21st-century thermoses.

• Position: What's New? Small Appliances, Tools, And Gadgets - Brief Article - Product Announcement

* Once upon a time, a Thermos bottle kept hot liquids hot and cold liquids cold, and, as long as you never dropped it, would do its assigned job conscientiously in lunchboxes, picnic baskets, or backpacks. That was then and this is now, as the cliche goes, and The Thermos Company, Schaumburg, Ill., has boldly stepped into the 21st century with myriad innovations.

For example, the stainless steel insulated Coffee Press ($49.50), is nonelectric, requires no filters, and takes about five minutes to operate. Just add boiling water to press-ground coffee or ground beans, cover the carafe, and, after four minutes, slowly push down the plunger until it touches the top of the lid. This European method produces about a quart of delicious, full-bodied coffee that will stay satisfactorily hot for three times longer than the equivalent made in a glass coffee press.

The Cappuccino Creamer ($35) to produce foamy cream for Italian coffee is far easier to use than the exotic machines others design for the task. Just fill it with a cup of milk and heat for three minutes, then grasp the ball pro-truding from the lid and pump it up and down about 20 times. After allowing the contents to rest for 20 seconds, hold the container in one hand and the ball and lid in the other, tip the creamer, and scoop the frothing cream out into your cup. Whether you're...