Revablend

Among the many interesting items at the Housewares Show, there was the Revablend.

The Housewares Show (it's actually the International Home and Housewares Show or IHHS) is held each year in Chicago, and manufacturers large and small show off their products. Some of the booths are bigger than my house and some are the size of a large closet.

But ... size doesn't always matter. Revablend was in a small booth because it's a small company. I think they only had the one product, but it was pretty unique. It's a bottle - like the many drink bottles that exist - and it has blades in it like you'd see in a blender.

Actually, there are multiple blades.

Unlike a blender, the Revablend operated on people power. You twist or spin the bottom of the bottle to make the blades move.

For something that doesn't need a lot of speed, you can just twist by hand. For more speed, you can run the edge of the bottom of the bottle along the top of a flat surface - like you'd zoom a toy car - and the blades will spin at fast as you can move that bottle.

Zoom zoom zoom.

The lid has a spout for pouring or drinking or sticking a straw in.

This is a really interesting idea. I don't expect that people will throw away their electric blenders, but the Revablend would be great for camping where you can't plug in a blender. Or it would be great for taking to work to blend up a protein powder drink. Or taking on the road.

For giggles, I decided to see how it fared with a smoothie, so I tossed in a ripe banana to start, and I spun the blades to get it mushed up. The banana was ripe, but it wasn't overripe to the point of super soft.

Then I added a good splash of Cholaca. I blended again. Then I added almond milk and blended one last time. It was surprisingly smooth. Not quite as smooth and frothy as I'd get with my Vitamix, but it was nicely drinkable. I have to say I was impressed. So, it's not just for mixing in powders. Whoop, whoop! Mash those bananas!

If you're interested in Choloca - it's awesome - here's a link on Amazon, but I suggest you look for it at your local grocery store. Since it's a perishable item, shipping would be costly if you order online, so local shopping makes more sense.

My first impression was that people probably wouldn't use this on a daily basis at home if they have an electric blender, but it's less to wash than a blender jar. So maybe people would choose this.

I haven't tried emulsifying salad dressings or making mayonnaise in this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

It would also be useful for blending cocktails. I don't think it would be able to handle ice, but it could make other blended drinks. How fun would that be at a picnic? Cheers!

As far as cleaning, there doesn't seem to be any way to remove the bottom of the jar to get at the underside of the blades, but that shouldn't be an issue if you rinse the jar right after using. Add some hot water and a few drops of soap and spin the blades, and there shouldn't be anything left to worry about.

Who's it for: People who want to blend drinks or whatever without using electricity.

Pros: It works! Huzzah!

Cons: This is never going to be as good as an electric blender.

Wishes: As usual, I'd love to see this in a rainbow of colors. It's already available in six colors, but more would be better, right?

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Chef'n Zipstrip Herb Stripper

I saw this cute little gadget at the Chicago Housewares Show and forgot all about it until I saw it at ... of all places ... a Goodwill store.

Have I mentioned that Goodwill is a good place to buy single plates and other things for blog photos? Yeah, it's almost as good as garage sales for that sort of thing.

So, I was wandering and spotted the herb stripper. At first, I was surprised it was there and that someone hadn't snapped it up already. But then I realized that most folks might not know what it is. Or how it works.

It's really simple. You pull the stem of a fresh herb through one of the holes in the stripper, and the leaves fall off into the bowl. And the bowl isn't just for catching. It also measures the leaves as you strip, so you know when you've gathered enough.

I have a feeling I'll be using this a lot more in the summer than winter, but it's going to be handy to have, for sure.

If you're looking for this gadget, it's called a Zipstrip, by the way.

Who's it for: People who use a lot of fresh herbs.

Pros: Works like it's supposed to.

Cons: Obviously, it only has one job.

Wishes: Can't think of anything at the moment.

Source: I bought this.

Mastrad Origami Cutting Boards

Alton Brown is famous for disliking what he calls "unitaskers" in the kitchen. Those are items that have just one use. He's usually talking about things gadgets that have a very narrow purpose. Like a caviar spoon.

But really, we have a lot of tools that have one basic use. Knives cut, graters grate, and ovens bake. And cutting boards are just a surface for holding things that you cut.

Sure, you could use a cutting board to smash something, but there are probably better things to use.

But what if a cutting board could do something else?

The Origami Cutting Boards from Mastrad (they come in a set of two) fold up and snap together to form bowls. It's kind of a neat idea, particularly for people who don't have a lot of storage space. And the folded bowls are kind of interesting looking. You probably wouldn't use them for a fancy dinner, but they'd be great for snacks or casual affairs.

Who's it for: Great for folks who are short of storage space and people who like quirky bowls.

Pros: Dual-use item. Easy to store. Dishwasher and microwave safe.

Cons: Once they've been folding into bowls, they don't lay completely flat, so they're not the perfect cutting board for all purposes.

Wishes: These would be awesome if they came in different colors.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Microplane Herb Mill

Well, this is an interesting product from Microplane: the herb mill that works with the same sort of action as a pepper grinder.

You stuff herbs into the mill and creak-creak-creak grind the herbs onto soup, salad, pasta, or whatever. It's kind of fun, and it's a hands-off way of chopping herbs.

If you're chopping a lot of herbs for a recipe, this probably isn't the best way to do it, but for a small amount of herbs (particularly for garnishing) it works well.

But where this really shines is for use at the table, where people are adding herbs to their own dishes, whether it's basil and oregano for pasta or pizza, or parsley and mint for a salad or cilantro for tacos. It's easier and less messy than passing around a bowl filled with chopped herbs.

Please note that the body style of the herb mills for sale online now (the bottom photo) is different from the one I have (the top photo).

I think the new one is definitely more attractive, but the chopping blades seem the same on both models, so the one you buy should work the same way as the one I tested.

Who's it for: People who use chopped herbs.

Pros: Works well. Great for serving herbs at the table.

Cons: Probably not what you want for large quantities of herbs.

Wishes: For people who want to offer choices, it might be fun to have different colored mills, so they could tell people that blue is basil, orange is oregano, or whatever.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.