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No muss, no fuss.
(Credit: Bed Bath & Beyond)It's always been a dream to have kitchen appliances know what we want for dinner--or if not what we want to eat, at least how to make it. From the popcorn button on our microwaves to toaster ovens with preset functions, kitchen appliances have always strived to be more accommodating to our wants and needs. While we may not yet have fully integrated kitchens, we do at least have a continuing trend of smart appliances geared to automatically make adjustments as needed.
The Bosch Tassimo Titanium Single-Serve Beverage Brewer takes a familiar technology and uses it to facilitate effortless coffee making. Using bar-code technology, the machine reads information off of special T-Disc (Tassimo Disc) beverage containers, and adjusts brewing time and temperature accordingly. More than 40 beverage varieties are available in the special T-Disc packages, including ones for cappuccino, tea, latte, and hot chocolate.
With virtually no cleanup or setup, brewing is made as easy as can be. Each cup is predetermined in volume, so this really is a machine built around ease of use; those that prefer control should look elsewhere. Meanwhile, the effortless aspect of this beverage brewer is certainly a plus, and bound to be an appealing aspect to those that want simplicity of use. Until that time when the integrated kitchen can learn how to read minds, appliances that just know how to do their job will have to do.
Now only if there were an oven attachment...
(Credit: Kalorik)Someday, in the probably-too-distant future, our kitchens will be completely automated above and beyond anything we can now imagine. Our meals will be prepared at the press of a button, and instead of passable microwaveable food, the meals will actually be nutritious and delicious. While whatever magical all-in-one unit that would create these meals out of thin air might not yet exist, appliance makers are doing all they can, now, to cram every conceivable appliance into one unit.
The Kalorik All In One Mixer takes the lowly hand mixer and elevates it into an appliance practically capable of making dinner all by itself. The overachieving appliance combines a mixer, a fruit juicer, a chopper, and an immersion blender into one unit. An innocuous-looking base stores the main unit, while included attachments are a chopper (which acts like a mini food processor), a stick blender, and a juice reamer that mounts on top. Just for good measure, the mixer also comes with dough hooks in addition to the standard beaters.
Set up on the counter, it wouldn't appear as if the appliance had so many uses. The elegant design integrates nicely with whatever attachment you may have on at the moment. While we may not be at the point where we have "Star Trek"-style food replicators, there can be little doubt that we live in a golden age of combination appliances. This multiuse mixer is just another small step to a future where we only need one appliance. All of this for only $49.99. The future truly is a magical place.
Rendez-Vouz -- Electrolux Trend concept.
(Credit: Electrolux)Appliance giant Electrolux has been around for a long time yet is still keeping one eye on the future. Its Design Lab competition has given us snapshot glimpses of some appliances that we may be seeing in the future. Today, Electrolux unveiled two more designs based upon trends, of today and for tomorrow. While these are not actual products, Electrolux stresses that the technology is available today, and therefore these are closer to reality than they may appear at first glance.
The Rendez-vous table is designed with the idea in mind that the kitchen is a social gathering spot of the house. Large and meant for multitasking, the table is conceptualized as a wide-open induction cooktop that also would be able to power other appliances wirelessly. (Like this blender.) While the social activity of cooking and eating is highlighted, the table also would be programmed with a virtual chef, enabling cooks of all skill levels to enjoy the meal preparation. The result is a new area of the kitchen, perfect for cooking, eating, entertaining, and socializing.
Volare--Electrolux Trend concept.
(Credit: Electrolux)The Volare is a complete kitchen disguised as a piece of modern art. The modular system is designed to limit the space needed by appliances while also opening up floor space. At a push of a button, the user can select a pop-out induction cooktop, a coffee maker, a refrigerator unit, or the oven. The modular nature of this concept allows for precise customization according to individual needs.
While we won't be seeing these designs on any showroom floors in the near future, the not-too-distant future remains a distinct possibility. One thing for sure though, is that the thought process that went into these concepts is thoughtful and insightful, and will make our future kitchens that much more enjoyable.
Soylent Green not welcome here.
(Credit: Chefs)I always believed the future to be a wonderful place filled with lots of flying things and robots who enjoyed working for humanity. While much of that hasn't happened, at least our food hasn't turned into bland tasteless pellets that we consume once a day for all of our nutritional needs. That would be a very bleak future indeed. While we may not be flying around in jet packs just yet, we still have a rich and diverse food culture that seems to have no end. If there were a future in which we all had to eat somewhat unfamiliar forms of food, I would hope that we would be smart enough as a people to gravitate toward dehydrated food.
The L'Equip FilterPro Food Dehydrator may one day represent an appliance as common as microwaves are today. A simple-to-use home device, the dehydrator cleanly and easily transforms fresh fruits and vegetables into delicious preserved meals. The patent-pending air filtration system removes impurities from the air and then circulates the filtered air through all of the trays. As the food is drying, the temperature is continually monitored and adjusted, allowing for consistent drying with precise results. The digital time and temperature controls are easy to use, while a 24-hour timer works in conjunction with an auto shutoff feature.
Containing everything you need to get a head start on the future, including a recipe manual, the dehydrator offers a glimpse of one particularly delicious possible future. Food flavors are intensified during the drying process, and the resulting dried fruits and vegetables are delicious. The natural food preservation method is not only handy for saving food, but is also a great way to keep healthy snacks always on hand. As long as we keep on this track and stay away from the dreaded food-pellet future, I can wait on that jet pack and overly happy robot population.
Available in five different colors.
(Credit: Legnoart)I instinctively approve of any kitchen appliance, gadget, or tool that looks like it could have come from space or the future. When that form combines with functionality, I'm pretty easily won over. While I like art for art's sake as much as the next guy, if I'm making a purchasing decision, I usually want said object to do something.
Sitting elegantly on a tabletop or counter, the Legnoart Spicy 6-Slot Knife Holder With Steak Knives combines the everyday usefulness of a steak knife set with the aesthetic appeal of an object d'art. The knife set comes with six stainless steel knives that have serrated blades and are dishwasher safe. The freestanding display is created by Italian Carlo Contin.
Luckily, if you're not into the whole shiny-thing-from-space motif, the set is available in alternate styles. I find the green set reminiscent of a pea pod, while the red version could look like a bundle of long and skinny red peppers. Also available in black and gold.
The Phillips Interactive Kitchen Table brings it all, ehem, to the table.
(Credit: T3 via Born Rich)For generations, the kitchen was the focal point of any domicile. Friends and family would gather 'round and relax, share tales, perhaps even help out with the cooking.
While the kitchen is certainly still a major destination in any home, it evolved away from social interaction as living room entertainment exploded. Understanding the trend, conceptual kitchens now integrate screens, monitors, and interactive features into their designs. The advancement of technology has certainly made for some interesting concepts, but there is at least one more thing besides community to consider about the kitchen of tomorrow: the environment.
The Green Cuisine kitchen was recently displayed at the Phillips Simplicity Event in Moscow. At the heart of this conceptual kitchen is the Interactive Kitchen Table. Designed as the centerpiece, the table serves as both a cook top and dining table, allowing for an interactive social environment that is also unobtrusively eco-aware. It integrates such features as a Bokashi Composter that produces soil tablets for use in the tabletop garden and a Smart Tap, which instantly provides water at the desired temperature without having to let the faucet run.
Besides the discrete, eco-friendly nature of the table, the most exciting is that it's truly interactive. There are no preset cooking zones. Instead, cooking, and cooling can take place anywhere on the table. A bottle of wine can be placed inside of an individual cooling bucket and shared among guests. The adaptable temperature zones work the other way also, allowing for the cook to pass along pots and pans to truly involve those around the table.
Responsible living is the theme of this arrangement, from both an environmental and social perspective. The design incorporates technology that may seem futuristic, but availability may be only a few years away.
(Via Born Rich)
I've been all about the future this week, writing about a futuristic cotton-candy maker and conceptual kitchen designs that may one day become common place. And why not? It seems appropriate, what with the stock market riding a roller coaster and a wonky economy on everybody's mind. It's nice to sit back, relax a little, and think of what the far-out future could bring us.
For example, wireless electricity. Anybody who has ever searched for an available outlet to plug something into (which should be just about everybody) knows how beneficial the technology could be. I know my kitchen doesn't have enough outlets, and when I can free one up, it's never in the right place.
Household appliances look to follow cell phones and laptops into the arena of wireless power. There is a big difference between charging MP3 players, on the one hand, and food processors, on the other. Most handheld devices simply don't eat up a lot of juice; not so when it comes to kitchen tools. Grills and blenders require a lot more power to get the job done. However, as witnessed in the video above, the kitchen holds the promise of a wireless future.
Fulton Innovation is the creator behind eCoupled and its intelligent wireless power. The process begins by supplying power the old fashioned way (with wires) into a primary coil, which would be embedded underneath a counter or work surface. This flow of energy would then induce an electric current in a nearby secondary coil. Multiple appliances could run at the same time using this tech. The technology dates back to as early as 1893 with Nikola Tesla, but has never achieved mainstream success.
Even as we head towards the future, the past is never very far behind us. Keep in mind financial bubbles go back a lot further than the turbulence of recent memory. Check out the 17th-century Dutch tulip craze for instance. Crazy economies and wireless power aren't anything new, so raise those strawberry-banana smoothies as a toast to the future--and remember to keep one eye on the past.
The Petra Kitchen's surfaces do double duty, for instance the cooktop can be turned into a work surface.
(Credit: TM Italia Cucine)Recently at the Abitare il Tempo trade fair in Verona, TM Italia Cucine introduced their version of the kitchen of the future. Presented in two styles, Petra and Mondrian, both feature recessed appliances that are revealed at the touch of a button.
While the style is certainly exciting on both variations, I like to think of this as just another step in the direction of the future. Customizable, space-saving kitchen designs are nothing new. After all, they just make sense. Nobody would complain about being able to easily use their stovetop as a worktable. If it's not being used to cook food, it could very well be used for something else. It's an important consideration when thinking of future kitchens. However, it's not all there is to consider.
Rarely do I see concept kitchens that utilize video displays like the Petra kitchen does. I'm sure soon the absence of an Internet-connected touch screen in the kitchen will be the rarity. Many a cook would love to follow along step-by-step with a video recipe. Need some time? Just touch the screen to pause. Don't need help following a recipe? Watch the game instead.
As manufacturers continue to design their ways toward a common future, certain features will naturally become commonplace. Energy-efficient, space-saving, intelligently wired appliances and kitchens will evolve from rarities and concepts into everyday familiarity.
For more about the Petra and Mondrian kitchens, check out Designophy.
Ame de Wataame custom cotton-candy maker.
(Credit: Japan Trend Shop)I imagine a glorious future in which aspiring candy makers have the ability to create inspired recipes, and then test the delicious results. How such a thing could not lead to a future populated with Willy Wonka-esque contraptions and taste delights is beyond me. I have always wanted to live in the world created in that factory (the original with Gene Wilder, thank you very much).
A small part of that wildly imaginative future has inadvertently landed in our time. The Ame no Wataame (Cotton Candy from Candy) custom cotton-candy maker is available right now, ensuring the ability to feed your inner candy maker. Simply drop in some regular hard candy, such as a Jolly Rancher or a Life Saver, and the machine will heat it up, which then allows the machine to whip it into soft, puffy, sugary clouds.
Of course, the fun in this is not simply seeing a piece of candy re-imagined into cotton candy, but the experiments that would naturally ensue. Lemon Head, meet Butterscotch Life Saver. Peppermint swirly thing, meet Purple (or Grape, if you must). Beyond these simple little suggestions, just imagine all those candy dishes out there with long forgotten stuck-together candies that could get new life.
(Via Dvice)
You know that future we're all waiting for? The one where magic happens on a day-to-day basis? It just got here a little bit early. Well, maybe. At least the design concepts keep pushing the envelope, making sure that the future will eventually get here.
The EPOS-lite by Allport is a design that the maker describes as "the world's lightest cash register". Of course, no "cash" is actually involved, as the EPOS-lite is a charge machine. By combining that function with a restaurant menu, future diners will have the ability to order and pay from the same device.
While it may not be the future-future we hope for, it is another step in that direction. Possible spawns from this design could lead to a whole new way to eat on the go. Imagine, for example, an ordering system tied into a GPS-enabled cell phone. Users simply order what they want wherever they are and their food gets delivered to their location. If the hungry patron changes their location, the GPS function simply updates and responds accordingly. Of course, some sort of helicopter-robot-waiter would have to be invented first before this imaginary technology ever takes off.
As for the EPOS-lite, the designer should start looking into possible alternative uses. (I'm telling you, automatic miniature heli-delivery is gonna be big) Other, more established (and well-funded) 'pay-at-table' options are already in use.
(Via Gizmo Watch)
