Okay, I’ll admit it. The first cool thing about attending the world’s biggest marketplace of home and housewares stuff is getting to wander around it with an Internet Media pass slung around your neck. This was the third year Marion and I have done it and it was just as exciting as the first year.
Some 60,000 people attend the show at Chicago’s McCormick Place every year. Many are buyers, running the gamut from boutique owners to lead buyers for major chains. And while some of them are talking price points and delivery times, some, like us, are looking for what’s cool and new. Here are six things that caught our eye this year.
1. Scoop Colander, Joseph Joseph
This tool, part of the award-winning contemporary kitchenwares designers’ Spring 2011 collection, has been in our kitchen since Christmas, doing an amazing job on a nearly daily basis. A modern take on the classic Chinese strainer with bamboo handle and shallow brass wire basket (also in our kitchen), it makes removing pasta, vegetables and other foods from boiling water or deep fryers easy. Made from toughened nylon, it’s heat resistant up to 240ºF and dishwasher safe. Besides gray, the stylish Scoop Colander comes in red and a lively green. Visit the Joseph Joseph website for details.
2. bobble, bobble
Technically the bobble isn’t new—it celebrated it’s first birthday at this year’s show. But the story’s worth sharing here. Bottled water can be a convenience, especially when you’re on the road, but it’s not without its problems. Nearly 1.5 million barrels of oil are used every year to produce plastic water bottles, most of which are used once and then end up in landfills. Bobble was created to give consumers a smart, well-designed alternative to single-serve plastic water bottles. You fill it with tap water; a carbon filter removes chlorine and organic contaminants from everyday tap water, yielding a cleaner, crisper taste that rivals store-bought water. The filters come in six bright colors and fit all three sizes of bobbles; you replace them every couple of months (they’re recyclable, of course). Bobbles are made in the US from recycled plastic and are free of BPA, Phthalates and PVC. Find out more at the bobble website.
3. Twist Pepper & Salt Grinder, Antevanilla
Hong Kong-based Antevanilla doesn’t believe the kitchen should be, well, vanilla. Their tools are stylish, colorful, whimsical and even playfully suggestive (their VENUS Citrus Juicer, for instance). The Twist Pepper & Salt Grinder especially caught our attention. It looks like it’s been twisted once too often, crumpling under an overzealous seasoner’s hands. One end grinds peppercorns; flip it over and you can grind salt. With artisanal salts suddenly becoming the next new thing—a new salt boutique has opened in Manhattan, an outpost of a Portland, Oregon (natch) shop—this handsome grinder would be right at home in the kitchen or on the dining table. See what else the company has up its clever design sleeve at the Antevanilla website.
4. Portable Induction Cooktop, Fagor America
Fagor has made our list two years running now. Last year, it was for stylish induction-ready cookware. This year, it’s for a portable induction cooktop. If you haven’t heard of induction cooking yet, you will. It cooks 50% faster than conventional gas or electric stoves and converts 90% of the energy used to cooking, compared to about 50% for conventional stoves. It’s safer too. The glass surface doesn’t get hot; it uses magnetic fields to create a warming reaction in steel and iron-based pots and pans. As intriguing as this all sounds, we’re not quite ready to invest in a whole new cooktop. But this portable unit is another matter. Think of it as a spare portable burner—in the kitchen, in a dorm or studio apartment… At about $200, you can also think of it as a test drive for induction cooking. A 1300-watt unit is now available; a more powerful 1800-watt unit will be introduced this summer. You can find out more at the Fagor America website.
5. FYRKAT Cone Grill, BODUM
Every year, BODUM does something that knocks our socks off. They may be best known for making us all crave French press coffee, but they’ve been bringing distinctive style and color to the kitchen with a whole host of tools, serving pieces and small appliances. And now, they’re moving outside, with grills and grilling accessories. Perhaps the coolest is the FYRKAT Cone Grill, based on the original 1962 before-its-time design by company founder Peter Bodum. The charcoal-powered grill also features a battery-powered rotisserie. And it’s perfect for adding a cool retro touch to your balcony, backyard barbecues and picnics in the park. The Cone Grill is so new, you won’t even find it on the BODUM website. But visit anyway—there’s plenty of other cool stuff that may surprise you.
6. Pop Colander, Dexas
Wait a minute. Two colanders made the list this year? Well, yes. But they both serve different vital functions in the kitchen, and both are really cool. Silicone has gone crazy in the kitchen, with its heat resistance, non-porous flexibility, dishwasher safeness, fun colors and seemingly limitless versatility. Here, it’s the heart of this space-saving colander. The silicone strainer withstands heats up to 250ºF (or 38º hotter than boiling water). Its folding legs let you stand it in the sink. And the whole thing collapses for convenient storage. In the dishwasher, the 10-inch Pop Colander takes up the space of a dinner plate, and even when collapsed, all surfaces are exposed for thorough cleaning. Find out more at the Dexas website.
I Looove gadgets like these. I could have really used that big strainer last night. Now I know to look out for it. Thank you!
I love gadgets too, Randi. On the rare occasions we find ourselves in a true department store these days, unlike most guys who would head for the TVs or sporting goods, I usually gravitate toward the kitchen stuff.
why do i feel like i can’t live without an induction cooktop?
evi—I know, right? We were ambivalent about it because only cookware that responds to magnets work on it, ruling out a number of favorite cookware, including our beloved copper stuff Marion lugged back from Paris. Then I saw this induction interface disk that transfers heat to non-magnetic pots and pans. Now the portable unit looks interesting indeed.
Ooops. Fyrkat was discontinued. Want to make another suggestion and this time base it on actual use?
Actually, the FYRKAT cone grill is still available, according to the Bodum’s website. And I wrote this post almost three years ago. Product lines change.