A new nut to crack

A new nut to crack
Chicago Tribune testers marveled at this unusual Swedish-made nutcracker from Chef's Planet: Pop a nut in the cylinder and squeeze the handle -- it will effectively crack the nut while housing the broken shell. They had good luck cracking a variety of nuts. The plastic nutcracker is dishwasher-safe and costs $17 by mail at Kitchen Krafts (www.kitchenkrafts.com or (800) 776-0575).
Godiva goes diva
Godiva already was pretty fancy, but the new Platinum Collection looks even snazzier -- and offers inventive designs and ingredients. Flavors include Mokalata, milk chocolate covering a creamy cappuccino filling; the addictive sweet-and-salty Mielodi, white chocolate covering an almond-butter filling; and Bellaria, dark chocolate with a ganache center. Sizes include a 2-piece box ($4), 8-piece ($15) and 16-piece ($25) at Godiva shops and Bloomingdale'; by mail, visit godiva.com or call (800) 946-3482.
The doctor is in
Doctor Kracker seed- and grain-rich organic nibbles pleased CT tasters. They're great alone, but topped with cheese or a nutty spread, they're dynamite. Flavors include three-seed (sunflower, flax, sesame); pumpkin-seed cheese (Cheddar is toasted on the cracker during baking) and Seedlander (spelt flour, pumpkin seeds, whole millet grains and poppy seeds). They're sold as flat breads in 7-ounce packages or smaller "Snacker Crackers" in 8-ounce tubs for $4.60-$5 per package at various markets. To order by mail (in cases of 6 packages), visit doctorkracker.com.
Gadget tackles shrimp
Just when you thought you had every kitchen gadget imaginable, along comes the Shrimp Butler, promising to relieve you of the tedious job of shelling and deveining shrimp. Just drop the shrimp in the machine, turn the crank and the shrimp is deveined and the shell loosened. The Shrimp Butler sells for $29.95 and is available at www.shrimpbutler.com and at retail stores nationwide.
Fun for tailgaters
While you may have guessed drinking beer is the most popular activity among tailgaters, in fact, grilling is, according to a survey by Weber-Stephens Products. The survey found that football games top the list of places where people tailgate, followed by auto races. But the games themselves appear to be secondary. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents said they keep the party going during the game or event.