Around the edges
The picture’s the main event, but the right frame makes it feel like a party. Besides putting photos and artwork on their best behavior, frames are can’t-miss gifts. Local stores have loads of great options, including these.
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$62 at Caspari, 100 W. Main St., 817-7880
$35 at Caspari
$78 at Creme de la Creme, Barracks Road Shopping Center North Wing, 296-7018
$24 at Patina Antiques, 2171 Ivy Rd., 244-3222
$24 at Patina Antiques |
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Hot stuff
You know the drill: Sweet-talk your stove into heating up a little faster, get impatient and crank it to the max, then frantically lower the heat when it finally responds. If you’re tired of temperamental electric ranges, look into induction cooktops.
Just in case you’ve forgotten high school physics (who hasn’t?), here’s a quick recap. Induction cooktops use electromagnetic fields to heat cookware directly instead of through the cooktop. Practical benefits? Less radiant heat and precise, immediate control over the level of heat applied to cookware. Fans rave about the speedy cooking time, and a few have posted pictures of a handful of ice cubes chilling next to a pot of boiling water, to demonstrate how controlled the heating process is. Cleaning is easy-breezy since food particles can’t get caught under burners.
Units are a bit pricey, usually between $1,000 and $4,000, and must be used with cookware with iron content. One local source: Davis Appliances Co. (295-6920).—Lucy Kim
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Symmetry and surprise
This corner dwelling in Fifeville seems to be converted from a commercial building of some kind. We’re not sure of its history, but we love the way its present guise captures an urban, almost European feel, with that smart front entrance and understated paint job.
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We’re fans
You buy a fan to be cool—as in comfort, not style. But you can have it all if your fan’s of the retro variety, like this Hunter brushed-nickel number. It’s a room chiller and a wayback machine all in one. $50 at Bed Bath & Beyond.