"appliances" news and stories

"I smell awful; would U clean my crisper and wipe me down ASAP?" Are we ready for a refrigerator that tweets its most intimate thoughts? How about, "Does my butt look big since I gained 20 lbs.?" That's right, a bathroom scale with WiFi, so you can tweet to friends about life's ups and downs.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this year was all about smart technology in the home, reports CNN. And just to make sure everyone got the message, Jane Lynch, who plays Sue Sylvester on the hit Fox show, Glee, was hired as the LG spokesperson to sing the praises of its washing machines that send text messages ("R U trying to put me through the wringer?") and ovens that download recipes and can even teach you to cook ("Add a pinch of salt and whip it. Whip it good.") The new LG fridge even keeps tabs on how fresh your food is. (Shades of Lost in Space? "Danger, danger, Will Robinson. Spoiled milk on Shelf 2!")

Is you dream refrigerator a giant Subzero or a colorful, retro Big Chill? Designers are already thinking outside of the box when it comes to restyling refrigerators and, if they get their way, we might be looking at a totally different appliance in the future. This is the Tree House Fridge, a design concept from the team of Chuan Shi, Wenying Lu, Chuan Shi & Yu Li at Yanko Design. Its unique layout presents an interesting possibility of what fridges could be like in the not-too-distant future. Each of the branches will be specifically designed to store a certain type of food - cheese, produce, etc - and will have a slide-out compartment in the trunk for larger things and drinks. To take advantage of the tree shape, the branches will have holders on the doors where fruit can be stored and "picked" at will.

A tree, of course, seems a bit extreme, but it is not so far-fetched to imagine separated, specialized compartments that will keep food fresher than the salad drawers that many refrigerators are equipped with now.

Source

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you're going to make ice cream at home, it is worth it to get an ice cream maker. In fact, it is necessary to get an ice cream maker because it ensures that you will always get the optimal results from your frozen desserts. There are a wide range of ice cream makers to choose from, but there will definitely be at least one that fits your kitchen and your budget. After a batch or three of homemade ice cream, every single one will pay for itself in taste alone.

Ice Cream Ball - play with it and make ice cream. It's a great way to give your kids something to keep them occupied while they wait for the ice cream to be ready. $29

Cuisinart 1.5-qt. Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker - a great, easy-to-use all-purpose machine that can handle most family-sized jobs. Keep the extra freezer bowl in the freezer at all times so you're ready to go. Recommended by me (I own this model, pictured, and love it) and America's Test Kitchen. $49.95

With quite a few food blogging events coming up that focus on cold things (sweets in particular), an ice cream maker is a great thing to have in the kitchen. (Unless, of course, you want to do a rainbow jell-o mold). However, if you've got more than one person in your household, or heck, your tastebuds have a double-personality, you might need to do more than just one flavor. Enter, the double ice cream maker.

The Koolatron Double Ice Cream Maker makes two flavors at once in your freezer. It's available from Targat, and you'd think that a double ice cream maker would cost twice as much, but this one is only $16.99. Target also has a model made by a different manufacturer, the DuoTreat Ice Cream Maker, which is a few dollars more at $19.99.

Two great tastes that taste great together!