Appliances & Kitchen Gadgets

Clean and shiny.

(Credit: Miele)

Few things in life excited me as much as reading that using the dishwasher actually uses less water and energy than washing dishes by hand. Say what you will about my enthusiasm, but with seven people in this house, we go through a lot of dishes, and that's a huge chunk of my life reclaimed.

For even more excitement, take a look at Miele's greenest dishwashers to date--the new G 2002 series uses only 5.1 gallons of water in its Normal cycle, with many models exceeding Energy Star's 2011 water and energy standards. Want even more savings? Try the Economy cycle, which uses an almost impossible to believe 1.2 gallons of water.

The washers also use a high performance water pump, an advanced Turbo feature that speeds up wash programs by 30% and an improved drying system called SensorDry that calculates the optimal drying time. And do they clean well? According to Miele, the machines are guaranteed to clean thoroughly without prerinsing dishes--for water savings of up to 20 gallons per cycle. Miele also says the dishwashers should last 20 years--9 years longer than the average as reported by Energy Star.

Bring one into your home for $1,150 to $2,500.

Look, Ma, hands, but no dirt!

(Credit: Miele)

When stainless-steel appliances first became all the rage, people marveled over their sleek good looks. They ran out and bought them and had them installed. And then began the battle.

Stainless, they call it. Hah! A war was waged in many homes--fingerprints versus appliance fronts--and in most cases, the fingerprints won. A host of new cleaning products were introduced, but the hours of endless wiping, spraying, and scrubbing dissuaded more than one overworked mom from "upgrading" her kitchen appliances.

So now there's a new Clean Touch Steel finish on dishwashers, ovens, and coffee systems made by Miele. It's a specially treated surface that eliminates fingerprints, smudges, and scratches while letting the natural stainless steel shine through. No special polish necessary. Sounds nice. And clean.

Mmm....coffee.

(Credit: Miele)

I think I've mentioned my love of coffee once or twice before.

Almost exactly a year ago, we told you about the latest Miele built-in coffee machine. So now it's time for an update--which comes in the form of an introduction to Miele's next generation beverage systems.

The central dispenser is height adjustable to fit espresso cups, tall mugs or decorative glasses for specialty drinks. That's a bigger deal than you might think, because an otherwise beautiful coffee experience can be marred if you have to lose some of your precious liquid gold when you try to extract the cup from under the dispenser. Trust me.

The integrated tank keeps milk cool for up to 12 hours and allows one-touch preparation of steamed milk and froth drinks. The milk tank slides easily out of the unit's swing door, so it can be stored in the refrigerator. And the whole thing looks good, too--the Clean Touch Steel resists scratches, fingerprints and smudges.

To the joy of housewives everywhere, there's no special cleaning required after each use. And the coffee? Well, the clear text display and user prompts make it easy to make a great cup of whatever. In fact, up to 10 users can preprogram their personal preferences for fineness and quantity of beans to be ground, water temperature and quantity of milk or water per cup.

The machine costs about $2,800. If you visit your local coffee shop daily, the Miele will pay for itself in about two years. Tempting. Very tempting.

The KF 1801

(Credit: Miele)

Slapping a green label on an appliance used to be something of a marketing tactic. But as we watch our energy bills grow, green has become a requirement for new appliances. Miele's Independence Series refrigerators have a few new green features that older Miele models didn't. The KF 1801 and 1811, in particular, are 33 percent more energy efficient than the standards set by the Department of Energy. The KF 1801 and 1811 are essentially the same, by the way: the KF 1801 has a right-swinging door while the KF 1811's door swings left. They're both 30-inch models.

A couple of new features can actually help you keep your energy bill low. Miele's SuperCool technology, for instance, is designed to return your refrigerator to the ideal cooling temperature after your door has been open for a long time--like when you put away groceries, or stand absent-mindedly in front of the fridge, trying to decide between salad or salami slices.

The RemoteVision technology is especially cool: if your fridge's temperature rises about a certain limit, your fridge will sound an alarm. If you aren't home, the fridge will send out an alert through wireless internet access. A service representative will then call you. Miele service team can get your permission to enter your home and fix the problem if you can't get home yourself.

All these green extras add to up to crisper food in the fridge, and more money in your pocket.

I recently saw a Miele built-in coffee machine in action. If you love coffee, it was a thing to behold and further proof that we, as a species, have evolved.

OK, maybe that's a slight overstatement, but this beautiful Jetsons-esque machine is a tribute to the lazy coffee snob.

Miele's new built-in coffee system offers more options.

(Credit: Miele)

Just stand back with your mug and this machine does the work for you--grinding your beans from course to fine (you pick the amount of beans you'd like per cup.) Then the system automatically adds the water, brews, and completes the task by steaming milk to top off your cup.

The latest version of this built in system, due out early next year, is the CVA 5000. It has some new design tweaks aimed to protect the system's exterior and simplify the concoction of more complicated, layered drinks such as Macchiato.

First off, the central dispenser on the new model provides a wider height-adjustable range to fit everything from a tiny espresso cup, to tall mugs, and specialty drink glasses.

Also new is an integrated, insulated 24-ounce milk tank that keeps milk fresh for 12 hours. The tank, which replaces the existing model's tube for transferring milk from container to coffee cup, provides one-touch dispensing of steamed milk or froth. This makes layered drinks easier to make--and there's no messy clean up after making drinks.

The tank's insulated reservoir is made of double-walled stainless steel and an automatic monitor alerts you when it's time to refill. Since the tank slides out of from a swinging door, it can be refilled easily or stored in the refrigerator.

Layering a drink is easier with the new model.

(Credit: Miele)

Another new feature is a Clean Touch Steel finish that resists fingerprints and smudges. To protect the outside of the machine for longer, the company applied a thin, transparent glass treatment to the system's stainless steel panel.

The only frightening thing about this CVA 5000 might be if it went haywire. You'd probably need a well-oiled repair team to come out and fix it. And if the repair folks happened to be on vacation, well, it might be back to the local Starbucks--or you could always get reacquainted with the handy coffee press, if you've still got the muscles to use it.

No pricing has been set for this model. The existing CVA 4070 built-in model starts at $2,699.

Miele also expects to release a new Clean Touch Steel espresso machine next year, too, with details to come.

Steam: it's not just for cleaning anymore.

(Credit: Miele)

I don't know about your family, but mine expects to be fed several times each day. And as much as I try to be an organized mom, I still find myself scrambling to get dinner on the table while juggling third-grade homework and toddler tantrums. So when I hear about appliances that offer to cook dinner faster without nuking it, I'm interested.

Miele's steam ovens let you prepare foods you might not have thought of as candidates for steaming. Omelets, pasta, and risotto were all listed, which surprised me.

Press the interactive control pad to engage the MasterChef menu and create an entire meal, such as poultry, a starch, and vegetables. The oven prompts chefs to add dishes as necessary, and the steam-powered cooking can have most meals fully prepared in about half an hour.

Of course, no one wants appliances that think they know everything, so you can still create your own cooking programs to get Grandma's cheese soufflé just right. Better yet, save and store your own cooking programs so that even your personalized dishes are just one touch away.

If you have a big family--or a love of entertaining--you'll appreciate the roomy, trilevel interior that lets you prepare food for about eight people. Nonperishables can be set in the oven in the morning; the timer and delayed start functions ensure you'll come home to a hot, healthy meal. And if you run late, the oven's warming feature keeps food warm, although it only runs for 15 minutes.

Miele says the oven can also be used to defrost food and disinfect baby bottles, but I'd worry that defrosting food so abruptly invites salmonella. If you are disinfecting baby bottles with steam, be sure to put them in a container that you can easily remove from the oven afterward so that you're not reaching all the way to the back to pull out strays.

Steam seems to be the next big thing in ovens and other appliances, and Miele's offering has some useful extras, so it may be worth checking out.