9 Must Have Kitchen Products from the IHA Show 2015
Do you feel like your kitchen could use a little something extra or that you’re missing that finishing touch? Last week was the International Home and Housewares Show hosted by the IHA, International Houseware Association. I took some time to walk around part of the show featuring the latest in kitchen tools, decorations and essentials. I found 9 kitchen products that would make a great addition to any new or old kitchen.
1. Storage Containers from Anchor Hocking Company
Whether you’re going for a modern or more traditional look, Anchor Hocking has containers to store whatever you need with style. I love their “Cracker Jars”. They look like giant mason jars and could be dressed up or down or painted to match any color décor. The lids are also wide enough so that if you wanted to store sugar or flour you could fit a scoop inside for easy measuring.
2. Cotton kitchen essentials from Now Designs
While walking through all the booths at IHA, Now Designs’ booth caught my eye because they had so many bright colors and fun designs. Their prints and colors come in sets that include towels, oven mitts, potholders and aprons. Their Ripple Towel specifically was voted best towel by Cooks Illustrated. Not only are these cotton kitchen items well made, but they’ll also make your kitchen look more put together by matching your color scheme or theme.
3. Innovative cooking tools from Zyliss
Is a food processor something you feel you would use often but you just don’t have the space for it? Problem solved. Meet the Zyliss EasyPull Food Processor. It’s nonelectric and I watched a chef make salsa in just 5 pulls on the Easy Pull Food Processor. Not only was it delicious, but the food processor is so compact it can fit in any kitchen. This item is a must have for any “Everyday Hero”, aka mom or dad who typically spend about 50 minutes preparing, cooking, eating and cleaning before and after meals each day. Other kitchen essentials you can find from Zyliss include peelers, ice cream scoops and slicers.
4. Mugs from Maxwell and Williams Designer Homewares
I don’t know about you but I love using mugs. Not just for the usual cup of coffee or hot chocolate but for soup, to make a single serve brownie or cookie or even for wine. When I saw the mugs from Maxwell and Williams I had to check them out. They’re a great size for either beverages or meals and they have lots of patterns and colors. All their mugs are dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe. They have cute holiday mug sets and they were showing a few preview designs so be sure to check back on their website for when those are available.
5. Shatterproof Beverave Ware by Govino
Originally created as a sales tool to enable professionals to help showcase their wines whenever proper stemware isn’t available, govino is essential regardless of your drink of choice. These elegantly thin products are made of a flexible, BPA free polymer – yes flexible look for yourself. They are dishwasher safe and perfect to use indoors or outdoors. They also feature a patented design with a thumb-notch and base, which minimize smudge marks on the glass and provide a secure, comfortable grip. The collection includes wine glasses, cocktail glasses, flutes, beer glasses and a decanter, which holds a full bottle of wine.
6. Placemats from Harman
When setting the table for a holiday dinner, special occasion or just when you feel like making the perfect meal, a matching set of placemats could make all the difference. Harman placemats come in lots of materials and patterns. The representative I spoke with recommended the vinyl material placemats because of their sleek look and they’re easy to clean. They also have table runners, trays and anything else you could want for your kitchen needs.
7. Boil-over lid from Zeal
Sometimes you see a product and just think, ‘this is brilliant’. That’s how I felt when I saw the Leaf Boil Over Lid. The leaf fits right onto your pot and when the water comes to a roaring boil, instead of boiling over onto your stove, it keeps the hot water contained. It comes in a few colors and its plastic material makes it easy to clean- plus it looks as pretty as your meal. Zeal makes other clever products such as their clip to pan spoon holder and straight to pan chopping board.
8. Fresh Wave Natural Odor Eliminators
With a nice surprise meal from your significant other or roommate is always so thoughtful, until it’s been three days and the burnt or over used spices smell still lingers. Enter Fresh Wave Natural Odor Eliminators. For those unwanted kitchen smells, I recommend the soy candles because they remove any odors using only natural ingredients, and are nontoxic making them safe to use all around the house, near children and pets. Another handy freshening tool Fresh Wave has is the Fresh Pod. It can stick to the lid of any garbage- or diaper pail for those new or expecting parents.
9. Cake pans from Wilton
Baking everything from cookies to cakes is something I’ve always loved doing with my grandparents and parents. When I came across the Wilton booth at IHA, I was overwhelmed with baking inspiration, especially when I saw the Mini Fluted Mold Pan. It contains six mini bunt pans on one sheet. This allows you the creativity to make 6 different types of cakes on one pan- hint this means less cleaning and less time with the oven on. Wilton has all kinds of pans to make all your culinary ideas successful.