While we occasionally post about products on Slashfood, whether cool gadgets, beautifully designed dinnerware, or some other hot new item, we very rarely talk about actual shopping.

That's changing tonight because this is something that cannot be kept to ourselves. Amazon.com has a 10-piece Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 10-Piece Cookware Set that's originally priced at $400, on sale for $149. That, my stainless steel cookware-less friends, is a steal, particularly since you can get this shipped for free!

Thanks to Elise of Simply Recipes for the heads up.

Many of us only use a large roasting pan a few times a year and even though the meals we are using it for are holiday dinners, where to is important to try to get the food as perfectly cooked as possible, it is hard to justify spending $200+ dollars on a pan that gets so little use. Cook's Country tested some inexpensive roasting pans, all under $100, to see if they would do just as good a job as the more expensive pans while staying in our budgets.

Each of the pans they tested was designed to work both on the stove-top, so they could be used to brown meats, and in the oven or under the broiler. They chose pans with a minimum size of 15" x 11" inches, to accommodate largest turkeys. Overall, they strongly preferred pans that had sturdy, upright handles, which were easy to grip and did not interfere with the way the pan fit into the oven by adding an extra 2-3 inches to the length. They also found that stainless steel pans with aluminum cores offered the best heat distribution, while plain stainless steel could be a bit spotty when it came to browning. Their top picks were:

• CALPHALON Contemporary Stainless Steel Roasting Pan ($100)
• CUISINART Chef's Classic Roasting Pan ($80)
• KITCHENAID Gourmet Distinctions Roasting Pan ($50) - Best Buy
• GRANITE WARE Oval Roasting Pan ($22) - Best Buy for very infrequent roasters

While running out to Starbucks is one way to get your coffee fix in a flash, the Cuisinart Coffee on Demand is an even easier way. The small, stylish machine takes up less room than most countertop coffee makers and dispenses one cup of coffee at a time, directly into your mug without the need for a carafe. The way that it works is that the coffee is brewed and stored inside a thermal reservoir inside the machine, which keeps it hot for up to 4 hours.

The product is suggested for entertaining, perhaps so guests can refill their mugs easily at a party, but the real target audience is anyone who has more than one cup of coffee per day. It would work particularly well in an office or home office, where you are likely to "refresh" your coffee every hour or so anyway.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you're going to make ice cream at home, it is worth it to get an ice cream maker. In fact, it is necessary to get an ice cream maker because it ensures that you will always get the optimal results from your frozen desserts. There are a wide range of ice cream makers to choose from, but there will definitely be at least one that fits your kitchen and your budget. After a batch or three of homemade ice cream, every single one will pay for itself in taste alone.

Ice Cream Ball - play with it and make ice cream. It's a great way to give your kids something to keep them occupied while they wait for the ice cream to be ready. $29

Cuisinart 1.5-qt. Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker - a great, easy-to-use all-purpose machine that can handle most family-sized jobs. Keep the extra freezer bowl in the freezer at all times so you're ready to go. Recommended by me (I own this model, pictured, and love it) and America's Test Kitchen. $49.95