Editor's Choice: OXO

As September moves along, the Halloween sections in stores continue to expand. And if Halloween is here, can the holiday baking season be far behind?  I’ve noticed an emphasis on getting kids involved in the baking of holiday goodies. I, myself, have fond memories of making Christmas cookies with my grandmother over the years. Today many families want to start a holiday baking tradition.

Thinking about the season, there was a clever product I saw at this year’s International Home and Housewares Show that would be great for a family that bakes together. It is a 4-Piece Mini Measuring Beaker set from OXO (oxo.com). The pieces look like, as described in the name, chemistry beakers and will add some extra fun.

The beakers stand on their own and are designed for measuring and pouring smaller amounts of ingredients, such as food coloring and extracts. The funnel shape and spout on the top make filling and pouring simple. The sizes also would be perfect for young helpers’ smaller hands. And for some kids, the beaker concept would definitely add an element of “cool” to a baking project.

When the baking is done, all four pieces are dishwasher safe and nest inside each other for easy storage. The beaker set would be a good add-on gift for a cook or in a baking products-themed basket. In addition, in a store they can be a colorful part of a baking products display.

Barbara

The world's greatest travel mug

About a week after I came back from the NY NOW show, someone from Zak! Designs shipped me one of the company’s flagship Insulated Travel Tumblers. Unfortunately, the printing on the shipping label was degraded to the point where I couldn’t tell who sent it to me. So instead of a personal thank-you note, this post will have to do.

Dear Unknown Angel:

The Zak! Insulated Travel Tumbler is wonderful. It is ten thousand kinds of awesome. It is the greatest thing since sliced bread, Chinese checkers, and every other kind of applicable cliché.

The tumbler has the elegant simplicity and functionality of the very best designs. It’s a double-wall tumbler that holds about 1.5 cups of liquid, which is the perfect amount for my morning coffee.

I have a long commute, and if I don’t want to get up for work in the middle of the night, I have to pack my breakfast the night before and eat on the train. That means everything is either on my lap or on the floor. What I need in a travel beverage container is stability, absolute lack of leaks, and easy access to the contents.

The Insulated Travel Tumbler delivers all this perfectly. Press down on the top, and the tumbler is imperviously sealed. Pop the top back up with the push of a button, and you can sip your coffee through a perfectly vented hole in a top that’s tilted at just the right angle.

It’s lightweight, sleek and holds its temperature beautifully. It also comes with a screw-on infuser top for steeping loose tea (the only kind worth drinking).

My coffee habit is now safe. Thank you, Zak!

August/September digital issue of Fancy Food Magazine Available NOW!

Dear Fancy Food Reader,

Welcome to the August/September digital issue of Fancy Food & Culinary Products.


This Month's Featured Content:
• Bowled Over
• Set A Merry Table
• Dips With Zip

• Food Fete 2013

• Seven
• Flavor Focus
• Retailers Respond
• Ad Index

New Feature:
Now Viewable on all devices

Please Note:
The FF digital requires NO special downloads or applications to view in its entirety on any device.... 

Please click HERE to begin reading now!

We hope you enjoy this issue and all future digital issues of FF. Feel free to contact us with your thoughts and feedback at fancyfood@talcott.com.

Sincerely,
The FF Team

Editor's Choice: bah BAH Hot Sauce

This may sound absurd, but I had no idea what a pomegranate was until about a year ago. By some sort of conspiracy of circumstance, I had somehow never run across one for most of my life. I knew of pomegranate, but never in certain terms. I always just assumed it was something you ate at a super classy event, served next to caviar and champagne. I'm not really sure where that thought came from, but I'm pretty sure at some point, I've said something like "Hmmm, yeeeeees the pomegranate was exquisite, good sir. Do bring about another batch, won't you, old sport?" in my best rich-guy accent.

To make a long story longer, I eventually discovered pomegranates were sold at Wal-Mart, subsequently ate one, and loved it. I feel classy doing so, even though the mess it makes is decidedly unclassy (but worth it).

So now this new hot sauce from bah BAH Hot Sauce came in the mail the other day, and I was intrigued by the picture of the pomegranate on the bottle, not to mention the fact that someone would put pomegranate in hot sauce. It turns out bah BAH only mixed the two together by accident. Sauce creators Shima and Bobby Marhamat are foodies who love cooking, and one day accidentally mixed natural pomegranate with a homemade hot sauce. They were so amazed by the taste, they knew that they had to get it out into the world.

The result is a unique blend of heat and tangy, giving anything you use it with an unexpected and delightful kick. As a bonus, this all-natural sauce doesn't include any sugars, oils or preservatives. AND! Did you know that pomegranates have several health benefits? Compounds found only in pomegranates called punicalagins are shown to benefit the heart and blood vessels. Punicalagins are the major component responsible for pomegranate’s antioxidant and other health benefits. 

Wholesalers and retailers should keep their eyes open for this product, as it is available to the public as of today, September 10th, 2013. Give it a shot - check out bahbahhotsauce.com/wholesale/ for information on how you can carry it in your store.

Editor's Choice: Milton's Baking Company

We’ve all been there. You want something to snack on, not sure what, just something. But like many other people, I am trying to make healthier snack choices. Milton’s Baking Company (miltonsbaking.com) understands this and they recently sent us a selection of snack crackers that make healthy snacking a tasty choice.

The baked crackers are multigrain, have just the right amount of crunch and come in a variety of flavors. My personal favorite is the Blueberry Multi-Grain crackers. Made with real blueberries, they are sweetened with honey – but not overly sweet. They make a nice mid-day treat.

I also, naturally, had to sample the Chocolate Multi-Grain crackers. Again, the crackers are made with real chocolate and not too sweet. They are perfect for satisfying any chocolate cravings.

The crackers are also available in Original Multi-Grain, Honey Multi-Grain and Honey Corn. And I should mention, that although we did receive the crackers as part of the unofficial “feed-the-editors program,” one of my colleagues liked the Original Multi-Grain crackers so much, she went out and bought several boxes of them. That’s high praise, indeed.

The crackers are great just for snacking or can accompany a sandwich or top off a salad.

Barbara