Crave

How many marketing goons did it take to come up with "Beanzawave?"

(Credit: Daily Mail)

In what appears to be another case of "good idea, poor execution," Heinz has partnered with Frazer Designers to invent the world's smallest USB-powered microwave. The little device aims to satisfy the appetites of office workers who have so much work on their plate they can't find the time to step outside for a bite to eat. Stranger still, the microwave is called...the Beanzawave (what?!).

The small turquoise device is officially the smallest microwave ever invented, measuring a tiny 7.4 inches tall, 6.2 inches wide, and 5.9 inches deep. Much like today's external hard drives, the microwave is entirely powered by the USB bus on a computer, so there's no extra plug necessary. If you're wondering how it'll nuke your food, the answer has the Microwave Association (what?!) worried as well. Gordon Andrews and Stephen Frazer, the masterminds and "microwave experts" (what?!) behind the Beanzawave claim the device uses phone radio frequencies that produce the heat necessary to cook a single serving of food in Heinz's proprietary "Snap Pots."

Bill takes a break and enjoys a nice pot of poison.

(Credit: Daily Mail)

All right wait, what?! Phone radio frequencies to cook our food? Apparently we've totally forgotten our fear that cell phones are carcinogenic and catapulted directly to ingestion. Andrews claims it's actually possible to adjust these radio frequencies to cook different foods, including pies, burgers, soup, or tea. He also suggests powering the Beanzawave with lithium ion batteries for campers and fishermen who want hot food in the field.

This prototype isn't getting very good feedback from the Microwave Association, and they're pretty sure this miniature technology won't ever see the light of day. I'm with them. But Heinz is sticking to the plan and says the final production decision rests in the hands of public feedback, so let's hear it: would you feel comfortable eating food out of a microwave powered by your computer using phone radio frequencies? Leave a comment and let us know!

(Source: DailyMail)

Health concerns aside, one of the biggest drawbacks of cooking bacon is the mess: greasy splatters on your cooktop or stacks of soiled paper towels. The WowBacon bacon broiler ($20) promises to keep grease contained while cooking bacon to perfection--in your microwave.

Of course, cooking bacon in the device is slightly more complicated than just throwing it in a pan. First, you drape the bacon over a six-pronged rack and attach the lid to the top of the rack. Then lower the rack into the grease-catching cup and secure it with the attached clamps. The pitcher-like device is then ready to go into the microwave, where the bacon reportedly broils at more than 425 degrees. When it's done, lift the lid and rack out of the cup, pull the bacon off the rack (blotting any remaining grease if needed) and enjoy.

I'm not normally one for single-purpose gadgets, especially the "as seen on TV" kind. But, as someone whose BLT craving once drove her to attempt to fry bacon in a dorm room hot pot, I can see the appeal of this gadget for college students or other bacon lovers who'd rather not stand at the stove for their daily dose of salty pork.

I have four small kids, so when we plan a large dinner with friends, I do as much cooking as possible ahead of time. But I also live in Houston, so running the oven at 170 degrees to keep the food warm until we sit down to eat doesn't exactly thrill me. I've tried microwaving cooked food, but it delays the start of the meal, because each item has to be placed inside and heated. When I cram in several dishes at once, the turntable sputters, and I end up with spills all over everything.

The LG's look is sleek, but you'll have to get used to the keypad placement.

(Credit: LG)

LG's new over-the-range microwave provides a unique solution--it incorporates a warming lamp using radiant heat---not a bulb or microwaves--that can be set to one of four predetermined temperatures for up to 90 minutes. And it has a roomy 2 cubic foot interior that lets you place large casseroles up to 15 inches long on the sliding tray while the turntable underneath holds dishes up to 12 inches long. So you can serve dinner without breaking a sweat.

Of course, you can use the microwave in a more ordinary fashion as well. An extra-wide viewing window lets you keep a close eye on the food while it cooks. And the machine uses humidity-sensing technology to determine when food is cooked and automatically turn off. No more rubbery reheated chicken!

The keypad runs along the bottom edge of the microwave, which keeps controls at eye level, but also puts them within reach of my very tall four-year-old---not exactly a plus for me, but maybe your children are better behaved (or shorter).

The new LG comes in white, black, and stainless to match any kitchen decor, and retails for $459 to $529 depending on the finish you choose.

(Credit: Sharper Image)

In our day, most dorm rooms got by with makeshift "kitchens" that consisted of a hot plate and maybe a toaster oven. But that was back in the days when space was at a premium because the stereo--and stacks of vinyl LPs--took up half the room.

Now we have "personal" microwave ovens to do the job, some of them barely bigger than a breadbox. The "iWavecube," for example, will heat up frozen pizzas like the best of 'em while occupying under a cubic foot of space and weighing just 12 pounds.

It may not be as mobile as the portable "WaveBox," but it comes close. Either way, you can save a little money on this "Tailgating Trailer" by passing up on its optional microwave. Or, if they start making one with an LCD built into the door, you could just watch the game at home.

(Credit: Gizmag)

Talk about evolution. A decade ago the iconic appliance of digital age was the Internet toaster; now say hello to the microwave TV.

Thankfully, no one seems to be viewing this latest invention as the ultimate device in technological convergence--quite the opposite, actually. But that hasn't stopped Holland Electro Wave TV from debuting its Frankenstein creation at the IFA trade show in Berlin. The concept is rather silly, if you ask us: The "Wave," according to Gizmag, is basically a microwave oven with an LCD built into the door.

Not only does it cost about $680, which is too much, but it's impractical to boot. How, for instance, can you be sure that last night's pizza isn't blowing up inside while you're aborbed in Dancing with the Stars? Then again, in an era when refrigerator TVs and waterproof remotes are all the rage, perhaps this idea isn't so dumb after all.

(Credit: The Frank Group)

Office food thieves, beware. Your illicit supply is about to run dry.

That's because co-workers no longer need to keep their food in the communal fridge for microwaving at lunchtime. Instead, they can just keep it at their desk and microwave it inside the lunchbox itself. The "WaveBox," combined with its "CoolWave" liner, is an all-in-one food receptacle and cooking appliance. The latter keeps the contents fresh until you're ready to eat, when you can then flip a switch and microwave your grub right inside the WaveBox, according to Popgadget.

Billed as the "world's smallest portable microwave," the $200 oven is about the size of a large lunchbox or a small cooler and can plug into the car's cigarette lighter as well as any standard wall outlet--making it ideal for the bona fide road warrior. After all, it's only natural to want some fresh popcorn while watching a movie behind the wheel.

(Credit: Marcel Wanders)

A few months ago, when I came across that gadget that prepares eggs, toast, and coffee for you, I rashly and wrongfully asserted that such "breakfast multitasking" was endemic to Japan. That was an erroneous assertion on my part: the Dutch are doing it too, except that this gadget really isn't specific to breakfast. Holland Electric has a fun little product designed by Marcel Wanders. Called the Wave TV, it combines a microwave with a 15" TV and DVD player. We've seen kitchen TVs before, but until this point they've been largely confined to fridges. And if you're wondering why there is a chicken in that picture of the Wave TV, Treehugger says that it's because designer Wanders puts animals into all of his product photos.

Here's an idea for the Wave TV: If you want to be artsy, you could pop in a DVD of nuclear weapon test videos and play it on a loop while nuking food. It's like, making a statement!

And for the record, last I checked, Japan no longer can claim to be the only country churning out oddball kitchen-multitasking devices, but they still appear to be the sole manufacturer of Pikachu-style snowplows and Hello Kitty USB lap warmers.

(Credit: Popgadget)

The way manufacturers are splattering color all over home appliances, you'd think they'd seen Pleasantville one too many times. We've seen transformations in everything from stoves and refrigerators to washing machines and even personal safes.

So we're curious why it's taken so long for them to get around to that staple of every house, apartment, condo and dorm room: the microwave. But Whirlpool is trying to make up for lost time with its "Max" ovens, which Popgadget says are available in black, silver, baby blue and raspberry red. They also sport a non-traditional casing of rounded corners and control panels on top.

We hope only that Samsung exercises some restraint when it joins the trend.

You know how punching in a cook time on a microwave is just too much work? Not only do you have to unwrap your pre-packaged meal, but you have to put it on a plate, and on top of that, you have shut the door. By then, anyone would be exhausted.

(Credit: Samsung)

Samsung's response: "Dude. We know." Or something like that. But the company is selling the Smart Oven, a combination conventional oven and microwave that reads the bar code on a package of food and knows how long to nuke it.

While this may be a boon to, say, the guy on his 18th straight hour of playing Final Fantasy XII, or the girl glued to her couch for an Arrested Development DVD marathon, it will likely bring a tear to the eyes of foodies everywhere.

But it's not just for people who can't spare 30 minutes to whip up a meal, according to the Web site. It's for people who like to "cook from scratch" too. "From scratch" is interpreted loosely here, as the recipe suggestions range from the potentially delicious to the unfortunate.

Thanks to Absolute Gadget for pointing us to it.