Schott Zwiesel Glassware

Schott Zwiesel is a German company known for glassware innovation since 1872. They create break-resistant, chip-resistant, and scratch-resistant stemware. The crystal glass has added titanium for strength and zirconium for crystal clarity, making it dishwasher safe.

I have their glassware at home — the pieces are versatile and can be used daily, yet they are elegant enough to use on special occasions. They are slightly expensive, but the investment is worth it.

Schott Zwiesel is available on Amazon.

Duralex Picardie Tumblers

Duralex has been manufacturing tempered glassware in France since 1929. Their Picardie Tumblers are known for lasting decades — they will bounce several times when dropped on the floor and survive without a crack. The tumblers can also withstand a sudden thermal shock — the temperate glass can go from -4° F to 212° F without breaking. This means they can be used to drink hot beverages. Duralex glasses are also lighter and more elegant than similar tempered glass products.

Duralex went into court-ordered liquidation bankruptcy in 2006 but has since partnered with Emile Henry, an old French manufacturer of cooking ware, to return to production.

Duralex doesn’t offer any product warranty beyond a 21-day return policy. However, we found no tempered glass tumblers with an extended warranty.

Durlaex Tumblers are available from Amazon for about $18 for a set of six.

Fortessa Fortaluxe Vitrified Dinnerware

Fortessa is a dinnerware company line created by the German company Schott Zwiesel. Fortessa specializes in vitrified china dinnerware. The china is reinforced with alumina or magnesium oxide for durability and thermal shock resistance. The dinnerware is called Fortaluxe SuperWhite, and it is used in many restaurants around the world and is reasonably priced.

You can find Fortessa dinnerware on Amazon.

Pyrex Bowls

Pyrex is another brand of tempered glass products renowned for their durability. The Pyrex brand was introduced by Corning Incorporated in 1915. Today, Pyrex is owned by World Kitchen and Pyrex glass products are manufactured in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Recently, there have been rumors circulating about Pyrex products. The rumors suggest that Pyrex products are made with inferior materials, prone to breakage, and manufactured in China. However, this lengthy article on the myth-busting website Snopes.Com, concludes that the rumors are false. Here is an excerpt from the article:

While it is literally true that the material used in manufacturing Pyrex brand glass bakeware has changed from borosilicate glass to soda lime glass, the brand’s current owner, World Kitchen, claims that changeover began back in the 1940s and long antedates Corning’s 1998 sale of the brand, stating that “The Charleroi [Pennsylvania] plant has produced PYREX glass products out of a heat-strengthened (tempered) soda lime glass for about 60 years, first by our predecessor Corning Incorporated, and since 1998 by World Kitchen. In fact, since the 1980’s, most, if not all consumer glass bakeware manufactured in the U.S. for consumers has been made of soda lime glass. Consumers should know that soda lime glass, such as that used to make PYREX glass bakeware, is significantly more resistant to breaking on impact than borosilicate glass and comparably resistant to breakage caused by severe temperature changes.”

World Kitchen itself states that it has received complaints from only “a very small number of consumers” about unexpected breakage. It notes that the Consumer Safety Product Commission has found no safety issue with Pyrex glass bakeware.

Pyrex Bowls are available from Amazon.

Le Creuset French Ovens

Le Creuset has been producing handcrafted French Ovens in their foundry in Northern France since 1925. Their cookware is made with enameled cast iron and is known for lasting decades. The Le Creuset foundry uses standard sand-casting methods to produce its cookware. After hand finishing, items are sprayed with two coats of enamel, and each is fired at 800 °C. The enamel becomes resistant to damage during regular use.

Le Creuset cookware has a lifetime warranty that the products are free from defects in material and workmanship.

If you want an equivalent American-made product, see Lodge Dutch Ovens. We choose to feature the Le Creuset French ovens because, based on our research, they have an edge in quality.

Le Creuset French Ovens are available from Amazon for about $235.

• The best electric kettle is the Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfectTemp Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle. The Cuisinart kettle includes a durable and heavy stainless steel carafe and base, non-slip handle, and concealed heating element. It features six preset variable temperatures, a removable scale filter, and easy-to-use back-lit control buttons, as well as a host of other features, including boil-dry protection, internal memory, and sleep mode.
• Another top contender is the Breville BKE820XL Variable Temperature Kettle. This also features a cordless stainless steel carafe and variable temperature controls, but didn’t quite match up to the Cuisinart in terms of value.

The Details

Already staples of European homes, electric kettles are slowly gaining popularity in the U.S. Although mostly sought after by tea and coffee aficionados concerned with the achieving the optimal water temperature when brewing their beverage of choice, electric kettles are also prized by office workers and college students for efficiently boiling water for oatmeal and other packaged food.

The Cuisinart electric kettle is one of the most well-reviewed and popular kettles on the market due to its high-quality and durable construction, myriad of features, and reasonable price. The entire unit is four pounds, including the base and 1.7-liter carafe. The stylish carafe is mostly made of durable brushed stainless steel; only a few pieces, such as the spout, water-level window, and parts of the handle, are made of BPA-free plastic. The corded base is equipped with 1,500 watts of power for quick and efficient heating, and is designed to allow the carafe to swivel 360˚. The carafe itself features a drip-less pour spout with splash guard, removable scale filter, a comfortable, easy-grip handle, and a water-level window, and LED back-lit control buttons located on the handle.

The unit has six preset temperature control buttons ranging in temperature from 160˚F for delicate green and herbal teas to 200˚F for French-press coffee. Special features include an internal “memory” that allows the user to remove the carafe from the base for up to two minutes without shutting off or stopping the brew process, a 30-minute “keep warm” option, and a sleep mode. In addition, the unit maintains boil-dry protection, with the heater automatically shutting off to prevent damage if water is not detected in the carafe. Cuisinart offers a three-year limited warranty on this unit, and will either repair or replace it if defects not consistent with normal wear and tear are discovered.

The Cuisinart CPK-17 Electric Kettle is available from Amazon for around $90.

A Close Contender

While the Cuisinart is our pick for overall durability, features, and price, the Breville BKE280XL is also a very good buy. While more expensive, the Breville is similar in design and construction to the Cuisinart with one significant exception – all control buttons are located on the base, rather than the carafe. Although the Breville holds slightly more water than the Cuisinart, it doesn’t have back-lit buttons, only offers five preset temperatures ranging from 175˚F to 212˚F, and only keeps the water warm for 20 minutes. Furthermore, Breville only offers a one-year limited warranty. However, the Breville offers two water-level windows, a heavier base, and a metal spout.

Update September 2016: We’ve found this water-resistant keyboard — this one is interesting because it’s a true mechanical keyboard.

The Details

You can now drink your beverage of choice at your desk while keeping your peace of mind. The Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 has overwhelmingly positive user reviews on Amazon for its durability and design. Users report that it survived coffee, soda, water, and soap. It can be hand washed and submerged in up to 11 inches of water. The K310 is equipped with drainage holes for fast drying and comes with a keyboard brush for dusting and scrubbing. Just leave it in a drying rack overnight to air dry.

While most waterproof keyboards are made out of a soft, clumsy rubber, the K310 looks and responds like a conventional keyboard. Its keys are laser printed and UV coated so that they will maintain their form after many washes. Far from clunky, the K310 is a slim .8″ by 17.2″ by 5.5.” It weighs 17.3 ounces, making it fairly lightweight for a keyboard.

The K310 is a USB keyboard and is ready to go as soon as it is plugged in without any driver updates. It features 12 programmable shortcut hotkeys that can take you directly to the Internet, email, volume control, pause, sleep, play and more.

PCMag wrote a positive review of the K310, but noted that its keys are quiet and felt a bit mushy, which would be a turn-off for fans of mechanical keyboards.

The Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 is available at Amazon for around $79.

Another Option

The Kensington K64406 Washable Keyboard is another spill-proof keyboard at a more affordable price tag. Reviewers on Amazon did notice a sacrifice in design and functionality, however. It is available for around $27.

Moka Pot stovetop brewers produce a dense concentrated cup that’s something between espresso and Turkish coffee. Coffee is placed into a filter between the lower chamber (that you fill with water) and the upper chamber that will contain the finished beverage after brewing.

It works by passing hot water that has been pressurized by steam through ground coffee beans and produces a hot beverage similar to espresso.

Over 200 Amazon reviewers rated this espresso maker an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars.

The Bialetti Moka Espresso Maker is available on Amazon for $25.

The glasses get good rating from buyers — over 700 Amazon buyer rated these glasses 4 out of 5 stars. However, the glasses are somewhat delicate, so if you are rough with your drinks, you might want to look elsewhere. Buyers do report that Bodum will often replace the glasses if you break them.

Thee Bodum Pavina Double-Wall Thermo Glasses are available on Amazon for about $15 for a set of 2.

The Thermos Stainless Steel King Beverage Bottle is available on Amazon for about $25.