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CRAVINGS: Stuff We Gotta Have

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By JEFF HOUCK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 6, 2008

Updated: 05/06/2008 05:22 pm

POWER OF THE PRESS

If you're a coffee freak (welcome to the club, by the way), you probably know all about the flavor you get from a French press coffeemaker. Using one, however, requires a little patience while waiting for the coffee grounds to diffuse into the water. AeroPress solves that time crunch by using a plunger to push the water through the grounds in only 20 seconds. A microfilter sifts out the usual grit you would get at the bottom of the cup. Cost: $25.95. Available at www.aerobie.com and the Sarasota-based www.cappojim.com.

LIGHT ICE CREAM

Having a giant ice-cream-cone-shaped lamp makes absolutely no sense, of course. Not from a design standpoint. Or from a cultural taste point of view. Or a dietary one, for that matter. All of which makes it a great impulse buy, especially for ice-cream maniacs. The jumbo plastic lamp measures more than 2 feet tall. Cost: $48, bulb included. (Gee, thanks.) Available at www.fredflare.com.

LET'S GRILL SMALL

So, not everyone can bling out like Bobby Flay with a barbecue grill that's so big it beeps when it backs up. Some of us live in smaller spaces with tiny balconies or eensy weensy patios. And not all of us need to cook a Flintstone-sized brontosaurus burger. This porcelain table charcoal grill is right-sized for cooking apps like grilled asparagus, chicken wings, mushrooms or kebabs. It's also portable enough for picnics. It's pricey at $300, but the porcelain makes for more efficient cooking and easier cleaning. Available at www.emmohome.com.

OLIVE YOU

You might not know this unless you grow olives or you're a connoisseur, but olives aren't exactly pretty when they come off the tree. They even have, for lack of a better anthropomorphic term, freckles from exposure to the sun. Most producers compensate for those "flaws" with preservatives and artificial coloring to give consumers an olive that looks more like Scarlett Johansson than Carrot Top. Lindsay Olives has just introduced a line of "natural" olives that keep things real. Even better, the real flavor of the olive comes through (the green ones have a delicious buttery aftertaste). Plus, they're packed in water and sea salt to preserve that flavor. Cost: $2.29 for a 6-ounce (approximately 55 olives) pop-top can. Sliced versions of Lindsay Naturals are available in 3.8-ounce cans for $1.59. For information on where they're sold, go to www.lindsayolives.com.

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