IHHS 2012 Preview – Hamilton Beach
Every January, the good people at the International Housewares Association (IHA) hold a preview event for the press in New York City. This event serves as an appetizer to get us excited about the feast that is coming soon. For bloggers like me, it is a great opportunity to cover more products, making reporting from the main International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago a bit easier. This preview enables me to see what is new and improved now, freeing me up to see other companies in March. This year there were around 65 companies displaying their wares. These companies represent those who are showing new products or are new to the IHA show family.
Over the next few weeks, I will post information about the products from the companies I was able to visit with in New York. I will highlight one company in each post so that focus can be given to what is new for this year. Without further ado, what follows is a summary of the new offerings from Hamilton Beach.
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Bread Knife Brief
As an avid baker and bread consumer, I have tried many bread knives and can offer some advice on which style is best.
The first question that may come to mind is, “there are different types of bread knives?” And the answer is, “Yes, Virginia, there are several styles and each style has pros and cons.” This article will look at the key elements that come up when shopping for a bread knife. The models presented are good examples of each style and not specifically reviewed.
Serrated or Straight Edge?
One of the first decisions to make is whether you want a serrated edge on the bread knife. I believe you need the serrations, as the goal of a bread knife is to easily cut through the crusty exterior of a loaf of bread. Indeed, the whole purpose of serration, regardless of the style of knife, is to easily cut things which are tough on the outside but soft on the inside; like bread and thicker skinned foods like tomatoes. Theoretically, you could use a straight edge slicing knife to cut bread, but you will find it is not as effective. Even the sharpest straight edge slicing knife will push down and crush a loaf of bread long before it slices into it. A sharp slicing blade might be effective on very soft breads, but even then the serrated knife will do a much better job.
Serrations – Yes.
Click to buy Kuhn Rikon
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Bottle Scraper Spatula
I find myself using certain tools with some regularity and this week I was surprised by one tool in particular: that tool was a bottle scraper.
A bottle scraper is a thin, long handled device with a plastic or silicone end. Normally the end looks like a spatula but is small enough to fit into narrow top jars. The one I own, from GrastoMax which I purchased at Fantes Kitchen Shop in Philadelphia, is shaped like a half moon on the end instead of a traditional spatula. I did not go into Fantes to buy a scraper; it was a total impulse purchase, but I have gotten a lot mileage out of it.
Image from Fantes.com
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Understanding Juicers
As an advisor on ShopSquad.com, I’ve seen a number of questions about juicers. Some were curious about which model to buy, others sought general advice. After answering the 3rd inquiry, I felt it was time for a little primer about juicers here on KitchenBoy. So what follows is an overview of juicing devices; the models listed below serve as examples in each style that I consider to be some of the best options available.
Juicers come in two categories and within those are separated into sub-categories. The two groupings are citrus and extractors.
Citrus
Citrus juicing is done with either a manual or electrically powered reamer and even here you have a couple of options.
Manual
Hand held reamers produce a small amount of juice. You hold the citrus half in one hand and twist the reamer into the fruit and juice, pulp and maybe seeds runs down into whatever dish or basin you use. They can be made of wood, metal or as seen here in this clever design from Joseph Joseph, heavy duty plastic with a trough for catching seeds and pulp.
Click to buy
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Ravi Wine Bucket
From time to time I receive promotional offerings and one of these recent acquisitions was the Foldable Wine Bucket from Ravi.
The concept is simple, a wine bucket made of heavy duty plastic that can be folded into a small box for storage when not in use. I took the recent holidays as an opportunity to try it out.
