Did you watch the debates on Friday? The political campaigns are really heating up as we head into the final weeks before election day. Even the food blogs, normally partisan-free zones, are full of political stories.
There are a whole bunch of ways for you to cast your vote via the food you pick this year. Inventor Spot has gathered a list of seven of those opportunities. Make your preference known through Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavors, lollipops, hot sauce and beer. I especially like the coffee choices from Fresh Beanz Coffee Company.
Voting with food or beverage items may not have as much impact as the ballot you'll cast on November 4th, but it sure tastes a heck of a lot better!
I love bread, but I don't let myself eat too much of it. The reason? Like so many other people in the US, I am concerned about my waistline. Don't get me wrong, I eat bread. I just try to eat it in moderation. However my days of limited bread consumption may soon be over, as cereal scientists are working on creating a kind of wheat that produces flour with fewer available calories.
When I first saw this article at Inventor Spot, I was mighty skeptical. The title and early portion of the article make it seem as though the wheat being developed actually has fewer calories. However, as I read further, I realized that the wheat simply has fewer available calories. Because of the way the wheat is genetically altered, a portion of the calories are indigestible by our stomach acids and acts more like dietary fiber.
I know that the wheat currently available is genetically modified, but it's not the kind of GM wherein genes from another species is introduced. Instead, certain aspects of the wheat's genetic information have been turned off. Cereal scientists are working on growing this wheat by natural breeding rather than genetic modification.
If you're wondering where I got all this information, I have a secret weapon. My friend the cereal scientist explained Inventor Spot's article, albeit in pretty technical language. If you want to read what he has to say on this subject, just continue reading after the jump.
I came across this cool set of chopping boards over at InventorSpot recently and thought they were worth sharing.
The set of cutting boards is designed to like like tabs in a file folder, and they're color coded to indicate what should be cut on each: red for meat, white for poultry and pork, blue for fish, and green for vegetables and fruits. They are also a good size at 8" by 12". I also love that the chopping boards are in a container, so they look neat and tidy on your counter.
You can find the Index Chopping Boards at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) online store. Be aware, though, that you're paying for design. At $85 for the set, this is some pricey kitchen ware. If you have the money to spend, this could be a nice addition to you kitchen. For me, though, I'll just stick with my inexpensive, yet reliable, cutting boards from Target. What's your take on the Index Cutting Boards?
The Topography Bowl is made to look like a round mountain range, which you then fill with soup or salad so it looks like a mountain lake or forested valley. I guess this would be a conversation starter at your next dinner party, if you can afford it. The price is $179 a pop. Over at Inventor Spot, M Dee Dubroff' constantly throws out comments on how silly this thing is, and I agree. However, if you have the money and tend to like eccentric dinnerware, the Topography Bowl may be just what you're looking for.
I'm always so impressed by people who can knit, especially if they're good at it. I have no patience, so I'm pretty sure I would be a lousy knitter: I'd be trying to rush through and see how much I could get done in a certain amount of time.
One more great eggs-ample of food art! This piece was created by artist Henk Hofstra, and the Wooster Collective reported back in May about the project that's located in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
Each egg is about 100 feet wide, and they were spread out in one of the largest squares in Leeuwarden, called Zaailand, where they'll be walked on and photographed for six months.
Diana Eid of Inventor Spot said that this art project was just made for Google Earth, which tickled me to no end. I wouldn't have thought that, but I think it's great that someone did. New and creative ways to view food and art are always welcome in my book.
Are you concerned about your kids eating their eggs? The Egg Robot is here to help.
The Egg Robot comes with the robot suit and the spoon, but you have to provide the eggs, of course. It's a newish toy that claims to make eating eggs more fun for your kids, thus they will now eat their eggs (it's really nothing more than a fancied up egg cup). That's assuming you have trouble getting your kids to eat eggs, otherwise it's just a novelty item that'd hang around and clutter up your house.
I know I didn't like eggs when I was a kid, except hard cooked eggs. There wasn't very much my mom could do to convince me otherwise, but I don't remember that being such a big concern for her. Maybe you could put other foodstuff in the robot to make your child want to eat whatever it is, something a little more important, like vegetables. Do you think this is a good idea?
I think I've heard of mangosteens before, at least I've heard the name. Apparently, though, the tropical fruit is all the rage in Japan.
According to this post from InventorSpot, mangosteens, or juice drinks made from them, are very popular in Japan right now because they're supposed to be high in antioxidants and ward off cancer in mice (though that hasn't been tested in humans).
Mangosteens are originally from Thailand, but they're difficult to export from the region because they are so preishable. Also, the tree can only be grown in tropical climates. Those factors make even pureés made from Mangosteens pretty expensive anywhere outside of Southeast Asia.
Now that I know a little more about the fruit I'm curious about it. Have any of you had mangosteen? What do you think about it?
Do you enjoy fresh squeezed orange juice with your fabulous weekend breakfast? You're gonna love it even more when you get to use the Juicy Boobs.
Well, maybe not, but it's a cute idea. The Juicy Boobs is a new manual citrus juicer that has two juicing components and a deep well in the center to catch the juice. I realize that it's unnecessary, especially of you already have a juicer, and that it relies on a wacky, sexual gimmick to sell, but come on, what could be more fun on Saturday morning than to make some bad pun about the name of your juicer? Hey, I got the Juicy Boobs!
When I saw this machine on Inventor Spot, I was truly amazed. I also thought it sounded too good to be true, but that remains to be seen.
The Culinary Prep is a device that cleans food in an "all natural and very effective anti-microbial solution." The makers of the Culinary Prep claim that it removes 95% of bacteria from the raw meats and/or vegetables that you wash in it. It's also about $400, but I guess when it comes to food safety you get what you pay for.
In addition, the Culinary Prep makers say that it reduces spoilage (thus extending shelf life), improves flavor, and still reduces fat and sodium. I can see how this device can extend shelf life, reduce spoilage and all that, and even how that could have an effect on the flavor. It's that fat/sodium reduction claim in addition to everything else that sets off my "spidey sense." What do you think? Would you buy it?
I was so excited about this Japanese Cloer model 1611waffle iron that I saw on Inventor Spot today. I thought that someone finally made a waffle iron that creates heart shaped waffles (even though this one is supposed to be in the form of a cherry blossom).
Then it occurred to me that this could not possibly be the first flower/heart shaped waffle iron out there. (You'll have to forgive my ignorance of waffle irons, but they're just not something I put a lot of thought into.) I looked around and, sure enough, there are plenty of flower/heart shaped waffle irons. You can even get a Hello Kitty waffle iron!
While there are some nice design features on this new model, Inventor Spot shouldn't be pimping it like there's nothing else like it in the world. Yes, the waffle iron is stored vertically so it takes up less counter space, but who keeps a waffle iron out when they're not using it anyway (except someone who uses it every day, of course)? I wonder if Inventor Spot knows that this new Cloer model isn't the first flower shaped waffle iron?
The IWaveCube is so named because of its dimensions: about one cubic foot. That doesn't leave a lot of cooking space. I mean, what are you going to cook in it? The only place where I can see this being useful is in an office break room. I gather that people in an office setting generally only need to heat up small portions of food or cups of coffee, and the IWaveCube could handle that without taking up too much space.
No word on when it'll be available, if it's not already. Do you see this being a useful new kitchen tool?
Are you grilling out this weekend? Add some flavor to your food by putting on a rub, a chocolate rub.
That's right. There are some people who think chocolate should go on everything, including the ladies who invented Diva Chocolates Grilling Rubs. If you're feeling adventurous, why not have a chocolate rubbed steak, or some spicy mocha chicken.
There are several flavors to choose from. Each one is recommended for specific cuts of meat, but they say that the flavors can go on anything you want. There's even a recipe page. It might be fun, and delicious, to try some chocolate rubs for your weekend grilling.
Do you plan on doing a lot of grilling this summer? You'll probably have to clean the grill at least a few times, but now you don't have to use chemical cleaners or lots of water to do it.
Inventor Spot is keeping us environmentally friendly this summer by highlighting the Grillboy. It's a new device that's shaped like a stick figure with all different sized grooves on the hands and feet. The grooves are for scraping the carbon buildup off of the grill, and the different sized grooves make the Grillboy useful for lots of grills.
The Grillboy is also a magnet, so just put it on the fridge for storage and you'll always know where to find it when you're getting ready for your next cookout.
Here's a neat new (?) pot holding idea. Inventor Spot brought this one to my attention recently. It's called the Banana Handle, and you just slide it onto the end of a pot handle.
This gadget comes to us from Fred & Friends, but you can also find it on Amazon. It's a fun concept and maybe worth having, though not great for universal heat protection. Sadly, I don't see the Banana Handle being that useful in taking cookie sheets out of the oven.
We can change the way we make eggs -- scrambled, poached, fried -- but what about changing the eggs themselves? Mix up your scrambling routine with quail eggs.
Are you concerned about your kids eating their eggs? The Egg Robot is here to help. 
When I saw this
I was so excited about this 
Do you plan on doing a lot of grilling this summer? You'll probably have to clean the grill at least a few times, but now you don't have to use chemical cleaners or lots of water to do it.
Here's a neat new (?) pot holding idea. 
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