kitchen gadgets - SlashGear

Mellow sous-vide “kitchen robot” makes foodie fave even geekier

Chris Davies | Apr 22, 2014

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 your smartphone. Sous-vide, if you've not been keeping up to date with your kitchen trends, epitomizes the "low and slow" method of cooking. Ingredients are vacuum sealed in a plastic bag and then immersed for several hours or even a couple of days in a warm water bath, gently cooking through.

Keurig 2.0 pod DRM will lock out unofficial coffee pods

Chris Davies | Mar 3, 2014

Pod coffee maker Keurig is clamping down on unofficial suppliers for its single-serve machines, confirming that it will be using DRM in its new range - dubbed "Keurig 2.0" - to prevent brewers from working with unlicensed pods. The move is reminiscent of printer ink, many of the cartridges for which have long included a chip that prevents unofficial refills from being installed. In fact, the argument Keurig gives is much the same as that of Epson, HP, and others.

As coffee brewing methods go, this one’s super-geeky

Chris Davies | Jan 27, 2014

Coffee can be super-geeky when you want it to be. Not everyone is content with Nespresso or Keurig, but while drip methods can be simple and still deliver far greater results, winning awards for your brewing takes a little extra work. 2014 North East Brewers Cup champion Todd Carmichael has one such method, snatching first prize with a convoluted but fun double-filtering system that's likely to prove divisive for coffee enthusiasts. Check out the video after the cut.

Bunn Trifecta MB Coffee Machine Review

Chris Davies | Oct 16, 2013

Coffee. Delicious, wonderful coffee. Some of us are fueled by it throughout the day; to others it's an occasional treat first thing in the morning or straight after dinner. There's no one "right" way to brew it, and traditional methods like espresso, drip, and French press sit alongside newer upstarts like Clover. Wading into the home market is Bunn's Trifecta MB, the domestic version of its $5k Trifecta for cafes. Designed for a kitchen counter, the Trifecta MB combines elements of drip, Clover, French press, and other approaches, with convenience nearing that of a single-cup pod brewer but the flexibility to bring the very best out of your beans. Still, can it be worth all of $549? Read on for the full SlashGear review.

Forget lattes: Starbucks’ next coffee trend might finally be the Clover

Chris Davies | Jun 2, 2013

Try taking a coffee snob into Starbucks and you might have trouble; that is, unless you're lucky enough to come across a branch with a Clover machine. The one-cup brewer - borrowing principles from a French Press and a vacuum pot, among other preparation methods, and which allows for far greater experimentation with beans, roasts, and strengths - has slowly found its way into a small number of Starbucks locations, a welcome distraction from big pots of Pike Roast and milk-heavy cappuccino. Even with Starbucks' might behind it, though, the Clover has been a relative secret among the coffee cognoscenti, but all that could change in short order with signs of a new, super-auto Clover in development.

Pucs rechargeable ice won’t dilute your drink

Shane McGlaun | Apr 18, 2013

People around the world use ice every day to chill drinks of all sorts. It doesn't matter what you're drinking, be it a Dr Pepper, tea, or a glass of 20-year-old single malt, making the drink nice and cold often makes it taste better. The problem for a lot of people is that simply dropping ice cubes into your cup means that drink will soon be diluted if you don't gulp it down quickly.

Modbar coffee machine: third wave espresso’s new poster-child

Chris Davies | Apr 11, 2013

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.

Your Pod Coffee Tastes Bad

Chris Davies | Jan 7, 2012

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.

Food Finish turns your food an edible chrome

Chris Burns | Oct 26, 2011

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.

If Jaba lived on Hoth, he would rock the Han Solo carbonite ice tray

Shane McGlaun | Aug 26, 2011

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.

Canon 24-105mm Lens Crafted of Ceramic Brings Liquid Satisfaction in a Snap

Chris Burns | Aug 17, 2011

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.

Titanium drinking straw for the neurotic geek

Shane McGlaun | Jul 21, 2011

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.