We called on members of our Retailer Advisory Board to select their favorite items at The Gourmet Housewares Show this past May. The overall winner from the show was The Beater Blade, which was selected by several buyers. Here's a snapshot of the top five selections:



 

The Beater Blade From New Metro Design
We first saw the prototype for this product in Dallas in January and were extremely impressed with it then. It still rates a first-place for quality, packaging, merchandising potential, creativeness and timeliness. In case you didn't see it, the line consists of three SKUs. Each is a stand mixer blade with a silicone edge to "clean" the sides of the bowl as it revolves within the mixing bowl. The three SKUs will fit 1) Viking, Cuisinart and De'Longhi 7-quart stand mixers; 2) KitchenAid mixers with drop-down bowls; and 3) KitchenAid mixers with tilt-tops. Although we don't even sell KitchenAid mixers, we ordered all three models, and expect to reorder all three several times this year. We also expect they will be "top sellers" throughout next year as well. This is truly an innovative product, well-priced and well-packaged, which fills a "niche" need in the industry and will, if it performs as promised, become a very popular accessory for a great many of our customers. We are already taking orders for them, sight unseen.





Dave Cook Kitchen Tools From Dave Cook LLC
We spoke to Dave himself, and he has an innovative approach to cutlery. This might have been our number one choice, except for a couple of factors: The knives are stamped blades, not forged, and although the appearance is unique, the color of the handles is discordant with most modern kitchens. There will be a market for these, if they perform, but it will be rather limited. If he produces a premium line, with forged blades and heavier-weight knives, and if they hold their edge and perform in the kitchen, he may just carve out (couldn't resist!) a place in the cutlery business.
Mike & Shelly Sackett, Kitchen Affairs, Evansville, Ind.



 
iSi Pan Scraper
This is a simple plastic piece with a nice long handle. Well-designed and useful, it has a rotating blade with a curved edge -- perfect for nonstick pans. It is also dishwasher-safe and comes with an extra blade!



 
MUkitchen Textiles
Loved MUkitchen's line of textiles! Great colors and beautiful to the touch. They have a great set with dishcloth and towel. The cloth has a scrubby sewn into the fabric and the towel is super absorbent. Did you know that you can clean with a damp microfiber cloth and NO cleaning solution? Talk about green! It's a great cloth for cleaning and polishing, and it's lint-free!
Jennifer Baron, A Cook's Companion, Brooklyn, N.Y.





Multi-Steamer From Mastrad
Available this fall, you can rinse, steam, serve, store and reheat all in the same cooker. This is a great silicone steamer/colander that can be used in the bowl with airtight lid to steam or in other cookware to steam. The bowl itself can be used to serve and has its own silicone lid. Estimated MSRP is $40.
Barbara Freeman, Kitchenware Outfitters, Savannah, Ga.

Comments? mmoran@gourmetretailer.com