Anat Steiner, a Graphic Designer from Tel Aviv, Israel, eats salad everyday for lunch, and everyday she finds difficulty getting the exact measurement she needs for her salad dressing. Measuring oil tends to be really inconvenient, especially since it does not wash out of measuring cups very easily. Anat usually ends up guessing how much she is pouring instead of using another tool that she would have to wash, so she wanted to come up with something that she could pour directly on her salad rather than adding an extra step. Since there are auto measuring dispensers that can be put on wine bottles, she felt that the same process could be applied to an oil dispenser. In the end, there would be less actions that the user would have to take with no extra tools, which would take away that little bit of extra stress during lunch time.
Jason Hunter, a Machinist from Pennsylvania, found the pots and pans in his kitchen were taking up too much space in his drawers. He noticed their handles not only made storage a hassle, they also made removing the desired pans from his drawers frustrating. Jason decided to solve the issues of pot and pan storage by simply making their handles collapsible. With the addition of this function, pans are easier to retrieve from the drawers and take up significantly less space. Whether you’re rushing to cook a meal or cleaning it all up, this idea will make things a little less stressful- which will come in handy when your mother-in-law is over for dinner.
Carla Leming (CKLeming), a Cosmetologist from Mattoon, Illinois, wanted to keep meals and sweets looking the way she intended them to, even after having to transport or store them. She needed a way to prevent the icing on baked goods from smearing, and the contents of a meal from clinging to it’s wrapping, which certainly makes the food appear less appetizing. She used toothpicks to drape a cover over her food, but hated the sharp points that always poked through the foils and plastic wrap. Remembering the plastic discs that used to prevent cheese from getting stuck to the top of a pizza box during transportation, she came up with an idea to make toothpick-like sticks with a flat or curved top. This toothpick reinvention helps preserve the appearance of food without sharp toothpicks protruding from the top of the wrapping. Carla’s idea will help make sure your food always looks great, even if it doesn’t exactly taste that way.
Rene Diaz (Gyro), an IT director for a manufacturing company in Dallas, Texas, was busy cooking in his kitchen and wanted to keep his kitchen door open. He had to put what he was doing on hold, track down a door stop, and then make sure it was properly wedged under the door before he could get back to what he was doing. He wished the doorstop was just attached to the door. Then an idea hit him, what if it was not only attached to the door, it could also prevent the door from slamming into the wall when swung open! Made from a soft and flexible material, this is a simple way to protect walls and conveniently stop doors without having to track down a doorstop.
