Kitchen
Tassimo's new micro coffee brewing architecture
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September 5, 2005 There is ALWAYS a better way, no matter what the endeavour and it seems the capsule-based single cup brewer market comprised of Nespresso, Senseo, Illy's
E.S.E Espresso pods, the Keurig system at al, is in for a further shake-up. The pod system offers convenience, cleanliness and in a world starved of the one commodity you can never get enough of (time), a semi-automated micro system providing top quality makes infinite sense, particularly when it comes to delivering one of the world's most loved commodities. Coffee is the world’s second largest traded commodity, second only to petroleum – 1.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day in the world, more than half the U.S. adult population drinks coffee daily and they average 3.5 cups a day. Coffee makers constitute the largest segment in the small kitchen appliance category with over 19 million coffee makers sold every year in the U.S. But now, there’s a new system that uses a microprocessor that makes intelligent decisions for you and refines the science of coffee making enough to give it a competitive edge – using barcode scanning. The Tassimo system has two key components: the Tassimo brewing machine and proprietary Tassimo discs (T-DISCS). Through Tassimo's smart technology, developed and designed by Kraft Foods, the machine's microprocessor reads the bar code printed on the T-DISC label after it is inserted into the machine and automatically calculates the correct water quantity, brewing time and temperature to prepare the perfect beverage. Read More
LG's jewel-encrusted refrigerator
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August 19, 2005 There’s something distinctly nouveau riche about the new limited edition jewel encrusted DIOS refrigerator from LG. Aimed at the Taiwanese market, the R-U719GWN three door refrigerator has all the usual LG high tech domestic wizardry such as an ice-maker and LCD panel, but comes with an extra helping of bling in that it has several inlays of Swarovski crystals – 4900 of them. What we can’t quite understand is why it’s so cheap - KRW 3,990,000.00 – approximately US$3900. Perhaps there’s a discount for being so over the top.
The intelligent coffee drinker's mug
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August 17, 2005 Have you ever wondered what possesses human beings to heat liquids to boiling point and then systematically pour them on the second-most-sensitive area of their body? It’s what Jolex, the inventors of the Brugo travel mug calls the “perfect temperature zone” for drinking coffee, soup, tea – the most common liquids we use in a travel mug – and it’s estimated to be between 150 degrees and 170 degrees Fahrenheit (65-75 degrees Celsius). It’s the point at which the aroma and flavour are greatest, but it’s an elusive zone and one that heated liquids are only in for a short time. By using a simple “tip and sip” motion, BRUGO transfers sip-sized amounts (one fluid ounce) of the hot beverage to the temperature control chamber, where it immediately reaches this “perfect temperature zone.” Only the liquid in the chamber is cooled and only this liquid exits the sip opening. A seal keeps the remaining coffee at its hottest and most aromatic. This inventive system eliminates the need for coffee drinkers to blow on their beverage, add ice to it, or wait for it to cool. Instead, they have immediate access to their hot beverage, and they can enjoy it longer at its peak freshness and flavour. Read More
Nespresso’s compact coffee-made-simple System
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August 15, 2005 One of the greatest challenges in life is to create a coffee at home which is as good as the best coffee you can buy in your favourite coffee shop. It's a complex equation involving obtaining the right equipment, refining the technique and obtaining the freshest and best quality coffee. There's a definite affinity between computers, high-performance people and coffee - we're not sure what the common elements are but high clock speeds seems to be part of the equation and there are few technology environments where caffeine is not the staple diet. Which sort of accounts for why coffee is one of the largest cost-centres for this humble magazine - all press briefings are over coffee, we have our meetings over coffee, and we drink coffee in our spare time, sometimes so often that the entire staff can levitate by 4pm in the afternoon on a busy day. So the news that Nespresso has unveiled a new compact coffee system was significant for us. Now while Nespresso is clearly related to Nescafe, the concept behind it is at the other end of the connoisseur scale, as we have previously explained. Indeed, Nespresso is so focused on nurturing the brand’s upmarket pedigree, it has opened dozens of coffee boutiques in the world’s cultural centres selling just Nespresso-produced coffee. Read More
Four door convertible fridge
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May 11, 2005 Samsung has unveiled a four-door convertible refrigerator with four zones, each with adjustable temperature settings to allow customised food storage. The four zones each have independent temperature control and can hence be configured to specific needs as needs change, offering unprecedented flexibility for food storage. For example, consumers can convert refrigerator space to freezer space to prepare for holiday entertaining, then they can increase their refrigerator capacity to store the leftovers when the party is over. Read More
The Acropolis Concentric Kitchen by Pininfarina
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April 21, 2005 Italian design is synonymous with names like Pininfarina, Giugaro, Ferrari, Alessi, Prada, Gucci, Ferragamo, Valentino, Versace and more recently, Snaidero. Snaidero began as a small carpentry shop 50 years ago and has grown into one of the icons of Italian innovation and design with several of its creations being exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York – not bad for a company that only makes kitchens. Now these are clearly not ordinary kitchens, but kitchens of immense beauty and practicality such as the Acropolis. Designed by Pininfarina, the concentric kitchen combines visual appeal with the ultimate functionality- optimising every movement for minimum effort. The Acropolis has recently been revamped. Whereas the original design was a complete circle, the new version has shed its closed and strict round shape to now gently “unfurl.” The price has remained unchanged at US$157,000 Read More
Iannello-designed Voodoo Knife set
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March 6, 2005. The theme was fortune, magic and lucky charms but with his project, Raffaele Iannello chose to probe the world of black magic with this knife set and distinctive holder. The striking result has gone through several iterations and is now to be produced in commercial form by Viceversa, so we guess Raffaele was lucky after all. The final Voodoo Knife set will be released in the near future at Viceversa. Read More
The all-in-one, relocatable kitchen
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February 7, 2005 The circular kitchen is a new approach to kitchen design based on the changing needs of apartment dwellers and modern lifestyle. After centuries of conventional kitchen design, the self-contained circular kitchen challenges many of the notions of a normal kitchen, treating it more as an appliance than a dedicated, inflexible room. It can be easily added or relocated to any space, be it apartment, office, holiday home or factory and comes complete with all the facilities and storage space of a conventional kitchen. There are no conventional cupboard doors, so access to the kitchen’s various components is by rotating the central unit through 180 degrees, or the top unit which rotates through 360 degrees. Read More
Whirlpool 'In.Kitchen' designs suit 21C living
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November 23, 2004 Whirlpool Europe has unveiled its vision for a new style of built-in kitchens that are more highly integrated and lifestyle oriented than those currently available. Entitled "in.kitchen: design landscapes for a new built-in experience", the design concepts are glimpses of possible domestic environments that could be achieved in the near future through well-orchestrated partnerships within the kitchen industry. Read More
Entertainment branding invades the Kitchen
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Disney Consumer Products announced the launch of the new Disney Smoothie Maker and Disney Popcorn Popper, on September 29, continuing the convergence of convergence of entertainment and lifestyle into one of the most important gathering places in the home; the kitchen. The company's line of consumer electronics appliances are designed for kids and families and combine Disney's entertainment content with technology and design. Both products will be available in October at major US retail outlets, just in time for the holiday season, and are the first in an ongoing line of appliances that will continue to be introduced to consumers. Read More
Kitchen in a carton
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December 20, 2003 Getting three square meals a day has a whole new meaning for American troops thanks to an innovative new package which provides everything necessary to feed up to 18 troops hot food in one small package. The Remote Unit Self Heating Meal (RUSHM), also referred to as "Kitchen in a Carton," takes the hassle out of serving hot food to warfighters in far away places.Developed by the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Centre in Natick, Mass., the latest prototype of the remote meal reduces the carton's volume compared to previous prototypes by 20 percent by reconfiguring the package, trading larger dining trays for smaller ones, and swapping paper cups and beverage mixes for new resealable drink pouches. Read More
Nespresso simplifies the coffee equation in style
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We drink a lot of coffee at Gizmag, so when we got the opportunity to sample a machine which was claimed to produce extreme quality coffee which is EXACTLY the same every time, and reduces the time devoted to the ritual of coffee making by several minutes, and eliminates the mess, we jumped at the opportunity. First things first - the name was a significant problem to overcome - Nespresso conjures up pictures of synthetic substances manufactured by unnatural means, of a low-cost substitute for people who don't have any taste and who couldn't tell the difference between good coffee and instant home-brand coffee if it hit them on the head with a hammer. Read More
Home networking control from the kitchen
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Friday August 1, 2003: The iCEBOX FlipScreen is an LCD touch screen interface designed specifically for use in the kitchen as part of a networked home. A washable, wireless keyboard and remote are included in the package that provides television and DVD viewing, CD Player, Internet access, FM Radio and video monitoring of the home. Read More
Australian design team unveils Robotic Kitchen
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Imagine having a pantry that would talk to the refrigerator and the oven to co-ordinate and prepare meals, all while you dished out the orders from a computer terminal in the office. That's the scenario proposed by the iK (integrated kitchen), a design concept that explores the possibilities of future domestic kitchens Read More
Watching TV in the kitchen window
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A bay window that's also a home entertainment centre, invisible insect screens, downloading recipes to the kitchen window or watching TV on the same "screen" while washing the dishes... Read More
Refrigeration efficiency breakthrough
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Kelix Energies has developed a heating and cooling system that performs effectively without the use of a refrigeration compressor. Read More
Oven that thinks it's a Refrigerator
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The Polara range of ovens from Whirlpool combines the two most incompatible kitchen appliances - it's an oven that acts like a fridge. Read More
Fully Automatic Coffee Machine
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Italian coffee machine specialist Gaggia's latest fully automatic coffee machine comes with an integrated coffee grinder ensuring you have fresh coffee every time - but the beans in the top, and the coffee comes out the bottom, with all aspects of the process fully programmable... Read More
LG Internet Refridgerator
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The LG adverts on telly don't do it justice. The LG Internet Refrigerator has the coolest set of features ever seen in the kitchen. Read More
