By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
January 16, 2002
You’re in the kitchen making a steak, but you’re not sure whether it’s done yet. So you give it a little poke with the spatula, and a tiny voice says, “Medium well-done.”
That’s right. Your spatula just spoke to you.
This isn’t a scene from “Gattaca,” but rather a demonstration at the 2002 International Housewares Show, which came to a close Tuesday at McCormick Place.
The Housewares Show is to home and food junkies what Lollapalooza was for music fans: A chance to catch some of the best and weirdest offerings–all under one roof. This year’s show boasted 1,800 exhibitors from 40 countries. Once again, comfort and convenience continued to be two of the buzzwords for the industry.
Besides the usual kitchenware, food processors and pretty table settings, there were some new and funky gadgets that were pretty darned neat. Some of the items are in stores now; others will debut later this year.
Now that’s convenient
The Tru Cook Talking Thermo-Spatula ($29.95), is a no-brainer for those of us who like to cook but have only managed to master two ways of cooking meat: burned and raw. The battery-operated utensil looks like a regular spatula, except for a small prong on the side of the flipper. Slide the prong into the cut of beef (or chicken, fish, pork, etc.) and a LCD screen will flash whether the meat is rare, medium, well-done etc., while another screen will display the exact temperature of the meat. If numbers aren’t your thing, all you have to do is push a button and it’ll say the temperature in English, Spanish or French. Tres bien!
Your four-legged friend may appreciate the Automatic Pet Feeder ($60). Cats have been known to self-regulate their intake of food, but dogs are another story. This feeder–which is about the girth of a large dinner plate–serves three meals over a 72-hour period. Three separate feeding areas hold two cups of food each, so Fido won’t go hungry the next two days. And in case your pet gets lonely for the sound of your voice, you may even program in a 20-second recording of your voice.
Presentation matters, even for children. To entice finicky little girls to eat their spinach, Sanrio’s popular Hello Kitty line now includes a plastic dining set that’s sure to top the wish list of every chic 5-year-old gourmet-in-training. Retailing for $1.99 a piece to $9.99 per set, the price is right.
Time savers
Saving time in the kitchen is always a good thing. Though it wasn’t as functional as we’d hoped, we love the idea of the Garlic Buster ($19.95), which breaks up a head of garlic lickety split. It also crushes cloves of garlic, but the result wasn’t nearly as efficient as smashing it with the flat side of a knife or using a metal garlic crusher.
T&L Nifty‘s three-tier cookie cooling racks ($19.99) are a collapsable space saver. And King Mode‘s iMac colored cereal dispensers ($35) are a funky way to display and keep your cereal fresh and a fun way to serve breakfast.
Patriotic themes
As expected, patriotic-themed items popped up throughout the exhibit. Jay Import Co., Inc. displayed a line of red, white and blue china.
“We think it’s timeless,” says Jay Import’s national sales manager, Bernie Mandel. “People can use them every day, or for holidays like the Fourth of July.”
Standard Terry also has a line of kitchen towels with a patriotic theme, but sales manager Tom Lucas says their line was created for the Fourth of July.
“It’s very popular and proved to be even more so after 9/11,” says Lucas. “But we’ve been doing decorative kitchen towels for about two years now and they consistently sell well.”
Standard Terry’s flat weave towels, which range from $9.99 to $14.99 for a set of three towels, also come in an assortment of other designs, but our favorite was an adorable baby carrot character adorning a pristine white towel.
Show business inspired
Then there’s the Iron Chef collection. The line is based on the popular and kitschy Food Network cooking show. Fans may purchase Iron Chef cooking jackets ($29.99) or the more expensive knockoffs of the elaborate, silk jackets the Iron Chefs wear on the show ($79.99). The line also includes utensils, pots, pans, cutting boards and prepackaged sauces. Look for Iron Chef products in department stores soon.
