Imagine: 1.8 million years ago our human ancestors first made tools, applying design thinking to solve daily frustrations. Those solutions helped them to survive and prosper, making food more accessible and―of huge significance―more tasty.
But improvement was slow. It took 2,500 years after it was invented in China before the fork showed up in the Middle East (ca. 600 AD) as a better way to hold food in place than a knife. And then, ah-ha! Fast forward 1000 years and the West starts to adopt it. A mere 150 years later, thousands of varieties are designed for specialized use.
But do breakthroughs really have to take that long?
As we have come to learn over the eons, the design of a great tool goes beyond function and aesthetics. A well-designed tool helps us be more productive, more accomplished, and more satisfied. That is true especially in preparing food, whose process and outcome sustain us. Food gives us nutrients; the tools we prepare it with can make the process easy or dangerous, fun, fast, smooth or crisp.
Whether your food means pasta in Pisa, salad in Seattle, or life on the go in Shanghai, Mumbai or Dubai, your world is changing. Cultures and economies are making new demands. We don’t often have 5 hours to make dinner, but we want food well prepared, with the right proportions, flavors, texture, and nutrients. And, by the way, we’re tired of nicks, broken nails, and cleaning up spills.
Can you rise to this design challenge and push past the old standards with new kitchen tool solutions that meet our evolving lifestyles, demographics, cultural expectations and economics? Can you conceive of new tools and techniques, cross-pollinating from other cultures, or perfecting our tried-and-true tools, improving the cook’s experience while prepping, cooking or serving?
Then I sincerely hope you will accept my invitation to enter our third international design competition, Kitchen Tools.
Your canvas is kitchen tools for the full spectrum of preparing, cooking, and serving food, but not the actual devices that cook or serve food. Please visit for the Official Rules, content details and entry forms to meet our January 7, 2011, deadline. I also think you will value the design investigations presented by the honorees from our first (2009 TEA-OFF!) and the second (2010 Redefining Dining!) international competitions.
We will celebrate the winners in March 2011 at the International Home & Housewares Show®, where we hope to show the housewares industry the value of design innovation and bestow three awards, including $6,000 USD, in addition to travel, accommodations, and $250 for travel expenses for each winner to attend the International Home & Housewares Show®.
Each year the competition entries have grown in number and national representation. I look forward to seeing how you apply design innovation to bring the world a better way to measure, mix, stir, whip, mash, crack, flip, and season.
Here’s to great tools and great food!
Here’s to great tools and great food!
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