kitchen gadgets

The days of mysterious espresso brewing behind hulking machines may be over, if one coffee startup, Modbar, has its way, burying all but the glamorous end of the process under the counter. Revealed today at the opening of the SCAA's (Speciality Coffee Association of America) annual expo, Modbar is a striking, modular series of espresso groups, pour-over taps, and steam arms which can be hooked up in multiple numbers and configurations, with the promise of greater temperature control, a cut in prep time, and even geek-friendly features like touchscreen operation and support for temperature monitoring in Kelvin.

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Coffee and geeks go together. Yet, given geeks can be the most obsessive about getting the very best user-experience, it's surprising how many are content to drink bad coffee. I'm talking about pods, pads and K-Cups, and the shiny, alluring machines that fire hot water through them. Like many people, my morning wouldn't be complete without at least one cup of coffee, but what really frustrates me is when people who I know love coffee just as much talk in hushed and reverent tones about their latest "heavenly" pod experience. Those super-convenient little Senseo pads, or the Keureg K-Cups? They're selling you stale coffee.

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Is that chicken dipped in gold? No, but it sure looks like it is, and because it was sprayed that way with what The Deli Garage calls Food Finish, it's completely safe to eat, too. Ever wanted the Midas touch, and not just with your household appliances, with all of your tasty treats as well? That time has come, ladies and gentlemen, and although you can't quite buy this spray here in the USA yet due to some sort of shipping regulations, you can sit in wait while the spray gains popularity internationally.

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When I look at this Han Solo carbonite silicone ice tray I can't help but wonder why. Why do I not have one of these. Put some grape juice or other dark juice in this and you could have your own carbonite solo floating in your punch bowl. This would be perfect for your punch bowl during your Star Wars Blu-ray viewing party.

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If there's one single photo related to photography itself that's so meta, so amazingly ingenious it's amazing it hasn't been done a thousand times over, it's the big expensive lens turned into a coffee cup. An artist by the name of DERELIQ has decided to take this awesome idea another step back, smaller and further away in a shotglass made in the form of a Canon lens, complete with all the knobs, settings, and red ring rim you've come to expect.

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I used to work with a woman that was weird. She had an unnatural fear of balloons and always brought her own straws to work. Apparently, she didn’t trust the balloons to not pop on her randomly and getting a straw out of a box was gross. What that woman needs is this titanium drinking straw. You can cram it into just about anything you want to drink from oranges to milk cartons.

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S'mores is some good eatin'. My kids love s'mores, but I can never get the marshmallow just right over a campfire. They always end up too burnt so it's like eating a charcoal and chocolate sandwich. Cook them a little less and you end up with a nicely toasted outside and a solid inside that won't properly squish between the graham crackers. S'mores making is partly science and partly mess avoidance for me.

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I bet when the Jedi have their annual picnic each year, this is the corncob holder that they use. This thing is really cool, yet weird at the same time. I almost had a stroke trying to figure out how to meld Star Wars jokes and Beavis and Butthead references into one post. You truly would be the Great Cornholio with one of these. This is a concept product from Shed Samovar and it should be made.

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I'm not rich and I don’t have the kind of money it takes to start to consider versions of trivial things in life that are massively more expensive that what you can buy things for down at Walmart. For instance, you could walk into Wally World and walk out with a new corkscrew if you are a wine drinker for a few bucks. It will get the bottle of $5 port you picked up at the local liquor store open with minimal bits of cork in the drink. It won't open your wine with much style or say, "I'm rich" like this fancy corkscrew from Core-38.

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If you take coffee seriously, then you'll know there's more to a premium brew than a huge, shiny espresso machine. In fact, the grinding process makes the biggest difference to your eventual cup, and part of that is getting the exact dose right. Enter Baratza and the Esatto, reports CoffeeGeek, a weight-based dosing system that promises accuracy down to 0.2g variance for the company's existing grinders, as well as the Baratza Vario-E, a full weight-based grinding system in one.

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I would bet around the holiday season you have run across those cheap beer making kits that let you brew your own beer in the home. Those are all fine and good but if you are a beer geek with the money to afford the best personal brewery around, a clear jug and a mixing spoon might not be your idea of fun. What you need is the WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery.

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Steak is a big deal in Texas. In fact more than one backyard cook out has been ruined by a cook not paying attention. An overcooked steak can get you shot in Texas, beef is serious business. One cardinal sin in the grilling world is to cut the steak open to see how pink it is.

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