I'm starting to think my fondness for gooseneck kettles is turning into full-blown addiction—and I'm okay with it. The Canadian-made Monarch Methods pour over kettle is among the more unique ones I've seen, with its copper construction and handle-less design. You grip it by the tanned harness leather insulator rather than an external handle, giving you better control over the pour. The…
We love a good kettle here at Tools & Toys—particularly the gooseneck variety—and this stainless steel Fino Pour Over Kettle fits the bill nicely. Nothing fancy about it really, just quality Japanese design and craftsmanship. I like that it's so compact compared to other kettles. My only quibble is that it doesn't whistle when the water's boiling, but the lid does bobble…
Up until recently, I've been happily buying saigon cinnamon to sprinkle on oatmeal and toast (and sometimes my coffee). That is, until I heard that out of all the cinnamon varieties out there, saigon contained by far and away the highest levels of the liver-damaging substance coumarin. Yikes. The type of cinnamon with the least coumarin is known as ceylon—also known as…
In the middle of running a Kickstarter for their Simple Syrup Kit, the industrious guys at Studio Neat have redesigned their website and they've made their Neat Ice Kit available for public purchase. This kit allows you to make beautifully clear ice in your own kitchen. It involves an insulated, block-shaped ice mold that freezes water from the top down, pushing impurities…
After a highly successful Kickstarter campaign for their Neat Ice Kit, the boys at Studio Neat are back with a new Kickstarter project: the Simple Syrup Kit. Simple syrup—a concoction of sugar and water—is great for sweetening both iced coffee and cocktails. We almost always have a jar of the stuff in our fridge. To use Tom and Dan's words, the Simple…
Need: Volume 9 is out, courtesy of our friend Matt Alexander and his team. Plenty of great items and photography to gawk at, but the things that really grabbed my attention were these Texas Tan Leather Coasters. They're handmade in Texas from English bridle leather and measure 4" in diameter. But mainly, they're gorgeous. These are the kind of coasters that will…
If there's one thing I love in the morning (besides my daily regimen of coffee injections), it's a good Belgian waffle. So, you'll understand why I'm more than excited about Daniel Shumski's upcoming cookbook, Will It Waffle? You'll learn how to waffle all sorts of stuff: bacon, eggs, hash browns, muffins, French toast, mac & cheese, sweet potato gnocci, potato and cheese…
When it comes to kettles, you'll have to pry the Bonavita variable temp gooseneck out of my cold, dead hands—but I must admit, this Japanese-imported Takahiro kettle has a certain classic appeal to it. While the Bonavita is the more convenient option to be sure, the Takahiro's simpler design aesthetic is far more pleasing to the eye. The Takahiro kettle is $92…
As this print's store page says, “Great espresso is both an art form and a science” Crafted with custom inks on beautiful Italian paper, this 20" x 27.5" print celebrates espresso by describing its theory and preparation in great detail, accompanied by illustrations. Get one from stellavie design for an introductory price of 59,95 EUR (~$81 USD) + 10,55 EUR shipping (~$14).
Summer is already halfway over, but there's plenty of hot weather left before we move on to more civilized seasons. If you're still looking for ways to beat the heat, you could do worse than picking up these mini-sized Zoku Slow Pops molds. They let you make up to 9 ice pops at once, which are easily removed from their silicone casings.…
The Bonavita variable-temp gooseneck kettle is one of our favorite coffee tools here at T&T, and one of the more popular items we've ever written about. If you still haven't made the jump though, you should know that it's now more affordable than ever, currently (as of 7/7/14) priced at $63 on Amazon, down from $90. We don't know if this is…
I grew up eating (and loving) cheap frozen waffles, so when my wife and I received a Belgian waffle maker as a wedding gift a few years ago, we didn't expect to use it much. Once we finally tried it though, we knew there was no going back. The only downside is that the process is slow, especially noticeable when we have…
I have mixed feelings about Keurig brewers. There's no denying their sheer convenience—I mean, you literally just push a button to brew—but those disposable K-Cup pods are wasteful and tend to produce a subpar cup of coffee besides. The Ekobrew Stainless Steel Elite might be the best workaround for this problem. Rather than tossing out K-cup after K-cup, you simply fill the…
The iGrill 2 is a Bluetooth-enabled grilling thermometer designed for pros and serious enthusiasts but simple enough for amateur grillers to use. Building on the design and features of the original iGrill, the iGrill 2 has upped its probe capacity from 2 to 4 (though it only comes with two) and can now be magnetically mounted onto the side of your grill…
I only buy peanut butter of the all-natural variety, meaning the only ingredients are roasted peanuts and salt. The stuff is delicious, but it separates in the jar and it can be a pain (sometimes even a mess) to stir it back together. That is, until I discovered this peanut butter mixer. It's a curved mixing rod that pokes through a "lid"…
If your main method of making coffee is with a pour-over brewer like the Hario V60, it should have a special home of its own on your countertop. The Pour-Over Stand by JM&Sons fits the bill. It's a simple-but-stylish metal stand with a base made from salvaged barn wood, and fits any pour-over dripper up to 2.5" in diameter. The stand by…
After yesterday's post about the All-Clad 12" stainless steel fry pan, reader Jake Spurlock wrote in to let us know about a potentially better deal: the Tramontina stainless steel fry pan. The All-Clad is nice, but this $50 Tramontina is just as good at a third of the price: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/equipment-the-all-clad-vs-tramontina-skillet.html I don't have any first-hand experience with the Tramontina but I was…
A common mistake I see people make is overloading their kitchens with skillets of all shapes and sizes. You really only need two to cover your bases, though: a cast iron skillet and a good stainless steel pan. For the latter, the All-Clad 12" fry pan is my recommendation. You might think I'm crazy for suggesting a $150 pan, but believe me,…
I'm at the point in my cooking "education" (part self-taught, part watching a lot of YouTube videos) where I'm starting to get fed up with my cheap knife set. Several of the knives are on their way out or were never really good to begin with, and the one knife still worth my time —a Santoku model—isn't the most versatile tool around.…
(Photo credit: Alex Bernson, Sprudge.com) While we're on the subject of coffee, we should talk about an awesome vessel for consuming the stuff. The KeepCup Brew—a brand-new glass version of the plastic KeepCup Original—is a reusable coffee cup that aims to do away with wasteful, disposable paper cups and look great doing it. If you frequently stop in for a quick cup…