Go-Go Gadget
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but given the bolstering popularity of quirky kitchen helpers – in spite of the economy – creative minds and a great sense of humor certainly don’t hurt.
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Image courtesy of Joseph Joseph
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Image courtesy of The Spoon Sisters
New strains: Two new twists on the boring step of straining has cooks smiling: Spoon Sisters’ Straining Ladle (right) and Joseph Joseph’s Nest collection with a green-rimmed strainer (left).
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Image courtesy of Boskke
Secret garden: Grow herbs unconventionally in the kitchen to maximize space and taste.
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Image courtesy of Umbra
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Image courtesy of Chef’n Corporation
With a little help from my friends: Utility and fun go hand-in-hand when it comes to kitchen gadgets, like a banana holder that looks like a banana or a garlic chopper that chops as it rolls like a toy car. Now that’s an easy way to get the kids to help with dinner.
By Mary M. Murphey
CTW Features
It’s time to face the facts: That sleek, stainless-steel kitchen you’ve been piecing together in your dreams is simply out of reach, and the charming country farmhouse look requires a big-city budget that you just don’t have.
If you’re finding yourself smack-dab between a slightly precarious island and some squeaky cabinet doors, rest assured – you are not the only one.
Perhaps the easiest way to forget about the kitchen that you can’t afford is to start sprucing up the one you have with functional items that come complete with mini personalities. Gadgets are one part sensible, functional problem-solvers and one part pure fun. They don’t have to multitask. They don’t have to come with moveable parts. They don’t have to wait to be used till after you read the instruction manual. They don’t even need to match anything.
Some can get by on their looks alone, but true kitchen gadgets don’t just look adorable enough to elicit a cooing shriek from grown men – they serve a purpose that would otherwise be solved by Duct tape, shoestrings and a hanger. And let’s be honest, that’s just not a good idea.
Sure Thing
“Kitchen gadgets have always been a sure seller,” explains Jill Spoon, who co-founded New York City-based Spoon Sisters, a catering and party retail business, with her sister, Bonnie.
“But with the downturn in the economy, we are seeing an increase in their popularity as people are not going out to eat as often as they used to.”
Nashville-based food expert Anne Byrn’s latest cookbook, “The Cake Mix Doctor Returns!” (Workman Publishing, 2009), shares recipes that take regular cake mixes to the next level, and you can be sure she has her favorite gadgets.
“I have three go-to gadgets for baking,” she says. “One is the Microplane for grating lemon and orange zest into cake batters and frostings. It’s so useful – it’s more tool than gadget. I also love the small Oxo icing spatula for frosting cakes, and I’ve come to rely on a small strainer the size of the palm of my hand for sifting confectioners sugar over a baked Bundt cake.
“Kitchen gadgets are always handy and fun, no matter the economy,” Byrn adds.
“Everyone loves a great new toy and, in many ways, gadgets are just that for adults,” says Tracy Panase, the marketing manager for Russellville, Ark.-based Microplane, whose latest food-preparation gadgets include a Pizza Cutter and Vegetable Peelers.
“Anything that makes our lives a little better or easier is an item to be celebrated and shared,” she adds. “Kitchen gadgets can be found everywhere, and where you shop and what you buy is a reflection upon your lifestyle. The housewares industry has been progressive with their use of color and attention to trends to give consumers the benefits of both attractive and functional items.”
Form and Function
Amy Albert, the Los Angeles-based senior associate editor of Bon Appétit magazine, prefers to call gadgets “tools,” citing their No. 1 virtue as being useful. She encourages considering how useful a particular gadget will be in your kitchen by asking yourself a few questions: “Will you use it a lot? Will it make your kitchen life easier and more fun? Do you have room to store it? Or will it clutter up precious storage space and end up in a garage sale?”
Boskke, an Auckland, New Zealand gardening-solutions company, has a simple and eye-catching response for consumers who claim they don’t have enough kitchen counter space to grow fresh herbs – use a Sky Planter and hang it from the ceiling or mount it on a wall.
“Because the Sky Planter is suspended from the ceiling, a window frame or wall mount, it takes up zero [counter] space, which is often at a premium in most kitchens,” explains Jake Morris, Boskke’s sales and marketing director.
“ They also create a unique and attractive feature in the kitchen, which tend not to have plants in them traditionally. They are also within easy reach when you are cooking, so you can snip some parsley directly into your dish while you cook.”
The Spoon Sisters Straining Ladle, for example, makes straining and draining less messy while cooking and/or serving, and Seattle- based Chef’n Corporation’s GarlicZoom XL is the monster truck of garlic choppers. Meanwhile in London, contemporary kitchenware design duo Joseph Joseph has its colorful Nest collection of practical, space-saving mixing bowls, measuring spoons, a sieve, strainer and juicer. Woodridge, Ill.-based Wilton Industries has your baking needs in mind with gadgets like its Decorating Bag Holder, while Umbra is looking out for your bananas with its Banana Split Banana Holder. WMF Americas, Indian Trail, N.C., and Tailor Made Products, Oconomowoc, Wis., both carry gadgets geared toward getting kids involved in the kitchen through the Kid’s Cooking Utensil Set and Curious Chef 6-piece Cookie Kit, respectively.
“Consider your needs,” Spoon says. “If you’ve never baked lasagna in your life, and don’t ever plan to, then don’t buy a triple channel lasagna pan. Space is always a factor. It’s one thing if you live in house, but for any apartment dweller, especially in a large urban area with a small kitchen, it’s best to think twice before purchasing any new item for one’s kitchen.”
Deborah Corrado, WMF Americas’ senior vice president of sales and marketing for its consumer division, adds, “I would recommend consumers consider their cooking habits and needs and determine what products will help aid in those activities and cut down on preparation time.
“Some additional considerations may include whether the products are dishwasher safe, if they incorporate 18/10 stainless steel, which does not rust, ensures durability and extends the life of the product, and if they offer the design and functionality the consumer needs.”
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