"kitchenware" news and stories

There is a new kid on the kitchenware block -- the Food Network.

The network's website store now features a whole slew of branded products for the home kitchen. The products are the usual tools that you'd expect to see -- pots, pans, knives, bowls, and gadgets. More seasoned cooks won't find anything new here, but new cooks should be allured by a lot of good kitchen basics at decent prices. For example, their 11-piece hard anodized cookware set is priced at $199.95. That's not bad at all for a starter set.

There is, however, one superfluous gadget that makes me laugh -- the porcelain egg tray you can see to the right. If you're a deviled egg fiend, this is the product for you. But for the rest, it's one piece of kitchenware that sticks out in a sea of mostly utilitarian goodies.

Just to further tempt you -- the website also has a slew of videos that you can watch of their products in action. Now I just wonder how they'll all compete with the products branded by the network's stars!

The Museum of Modern Art Store might not immediately pop into your mind as the perfect place to fulfill all your kitchen needs.

Makes sense - much of its items are pricey and elegant, and not appropriate for everyday use. But if nothing else, it's certainly fun to peruse the products and place them on your mental kitchen wish list.

From inside-out martini glasses to panda-shaped pink lunch bags, MOMA's got funky kitchenware covered. Check out some of the fanciful finds below.

Forget Obama versus Hillary, the debate heating up over at Apartment Therapy has to do with dish racks. Some people consider them another fun piece of kitchen gear, buying bamboo or ultra-modern stainless steel versions. Others can't stand them (including the Apartment Therapy bloggers), finding them a waste of space, a silly unitasker easily replaced by a dish towel.

I've got one, but honestly I never really thought about it. But, judging by the number of comments on the post, it's a real Coke/Pepsi divide. It reminded me of a cool book, Emotional Design: Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things, by Donald Norman. Norman, a consultant to design firms, analyzes why people feel the way they feel about things like teapots and juicers. It's a good read for the kind of design junkie who has genuine emotions about things like dish racks (or vintage toasters, or enameled cookware, or the "perfect" coffee thermos etc.).

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...and don't worry about breaking anything. 

The Supple espresso cup is exactly that - soft and supple and doesn't break. The cup is designed by Cooked in Marseille was selected by "Observer du design" in 2002. I just wonder if it keeps the espresso hot. 

The Supple espresso cups are €12.00 each (cup and saucer), come in red, blue, yellow and white, and are available at Sendhen. 

We talk a lot about organic, local, and sustainable foods, but what about the tools we use to prepare the foods? I just came across Branch, an online store that sells products for the home, kitchen, kids, and accessories, that are sustainably made. For example, the chopping board pictured is handmade in China by a company called Bambu. The chopping board itself is 100% organically grown bamboo and made with non-toxic adhesives and natural wood oil.

The beauty of Branch is that, well, there is beauty in the design of the products they sell. They are an online store only, but are hoping to open a physical store in San Francisco.