Serving

Fondue is fun. Sitting around with family and friends, jostling for position over a bowl of melted cheese or chocolate can be quite entertaining. Add some good wine and better conversation and you got yourself a complete evening. However, as enjoyable as this communal experience may be, there are at least two things involved with fondue parties that nobody enjoys: setting up and cleaning up.

When people think of fondue, generally cheese and chocolate come to mind, but also a small flickering flame. The Swissmar AlpenGlow 11-Piece Electric Fondue Set bypasses the convention of utilizing fire, and instead relies on … Read more

Disposable spoons and forks seem to be a fact of life: whether packing a lunch or picking up take out, they're everywhere. We all know that they aren't particularly good for the environment, but they are useful. World Centric has developed an alternative that is far more sustainable. The Biocompostable Utensils are made from corn starch and polylactic acid (another corn derivative.) When you're done using them, they can be composted. They do require higher heat than most home composting systems offer, but can be composted in a commercial composting facility. The corn starch utensils are safe … Read more

Wine is best enjoyed when it is shared among family and friends. However, the wine experience itself can be improved upon simply by having a bottle (or more) at the ready. After all, nobody is going to want to go on a wine run when the fun is just starting. Add to that the fact that chances are the wine will need to be chilled, and suddenly it becomes apparent that a little forethought goes a long way. However, having wine chilled and ready to drink can be bothersome, clumsy, ineffective and most importantly, space-challenged. That is, unless you have … Read more

Salt and pepper seem to have a lot of superstition attached to their existence. For example, there's that whole thing about throwing salt over one's shoulder after spilling it. Another one is that apparently, salt and pepper need to be kept together at all times. What happens if your throwing arm goes out, or if you are on a salt-reduced diet, I'll leave for other brave souls to test out, but when it comes to the world's most common spices, there is no end to how we keep them at the ready.

Not only is it … Read more

Sometimes one stove isn't enough. That's not to say an additional stove is always necessary, but sometimes you just need a little more. Or, perhaps even more importantly, you need your cooktop to just move over there. Whether it is a matter of space or convenience, a portable cooktop is an excellent way to expand your options.

The Fissler CookStar Induction Pro Cooktop, PROX61 features 1,500 watts of power and nine heating levels to ensure quality results no matter what or where you need to cook. A boost function and a keep-warm setting provide precision control, either … Read more

It's not hard to throw together a fondue party. All you need are a few friends, some easy-melting ingredients, and bread, fruit, or something of the like to dip in it. Oh, there's one more thing that would make the evening go down as easy as a vat of melted cheese or chocolate: the fondue pot. Even if you have such a device, creating the velvety centerpiece would probably require the use of a saucepan on the stovetop. That is, unless you have a fondue pot that does double duty.

The All-Clad Fondue Pot with Cast Aluminum Insert … Read more

The World Series may have come and gone (for some reason earlier this month), but that doesn't mean the real national pastime has to roll over. In fact, "rolling over" is exactly what this particular pastime excels at. While baseball may not be the same without hot dogs, you can take them away from the game and enjoy them throughout the long cold winter. Of course, if you want that authentic flavor that can only be had from uncountable revolutions on the heat source, you are going to need something special.

The Nostalgia Electrics Retro Series 50s Style Hot Dog Roller … Read more

When I have people over, I find that a cheese tray is the easiest way to prepare a tasty treat without having to put in a lot of effort. The Butcher Block End Grain Board just made that task even easier. Not only does it include four cheese knives that will allow guests to help themselves without having to touch the cheese with their bare hands, but it also offers a stainless-steel cutting wire, mounted on the board with a built-in chrome arm, that makes slicing cheese very easy. The cutting wire is replaceable, if need be, although the board … Read more

Backyard parties are always a lot of fun. Friends and family get together to eat and drink and share talltales and gossip. But, mostly eat. Plans have to be made for the grill, what to put on it, how to marinate it, and finally how to cook it. Which means, somebody has to be in charge of the grill. While it may be rewarding to oversee a landscape of cooking meats and vegetables, the reality is with responsibility, sacrifices must be made. While all your friends are over there laughing and having fun, you're stuck making sure their food … Read more