CHICAGO–Gadgets has always been somewhat of a catch-all category and this year’s introductions at the Housewares Show are no exception. Show-goers will see all sorts of zesters, slicers, can openers and gizmos of all shapes and sizes. Here’s a sampling of this year’s introductions.
Amco
Amco’s 2-in-1 Squeezer is ideal for juicing lemons and limes, and has a movable, two–sided center plate, one side for lemons, the other for limes. Putting half of a lemon and half of a lime in it will result in pure juice without any seeds or pulp. The squeezer is available in enameled aluminum.
Brabantia
Best known for its trash cans, Brabantia is introducing a lineup of kitchen tools. Called the Essential line, this collection targets the novice, first-time home owner, student or reluctant cook. The 26 items include tools for everyday tasks plus some for specialist food preparation jobs. Each item features a plastic grip with a stainless-steel hanging loop. The line is designed to be durable, easy to clean and dishwasher safe. For a space-efficient, well-organized look, there is a matching hanging rack.
Brabantia is also introducing a universal can opener to help open any can—conventional or ring—quickly, easily and more safely by cutting through the rim to eliminate sharp edges.
Cuisipro
Cuisipro’s Compact Jar Opener is designed to make opening jars easy. The tool fits onto jars ranging from little pickle jars or water bottles to large jars of pasta sauce. The tool snaps closed for compact storage and pops open with a push of a side button.
DKB Household USA
Peelers will be a focus for the Zyliss brand at the show. The company’s Smoothglide Peeler is an all-purpose peeler for kitchen tasks from apples to winter squash. The item comes with a sturdy tip to remove potato eyes and blemishes, and the Euro-inspired design shows off an ergonomically enhanced body to fit the hand comfortably.
The company is also showing a line of long-handle kitchen tools including a flexible turner, slotted turner, angled turner, ladle and spoons. All of these items feature a flexible head to ensure a smooth reach under heavy or delicate items. They’re heat-resistant to 400 degrees.
Also from Zyliss is the 5-Way Opener, to prevent the hassle of twisting off machine-sealed caps. It can open jar lids, bottle caps and soda can tops.
Zyliss Kitchen Shears feature stainless-steel blades with a box cutter built conveniently into an ergonomic, soft-touch handle. It comes in red or green. The Zyliss Herb Snippers are for cutting herbs and other delicate items. The product features “stem stripper” holes to strip leaves from herbs.
Cole & Mason, a British company known for its mills that DKB Household USA purchased in late 2006, will have its full launch to the U.S. market at the show. Besides handcrafted mills of sustainable wood, products will include items made of acrylics and plastics, stainless steel and soft-touch materials, as well as combinations of these. Battery- and hand-operated electrics will also be shown.
Evriholder Products
The Avosaver is a kitchen tool to preserve cut avocados. It is designed for someone to insert the cut half of an avocado face down, with the pit still intact, into the Avosaver to help it stay fresh longer as the oxidation of the avocado is slowed. A strap is designed to stretch over almost any size avocado to keep it secure, but not too tightly, against the base. Evriholder’s Evri-Twist Medicine Bottle Opener is designed to work as a one-handed prescription—or other difficult-to-open—bottle opener. The domed-shaped grip fits ergonomically into one hand (left or right) and has depressions on the outside edge to assist the user in ease of use and to help them form a firm grip. The company will also show its Nana Saver, a banana-shaped clip that preserves a cut banana and keeps it fresh longer.
Fiesta
The Head Chefs line of gadgets for children will initially consist of five tools: a spoon, a silicone basting brush, a spatula/scraper, a whisk and a measuring tool. They will have soft silicone bodies and heads, suction-cup feet, and bendable arms and legs with the ability to stand on their own. They will be available in five colors.
IMUSA
The company will expand its gadgets line, adding 100 items as well as a premiere and gourmet line to its basics one.
Jaccard
Jaccard is continuing to expand its lineup of Advanced Ceramic products with the introduction of peelers and slicers. New offerings include the Dual-Direction Handheld Mandolin with a double-sharpened Advanced Ceramic Blade for cutting and slicing in two directions. The product features an ergonomic, slip-resistant handle and a specialized food holder to keep fingers away from the cutting blade.
The company will also be showing its entire portfolio of ceramic products, including a growing line of cutlery and full-sized kitchen equipment, including the Safe Hands Mandolin.
Lifetime Brands
New from Lifetime is the KitchenAid Fine and Coarse Graters to allow home cooks to grate in two directions. The company said it works well for grating cheese, chocolate and vegetables with stainless-steel blades with microserrations. The grater attachment slides on easily to hold foods securely and keep fingers away from the cutting surface. In its Hispanic-targeted Vasconia line, gadgets will include the basics as well as specialty pieces such as a bean masher and corn stripper, along with the traditional can opener and wine bottle opener.
Leifheit
Leifheit is introducing the Power Peeler Swingo to peel and cut particularly fine and precise with a vibrating, self-cutting blade. The item uses a battery-powered blade for fruits and vegetables. It also works as a grater or shaver for Parmesan cheese, chocolate, orange peels and coconut shreds.
ME Heuck
ME Heuck will debut its licensed line of Hamilton Beach and Proctor Silex cookware and gadgets. The Hamilton Beach kitchen tools and gadgets have triple-riveted handles and durable stainless-steel construction. The Proctor Silex line of tools and gadgets features soft-grip handles and nylon-headed tools.
Meyer Corp.
Meyer Corp. teamed up with celebrity chef Paula Deen to launch the Paula Deen Signature Collection with two collections of kitchen tools: One is crafted entirely of richly grained sustainable Acacia hardwood, the other collection fuses Acacia wooden handles with the functionality and versatility of silicone. Paula Deen Signature Wooden Tools include two-piece sets of small and large solid spoons, slotted spoons and solid turners, as well as two-piece sets of pasta and salad servers. Paula Deen Wood and Silicone Tools are ideal for use with non-stick pans and are heat-safe up to 500 degrees. Designed to complement the full range of Paula Deen Signature Cookware, the wood and silicone tools come in three colors, olive, red and orange.
Microplane
Broadening its assortment of professional-quality kitchen tools, Microplane introduces its Ultimate Citrus tool in three bright colors, zesty yellow, lime green and citrus orange. It zests oranges, lemons and limes, and can also be used to create garnishes and delicate peels to top dishes and beverages.
Microplane is introducing a Sea Salt Shaver Set that comes complete with a sampling of Himalayan pink sea salt inside a reusable storage bottle. The Sea Salt Shaver is engineered to maintain a sharp blade over an extensive period of use with even the hardest of rock salts, according to the company.
Parasia
Launched under the brand name Admetior, which is Latin for “to measure,” the Digital Spoon Scale weighs pastry, beans, cream and spices instantly. It features a stainless-steel handle and measures up to 1.5 tablespoons. It’s dishwasher-safe and runs on two triple-A batteries.
Prepara
Among Prepara’s 14 introductions is the Orbit can opener that uses a hand crank to leverage your arm instead of twisting a can open with your fingers. The company is also unveiling the Cliq Garlic Crusher to crush up to six cloves of garlic in a unit the same size as an ordinary garlic press. It only requires one hand to operate and it has a simple release for easy cleaning. These two gadgets complement Prepara’s first signature gadget, the Trio peeler.
Prepara is also introducing the Oolu, a salad chopper fashioned after the Eskimo tool with the same name.
Progressive
Progressive hopes consumers will never need to search for measuring spoons again with its Magnetic Measuring Spoons. The double-ended five-piece set has standard and metric measurements. A narrow end fits into most spice jars and the round end is for measuring liquids.
Progressive is also introducing Collapsible Whisks. With a twist of the handle, the balloon-shaped whisk flattens for drawer storage.
The Slicing Guide is designed to hold foods up to 6 inches in diameter as the guide securely holds foods while slicing. Evenly spaced slots guide knives for thin slices.
The Corn Stripper has a double-sided serrated blade design and removes kernels by either pushing or pulling along the cob. The item features a stainless-steel handle and is dishwasher safe.
Progressive’s 3-in-1 meat tenderizer is a dual-sided tool with an angled head to minimize hand contact while flattening or tenderizing meat. An integrated hook is designed for opening cellophane packaging, transporting meat to the pounding surface and flipping meat to tenderize each side.
Robinson Home Products
Robinson is unveiling the Rubbermaid-branded Comfort Zone and Smart Style collections at the show. The Comfort Zone collection is a core assortment of 37 tools and gadgets available in a streamlined color palette using black with a choice of chili pepper red or deepwater blue color accents. Comfort Zone tools feature a “comfort grip” and each handle is ergonomically designed and individually proportioned to fit the tool and function.
Spatulas in the line feature a bowl scraper notch to clean the edge of the bowl. The Duo Function Hand Grater is double-sided and flat with medium-coarse grating and fine zesting surfaces for convenient use and easy storage. A Continuous Pull Corkscrew is designed for easy twist and removal of bottle corks. The Beaker Liquid Measures are handle-less for easy storage and easy pour.
The Smart Style collection offers vibrant color choices including clean turquoise, spring green, salsa and curry with 21 different tools and gadgets. The Multicolored Measuring Cups feature a cup spatula used for leveling and also cleaning the inside of the cups.
Triangle
Made of top-quality stainless steel and high-grade plastics, Triangle’s product line has been produced in Germany for more than 60 years. One of its new items is the eight-piece vegetable carving set, which features a melon baller, various sizes of round knives and V tools that can be used to create flowers from carrots, radishes and other vegetables.
Trudeau
Trudeau’s Garlic Duo is a garlic press on one side and slicer on the other. It features a zinc die-cast body and a soft comfortable handle. It’s dishwasher-safe and comes in blue, green or red.
William Bounds
The Sili Gourmet Burger Boy is a non-stick silicone turner featuring a traditional design enhanced with silicone to give it added heat resistance and slight flexibility during use. The spatula is heat resistant to 500 degrees and is 4 by 4 inches in size. The flipper has three slots to allow the user to press a burger to drain juices.
Also from Sili Gourmet is the Jumbo Jack to flip and move pancakes, larger burgers, personal pizzas and more. The oversized turner features a bright red silicone flipper, measuring 6 by 6 inches.