Our History

You’re clearly no stranger to our products, but do you know where they—and we—came from? Take a look at how our innovative breakthroughs, from the stainless steel soap that started it all to our Balancia line, have become kitchen classics.

2016-2021

2020 : Less waste in increasingly connected kitchens

To reduce waste, we created Stor’eat®, the first smart food storage solution with a selection of containers and vacuum bags all linked to their own mobile app. We are committed to helping everyone reduce food waste every single day by giving them the tools to know exactly what’s on their shelves.

We also launched Meat°it +,a next-gen wireless cooking probe with its own app for gourmet food lovers who know what it means to cook food to perfection.

2018: The connected kitchen revolution

After a multi-year design process, we launched our first fully wireless cooking probe, which users control with a free mobile app.

2010-2015 

2015: A whole new kind of pot

Over 20 years after introducing an amazing little bar of steel soap, we continued to rethink and reinvent classic kitchen utensils. With our Balancia line, we radically changed how cooks think about pots. A mixing bowl, stock pot, saucepan, salad bowl, steamer, or double boiler—this clever crock can do whatever you need it to. Professional chefs loved our compact, economical, convenient, and attractive invention, which won an Interior Innovation Award in the Cooking category.

2014: Mastrad Baby takes the cake

One year after the Frutti Pot baby food container launched, it received a prize at the BabyCool trade show. Our Drinking Caps also won a prestigious Red Dot Award, which recognizes the best international designs. Still so young and already stealing the spotlight!

2012–2013: Welcome to the world, Mastrad Baby!

To make life easier for new parents, we launched Mastrad Baby, our own line of baby products. Our BabyPod with built-in portion cups, the anti-slip Lil’ plate, and the Frutti Pot for babies on the move have made introducing solids child’s play.

2011: We bet all our chips

Crunchy and tasty chips that are fat free and easy to make? No, you’re not dreaming, because we invented TopChips. With a mandolin, a perforated cooking tray, and a microwave, vegetable and fruit chips would never be the same again. TopChips has picked up awards all over, from the Birmingham Food Fair to the Gourmet Product Awards in California, and was named a finalist at the Housewares Design Awards in New York. That’s no small potatoes!

2010: No turning back from ceramic

Cooks can’t help but fall instantly in love with the wear-resistant sharpness of a ceramic blade. We launched our line of ergonomically handled ceramic knives and won numerous awards. That’s what we call a clear-cut success!

2000-2010

2009: These recipes aren’t secret

To help our customers find some culinary inspiration, we published a collection of cookbooks entitled The Indispensables that included advice, tips, and creative recipes developed by professional chefs using our products. Since publication, the collection has won several cookbook awards.

2007: Whip up almost anything whipped

When we introduced the Mastrad mousse whipper, a future kitchen classic was born. Reliable, practical, and easy to use, our whipper made a spectacular professional tool for making almost anything into a mousse—from foie gras to crab and raspberries to asparagus—available even to home chefs. And let’s not forget classic whipped cream!

2007: Our own American dream

In 2007, we opened our US subsidiary, Mastrad Inc., a big step towards new horizons. We also launched a special Mastrad Kids line that we designed specifically for kids to have fun and get them excited about cooking.

2005: We broke the mold

We made baking safer and easier by designing soft silicone molds with rigid handles. No more risk of spilling your batter between the counter and the oven or struggling to remove the mold. Plus, cleaning is a piece of cake!

2004: A very cool year

Our soft-bottom ice cream scoop won the Design Star award from the Agency for the Promotion of Industrial Creation (APCI). Not only that, our soft-bottomed ice tray also won the Lifestyle Grand Prize at the Maison & Objet trade show.

2002–2003: Marvelous, magnificent mitt

Our Orka silicone oven mitt was a game changer. Made of flexible silicone and heat resistant up to 475 °F, it was the very first mitt cooks could use to reach into boiling liquid without getting burned. Practical, durable, and colorful, Orka caused a sensation. It was voted best product of the year in the Safety category by Capital magazine and quickly began winning awards in the UK and the US, including the Excellence prize at the Housewares Awards, Innovation of the Year from the Good Housekeeping Institute, and a gold medal at the Gourmet Products Show.

2001: A mix of emotions

At Mastrad, we can’t help but stick our nose in other people’s salads. We wanted to help cooks make easy, fast, and fun salad dressings they knew would taste amazing. So, we invented the Mastrad salad dressing mixer with measurements for recipes marked right into the glass, an anti-drip spout, and a handle that does the mixing for you. All it took was a little bit of thought.

2000: A baster that stands on its own

The turn of the century clearly got our designers’ creative juices flowing! We patented a new standing baster that easily separates fat from broth and added a novel finishing touch: an electronic, preprogrammed, and programmable cooking probe.

1994 - 2000

1999: Silicone makes its grand entrance

Silicone: a material that doesn’t melt or scratch and can be used for almost any kind of eccentric shape. For us at Mastrad, a brand that cares about convenience, durability, and beauty, it was a dream come true. We saw the advantages of using silicone early on and started using it in our designs for the first time in 1999. The decision paid off: we won three awards  that year at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva.

1998: A splash of color

When we launched our Elios line of peelers, we added some color to the world of kitchen tools. Our peelers’ secret weapons: a soft, anti-slip handle for extreme comfort and safety, and blades that are a cut above the rest (ceramic and stainless steel double blades that can julienne or remove even the thinnest veggie skins).

1997: Knives endorsed by the pros

We took a stab at knife ergonomics with our Axos line, whose breakthrough design quickly won over the French Chefs Association. These humble Frenchie knifes even wound up exhibited at the famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

1996: A hot plate hot like Magma

After revolutionizing how both professional and amateur chefs wash their hands, we made another strong impression with Magma, a microwaveable, flameless, and cordless hot plate. The ceramic core retains heat for one full hour but the edges stay cool. Soon after it was launched, this new design won a Discovery Award at the Maison & Objet trade show.

1994: The bar of soap that started it all

Inspired by his experience in the kitchen at Maxim’s, a famous French restaurant, Mastrad’s founder Mathieu Lion decided to start inventing kitchen utensils that were truly suited to contemporary cooking and founded Mastrad S.A. with Thibault Houelleu. His first product was a home run: a bar of stainless steel soap.

Designed by Luka and named Déos, this retro-futuristic kitchen tool eliminates persistent odors from chefs’ hands using a natural process that never wears out: redox. Déos was an instant success and won a medal at the famous Lépine Competition.