Bakeware
Holiday Baking with Everyday Bakeware
Fat Daddio’s Wild Inside Baking Set
For holiday and seasonal baking there are many bakeware options for customers to choose from, but not every customer will want to, or have the means to, invest in a piece of bakeware they will only use one month out of the year. Luckily, many everyday baking pans and molds can also be used for special holiday celebrations by simply sprucing up the results with festive decorations. Complementing existing bakeware collections with an inexpensive seasonal item is another option that will help customers get the most out of holiday baking.
The newest introductions from Fat Daddio’s play to the layering trend in baking and also lend well to customization for the holiday season. The Wild Inside Baking Set gives bakers the tools to easily create layer cakes or cakes with a surprise in the center. The set consists of one 10-inch round outside layer pan and three 7-inch inside layer pans. The round outside layer pan has a depression in the middle so that after baking the 7-inch layers can be placed in that space or it can be left hollow. With the set, the user can make cakes filled with treats, like a pinata, or ice cream cakes and Maryann style cakes. With two baking sessions, an eight layer cake can be achieved. The layers could be colored red and green for holiday flare, or the cake could simply be decorated in a holiday theme for an impressive cake that can be modified to celebrate different occasions year-round. The Wild Inside Baking Set has a suggested retail price of $34.99.
Stax Pan from Fat Daddio’s
The Stax Pan from Fat Daddio’s is another way to create unique holiday cakes. The nine-piece set includes an 8-by-12-inch sheet pan that is 1.5 inches deep, along with eight removable dividers. With all the dividers in place, users can create eight cake stacks that are 1.5-by-1.5-inch square shapes and 8 inches long, or the dividers can be adjusted to make cake stacks that are wider. The Stax Pan allows bakers to create checkerboard and Battenberg style cakes with less waste and cutting. Give the cakes custom holiday flavors, like eggnog or gingerbread, or simply decorate to match a special New Year’s party theme. The Stax Pan has a suggested retail price of $29.99.
Cake Boss 12-Cup Star Molded Cookie Pan and 6-Cup Mini Fluted Mold Pan
From Cake Boss, the 12-Cup Star Molded Cookie Pan and 6-Cup Mini Fluted Mold Pan are both everyday bakeware pieces that are also suitable for holiday baking. The pans are heavy-duty carbon steel designed with rolled edges to provide added strength and resist warping. They also feature long-lasting nonstick that resists wear, offers superb release of baked goods and makes cleanup after baking quick and easy. The Star Molded Cookie Pan has deep cavities and a ridge in the middle so that the baked results have height and look layered. Home bakers can create star-shaped cookies or mini cakes. Decorate with powdered sugar for a winter effect that is holiday appropriate, or go all out and add colored icing and frosting. The Mini Fluted Mold Pan creates individual cakes that bakers could decorate and give for the holidays or even try using as an alternative to the traditional fruit cake mold. Single-serving Bundt cakes look especially festive when topped with a simple glaze drizzled over the top.
Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Steamed Pudding Mold
Mrs. Anderson’s Baking® Steamed Pudding Mold will create a traditional steamed Christmas pudding, or any other type of steamed pudding year-round. The professional-quality aluminum pan has a large 1.6-liter capacity and a lid that seals in moisture. The center tube provides even heat distribution for faster cooking times. A handle on top of the lid allows for easy removal after cooking is complete. Holiday hosts can impress guests with their old school knowledge of the traditional dessert that is presented topped with flaming brandy for a memorable meal. The Steamed Pudding Mold has a suggested retail price of $20.
The Kosher Cook Silicone Star of David Muffin/Cupcake Pan, Star of David Cake Pan and Dreidel Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pan
The Kosher Cook has bakeware that is suitable for the holidays and other celebrations throughout the year. Use the metal Star of David Cake Pan or Silicone Star of David Muffin/Cupcake Pan for Hanukkah or other special events. The metal pan is about 11 inches in diameter with a recessed impression of the star on the bottom to give the resulting creations detail and provide a guide for decorating. The non-stick pan is oven and freezer safe so users can create everything from a cake, jello mold, ice cream cake, rice crispy treat, to a casserole. The Star of David Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pan allows home cooks to make molded chocolates or gelatin treats, along with muffins or cupcakes. Two of the muffins could be attached together back-to-back with frosting to create a three-dimensional Star of David. A Dreidel Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pan is also available for Hanukkah. Both the Driedel and Star of David Silicone Pans are oven and freezer safe.
Mastrad Gingerbread Silicone Pan
Mastrad’s Gingerbread Silicone Pan may just be relegated to the holidays, but with a suggested retail price of $20, it’s affordable enough to add to an existing bakeware collection as a specialty pan. The flexible pan is made from non-stick silicone for easy release and makes four gingerbread men and four candy canes at a time. A recipe is included and the shapes can be decorated in a holiday theme for a winter project that will keep the whole family busy.
Lékué Holiday Cookie Cutter Kit from
Finally, The Holiday Cookie Cutter Kit from Lékué gets bakers on the easy path to holiday cookies. The kit includes five different cookie cutters, a shaker of golden Christmas sanding sugar, a booklet of recipes and decorating tips, 20 printed holiday themed papers and stickers, and a holiday tin. The kit could be given as a gift itself or used to bake cookies to gift. The printed papers can be folded up like envelopes and sealed with a sticker and cookie inside. The tin could also be filled with freshly baked cookies and gifted, or used to store the cookie cutters throughout the year. The holiday shapes include a Christmas tree, gingerbread man, ornament, snowflake and snowman. The Holiday Cookie Cutter Kit has a suggested retail price of $20.
This story was originally published in the August 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Edible Gifting with Sweet Creations by Good Cook
Sweet Creations Layer Cake Pan Set
Sweet Creations by Good Cook is the newest brand from Bradshaw International looking to make a name for itself among the DIY crowd inspired by Pinterest. The brand focuses on the concept of edible gifting by offering customers the tools they need to take a stab at a trendy baking project and then see it through from start to finish with useful tools, specialty bakeware, and creative gift packaging.
First introduced in 2012 for the holiday season, Sweet Creations has since expanded to include an everyday collection along with seasonal collections for spring, summer, Halloween and Valentine’s Day. Where Good Cook has been a grocery and mass accounts staple, Sweet Creations seeks to appeal to independent specialty retailers through its assortment of unique baking tools and gadgets that are competitively priced for the average busy mom who doesn’t want to invest too much in baking gear, but still wants great results.
Silicone Sandwich Cookie Chocolate Mold
“Our customer is somebody who enjoys doing do-it-yourself projects, she probably spends time on Pinterest, likes to find different images that her friends are posting on Instagram and Facebook,” says Keri Anderson, Sweet Creations Senior Product Manager. “She might also keep up with some of the magazines, like Martha Stewart, Home, Food Network, those kinds of things. She shops at a variety of retail channels, but she really does enjoy the process of making and sharing with people she cares about.”
Sweet Creations seizes on the popularity of Pinterest projects and the social sharing of recipes through products that are aimed squarely at current baking trends to make the pinned pictures customers see online become an accessible reality in their own kitchens. Take for instance the layering trend within baking, where cakes and cookies take on height to stand out, and desserts are layered on top of desserts for extra decadence. Sweet Creations has just introduced a Layer Cake Pan Set ( $11.99) for this trend that includes two scalloped non-stick baking pans and a knife to level off the cake layers after baking. There is also a Silicone Sandwich Cookie Chocolate Mold ($7.99) that is like a silicone ice tray for pouring in melted chocolate, sticking a cookie in that chocolate, and then letting it set to release later with an embossed pattern, which could then decorate a cupcake or cake top.
Ugly Sweater Cookie Cutter Set
“We try to do the packaging and concept around something that a home user, with not a ton of time, can finish and be happy with,” says Christi Lowell, Vice President Sales & Marketing for Sweet Creations. “So it’s not something that you would have to have a long history of classes, or a real expertise of any kind of training or level there. It’s something that you could just read about, see the item, and then finish it that night or weekend and be happy with the project.”
Most of Sweet Creations’ specialty baking items will include a recipe along with directions and color pictures on the packaging for ease of use. So if, for example, a customer sees the Ugly Sweater Cutter Set ($9.99) from the holiday collection on the shelf and decides it looks like something they want to try, they have along with the actual product, a sugar cookie recipe that is going to work best for the purpose and directions that will guide them through from baking to decorating. They can also visit the brand’s Pinterest page for further inspiration and recipe ideas.
Giftable Jar
Knowing that baking is often done for special occasions, like birthdays and parties, Sweet Creations makes it easy for customers to transform their homemade treats into homemade gifts, or to dress them up for event presentation. There are a variety of treat bags, gift tags, and boxes to complete the edible gifting cycle after baking, decorating, and wrapping the sweet treats. Standout items include Resealable Treat Bags ($5.99) in a six count that have a blue back with a clear white polka dotted front, a label for personalization, a gusseted bottom, and white ribbon. The Giftable Jar ($4.99) is another standout that reflects back on the whole DIY concept, since users can either fill it with treats they made themselves or simply fill it with ingredients so that the recipient can make their own baked goods. The white top provides an airtight seal to the plastic jar and says “Enjoy” in cursive and has a blue ribbon threaded through it for an extra thoughtful touch. Both the Giftable Jar and Resealable Treat Bags are also available in red and white versions for the holiday season.
Resealable Treat Bags
Presentation and transportation items allow users to take their treats on the go and then set them up in a festive and eye-catching manner. The Cupcake Take-Bake-Serve ($24.99) is a 12-cup cupcake pan that has a lid so users can bake and then transport within one item. It also has a three-tiered stand that stores flat under the cover handle and can be easily assembled for presentation anywhere. A large variety of cupcake papers in an array of colors and motifs, along with products like doilies, cupcake toppers, and cake boards round out the options for setting up a nice dessert presentation at home or at an event.
“Our goal is to give a consumer products from start to finish,” says Anderson. “Not only do we have the gadgets and bakeware, but we also have an assortment of different envelopes, treat bags and boxes, so that someone can have the full experience of baking and gifting.”
Cupcake Take-Bake-Serve
Sweet Creations also offers merchandising displays and fixtures to suit different retail settings. There is everything from corrugated countertop display units on up to larger rolling racks, both for the everyday collection and the seasonal collections. Sweets Creations hopes that the combination of unique baking items and retailing solutions will appeal to independent kitchenware retailers.
“We do have a really great and competitive cost … it allows the independent retailers to have some things that are unique to them that not every mass account has a huge section of,” says Lowell. “These products are things that are more specialty and would be newer, and probably a lot of their individual consumers that are walking in the door may not have seen a lot of these things.”
This story was originally published in the August 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Six Baking Gadgets to Try Now
There’s no shortage of baking gadgets infiltrating the market every year. Sorting through gadgets that truly offer something new or add convenience versus the ones that are just old classics with new colors is the difficult part. Here are six gadgets for baking that offer innovative features to take on all of the latest baking trends.
Baking is all about custom flavors and colors right now and Cupcake Dividers from Bakelicious allow home bakers to achieve this with ease. The dividers are placed in the cavities of a cupcake pan prior to baking or pouring the batter so that a single cupcake is split into four sections. Once the divider is in place, the batter is poured into the four sections as desired, then removed, and the cupcakes are ready to bake. This allows for up to four different flavors or colors in one cupcake. Users can color coordinate the cupcake colors to their events, or make custom flavor mixes. The Cupcake Dividers are each two separate pieces that slide apart for easy cleaning. A set of 12 Cupcake Dividers retails for $9.99.
The Color Swirl™ Tri-Color Coupler from Wilton also lends well to baking customization. The coupler interlocks three decorating bags and allows users to swirl two or three colors together with one simple piping motion. Just connect the coupler pieces, cover with a decorating tip and secure with the included ring. The ring holds the decorating tip secure while piping. Wilton has also come out with the Color Right Performance Color System to make custom colors easily and the Treatology Flavor System for creating custom flavors, combine the Color Swirl with these products and the personalization options are endless and sure to be striking.
Pastrio™ and Sugar Coat™ from Chef’n give home bakers essential tools without taking up too much room. The nesting tools each combine three tools in one and have matching red, orange and white colors. Pastrio is a twist on the classic bench scraper, combining a metal bench scraper, a plastic bench scraper, and a plastic bowl scraper. Users can cut evenly with the metal scraper that has ruler markings along the edge, and use the plastic one on sensitive surfaces, like a silpat. The bowl scraper has a rounded edge to reach all areas and collect ingredients. The three pieces nest together by sliding under the hand grip of the metal scraper. Pastrio has a suggested retail price of $9.99.
Sugar Coat 3-in-1 Offset Spatula Set combines a large and small spatula with a reusable cake tester in a nesting design for compact storage. The large offset spatula is 7.75 inches long so it can frost large areas of cake at a time, lift cake layers, or move warm cookies. The smaller spatula is 4.5 inches long and is flexible for detailing. Both spatulas have sturdy nylon handles and stainless steel blades. Since the cake tester nests right into the smaller spatula it will always be easy to find among other tools and utensils. Sugar Coat has a suggested retail price of $9.99.
Norpro’s Linzer Cookie Cutter 8-Piece Set is a classic baking tool that helps making linzer cookies quick and easy. Norpro’s version of the cookie cutter is notable because in addition to the scallop cutter, it has eight different interchangeable middle shapes (star, heart, club, diamond, triangle, hexagon, hexafoil, and curved square), plus a storage container to keep all the pieces together in one place. The set is not limited to making linzer cookies either. The cutters can be used for fondant and decorating pastries, as well as for sandwiches, cold cuts, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, and basically making bento box lunches that look like they are ready for a close-up.
The Confectionary Funnel from Rösle is another tool in the kitchen that makes a range of baking tasks easier. The stainless steel funnel has a 1.3-quart capacity and comes equipped with a mount to hold the funnel and two interchangeable nozzles. The funnel allows home cooks to achieve the decorative finishes created by chefs in restaurants for exact portioning of sauces, preparing desserts and filling pastries. A home baker can control the flow and quantity of the filling, icing, or garnish released by adjusting a dial on the handle. The desired amount of liquid is dispersed with a simple push of a button at the top of the ergonomic handle. The funnel can be dissembled and placed in the dishwasher for cleaning. It can even be used for pouring soups drip-free and garnishing savory meals with sauces. The Confectionary Funnel has a suggested retail price of $135.
This story was originally published in the August 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Social Media-Worthy Meal Presentation
There are dishes you simply serve and then there are dishes that you post. The food post has become a ubiquitous tenant of the social media accounts of foodies across the world. A quick scroll through any Facebook, Twitter or Instagram feed will quickly produce a shot of somebody’s food, either home cooked or served in a restaurant. Sometimes the food looks great, sometimes it looks like it would be best left unposted.
But it really does not take a wealth of food knowledge to produce a meal worthy of social media sharing. The right oven-to-table piece can do most of the work and elevate a basic potato dish to one that looks primed for Facebook.
Le Creuset is, of course, no stranger to beautiful meal presentation. A quick search for #lecreuset on Instagram results in over 100,000 images. A simple picture of an espresso cup packed with scoops of vanilla ice cream on a saucer posted by a reality television star earned 320 likes. Even recipes in the midst of cooking or about to go in the oven look tempting when combined with all the many colors of Le Creuset.
The recent re-introduction of Le Creuset’s blue Marseille color just begs to be shared on social media. The bold and vibrant color is inspired by the port city of Marseille in southern France and brings to mind the sea and sky. Pieces from all categories throughout Le Creuset can be found in this new color, including cast iron, stoneware, tools and accessories, stockpots and teakettles. The new shade of matte amethyst is another nice option for instantly sprucing up a mealtime photo.
Emile Henry introduced oven-to-table pieces this year that also do most of the work towards making a splash on the dinner table and on social media. The new Emile Henry Chicken Baker raises the bar on the aesthetic of presentation and, combined with the cooking performance of the baker, makes leaving a memorable impression a snap. The baker has a 3.2-quart capacity and features a domed lid that is shaped to fit close to the food so as to diffuse heat and eliminate the need for basting because it causes the steam to circulate around the ingredients. The baker can also be used for any type of meat and has ridges on the bottom to prevent the meat from soaking in its juices. The Chicken Baker is dishwasher, microwave, oven, and freezer safe and is available in burgundy or charcoal colors.
The Emile Henry Potato Pot is designed for cooking vegetables and potatoes at low temperature on the stovetop or in the oven. The two-piece design of this unique pot enables a style of traditional French cooking with no water or oil. Simply stack the potatoes or vegetables in the pot along with seasonings, put on the top, and place it on the stove or in the oven to cook. When used on the stove, the pot should be flipped every 15 minutes so that the heat diffuses evenly through the vegetables. The two pieces of the Potato Pot are identical, so that either side can go directly on the burner. Since there is no need to use water or oil, the result is a more flavorful potato that cooks in 30 to 40 minutes. The Potato Pot is available in burgundy or charcoal colors.
Also new from Emile Henry this year, Modern Classics is the French brand’s range of cookware and bakeware designed from the ground up to attract the American consumer while preserving the design elements and the performance properties of Emile Henry. The shapes, capacities, and dimensions were developed with an eye toward American foods, style and recipes. There are five new colors and eight original shapes to start. The colors are spirited and vivacious tones of primary yellow, green, blue, red, and white that would make for a fabulous share on any social media platform.
Mauviel, beautiful in its copper simplicity, is always a sure way to make a lasting impression, in person or online. Any of Mauviel’s paella pans would make for a delightful presentation, like the M’elite Stainless Steel Paella Pan pictured here. The hand polished and hammered exterior makes just as much of a visual impact in stainless steel as do any of Mauviel’s copper cookware. Grand pieces, like the M’tradition Copper Fondue Set, and understated pieces, like the M’cook Mini Rectangular Roasting Pan, are imbued with the Mauviel spirit alike and are equally impactful. A search for #mauviel on Twitter and Instagram brings up as many images of food being cooked as it does images of the cookware proudly displayed in kitchens, hanging from pot racks or neatly stacked on shelves, proving that having the right cookware is half the battle for “Likes.”
Staub posts come in second after Le Creuset on Instagram, with a search for #staub producing over 46,000 images from people as eager to share their meals as they are to share the Staub mark stamped on the handles of their cookware. A basic chili still on the stove looks mouthwatering in a green Oval Cocotte from Staub. Instagrammers are careful to include the lids too if they are so lucky to have the cocottes topped with a silver knob resembling a chicken, fish, pig, or snail.
The Cast Iron 3-quart Tomato Cocotte is new from Staub this year and is striking enough to cause a social media stir. The cocotte is cherry red and molded after a brandywine tomato with a silver stem branching out from the lid’s center to act as a knob. The Tomato Cocotte was introduced after the success of the Pumpkin Cocotte and is designed to be complementary for the Staub collector. Because the lid completes the look of the tomato, anything served in it is sure to be a Facebook post slam dunk – you don’t even have to show the meal concealed underneath!
This story was originally published in the June 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
A Lot to See at this Year’s Housewares Show
By Lorrie Baumann
If you’ve seen “Project Runway” or any of those other television programs that show viewers the last-minute stitches, garment twitches and general titivating that goes on to get a collection of designer dresses ready for the runway, you’ll have a sense of what housewares manufacturers are doing right now as they race against time to get the packaging and marketing and merchandising materials ready for a host of new products that they’ll be launching at this year’s International Home + Housewares Show. Judging by the quantity and quality of new items that manufacturers are already revealing for press previews, this year’s show will be an outstanding exposition of products created specifically to meet the needs of specialty kitchenware retailers and their customers.
Small Electrics
We can expect to see a variety of coffee brewers with a wide range of price points, each promising to brew superior coffee with technology that’s either very new, extremely traditional or some blend of both. For instance, there’s Caffe Cagliari, which is making its debut appearance at IH+HS this year with the Carina Home Espresso Capsule Machine. The Italian family-owned company is offering five flavors of Italian-blended coffee in Nespresso-compatible capsules. For each flavor, arabica and robusto beans are roasted separately and then blended to make a terrific coffee in the Italian style. The Carina Home Espresso Capsule Machine designed to use the coffees is now available in the U.S. for a retail price of $199.99 for a set that includes the espresso machine, frother and an espresso cup and saucer. With the initial purchase, the buyer receives 12 free capsules of the coffee to get started. The machine is simple to operate and will make cappuccinos, macchiatos and lattes. “It’s a real Italian espresso experience, and people who like coffee love this,” says Vince Canori, the company’s managing partner.
Chefman, an emerging brand that entered the housewares industry three years ago with sandwich makers, is launching its My Barista K-cup coffee brewer this year at the housewares show. This brewer takes just six seconds from when you press the button to when coffee starts streaming into the cup, saving energy that can add up to the energy equivalent of five trees over three years over the amount of energy that it would take to operate a competing brewer for the same three years, according to Pinny Kahn, Chefman’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
He says that the coffee from the My Barista brewer comes out hotter and with better flavor extraction than that produced by other pod brewers. Its 30-ounce water reservoir doesn’t need to be refilled for each individual cup of coffee. My Barista is already being sold in major U.S. retailers as well as several smaller regional chains at a retail price of $79.99.
Chefman is also offering its Precision Electric Kettle, which allows for control of the water temperature to the degree, so the user can customize water temperature to the varying requirements of different teas. While comparable kettles retail for about $149, this one will retail for $59.99. The kettle will be launched at the housewares show and will be available to ship in March.
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- IMUSA 10-cup Rice Cooker
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- IMUSA Gourmet Electric Espresso Maker
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- IMUSA Stainless Steel Double Burner
IMUSA is launching a collection of small electrics with a line that includes a 10-quart Stainless Steel Rice Cooker with Steam Tray, Stainless Steel Double Burner and 4-cup Gourmet Electric Espresso Maker. Details are scarce at press time for this story, but IMUSA will have them to show in Chicago this year.
Oliso, Inc. is offering a sous vide machine for home cooks who’d love to try the trendy technique but simply don’t have the kitchen space for an appliance that might be used only occasionally. The Oliso Smart Hub combines a sous vide machine with an induction base. The Smart Hub sits on top of the induction base, and the two components “talk” to each other for very precise temperature control within the Smart Hub’s sous vide vessel. Because the induction heater is heating water in the vessel, no circulator is required, so there’s that much more space in the cavity for the actual food that’s being cooked. The induction base can also be used separately as a regular induction burner with nine settings, 1800 watts and temperature control that’s precise to within a degree. Beautiful enough to be left on the countertop all the time, the induction base can be an everyday solution for the home cook while the Smart Hub can come out when it’s time to sous vide. The Oliso Smart Hub retails for $499 and will be launched at IH+HS in March. It’s already available online and will be available to ship in March. Recipes will be available online.
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Juicepresso from Coway is a quiet slow juicer with a small footprint on the counter that produces cold-pressed juices. Juicepresso uniquely merges the auger, strainer and rotating brush into a single, dishwasher-safe, BPA-free unit resembling a large screw. There is no need to wash multiple internal parts by hand, scrub to get the nooks and crannies clean, or put the pieces back together like a jigsaw puzzle. The Platinum edition adds the ability to easily separate the extraction system assembly into two pieces to ensure thorough cleaning.
The 40 RPM motor, slower than standard 80 RPM cold press juicers and 10,000 RPM centrifugal models,makes it possible to gently squeeze the last drop of juice, enzymes and nutrients out of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and even almonds and soybeans for almond and soy milk without generating heat that destroys some of the potency and shortening juice life. This slower process delays oxidation and helps juice last up to 72 hours so users can juice less often.
The Platinum’s wide, slanted chute minimizes prep time by accommodating larger fruit and vegetable pieces and making quick work of feeding produce into the machine, while the capped juice spout keeps juice in the cylinder without drips and dribbles until juicing is complete. Juicepresso and Juicepresso Platinum both retail for $499.
Bonne O is a new home carbonation system coming to market this spring. CO2 is produced with a solid tablet rather than a gas cartridge. Adding water to the tablet produces gas that’s infused into a sealed bottle. For retailers, what this means is there’s no handling of refill cartridges, but there’s still flavoring syrups, carbonating tablets and extra bottles to bring customers coming back for refills.
The user can add fruit and herbs to the water before the beverage is carbonated, producing a pressure-infused beverage with fuller flavors. Bonne O is aimed at the health-conscious consumer who’s avoiding sugar in favor of a healthier sparkling beverage. The system retails for $149.99, which includes the appliance, the bottle and three carbonators to start with. The carbonators retail for $4.99 for a box of 10. Extra bottles retail for $19.99. Flavor syrups retail for $1.49. For retailers, the Bonne O system means no more handling of refill cartridges while still offering the syrup and tablet refills that will keep customers coming back for more. The system will be available to ship in spring, well in time for Mothers Day, when the company is expecting that the item will be in high demand for the gift occasion.
The Hamilton Beach Party Crock set is a 1.5-quart fondue set with an electric base and a cast iron pot that’s safe to use either in the oven or on the stovetop as well as on its base. For service, a separate warming base holds a tea light to keep dips or fondues warm on the buffet table. Retail price is $59.99, and it’s available to ship in the spring.
Hamilton Beach has licensed the Jamba name for a pair of professional-quality items: a citrus juicer and the Jamba Professional Blender. At a $449 price point, the Jamba Professional Blender is aimed squarely at the niche occupied by Vitamix and Blendtec, and it features an all-metal drive for a 2.4 peak horsepower motor that can propel its blades at 210 miles per hour. It’s powerful enough to make a pureed soup from scratch and serve it up hot, and it comes with an eight-year warranty. It will launch at the housewares show and be available to ship in March.
Hamilton Beach recently purchased Weston and is using that brand’s popularity with home preservation enthusiasts to springboard its launch of a number of products of interest to food traditionalists, including a tomato press, pasta maker, meat grinder, vacuum sealer and dehydrator that are already launching onto the market.
Tools and Gadgets
Cole & Mason is branching out into color with a line of salt and pepper grinders in glossy white, red and black that will work beautifully in contemporary kitchens and dining rooms. They’re made with the same best-in-class grinding mechanisms that we expect from Cole & Mason and will retail for $39.99 each.
T-Fal’s Ingenio 5-Second Chopper Plus is a 900 ml plastic bowl with a blade attachment that’s spun by a handle and pull cord to chop fruits, vegetables or nuts, quickly, quietly and with very little clean-up afterwards. The user chops the vegetables into rough chunks, pops those into the bowl, snaps down the lid and pulls the handle a few times for the makings of a soup, a soffritto or a salsa. Additional attachments sold separately will whip cream, chop ice or puree. The combination of the chopper, which retails initially for $39.99 and the optional extra attachments make a great retail story for bricks and clicks stores that can sell the chopper on the retail floor and then extend the sale with online attachment sales, says Steve Burgoon, Bradshaw International Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
The PL8 line from Progressive is an upscale line of farm-to-table vegetable prep tools that debuted this year and is being extended this year. Look for a new Salad Spinner made of premium materials, a Professional Chopper that minces, dices and chops and a Fresh Butter Maker for home cooks eager to try the Pioneer Woman’s Berry Butter for French Toast or perhaps make Ina Garten’s Smoked Salmon and Herb Butter.
Cork Pops is launching Wine Preserver, a can of nitrogen gas that is used to replace the air in an opened bottle of wine so that the wine stays fresh. Just pop the lid off the can, turn it over the open neck of the bottle and pump three times to dispense the nitrogen into the bottle, displacing the air above the wine, then cork the bottle right away. The product is also great for preserving those expensive finishing oils or premium vinegars. The Wine Preserver retails for $10 for a can that can be used 120 times. Set it on the bar display with a few of the trendy At Your Service bar towels also offered by Cork Pops. Those retail for $7.
Cuisipro is taking its patented Surface Glide Technology one step further with the V Grater collection. These are precision tools with the proper balance of a good kitchen knife and a V pattern design that dramatically reduces resistance, increases cutting area for more grated product with fewer swipes across the grater and better control. Handles are knurled for comfort and a firm grip during wet prep work, and a non-slip band at the head end of the grater lends stability when it’s perched against the cutting board. These graters are retail priced at $28 and $36.
New from Charles Viancin this year is the Sea Range collection, a line of covers that includes four sizes of reusable silicone lids and two sets of drink covers. Each lid is designed with an ocean creature, including Coral, Shell, Starfish and Anemone. The retail prices range from $8.99 to $14.99.
Robinson Home Products has more than 100 new products to introduce at this year’s show. The Squish line of collapsible bowls, colanders and gadgets is being extended with 10 new products that include a cutting board with a collapsible side that acts as a pour spout for transferring food and the Over the Arm Colander that hooks over the center divider of a double kitchen sink. The cutting board measures 9.5 inches by 14 inches and retails for $14.99. The colander also retails for $14.99.
Reo is a colorful and innovative new kitchenware line from Lifetime Brands, Inc. that incorporates intuitive designs, on-trend colors and inviting forms into everyday tools that will appeal to the design-conscious cook. One outstanding example is the Hand-Box Grater, which disassembles into individual hand graters that stack for convenient storage. 
Etched blades are available with coarse, medium and zesting grater patters. Additional blades are on the drawing board that will allow home cooks to assemble their box graters with the blades they use the most. The Bottle & Can Opener in the line is designed to open, not just cans, but also beer, soda and juice bottles. Soft-grip handles are comfortable to hold.
Bakeware
Bradshaw International’s Good Cook line is designed for the home baker who likes to bake treats for friends and then give them away. High-quality baking pans are made of heavy steel and have a channeled surface that directs air under the batter for exceptionally even baking. Mini Alphabet & Number Cutters are a 38-piece set of cookie cutters that would be terrific for baking birthday treats or even wedding favors. A proprietary recipe for a sugar cookie dough that doesn’t spread during baking is included with the set, so that home bakers can cut out a cookie and know that the effect won’t be destroyed during the baking. The retail price for Mini Alphabet & Number Cutters is $8.49 and it’s available to ship now.
If bakeware is a big category for you, you’ll want to take special note of the Prizm bakeware line from Nordic Ware, which was designed specifically for independent kitchenware retailers, who will appreciate the way the unique chevron pattern molded into the heavy-duty aluminum pans will stand out on the bakeware shelves. The design offers no particular functional advantage, but it’s an outstanding upscale look for bakeware that has proven itself over the course of time. And it’s made in the USA.
Nordic Ware’s Platinum Collection is a collection of 22 cast aluminum pans with a premium nonstick coating for quick release and easy cleanup. Four new Bundt cake designs are being added to the line this year. All four of these pans will produce a cake that will be noticed on the buffet table, and they’re sure to appeal to the home baker who always springs for the dessert when the potluck assignments are made because they’ll provide a lot of cachet for absolutely no extra effort. The Bundt Squared Pan, available in May, is a case in point. With a square base and a square center cavity, the design is elegant without being fussy, and the cake that results would be an attractive end to any meal from a backyard barbecue to a formal retirement party.
Finally, the Chef’n Cakewalk cake decorating kit includes tips, pastry bags and a turntable for the cake – everything the home baker needs to get started decorating cakes or cupcakes at home. It retails for $29.99 and is available now.
Takealongs
Contigo has taken a very thoughtful approach to this year’s evolution of the water bottle with the Contigo AUTOSEAL Cortland Water Bottle. Its AUTOSEAL technology closes the bottle between sips to eliminate spills and leaks. It’s easy to use with one hand, fits into most car cup holders, has an easy-to-clean lid, is top rack dishwasher safe, and the bottle is made of Eastman Tritan, so it’s BPA-free and virtually indestructible. It’s also beautiful and comfortable in the hand and it’s designed to clip easily onto a bag strap. The 24-ounce bottle retails for $11.99. A 32-ounce bottle will be available later this year to retail for $14.99.
The Stainless Steel Vacuum Mug from Aladdin is leakproof, will fit into a car’s cupholder and will keep drinks hot for four hours or cold for 24. It holds 16 ounces and is compatible with single-serve coffee brewers, so the user can brew coffee right into the mug, close the lid and go. It will be available this summer in gorgeous colors to retail for $19.99.
Aladdin is appealing to the Paleo dieters, the urban picnickers and the Mason Jar enthusiasts among us with its Classic Mason Salad Jar that holds 34 ounces in a jar with a mouth wide enough to fill easily and then to fork the salad right out of it. A salad dressing container fits under the lid, and it’s made of Eastman Tritan, so it’s not going to crack, stain or break, and it will retail for $12.99 when it’s available to ship in April.
The urban picnickers among us will be just as enthusiastic about this year’s offerings from Pack-It, which is going extra-fashionable this year with the Freezable Uptown Lunch Bag and Freezable Carryall Lunch Bag. The Uptown Lunch Bag is a messenger-style bag with a wide base that will fit larger salad containers, great style and plenty of room for utensils and personal items in its zip pocket and storage pouch. It retails for $24.99.
Retailing for $19.99, the Carryall Lunch Bag offers good looks in a shoulder bag and includes a storage pouch for utensils and personal items. Both include the Pack-It built-in cooling pack that helps keep lunches chilled and safe to eat without requiring bulky extra ice packs.
The Built NY Uptown Lunch Tote from Lifetime Brands is a fresh and fashionable take on a speedy silhouette handbag. Its neoprene construction is sturdy, durable, water-resistant, hand-washable and stretches to hold a little more on a hungry day. It retails for $29.99. The Built NY Lunchpack Union Square Backpack has a detachable lunch compartment with a heavy-duty insulating lining and is a great option for students. The backpack has air mesh straps for comfort and a padded compartment for electronic devices. It retails for $49.99.
Finally, Bento Boxes from Takenaka are an economical alternative to standard lunch boxes. These rectangular boxes and inner dividers come in a wide range of trendy colors and four different sizes for the perfect match of capacity to lunch-time appetite. They’re BPA-free and microwave and dishwasher safe.
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