By Andrea Lillo

From appealing to men to “tongs with teeth,” the next generation of food preparation tools and gadgets have both style and substance.  

With consumers clamoring for lower price points as well as color for the kitchen, the tools and gadgets category is a natural area for additions, as well as a means of extending a brand. Some recent introductions target specific functions or cuisines, others have been designed to stand on their handles or lie flat without tilting over. 

Cuisinart brought its tools and gadgets line in house for the first time, and relaunched them at the International Home + Housewares Show. The five new groups are positioned in good, better, best and premium programs to target an assortment of retailers, said Mary Rodgers, director of marketing communications, Cuisinart. “We wanted to go to market with a diverse offering, from mid-price to gourmet stores.”

Cuisinart’s “good” offering is called Curve, which features soft-grip, ergonomic handles and items designed to lie flat so they won’t tip or roll. For the “better” and “best” Cuisinart categories there are Barrel and Twist, respectively. The Barrel group has a tapered, soft-grip handle with stainless steel accents, while Twist consists of European-inspired kitchen tools and gadgets with nonslip soft-grip handles, and either nylon or stainless steel heads. Each group has seven to 18 tools and 12 to 21 gadgets.

At the Housewares Show in March, retailers gravitated toward the Barrel collection, Rodgers said. “It’s easy to hold, and they liked the shape.” Also, with more men cooking in the kitchen, its tapered handle appeals to both sexes, she said. In addition, two premium, yet-unnamed lines from Cuisinart are to come: one has been created by an Italian designer that the company has used before in its cookware and electrics, and the other will complement Cuisinart’s Elite line and have an embossed logo. The company also launched a mandoline with food processor blade technology.

Gibson expanded its Colorsplash brand with more than 30 gadgets this past March, as “we were...inundated with requests for brand extensions into other housewares categories,” said Candace LaRotonda, cookware sales development manager. The Gourmet kitchen tool line has non-slip handles that allow the gadgets to stand on their own on the counter to keep food off surfaces as well as hang on pots for easy access. In blue, purple, orange and green, the gadgets have non-stick nylon heads and consist of a solid spoon, slotted spoon, pasta server, slotted turner, skimmer, and ladle.

Gibson’s Cook Studio line contains 10 gadgets that can also stand up on their own, have angled, ergonomic handles and can be used by right- and left-handed people. In addition, Colorsplash includes Cook Prep, which has 13 gadgets, and Kitchen Basics, Gibson’s opening price point line that has 16 gadgets.

Cuisipro recently launched its line of five locking tongs for special tasks in the kitchen: the panini/grill tongs, the braising/stew tongs, the 13-inch pasta tongs, the 13-inch fish tongs and the tongs with teeth, which can grip meats or vegetables so they don’t drop back into a pan or dish. All are made of a commercial-quality stainless steel and can be opened and closed with one hand. The red silicone-tipped (the braising/stew, pasta and fish tongs and the tongs with teeth) and the black nylon-tipped tongs (available in the pasta tongs and the tongs with teeth) are heat resistant to 425 degrees and 400 degrees, respectively.

Imusa expanded its gadget offerings in a big way at the Housewares Show. Its new translucent line contains 22 items, and was added because consumers are looking for well-priced items, said Manny Gaunaurd, president, Imusa USA. “This line is very affordable, is made of fun colors, and is easy to take care of and we provide the retailer with some great display options in-store.”

Imusa also debuted its Pan Asia line of globally-inspired housewares, which includes gadgets. “Every cuisine needs gadgets to support cooking skills,” said Gaunaurd. “This is very true with Asian cuisines where there are very specific requirements for spoons, and scoops for rice, steamers for vegetables and buns and anything that needs gentle heating.”

Zwilling J.A. Henckels debuted a new barbecue tools set at the show as well. “We apply the same technology, high quality and expertise we use on our knives to these tools, which make them ideal for the discerning outdoor chef,” said Guido Weishaupt, CEO of Zwilling US.