The idea that good things are worth waiting for is disappearing in our faster-equals-better culture. Convenience and instant gratification are what we desire, and when it comes to cold wine, we can have it even if we forgot to put the bottle in the fridge. The Ravi instant wine chiller ($50; pictured) transforms room temperature chardonnay, pinot grigio, even vodka as you pour, provided you keep this amazing device in the freezer when not in use. When needed, just insert it into your wine bottle and pour. The wine passes through a frozen steel chamber on its way to your glass, arriving delectably chilled. Of course, there isn’t a whole lot of romance or visual flair with Ravi. While you’re sipping that first delicious glass or two with a friend who just happened by, let them know not everything has to be spur of the moment. Place the rest of the bottle in an illuminated ambiance chilller ($180) or a Nice Ice wine chiller mold ($25). These are perfect for parties. The illuminated chiller uses a rechargeable eight-hour battery or can be plugged in for nonstop action. As your bottle soaks in the bucket of plain old ice — it still works like a charm to make things cold — the bucket glows and slowly changes color from yellow to green to blue to violet to pink to red. The Nice Ice mold will wow your guests and give you a chance to be creative. Just fill it with water and fruit (or other freezables), freeze and voilà: you’ve got a decorative cooler for the next few hours (until the mold melts into the attached base). True, these are really more holder than fast chiller. If you want something worthy of a professional, Sharper Image has the Waring pro double-bottle wine chiller ($150). It accommodates two bottles, each with its own temperature control and features a library of 33 presets for various types of wine. Need a gift for someone who’s serious about wine? Look no further than this baby.

With names like “Fixx,” “Cocaine,” “Bong Water” and “Xtreme Shock,” is the ever-growing appeal of energy drinks any surprise? According to a 2007 report by market research firm Mintel, approximately 65 percent of those who consume these drinks are male and under 35 years of age. Packaged in cans, like soda, the strongest of the drinks contain high levels of caffeine, which make them attractive study aids, work-out enhancers, even cocktail mixers. (Watch an amusing commercial for one such drink at YouTube.) Predictions are that the market for these drinks will hit $6 billion or more annually by 2010 as groups such as young professional women are targeted with gentler-named products. But do they work and are they safe? At Energy Drink Ratings and Taurine Rules, blogs dedicated to reviewing the hundreds of drinks on the market, you can learn which drinks are strongest, best tasting, most popular, least fattening, cheapest, etc. We like the “Best Energy Drink” page at Energy Drink Ratings. It’s over a year old but lists the top five strongest drinks — Wired X505, 5-Hour Energy, Fixx, Redline and Cocaine — from the 250-plus beverages the author has reviewed, with links to the original review and where to purchase the drink online. For example, Redline Energy Drink made the top five strongest drinks, so we linked to the review and learned that the active ingredients are caffeine, Evoburn, hydroxy, yerba mate and green tea and that it isn’t a conventional energy beverage, but rather “falls more into the category of fat burners or thermogenics … you cannot get these things at gas stations or grocery stores. You have to get it online or at a vitamin store like GNC.” The author goes on to a “final judgment” of Redline that reads, “It tastes like crap, it costs too much but the kick you get from this freakin’ thing is amazing.” There are concerns about the dangers of energy drinks. Please read up on them and, if you choose to consume these beverages, do so responsibly.

Mom always said not to procrastinate. But we guess you weren’t always listening: Mother’s Day is just four days away, but thanks to a wide range of last-minute gift options on the Web, your Mom doesn’t have to be empty-handed Sunday. Wow her with a fabulous blue box from Tiffany & Co. — order online by Friday at noon and you’ll have it in time for Sunday’s visit. Try a Mom heart locket pendant in sterling silver ($250) and a chain to hang it on ($50). If you’re looking for a lower-priced option, the silk scarf is chic and budget-friendly ($50). Go the traditional route and send Mom a bouquet of flowers. 1-800-FLOWERS offers same-day delivery on select arrangements. The strawberry floral margarita is a unique take on the standard gift ($70), while the Mother’s Love bouquet goes the more traditional route ($80). Order by 1 p.m. ET Thursday at Harry & David for overnight delivery on a variety of foodie gifts. The deluxe Mother’s Day tower features pears, Moose Munch, chocolate truffles and gourmet brownies ($50). Appeal to Mom’s sweet tooth with a Tower of Chocolates ($40). Order up until 2 p.m. ET Thursday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art store for Mother’s Day delivery. The Parisian dragonfly pin is a nod to spring’s nature-inspired fashions ($85; pictured), while the shoes card case can help Mom look stylish while networking ($30). Expedited shipping today from Sephora will ensure the arrival of Marc Jacobs’ limited-edition Daisy gift set, including eau de toilette spray, body lotion and a purse-sized cologne ($75). Can’t personally deliver Mom breakfast in bed like the good old days? Send her Philosophy’s Breakfast in Bed kit, which features three scented hair and body cleansers in flavors like Cafe au Lait, Belgian Waffles and Fresh Cream ($30).

Nothing says, “We think you’re great,” better than an edible bouquet or goodie basket. Edible Arrangements offers an assortment of bouquets made of fresh fruit and chocolate, which can be delivered or picked up. The Orange Blossom Half Dipped with Dipped Bananas bouquet contains orange slices, chocolate-covered strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew melon and banana slices dipped in white and dark chocolate ($68 or $82).The Delicious Party With Dipped Daisies arrangement features “daisies” carved from pineapple slices and dipped in chocolate, along with strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe and honeydew melon ($107 to $239). A nice sweetheart gift or Mother’s Day present is this bouquet of chocolate-dipped strawberries ($34. $54 or $74). Mallory’s Marvelous Muffins sells cookie and muffin gift baskets that can be shipped anywhere in the United States.You can wow your officemates with the six-pound Baketacular, one dozen muffins, 14 cookies, four scones, and six brownies ($75). The Angel by Your Side treat basket is a lovely gift for people recovering from an illness or injury; it holds six muffins, four cookies, one crumb cake, two fruit bars, a brownie, a box of herbal tea and an angel ($57). Cookies by Design offers bouquets of frosted, decorated cookies, such as the Appreciation Stars”arrangement, with up to 12 frosted star-shaped cookies with sayings like “Great Job!” and “Way to Go!” ($7.50 to $90). For the same cost, you can get the World of Thanks arrangement (pictured), with as many as 12 cookies inscribed with “thank you” in different languages.

Making ice cream at home is a cherished American summer pastime. Nowadays it’s an easy task, too, thanks to an array of ice cream-making machines available online. Makeicecream.com is a great destination for aspiring ice cream chefs. It carries a selection of machines, as well as ice cream and frozen yogurt recipes and the history of ice cream. A Cuisinart Supreme commercial quality ice cream maker costs $300, but Cuisinart’s soft serve ice cream maker is only $129. The Supreme would probably make ice cream as good as the kind you get at an ice cream shop; the soft serve is fun to have at kids’ parties. Have you ever seen the chefs on Iron Chef USA (a Food Network TV show) concoct their amazing recipes for gelato, sherbets and ice cream in record time? They’re using a Musso Lussino 4080 Ice Cream Maker, the Porsche of ice cream makers and costs $700. More affordably, Target carries a Deni Automatic Ice Cream Maker for $50. This motorized machine makes ice cream in about 20 minutes and comes with a candy crusher to make toppings. If you want to replicate your childhood summers cranking the ice cream machine, try the White Mountain Hand Operated Ice Cream maker ($160; pictured). Snow cone machines are also widely available and quite affordable, such as the Nostalgia Electrics old-fashioned carnival-style snow cone maker ($31.49). And Hawaiianshavedice.com has a shaved ice machine for $35. You can buy cool combinations of different bottles of flavored syrup, such as strawberry, banana, kiwi and tamarind.

Whether you grow them yourself or buy them in the produce section of the market, there is nothing like a meal made with fresh rather than dried herbs. The flavors are cleaner and more intense. Plus they pretty up a dish and smell great in your kitchen. But sometimes you only need a pinch of oregano or a tablespoon of dill and end up throwing away most of what you bought before you can use it. Which is where the new Herb Savor by Prepara ($30) comes in. It extends the life of your fresh herbs for up to three weeks inside of the refrigerator door by keeping the leaves protected from the moisture in the air while the stems stand in a little well of water. Used with a pair of Endurance stainless-steel herb scissors ($11), also new on the market, fresh herbs are as handy and simple to cook with as salt and pepper. These feature five sharp blades which make it quick and easy to mince, chop or cut the exact quantity you need right over a pan or a plate. Once you taste the difference and get hooked on food flavored with fresh cut herbs, you might like to grow them yourself. At HerbKits, the best-selling product is the Garden Stacker and Indoor Culinary Herb Garden ($60). Each kit includes lots of seeds (for growing multiple parsley, thyme, cilantro/coriander, basil, dill, oregano, sweet marjoram, chives, savory, garlic chives, mustard and sage plants), 50 peat packets to plant and water them in, and a small greenhouse that provides the perfect climate for propagation and growth within a few weeks. Transfer the plants to the hangable indoor/outdoor Garden Stacker (pictured). You can go the traditional route with fresh herb seeds, planting ideas, assortments and advice from Burpee. And if you live in a rural area or like to hike, Bulk Herb Store has a DVD, Making Herbs Simple ($30), which will teach you how to recognize herbs in the wild and show you the right way to wash, dry and store them. This site is devoted to the medicinal and health-promoting use of herbs and also explains the steps necessary to make poultices and tinctures.