Category — Tableware

Pepper shakers at restaurants are just for show. Otherwise, the salt would look lonely. So we include another shaker, fill it with what once was a tasty spice, and pass it off as pepper. While this impulse may satisfy our instinct for paring off, our palates suffer with dry, tasteless pepper that might as well be sawdust.

These small Thumb-Operated Pump Mills bring portability to pepper. Measuring 5.5-inches long, the stainless steel mills feature not only a small size, but also one-handed operation. So pass the pepper at the table—literally—and grind your own with a push of a button.

Flavored olive oil can be a delicious way to season vegetables. Keeping herbs and spices in oil imparts flavor into every drop. That’s lucky considering sometimes all you want is a few drops. Trying to throttle back on the olive oil can be a delicate operation, and for that there is the Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer.

Featuring a brushed aluminum housing, the oil sprayer disperses contents without the use of chemicals or propellants. Standing at almost 8-inches tall, the handy kitchen gadget allows you to precisely control the amount of oil (flavored, or not) that you wish to use.

Related: Prepara Oil Mister

Feeding your child with the tried and true ‘airplane’ method is all fine and good (it is tried and true for a reason), but for serious food fun it may be time to think of a more grounded approach. The Child Puzzle Tray by Wendy Boudewijns for Royalvkb practically guarantees your kid will be distracted at feeding time. Considering children and how they generally feel about their veggies, that’s probably a good thing. Plus, it all just fits together so nicely when done. Available at Unica for $66; no ‘vroom’ sounds included or needed.

Not only do bananas belong in bunches, but they also belong hanging from a tree. Since most of us can’t find the time to tend the banana groves in our backyard, we need to find alternate options for banana bunch hanging. Enter the Umbra Banana Split. A nifty little banana hanger, the design by Jason Nip features styling in white and “mellow yellow” for that all important banana appeal (ahem).

(Via Dwell)

First there was PuchiPuchi, the endless bubble wrap-popping gadget, and then there came Mugen Peri Peri, for those that can’t get enough opening of shipping envelopes. Now, there is Stickpecker by MicroWorks. However, unlike those two aforementioned toys, this gadget is useful. A small magnet holds the chopsticks together, necessitating that the soon-to-be diner pulls them apart. The action is meant to be reminiscent of the separating of wooden takeout chopsticks. A clever woodpecker design reminds us all that wooden chopsticks do in fact come from trees. Nice job, MicroWorks.

(Via Serious Eats)

Salt and pepper make everything taste better. The two common spices find their way into practically every meal. While the popularity of salt and pepper cannot be debated, delivery method of said spices certainly can be. Salt and pepper grinders, shakers and mills come in all sizes, shapes and configurations. When it comes down to it, as fun as all these variations may be, all we want to do is season our food.

This Salt & Pepper Grinder set connects at the middle forming a cool hourglass shape, or, the grinders can be used individually. Best of all, operation is performed by using just one hand—perfect for prep work when having two clean hands is always a luxury. While this kitchen gadget may not enlighten you to the sound of one hand clapping, when it comes to Zen at the dinner table, these grinders have you covered.