Gauging the gadgets

Hipster kitchen tips from the International Home & Housewares Show
By Mike Danahey
STAFF WRITER
COURTESY SUBURBANCHICAGONEWS.COM

I'm the wrong guy to send to something like the International Home & Housewares Show. With a few exceptions, shopping makes my eyes glaze over like a zombie's in Shaun of the Dead, like an unwanted donut on the overstocked shelves at a Krispy Kreme.
The show filled Chicago's mammoth, 2.2 million-square-feet McCormick Place last week, turning its halls into the world's largest big box store, packed with products from 2,200 merchants. The technical term for it all, according to noted philosopher George Carlin, is "stuff." And stuff like this comprises a $62.6 billion industry in the United States and $265 billion globally.
There were lots of things with cool Schwarzenegger-sounding names, though, like the Ozonator, which is supposed to purify your fridge from all bad smells and bacteria and powerful fans of all sizes from Vornada. Oddly, there was a sign proclaiming "sham wholesale," which I later learned is "a thing you put over your pillow to make it look pretty."
Such funny labels could easily distract someone like me from making any sense from so much stuff.
So it was a good thing a distaff panel of experts — the International Housewares Association's new Home Trend Influentials Council, or HIPsters, for short — was on hand to guide me through the myriad merchandise.
The six ladies were chosen as they are "early adopters of housewares products — the ones who other consumers are always seeking out for product recommendations," said A.J. Riedel, senior partner of Riedel Marketing Group. "HIPsters make up only 3-5 percent of the population, but they are at the top of the home-trend curve. They frequently make new product purchases, and are always painting, rearranging or redecorating their homes."
All of which makes them sound like female versions of the Queer Eye crew crossed with that existential Greek, Sisyphus, who was always rolling a rock back up a hill, much like this bunch is constantly revamping rooms. But, far from being upper-middle-class mythological Mrs., these women were pretty down-to-earth.
In fact, they admitted to trusting places such as Costco, to overspending at Target, to traversing the narrow aisles of Wal-Mart, to appreciating a good marketing display, to bargain hunting online and all to being over 40 years old.
Like a clueless husband during Christmas season, I asked these consumer-wordly women for a list of recommendations, specifically of stuff related to the kitchen. Then, like a dutiful spouse, I hunted for the items, foraging whatever free snacks I spotted along the way. (Note: cheese straws are so named because they taste like straw coated in cheese powder.)
Here are the discoveries, listed alphabetically by manufacturer:
Adagio Teas: ingenuiTEA, the ingenious teapot. A $16, easy way to brew your own loose tea in single servings, with a mini-pot that sits on top of a cup, trickling the brew. I found this one myself, via an e-mail pitch.
Web site: adagioXL.com
Hamilton Beach: the "Ecletrics" line of products. A half dozen all-metal kitchen appliances, including a $200 Double Spindle Drink Mixer, available in trendy colors. The concept here is called "colorscaping," where you update the look through the shades of appliances to create a "coco cabana," "Indian spice market," "Out of Africa," and other such chicness. Due in the fall is a purple haze called "grapeness." You have been warned.
Web sites: www.hamiltonbeach.com; www.colorscaping.com
E-Z Foil pans. The HIPster gals liked the designs, which allows you to fool your guests into thinking you bought catered food. E-Z ovenware is supposed to be on the market by summer, and though it's not as pretty, it allows you to nuke your food. $3-$5 per product. The HIPsters also thought this was made by Reynolds, but, like a devoted husband, I tracked down the real maker.
Web site: www.pactiv.com
Maytag: Hoover Floor Mate Hard-Floor Cleaners. The latest in wet-dry vacuums for hard floors. The top of the line model comes with attachments for getting behind the stove or toilet and lists for about $250.
Web site: www.hoover.com
Oxo: angled measuring cups. Too hard for you to look at the side of the cup? With these, you can look over the top, and the design allows you to see how much you have, much like a mini swimming pool. Prices: $3.99 — Mini Angled Measuring Cup; $9.99 for Mini Angled Measuring Cup Set (includes 3 Mini Angled Measuring Cups); $4.99 — Angled Measuring 1-Cup; $6.99 — Angled Measuring 2-Cup; $9.99 — Angled Measuring 4-Cup; $19.99 — 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cup Set (includes 1-Cup, 2-Cup & 4-Cup Angled Measuring Cups)
Web site: www.oxo.com
Precidio: The ladies liked that the Melamine dinnerware, a material in weights as light as fine china, but sturdy enough for the beach — and in all sorts of trendy colors and patterns. Pictured pieces run $4.50 — $16.
Web site: www.precidio.com
Richco: Plate Caddy. I found this one on my own, or maybe I saw the infomercial. This magical device allows you to balance your food and beverage with one hand, leaving the other free to eat and drink. This makes it valuable for tailgating and dining in the recliner. A set of four is $9.95.
Web site: www.platecaddy.com
Simple Green: The women liked that the environmental cleaning solution now comes in a variety of scents with its Aroma Clean line. Spray trigger bottles retail for $4.99.
Web site: www.simplegreen.com
Wilton: 13-piece microwave fondue set. All the fun of fondue, minus the possible fire damage. The $40 set comes with a glazed bowl and four cups that can keep your sauces warm for 90 minutes. It won't be out until fall, so we can't show you a picture.
Web site: www.wilton.com
Zyliss: ice cream "right scoop" ($8.99); silicone spreader ($7.99); soft skin peeler ($6.99). The ladies liked the ice cream scooper because it wasn't girlie, but had a weight to it. The spreader appealed for its ability to get the last gob of peanut butter out of the jar. The peeler worked well on tough-to-skin fruits such as kiwi. And they liked the variety of colors, too. The right scoop comes in five shades: mango, pistachio green, lemon yellow, bubblegum pink and white. Leave it to the Swiss, eh?
Web site: www.zylissusa.com

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