Do you have a few bakers in your life? We're all looking to give the most unique, thoughtful gifts and for those who love cooking or baking, the following seven products will please any baker (novice or pro). Who knows, you may even find a few things that will help you step up your own baking game.

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A New Year has begun and the holiday season has officially come to an end. “Thank goodness,” shout nutritionists everywhere. While all of the holiday treats certainly were delicious, they didn’t extend beyond the tippity top of the food pyramid. If your New Year’s resolution is to cut the corn syrup and pass on the preservatives, we present you with Grommets designed to give you a healthy helping hand.

Behind every great meal comes great preparation. The Avoloop takes away all of the difficulties as easily as it slices and dices fruits and vegetables with minimal waste. The simple tool is safe for all ages, so if you don’t feel like prepping the tomatoes, make your kids do it.

As easy to use are the Chef’n products. Stem, slice, and squeeze your favorite fruits with just two hands. No cutting board, knife, or frustration necessary with this tool. And as an added bonus, it squeezes out more juice than traditional tools with less effort.

Maybe you’ve already purchased pounds of produce. In that case, well done. But a common and reasonable fear is they’ll go bad. That doesn’t have to be the case.

With BluApple, you can leave your fruits and veggies in the fridge and just place it right next to them. BluApple absorbs the ethylene gas responsible for accelerating the ripening process all while saving, what the USDA estimates, nearly $600 in produce waste per year.

Then there is Bee’s Wrap which helps preserve fruits, veggies, and leftover meals you have stored with reusable and recyclable food storage sheets. FreshTape allows you to seal (up to a dozen times) any size bag of snacks to keep them fresher, longer.

Also in the food preserving arena is AirScape. Contrary to airtight containers, these canisters pull air up and away from your food through a one-way valve. It keeps crackers and cereal crisper and locks in the flavor of teas and coffees.

When it comes to whipping up a meal, the last thing you want to do is under- or overcook it. That’s where Nomiku comes in. This immersion calculator allows you to see when foods have reached their optimum temperature giving a chef quality dish every time.

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Labor Day is right around the corner and as we begin to plan for our last barefoot beach walks and boat rides, we think one last hurrah is in order. Whether you're hosting a big backyard barbecue or a quiet dinner at home, we're sharing a few Grommets that will fit  in right along with recipe recommendations for each. Each of these Grommets is also fittingly chosen to be easy and "labor-free" so you can enjoy more time with friends and family this Labor Day.

Nomiku: A Sous Vide Immersion Circulator

Sous Vide is french for "under vacuum" and it's a unique way of cooking that many people rave about. If you're familiar with this style or excited to give it a try, we've included a recipe for Michael Voltaggio’s Crispy Chicken Thighs from Williams Sonoma.  Shop Now.

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The weather is on a warming trend which has us on the hunt for the best grilling recipes to try out this season. So far our mouth is watering over this BBQ-brushed plank grilled salmon and these grilled tomato "lollipops." Do you have any must-try grilling recipes? Be sure to leave them in the comments below.

We're creating our grilling wishlist and sharing our four new grilling tools recently launched on The Grommet. Check them out below.

The Great Scrape

Now, there's a safe, simple way to avoid charred debris and buildup on the grates of your grill. The Great Scrape is an all natural BBQ cleaning tool with custom grooves that wear over time for a perfect fit with any grill. Shop Now

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Who doesn't love warm, velvety soft bread right out of the oven? When baked well, it can taste like little melting clouds in your mouth. Add in hints of cinnamon or honey and you could be destined for bread heaven. You may also be surprised to know just how many types of homemade bread recipes there are -- wheat breads, sweet breads, flat breads (the choices are endless). Not to mention that making bread at home is a time honored tradition and a great family activity.

We recently launched the Sassafras Bread Dome, giving our community the option to make freshly baked bread recipes right in their own kitchen. If you're a bread lover, but thought making your own would be too daunting, fear no more. Our new friends, Steven and Nancy Schwab have shown us that home baked bread is not only delicious, but easy. And today, they're sharing a few of their favorite bread recipes with us. We hope you test them out. Happy baking friends!

Mediterranean Olive Bread

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Who says Halloween is just for kids? We'll admit, we are a little excited for Halloween. Who will top last year's office costumes? Who will bring in the best Halloween treats to share? We can hardly wait.

Julia, Rachel and Jen | Grommet Halloween 2012

We also can't wait to give away some of our favorite "treats" here at The Grommet. We won't make you wait until the month's end. In fact, we won't even require you to dress up (though if you do, be sure to post a pic because we want to see!).

These Grommets are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth this season. Take a look at some of our favorites:

Ticket Kitchen - This chocolate-on-a-stick is the ultimate hot chocolate experience. Perfect for those brisk fall evenings or lazy weekend mornings.

Fat Toad Caramel - This caramel is magical. Put it on apple slices, ice cream or just by the spoonful (yes, it's that good).

Nye's Cream Sandwiches - Like the classic ice cream sandwiches, only way better. The fall/winter flavors make it a no-brainer to enjoy this cold treat all year long.

Sweet Jules' Caramels - These artisinal caramels are dangerous. The new farm apple spice flavor is amazing. You'll see. They are great to share (though you probably won't want to).

Now that we have you drooling, we want to give you a chance to win these gourmet Grommets. 

This contest is now closed. Thank you all for entering and congrats to our winners: Laura, Robyne, Marsha and Ruth (you all have been notified via email about claiming your prizes). 

To enter:

Leave a comment and tell us which sweet treat you'd like to win and we will select four winners at random. Good luck and Happy Halloween!

General contest rules: To enter, you must be a U.S. resident and at least 18 years of age. You must leave a comment on this post. No purchase necessary. Winner will be randomly selected and notified via email. Employees, contractors, and the families of employees and contractors of The Grommet  are not eligible to enter. Void where prohibited. Contest will end October 20, 2013 at 11 pm PST.

Always left with a random bag of candy after the sugar coma has taken over your household? Why not create a Halloween Candy Cottage?

Hi, my name is Meghan Gibbons and I am a Discovery Team Intern who has just started here at The Grommet. As an incoming senior at Boston College, I was looking to have a summer internship that would be a learning experience but also a great place to work. I think I have found it! Such new and creative ideas are always popping up and I am excited to spend my summer here discovering them all.

In my first week here, I learned that The Grommet is launching an at home pickling set this summer. As a girl who grew up in South Jersey, I have been able to experience the delicious fresh summer produce coming from local gardens but I had never thought of finding a way to enjoy those flavors all year long. One of the main reasons I love summer is because of all the fresh fruits and vegetables. Every meal I eat incorporates something fresh. Whether it be sweet ears of corn, blueberries that burst in my mouth with flavor, or a cool and crisp cucumber in my salad I am a happy eater. I used to think, if only those flavors could last all year long. Pickling? Who knew about this genius technique? Okay -- maybe generations past have mastered this technique but it's all completely knew to me! Turns out my great grandparents, straight from Italy, pickled everything they grew in their small urban garden and did their fair share of pickling. Maybe I'll be a natural?

As a novice pickler, I was intrigued to find out how this technique worked. Of course the first place I looked was the Internet. My “pickling” search results were endless and I cannot wait to try  out the  recipes myself. Here are some of the delicious pickling recipes I found (please try to refrain from drooling onto your keyboard as you read them).

As a lover of nectarines once summer has arrived, I was immediately attracted to this Rachael Ray recipe for Nectarine Pickles (follow this link to get the recipe). Just the thought of being able to indulge in juicy sweet nectarines all year round makes me eager to try this simple recipe out.

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Hello Grommet fans!  My name is Alexandra and I’ve  just started as an intern here at The Grommet.  Already, I can tell that there is an open and inviting atmosphere here (it can be felt as soon as you step through the front door of the new office space).  This, plus the genuine effort put forth by my coworkers to integrate me into their habitat has started making me feel like an important part of this blossoming business.  Also there is a coffee machine in the kitchen that is completely at my disposal.  Thus, in short, I couldn't be more excited to be interning here.

One of my first tasks was to find the best apps to help kick off summer. Being  the most highly anticipated season (and one of my favorites), I was up for the task!   What's not to love about beaches, barbeques, and a welcome dosage of vitamin D?  It means we can stop hoarding food like a bear in hibernation and start having fun, light meals while watching the sunset.  It means we can kick back and enjoy evening drinks on the deck, knowing that somehow cocktails just taste better June through August.

Here are a few food and drink apps that are sure to keep you happy until the leaves turn, as well as some choice products from The Grommet that will enhance your summertime experience.  Enjoy!

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3 Generations of Coffee Farmers

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Recently, The Grommet launched TRIVE Farmers Coffee, a truly disruptive company that offers a new option for farmers to earn 5 - 10 times more than Fair Trade. They helped to educate us about a massively popular beverage that many of us consume every day, yet ironically  know such little about. We recently caught up with Christine Macrenaris, Director of Marketing & Communications of THRIVE Farmers coffee and we got carried away talking coffee (of course!). She shared some fun facts about coffee that we found fascinating.

Read on to discover 7 Fun Facts about coffee that you may not have known!

1. Coffee is actually NOT a bean, but comes from a fruit! It is grown on a tree or bush that produces cherry fruit. The bean is the seed inside the cherry.
2. Coffee is the world’s second most popular drink after water.
3. Years ago, in Turkey, if the husband did not provide their wife with enough coffee, it was grounds for divorce.
4. It takes one tree to make one roasted pound of specialty coffee and each berry has to be hand-picked.
5. There are 4,000 roasted beans in one pound of coffee. (Source: Rob Tuttle, Barista and Thrive Farmers VP of Operations)
6. The price of a tall latte in America is a day’s wage for many of the farmers who harvest it in South America.
7. What makes Thrive Farmers unique is that they are selling coffee directly to the consumer, providing world class coffee and giving farmers the opportunity to THRIVE in an industry where many farmers are unable to survive.

 sources for fun facts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6,

How many of these facts did you know about your favorite morning drink?  

Molecule-R Gastronomy Kit

The young professional crowd in Boston wishes they had more time and skills to be a better cook.

Did you get inspired this holiday season by all the tasty treats around you and wish you too could make them? Whether or not "unsucking" at cooking was one of your resolutions, you'll find the list of Grommets below to help you get started.

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