In Print » MARCH/APRIL 2010 VOL. 31, NO. 2 » Departments » Ware & Why

Cooking was never my thing.

During high school and college, I led an active — perhaps too active — social life, and rarely made it home until dinner was ready for the table. Needless to say, I never learned how to cook beyond boxed macaroni and cheese, which is probably why my reporting for The Gourmet Retailer gravitated toward the nonedible aspects of the grocery business, such as technology, equipment and design, and nonfoods.

Today's kids are no different. With so many working parents, it can be difficult for Mom and Dad to find time to teach their little ones how to prepare meals they'll one day serve their families.

So, after reporting on the two children's cooking-related items below, I was compelled to share one more with you I learned about after speaking with Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert during last month's National Grocers Association show.

Lempert is looking to help teach kids how to cook with an online community he launched this past November, called Koodies.

Koodies (Lempert's spin on the term "Foodies") is a social network for kids and their parents to have fun together while sharing ideas and learning about food.

Whether through Koodie videos, Parent Discussion Forums, or the Profile walls of Koodies Members, the Koodie community offers dozens of different ways to engage the site, as well as share favorite recipes, products and restaurants with others.

You should all add a link to Koodies to the home page of your Web sites — after all, today's kids are tomorrow's consumers, and if they know how to make dinner for themselves, when they get older, they'll hit the grocery stores more and restaurants less.

And with my cooking ability around that level of skill, I may peruse the site myself for some helpful hints!

You can find the site at www.koodies.net

New Products
Curious Chef Unveils 19 New Kid-Friendly Cooking Tools
Curious Chef has added 19 new items to its line of children's cooking tools, which currently include an assortment of 49 uniquely designed cooking products.

"Our new products continue to fill a need for child-friendly cooking utensils," notes Jeff Wittkopp, product development manager for the Oconomowoc, Wis.-based supplier. "The new items we are adding to the Curious Chef product line complement our current mix of utensils while improving the cooking experience for children."

These 19 products will be formally unveiled at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, March 14-16. Curious Chef is exhibiting in booth S2877.

The new product collection consists of a variety of cooking tools designed specifically to meet the needs of children, while offering a kid-friendly and safe alternative to conventional cooking utensils.

The 19 new items are:

• Kitchen Shears
• 3-Quart Colander
• 3-Piece Bag Clip Set
• Curious Chef® Logo Clip
• 1-Quart Bowl
• 2-Quart Bowl
• Serving Tongs
• Apple Slicer
• 2-Cup Measuring Cup
• Cat Cookie Cutter
• Pumpkin Cookie Cutter
• Leaf Cookie Cutter
• Ghost Cookie Cutter
• Easter Cookie Cutter Set
• Halloween Cookie Cutter Set
• Christmas Cookie Cutter Set
• Child Chef Apron
• Child Chef Hat
• Child Chef Mitt Set

Each of the new product additions conform to the safety requirements of ASTM F963 and CPSIA lead and phthalate limits; are BPA-free; and have a suggested retail price between $1.99 and $9.99.

For more information, call 866-807-6064, ext. 227, or visit www.curiouschef.com

Cooking Lessons for Kids Offered at Ring Bros.
Ring Bros. Marketplace introduced its first-ever Kids' Cooking Classes last month, which were held Feb. 16 and 18 at the grocer's South Dennis, Mass., store and taught by Don Fallon, general manager and a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef.

During the first class, which focused on "Breakfast Basics," attendees learned how to make pancakes, French toast and such popular egg preparations as scrambled eggs and omelets. The second class taught children how to cook a spaghetti dinner consisting of a basic salad with homemade dressing, spaghetti and meatballs with fresh marinara sauce, and an apple crisp for dessert.

As well as learning the specific recipes, kids attending the class also learned about kitchen safety, how to read and follow a recipe, how to measure ingredients, basic nutrition, and basic cooking skills.

Pump Action Cleaning Brush Neutralizes Germs
The new Cuisipro Pump Action Cleaning Brush is designed to clean dishes while neutralizing germs at the same time.

Its 3-inch oval brush head is made with Silver Ion technology that neutralizes germs to prevent the growth of bacteria and odor. In addition, the handle can be flushed with hot water and the brush head can be washed in the dishwasher.

According to Cuisipro, the Pump Action Brush can clean everything in the kitchen with its pump action mechanism and its combination of soft and firm bristles. Users load water and soap into the brush handle, then dispense the soapy water blend by squeezing the trigger. The pump mechanism is designed to be leak-free.

The 7-inch long tool allows users to comfortably reach into deep mugs and pots, and its brush — which contains long soft bristles and embedded short firm bristles — can be used on delicate dinnerware, including china plates as well as on hard-to-clean cookware. The soft bristles gently wash most items, and the firm bristles are engaged when pressure is applied to scrub. A hard plastic scraper on the end of the brush can be used to scrape off baked-on foods.

The Pump Action Cleaning Brush is available in a transparent red, green and yellow, making it easy to see when the brush needs to be refilled. Replacement heads are also available. Available in stores this month, the product retails for $13, and is backed by a 25-year warranty.

For more information, visit www.cuisipro.com

High-Quality Sharpening on a Budget
Avondale, Pa.-based EdgeCraft's new line of Hybrid sharpeners are designed to be affordable while featuring the high quality and advanced technology associated with the Chef'sChoice brand.

The Chef'sChoice Diamond Hone Hybrid 220, the initial product in the Hybrid line, will be introduced at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago this month, and coincides with EdgeCraft's 25th anniversary of the launch of the first electric sharpener in 1985.

The Hybrid 220 was developed using Chef'sChoice diamond abrasives to provide razor-sharp edges with advanced Hybrid technology, which combines electric and manual sharpening. The unit features two stages — an electric-powered stage for sharpening and a manual stage for honing — and couples these two stages with precise bevel angle control to provide a super-sharp, arch-shaped edge that is stronger and more durable than conventional "V"-shaped or hollow ground edges, according to EdgeCraft.

Stage one sharpens the edge and sets the initial bevel using larger diamonds. Stage two, featuring micron-sized diamonds, completes the second bevel and delivers an ultra-sharp, long-lasting arch-shaped edge. Stage two can be used without turning on the machine to maintain the edge as well as resharpen serrated knives.

The Hybrid 220, which retails for $39.99, is safe for all quality knives, is compact and can be stored in a drawer or kept on a countertop.

For more information, call 800-342-3255 or visit www.chefschoice.com

Industry News
41 Madison and Martha Stewart to Kick Off Spring Market
Teams from three Martha Stewart magazines will kick off the Spring Market by transforming the lobby of Forty One Madison with creative ideas and tablescapes to celebrate a range of special events, including "Every Day," "Special Occasions," "Showers" and "Your Big Day."

"Expectations for the April Market appear to be upbeat as the economic climate begins to stabilize," says Laurie Burns, SVP and director of Forty One Madison. "We have already noted an uptick in preregistrations through our own Web site, with buyers making plans to travel to New York for the Tabletop Show."

"Celebration" will be the theme of the lobby settings, which will be displayed in collaboration with Martha Stewart Weddings, Martha Stewart Living and Everyday Food magazines. The displays will incorporate a range of products and accessories from Forty One Madison showrooms with a variety of Martha Stewart designs, including her home furnishings lines. Settings will be on view from Tuesday, April 13 to Friday, April 16.

Bridal Guide and www.bridalguide.com's Level A Café will be themed "Greek Delights," where market-goers can expect to find a selection of typical Greek savories including yogurt cups, feta and vegetable omelet bundles, mini Greek salads, cheeses, and classic baklava. The Café will run for three days offering breakfast treats and light lunch Tuesday and Wednesday, April 13 and 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and breakfast only on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Forty One Madison Buyers' Lounge on Level A will be open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will provide a range of amenities including complimentary coat checking, restrooms, phones and Internet access. Current issues of trade and consumer magazines in the interior design, decorating, epicurean and bridal categories will be available, courtesy of their publishers.

Forty One Madison, a Rudin building, is located at the corner of Madison and 26th Street, and features 23 floors of permanent showrooms that are filled with top brands in tableware, gifts, decorative accessories and high-end housewares. A complete list of showrooms and upcoming special events can be found at www.41madison.com

Chef'sChoice Celebrates 25 Years
EdgeCraft's Chef'sChoice brand celebrates 25 years of electric knife-sharpeners this year, having launched the first professional home use sharpener, the Chef'sChoice Diamond Hone Sharpener Model 100, back in 1985. Model 100 was the world's first advanced technology electric knife sharpener on the market designed specifically for home use. (According to EdgeCraft, other electric sharpeners on the market at the time were modified bench grinders or offered as a free accessory on the back of can openers.)

Soon after its introduction, the Model 100 earned the acclaim of food experts and chefs worldwide, including Pierre Franey, Jacques Pépin, Julia Child and Craig Claiborne.

Avondale, Pa.-based EdgeCraft Corp. produces more than 100 models of knife-sharpeners, which have earned more than 100 product trademarks and several hundred patents.

The company's new Chef'sChoice Hybrid sharpening line will roll out to stores early 2010, making EdgeCraft the only manufacturer in the industry to provide knife sharpeners in all three home use categories: professional, fully electric-powered sharpeners; the Hybrid category, featuring sharpeners combining electric-powered and manual sharpening; and manual sharpeners, which include a variety of hand-held units ranging from two stage guided Diamond Hone sharpeners to diamond-coated sharpening stones.

In addition to the core business of manufacturing electric and manual knife sharpeners, the Chef'sChoice brand also makes small kitchen appliances, which include: cutlery, electric food slicers and meat grinders; waffle makers and mixes; hot beverage products; and an egg cooker.