Fun in the kitchen again! Do you remember the paper fortune tellers kids used to play with? Like primitive origami? Someone’s borrowed the shape and made an kitchen “glove” out of it.

Unlike ordinary oven mitts, the Get-It Finger Guard is flexible so it makes grabbing small (and hot) objects, such as eggs or baked potatoes, much easier. It’s made from silicone that can withstand heat up to 600ºF and comes in 3 colors: red, Mediterranean blue and wasabi. And it looks cool enough to make me want to try it, even though I have no problem picking up eggs with my bare hands (just let cold water run over them for a minute, geez).

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $6.95 on BroadwayPanHandler.com.

Via bookofjoe

You’ll have to agree with me that ice cream is one of the best things of summer. (You don’t? Well you’re weird.) Even though ice cream tastes the same no matter what shape it’s in, if you have guests to impress you might find it difficult to do with ordinary kitchen utensils. Spoons are ok, but they don’t quite yield results to brag about.

The Cuisipro Ice Cream Scoop & Stack comes to the rescue. You can get perfectly shaped cones and, if you’ve got a bit of imagination, even create frozen works of art out of multiple scoops.

(Then again, if your public is two 10-year olds, you’d be better off spending your $15 on something else.)

How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.95 on Amazon.com.

Via DVICE

Having to cook doesn’t automatically imply you shouldn’t have some fun. You can press your garlic the classic way, or you could pretend you’re 10 and playing with toy cars.

To use the Chef’n Garlic Zoom you have to put the cloves inside the container and then roll it up and down your counter (you can even convince your kids to join in and help). Of course, there’s a downside too: you need at least some counter space or the fun turns into frustration.

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $9.99 on Amazon.com.

Via BoingBoing

An extension cord is something we mostly ignore… until we really need one. But, if you like your house tidy, it can be annoying to have big loops of cable all around. Sometimes the outlet is just a little too far, so you need an extension; all fine and dandy, but when you need 5 inches and the shortest cord you can find is 3 feet… Well, you can use the Retractable Extension Cord.

The concept is simple and smart: you never know exactly how much cord you’re going to need, so let’s just offer you a lot, but keep it tucked away. 5 feet is long enough for most normal homes, but only the amount you need is extended; the rest winds back into the base.

I can’t tell exactly how this winding back works (how does it know when to stop pulling back the cord?), but I’d really love one of these for my fridge, which fits the 5 inches/3 feet example perfectly. (For the life of me I can’t imagine why they would equip a fridge with a cord that won’t even go halfway around it.)

How much under $29.99?
Some: $12.98 on FullofLife.com.

Via OhGizmo!

Even computer geeks have to eat from time to time. No, you cannot live solely on chips. And, in order for food to taste good, it needs one or more condiments. Let’s stick to the basics for now: salt and pepper.

But you wouldn’t want to get confused in that foreign land the kitchen is… so get something familiar. The PC Keyboard Salt and Pepper Shakers are shaped like a P and an S key, respectively, and they have two different colors so you can tell them apart easily. The white stuff goes in the white shaker, the dark stuff goes in the black shaker. It’s easy.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $10.95 on GiftsforEngineers.com.

Via Engadget

Kitchen gizmos rock my world. I have this unnatural urge to buy all sorts of things to make my cooking easier – even if I actually hate to cook!

However, I do make live on fries and, after melting one utensil, I decided that leaving them around the hot pan is a very bad idea. But the Silicone Pan Handle is making me change my mind. Its primary purpose is to keep the handle cool, but all my pans have handles that don’t heat up. Its secondary purpose is why I love it: you can rest your utensils on it, so all the oil will drip back and you won’t have any melted plastic/burnt wood on your hands (not literally on your hands, of course… hopefully).

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $9.98 on ShopGetOrganized.com.

Via bookofjoe

Exactly how geeky are you? “I can reinstall my own Windows”, “I have a bunch of t-shirts with geeky messages” or “My apartment is a shrine to Star Wars?”. If you’re among the latter, there’s no hope for you, so you might as well add a new item to your collection…

I like the Star Wars R2 Shampoo Pump Dispenser because it’s not R2-D2. Yeah, he’s an important character and all, but there’s a limit to how many R2-D2 items you can buy until you get bored. These dispensers come in 4 models: R4-P17 (red/white), R2-Q5 (black), R2-A6 (green/white) and R2-R9 (red/silver) (although I haven’t figured out how something called R4-P17 qualifies as an R2 droid).

Now, on a more serious note, this isn’t only for Star Wars freaks. It’s pretty unobtrusive and, if not associated with a SW-themed bedroom, won’t scare girls away. (Also, I think it could be a perfect gift for my boyfriend. It’s much better than the talking Yoda he already has…)

How much under $29.99?
Some: $18 on NCSXShop.com.

Via BoingBoing

It took me four months to notice my stove had a timer. I used my mobile phone before, but phones and kitchens… grease, hot oil, spilt water… not a very good idea. So timer = great. But there’s one problem: what to do if you need to bake the cake for 30 minutes and cook the stew for 40? You only have one timer. Of course, the answer is: get more timers!

The Pot Tickers are timers that can be attached to your pots (and there’s even a timer apron available). There are two basic models: one that can be attached to a pot handle and one that has to be seated on a lid. Both timers are attached to pot-holders, which is good and bad. Good, because you get two uses out of one item. Bad, because all my oven gloves are burnt because I kept them too close to the fire, and I see those having the same fate… But then again, they are smaller than a normal glove, so who knows.

Either way, the idea itself is great. No more overcooked dinners!

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $9 on Pot-Tickers.com.

Via GizmosforGeeks

Summer’s on its way and if you live in one of those areas where days are so hot you can barely breathe… the Spritzer Cup could be the thing for you.

The idea itself is cool: instead of a normal plastic glass, you get a special tumbler with two containers: one for your soda and another for water. The soda part is obvious, but the water serves one important purpose: you can spray yourself with it and relieve some of the heat.

But, interesting as it may be, I find this impractical: who would carry a large plastic glass around with them? Besides, $15 for a glass is more than I would be willing to pay.On the other hand, if you have to work in an office with no air conditioning, you can just leave the Spritzer Cup on your desk and use it from time to time (plus it has double walls so your drinks will stay cold for longer).

How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.95 on Solutions.com.

Via bookofjoe

My grandma can cook without a recipe, she can just tell how much of everything has to go in a cake. Most of us probably won’t ever be able to do this, but there’s also exaggeration in the other direction: too much measuring. Not every gram counts, really… it’s not rocket science, it’s cooking.

So, with all my love for kitchen gadgets, I have to wonder if the EvriMeasure Combo Pack isn’t overkill. The two adjustable scoops let you choose the quantity in tablespoons, milliliters and ounces, which might make them the best tool for a lazy person, but on the other hand, you’d have to be very lazy to prefer scooping once rather than getting three consecutive tablespoons.

I can’t decide. They’re definitely not indispensable and they might even be useless… but I would still love to have a set.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $12.95 on Solutions.com.