Kitchen confidential

Home-goods industry insiders will descend upon the city this weekend to attend the 2008 International Home + Housewares Show at McCormick Place. While the trade show isn’t open to the public, we’ve scored access to these quirky, new kitchen inventions, due in stores this year. We’ll be attending the event, so be sure to visit timeoutchicago.com/blog for plenty more product updates.

Klip! Kitchen timer
Home chefs who are sick of being chained to their kitchens—waiting for the stove-top timer to ring—will dig this nifty tool. This new timer clips to your belt or detaches onto a lanyard so you can carry it with you. The LCD screen features an elapsed-time graphic so you can see the minutes remaining at a glance. Now you can wander to another room or watch TV to your heart’s content—without burning your dinner. $15 at americaninnovative.com.

Grab & Dry gloves
Worried about fine china (or a favorite shot glass) slipping out of your hands and breaking while you dry the dishes? This solution should fit like a, uh, glove. The Grab & Dry gloves allow you to get a good grip on wet dishes without dropping them and will also prevent you from leaving fingerprints on a clean glass. The outer layer of these gloves is made of a superabsorbent terry cloth that can dry up to 100 items in one session, while the inside polyester lining is water-resistant—keeping your hands from going pruney on you. $16 at grabdry.com.

Cuisipro decorating pen
Your homemade birthday cake will never have a smeared name or flower on it again thanks to this new decorating device. Fill the pen with half an ounce of icing and start designing—it’s as easy as using a marker. The pen comes with a nozzle that allows you to choose between two thicknesses and also a 25-year warranty, which means many more happy birthdays to come. $10 at cuisipro.com.

Microwave S’mores Maker by Progressive
You no longer need a camping trip to create the perfect s’more. This dish makes two of the tasty treats in 30 seconds. Fill the device with water, lift the arms and arrange your graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate, then lower the arms before nuking the soon-to-be-delicious creation in the microwave. $7 at organize.com.