Cooking

The kitchen is a pretty interesting place. From the one room in the house, meals can be made that can transport one to another time and place. While metaphysical travel may only be as far away as a lingering trip down the spice aisle in the grocery store, actual physical travel takes a little more effort. Or at least, the ability to become unplugged.

The KitchenAid Pro Line Series Cordless Hand Blender is a versatile kitchen tool designed to let you take it places. With a housing that contains a 12-volt rechargeable lithium ion battery, the flexible prep gadget is … 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

A watched pot never boils, but some pots can stir themselves.

Kurukuru Nabe, a pot developed in Japan, stirs its own contents, freeing you up to do better things with your time.

You'd think this is high-tech stuff, but no. It's a conventional saucepan with a grooved insert that produces a circular motion resembling a whirlpool in the water.

The design is fairly simple, as seen in this video of an aluminum pot with grooves that induce a spin. … Read more

Kitchen appliances for generations have been sleek, shiny things not designed to particularly appeal to our senses as much as to convey a sense of almost clinical utility. The hearth of the home, being what it is -- a place of warmth and sustenance -- has in recent years seen a growing trend of kitchen gear and gadgets being more colorful than shiny. Bright splashes of color appeal to a broad range of consumers, but sometimes it is the complete lack of color that offers something more.

The Bodum Bistro 5-Quart Capacity Electric Stand Mixer ($400) updates a kitchen classic … Read more

Dining can be a delicate thing. Finding the right balance of flavors and ingredients can be tricky, but the meal is only half the story. Surrounding whatever food is on the plate, of course, is the environment. The setting could be anything from the soft glow of a candlelight dinner to the bright glare of a midday meal. Or, it could be any number of options dialed up from the range hood. Yes, that oft-overlooked thing above the stovetop.

The color of meal-making can now be controlled with the Arkea range hood made by the European firm Faber. The striking … Read more

Cooking is an action sport. Oh sure, there are plenty of options for those who go the less dynamic route, but when it comes to prepping ingredients, activity is usually necessary. Certainly kitchen gadgets do their best to make life easier for those who choose to chop, slice, and dice, yet still there usually remains a need for direct involvement from the chef. Sometimes, however, it is the smallest of features on a gadget or appliance that lends the biggest hand.

The Hamilton Beach 70730 Bowl Scraper Food Processor ($49.99) is like having a third (blade-proof) hand in the … Read more

Breakfast is more than the sum of its parts. Sure, bacon, egg, cheese, ham, sausage and the like are all delicious enough on their own, but when put together something magical happens. The transformation of breakfast ingredients into a breakfast meal is one that can happen in so many ways. Yet time and time again, people gravitate towards a classic: the breakfast sandwich. Often prepared with an English muffin or a bagel, the mingling of ingredients creates an easy to carry meal that is packed with flavor. And now, one kitchen gadget wants to make it even easier to construct … Read more

The kitchen is all about timing. Sometimes things happen fast; other times patience is required. The slow simmering of an all-day sauce combined with the quick heat of a fast sear on a choice cut of protein brings together flavor combinations that rally our taste buds into believing that anything is possible as long as we take the time to do them right. But it is not just time that has a monopoly on efficiency in the kitchen. It's also about versatility.

The Breville BPR600XL Fast Slow Cooker ($179.95) is capable of cooking up a storm or calmly … Read more

January is a time of renewal. It also happens to be when appliance makers show off their visions of what is to come. The event is CES 2013 and this year, according to those that make kitchen gadgets and appliances, everything is going to be very, very smart. While we have been promised automated kitchens in one form or another since the time of the Jetsons, there is one important factor in the modern world that may see the smart kitchen finally grow up: mobility.

The year 2013 is going to be one marked by plenty of smartphone and tablet sales. … Read more