|
|
|
Posted on
Saturday, April 9, 2005 CHICAGO
— Seeing every exhibit at the enormous 2005 International Home &
Housewares Show at McCormick Place in March would be physically
impossible. (Seeing as many as possible is merely mindboggling.) But
here are a few — out of thousands — that caught one reporter’s
eye. For buying information, please see the Web sites listed below. Most
items should be available sometime this month; those that will hit the
market later are so noted. HANDY DANDIES Chef’s Planet Nutcracker MSRP:
$15 Made in Sweden, this all-plastic nutcracker works for all types and
sizes of nuts, catches the shells inside and goes into the dishwasher
for easy cleanup. It fits nicely into even small hands, and you’d have
to work really hard to pinch your fingers. www.chefsplanet.com Rolly
Mobil by Leifheit
MSRP:
$23.95 More than just a wall-mounted paper towel holder, the Rolly Mobil
has two compartments for plastic wrap, aluminum foil or waxed paper.
Cutting teeth let you pull and tear from the wall with ease, or you can
remove the compartments and take them to your workspace.
www.leifheithousewares.com Provence Spice Mill by Ironwood Gourmet MSRP:
$26 A user-friendly alternative to the mortar and pestle method of
crushing spices, this mill is easier on arthritic hands and
aesthetically appealing as well. Crafted after a medieval design in
beautifully veined acacia wood, the mill features a modern-day neoprene
bottom to keep it from slipping or scratching countertops.
www.foxruncraftsmen.com HIGH-END
HIGHLIGHTS Impressa Z5 by Jura-Capresso MSRP: $3,200 A Rolls Royce of an
automatic coffee and espresso center, the Impressa Z5 makes divine
European-style coffee drinks and has more features than you can imagine.
In addition to the pre-programmed settings, you can also create
customized drinks and give them specialty names of your choosing in any
of the five languages available. www.
capresso. com
Tiger
3 in 1 MSRP: About $650 Touted as "the world’s most sophisticated
rice cooker," the 3 in 1 does that and more. In addition to cooking
rice and rice dishes, it does double-duty as a slow-cooker and
triple-duty as a bread baker. (Note: Bread baker, not bread maker.) The
Vita Craft cooking bowl has six layers of aluminum and three of
stainless steel, which is said to make for perfect heat conductivity.
And of course the bowl is removable for cleaning. Watch for it sometime
next year. www. tiger-corporation. com Jenn-Air Attrezzi — new colors
MSRP: toaster $199 Oiled bronze has become all the rage with kitchen
designers, and now every piece of the Attrezzi line is offered in the
finish, making it easy to match your oiled bronze hardware and faucets.
Also new for spring in limited quantities are Iced Coral mixer bowls,
blender jars and toaster bases. If the color strikes your fancy — or
matches your kitchen — but you already own Attrezzi appliances, you
can buy the glassware separately. www.
jennairattrezzi. com
RETRO
RAVES Traveler Stack-O-Matic by Crosley Radio MSRP: $179.95 The Traveler
suitcase-style portable stereo record player is sure to give aging baby
boomers a thrill — or at least a trip down memory lane. The Stack-OMatic
models even come with automatic arms so you can once again hear that
familiar ca-chunk (assuming your mom didn’t toss your 45s). www.
crosleyradio.
com
Colored aluminum 1950s housewares by Payne Manufacturing MSRP: Prices
vary by item If these look familiar, it’s because the daughter of the
man who manufactured them in the ’ 50s decided to dig out his original
models and begin producing them in the late ’ 90s. Guess that makes
them retro-iginals. They’re perfect for patioware. www.paynemfg.com
Sunbeam Heritage Handmixer MSRP: $39.99. This thoroughly modern mixer
with an old-fashioned look is fashioned in brushed stainless steel with
a soft-touch handle. It’s cute enough to leave on the countertop, and
the art-deco curved stand houses the accessories and cord. The Heritage
should be available in October. www.sunbeam.com ELEGANT
ENTERTAINING Vessel’s Candlela color collections MSRP: $79 Candlela
rechargeable lamps offer a safe, convenient alternative to candles. Aqua
and Terra, the shades of the 2005 collections of these notcandles, were
inspired by the American Southwest. A set of four lamps comes with a
charging base. www.vessel.com Supremo Wine Steward by PEK MSRP: $219 The
Supremo Wine Steward does more than just chill wines to ideal serving
temperatures from 45 to 65 degrees — it also uses argon gas canisters
to force the air out of partially consumed bottles of wine to preserve
the contents for drinking later. If you’ve opened just one bottle, you
can also store it in the steward. More than one bottle? No problem,
because you have a few seconds to remove a bottle from the steward and
replace the cork, since argon is heavier than air. www.peksystems. com
Fine Hostess Aprons by Jessie Steele MSRP: Varies by style, but about
$40-$50 Available in a variety of patterns, colors and styles, these
cute aprons are as fashionable as they are functional. Wearing one could
brighten up any day or prove that you really are the hostess with the
mostest. www.jessiesteele.com WHY
DIDN’T I
THINK
OF THAT?! S. A. T. shower curtains from The Intuitive Learning Company
MSRP: $19.95 Talk about multitasking (that’s mu-l-t …)! The S. A. T.
vocabulary words shower curtain is the brainchild of a 14-year-old girl
who didn’t want to spend her free time studying spellings and
definitions. Also available in S. A. T. math concepts, English grammar
and multiplication tables. www.tilcoweb.com The Wineplate from Wine
Valley Classics MSRP: Set of four $34.99 Few things are more awkward
than trying to juggle a plate, glass, silverware and napkin, never mind
actually trying to take a sip or a bite. But the wine plate makes that
easy — simply slip your goblet stem into the cutout and voila! The
glass perches there nicely until you’re ready for a drink, then it
slips out just as nicely. The porcelain china plates are dishwasher safe
and microwave safe, too. www.wineplate.com Mesu portion-control
dinnerware MSRP: Set of six $49.95 Mesu measuring bowls make a
dieter’s life easier — you can use them to measure and heat
portions, then eat right out of the same dish. Pastel graphics indicate
the portion size in increments from one-half to 2 cups, and the white
porcelain dishes are freezer, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. Watch
for single bowls and glassware to come along soon. www. studiopanepinto.
com Freshlife
Automatic Sprouter from
Tribest
MSRP: $99 If you love sprouts, you’ll love growing your own, and this
clever sprouter makes the job a snap. It waters your mini-garden three
to four times an hour (with no plumbing hookup) to produce sprouts in
five to eight days. Each tray holds up to four types of sprouts and
yields up to 1 pound, and you can buy an extra barrel to stack and
double your production. No dirt required. www.freshlifesprouter. com Pop Art Toaster from LC Premiums MSRP: $28-$40 Toast as art might have been done before, but never in the comfort of your own kitchen. Pop Art toasters can change that, though, with removable, interchangeable art plates that let the bread toast more heavily in the cutout area. (And, yes, if you want to be boring, they’ll also make plain toast.) The basic models come with two designs or six designs, and the red Christmas toaster comes with six theme designs. Available June 1. www.lcpremiums.com |
