Cool Hunting

The International Home & Housewares Show hit Chicago’s McCormick Place last week (admittedly not as cool as Carol's trip to the gaming convention in San Francisco, but I digress). After trekking miles through the three buildings (without a Sherpa, I might add) filled with things for your kitchen, bathroom, garden, backyard, pets and more, I found a handful or so great gadgets that really made me take a step back and say wow (hidden among a bunch of things that, frankly, were pretty ordinary and common).

One of the first booths that caught my eye was Chef’n, but it was more because I felt like I was at Bed, Bath and Beyond looking for kitchen utensils. But at closer inspection, I was really impressed not only with the design of many of their products, but also the innovation.

One tool, the Wisecracker is something that you would say you never need, but when it comes time to getting crab meat from the tight shells, you know why you bought it -- the Wisecracker slips inside the shell and when you squeeze the handle, the shell pops open. Genius.

Look for more things from the show in the coming days...