Necessity being the mother of invention, the best Gimpliments often are designed by the people who need them most.

That was the case for Matt Elfein who designed this deceptively simple adjusting pole and tray when he could find nothing to assist him on his wheelchair.

Cait recently had the opportunity to test the tray and found it lightweight and easy to use — even for those with limited dexterity and hand strength.

Matt’s tray solves a key problem for walker- and wheelchair-users who struggle to carry hot food and beverages on trays and push carts. Cait watched Matt use it one day in a restaurant when his knees couldn’t fit under the table and he used his tray to eat dinner.

A primary reason Matt developed the tray, he told Cait, was that he was tired of dropping food on himself. The tray, he said, makes him much more independent - including as a parent. Now, for example, he can bring his children a snack on movie night or make breakfast more easily.

Click here to see a video and numerous uses for this great tray — including in business and class settings.

The intuitive OXO Good Grips Double Timer offers a 100-hour digital timer for longer events and a 1-hour analog time for shorter events.

OXO gives the example of roasting a turkey with the digital timer while setting the analog for occasional basting.

The digital timer has soft buttons on a numbered keypad and the time appears on an easy-to-read LCD display - which reverts to a clock when the timer is not in use.

The angled face makes it easier to read on countertops and shelves and the non-slip bottom and sturdy die-cast zinc body keep it stable. One AAA battery included.

(Thanks for the tip Doug Lundquist)

This stylish sensor pump has gotten rave reviews and would be a boon to people with limited hand mobility and arthritis.

It automatically dispenses liquid soap - or hand lotion - by simply placing your hand under the sensor. Four settings let you determine how much soap or lotion is dispensed based on the thickness of the liquid.

The drawback is it operates on four AA batteries. So many small appliances do these days that it pays to own rechargeable batteries and a charger, which are easy to find these days at reasonable prices.

Cait wants one of these sensors but won’t allow one in the house because her husband, Doug, would take such a fancy to it that they would run through batteries in no time.

To see a video click here and then on the video icon to the left under the photo of the sensor.

If you discount Cait’s lust for Big Box stores (see Eds. Note at bottom), we believe that smaller and simpler is the best way to live.

That’s why we’re intrigued with AvecEric - a blog by top New York chef Eric Ripert, seen here, who prepares everything in a Cuisinart BRK-200 Stainless Steel toaster oven.

While Cuisinart is a sponsor for the site, most everything Chef Eric cooks presumably could be made in any generic toaster oven, including his Herb Roasted Chicken Tenders, Tomatoes Provencal and Parmesan Zucchini with Balsamic.

Chef Eric’s videos are lively, his writing clear and his memories of France heavenly. In 2007 GQ Magazine named Ripert’s restaurant “Le Bernardin” one of “Seven Food Temples of the World.” When not in the kitchen, Ripert says he enjoys good tequila and peace and quiet. Clearly, he’s our kind of guy.

Eds. Note: Cait’s fixation (we hesitate to call it a disease) with Big Box stores just grabs hold of her. Most recently it’s been her unbridled excitement over the opening of our city’s first Costco. A few months ago, it was the opening of a Super Target and before that a Super Walmart.

Cait actually is quite frugal so it’s not like she spends a fortune when she goes there. It’s more the thrill of jumping on a new fully charged electric cart, throwing wide the throttle and cruising the aisles unimpeded. A straight rush to her head.

These clever artificial flowers are used to put out oil and grease fires.

They have magnets and stick to your refrigerator or other magnetic surface. If you have a fire, you simply grab them and toss them on the flames, where they melt into a gooey film and extinguish the blaze - as shown in the video below.

Melted, these flowers make quite a mess, but then so does the spray from a canister fire extinguisher, or worse - the destruction and mess of a fire unchecked.

These fire flowers, which are not unattractive, strike us as a novel and amusing yet highly practical gift. You would be remembered every time the cook sees them in his or her kitchen. And in the event of a fire your name would be revered!

(via Random Good Stuff)

These lightweight melamine lap trays have indentations with silicone inserts to prevent plates and glasses from slipping and spilling.

The trays nest for easy storage and have large handles for a firm grip. They’re dishwasher safe and can hold hot items up to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

They come in blue and brown in sets of two and measure 18-1/4″L x 11-1/2″W.

Cait relies on this mongo fruit slicer when she has her taste buds set on a melon but her hands don’t feel sure enough to wield a knife.

For greater leverage, she puts the melon in the sink and bears down on it with the slicer and its sharp serrated blades.

It’s much less messy this way because extra juice runs into the drain rather than all over her counter.

The slicer is big enough to handle cantaloupes, honeydews and cassabas and the handles give her a firm grip for good hold and leverage.

The slicer, which can be used by left- and right-handed people, measures 11-3/4″L x 8-1/2″W x 2-1/4″H with handles. Needs to be hand-washed. And it’s made in China - of course. What isn’t these days?

This is the gift for that person in your life who loves to grill a perfect hot dog and appreciates unusual grilling gadgets.

Powered by 4 AA batteries, this cooker rotates your hot dogs - or Bratwursts if you’re from Wisconsin - just like those awful quik store hot dogs you see rotating around but no one ever buys for fear of food poisoning.

With this rotating device, you can walk away from the grill and they’ll keep cooking without scorching - unless you leave them for hours as they seem to do in convenience stores.

(via Book of Joe)

Instead of having a few score of birthday candles to blow out, opt for these Roman Numeral Candles from Shakespeare’s Den which claims to be the Internet’s largest selection of Shakespearen gifts and theatre gifts on the internet.

Each set comes with four characters representing ages up to 89.

We thought this was resourceful, clever and simple: using a CD spindle as a bagel-sandwich protector for a packed lunch.

You could make your sandwich, put it in your pack, briefcase, purse or whatever and know it wasn’t going to get squished before lunch.

(via Jonathon’s Blog)