The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3 last-minute gifts available online
Need a stocking stuffer? A hostess gift for between now and the new year? We’ve got three ideas for you.
A singing egg timer from Brainstream
What a great find. A kitchen gadget that makes life easier and makes you laugh. If you know someone who constantly is struggling with making boiled eggs exactly as softcooked or hard-boiled as they would like, this is what they need. This little egg-shaped timer lives in the egg container in the refrigerator. When it’s time to cook the eggs, you put the timer in the pot along with the eggs, and start the water boiling. The beeper sings out three different tunes as the eggs cook — one for soft-cooked, one for medium-cooked and one for hard-cooked eggs. The classic version we have plays “Oh Susanna,” “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here.” There’s a patriotic version, too. You just have to laugh when your pot of boiling water starts playing a tune. Just remember not to cover the pot while the eggs are cooking. No more watching the clock or setting a separate timer. Throw the timer in the dishwasher, then put it back in the refrigerator until the next time you’re ready to cook more eggs.
$16.96. Available at thegrommet.com/products/ brainstream-beepegg-perfect-egg-timer.
Reusable produce bags from Purifyou
No more plastic produce bags for your favorite environmentally conscious host. Give her or him a set of these reusable produce bags from Purifyou. There are two kinds — woven bags made of raw, unbleached, organic cotton that close with a drawstring and a stainless steel bead, or bags made from polyester with a drawstring and plastic toggle to keep the bag closed. A tag with the tare weight is sewn into a side seam. They work great for corralling produce, whether at the farmers market, the store or in the refrigerator. No more carrots sweating in a plastic bag. The only produce they’re not designed for is leafy greens. And, they don’t just work for produce. Sandy beach toys? Confined, and, by the time you’ve toted them off the beach, the sand has shaken off. Wet bath toys and sponges? Corralled, and the mesh lets them air-dry. If the bags wear out, the cotton bags are biodegradable.
$16.97 for a set of 9 polyester mesh bags in mixed sizes, $29.97 for a set of 9 organic cotton bags in mixed sizes. Available at purifyou.com.
Bubble tea kit from Flavor Purveyor
If someone you know is a fan of bubble tea, chances are they don’t get to enjoy it nearly as often as they’d like, since having a cup usually means a trek to the bubble tea shop. Atlanta-based Flavor Purveyor offers a bubble tea kit, complete with everything needed to make up to 8 cups of bubble tea at home. The kit includes tapioca pearls, Royal Milk loose leaf tea, two stainless steel fat straws ( just the right size for sucking up those tapioca pearls), and directions. They can brew one cup at a time, or make enough for several people to enjoy. The only thing that’s not in the box is the granulated sugar to make simple syrup for sweetening the brew and milk (if they like their bubble tea with dairy or nondairy milk).
$30. Available at flavorpurveyor.com/the-boba-box/bubble-tea-kit.