10 New Kitchen Products That Promise to Make Family Life a Bit Easier

Back in March I had the pleasure of attending the Inspired Home Show in Chicago. I have attended this industry trade show for over a decade, and it was great to be back after a Covid hiatus. The event showcases everything that is new and exciting in housewares; in fact, items often premiere here and then end up shortly thereafter on store shelves!

This year I attended with a bit of a different point of view: with my first baby on the way, I was particularly keen on finding items that would be the most useful for new moms and families. By the end, there were dozens of products that caught my eye, but I have narrowed it down to the top 10 that could be particularly useful for life at home with kids. Take a look and see what might be the most beneficial to your household in 2022.

I’m not sure what the opposite of a green thumb is, but I certainly have it. While I love to cook with fresh herbs (and spend way too much on those little clear clamshell containers each week at the grocery store) I just haven’t found success in growing them myself. The Click & Grow Smart Garden is about to change all that. They have devised a system to grow fresh, vitamin-rich greens all year round using biodegradable plant capsules that are as easy as using a K-cup for coffee. Not only will this easy indoor garden ultimately save money, but it is a fun way for families to connect with nature in the comfort of the home.

Babies love to throw things. Sometimes it feels like half your day is spent bent over picking anything and everything off the floor. Now the “as seen on Shark Tank” Busy Baby Mat is coming to the rescue. The mats come with suction cups that secure to any surface (high chairs are a great use) and then a series of bungee cords keep bottles, utensils, toys, and more within arm’s reach and off the floor. As a bonus, the items come in 10 vibrant colors, so the whole system is lively and fun.

If you are obsessed with your air fryer, get ready to take it to a whole new level. The FoodStation from Gourmia is not only an air fryer with an incredibly large surface area (less crowding, more crisping!) but it can also function as a smokeless indoor grill and dehydrator. Plus, it can also be used to bake and roast. This is a countertop appliance that will be indispensable for families.

So many of us got on the homemade bread bandwagon during the pandemic, and this bread oven from Fourneau is ready to elevate home bread baking even more. The Fourneau Bread Oven is designed to bake safer, faster, and better than Dutch ovens and top-loading breadware. By harnessing heat and steam your bread will have an airy crumb and a shiny, crisp crust. This is bakery quality bread at home.

With sugary soda drinks quickly becoming a thing of the past, sparkling water makers have become a staple on countless kitchen countertops. If you are ready to elevate your sparkling water game, the chic and minimalist design from Aarke is the way to go. The carbonator comes in a variety of colors and finishes to match any kitchen.

Sometimes at the show we are able to get previews of items that are yet to hit the market. This is the case with an exciting new cleaning product called the Zoom Broom. It is a powerful cordless air broom that can be used to quickly and efficiently clean all your outdoor living areas. It is a lightweight and super quiet tool to remove leaves from your deck in the fall, grass clippings from your sidewalk in the summer, or crumbs from your patio. I am definitely excited to try this one for myself when it comes out in August of this year. Keep your eyes peeled!

This latest addition to the Capresso line of water kettles will be available to consumers in mid-April. I have become much more of a tea connoisseur lately since caffeinated coffee is off the menu for me during pregnancy. However, this electric water kettle caught my eye because it has so many uses besides just brewing the perfect tea at the ideal temperature. There’s even a setting to heat water to exactly 110 F, which is the optimal temperature for baking with yeast. Love that extra feature.

I love the efficiency and compact size of hand blenders or immersion blenders, especially because you can blend directly inside any bowl or pot, which means less dishes at the end of the night! They are great for everything from soups to smoothies, or even homemade salad dressings and sauces. I will definitely be grabbing this one to make quick and easy baby food when that time comes. Plus, the stainless-steel attachments here are dishwasher safe making cleanup a breeze.

Speaking of doing the dishes, this ultra-compact countertop dishwasher is the smallest dishwasher in the world. It’s as small as a microwave! It is ideal for apartment living, a small office space, or even a camper van since it can operate without a water hookup. A load of dishes can be done in 20 minutes and uses 5 times less water than hand washing. A very cool new innovation from the show.

There were so many exciting new grilling tools at the show, it was hard to pick just one! My favorites came from The MeatStick and Proud Grill. The MeatStick is a super compact wireless meat thermometer that can help you prepare your grilled fare to the exact perfect temperature. With the price of meat going up all the time, the last thing you want to do is accidentally overcook or undercook your steak. 

I also loved the innovative grilling accessories from Proud Grill. Be sure to take a look at their magnetic BBQ tool set that not only has multiple uses while grilling, but they can easily hang from your stainless steel BBQ, metal smoker, or ceramic grill side shelf for quick access while cooking