Oh! Gizmo

By Luke Anderson

I can’t remember the last time I ate a banana, but I distinctly recall eating the entire thing. Honestly, when was the last time you thought to yourself “I could really go for half a banana”? Sure, your young kids might have difficulty downing the whole thing, so I can see why one might find the NANA Saver useful.

This simple device clips on the end of a banana and keeps it from going bad for a day or two. I really wouldn’t recommend trying to push it much past that though. If you’ve got kids that like bananas, you should pick one of these up for $3. However, if you’re thinking about buying one for yourself, I highly suggest you rethink eating the rest of that banana. Are those last three bites really going to kill you?

[ TaylorGifts ] VIA [ UberReview ]

By Luke Anderson

I can’t imagine how much peanut butter I’ve managed to waste in my lifetime. I’m not even talking about the stuff that gets stuck on my fingers and wiped on my pants. No, I have a bad habit of throwing out the jar while there is still plenty of peanut butter to be had at the bottom. I just don’t enjoy trying to scrape it out with a knife whilst getting my hand covered in the stuff.

This cool double-ended jar seems like it would be perfect for always getting out the last of your peanut butter. Just flip it over and scrape out what’s left. You’d probably be surprised at how many sandwiches you’d manage to get out of it. Unfortunately I don’t see companies jumping on board with this design. It will likely cost them more to produce, and since people will be getting more out of their peanut butter, they would be selling less.

[ Sherwood Forlee ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Luke Anderson

When you’re young, your parents always try to drill the importance of eating fruits and vegetables into your head. Of course when you grow up and move out you realize just how great your life is without needed to worry about those strange foods. Sure, sometimes you’ll buy a few apples and bananas with the intention of eating them, but lets face it, they just end up rotting away in the fridge. Well if you really do want to eat them, why not make them last a little longer?

The BLUE aims to be the device that actually gets you to eat your fruit. No, it’s not going to make you desire fruit more, but will make your fruit stay fresh longer. Maybe then you’ll actually get around to eating some.

The BLUE manages to keep your fruit from rotting by emitting a special light which kills off the harmful bacteria that loves to live on your food. You’ll simply see a soft blue light over your fruit, which will help preserve it. Unfortunately they don’t specify just how much extra life you’ll get out of your fruit.

VIA [ GearFuse ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Of all the Star Wars characters I think R2D2 gets the least respect, at least in terms of product tie-ins. But I guess it’s mostly because he’s shaped like a garbage can on wheels, and once you remove all of the electronics inside he can be re-purposed for a wide array of demeaning tasks. This time R2D2 will be the hit of your backyard barbecue while he serves as an ice bucket keeping your refreshments cold. As an added bonus he appears to come with a really cool ‘Han Solo frozen in carbonite’ ice cube mold that can be used to make miniature facsimiles of Harrison Ford in hibernation. They’re probably not going to fool Jabba The Hutt or anyone else Han Solo owes money to, but they’ll definitely make you the king of the Star Wars geeks for at least a night.

At one point the R2D2 ice bucket and Han Solo mold were available for pre-order from ForbiddenPlanet.co.uk for about $33, but the item has since been removed. So if anyone knows where to find one, please post a link in the comments.

[ The Green Head - Han Solo Frozen in Carbonite Ice Cube Tray with R2-D2 Ice Bucket ]

By Luke Anderson

How many times have you wanted a cold drink in the summer, only to have the ice cubes melt before you’re even halfway done? Unfortunately this waters down your beverage and you’re stuck either throwing it out or being stuck drinking something nasty. Apparently you can combat this by using spheres of ice. That’s great, but just how do you make ice spheres exactly?

Apparently it is a complicated process, one that is simplified by this Ice Mold. All you need to do is take an ice cube, set it in the metal press and wait for it to melt into a perfect ball. You can choose sizes of 55, 65, 70 and 80mm spheres, and get to work. You should be able to churn out 30 to 40 balls per hour, provided you already have some ice cubes made. Unfortunately there is no word on pricing or availability.

[ Taisin ] VIA [ BoingBoing ]

By Evan Ackerman

Remember a few weeks ago when I commented that my fantasy is to have every appliance in my home capable of making toast? Well, the Breville BTK500 toaster with an integrated kettle gets me even closer to my dream. Breville bills it as a kettle with an integrated toaster, but they’re not fooling anyone: toasters always get top billing. The BKT500 features a 1 liter kettle with a fast boil concealed heating element, and an electronically controlled toaster with “extra wide and deep self centering toasting slots.” It also includes a brilliant little “A Bit More” button that you push when your toast pops up not quite done. All this convenience can be yours for only $130.

[ Breville ikon BTK500 ] VIA [ Likecool ]

By Evan Ackerman

We demand a lot from our kitchens these days, and appliances are starting to feel the heat (heh) and lose their cool (heh) and… um… sink. And why should we settle for boring old unitaskers when we can buy things like this toastowave? LG’s LTM9000 (9000 being the best version of anything) pumps 900 watts into the microwave and 800 watts into the toaster, and offers 9 toasting levels “to suit all of your needs.” It comes in “high-tech stainless steel,” white, or black, and costs $140, which is probably way more expensive than buying a microwave and toaster and duct taping them together. But at least it would help me get one step closer to my ultimate dream: having every appliance in my home capable of making toast.

I’m looking at you, blender.

[ LG LTM9000 ] VIA [ Core77 ]

By Andrew Liszewski

These Spoon Scales are the perfect tool if your favorite recipe or less-than-legal means of employment requires extremely precise measurements. The spoon can weigh amounts ranging from 0.1 to 300g, and is accurate to 1/10th of a gram. It uses a built-in LCD to display the current weight which can be switched to show ounces instead of grams at the push of a button. While the scoop itself is made of ABS plastic, the spoon’s handle is actually made from stainless steel giving it that classy, professional kitchen appearance.

You can get it from Pro-idee for about $35.

[ Spoon Scales ] VIA [ Gadget Review ]

By Evan Ackerman

Toasters are dangerous beasts. Perhaps the most dangerous kitchen appliances in existence. Once a luscious toasty aroma starts wafting out of your electric deathtrap, it’s virtually impossible to keep your fingers from instinctually grasping at those succulent slices. Problem is, pieces of toast are approximately 1000 degrees right after they pop up. Personally, my desire for toast outweighs both my willpower and my better judgment, which is why this toaster is such a brilliant idea. All you have to do is flip the toaster upside down, and the toast slides right out onto your plate, ready for the application of butter and marmalade. The Toast One concept has a little touch sensitive display on one shoulder, but unfortunately looks like it can only handle one slice at a time. Those of us who need more than that will just have to continue to sacrifice our fingertips in the pursuit of tastiness.

[ Toast One ] VIA [ Design Blog ]

By Andrew Liszewski

How many times has your rockin’ party screeched to a halt when someone discovers you’re out of ice? Never get caught in that situation again with this countertop Ice Cube Machine. Just fill up the 2.3 liter water compartment, plug it in and 10-12 minutes later you’ll be enjoying your first batch of freshly made ice cubes.

The machine even offers you the option of 4 different ice cube sizes (small, medium, large and x-large) and over a 24 hour period it can produce almost 40 pounds of ice. Perfect for a room full of guests needing refreshment, or even a freezer full of bodies needing preservation.

It’s available from Paramountzone.com for about $280, but if you can think of a cheaper way to make ice I’d love to hear it.

[ Ice Cube Machine ] VIA [ IT Rush ]