By Andrew Liszewski

Even the most incompetent chef knows that stirring something helps it heat more evenly. And while something like this autonomous saucier works a treat when cooking on a stove, I doubt it’s something you’ll want bombarded with radiation in the microwave. So here’s a ridiculously low-tech automatic stirring alternative for your microwave cookery- a spoon with a suction cup on the end. You just jam it onto the roof inside your microwave, adjust the height accordingly, and as the food spins on the turntable it will also be slowly stirred from above. $19.99 from Whatever Works.

[ Microwave Mixer ] VIA [ bookofjoe ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Think of these adorable Fridgeezoo animals as a smaller version of your parents, sitting inside your fridge, reminding you to close the door if you spend too much time window shopping for something to eat. As you can see they’re all themed after animals that live in cold climates like a polar bear, penguin, walrus and seal, and while they start out with a friendly greeting when you open the door, if you linger for too long letting out too much cold air they’ll soon get snappy about your apathy towards eco-friendliness.

The animals are also voiced by a Japanese hip-hop crew known as the Romancrew, which takes away about 95% of their cuteness factor, but the novelty is still there I guess. ~$25 each (¥1,980) available from the Appare Store.

[ Fridgeezoo Animals ] VIA [ Craziest Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It looks like it would be impossible to stack in your freezer, it produces odd-shaped ice cubes and it’s been incorrectly identified as a battleship, but this silicone tray is still oddly appealing. It’s just $11 from Kikkerland, making it the perfect kitchen accessory to sit in a drawer alongside the LEGO brick ice cube tray I also never use.

[ Kikkerland - Battleship Ice Cube Tray ] VIA [ The Green Head ]

By Chris Scott Barr

My house has a lot of strange things in it. Mostly because I’m a bit on the strange side myself. So naturally, I keep my eye out for unusual things which I can use to adorn my place of residence. Naturally, these Throwing Knife Fridge Magnets are exactly the sort of thing I need for my kitchen.

No, there’s no high-tech wizardry to see here. Just some awesome magnets that make it look like you’ve stabbed a knife through whatever paper you’ve hung up (and through your fridge as well). Since those throwing star magnets aren’t up for sale anymore, these will definitely have to be purchased. $10 each is a tad steep though.

[ ThinkGeek ] VIA [ GearFuse ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Cooking isn’t exactly my area of expertise. If it involves more than a single pan to prepare, I’m probably not going to bother with it. Some days I even manage to mess up the simple act of boiling water. Not because it’s a difficult task, mind you. I just tend to wander off and forget about the water until half of it has boiled away. I’d stand there and watch it, but it’s so boring, and I have better things to do with my time than watch water boil. Apparently I need one of these BoilBuoys.

When you put a tea kettle on the stove, it whistles when the water boils. This little thing is based on the same idea. When the water boils, a chime rings out. There’s really not much else to it. The BoilBuoy has a weighted bottom to make it stay upright and is made from food- and heat-safe materials. For $10, I’ll probably buy one.

[ Quirky ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

By Chris Scott Barr

When I think of camping, I imagine pitching a tent somewhere in the middle of nowhere and cooking food over an open fire. Of course, some people have a vastly different idea about camping. I’m talking about the people who pull up in a Winnebago with a stocked fridge, and hoist an antennae so that they can catch the race later. If your idea is somewhere in-between these, then you might be interested in the WaveBox.

Rather than relying on a campfire to heat your meals, the WaveBox allows you to nuke your food, just like you would back home. This “portable” microwave is going to require you to be near an outlet, or at the very least, your car. Most people will opt for the latter, in which case you’ll probably want to hook it directly to your car’s battery for maximum power. At just over $200, this microwave will either make you the envy of your camping buddies, or will get you kicked out of the tent.

[ WaveBox ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While it might be designed to “suit Koreans’ tastes” Samsung’s new Zipel combines a traditional oven, a microwave and a steamer into a single compact appliance that could revolutionize every dorm room around the world, and force the hot plate into extinction. But it doesn’t stop at being able to cook almost anything, including healthy dishes. The Zipel is also voice activated and includes a combination of 160 different cooking settings that covers pretty much anything you could think of, from popcorn to mac and cheese. It runs just under $600 for the full-on version, though there’s also a steamless model for just $250. Now if Samsung throws in a couple of milk crates to use as a stand, in no time it will have a monopoly on the college market.

[ AVING USA - Samsung Electronics, releases new product 'Zipel oven' to satisfy Koreans' tastes ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Sometimes the most interesting gadgets can be the simple ones. Take for instance this Tapi Tap Squeeze Drink Fountain. There are no fancy electronic components or mechanical parts to be found here. Just one piece of very specifically-crafted rubber.

This simple product turns almost any household faucet into a water fountain with just a squeeze. It fits snugly over your existing faucet (and comes in a variety of colors to suit your tastes) and allows water to flow freely as usual. However, when you want a drink, just give it a squeeze and a stream will shoot upwards, allowing you to reach the water without sticking your head in the sink. I can see this being great in bathrooms, for late-night drinks and rinsing your mouth out after brushing your teeth. You can pick these up for just $5 each.

[ DreamFarm ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Chris Scott Barr

The iPad is a useful device, what with that nice big touchscreen and all. One place it can come in handy is your kitchen. Imagine not needing to print off (or write down) recipes for your favorite meals. Just set down your iPad, and open up an app that has them all listed. But you don’t want to just leave your iPad sitting on the counter, it could get in the way, and might be harder to read that way. Instead, you could just simply mount it to your fridge.

The Woodford FridgePad is exactly the kind of iPad stand that you need to mount your iPad to your fridge. Since it relies on a few magnets to keep itself in place, you can just as easily mount it to anything made of metal this way. Look for it on sale in the next couple of months for around $75.

[ Woodford ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]