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(Credit: Keita Watanabe & Shota Matsuda)You know how, during the two minutes or so that you're waiting for your microwave popcorn to pop, you find yourself thinking, "If only I could be watching a video on YouTube right now"? No? Oh. Well, if you ever do find yourself wanting to take advatage of those few moments of forced waiting, you'll love the idea behind the CastOven.
From the developers' Web site: "Watching movies, playing video games, and browsing Web pages are fun, but all of them require a certain amount of time of us to spare." To solve this problem, this future microwave oven with the 10.4-inch LCD display plays YouTube clips that fit your cooking time.
The concept machine looks ridiculously cool, and you can even watch a demonstration video, in case you're having a hard time understanding how you can cook food and watch videos simultaneously. Props for the design and the presentation, but I'm just not sure there's a real need for this product.
TrueCookPlus on a Kenmore microwave oven.
(Credit: TrueCookPlus)The microwave oven is no doubt one of the most popular kitchen appliances available. But before its ubiquity, people had to get used to the idea that a few button presses (or physical dial turn as the case may have been) could produce a hot meal with seemingly little work. Then reality sunk in as this common phrase started to hit home: "Cooking time in your microwave oven may vary." While microwave ovens did not prove to be the easy answer to a properly cooked meal, the promise was certainly still there.
Fast-forward to now, and the promise of the microwave as the gateway to properly cooked quick meals has begun once again. The TrueCookPlus code system for microwave cooking is a simple-to-use numeric code that people punch into their microwave ovens to assure proper cooking time and power level depending on what item they are cooking. More than just a convenient code calibrated to the wattage of a particular brand of microwave, the parameters adjust for your microwave oven.
The code system takes into consideration such factors as voltage, wattage, oven age, hot or cold oven, power levels, and even elevation. (A simple one-time input of your zip code handles that.) Of course, food type, size, and weight are also considerations.
The software used in the TrueCookPlus code system works in conjunction with food manufacturers' test kitchens, so don't expect it to know exactly how to reheat your leftovers just yet. The system works in tandem with a traditional microwave (it will still heat those leftovers just as it does now), so consider this a feature to look for in upcoming microwaves. Currently, the feature is available on LG and Kenmore models with many food manufacturers, such as General Mills and Weight Watchers supplying codes for food products.
A cookbook doesn't seem a likely choice to feature here at the blog, but I'll make an exception for 101 Recipes for Microwave Mug Cakes by Stacey J. Miller because it's got a slightly tech-y angle to it.
Although Miller didn't invent the microwave mug cake (MMC), she really likes them--enough that she spent time creating and testing all the recipes featured in the book. The beauty of the MMC, she says, is that it lets you make a single serving of a snack in under 10 minutes. No leftovers to tempt you, one mixing bowl and one mug to clean--it's all good.
MMCs also offer kids a way to try out their cooking skills--but supervision is critical. Baking in the microwave is not without risk, and Miller cautions readers to pay close attention to her instructions if they'd like to continue using their kitchen appliances.
The variety of flavors in the recipes provided means you'll probably find something you like. If the peanut butter and jelly doesn't excite you, maybe spicy squash, honey walnut, chocolate blueberry, or pizza is more your speed. Check out a sample recipe online, and snag your copy at your favorite online bookseller.
Fridges and microwaves are pretty much required for a college dorm room, just as they're necessary in an office environment or anywhere else that you need to eat but don't have space for a full kitchen. The MicroFridge Combination Appliance puts a small refrigerator--complete with a separate freezer space--together with a microwave in one appliance that will fit just about anywhere. The appliance even incorporates a charging station that will allow you to recharge electronic devices. The charging station actually helps the unit to be more energy efficient by making better use of the energy that any fridge needs.
The MicroFridge Combination Appliance has a stainless steel exterior and a black interior. The fridge has a capacity of more than 2 cubic feet, while the freezer has a capacity of an additional 3/4 cubic feet. The microwave is just a little smaller than the freezer, which will allow you to easily cook a variety of food. It's so rare to see a usable freezer in any sort of small fridge, but this appliance provides just that. The MicroFridge Combination Appliance is $455; a little more than the average miniature refrigerator, but not that bad when you factor in the price of a separate microwave.
Road food redefined.
(Credit: Hammacher Schlemmer)No matter where you go when you hit the road, chances are your road trip is going to include road food. Since road food by definition means eating food out of the ordinary, it can be a bit difficult to guess how much to order. Your control panel may have a gas gauge, but you don't. The result can be a collection of dashboard sandwiches, some more tasty than others. Experience has taught me that an In-N-Out burger, while delicious in fresh form, doesn't hold up quite as well 80 miles down the road. (However, many breakfast sandwiches do quite nicely, thank you very much.) When the hunger (or boredom) strikes again, those leftover meals can be resuscitated quite handily in a microwave oven--that is, in the microwave you have back home.
All that could change with The Only Portable Microwave Oven from Hammacher Schlemmer. Designed to bring new meaning to road food, the portable microwave warms your meal while powered by your car's DC outlet. Producing up to 660 watts of power, the microwave weighs only 16 pounds. With preset controls for popcorn, pizza and coffee, the mini-mic continues the trend of on-the-go dining. With an interior that measures 10 inches by 7 inches, the microwave should be able to accommodate whatever supersize meal you have in mind.
It may seem as if there isn't a lot of potential for innovation when it comes to microwaves. For years, microwave ovens have been essentially the same, only offering us choices between different types of buttons. But the Panasonic Prestige Microwave Oven incorporates the Inverter technology pioneered by Panasonic, offering a definite upgrade from the typical microwave. The Inverter system offers the opportunity to cook entire meals in the microwave, with gourmet flavors and textures you wouldn't normally expect from a microwave. I've even poached an egg in the Prestige Microwave Oven--a technique that is rarely possible with traditional microwaves because most older appliances do not provide continuous heat, instead spiking heat on and off again.
The same system that allows the Prestige Microwave Oven to provide continuous heat also allows it to offer a warming function. If you have a cup of gravy, for instance, that you want to keep warm until the rest of your meal is ready to go, the microwave will keep it at an even temperature by pulsing very low microwave power. You won't have to keep reheating the gravy to keep it at a consistent heat and risk changing the flavor significantly. In the Prestige Microwave Oven, the Inverter Turbo Defrost setting uses the Inverter system to speed up defrosting: the continuous low power setting provides a better method of defrosting even entire meals than the on-again-off-again system employed by most microwaves.
The Panasonic Prestige Microwave Oven is available in both countertop and built-in models. It offers 2.2 cubic feet of oven capacity, with 1250W of cooking power. It's fully programmable, with 10 power settings and an automatic Genius Sensor, which will adjust power levels and cooking times as your food cooks. The microwave is priced at $279.95.
New meaning to nuked food.
(Credit: Everything Kitchens)Microwave ovens are overrated. Oh, sure, they can do some things really well, but for other tasks, they fall quite short. Personally, I like an appliance that is capable of doing more than softening butter and popping popcorn. (OK, I know that's an understatement, but bear with me.) Considering how manufacturers love to integrate several appliances into one (usually with toasters, it would seem), it should come as no surprise that the ubiquitous microwave oven is finally starting to diversify.
The Kalorik Steam Microwave Oven w/Real Convection certainly isn't the first combination appliance based upon quick-and-easy cooking, but it sure does add some nice features. Combining a steamer, convection oven and microwave into one handy device, Kalorik may have hit the combination jackpot. No longer must microwaved veggies turn out bland, soggy, and lifeless. The integrated water tray allows for no-hassle healthy steaming. Additionally, a powerful 1,500W convection feature is set in motion via a mounted rear fan, which allows for heat circulation beyond what a normal microwave is capable of.
The microwave is now capable of much more than its predecessors. For somebody who has become weary of nuked food ruining meals, this is certainly a welcome trend. The addition of a steamer function is especially nice, and should help to change people's perceptions about healthy food coming out of a microwave. Oh, and for us popcorn people out there--I'm sure it will still make a bag of popcorn just fine.
We're fans of many double-duty appliances here at the Appliances and Kitchen Gadgets blog. Haier has another take on that idea--it's a NuCool enhanced fridge and a microwave oven in a stacked combination unit with a power strip. A durable, easy-to-clean spacer anchors the microwave to the fridge.
The configuration is nothing new--college students have stacked microwaves on minifridges forever--but this one is designed for stacking, won't topple, and won't overheat.
NuCool runs quietly and is energy efficient--this is important when you have limited outlets and a lot of cool appliances to run. Speaking of limited outlets, college students will especially appreciate the integrated four-socket power strip.
The reversible door design is a nice touch, and the eight power levels and six cooking presets on the microwave mean you can do more than just reheat pizza.
The unit comes in black or stainless steel, so you're not sacrificing style just because you're short on space. It costs about $140 from various retailers.
Covers the essentials
(Credit: Summit Appliances)Sometimes the kitchen can be really far away. Say you're hanging out in the garage playing poker, working on the car, or some other garage-related activity. Suddenly the need hits for a microwaveable treat and a cold brew. The warmth of the microwave and the chill of the refrigerator may not be too far away, but it sure is convenient to have them closer. No need to journey to the kitchen when you can stock up on the essentials in the comfort of your own garage. (Also applies to attics and basements).
Check out the Summit MRF2L, a 1.8 cubic-foot free-standing compact refrigerator with a microwave and front lock. The combination device rounds out most secondary refrigerator needs (at least the most important: cold beer) and combines two popular appliances into one convenient system. It may not be a true combination appliance, but it is designed to work as one system. Allowing for one-plug operation, it uses a power allocator to limit overall power use to 10 amps, saving you trips to the circuit breaker box.
Available for about $500, the refrigerator and microwave combination isn't too pricey. For those times when the kitchen seems to get farther and farther away, it sure is nice to have a convenient option nearby. It also comes with the ability to plug in a third appliance, so you can even set up a coffee maker and truly be set.
It's March Madness time again, and you know what that means: I'm spending a lot of time fighting for the right to watch a little "24" instead of basketball. But for those of you who actually care about the NCAA college basketball tournament, Whirlpool wants to make sure the only surprises are on the court--not in the kitchen.
It's a winner! Maytag's Jetclean line of dishwashers keeps your kitchen sparkling.
(Credit: Whirlpool)You've seen the Amana Jot refrigerator, with its dry-erase finish on the door panel. Use the fridge to manage brackets, track game times, or display correct picks.
And even though the magic of DVRs lets you pause the game when necessary, it's hard to make a roomful of fans wait while you head to the kitchen to check the food. So take another look at the latest Whirlpool-brand microwave-hood combination with convection technology, which lets you cook foods 30 percent faster than in the oven.
Make sure post-party clean-up runs smoothly with Maytag Jetclean dishwashers. Run the SteamClean option to get dishes and glassware clean without any prewashing. You'll appreciate the extra-durable, heavy-duty stainless-steel racks. Remove the top rack to accommodate oversize items in the lower rack--the perfect post-party move.
The Jetclean line is definitely one player you want on your team: The tough stainless steel food chopper blade pulverizes food to prevent particles from plugging the wash system and spray jets. And the micro-fine filtration ensures that even minuscule particles such as poppy seeds or coffee grounds are captured, preventing them from being redeposited onto dishes.
May your team win--and may your kitchen stay clean!
