Azumi and David

by Ami Kealoha

Surrealist, practical, funny or not, Azumi and David (A'N'D) are the types to take a theme and run with it. The pair have made both high-heeled a brogue versions of their shoe bags (what girl hasn't wished for a surface suitable for resting on dirty floors?) and have configured eyeglass frames into endless necklace arrangements, both riffing on design and fashion in one blow. Other pieces, like their creepy-weird hair scarf, are less about reinvention and more bizarre experiments that almost seem to uninvent.

As fans of any kind of novelty tape, we're taken with the ties, button-downs, ribbons and ruffles in the Spring/Summer 2008 collection that instantly add a bit of formality to any t-shirt.

You can catch the shoe bags and more as part of a surrealist exhibit up at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam through 13 January 2008. Several shoe bags, as well as the hair scarf and a few other items are available for sale online from Creatures of Comfort.

Thanksgiving Cooking

by Tim Yu

Whether you're a consummate home chef or more of the reheat-and-serve school of cooking, having an arsenal of tools makes the daunting task of cooking a Thanksgiving meal easier and maybe even more fun. We've gathered some of latest and some of the tried-and-true to help make your holiday a little smoother.

A place setting and dessert in-one, these chocolate favors add a decorative touch to the table. Available in both milk and dark chocolate varieties, they are all natural Belgian chocolates and made in Vermont. At approximately 2.5 inches tall, they aren't as big as the real thing but are sure to steal some of the attention. Individually wrapped, they come in a set of three milk and three dark chocolate turkeys. Available from Lake Champlain Chocolates for $21.

The Preserve Kitchen line by Recycline makes design oriented kitchenware from 100% recycled plastics and paper. For their new line, designers Evo Design took their cues from nature for a series of products shaped like fruits and vegetables. Our favorite are the apple-inspired food storage containers, which feature a threaded lid to keep precious leftovers secure. Even dropped containers full of stuffing are safe from tops that pop off and plastic that cracks. Available exclusively at Whole Foods Market starting today, 12 November 2007 for $7 for a pack of two.

Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving feast staple, but we could do without the versions that are too sweet, too runny or the jelly kind that maintains the shape of the can. A new take on the jewel-colored sauce, the Cranberries in Pays d'oc Wine is not your average pre-prepared condiment. Using a homemade style of production, it's slow cooked with cane sugar and wine from Pays d’Oc, the Mediterranean region in Southwestern France, making it pourable yet thick and delicately sweetened. Available for $12 from Amazon.

Don't risk dropping 10 pounds of protein and arguably the most important meal of the year. Rather, securely lift the bird out of the oven with this harness. Made of silicone, it won't affect the flavor or the cooking process. Especially useful for larger turkeys, simply place straps underneath the turkey before roasting for a no-fuss way to get the bird on to a platter that doesn't involve spearing it with a fork and letting out hours of basting. Available for $10 from A Cook's Companion in Brooklyn, NY or online from La Prima. via New York magazine

Winner of a Red Dot Design Award this year, these Zyliss measuring cups are easy to use and stackable when not in use. A rounded inner surface makes it easier to prepare and whisk ingredients in the cup. Being able to prepare and dispense ingredients from the same vessel saves time on clean-up and minimizes loss of ingredients from transfers. Measuring scales are marked on both the inside and outside of the cup making it easy to read. The three different sizes—one, two and four cups—all have non-skid bottoms and are available for $20 from Gracious Home.

Though not traditional, we think a fresh, crisp green salad adds a needed bit of light fare to a Thanksgiving meal. For artful salad making, leave it to the Swiss to make a sleek, high-performance salad spinner. We've long appreciated the efficiency of Zyliss spinners and this version kicks it up a notch with a stainless steel bowl. It also still has the built-in automatic cord retraction system, a stop button and the gentle automatically alternating spin action that made us fans in the first place. Available from PGS for €50.

With a Wireless Digital Thermometer, you no longer need to stick your head in the oven to check the Turkey's temperature and can even hop in the shower before guests arrive. The wireless capabilities allow for monitoring the meal from nearly any other room in your home to help prevent the classically dry, overcooked bird. Insert the stainless steel probe in the thickest part of the turkey's thigh and cook till it hits 180 degrees. There's even a paging system to alert you when it reaches the right temperature. Get it for $50 at Crate and Barrel.

The Oxo Fat Separator works double time to help slim down gravy. First, a heat-resistant plastic filter at the top separates fat and impurities. Fat that slipped through then rises to the top, so the pour spout dispenses the more lean liquid from the bottom of the cup. It's also got a stopper and non-slip grip for better handling. Starting at $11 for the smallest size at Sur la Table.

Brining a Turkey is the method generally agreed upon by most cooks as the best way to add huge amounts of flavor and to keep the meat from drying out. We recommend making your own brine, but if pressed for time we've heard good things about the Fire and Flavor Perfect Turkey Brine. Using all natural ingredients, it's said to give the turkey more of an herb flavor and all you have to do is add water and a bit of sugar to the mix. Don't forget the brine bag. Both are available from Fire and Flavor for $8.

Another weapon in the war against dried-out turkeys, an injection baster helps get the juices in the bird where it matters. The fact is, once a turkey starts cooking it doesn't take juices well topically. Better to inject it with the Cuisipro dual baster/injector, which features an interchangeable shower baster and injector head so you can do both. Available at Sur la Table for $10.

If you're prone to "blackening" the turkey or you O.D. on tryptophan and doze off with candles burning, you might have to use one of these Home Hero Fire Extinguishers. Much more chic-looking than the standard variety, this one's modern enough to display, making it more accessible in times of need. The ergonomic design also makes it easier to pull the can't-miss red safety pin for one-handed deployment of life-saving foam. Available at Home Depot for around $30 soon.

Zune Originals: Interview with Chris Stephenson

by Ami Kealoha

Zune's next move takes their support of emerging artists and literally puts it on their sleeve. Zune Originals is a collection of 27 original works by 18 international artists designed to be engraved onto the back of the device. (Click images for detail.) On the Zune Originals site, launching tomorrow (13 November 2007), visitors will be able to customize their Zune by size, color, illustration and with up to four optional lines of text—all free of charge, at least for the time being.

When we got a sneak peek of what the artists came up with, we were truly amazed at what we saw—one CH editor even wants one as a tattoo. (See all 27 of the illustrations and the artist bios after the jump.) A project six months in the making, we decided to check in with Microsoft's general manager of global marketing, Chris Stephenson, to learn what went into it.

How did this project came to be and what role did your background play in it?
I came out of the music industry. I was at MTV, I worked in fashion, I ran a record label, Ministry of Sound, and I had my own consulting business in music and design. And the thing I was used to was creating. I was into creating, making mistakes and making stuff that really resonates with people.

So, from day one we committed ourselves to authenticity and action, to supporting arts and giving artists the opportunity to express themselves. The first foray was Zune Arts and we put absolutely no restrictions, just asked artists to participate. We thought, 'wouldn't it be interesting to take this love of art to the device.'

It was a way of saying, 'let the consumer get involved let them do the customization.' It's like NIKEiD for the MP3 player. We looked at Nike a lot and we also took inspiration from something as pedestrian as MySpace. That's what the internet is about, it makes readers into writers. It's putting self-expression into the consumer's hands.

What was your strategy in curating this group of artists?
Quite honestly, what we did is we sat down, we have great team of illustrators and designers, and we created a list of 60-70 artists that we love, a wish list.

We realized after the first 12 calls that everyone was like, "Yeah we'd love to do that." So after that we just fine-tuned that to the people that we were really excited about. We had a really high conversion rate. There are some who don't want to have anything to do with anything corporate and we respect and understand that. Others were excited for the exposure and I think we have some of the best contemporary artists and illustrators.

I noticed a strong international representation, how did that play a role?
It was very purposeful. I think it goes back to my years at MTV. Some of my responsibilities were getting the best animations and it was amazing where they came from. They came from Poland, from India, Bulgaria. If they just came from the U.S. and Eurpoe, it'd be different. From day one we said this is our goal. We'd already worked a lot with South American illustrators, we've been global in our aspirations from day one.

What was the directive?
The brief that we had for ourselves and for artists was that it had to be something that would work as a tattoo on the back of a device. But what you create needs to works as line art but also as a poster, because what happens is you get a beautiful poster that you can frame and a set of cards. We wanted it to be a deeper experience.

Otherwise, the directive that we gave was very loose. We have a couple of brand themes that we really believe in and one was sharing and also community, but we made it very loose. When you look at someone like Catalina [Estrada] (pictured top left) she has these great themes so we didn't want to over brief. But some of the Japanese art is playing on vibrant communities. Someone like Kenzo [Minami] (at left), you just love the architectural side of it. His work looks almost like Frank Lloyd Wright in a way. It has that something that you didn't want to lose.

What did you discover along the way as far as trends in art?
The one thing that I'm noticing, not just this particular project, but I think there's been a very clean aesthetic for a long time, in the '90s and with Apple. Now, you look at wallpaper, there's so much Fluer de Lys patterning, paisley—we're seeing much more richness, seeing flocked wallpapers, seeing some great companies like Timorous Beasties and Flavor Paper.

The Apple cult and homogeneous art, homogeneous culture—things are opening up. Look at Artful Dodger, look at some of the clothes hip hop kids are wearing. The quote is, 'were just opening up color again.'

Ami, I have to tell you, I'm sitting in a room right now at Microsoft and on the wall I've got wallpaper with tanks and airplanes and rainbows and clouds that we made. And we live this because we love it and it's very much a part of the culture that we're trying to build there. And it's not a project, it's coming to life in natural, intuitive way. It's really just who we are.

Also on Cool Hunting: Anthony Burrill: One For Me, One For You, BPMW Zune, Zune Giveaway