Appliances and Kitchen Gadgets

Learning how to cook can be a frustrating experience. This should not be the case. Aside from an occasional overcooked steak, the process should be an enjoyable one. And considering that one gets to eat the results of one's labor, the aftermath isn't too bad either. (Unless that steak is really overdone.) Understanding that learning how to cook can be thought of as a game, a research team at the Tokyo Institute of Technology has created a cooking simulator designed to give novice cooks instantaneous feedback.

As a novel approach to culinary education, the system is composed of … Read more

Space is always a concern in the kitchen; it can also be an issue in the great outdoors. While that might not make much sense at first considering that the great outdoors is both great and outdoors, people who enjoy their time in nature tend not to want to get bogged down with stuff. But getting away from it all doesn't have to mean getting away from everything.

No matter if hiking or camping, everybody has to stop sometime to eat. And that means, cutting, slicing, and dicing. For those looking to trek beyond gorp, the Snow Peak Set M Chopping Board … Read more

The Electrolux Design Lab is a yearly competition that challenges design students across the globe. This year's competition asked students to create home appliances that would "provide a fuller sensory experience." Perhaps one day, some of these entries will be used in the home kitchen. Below are a few highlights:

Ingresure (seen above) is by Jongwoo Choi. It is a gadget designed to be a taste tester. Instead of chef's tasting their own creation, they would use the device to taste it for them. The idea is that the Ingresure would give amateur chefs the assurance … Read more

A toaster oven is one of those devices in the kitchen that are seemingly useful for everything. In fact, it gets pressed into service so often that we can practically use them blindfolded. (Do not use your kitchen appliances blindfolded.) It may be easy to forget how versatile a toaster oven can be, so that means a cheat sheet can help.

With icons to guide users through common tasks, the Panasonic NB-G110P Flash Xpress Toaster Oven ($127) makes the countertop appliance even easier to use. The preset functions are divided into two intuitive sections, one labeled "bread" and … Read more

The oven has long been a fixture in the kitchen. It stands guard over our food, supplying delicious cooked results on demand. However, as dominant in the kitchen as the oven may be, its very ubiquity sometimes makes it easy to take for granted. Unless, of course, the oven is functional, stylish, and packed with features.

Thermador has just officially announced new features for its 2012 lineup of built-in wall ovens. The luxury appliance maker has unveiled new technical and engineering upgrades for both the Professional Series as well as the Masterpiece Series of ovens. People looking for a 12-pound-capacity … Read more

Outdoor grilling has its time (daylight) and place (outdoors). But sometimes, the grill gremlins growl deep in the pit of the stomach when it is just not convenient to fire up the monster out back. Luckily, there are other ways of soothing the pangs for a grill session by moving it indoors where it is safe. But that doesn't mean cooking inside can't stand up to the toughest of tasks.

With strong heat retention, along the associated heat recovery, the Waring Pro CIG100 Cast Iron Grill supplies grillers with a heavy-duty indoor alternative. Thanks to its cast-iron grill … Read more

Deep frying is serious business. Just look at all the attention that deep frying anything and putting it on a stick gets in the food world. This of course, is not a bad thing; deep fried anything on a stick is usually quite delicious. However, there happens to be another way of achieving deliciousness by the spearing of meat: the rotisserie.

The Waring Pro TF200 Rotisserie Turkey Fryer/Steamer offers a bit of something for everyone -- and more than enough to go around. The integrated rotisserie mechanism rotates a turkey through hot oil creating an intriguing method of cooking … Read more

Last year, Dyson released a very high-tech -- and pricey -- hand vacuum, the Digital Slim DC35. That model started out at $350 but has since come down to $300.

Now Dyson is serving up a new hand vac, the Digital Slim DC44 Animal, which improves upon the earlier model, offering better battery life (20 minutes of "fade-free" power instead of 15 minutes), increased suction, and an upgraded attachment for sucking up pet hair (there's an Animal version of the DC35 that costs $329). While those are certainly welcome upgrades, I'm not sure they merit a … Read more

Ice cream is more than a blank canvas upon which to heap different flavors. The fact that the cold treat can be enjoyed with flavors ranging from the mundane to the exotic certainly helps to make ice cream tempting to all (and the sweet taste doesn't hurt, either), but the variety of styles it can be served in also contributes to its appeal. Also, it goes good with a tune.

The Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Compressor is a countertop ice cream maker that has twelve hardness settings. Producing 1.5 quarts of sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato, or ice … Read more