Hello friends, and welcome to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that plays a chess game with the latest gadget announcements, knocking off the pawns to get to the kings and queens.
In our entirely unplanned mostly food-focused edition this week are a smart pressure rice cooker, a cold-pressed juicer, a connected refillable wine bottle -- and rollerblades for rough surfaces.
As always, the ratings indicate only how much I'd like to try each item with my very own hands (or feet). These are very much not reviews.
Rice Is Nice
Of all the kitchen gadgets I own, the rice cooker is possibly my second-most favorite after the tea kettle. Sure, I could make rice in a pot, but the dedicated rice cooker makes it much easier to attend to other details instead of watching the pot.
Xiaomi's pressurized version might prove even better. It recognizes the type of rice from a barcode scan and cooks it perfectly, keeping more nutrients locked in, since it won't let steam escape. It has a nonstick, cast iron pot that should help ensure even cooking.
At around US$150, that seems like a good deal. I just wonder if I might be able to use it to pull off some of the recipes from Roger Ebert's rice cooker cookbook effectively too.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Having a (Rice) Balls
Off-Road Rollerblading
If there's something society as a collective consciousness ever yearned for, it's the ability to take rollerblades from smooth city streets to hiking trails. It's a fact.
An inventor has conjured up a pair with rubber treads rather than wheels, and the motor can scoot you as far as 12 miles over grass, gravel or dirt.
Polish inventor Jack Skopinski recently debuted his latest electric people-mover: a set of battery-powered off-road rollerblades that handle dirt trails as well as they do city streets. Each boot is outfitted with a 350 W DC motor that propels the rider for up to 12 miles as fast as 9 miles per hour.
Hello friends, and welcome to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that plays a chess game with the latest gadget announcements, knocking off the pawns to get to the kings and queens.In our entirely unplanned mostly food-focused edition this week are a smart pressure rice cooker, a cold-pressed juicer, a connected refillable wine bottle -- and rollerblades for rough surfaces.As always, the ratings indicate only how much I'd like to try each item with my very own hands (or feet). These are very much not reviews.Rice Is NiceOf all the kitchen gadgets I own, the rice cooker is possibly my second-most favorite after the tea kettle. Sure, I could make rice in a pot, but the dedicated rice cooker makes it much easier to attend to other details instead of watching the pot.Xiaomi's pressurized version might prove even better. It recognizes the type of rice from a barcode scan and cooks it perfectly, keeping more nutrients locked in, since it won't let steam escape. It has a nonstick, cast iron pot that should help ensure even cooking.At around US$150, that seems like a good deal. I just wonder if I might be able to use it to pull off some of the recipes from Roger Ebert's rice cooker cookbook effectively too.Rating: 4 out of 5 Having a (Rice) BallsOff-Road RollerbladingIf there's something society as a collective consciousness ever yearned for, it's the ability to take rollerblades from smooth city streets to hiking trails. It's a fact.An inventor has conjured up a pair with rubber treads rather than wheels, and the motor can scoot you as far as 12 miles over grass, gravel or dirt.Polish inventor Jack Skopinski recently debuted his latest electric people-mover: a set of battery-powered off-road rollerblades that handle dirt trails as well as they do city streets. Each boot is outfitted with a 350 W DC motor that propels the rider for up to 12 miles as fast as 9 miles per hour.
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