Appliances

A little candy-apple color with my kitchen, please

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

What's for dinner? Ask the oven

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

Siemen's iSlide oven has an iPod-like clickwheel for temperature-setting

I spotted this Siemens avantGarde iSlide wall oven on Kitchens.com and was immediately drawn to the iPod-like clickwheel it uses for controlling the oven's temperature.

It's certainly cool and seems easy to use, but I'm not sure how stable the touch wheel will be after you slide your finger on it a thousand times. (After a year or so, my iPod Nano's wheel became quite quirky and I might find that annoying in an oven--sending me right back to the basic Magic Chef knob.)

Wheels aside, this oven has drawn a lot of attention for … Read more

High-end LG fridge merges beauty with features

LG's Panorama 20.5 Cu. Ft. side-by-side refrigerator is a veteran slick model with a digital control center and energy-saving features.

This stainless steel LG offers many bells and whistles, including a door alarm, tilting drawers, and temperature customizing options. Like all of LG's freestanding refrigerators, this model is Energy Star qualified and retails for about $3,500.

This model has French doors, which puts the refrigerator at eye level. Inside the refrigerator, "multi-airflow" cooling vents on each shelf provide even cooling, while five digital sensors ensure your food is kept at the proper temperature. LED … Read more

TMIO, maker of the intelligent oven, is MIA

Is TMIO, the company that made a pioneering intelligent oven its users could operate via cell phone or Net connection, truly out of business?

I wish we could find an answer.

I started wondering what had happened to Cleveland, Ohio-based TMIO (which stands for Tonight's Menu Intelligent Oven) today after I tracked down a local appliance seller, BSC Culinary, asking if I could get a peek at how the $7,500 intelligent oven worked. I also wanted to find out if the company had anything new to offer.

When I called, a worker there told me they haven't … Read more

LG microwave is big on function

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

Saving the planet, one countertop at a time

Like it or not, our lives depend on energy. Lots of it. In fact, the United States alone consumes more than 3.35 terawatts per year, enough energy to run that computer you're reading this from for about 35 billion years, give or take a few million.

In an effort to decrease our environmental imprint and be smarter about how efficiently we're using our energy, several companies have introduced "green" models of their products. Though the Green movement started as a few political conservationist groups in the early 1980s, it is now responsible for one of … Read more

Toast n Egg makes toast with eggs

Now this combination makes sense. Toast with an egg is undoubtedly a great pairing to start any day. The problem for me is that if I'm gonna make an egg, most likely I'm gonna fry it. Not necessarily because it will taste better, but more so for the absolute lack of effort it requires. Butter, pan, fry, done. Easy.

Anything that uses less pots and pans is a good thing in my book. The ability to crack an egg into the Toast n Egg from Tefal is a great idea. The unit comes not only with an egg-poaching … Read more

Mobile coffee, the wave of the future?

With summer in full swing, now is the perfect time to go camping. When I was younger, it was a tradition in my family to go find a spot in the middle of nowhere, try desperately to set up a tent before it rains, and eat charred food that even squirrels wouldn't touch. Then in the morning we would rise from our piles of nylon and sit around the campfire sipping coffee that had the consistency of tar. Now that I've reached the age where I'm ready to take my family into the woods against their wishes, … Read more