One doesn't immediately associate engineers with fine culinary arts. However, with this list of extraordinary gadgets, even Zvi Galil will be strapping on an apron and getting down in the kitchen.
10. Wobbling Its Way to Your Heart
The Wobbler, at first glance, is an enigma. It's like a Rubix cube, only you can't even imagine what puzzle you are supposed to be figuring out. Then, once you separate the two magnetized halves, you see that it is actually salt and pepper shakers. Why the funny shape? Because it is specially engineered to roll it's way to the other end of the table once you set in motion. There's even a video of it in action. With this one it seems you can either keep your guests confused or entertained-your call. Grand-Illusions.com, $159.73
9. Yet Another Reason To Party
Whether you're going for a health-food party or a crazy, Mexican-themed night of drunkenness, the Margarator's got you covered. It makes a gallon of your favorite smoothie or margarita and dispenses them via a cute little tap. And its plug-it-in format allows you to keep said beverages frostily delicious for up to four hours wherever your stemware takes you, be that a campsite, a tailgate, or (gasp!) your dorm room. ekitchengadgets.com, $89.99
8. When Laziness Takes Over
Eliminate the need for dishtowels forever and embrace every slothful bone in your body. The Sunpentown Dish Dryer with Microprocessor gets your silverware, dishes, and chopsticks (it holds 6 sets! Crazy!) toasty warm and dry in record time. Wow. Target.com, $69.99
7. Take It All Off
Faster than banging on the floor. More powerful than a large-bicepped neighbor. Able to open jars in a single twist. Excited? You might just want to take advantage of the Black & Decker Lids Off Open-It-All Center. It can also uncork bottles and open cans. It does not, however, come with an archnemesis. Target.com, $49.99
6. Buzzing With the Best
You're addicted to coffee. You hate paying for Starbucks when you don't even think it's all that good. Make your own ridiculously good coffee with this ridiculously expensive espresso-maker. The Espressione Dolce Aroma Digital Super Automatic Coffee Center offers various levels of strength, the option of putting in ground beans or letting it grind them for you, a cup warmer, and, of course, a milk frother to fulfill your cappuccino desires. Best part: it cleans itself. Amazon.com, $484.69
5. Freedom To Be Tender
One of the secret forms of intuition to which novice chefs wish they had access is the ability to judge when something, particularly beef, chicken, or fish, is perfectly done. Not only does the Remote-Check ET-7 Wireless Thermometer allow you to have access to the exact second of cooked-just-right perfection through a temperature and time calculating function, it also pages you via a wireless transmitter to let you know when you've finally gotten to that special moment. Plus, it offers two probes, so you can have two different pieces or types of meat cooking at the same time, each with its own monitoring timer. If only it vibrated. Amazon.com, $36.99
4. Donuts, Simpsons-Style
Really, though. If you are going to make doughnuts from the comfort of your own home, why shouldn't they be made in a glossy, yellow gizmo with an image of Homer Simpson on top? It makes hot, perfect doughnuts that pop out easily from its six nonstick-coated molds all at once. And if Homer approves of them, they must be good. gadgetshop.com, $98.50
3. For Those Who Dream in Chocolate
At sixteen inches tall, this chocolate fountain provides a pretty significant amount of melting in a highly-accessible and somehow exceedingly stainless-steely-seductive manner. It can melt up to two pounds of your favorite chocolate chips or bars, all of which can then either be used for a) dipping marshmallows, fruit, etc. in like a civilized person or b) sticking your fingers in and playing with sweet messiness. Sharing is also optional. Stainless Steel Chocolate Fountain, Ekitchengadgets.com, $29.99
2. The McYourFavorite Just Got Easier
In the morning, your desire to have a delicious bacon or sausage-egg-and-cheesewich is probably beaten out by your desire to sleep long enough to make such a delight impossible. But now, in the form of Back to Basics TEM500, you can toast your bread/English muffin/croissant/bagel at the same time that you poach an egg in the conveniently attached compartment-not to mention the warming tray that excels at heating your favorite breakfast meat. All that: 4 minutes flat, far less time than you wasted on Facebook before you ever even got out of bed. Amazon.com, $38.39
1. What You Have Secretly Always Wanted
Don't deny it: when you were roughly fourteen, you craved it. You saw its plastic majesty on an infomercial and secretly willed it to appear in your kitchen via a random whim of your mother's. Now you can make that dream happen, and you don't even have to share the joy with her. The Eurosealer really can seal any salad-greens bag, any chip bag, any lunch meat bag, any cereal bag... the list goes on. But let's be honest: you don't care about extending the freshness of basically all the food you own. You just want to play with it. bedbathandbeyond.com, $7.99
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