This past weekend was the annual International Home and Housewares Show, an enormous trade show for the housewares industry at Chicago’s McCormick Place, with over 2000 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and gadgets. I attended as press and as part of the team behind the lifestyle website Inspired Home.
One of my first stops was the Staub booth. I have never cooked with one of this French company’s stunning enameled cast iron cocottes, but color me obsessed! They’re so gorgeous that they truly define stove to table cooking.
As a cookware and kitchen gadget junkie, I walked the aisles of the IHHS drooling over the shiny pots and pans, the gorgeous tableware, the clever gadgets that I never knew I needed, and the appliances that promise to revolutionize how I cook and eat.
Based on what I witnessed at the show, the DIY revolution continues in full force. Gadgets that will allow us to churn our own butter and mill our own flour are making the 19th century new again. At the same time, cutting-edge cooking techniques such as sous vide have become mainstream. And the latest hot and cold beverage appliances will allow us to have fountain sodas, perfectly brewed tea and specialty coffee drinks without leaving the house. What a great time to be a cook!
Without further ado, here is Part I of my Top 10 list from the 2016 Home and Housewares Show. Yes, it is only the first part! This post got so long that I decided to divide it in two parts. Expect the second half in a day or so.
1. The KitchenAid Artisan Mini. KitchenAid stand mixers are the gold standard. I remember distinctly receiving my first one as a present when I had my first real apartment and it felt like a symbol of adulthood. With the introduction of the Artisan Mini, KitchenAid is offering a mixer with the same power as the Classic stand mixer but that’s 20% smaller and 25% lighter — perfect for small kitchens, first apartments, empty nests, and second homes. The Artisan Mini, which comes with a beater, whisk and dough hook and can fit all the hub attachments of larger models, will be available this summer and retails for $399. What a great graduation present or holiday gift!
2. Keurig KOLD. One of my guilty pleasures in life is a cold diet soda: Coke Zero, to be exact. With the Keurig KOLD, you can have a freshly made, perfectly chilled glass of Coke Zero (or regular Coke or Sprite) just like from a restaurant fountain at home. A personal cold beverage system, Keurig KOLD also makes iced tea, craft sodas, flavored waters, sports drinks and — get this — cocktail mixers.
Is this appliance necessary in life? No. Do I want one? Heck yeah! And by the way, no CO2 canister needed: the carbonation is in the pod. At the show, there was a Keurig KOLD booth at the entrance to one of the pavilions dispensing cold drinks to thirsty passers-by and people were going nuts for it, including this girl who stopped by for one, or more, Coke Zeros. Retails for $369.99.
3. The Mockmill KitchenAid Grain Mill Attachment. A grain mill with actual mill stones that attaches to the hub of your KitchenAid stand mixer. Grind your own wheat flour, or alternative flours, to any texture you like, from coarse to very fine. The flour is ground right into the bowl, so you can simply add the rest of your ingredients and go about mixing your dough. How cool is that?
Is grinding your own flour the next frontier in DIY? As someone who has recently become slightly obsessed with bread-baking, I am extremely excited at the prospect of freshly-milled flour. This company is European and it is not easy to find their product here, but I for one am motivated to seek it out. Available online and priced at $199.
4. Le Creuset Limited Edition Cerise collection. Available only from August through December this year, these limited edition pieces from Le Creuset, including this 5 quart Dutch oven, are decorated with a script “Bon Appétit” and shiny gold handles. Sure to become collector’s items, these pieces appear only in the iconic cherry, which has now been renamed cerise, the French word for – wait for it – cherry. Put this beauty on my wish list right now.
In fact, I’ll take whatever Le Creuset is peddling. I love the new color for 2016, hibiscus, and I am dying to display these colorful storage canisters, that come in five useful sizes, in my new kitchen.
5. After all these high-end appliances and fancy cookware, here is something sweet and old-fashioned that caught my eye: the Kilner Butter Churner. Channel your inner Laura Ingalls Wilder and churn your own butter at home. Simply pour heavy cream into the butter churner and turn the handle until butter forms! Freshly-made butter would go so well with homemade bread — especially when made with flour you milled yourself. (I may have fallen down the DIY rabbit hole here.)
American readers may not be familiar with Kilner, but this company is beloved by cooks in Great Britain for its glass jars and bottles, which work for both preserving and storage. I am entranced by Kilner’s charming, old-fashioned asthetic and would love to see more of this company’s products available here. I do not know how to find the butter churner stateside, but I promise I will investigate.
Stay tuned for Part II of my Top Ten List from the Home and Housewares Show!
