One of the biggest obstacles I’ve had to face as an amateur chef is my own laziness. Sure, a home cooked meal made from scratch sounds delightful but it’s a lot of work. More ingredients mean a better melding of flavors as well as more preparation and opportunities to make a mistake. I mean, I know the difference between teaspoon and tablespoon but you’d be surprised how many times I grab the wrong one when I’m frazzled in the kitchen.
What I need, what I’m always looking for, is a product to make cooking less intimidating. The Sink Drainer Cutting Board (Uncommon Goods, $32.00) marries an organic bamboo cutting board with a silicone strainer and I can instantly breathe easier. I don’t have to worry about dropping all the vegetables I just chopped into the sink when I transfer them from the cutting board to the strainer because it’s built right in. The whole thing fits over your sink so you can slide your vegetables or meat directly into the strainer as you go. Usually I end up doing this in batches because my cutting board is too small to sustain an entire meal’s raw materials. Because this cutting board is meant to be used over the sink, it’s quite large and could be a bit tricky to store – something tells me it won’t be spending that much time tucked away though.
It’s probably a good idea to get a jump start on your Father’s Day shopping, so if Dad isn’t into cooking you can still find a bunch of other great ideas at Uncommon Goods.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 24″ x 12″ x 0.8″
-Cutting board with integrated strainer
-Fits over sink for easy chopping
-Wash in warm soapy water
-Made of silicone and organic bamboo
I can’t stand overpaying for stuff. I mean, it’s not like I everything I buy is on sale, but I make it a point not to buy something that is obviously overpriced. There are some times when that’s seemingly impossible, like at a baseball game or the airport. That’s fine, as long as you make sure you’re not shelling out a couple bucks a day just to get a bottle of water when you can get all the H2O you want from the water fountain for free.
Because you can’t take a water fountain with you, the Foldable Water Bottle Set (Things You Never Knew Existed, $9.98) is a great alternative. Lots of people are now carrying around reusable water bottles instead of buying disposable ones and that’s great for the environment. However, they’re usually pretty bulky, so you might decide to leave your fancy water bottle at home when it doesn’t jive with your routine. You won’t have that problem with these water bottles because they flatten and fold up when not in use. A water bottle you can stuff in your pocket – crazy, no? When you’re thirsty, you can unfold the bottle, fill it up (for free!), and it’ll stand upright.
It’s pretty bad when beer and water are the same price.
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Pocket friendly water bottle
-Includes carabiner clip and 2 bottles
-Stand upright when full
-Flattens and folds when empty
-Assorted colors
-Freezable
-Washable
-Reusable
Don’t you just hate it when you wake up in the middle of the night and your mouth is like the Sahara desert? I could only imagine how much worse it would be if I was a mouth breather – that would be like drinking the sand. Because I’m a self-confessed lazy person, I make sure that I have plenty of water on my bedside table on the off chance I wake up thirsty. I don’t like to just leave a full glass of water out though as you never know what might fall in there in the middle of the night. Also, there’s a 99.9 percent chance I would knock that whole glass onto myself sometime before dawn.
With the Bedside Babushka Water Carafe (Plasticland, $22.00), you can have your water and drink it too. What looks just like a beverage container is actually a cute glass and carafe set that comes apart in the same manner as a traditional babushka. The lower half holds your water while the top part becomes a perfectly sized drinking glass. My only caveat is that it’s glass – one wrong move and it’s a very dangerous situation.
Sorry, this babushka does not contain several other babushkas nested inside of it.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4″ x 7″
-Glass and carafe set
-Made of hand blown glass
I’m so clumsy it’s a wonder that I’ve managed to avoid breaking each and every bone in my body. Spoiler alert: I haven’t broken any, but it’s not for lack of opportunities. I am a master at tripping over nothing and accidentally running into things. While I could try becoming the next Bubble Boy, I’m hoping there’s a better solution to my accident-prone nature.
I’m not saying it’s a cure-all, but the Path Illuminating Umbrella (Hammacher Schlemmer, $39.95) is certainly a step in the right direction. It’s got to be harder to trip over your own two feet if they’re lit up like a Christmas tree, right? This umbrella, besides being ginormous and gust-resistant, features a flashlight built directly into the handle. Three bright white LED lights cast 100 lumens over a 30 foot range and the flashlight end rotates up to 180 degrees. With up to 48 hours of continuous use, you could take that two day stroll you’ve always dreamed about.
You could try shouting “Lumos!” while holding your current umbrella, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 38.5″ x 1.75″
-Umbrella with built in flashlight
-Up to 48 hours continuous use
-Lights up to 30′
-Three bright white LED light (100 lumens)
-60″ nylon gust resistant canopy
-Manual open/close
-Uses 3 AAA batteries (included)
I used to be very anti-Apple. Then I bought an iPod. Not too long after that, I bought an iPhone and just this year I became a proud owner of an iPad. It’s safe to say that the jig is up. Now that I own these lovely devices, I can’t imagine putting them in harm’s way. It’s not just the cost, although the mere thought of all the money down the drain is enough to give my heart palpitations. I have come to depend on my little iElectronics like they were part of the family.
So you can imagine my apprehension at the thought of submerging one of them in water a la the iSwim Waterproof Case w/ Headphones (Latest Buy, $26.95). This case insists that it can keep your precious music machine alive with the power of its double ziplock seal, making the whole deal waterproof enough to listen to music whilst swimming. To sweeten the pot even further, the set also includes waterproof headphones, lanyard, and an armband that attaches to the waterproof case. And if you want to blow your mind even more, make sure you catch an air pocket in the case before sealing and it’ll even float in the water!
I always want to believe in the power of a waterproof case, but I think I’d just be way too paranoid to use one. I’d always be worried that my case would be the defective one and that my iPod would turn into an expensive paperweight the moment I stepped foot onto the beach. I said I was paranoid, didn’t I?
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 5.5″ x 2.7″ x 0.78″
-Waterproof iPod case and headphones
-Includes armband, headphones, case, and lanyard
-Listen to music while swimming
-Double ziplock
