Technology is Making Life in the Kitchen a Little Easier

When the Year 2000 hit, kitchen appliances were cooking faster, compiling grocery lists and giving advice on where to place food in a microwave for the ultimate dish. But that still may not be enough for the ever-demanding consumer in search of the high-performance kitchen.

As the kitchen remodeling business continues to boom, today's appliances offer a wide variety of what people are looking for - namely, quick turn-around dinners with all the style of home-cooked meals. In fact, according to McKinsey & Company Inc., many Americans will have never cooked a meal from scratch.

So appliance manufacturers have answered the call of "speed, please" with a number of products on the market. Consumers soon can get delicious results from GE Appliances' Advantiumä Oven with speed cook technology. What makes this new oven so innovative is that it is the first to deliver the cooking quality and versatility of conventional ovens - it bakes, broils, grills and roasts - with the speed of light.

"It gives consumers the cooking quality and options they want with amazing speed," company officials say. "Consumers literally can go from refrigerator to table in a matter of minutes."

Kitchenaid's latest over-the-range microwave has a scrolling display that automatically determines the cooking time that your food needs based on the type of food and the amount of it you place in the oven. The display also will tell consumers how to arrange dishes inside the cavity so the food cooks correctly.

"What we're now dealing with is smart technology for very busy people," says Kent Barnes, CKD, CBD, of Kitchens of Austin, Austin, Texas. "Manufacturers recognize that consumers not only need convenience but flexibility - 'Read my mind and cook this chicken,' if you will - in order to accomplish all the tasks of running a household, raising a family and working full time. Calling home and telling your appliances to have dinner ready in an hour isn't so far out after all."

And then there's convenience.

"There's a definite demand for appliances that offer both convenience and performance," says Larry Lamkins, CKD, CBD, of Dacor Appliances, Pasadena, Calif. "Consumers are seeking appliances that are versatile, dual-powered and able to meet all the needs of the overworked population - which is just about everyone!"

Dacor has a patented duel-fuel range that does just what the consumer asked for by combining the comfort of gas burners along with an electric convection oven while housing a gas broiler.

"This product is one of those high quality and high performance appliances of the new millennium," Lamkins stresses.

Viking recently introduced a new cooking concept for tomorrow's kitchens - a range-top appliance that combines sealed gas burners with electric induction cooking elements in a single cooktop. It also includes a grill, griddle, wooden cutting board and ventilation system, everything you'd need to cook and prepare meal in one unit.

The company also has the industry's first commercial-style self-cleaning range for those who love high-performance cooking but hate the cleanup.

Energy conservation and food safety also have become concerns for many consumers. That's why Environmental Systems & Solutions of Draper, Utah, developed Hydromaid, the first and only totally non-electric water-powered food waste disposal. The disposal runs on common household water pressure which drives the mechanism's cutters back and forth, shearing food waste such as celery, chicken bones and nut shells easily. In addition, there's no food jams, waste odors, or flushing needed.

According to the American Society of Microbiology, 9,000 deaths and 81 million illnesses from food borne bacteria have occurred since 1992 due to improper hand washing. Especially in the kitchen, bacteria are easily transferred from hands to clean dishes and other foods, and back to faucets, where a majority of food preparation takes place.

But Pedal Valves Inc., Luling, La., offers consumers of way to eliminate cross-contamination in the kitchen when preparing meals. Their new Footworks Faucet Control is a foot pedal control valve that can be installed on every sink in the kitchen to provide safe, hands-free operation of the faucet. Consumers can use it when their hands are dirty or contaminated with raw meat, or when their hands are full - they simply can turn the water off and on without having to put something down. The pedal saves time, saves on utility costs and is very convenient for busy cooks.

Reprinted with permission by the National Kitchen and Bath Association