Outdoor Living
SteakChamp 3-Color Thermometer
Any home chef who has ever dreamed of grilling like a steakhouse champ knows how difficult it is to produce a perfectly done cut of meat. The SteakChamp 3-Color intelligent steak thermometer is making that dream an easier reality. With its integrated sensor intelligence, it alerts even the most novice griller when steaks, burgers, fish, poultry and game have achieved their desired doneness.
The SteakChamp 3-Color ultimate steak thermometer takes the guesswork out of the preparation process, resulting in perfectly done cuts of meat every single time, whether grilled, fried or baked. The secret to its intelligence lies in the temperature gauge that runs the entire length of the thermometer. As a result, it detects the desired doneness more accurately than traditional meat thermometers.
Adding to its ease of use and versatility, the SteakChamp 3-Color has an LED light sensor built in that is color coded to alert home chefs when their steaks have reached precisely the temperature needed to achieve a particular level of doneness. Green equals medium rare, yellow means medium, and red equates to medium well. The SteakChamp 3-Color can be used on all kinds of meat from beef and fish to duck and game, and it’s suited for the grill, the frying pan and the oven.
To use, simply insert the SteakChamp 3-Color into the side of a cut of raw meat and leave it in while cooking. Keep an eye on the LED sensor and remove the meat from the heat when the desired level of doneness is indicated. The SteakChamp 3-Color should not yet be removed, as it continues to exhibit its intelligence as the meat rests. The resting phase is important for meat since the meat continues to cook even after removing it from the heat source due to conduction. The SteakChamp ensures the proper resting phase is achieved. When the LEDs stop flashing, the resting phase is complete and the meat is ready to be served.
The SteakChamp 3-Color is made in Germany and constructed of high-grade stainless steel. It is available nationwide at Sur la Table stores for $59.95. For more information visit www.SteakChamp.com.
Store Compost Without Attracting Fruit Flies
By Lorrie Baumann
CompoKeeper started as an answer to a smelly problem created when Boulder, Colorado adopted a municipal composting program. The municipal composting program was a well-intentioned effort to reduce waste going to the local landfills, which are expensive to build and maintain so that they don’t contaminate local groundwater, but like so many well-intentioned efforts, there were unintentional consequences.
The city handed out gallon-size plastic pails in which to collect organic waste in the kitchen. From there, the food scraps were to be taken to a curbside bin, where it was collected along with yard waste, recyclables and ordinary trash. The food scraps and yard waste went to a composting facility where it was turned into soil and distributed to local gardeners and various environmental rehabilitation projects. “My family was excited about it,” says Kristen Hess, Brand Manager and Co-founder of CompoKeeper. “What we found was that it was getting stinky in the kitchen, and also fruit flies were becoming a pain in the neck.”
The smell, the flies and the frequent trips outside to empty the small pail into the collection bin became obstacles that outweighed all the good intentions. “It wasn’t long before we stopped doing it – we stopped composting our food scraps,” Hess says.
Her dad, Van Hess, decided to do something about the situation, so he went to work on a bin system that would solve all the problems at once. It would be bigger than the small pail issued by the city. There would be no smell, and it wouldn’t breed fruit flies. “He found that he wanted the compostable bag to stay sealed when it wasn’t in use, but he didn’t want to use his hands to tie it and untie it, so he built clamps into the bin that are opened and closed with a foot pedal. Since the bag is sealed, odors are contained, and fruit flies are no longer an issue,” Hess says.
A Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to go into production didn’t raise enough pledges to give the Hesses their seed money, but it got noticed and people became interested enough to help the Hesses raise enough money to build a prototype. They also offered their ideas for improving the product, Hess said. “We made it better looking, added a bag tray to make it easier to extract the bag, added a charcoal filter,” Hess says. A local pitch slam in which entrepreneurs offered investment proposals to potential funders attracted an investor who put up enough cash to buy the necessary tools.
CompoKeeper went onto the market in September 2014, and it has continued to draw interest as more people have the opportunity to participate in municipal composting projects. CompoKeeper is currently available for $99.50 on the company’s website, and Sam’s Club has picked it up for a test run. The product is also available locally in Boulder and will be available online on Bed Bath & Beyond’s website this spring. The company is making its second appearance at the International Home + Housewares Show this year, and CompoKeeper is made in the USA. For further information, visit www.compokeeper.com.
This story was originally published in the March 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Made in America Movement Thrives
Made in America Store in Elma, New York
By Amber Gallegos
Four years ago Mark Andol went from running four welding and fabricating plants with 70 employees to having to close two of the plants and reduce his workforce down to 31 people. He was losing the business he had spent decades building to overseas companies able to produce the same components at lower costs. He had to lay off family members, friends, and long-time workers. That’s when he decided to open a retail store selling 100 percent American-made products to do his part to bring jobs back to America and support American families.
“It was a tough, tough time in my life; I had laid off family members,” says Andol. “I wanted to stand for our country, American workers, people that work with their hands.”
Determined to turn the situation around for himself and his remaining employees, he opened the Made in America Store on April 3, 2010 to 600 customers waiting outside. He had a selection of 50 products he confirmed were 100 percent American-made from the packaging down to the ink and glue. The products are even backed by letters of authenticity. Local, national and then international media attention quickly found the store, with his business being featured in media outlets from countries like Japan, Korea, Germany, England and Russia.
Owner Mark Andol
“From there, the buses started coming to the store out of nowhere. We became a destination. I’m proud to say we had 375 buses visit the store in the last four years, and they come 80 percent from out of state,” says Andol. “They love to see the quality products, they love to see the store. A lot of the demographic is ages 50 to 70 on these buses, and they truly love America. They remember when and how it was.”
Since that time, Andol has opened three additional Made in America Stores, one of which is located at Niagara Falls and is the first souvenir shop to sell 100 percent American-made products. This past spring he introduced his own invention, the All-American Grill, at the 2014 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, where it won Best New Product in the All-American Awards. It is a compact, portable 20-pound grill with a 16-inch diameter, a rotating top to move food away from the fire or add wood and no loose parts; it is packed like a drum with a single T-nut to unwind for assembly.
Today his Made in America Stores sell over 6500 products, supporting 400 vendors from a range of categories spanning kitchenware, clothing, hardware, health and beauty, toys and even a grocery section. He still runs his General Welding and Fabricating business as well, where the All-American Grill is manufactured, and he has since been able to rehire some of the people he had to lay off.
The All-American Grill made in New York
Andol says that since he began his journey he has only seen the demand for products made in the United States increase along with the variety of products available. He credits this to a whole “Made in America” movement taking place in this country. Some companies have even adjusted products, changing out a foreign-made component for an American-made one to make the product entirely made in the USA.
“We’re tough on people, but a lot of people have changed to be in our store now, which is really neat. Some people adjust a couple of things that weren’t made here,” says Andol. “That’s all part of the movement; that’s pretty neat to see people change and come back to the States and try to build here. There are a lot of reasons that force them overseas.”
In a somewhat ironic twist, those overseas countries have consumers who also find great value in American made products. Andol, along with Sam Weiner, President of EdgeCraft Corporation, an American-based company that manufactures electric and manual knife sharpeners and high-end forged cutlery in Avondale, Pennsylvania, can attest to customer feedback that reflects this.
“Items that are manufactured in the U.S. resonate with the end customer in America and even overseas. The feedback we get from countries all over the world about the desirability of products that are made in the USA is incredible,” Weiner says. “There’s an inherent confidence in made in the USA products throughout the world. I was surprised when I travelled to France and was told by retailers, ‘Yes, by all means, we do want you to put the American flag on the products because the consumer in France thinks very highly of American-made products.’ So it’s true throughout the world. There’s a great desire for American-manufactured products throughout the world.”
Chef’sChoice Diamond Hone® AngleSelect® Model 1520, made in Pennsylvania
Responding to customer feedback, EdgeCraft introduced the Chef’sChoice Diamond Hone® AngleSelect® Model 1520 a few years ago. It was the first electric sharpener of its kind to sharpen Asian and European/American style knives all in one unit. The advanced technology electric sharpener was designed, engineered and built in the U.S. and uses 100 percent diamond abrasives and advanced flexible stropping polishing discs to restore and recreate both a 20 degree edge for conventional European and American style knives and a 15 degree edge for Asian and modern European/American style knives.
From beginnings in a Delaware basement to currently selling more than 100 models of Chef’sChoice electric and manual knife sharpeners all manufactured in America, EdgeCraft now employs about 150 workers and has remained dedicated to providing quality products for customers.
“There are certain advantages to producing product in the United States. First of all, we have control over the quality and cost of the products that we manufacture and therefore, we are better able to provide value to our customers, that’s number one,” says Weiner, who has been with EdgeCraft since 1988. “Additionally, we can be much more responsive to our retailers in their efforts to maintain proper inventory levels to meet customer demands and the unexpected shifts in the marketplace.”
According to Andol, the average American consumer is now becoming more educated about the vital role of American manufacturing in our economy. “I think people are getting more educated, people are realizing you know, if their neighbors don’t have a job that there’s a reason – or if they don’t have a job. We need more manufacturing back, and, to me, that’s how this country was built – with the manufacturing economy. I think it has to come back, but schools have to make it okay [for students] to work with their hands – parents and guidance counselors, too,” says Andol.
This story was originally published in the January 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Wherever Grill: The Only Dual-Fuel Electric/Charcoal BBQ Grill
The new Americana Wherever Grill is an innovative dual-fuel portable cooker for here, there, and everywhere. Real BBQ grilling just got easier, wherever you live, wherever you go.
“We set out to design a BBQ grill people can take anywhere and delivers amazing BBQ flavor,” says Bob Hebner, Meco VP of Strategic Development. “Our new Wherever Grill is an honest solution to the millions of people who want both the ease and safety of outdoor electric grilling at their apartment or condo and the flexibility to grill wherever they go. And as an American BBQ Grill manufacturer for over 40 years, it’s critical all of our grills serve up great BBQ flavor. The new Wherever Grill delivers all of these grilling features by offering both electric and charcoal grilling in one portable BBQ grill.”
The Wherever Grill is perfect for condos, apartments, and RV campsites. The easy to use and variable temperature controller makes grilling veggies, fish, and poultry a breeze. The Wherever Grill also has a specially designed reflector pan and a 1,500-watt heat source to generate the higher temperatures needed to handle steaks and chops.
“You can even enhance your recipes with the extra flavor of hickory, apple, cherry, or mesquite wood by placing water-soaked wood chips on the reflector pan,” says Hebner. The grill also features a stylish stay-cool handle which keeps your hands safely away from hot surfaces. The UL and CUL listed heating element plugs into any standard outdoor household outlet.
The Wherever Grill supports two large hood vents, making temperature control easy. The lock and go feature makes it easy to transport the Wherever Grill to any event. The 176 square inch cooking grid makes it perfect for a cozy patio dinner of mesquite grilled chicken for two or tailgater of burgers for six.
The Wherever Dual-Fuel BBQ Grill will retail for $89.99 and is making its debut at Crate & Barrel and other select retailers in the spring of 2015. The product will make its trade debut at the 2015 International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago, March 7 -10. The company will be demonstrating the grill in booth N6652.
Meco, a division of Unaka Corporation, has been designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer products for more than 40 years. Meco’s Outdoor BBQ Grill Business has manufactured and sold over 60 million BBQ Grills through retailers nationwide.
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