Shop Like a Chef

Merge Friendster.com with Amazon.com, crank it down several notches in size, and what do you get? "Social shopping" sites like ThisNext, Kaboodle and the Stylehive, which link members' profiles with e-commerce sites that let you buy the items they recommend. Two of the newest members of ThisNext are TV chef and cookbook author Daisy Martinez, who recommends smart gadgets for Latin cooking like the Tostobueno tostonera (essentially a wooden plaintain smasher) for making tostones. Newlywed chef Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter in New York City is big on tech-y items—she lists not one but two Robot Coupe food processors, plus more tools for chopping, blending and pureeing. But she also reveals a softer side; an avid soap collector, she adores a Roger & Gallet soap that's a cross between "freshly mowed grass and the best salad I’ve ever eaten."