ovens

Gone are the days when toasters were necessary appliances; now one little box is capable of so much more. But that hasn't stopped old-timey toasters from populating store shelves. And truth be told, modern toasters have evolved into efficient little machines that feature nice designs and simple operation. However, sometimes that is not enough. What was once a ubiquitous kitchen appliance has evolved into something so much more.

The KitchenAid Convection Countertop Oven ($160) replaces the toaster (or even the toaster oven) while remaining compact in size. Measuring 13 inches across, 12.25 inches deep, and 7.5 inches … Read more

The toaster oven has come a long way. From its early beginnings as a glorified toaster, through the current appliances that can take up the full countertop, the toaster oven has progressed from novel appliance to must-have accessory. However, at some point during its evolution, the toaster oven breached the event horizon and became a tool of diminishing returns; quite often they're just too big and bulky to be considered compact appliances.

The Breville BOV650XL Compact Smart Oven packs modern features into a small footprint. (It's a smaller version of the previous model, the Smart Oven.) Measuring a … Read more

Home cooks are faced with many different options for preparing meals. Unfortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it), not all of them are healthy. After all, at times it can be a chore to try and produce a healthy meal. However, one of the healthiest ways of cooking (steaming) doesn't have to be relegated to countertop appliances or elaborate stovetop setups. Instead, it can be as easy as opening the oven door.

The new Thermador Steam and Convection Oven offers an easy way for home cooks to make healthy meals. The oven features three distinctly different … Read more

There's just something magical about pizza. Somehow the simple combination of flour, cheese, and tomatoes has the ability to transform into a cohesive whole that is much more than the sum of its parts. Add in the fact that pies are easily customized with myriad toppings and a wide range of crust styles, and it becomes apparent that pizza might just be the perfect food. But the ability to create individualized pizzas by choosing favorite toppings and crusts is only half the story. Making your own and watching it bake completes the experience.

The Kalamazoo Gourmet Artisan Fire Pizza Oven … Read more

The latest offering from Jenn-Air is a convection system wall oven with a 7-inch full-color touch-screen LCD that incorporates an image-based cooking guide.

You can choose from over 50 different food options and specify food category, food type, desired doneness, and even the type of pan used. Not sure what medium rare really looks like? Pull up a picture. Want to use a meat thermometer to be sure you've hit precisely the right temperature? Take a look at visuals to see how and where to insert the probe. What Jenn-Air calls a "Culinary Center" is designed to … Read more

Despite what some advertisements would lead you to believe, frozen pizza will never equal fresh pizza (unless, of course it is New York pizza, but that's another topic altogether). However, for the ultimate in convenience, pulling a food item out of the fridge and popping it in the oven can't be beat. In truth, frozen pizza has come a long way, but the other items on the refrigerator shelves could use a bit more convenience. At the very least, a do-it-all appliance is needed to enjoy the convenience of easy-to-make food at the press of a button.

The … Read more

Having a second appliance at the ready to do our culinary bidding is the well-deserved right of the modern human. After all, once upon a time the only kitchen gadget that existed was a stick. When early humans moved inside, they brought their fire with them, and for millennia a home-cooked meal was made with this one and only "appliance." Eventually this gave way to the wood-burning stove, but the concept remained the same: one place to cook every meal. Then somebody, somewhere brought home the first toaster and all of a sudden home cooks everywhere had to … Read more

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 … Read more

Certain appliances are used so frequently they just blend into the background. This is a good thing. When heavy-use appliances integrate seamlessly into our lives, that means they are working as they should. It's best not to notice them, because that usually means something is wrong. But just because they blend into our surroundings, that doesn't mean we don't want them to be attractive when we do look at them. Considering how central the oven is to daily life, efficiency and design go hand in hand.

The new Dacor Distinctive 30-inch Single Wall Oven is an eye-catching … Read more