Win a free GPS from Gadling!
Posts with tag digital

Orville Redenbacher gets digitized

Last year, Sun-Maid's iconic mascot, the Sun-Maid maid, got a makeover so the brand would have a new look. Her overall appearance remained very similar, but she was digitized. The newly three dimensional character talks, does yoga and promotes California raisins, but even though she was one of the first ad icons to undergo this overhaul, she isn't the only one. Orville Redenbacher has recently been digitized so that he can continue to convincingly promote his famous popcorn brand over ten years after his death. The first ad to use digital Orville will air during the Golden Gloves and will depict "Redenbacher [pitching] popcorn while jiving to his MP3 player." A preview clip can be seen here.

With the amount of technology that went into the ad, it is the company's most expensive ever, but as we have seen from the movie industry, an expensive venture doesn't always yield blockbuster results. Opinions vary on whether this was a good idea or a bad one. Some, including Redenbacher's grandson, see it as a way to remember the man and even feel that he would have loved the idea himself. Others think that there is "a certain creepiness" to the revival of a long-dead man.

Click past the jump for a vintage Orville Redenbacher commercial.

Continue reading Orville Redenbacher gets digitized

Candy thermometers go digital

The one thing I hate about making candy is having to bend down to try to get a good reading from my candy thermometer. It's not the bending that bothers me, but the fact that I sometimes have to get my face rather close to an extremely hot, bubbling mass of sugar. It's hard enough to get a good reading on a traditional thermometer, trying to angle it in just such a way that you can approximate the temperature, and when you consider the fact that there is usually steam coming out of the pan and fogging the tube, it can be impossible. Unfortunately, more than one batch of fudge has been ruined by inaccurate temperature reading.

The Baker's Catalogue now stocks a digital candy thermometer that takes a precise reading in seconds. You don't have to get close to the sugar and you don't have to squint through fog, either. You can even program it to "beep" when the mixture reaches the desired temperature, or you can have the alarm sound at seven pre-programmed candy stages! It sounds perfect for anyone who wants to try their hand at making candy at home - especially beginners who aren't as confident about hitting their target temperature.

What kitchen timer do you use?

I have a problem. The timer on my oven is broken. Truth be told, I'm relieved because it went out in a blaze of glory - by which I mean that it made its high pitched beeping sound for about 2 days straight. By unplugging the oven, I was able to shut it off temporarily that was only a temporary solution, as I still wanted to use the oven. Now that the timer has passed on and I still have a functional oven, I am forced to rely on a temporary timer until I buy a new one.

I saw on Apartment Therapy: Chicago, they had picked out a list of the top ten kitchen timers, including the Michael Graves Alessi(bottom left, above) for $29.50, the Eva Solo Magnetic (right, above) for $33 and an Old fashioned aluminum timer for $24.99. To be honest, even though the Alessi timers are cute, I don't like any of them. I need a digital timer with a good alarm and neither of their two digital picks (an Oxo and a Taylor) mentions anything about their alarms in their product descriptions.

Digital timers not only come with better alarms than dialed timers, but they're much more accurate in terms of the times you can set them for. You'll never have to approximate, like you do with dials. I'm currently leaning towards the Big Digit Kitchen Timer (top left, above) or the Bonjur Timer, based on alarm noises alone. Is there such a thing as a best timer? What timer do you use?

 

Sun-Maid maid gets makeover

The Sun-Maid raisin girl is going digital. She is one of the most recognizable brand faces there is, having been almost unchanged since 1916, with only small updates made every year. The real-life Sun Maid maid was Lorainne Collette, who was discovered in Fresno, California, drying her long hair under a red bonnet. The wholesome, natural image of the Sun-Maid raisin girl went well with the company's message that their raisins are all natural, made with just "grapes and sunshine." But the maid is getting her biggest makeover ever this year: she's going digital.

The modern girl still has the same long hair and red bonnet, but now she does yoga on the Sun-Maid website in addition to promoting her grapes. She is younger and curvier than before. There is talk of giving her a name.

Like some people, including ad executives interviewed by the SF Chronicle, I think that the digital girl is a little creepy, though growers are apparently meeting her with enthusiasm. If she looked a little less computer-generated and a little more natural, she might fit with the “as nature intended” image of the brand a bit better, but if Sun-Made’s goal is to modernize, they’re probably on the right track

[Images SF Gate]

Continue reading Sun-Maid maid gets makeover

PodGourmet

If you're one of those people who always has an iPod on hand, and, you cook a lot, you should take a look at PodGourmet. It's basically 250 recipes that you can load up on your iPod. You can then view your recipes without all those pesky printouts. Just make sure not to splash oil on your iPod.

Chocolate photos

If you've felt that there's always been an unnecessary gap between the mediums of chocolate and digital photography, today's your lucky day. Get a load of Snapshot Chocolate, a New York-based photography company that takes digital photos and prints them on chocolates with food-grade inks. You can get a variety of chocolate items like lollipops, greeting cards or frame-style portraits for all kinds of occasions (as you can see here). This chocolate christening commemorative lolli goes for about six bucks, plus what appears to be a $35 set up fee. Is it just me, or is there something strange and slightly voodoo-esque about eating the images of loved ones? Maybe they should hook up with the chocolate deities.

Tip of the Day

Expand your grill repertoire by incorporating grilled items into tasty summer soups.

Slashfood Features


Seasons
Spring (18)
Summer (141)
Fall (2)
Winter (1)
What is it?
Beef (548)
Bread (30)
Candy (456)
Cheese (465)
Chocolate (775)
Comfort Food (638)
Condiments (229)
Dairy (515)
Eggs (263)
Fish (323)
Fruit (928)
Grains (600)
Meat (265)
Nuts/seeds (288)
Pork (330)
Poultry (396)
Rice (22)
Shellfish (149)
Soups/Salads (43)
Spices (293)
Sugar (400)
Vegetables (1182)
Holidays
Christmas (68)
Easter (20)
Halloween (40)
Hanukkah (9)
New Year's (11)
St. Patrick's Day (13)
Thanksgiving (49)
Valentine's Day (31)
Memorial Day (13)
Mother's Day (32)
Passover (7)
News
Artisan Foods (56)
Bakeries (128)
Books (738)
Business (1138)
Celebrities (77)
Coffee shops (179)
Farming (391)
Fast Food (238)
Food News (102)
Health & Medical (744)
How To (1227)
Lists (738)
Local Eating (63)
Magazines (459)
New Products (1381)
Newspapers (1492)
On the Blogs (2223)
Raves & Reviews (1071)
Recipes (2109)
Restaurants (1286)
Science (686)
Site Announcements (174)
Stores & Shopping (929)
Television/Film (562)
Trends (1278)
Vegetarian/Vegan (51)
Features
Cheese Course (5)
Cheese Course (0)
Diary of a Distiller (10)
Guilty Pleasures (37)
Raising the Bar (12)
Tip of the Day (94)
Alt-SlashFood (42)
Back to School (14)
Brought to you by the letter D (37)
Cookbook of the Day (431)
Cooking Live with Slashfood (80)
Cooking Without a Recipe (3)
Culinary Kids (225)
Did you know? (442)
Fall Flavors (124)
Feast Your Eyes (75)
Food Gadgets (461)
Food Oddities (890)
Food Porn  (876)
Food Quest (169)
Foodie Flicks (2)
Frugal Food (72)
Garden Party (25)
Grilled Cheese Day (34)
Hacking Food (107)
Happy Hour (210)
Head to Tail (35)
in sixty seconds (408)
Ingredient Spotlight (26)
Leftovers  (44)
Light Food (182)
Liquor Cabinet (163)
Lush Life (225)
Our Bloggers (22)
Pizza Day (40)
Pop Food (146)
Pumpkin Day (10)
Real Kitchens (76)
Retro cookery (111)
Sandwich Day (32)
Slashfood Ate (106)
Slashfood Bowl 2008 (17)
Slashfood Challenge (1)
Slashfood Talks (4)
Slow cooking (51)
Spirit of Christmas (174)
Spirit of Summer (178)
Spirited Cooking Day (29)
Spring Cleaning (23)
Steak Day (19)
Super Bowl XLII (73)
Super Size Me (117)
The Best ... in All of New York (13)
The History of... (68)
What Time Is It?
Breakfast (689)
Dessert (1231)
Dinner (1305)
Hors D'oeuvres (287)
Lunch (938)
Snacks (1059)
Where Is It?
America (2307)
Europe (453)
France (131)
Italy (142)
Asia (498)
Australia (149)
British Isles (842)
Caribbean (35)
Central Africa (7)
East Coast (550)
Eastern Europe (42)
Islands (52)
Mediterranean (129)
Mexico (15)
Middle East (54)
Midwest Cities (222)
Midwest Rural (68)
New Zealand (62)
North America (76)
Northern Africa (20)
Northern Europe (65)
South Africa (30)
South America (89)
South Asia (123)
Southern States (206)
West Coast (911)
What are you doing?
Baking (724)
Barbecuing (98)
Boiling (127)
Braising (18)
Broiling (33)
Frying (172)
Grilling (177)
Microwaving (33)
Roasting (85)
Slow cooking (25)
Steaming (45)
Choices
 (0)
Fairtrade (10)
Additives
Artificial Sugars (36)
High-fructose corn syrup (14)
MSG (6)
Trans Fats (57)
Libations
Hot chocolate (24)
Soda (156)
Spirits (346)
Beer (310)
Brandy (4)
Champagne (78)
Cocktails (383)
Coffee (352)
Gin (102)
Juice (117)
Liqueurs (52)
Non-alcoholic (18)
Rum (84)
Teas (170)
Tequila (11)
Vodka (147)
Water (81)
Whisky (98)
Wine (588)
Affairs
Celebrations (42)
Closings (9)
Festivals (31)
Holidays (236)
Openings (40)
Parties (200)
Tastings (139)

RESOURCES

RSS NEWSFEEDS

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Stories

Featured Galleries

I scream, you scream...
Food delivery at its finest
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter Ten - There's no place like home
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter Nine - Brewery & Distillery Construction
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter Nine - Culinary Couples
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter Nine - Lobsters and Oysters
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter Eight - Fourth of July Parade
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter Eight - Bar Harbor, Mt. Cadillac, Sunset House B&B, and Schoodic Point
Sugarcraft Masterpieces
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter Seven -  Happy Independence Day and X-mas in July
Cheese sculpture gallery
 

Sponsored Links

Most Commented On (60 days)

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Also on AOL