April 3, 2002
April 3, 2002
Help is at hand
Some new and not-so-new kitchen gadgets can ease chores and add style to
entertaining. They're great as shower gifts, or as a treat for yourself.
Inquirer Staff Writer
Who isn't tempted by kitchen products that promise to make putting meals on the table more fun, or to give you a leg up in pulling together everything from snacks to party spreads with greater ease and polish?
Whether you're a longtime cook or a novice in the kitchen, there's plenty to consider in the array of new and recent equipment and gadgets, so let's begin with a gizmo that could maintain the fizz at your next party.
The Fizzmo helps keep large bottles of soda from going flat. Pressure from air pumped into the resealed bottle reduces loss of carbonation from soft drinks.
Made by Chef 2000, Fizzmo has a built-in pourer and is due out later this month for about $14. For retailers, call 1-866- 434-9966 or see www.fizzmo.com.
For the wine drinker in your life, there's Vin Chilla, which promises to chill your vino in four minutes. The motor in the stylish wine bucket agitates water and ice for a windchill effect that cools the bottle.
Vin Chilla models, at about $100 to $120, can be ordered at www.amazon.com., or call 954-929-1900.
While we're talking wine, there's also the Sommelier's Washing Kit. Soft foam buds on brushes are shaped to fit the cavities of goblets, flutes and decanters and clean fine crystal without scratching. The Brushtech kit, at $19.95, is available at www.winejazz.com or by calling 914-773-0303.
If a creamy, cold fruit drink is more your speed, consider a blender designed to make smoothies. It even has a dispenser spout.
The Smoothie Elite and Smoothie Pro lines from Back to Basics sell for about $49 to $89, depending on power and finish. The lower-end Elite line is already in stores. The Pros are due by mid-May at Sears. Visit www.smoothiemaker.com, or call 1-800-688-1989.
An oldie but goodie from the same firm - it has been a favorite for at least 20 years - is the Peel Away, which mechanically cores, peels and slices apples (or peels and slices potatoes) in a flash.
At the International Housewares Show in Chicago earlier this year, Tom Daniels, Back to Basics' president, showed how the Peel Away can dispense with an apple in five seconds flat.
"Grandma had one of these a hundred years ago. It had gears," Daniels said. "We've replaced them with a spiral shaft to streamline the product and make it more user-friendly."
Clamp- and suction-base models sell for $24 to $30 at Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma, and www.backtobasicsproducts.com, so bring on those fruit salads and apple pies.
Say, though, you have a sophisticated stainless kitchen, and want a sleek, new coffeemaker to match. The Porsche Designer Series coffeemaker, made of brushed aluminum to repel stains and fingerprints, is part of a new line of small appliances from Bosch. It features a drip-lock lid that brews directly into a sealed thermal carafe to retain heat and aroma.
The ultra-sleek Euro-design from a division of the luxury carmaker explains the price ($350), says Bosch's Bernie von der Lieth. Find it at www.amazon.com and Neiman Marcus.
In a more moderate range but still part of Bosch's small-appliance launch is another coffeemaker - very different in looks but quite sculptural - in black or white plastic. It's due out this month at $59.99 to $69.99. Call 866-442-6724 for a list of retailers.
For a shower or wedding, KitchenArt's Pro Spice Carousel in sleek stainless and black is a good pick. The 12 removable dispensers have measuring dials and display windows. The carousel with spices is about $49.95; without, $39.95. To order, call 1-888-999-2806 or visit www.kitchenart-store.com.
Also from KitchenArt, plastic Adjust-a-Spoons and the Adjust-a-Scoop, which gauge fractions of teaspoons, tablespoons and larger amounts with a measuring slide, are now available in nickel plating or high-shine chrome coating. All three tools in the chrome finish come as a Cook's Pro Gift Set, $20. (See KitchenArt information.)
For couples who barbecue but want to be sure their burgers, chicken and chops are cooked through, there's Chaney Instrument's Acu-Rite SureGrip Burger Probe. The bent-tip probe transmits the temperature up the ergonomic handle to give digital readouts. About $24, at Fante's, 1006 S. Ninth St. Also at www.chaneyinstrument.com; or call 1-800-777-0565 for retailers.
Folks with limited storage might appreciate Bialetti's nonstick blue Spazio System cookware with folding handles. The saucepans have glass lids for cooking, plastic ones for the fridge. The 10-piece set is $99.99. There's also a Spazio pasta pot that makes a colander superfluous: A draining lid with holes clamps onto the rim, $34.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond.
If the new couple has a sense of humor, you might consider one of Kamenstein's motion kettles. They use steam to set off everything from trains and rockets to bees. (Call 1-800-662-0040 for stores.)
Most popular? The enamel-on-steel beehive model introduced last year, with "bees" abuzz in the honeycomb mesh top and on the spout (about $50).