Appliances

Mornings are the worst time to think. At least, that very early first part of morning. We settle into routines as a matter of practicality: with the brain not yet firing on all cylinders, we can at least semiconsciously stumble through a set of actions that has been furrowed into our gray matter simply by repetition. However, even though the morning routine may guide us from the coffee grinder through to the toaster, occasionally a wrench gets thrown into the plan. When these deviations occur, it can set up a domino effect that derails the whole system.

Setting out to … Read more

Sous vide cooking is a relatively new phenomenon and even newer for the home market. While professional restaurants have been cooking food in a water bath for quite some time (say, pulling out a steak and giving it a quick sear before plating), the home kitchen has not until recently joined in on the party. Recent advancements are making the method of cooking food in a precisely controlled heated water bath an easy reality for home consumers.

The Viante Home Products CUC-09SV Sous Vide Cooker is a countertop appliance that will further the prospects of this exciting cooking method becoming … Read more

Cooking is a balancing act, but don't tell that to the appliances. As a cook runs from pot to oven, oven to fridge, and then back again, the coordination required to bring the cacophony of activity to a satisfying (and tasty) conclusion is not something that's easy to do. Trained professionals may attack this puzzle each and every day with relish and zeal, but the home cook doesn't have the benefit of a sous chef or prep cook (usually). They can however, have the Intellisteam.

Set to become available in July 2013, the Viante Home Products CUC-30ST … Read more

The act of grilling brings a unique sense of anticipation -- as well as a crowd. Perhaps it is because seared meats and vegetables cook so tantalizingly close. Consider in contrast, the oven: a small viewing window and the need to do calisthenics (or at least two deep knee bends) to get food in to and out of the cooking chamber just doesn't create the same sense of excitement. With grilling, the food is right there within easy grabbing distance. Especially when the grill is on the kitchen countertop.

The Hamilton Beach 25360 Searing Grill ($89.99) mimics the … Read more

A kitchen appliance or gadget that does anything and everything is only useful if it actually gets used. Sure, the device in question may chop, slice, and dice with the best of them, but if for one reason or another it is uncomfortable to the user, then it will end up not being used. Through no fault of its own, the kitchen tool gets shunned and ignored, doomed to live out an unproductive life tucked away in the back of the cupboard. It doesn't have to be this way.

The food processor is a tried-and-true addition to any kitchen … Read more

Busy place, the kitchen. Fast-moving knives and quick-rising heat abound. Blink and it could mean the difference between delicious and destroyed. That's OK; it is part of what makes cooking fun. The puzzle that is the meal to be comes together a piece at a time. Layers build upon each other, creating towers of flavorful food that may not literally reach for the sky, but does have the ability to send our taste buds into orbit. All it requires is a little planning. And prep work.

As far as food-prep tools go, the food processor has to be one … Read more

Cooking and waiting go hand in hand. Sure, sometimes, the action is fast and furious, but other times it just becomes a matter of patience. This "hurry up and wait" aspect of meal making isn't a bad thing; flavor develops at its own pace. As cooking can be all about timing, it would not be inappropriate to consider the fact that sometimes it is the actual appliance that needs to catch up. So it seems only natural that the cooking appliance itself should know what is expected of it. Like what time to have dinner ready at.… Read more

Not a long time ago, in a kitchen far, far away, there sits a KitchenAid mixer, the likes of which the galaxy has never seen. DeviantArtist tommyfilth perfectly melded the look of "Star Wars" bounty hunter Boba Fett with a kitchen appliance normally associated with Food Network shows rather than sci-fi.

We know what bad "Star Wars" kitchen appliances look like (hello, Nestle coffee maker). Leave it up to an independent artist to get it right. I would put tommyfilth's Boba Fett mixer in my kitchen in a heartbeat. It shows that "Star Wars" cooking implements can really work.… Read more

Crowded kitchens create interesting conundrums. Finding the perfect balance between essential devices and cosmetic touches can be tricky and relies upon a certain hierarchy unique to kitchen appliances and gadgets. Most people would probably agree that the stove and the refrigerator top the list of essentials; it's hard to not work around these two behemoths of the kitchen. But when it comes time to place the next piece of the puzzle, rarely does one next look up.

Installing into the kitchen ceiling, the Frecan Paradigma (Spanish site) is a combination range hood/lighting system that puts a previously under-utilized … Read more