips detect the caffeine

There are many things that I hate in this life and coffee is undoubtedly one of them. Even if the coffee break is something like a ritual in my family, I have never quite understood the reason why people love coffee and why they enjoy a cup of this “delicious beverage”, as some call it, as much as they do. However, I agree with those who insist on the fact the coffee smells absolutely great. But no more than that, as it tastes awful.

Along the same line, I just cannot understand those guys who pretend they’re coffee drinkers, but they drink it decaf. It’s precisely like the non-alcoholic beer or the light version of a bottle of Pepsi. They both taste like hell and they are both far from the original.

Still, there are those people who love coffee, but they aren’t allowed to drink it, due to all sorts of problems, so they see themselves obliged to resort to this solution: the decaf. For all of those guys, here they are the D+caf test strips, coming from Silver Lake Research Corporation (Monrovia, California). Studies have shown that approximately 30% of the persons who order decaf coffees at all sorts of coffee shops or restaurants don’t get what they asked for, receiving instead beverages with high levels of caffeine or which are not decaf at all, and this is unacceptable, you must agree.

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This unique test helps you determine the amount of caffeine from your cup of coffee or tea. The strips are made of paper covered with antibodies and turn up blue lines when there are more than 20 milligrams of caffeine per 6 oz serving. In addition, they are 98% accurate for detecting the concentration of caffeine and must be added in your beverage before adding milk, sugar, cream or other additives. It doesn’t matter whether the drink is hot or cold and the result is produced in approximately 30 seconds.

For $10 you get 20 D+caf strips that will help you avoid drinking the so-called decaf coffee that irresponsible people that don’t give a damn on your request make you consume, even if you’re probably not allowed to.

(Source: gizmodo.com)

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The Rotato Express, an automatic potato peeler

I can’t say I hate everything about the almost exclusively gastronomic universe of the kitchen, because I like to eat. Not to mention the fact that I kind of need to eat in order to healthily live my life. Irrespective of enjoying or not the ultimate culinary experience, the human body feels the need to gain resources whenever it lacks energy.

But the road that leads to a perfect dinner is not paved only with good intentions, but also with hard work. And I’m not sure how many of us are capable and, even most important, willing to stay a couple of hours in the kitchen, surrounded by all sorts of smells, for just 10 minutes of later pleasure.

Whoever came up with this idea and created such a device must really hate potato skins. Therefore, if you’re not very much into the rustic style of cooking, leaving the potatoes in their “pyjamas”, as I used to say when I was a little child, and you have a weird passion for pointless gadgets, you’ll enjoy this one. Because the worst part of cooking from scratch is peeling and cutting. And because you hate peeling vegetables, fruit or anything that will fit in the Rotato Express, then the only thing you’d like is to put an end to it.

It peels right about everything with no fuss whatsoever. Made of ABS plastic, the Rotato Express runs on both a 6 volt adaptor and 4 AA batteries. The device “automatically peels potatoes, fruits and other vegetables in seconds. It puts an end to thick peels and waste. Simply skewer potato on bottom spike and lower the top spike. Then, push the button to start peeling – automatically stops when complete. Skin peels off in one continuous piece”.

Having an ultra safe design, there’s no need to hold or touch while peeling. This electric gadget requires, as you’ve seen earlier, four AA batteries which are not included and is made of ABS plastic and metal, measuring 5 ½ x 5 ¾ x 11 inches. If you want to purchase this automatic potato peeler, you can go to TaylorGifts.com and grab it for $29.98.

(Source: coolest-gadgets.com)

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The Digital Thermometer Pan makes your food… eatable

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There are many people who think that cooking is not only a science, but also an art. I could always disagree on such a statement, as I just can’t find anything scientific or artistic in preparing elaborate dinners or even a simple breakfast. I like to eat, but the process before this is way beyond my comprehension: specific ingredients, in measured amounts, blended in a specific order and under specific conditions.

But help is coming for the not-so-perfect cooks amongst us, and also for those around us who are frequently subjected to burnt or undercooked food. Because, so that you know, there are many aspects you should always take into consideration when you find your way to the kitchen. Heat, of course, is one of those things. Too much heat can turn your golden Maillard caramelization into Fullerene carbon. Too little, on the other hand, makes water cook away before any chemical reactions can take place. A few degrees off one way or another can make the difference. And if you’ve got the courage to try more than one recipe in your life, I’m sure you know that many tell you to “put a pan on medium heat”. But you have never known what medium heat means.

Lucky you, with the new Digital Thermometer Pan, even the worst cook can now do his job with absolute precision. The secret of this device is a thermometer reading the temperature in the pan and a readout system in the handle; a removable readout in the handle, that is, so that the Digital Thermometer Pan could be also dishwasher safe. In other words, the pan has a built-in thermometer that measures the temperature at the center of the pan and displays the result (in degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius) on the readout encased rather sweetly at the tip of the handle.

Even more, this pan will allow you to mark down several “presets” so next time you’ll be cooking the same recipe you’ll have the most precise data to rely on. The Digital Thermometer Pan can be safely used with any heating systems, such as gas, electric, halogen or induction, while its thick steel bottom guarantees an even heat distribution across its whole surface. The pan has a 20 cm diameter and Dupont-nonstick covering.

You can pick up the Digital Thermometer Pan over at ThinkGeek.com and it costs $49.99.

(Source: Dvice)

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