Hot Book

“The Great Chile Book” (Ten Speed Press: $14.95) is actually a smallish paperback that could fit into the roomier sort of pocket, and in a way it’s just Coyote Cafe chef Mark Miller amplifying his well-known chile posters and reissuing them in book form. But the color photos are gorgeous, and it may prove a handy guide as the dozens of Central and South American peppers he includes become available in our markets.

Euro-Pop

We’ve tried Avvio, an Italian line of sparkling drinks now being introduced in upscale restaurants--Bitter (like sparkling Campari), Citrus (like yellow-tinted 7-Up), Espresso (sparkling coffee) and Orange (blood orange)--and decided we liked the last one best. It’s 12% orange juice and has a particularly handsome (though artificial) red-orange color.

Cool Tool

Salt watchers may be interested in an instrument called the Salt Detector, made by the Lumiscope Co. of Edison, N.J., which can be ordered locally through Vons Markets. You stick it into a food and it instantly measures the exact concentration of salt. Suggested retail price: $29.99.

Have Two, They’re Reduced

Caprenin, a designer fat with the mouth-feel of cocoa butter, has only 56% as many calories. If the FDA gives approval (possibly soon, because it’s made from fatty acids already present in fats we eat), we may see reduced-calorie Caprenin chocolates.

Tokyo Feels the Crunch

The Toyo Suisan Kaisha company recently introduced a sort of generic instant noodle soup to Japan under the (English) name “Avg. Noodle.”

Skillets Reported Skittish

Anna Maria Mild Pork Italian and Turkey Italian--debuting this very day at Lucky markets--boast that they’re the first fresh sausages marketed in Southern California that can be microwaved in the package. You can refrigerate the leftovers in the package and reheat them, too. Does this spell doom to the frying pan?

Salt and Batteries

Here’s what you’ve always needed--an electric pepper mill with a light built into the bottom so you can see how much pepper you’ve ground. From A Touch of Pepper, at a mere $175.00 . . . and hey, it’s rechargeable!