Fall Must Haves (Or Have Nots)??

[pctharper]

In your opinion, what are the fall must haves? What do you think will be a big seller? I'm trying to figure out what samples I want to order and would appreciate any feedback!

 

[pchockeymom]

Personally, the bamboo drawer organizers are spectacular. I've taken the set I got in my director packet and installed them. I did what the video suggested and took before & after photos. I plan to print and pass at my shows.Rock crok and spiral & slice will be big hits along with the baking mat and the nylon mini spatula.I love the rock crok but will probably not do the smores cake demo. We did it at our fall seasoning and the consensus was the lava cake in the dcb is hands down way better.Oh, the holiday spoons & spatulas should be big sellers too.If you're ordering samples, I do think the new design batter bowl is a must since it's a big seller. I'm not thrilled with it - won't cook into a football cake or easter egg cake.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Get what you would use in your kitchen. The catalog will show things you don't have.

 

[jkendall]

I mentioned the new batter bowl design not working as we'll for the specialty cake designs that people like to do, and someone suggested that customers can still use the prep bowls for some of that! I thought that was a great point.

If you're ordering samples, I do think the new design batter bowl is a must since it's a big seller. I'm not thrilled with it - won't cook into a football cake or easter egg cake.

 

[esavvymom]

Realistically, how many people use the batter bowls for making cakes anyway? I know they are out there, but they would be "few and far" between compared to what most people are using the bowls for.The items I want:
Spiral Slice, the new batter bowls, baking mat. e-tablet case...I have a protector for mine, but having a nice case for it would be a bonus.
And as small as it is, I was happy to see they finally came out with a nylon mini-spatula!! That is such a popular product in the metal, but it never made sense that they didn't have a nylon version since so much of our stuff shouldn't have metal on it (ie- metal bakeware...hope they come up with a fix for those! After awhile, they flake something terrible! I saw my mom's and was shocked- I actually thought it was her cheapy brand cake pan, then realized it was OURS and not THAT old.)
I really like the bamboo drawer dividers...just nervous about getting them- my kitchen drawers are so shallow. (Anyone know how DEEP they are? they give the length measurements, but not the depth or height measurement.) I'm not sure about the Rockcroc yet. Cool concept, but big price point, and honestly...I guess until I see it, the size seems rather small for both of them. Even for me with a family of 4 (one is a teen boy now- eating machine; both boys play hockey- so can really put a hurt on the grocery bill!), just doesn't seem that big. Maybe the 4-qt since it would be close in volume as the DCB. But when I cook, I try to cook enough to have at least for some leftovers the next day.

 

[DebPC]

I wasn't impressed with the spiral slicer when I saw it in the catalog. But when I watched the video- wow!. Does it look fun. I hope it's as easy to use as it looks.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

I'm on the fence about the Rock Crock. the small one may not fit under my broiler. I KNOW the large one won't! And if I can't accommodate it, I can't count on my hosts to do the same.

Not sure about the baking mat. I haven't closely looked at it. My first instinct is to say that I bake so many cookies at a time that it wouldn't be practical.

I'm leaning towards the spiral slice and the mini serving spatula. And I'm a sucker for anything Cobalt Blue.

If we decide we can't afford everything we want at one time, can we place a second order later?

 

[BethCooks4U]

Yes you can order as often as you want, just only one of each item.Don't be so hung up on the broiler. That pan can also be used in the oven, stovetop, microwave and grill.Baking mat - It fully covers the cookie sheet so if you put your cookies closer together than the drawn circles, so be it. It will still work.

 

[esavvymom]

You bring up a good point about the baking mats. A serious baker would likely want two or three of them.....one for IN the oven, with one or two to load up the next cookie sheet.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

You bring up a good point about the baking mats. A serious baker would likely want two or three of them.....one for IN the oven, with one or two to load up the next cookie sheet.

I agree ... not to mention that I have invested in baking pans that do not burn cookies and do not require parchment on them ... so my first instinct is to say I don't need them. Not to mention that I'm not positive I can adequately scrub allergens off of them. I never feel like my baking mat really gets clean. I'm tempted to toss it in the washing machine!

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

And every recipe I see for that Rock Crock tells us to take it from the micro to the stove to the broiler. Of course, we have nothing else that will do that. But I'm the type to see if I can make the recipe with the tools I have on hand. I've grown weary of buying new products to use at shows and then never having the shows to show them off.

 

[CookinWithLynda]

I have to say, I wasn't really 'Wow'ed by any of the products this season. PC really just changed many of the products to a different color or shape. And I agree with Bobbi - the RockCrocks are on the small side, especially if you have teen boys; I know my 2 boys could devour whatever the large one holds by themselves.
The blue micro cookers look better than the black (which I hate, I use my cranberry one from AGES ago).
I do like the bamboo serving tray a lot.
I'm also on the fence about the spiral slicer - looks cool, but really, I'm not going to spiral cut anything too often. It does look good for slicing some veggies for salad, though. It's like a Super-Sized Garlic Slicer!
The nylon serving spatula looks like the best thing!!! Finally, the perfect size and nylon for non stick and metal products - especially the brownie pan. The mix & chunk also looks like it might be pretty good.
I don't care for the new design for the batter bowls. No matter what the PC video said - it's harder to scrape and mix in a flat bottom item than in a rounded, bowl shaped item. ("You don't have to pick it up to see if everything is mixed." Really?!! Then how can you tell??? I thought that was a weak advertising ploy.)
Anyway, I'll keep my reservations to myself during a show and be enthused about the new products, colors and designs!

 

[klustig]

^^CookingWithLynda, I agree wholeheartedly!!! I am REALLY REALLY excited about the nylon serving spatula.
I like the spiral slicer, but it seems like the thing that will get thrown in a drawer and forgotten about for years on end until i slice my finger open on it one day
I like the new bamboo tongs!
Rockcrock seems pricey to me, in my area, not a lot of people have a lot of money to drop right now, and $115/$130 for, effectively, a pan doesn't seem likely to happen in the near future... and i wish it were bigger, we have a family of 5, soon to be 6, and i can say with a lot of certainty that it is not going to be big enough for us bummer.
I like the blue micro cooker, it is a good color.
I was disappointed with the holiday lineup this year. Last year, it was so festive and fun. I still use my snowman scraper almost daily! This year, they seem to have hit a blah moment, and the mini spoons are not going to hold up with a plastic sticker wrapped around the handle
And, as I said on a different thread, i have very little good to say about the new batter bowls... even the hubby, who rarely bakes anything that would require a batter bowl, turned his nose up to it when i took it out of the box. (double bummer)... the "no need to look at the bottom" thing is a total joke. I think it is going to stick worse, and the "corners" are going to make it infuriating to get flour out of them!
I like the new spritzer, but with as often as i drop mine, i hope that i don't break the new one in a week haha.
Oh! The Mix and Chunk works really well!!! I "won" it at our launch party and I used it to make egg salad! It cut my prep time by about 3/4!!!! It was SOOOO simple I will absolutely get good use out of it, and I think that will become a nice seller for me! easy to upsell it when people buy the mix n chop!

 

[marystell1]

Love the Spiral and Slice. Easy to use and slices these wonderfully thin slices or spirals. Have used it four times since I got it yesterday!

 

[BethCooks4U]

I used the batter bowl twice this weekend and the batter truly did incorporate faster with it.

 

[slapsappyhappy]

hmm...CookinwithLinda- I agree, unfortunately there was nothing I was completely "WOW-ed" by. There were also a lot less new things, and I was most upset about the batter bowl. I am one of the people that uses it for barbie cakes. I wish they would offer both shapes so that you have a choice to stack or the traditional batter bowl. Also I highly dislike the cork trivets. My customers liked the metal ones better too!

You know it's a tough season when most of the people in this thread are saying they like the nylon mini spatula the best! I was discussing this with my husband and he said they are probably working on good things and going to release a lot next season, or the things that they have are selling so well that there is not a reason to come up with many new products. The catalog does have a lot of good products but customers that buy the most always like to see whats new and I am afraid they are going to be disappointed.

 

[mspibb]

I am a cookie baker and I love my stoneware, what I don't like is they are slow to cool so to make more than one batch of cookies I end up using every flat stone I own and sometimes my bar pan. I do sometimes put the cookies on parchment and slide that on the stone but that is a challenge! And you can't press onto parchment. I can't wait to try out the baking mat, I think it will be stiffer so easier to move cookie dough and a little bit tackier so pressed cookies will stick.

 

[blessedrub]

Forget the broiler just don't mention it, you still have the stove, grill, oven & microwave!