Two's a Trend: Matroyshka Measuring Cups

Worldwide Fred has updated the iconic matroyshka doll as a useful kitchen gadget. At right, Fred's M-Cups ($12.50 at perpetual kid) are a set of six plastic measuring cups that nest like the real Russian tchochkes. Anthropologie's version (left) -- a set of three Matroyshka Measuring Cups ($28) -- aim for a more traditional look, though they are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Restoration Cookware It's Not

Walk into any upscale cookware store, and you'll see an array of cooking equipment designed to look as if it was just plucked from a Paris flea market.

Now, Sur La Table is getting into the business of selling the real thing: actual antique French pots, pans, and tools.

There are worn copper Gaillard pots (right), silver champagne buckets, colorful glass siphon bottles, and some poor grand-mère's prized triple-blade mezzaluna.

Many of the pieces are still in good enough shape to use for actual cooking, while others are so beat up they basically make for (pricey) decorations. See the collection -- online only -- at the Sur la Table website.

Jelly Beans That Trick and Treat

The Jelly Belly Candy Company has launched a new line of jelly beans that are particularly suited to the upcoming Halloween holiday.

The candies -- branded BeanBoozled -- mix together sweet and disgustingly flavored jelly beans that look exactly the same.

Pick a yellow candy and you might be tasting buttered popcorn, or -- if your luck is down -- rotten egg. A white bean could be posing as coconut or baby wipes, and a blue one might have the flavor of berries or toothpaste. A website allows you to mix and match your own blend of jelly beans online to create custom gift packages.

Twitter Launches Wine Brand

In collaboration with San Francisco-based Crushpad, Twitter is launching its own brand of wine. But, wait, don't be cynical. It's for a good cause.

The wines (pinot noir and chardonnay) will carry the the label "Fledgling Wines," and a portion of proceeds from sales will go to support Room to Read, a literacy organization.

There's a website with more details and how to purchase the wine, and, naturally, a twitter account too (@fledgling).

"Because if you can't read you can't Tweet!" say founders Biz Stone & Evan Williams in promoting their philanthropic initiative. On the other hand, one does have to wonder what tweeting is doing to our ability to read and write.

Maybe the move is Stone and Williams' way of apologizing for Twitter's insidious destruction of the written word. LOL. U can RT this if u want 2.

A Fork Fit for Noodles

It might look like one of those Japanese "unuseless" inventions, but the Calamete noodle fork is for real. Engineered specifically to enhance the journal of noodles from bowl to mouth, the design takes a standard fork and adds an extra short, stubby tine -- intended to simulate the thumb -- to help grab a forkful of noodles (or pasta).

$44 for a pair at Japan Trend Shop.

Notable Fruit

Kudamemo sticky notes from Japan look good enough to eat, but they're just for jotting notes.

The fruit-shaped memo pads (available in apple or pear) are detailed down to the seeds printed at the core of each "slice" and stems made from real tree branches. Unfortunately, the price is astronomical: $40 per 150-sheet pad or a whopping $148 for a carton of six at Japan Trend Shop.

The LEGO Kitchen

Over the weekend, I found myself at the just-opened LEGO store at New Jersey's Garden State Plaza.

While I had a hard time pulling myself away from LEGO's ultra-cool new "Architecture" series featuring the Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water, and landmark skyscrapers, I also noticed a series of new products intended to outfit your kitchen in the contours of the classic toy bricks.

Clockwise, from left: LEGO kids cutlery, minifigure cake mold, minifigure cookie cutters, rolling cookie cutter, and kitchen storage set.

Recipe Bookmarking for Cookbooks

You may have collected hundreds of great recipes that are bookmarked in your browser for easy future reference, but how do you find cherished (and permalink-less) recipes in an old-fashioned cookbook?

This could be a serious technological challenge for future generations of cooks educated only in the ways of epicurious.

The Chef Set page flags give you a way to bookmark -- in an analog way --  your favorite cookbook recipes, tagged by category (appetizers, meats, seafood, and so on). $5.95 at The Spoon Sisters.

Espresso Enigma

Fellina Sok-Cham's Espresso Set consists of a puzzle-like bamboo tray that holds together six slide-out saucers and porcelain espresso cups (each of which are notched to hold stainless steel espresso spoons).  While the idea of serving up a half a dozen espressos at one time doesn't seem to be the most practical, the set might also work nicely for serving (tiny) desserts. $45 at MoMA.

But, Is It Really Decaf?

If you insist on drinking decaffeinated coffee, but you find yourself deeply suspicious of what you are really being served, you may be in the market for D-Caf Test Strips. Drop a strip into a sample of your drink to find out for certain whether you've been served decaf or been duped.

$9.95 for a pack of 20 strips at The Spoon Sisters.