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Kitchen Chic with Stainless Steel
March 05, 2007
Stainless steel kitchen gadgets are all the rage. Here's how to reward your employees with the tools that top chefs use themselves.
By Stephanie Arasim Portnoy
When it comes to kitchen gadgets, silver is the new black—silver, that is, in the form of stainless steel, which is the material of choice for everything from refrigerators to toasters. "Before stainless steel, people were very fixated on black appliances," says Allyson Krichman, senior director of business alliances at Pine Brook, N.J.–based Rymax Marketing Services. "In the 1960s, you had the 'nice' beautiful pastel, and it went from the bisques and whites to more of the black look .... Now they really want stainless."
Although Mike Horn, director of merchandising at Hinda Incentives, says that his company's most popular look for kitchen appliances is still white, he agrees that stainless steel kitchen gadgets have a following. "Stainless steel products represent elegance, class and success," he says. "Stainless steel is hot and is definitely on the minds of many of today's consumers."
That could be because that sleek, modernist style is favored by today's celebrity chefs. Stainless steel traditionally is used in restaurant kitchens on everything from appliances to countertops, because of its durability and its antimicrobial properties. Because many amateur chefs now aspire to be Bobby Flay in their spare time, the best way to embrace the Iron Chef image (even if you can't cook) is to embrace the products that go with that image. Stainless steel also offers a sleek, European aesthetic that high-level executives can appreciate in interior design.
"We believe that stainless products represent the best in design, and there is definite trophy value in many stainless steel products, especially large appliances and cookware," says Horn. "We always use stainless steel products in our [incentive] programs and usually use a high-end stainless steel appliance for the top levels." Best-selling stainless rewards for Hinda include such products as Emerilware cookware, Cuisinart coffeemakers, De'Longhi toaster ovens and Krups espresso makers.
As kitchens become places where people not only cook but also relax and congregate, Krichman says that even electronics titans are starting to hop on the stainless steel bandwagon. Rymax recently began carrying a Toshiba 20-inch stainless steel LCD countertop television designed for kitchen placement. While you're cooking in the kitchen, she says, "You can watch your cooking shows there as well."
With their polished design and pro chef cachet, it seems the only complaint about stainless steel is that fingerprints show easily on these products. While Krichman argues that anything you use in the kitchen attracts fingerprints, she recommends a product called Monster ScreenClean (www.monstercable.com) that was created as a protectant for LCD TVs and computer monitor screens. "It actually takes fingerprints off everything," she says. "You can not only clean your flat-screen TV with it, but also the stainless appliances."
Whether your employees aspire to become iron chefs or simply want to put the pedal to the "metal" and spice up their kitchen design, these stainless steel products are sure to please.
 1. Shake, Rattle, Then Rock n' Roll
Two-martini lunches may be passé, but that doesn't mean you can't relax with a drink after hours. The Twist Cocktail Shaker by Fred Bould for Nambé mixes a mean batch of mojitos and looks beautiful on display when users are teetotaling. Because it's made of a special thermal-retentive metal, the cold will instantly chill a drink, giving new meaning to the words happy hour.
 2. Mix It Up
Stand mixers are the ultimate multitasking machine, allowing home chefs to continue their prep work or even relax with a glass of wine while dinner continues to make its way to the table. The KitchenAid Artisan Custom Metallic 5-Quart Stand Mixer in chrome includes a stainless steel bowl with an ergonomic handle. The set also includes a wire whip, a paddle attachment, a dough hook and a pouring shield to keep splatters to a minimum. Ten-speed control means you can have whipped cream, mashed potatoes or even chocolate soufflé in the blink of an eye.
 3. Tea for Two
Take a break from the stress of everyday life with Top Brands' Classic Stainless Steel Teakettle SL37-19. The 1.8-quart teakettle features an 18/10 stainless steel body with an aluminum disk on the bottom that conducts heat for quick boiling. Although the whistle pipes the tones of a Hohner harmonica when the water boils, nothing about this teakettle will have you singing the blues.
4. Microwave Magic
Heating up leftovers never looked so good before Panasonic introduced its NN-T665SF stainless steel microwave. It's compact yet powerful, taking up just 1.2 cubic feet of space but packing 1,300 watts of power. The One-Touch Sensor Reheat and Turbo Defrost buttons make it easy to get dinner on the table in less time than you can call (and wait) for delivery.
 5. Lots of Pots
Every foodie longs for a collection of Le Creuset's rainbow-colored cast-iron cookware—and now the company has put the same sense of luxury into its stainless steel line of gourmet pots and pans. The line uses tri-ply technology (an aluminum core is sandwiched between layers of stainless steel) for optimum heat conducting. It's dishwasher-safe and carries a lifetime warranty, which means this is the incentive that can keep on giving for generations of chefs in the family.
 6. Coffee Break
You don't need to be a professional barista to have gourmet coffee at home with Williams-Sonoma's Jura-Capresso Impressa Fully Automatic Espresso Coffeemaker. Simply press a button on the sensor panel of this chrome-plated machine and you'll feel like you're having coffee, espresso or cappuccino out on the piazza. The recipient can control cup size, coffee strength and temperature, information that can be displayed in seven languages. With a refillable, 64-ounce water tank, users can pound up to 40 espressos before refilling. That will come in handy when prepping for a big presentation.
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