appliances

When I read that Viking expanded its appliance color palate from 14 to 24 colors, I wanted to take a joyous ode-to-the-candy-apple-red leap.

This news provides a measure of relief to my growing ennui toward stainless steel.

I know, I know, stainless steel is a kitchen fashion statement that an increasing number of people are willing to shell out the extra $200 per appliance to have. It blends well, cleans up nicely (sometimes), looks sophisticated, and is supposed to last a long time.

Arguably--and believe me people do argue endlessly about the merits of stainless steel--it has got a lot … Read more

Every Sunday, before I go grocery shopping, I gather my family around the table and ask, "What do you want for dinner this week?" And every Sunday, right after I ask, everyone is suddenly extremely busy counting the tiles in the kitchen backsplash. Which is why I often find myself staring at that same backsplash come 5 p.m., wondering what the heck to feed my brood tonight.

If only my oven could tell me what to make!

That's what one of the latest kitchen offerings from LG attempts to do. The new single and double built-in … Read more

I have four small kids, so when we plan a large dinner with friends, I do as much cooking as possible ahead of time. But I also live in Houston, so running the oven at 170 degrees to keep the food warm until we sit down to eat doesn't exactly thrill me. I've tried microwaving cooked food, but it delays the start of the meal, because each item has to be placed inside and heated. When I cram in several dishes at once, the turntable sputters, and I end up with spills all over everything.

LG's new … Read more

The Google Mini search appliance got a booster shot Tuesday with the addition of three new features and support for six additional languages.

Google, which has been building up its enterprise presence for several years now, is bolting on to Google Mini file system access control, source biasing, and date biasing.

File system access control is designed to let Google Mini crawl through files housed in shared drives and dish them up as search results to authorized users.

Source biasing aims to give users the ability to rank URLs based on the location and type of documents they're seeking, … Read more

It's looking like the end of an era--or a century--for GE, which is drawing interest overseas in its 101-year-old appliance unit.

LG's CEO Yong Nam is considering a deal. "We are looking into it very carefully. I cannot share with you more than that," Nam commented cryptically at a news conference today.

Meantime, there's word that China-based Haier Group, which made an unsuccessful bid for Maytag in 2005, is also eyeing the unit, which might fetch between $4 billion to $8 billion, according to reports.

I'll freely admit that I rarely--if ever--thought about accessibility issues before I had a son with special needs. Now, it's an issue that's nearly always on my mind. Have you ever noticed how many commercials and TV shows aren't closed captioned? Have you tried to navigate any Web sites using a text-to-speech reader lately? How about something simpler, like unloading a dishwasher in a typical kitchen--when you're in a wheelchair?

Fortunately, I'm not the only one thinking about this. Whether it's to woo an aging population with mobility issues or advocating on behalf … Read more

Ah, summer vacation. That glorious time of year when we pack up the kids and get out to experience nature. And nature decides to give us the full experience by providing nonstop rain. Just picture yourself, trying to heat up a can of beans on your portable gas grill. Brings a tear to the eye--or in my case, outright sobbing.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Fagor's new portable induction cooktop offers a convenient solution for family vacations, dorms, guesthouses, or simply additional cook space for holiday meals. Induction cooking uses less energy than other methods … Read more

Are those cooked carrots as bright as they could be? And if you're going to eat your vegetables, don't you want full vitamin credit? The Gaggenau combination steam and convection oven helps you set a beautiful table with food that's full of health benefits.

The steam generator is connected directly to a removable water tank that doesn't require any plumbing or drainage lines, so you won't need to call your contractor for a pricey installation. The tank uses just one-third of a gallon to supply enough water to fill the oven with 100 percent humidity … Read more

In the '70s it was hip to decorate your kitchen in colors that would otherwise blind a normal human being. You couldn't go into a kitchen that didn't have chartreuse, guacamole, or squash yellow ovens and refrigerators. In today's sleek modern world, we've leaned more toward the stainless steel brushed look that makes our kitchens seem cold and lifeless. Designer Marc Newson wants that to change.

At the recent EuroCucina kitchen appliance and design show in Milan, Smeg debuted its new line of high-end ovens and cooktops designed by minimalist designer Marc Newson. Known for his … Read more