Hasta La Ideas

Coverage sponsored by the IHA

With a century of design history, Danish company Eva Solo continues to innovate across the kitchenware category with beautiful and functional tools. We had the opportunity to talk with Lars Pihl, Product Development Director, about Eva Solo’s transition from design for cooking indoors to design for the people’s outdoor “second kitchen.” Here’s a tour of the Eva Solo gas grill (that stylishly hides the gas cylinder inside the grill) and a simple outdoor oil lamp, perfect for summer garden parties.

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Roasting Laurel and Trivet

Launched in 2007, Prepara is a relatively new entrant in the kitchenware world but their products have garnered industry awards and a dedicated following of home chefs including Oprah!

Prepara is the brainchild of Dean Chapman and Ed Kilduff of Pollen Design; their industrial design firm has worked on everything from treadmills to cleaning tools. When discussing the development of some kitchen tool ideas and concepts, “We initially thought to license them, however we were also aware that licensing was fraught with risk and the payout could be very limited.” explained Chapman. “So that, and the fact we were looking to challenge ourselves—became the guiding factors to launch our own brand.” An interesting lesson for design firms, Pollen took on the challenge and launched their first product, a one-handed kitchen tool for crushing multiple cloves of garlic. The design of the garlic crusher drew inspiration from the high transfer force mechanisms seen in plastic pipe cutting tools. Prepara’s Herb Savor was selected as one of Oprah’s “Ultimate Favorite Things” in 2010 catapulting the brand into the national spotlight.

Herb Savor

Today, Prepara continues to innovate in the category—as we saw at the International Home + Housewares Show—with functional and beautiful kitchen tools that encourage home cooks to say goodbye to preservatives and hello to fresh food prepared with local ingredients.

The truth about salad dressings is that they’re actually pretty easy to make with a little bit of know-how. Prepara introduced their Dressing Whiz, a “prep-serve-and-store” tool that functions like a tableside saucier with an aerating propeller that emulsifies vinaigrettes and dressings with the push of a button. I especially like the clear measurement markings and the compact size and shape of the bottle design. Their signature drip-free spout makes everything clean and easy to serve, and the air-tight cap keeps the dressings fresher for longer.

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Coverage sponsored by the IHA

Get a tour of Bodum‘s new line of electronic kitchen appliances with Thomas Perez, President of Bodum USA. We get a closer look at the eBodum collection including the new Bistro pour-over drip coffee maker and vacuum jug, Bistro blender and a preview of the Bodum stand mixer that is small enough to tuck away on your countertop. All of the appliances in the eBodum line come in four standard colors: black, red, lime green and off white.

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Coverage sponsored by the IHA

DomePress, a vacuum-sealed solution for leftovers

After enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal, there’s always the question of what to do with leftovers. If you’re like me, usually this means wrestling with a roll of saran wrap and a Jenga-level stacking job inside my fridge. At this year’s International Home + Housewares Show, we saw a new category of food-saving solutions coming from two small entrepreneurs in the marketplace. Using a silicon sealing ring and a BPA-free plastic lid, these stacking food-savers both create a vacuum seal to help keep food safer, for longer.

Michael Tseng recently completed his studies to be a medical doctor after earning a degree in electrical engineering at Princeton, but even these impressive academic accolades didn’t stop him from pursuing his entrepreneurial passions. It seems like the real problem he’s been trying to solve in the world is what to do with leftovers. Launching his PlateTopper just two weeks ago, we were intoduced to his product in the Home + Housewares Going Green display. Microwave and dishwasher-safe, Plate Topper is a simple solution using an air-tight vacuum seal to get leftovers from table to fridge, fridge to the microwave without hassle or messy cleanup. Check out Michael’s quick demo for us below.

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Coverage sponsored by the IHA

As hipstomp often reminds us, there is never a simple or universal solution fpr all your storage needs. The International Home and Housewares Show is a testament to this problem with their annual showcase of hundreds of product hopefuls each year. Below are two of our favorite new products for home storage and organization. Although they address wildly different storage needs (and were on opposite sides of the actual show floor), both products represent a continuation of the nesting/stacking trends we’ve tracked over the past year.

Lasko Products recently introduced their Power Toolbox—a combination toolbox, step stool and power cord reel. For those who have actually used their toolbox for a step-up, it might come as a relief that the form of Lasko’s Power Toolbox was designed for that expressed purpose supporting up to 300 pounds. The cover features a non-skid surface that flips open to reveal snap-in storage for drillbits and marking tools on the underside and three stacking and removable caddies of different depths nested in the body of the toolbox. A side caddy holds a small assortment of screwdrivers for easy access to those frequently used tools.

Although the combo toolbox and step stool isn’t a new idea, the detachable power cord reel is a nice innovation in this category. The reel houses a “20 foot three wire 16 gauge 3 wire extension cord and four 120 volt grounded outlets with re-settable circuit breaker for plugging in power tools or other electrical items.” My only feedback is that for a product called a Power Toolbox, it doesnt really seem large enough to hold many power tools. That being said, it is a nice, compact solution for toting, storing and accessing tools.

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