oven

It's just not fair. All the really cool appliances seem to be in Europe--like LG's SolarCUBE, a sophisticated oven with microwave and grill functions that comes as a free-standing oven but can be transformed into a built-in appliance.

The whole thing sounds like something from a futuristic superhero world. The SolarCUBE's "light-speed cooking technology" lets you make dinner up to four times faster than in a conventional oven, and it eliminates the need for preheating. So what exactly is the cooking technology here? The SolarCUBE uses a combination of four heat sources--grill, microwave, electricity, and … Read more

Loyal readers of the blog know that we're fans of the dual-purpose appliances. So when LG unveils an appliance called DuoChef, you can bet we're all over it.

The DuoChef MC8088HLC was just announced last week at the IFA--that's the Internationale Funkausstellung in Berlin, of course, the world's largest consumer electronics trade fair (according to the Web site, anyway). And what two features does the DuoChef combine? Well, it's a combination oven and microwave--the first convection microwave oven with a double convection system, which uses two fans to improve baking and defrosting performance.

The two … Read more

The name of the Sharp Healsio Oven comes from healthy oven, adapted to healthy-o with a bit of a Japanese pronunciation. The oven uses superheated steam to cook foods, melting away fats and reducing salts in your food without losing the vitamins that other cooking methods often remove from food. Meats cooked in the Healsio are exceptionally juicy and retain the flavors and textures lost in more traditional ovens. The oven can grill, bake, reheat, and defrost.

The Healsio has an appearance similar to a microwave oven, although a bit larger. It can fit comfortably on a counter top. When … Read more

Sometimes it's the simplest ideas that offer the best solutions. The idea of having oven racks always at the ready is as simple as it is perfect. Pile up the food and cook it all at once. Some forethought will certainly have to go into what you cook and when to check it, just by the simple fact alone that the oven loses so much heat every time you open the door.

But just look at that photo right there; doesn't that look delicious? Well, those veggies could be a little better seasoned. However, it's the thought … Read more

I am all about conserving space in the kitchen. My Fisher & Paykel dishdrawers let me have two separate dishwashers in the space of a single unit. My French door bottom freezer fridge holds a fairly ridiculous amount of food. And now that I've seen GE's new single/double wall oven, I'm looking at my ordinary double wall oven with a newly critical eye.

The new GE Profile 30-inch single/double wall oven fits two ovens into the space of a single standard wall oven. You could, for example, roast a 22-pound turkey in the 2.8 … Read more

I am all about built-in and integrated appliances, so I didn't think I would get excited about a slide-in range, but a couple things about Whirlpool's new TimeSavor line really caught my eye.

The TimeSavors are so named because they use a rear fan and a third heating element to circulate preheated air over, under, and around food to seal in flavor and juices and cook 30 percent faster than traditional ovens. In addition, the range top takes advantage of a dual-radiant element to bring liquids to a boil quickly, saving you prep and wait time when you'… Read more

Just can't let go of that old-timey stand-up toaster? Do you have a love for grilled cheese sandwiches? (Who doesn't?) Well, if you refuse to get yourself a toaster oven or a panini press, then this product is for you.

Toastabags are little bags for your toaster. Yes, you read that correctly. Little bags for your toaster. Apparently what you do is pile up all the ingredients you want between two slices of bread and jam it down into your toaster. How this possibly cannot be a fire hazard is completely beyond me, but so be it.

However, … Read more

When I pop a plate of food into the microwave, the turntable rotates so that the food cooks evenly. But, when I slide a roast into the oven, it just sits there, which is fine for some foods that can handle having crispier bits, but can present quite a challenge for other. Many ovens have hot spots, so even after careful basting you wind up with a chicken with over-roasted thighs, for example, but no crispy skin on the breast.

Convection cooking solves this problem--sort of. The circular element at the rear of the oven distributes the heat more evenly … Read more

In my first apartment, the kitchen was tiny. Because of the way the cabinets were constructed, I literally could not open the oven all the way: if I pulled the door down most of the way, it ran into the cabinet's hinge. I remember thinking that if the oven opened in the same direction as the cabinet--if I could pull the door out from the side, rather than down from the top--I wouldn't be having this problem.

Apparently Fagor was listening (to my thoughts). They've just come out with two versions of a side-opening oven, one for … Read more