New Ways To Think About Deep Drawer Storage

Why are deep drawers always called “pots and pans” drawers? There are so many ways to use them. Many alternative storage solutions have been around for a while and probably originated as ADA solutions. Keep reading for inspiration for your next project.

Storing Dishes or Crockery is a popular alternative.

Glasses might rattle a bit but if upper storage is limited it’s a viable option.

Baking sheets stored in drawers are easy to see – and remove.

Dividers in deep drawers are especially convenient for round serving trays.

Do you hate the clatter of nesting casserole dishes?

Deep cutlery dividers are great if you have a lot of utensils.

Just be sure to keep the business end pointing down.

A little extra inspiration for the bakers amongst us.

I like drawer storage. They take less energy to open than doors with roll-outs behind them. I can instantly see what’s inside and I can also easily group like items.

January 25, 2012

Google Cooktop

At first glance, I thought the Google Cooktop was an appliance. It’s not, it’s a smart countertop concept for the kitchen.

Created by designer Sarah R. L. Johnson, the Google Cooktop is an interactive screen embedded in your countertop. The Cooktop can either be connected wirelessly to the users’ computer or to the Google Cooking App on the users’ iPhone to access a catalog of the ingredients the user has in their home. The Cooktop can then suggest a recipe or the user can search the internet for a recipe of their choice.

If you know your dinner guests really well (or they are willing to share very personal information with you), The user can then select the profiles of the people who will be attending dinner. These profiles are connected to an application called Google Cal Band which allows the Cooktop to these people’s access daily fitness routines and diet preferences and suggest meal type and appropriate portion size for each person thus reducing the chance for food waste.

The selected recipe is displayed on the countertop surface. As the user compiles their ingredients and sets them on the surface of the Cooktop, the device measures the size of each ingredient as it is set down. Ingredients are then “weighed” by the Cooktop and visually cut down into suitable portions. When a particular item weighs too much, it is blocked out in red so the user can cut it down into a smaller piece.

As the user begins to cook, they can check which step they are currently on and the Cooktop can then highlight which ingredient are needed for that step. The Cooktop also prompts the user by suggesting tips for the recipe and ensures that each meal is cooked to perfection.

This could be a great solution if you tend to accidentally leave out ingredients. I am sure the Cooktop would not know what to do with too many substitutions of ingredients. It would probably react the way GPS units do and tell you to do a U-turn in your cooking steps.

January 15, 2012

A Splash-Proof Tablet for Your Kitchen

The Qooq (that’s “cook,” get it?) was another gadget on display at the CES 2012 show. This French tablet, which already sells in France, is aimed at solving the problem of how to use a tablet in the kitchen where spills and greasy smudges are bound to happen.

This 10 inch tablet runs on Linux, not Android, nor Windows 8 and it will cost $400 when it comes to the states. This Linux distribution has been customized for the Qooq and it is loaded with many things a cook would want like recipes from renowned chefs, as well as related videos, an ingredient database, wine and cuisine tutorials and a regular culinary magazine.

As you would expect, it has built-in Wi-Fi, speakers and most other things you would expect in a tablet. It sports a 1GHz dual-core processor, on the side, it has an SD card slot, an ethernet port, usb port and a headphone jack. In addition to that, it’s also splash-resistant, spill-resistant and drop-resistant.

The Qooq comes is your choice of red, black or cream with a built-in kickstand.

Reports from the show say they poured wine over the tablet to show that it can take abuse. There is a subscription service for culinary magazine and 50 extra recipes a month.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luOHhw96V4Q&feature=youtu.be

January 12, 2012

Bertazzoni and Sub-Zero Wolf At CES 2012

Italian cooking appliance maker Bertazzoni was recently recognized for its Built-in Design Series, winning the prestigious CES 2012 Innovation Award for its Built-in Design Series double oven.

The Ovens are designed to combine the company’s traditional craftsmanship and design with precise, innovative controls inspired by the iPhone. Another look at the photo and you will see the handles are molded Venetian Glass – very luxurious.

Here’s a link to a great post about Bertazzoni from Dwell.

Wolf Appliance was also a 2012 Consumer Electronics Show Innovations Award Honoree for its E Series wall ovens, with enhancements that allows connectivity to home automation systems for more features and convenience. It features a dual convection logic control system and a touch control panel with LCD display.

The same home automation connectivity was added to Sub-Zero built-in refrigeration, which is also an Innovations Award Honoree.

Sadly, I cannot find more information on the home automation connectivity so I’m hoping a press release will be out soon.