Now far be it from me to tell a man (or a woman for that matter) how to use their BBQ grill. Like politics and religion, grilling is a topic where advice is rarely appreciated or even more rarely followed. I’m sure you’re great at cooking a steak over charcoal or gas, and I wouldn’t tell you to your face if I thought otherwise. A. because you’re feeding me and B. because you probably have fire and sharp BBQ tools within arm’s reach. Maybe you’re one of those people who can judge a steak’s doneness by comparing the surface of the meat to the firmness of the fleshy part of your thumb pad. Good for you then. (Please, oh please, don’t cut into a steak while it’s still on the grill to check whether it’s cooked enough. Meat must rest after cooking or you’ll just let all the good juices out!) But as techy types, gadget enthusiasts should strive to introduce some rigor into their grilling methods and cook to exact internal temperatures whenever possible. For example, I like my steak to come off the grill at precisely 122 degrees and allow it to come up to a beautiful pink medium-rare [...]

Since I am one of Gear Diary’s cooking and kitchen gadget reviewers and also write about food for a few other publications, it’s all I can do to keep myself anywhere near fighting weight. One of my favorite exercise regimens as part of the battle of the bulge is cycling, both on the road and in the gym. So that’s why I was excited to see the latest announcement from Velocomp that they have developed an iOS-based cycling computer that interfaces with iPhones and iPods. I usually ride with my iPhone anyway, for safety on the road and for entertainment indoors, so this integration is welcomed. Combined with a wireless speed/cadence sensor on your bicycle, the iBike Powerhouse system tracks your progress and creates goal-oriented cycling plans for your individual fitness level. Here’s the rest of the information from their product release announcement today at CES in Las Vegas:… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When you first see the Blacktop 360 Portable Griddle/Grill/Fryer, it’s hard not to think it’s a gimmicky product. I mean it just screams “As Seen on TV” thanks to its claim to be the Swiss Army Knife of your tailgating needs with a propane grill top, a griddle for frying or warming and even a 20 oz. fryer basket. But upon further inspection, darned if it doesn’t live up to its motto, “Tailgating Turned up to 11.” Let’s take a closer look. First of all, if you order one of these via mail order, be prepared to tip the Fed Ex guy if he has to carry this big old box up any steps. Weighing in at 37 lbs., you’ll be very pleased that the Blacktop 360 comes with a handy carry bag that is big enough to hold the grill and all the tools and accessories that come with it. Inside that box is the griddle/grill which has three separate burners which total 24,000 BTUs and a cooking surface of 452 inches. I know that sounds like a lot of area, but most of the cooking space is arranged in a circle around the deep fryer and is divided [...]

So does anybody actually still do shots anymore? In my younger day, I might have tipped a few back, and I do see the young folks dropping a Jägerbomb every now and then at my local watering hole. But for the most part, I like to sip my drinks rather than snapping my head back and pouring one down my gullet. However, if you are in the holiday spirit for some holiday spirits and want to maximize the efficiency of your consumption, then perhaps a set of Bombs Away Shot Glasses from ConvenientGadgets.com is just the ticket. Made from sturdy double-walled borosilicate glass, which is apparently the same material used to make scientific lab equipment, these shooters are attractive enough right out of the box.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My hometown of Nashville, TN is full of stars, and not just the country music kind. It’s a little-known secret that lots of actors and musicians from other genres choose to live in the area because, in general, we Nashvillagers pretty much leave them alone when we see them out in public. Nicole Kidman shops all the time at my local Whole Foods and can dine in peace at the food bar with no fear of autograph hounds. Peter Frampton has become a gentleman farmer in a Nashville suburb, and ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit moved here from Columbus, OH to escape the ravenous Ohio State fans. One of the Black Keys just bought a house about… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

. Whiskey Disks. It’s probably wise not to try to say that three times fast, especially if you’ve been drinking whiskey. Actually Whiskey Disks are a new product designed to give spirits fans the best possible enjoyment of their sipping. When I first heard about Whiskey Disks, I immediately reached out the manufacturers to see if I could try some out for myself. They quickly obliged, which is fortunate since I usually enjoy at least one glass of bourbon every night after dinner to take the edge off a hard day of writing about food and booze. I normally enjoy my brown liquors on the rocks with a splash of water, but this can be problematic. Why drink whiskey on the rocks? And why the splash? Most scotches and whiskeys benefit from being served slightly chilled, but not to the same degree as vodka or gin, which many people store in their freezers. Straight up is certainly an option, and it certainly avoids the possibility of melting ice diluting your expensive glass of single malt. Alcohol melts ice quickly, so it’s a given that mixing them will eventually lower the proof of the contents of your glass. But if you’re [...]

I’ve loved pork for a long time – waaay before the hipsters made bacon worship popular. One of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday afternoon is to put a pork butt on the smoker first thing in the morning and watch college football all day while the meat soaks up the hickory goodness. Since you have to add new wood every hour or so, it pretty much guarantees that you have to stay on your couch all day and restoke the fire at halftime of each game. Sorry about those chores, sweetie. Can’t you see I’m working here? While there are probably lots of places in your town to pick up a pound of your bbq, occasionally it’s nice to be able to show off your grillsmanship and smoke your own butt or shoulder. Luckily, there is The Peg Leg Porker himself, Carey Bringle, is here to help you out. If you’ve ever had the chance to meet Carey, you’d discover that he’s one of the bbq circuit’s true characters. He’s the kind of guy whose business card reads: “Wars Fought — Stud Service — Revolutions Started — Tigers Tamed — Assassinations Plotted — Bars Emptied — Governments Run [...]

Griffin Technology is a favorite among many of us here at Gear Diary for their selection of accessories for iPods, iPads, iPhones and many other of your mobile devices. A quick search of the Gear Diary archives shows a multitude of products that have already been featured and reviewed on the site, including the Beacon Universal Remote for iOS which Dan put in the running for “iOS Accessory of the Year”. The Beacon has dropped in price by $10 since Dan first reviewed it, and now there’s an even sweeter deal available for Gear Diary readers. Just use the promo code “THANKS20” when you check out to receive 20% off every product on the site until… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Long-time Gear Diary fans may remember me from my stint a few years back as our resident “Stunt Reviewer.” Well, like a bad penny, I’ve turned up again and Judie and the gang have been nice enough to welcome me back to contribute the occasional review or announcement, specifically for the “Yum Log” section where we take a look at kitchen, food and cooking products and gadgets. In the couple years since I stopped writing here, I’ve been a full-time food blogger for the Nashville Scene in my home town and an occasional contributor to regional and national food magazines and blogs, so hopefully I’m at least as qualified to write about these topics as I was to test an anti-poison ivy cream. So what’s first in the new review queue? How about the Belkin Kitchen Cabinet Mount for iPads and other tablets? I do a lot of cooking at home, and despite the fact that I just turned in a cookbook I wrote to my publisher last month, I’m much more likely to use my iPad to source a recipe than any of the multitude of cookbooks that occupy so much shelf space in my kitchen. Of course that [...]

In a continuing effort to save us from ourselves, the good folks at Google have rolled out a new product aimed at offering late-night drunken emailers the restraint they may be unable to muster for themselves. Behold: Mail Goggles. The basic idea is that after the user sets up a set of parameters for when the application is enabled, they must complete a series of five math problems within 60 seconds to gain access to the send functions of their Gmail account. Kind of like a breathalyzer for your keyboard. Depending on your natural math abilities, you can vary the difficulty from 2nd grade math to grad school. The default time window is Friday and Saturday night, from 10:00 pm until 4:00 am, but you can change that… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The number one complaint I hear from new adopters of the latest God Phones is the problem they have with dropped calls. Battery life issues can often be fixed with firmware updates, but when you’re out of range, you’re out of luck. In an attempt to help address this problem, the folks at ARC Wireless Solutions have released the latest version of the Freedom Blade wireless signal booster for PDAs, cell phones and laptop wireless access cards. More info after the jump.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My girlfriend and I eat a lot of spinach. [ed. note-this is my official entry into the 2008 "Most Unexpected Opening Sentence in a Tech Review" competition.] We joined a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, last year and receive a bushel of whatever is fresh off the farm every week from spring until fall. A side effect of this is the fact that until the succulent peppers and tomatoes start to ripen in July we often find ourselves buried under mountains of greens-chard, kale, collards, spinach and the like. We’ve learned to blanch them, sautée them, bake them and eat them raw in salads. It also means that my girlfriend spends a lot of time checking her teeth for hangers. For years, we had a secret routine where she would turn to me and say with a big smile, “How’s your grandmother?” The correct answer is always, of course, “Deceased.” But the question is actually a cue for me to check her teeth and respond either “fine” or “she’s having a little trouble” and point to the corresponding part of my own grillwork where there might be an offending stray bit of greenery. An aside-When you’re pointing to your own [...]

You wouldn’t know it by my lunchtime eating habits (now where shall I get my lo mein today?), but my girlfriend and I like to consider ourselves as at least pseudo-gourmet chefs. And let me tell you, it’s hard work to whip up mess of Pseudos without overcooking them. Especially if you have to keep track of multiple burners and an oven. Luckily, Tuscan Concepts and your local Target Store have teamed up to help solve that particular problem. The fix is after the jump.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As we see a convergence of media formats, everyone is looking for solutions to carry their content on the road with them. One of the drawbacks I see of micro PC’s and MacBook airs is their unsuitability to play dvds to entertain me while I’m traveling. Yeah, I’m selfish that way. Toast 9 Titanium – Burn. Watch. Listen. Share. Roxio, the makers of Toast have evolved their product to respond to the needs of Mac and iPhone users who desire access to many different formats of video across various platforms. Read what they have to say below:… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you know anything about me, you know I’m lazy. L-a-a-a-a-z-y. Brush my teeth while standing at the urinal watching SportsCenter lazy. I prefer to call myself a multi-tasker. So I was impressed when I found out from the good people at www.tekzen.net that they’ve come up with another alternative for people like myself who don’t want to go to the trouble of typing in long url’s into their blog posts and Twitter Tweets. The product was developed by a friend of mine, Jackson Miller. True to his mission, Jackson has shortened his professional name to “Jaxn.” You gotta like his consistency of message. So what makes urlzen.com better than the leader in the concatenation space, tinyurl.com? Find out after the jump:… Continue reading on Gear Diary …