Bonnie: Yes, yes BiteoftheBest.com is mainly about food. But when designing the site, I included the category of “Just for Fun” in case I tripped over a product that I couldn’t resist telling you about. That’s this iron.

No, I’m not Ms. Susie Homemaker — far from it. In fact, when the boys were younger and visiting friends, they noticed Sharon, their friends’ mom, handling something that they weren’t familiar with.

“What’s that?”

“An iron,” Sharon giggled, as she continued ironing Josh’s undershirts. She ironed almost every piece of her family’s clothing. For me, it was all wash ‘n wear — clothing that I hung still damp to avoid wrinkles.

Fast forward to last January when I attended the International Housewares Association (IHA) Preview in New York City. It’s a glimpse of what will be showing at their annual convention in Chicago that I generally attend for Parade magazine, as the deadline for the “Live Longer Better Wiser” issue is before the actual show, and I usually find a couple of items that we could use.

That’s where I discovered the Soda Club Seltzer Maker and other interesting items, including Stixx Designs for Living (a wine opener with a suction cup so it stixx to the countertop making for easy opening) and Shark’s Infinity vacuum (it rivals Dyson’s functionality at a fraction of the price).

I also noticed a man in a blue suit leaning over a board, ironing a tablecloth. What really caught my attention was what happened when he let go of the iron for even a millisecond. Feet appeared. He just wouldn’t be able to scald the cloth.

Intriguing. That meant I couldn’t burn anything. I wouldn’t have to worry whether I had shut the iron off. (It actually does that automatically if you don’t use it for 8 minutes.) I had to try it myself!

I keep trying to trick the iron by just gently letting go. It never works, as the feet pop out immediately. This new appliance has made it fun to iron tablecloths, but I still wouldn’t iron my kid’s t-shirt

I’m heading to the 2008 preview next month, wondering what I’ll find there to share with you. Stay tuned.

Bryan: This feature seems so necessary, it’s more of a wonder that we haven’t had a product like this iron offered before. I remember the first time I showed my friend Jon a two-sided belt (brown on one side, black on the other with a reversible clasp.) He was so shocked by the increased functionality that he would never buy a belt without the feature after that day. That was my reaction to the ‘smart’ Oliso Iron. The iron has miniature ‘feet’ that simply lift it off the surface—as soon as your hand is removed, of course!

Eric: Funny that my mother mentions that “wash & wear” technique from our childhood because it is still what I do today. I have never been one to iron. So, I purchased non-iron dress shirts for most of my suits. For me, the Oliso iron falls into the category of “Why didn’t I think of that?” and will have a fascinating impact on preventing burnt clothing.