28.10.2011
We all enjoy a good gossip while we’re cooking, but now you can talk directly to your kitchen… in French!
A ‘talking kitchen’ has been created that gives cooking instructions in French to help students learn the language.
A computer is fitted into the kitchen which allows the cooks to select any French recipes they want to follow. Digital sensors are built into the utensils, containers and other kitchen equipment to communicate with the computer and make sure the right instructions are given at the right time.
The kitchen tracks the French-learning-chef’s movements and actions using Wii-like sensors and apparently speaks in a similar way to a car sat-nav.
Portable versions of the technology are being installed at Newcastle College, where the technology was trialled, and at the Institut Francais, a London-based charity dedicated to teaching French.
The user can ask for an instruction to be repeated or translated into English at any time so it’s easy to use and makes sure the French is easy to learn – it certainly makes learning more fun and easy to put the language into practice!
07.07.2011
With the release of her new book ‘Notes from My Kitchen Table’ Gwyneth Paltrow has been invited to open for Liam Gallagher’s new band at the iTunes festival.
tBut.. she’ll be opening the show with a discussion about the joys of cooking! Paltrow places a lot of importance on family and being a good homemaker through cooking and creating a “life as normal as possible” for her two children and husband Chris Martin.
Paltrow likes nothing more than being in the kitchen – “My life can be so surreal sometimes – to be in the kitchen with things that are routine and mundane make me feel good.”
As we well know, the kitchen is now considered by many Brits to be the hub of the home and we spend more waking hours in the kitchen that any other room in the house.
So everyone, start making the most of your kitchen!
17.09.2010
Next week Electrolux will hold it’s annual design competition final – 100% Design – where industrial design students from all over the world are challenged to come up with, innovative ideas for compact homes of 2050.
The competition, currently in it’s seventh year, attracted over 1,300 entries.
We particularly like the ‘Elements Modular Kitchen’ by US entrant Matthew Gilbridge. The wall mounted appliance provides flexible modes of cooking, as well as refrigeration, air conditioning, lighting and environmental design.
The appliance even draws power wirelessly and is supplemented by solar energy.
We think it looks great, but you can’t beat a traditional kitchen!
03.09.2010
A high-tec
kitchen now could be a thing of the past in as little as ten years!
Your worktop could be intelligent enough to give you advice on your recipe choices and how to cook dishes! Intel is suggesting that kitchen software will be the next big thing in computing but – I hear you cry – kitchens are already so busy!
However, it could be a huge benefit – imagine having self cleaning surfaces and 3-D food printers which can create meals from their constituent molecules? Life becomes easier.
This Intel worktop is called the Oasis and could transform your kitchen into just that. The touchscreen is projected rather than built in so can detect gestures and register the commands you give it.
There’s also talk of integrating gaming and the internet so your kitchen surface could end up talking you through cooking dinner with a holographic Gordon Ramsey whilst ensuring you’re entirely up to date with what’s happening on Facebook – fabulous.
25.06.2010
The age old dilemma of how long to toast bread for – too long and it’s burnt, too short and it may as well still be bread!
Well worry no more – the new ‘Toast N’ Light’ toaster by Tefal is the answer!
Make your breakfast a ‘highlight’ – while your bread toasts. The toaster colour changes in a progression from blue to yellow and orange. Your toast is ready when the toaster lights red.
It also has a variable browning control so you get your breakfast just the way you like it.
So not only is the toaster functional but the lights make it stylish for any kitchen!
21.05.2010
If you’re passionate about interior design and home improvement as we are, you probably attended this year’s Grand Designs Live event.
This year saw an average 9% rise in the number of visitors per day from 1 – 9 May. The show was reduced from ten to nine days, but still attracted 103,000 visitors.
The organisers increased the exhibition space by 14% making it the biggest show ever.
“This year’s London show was once again a resounding success. Grand Designs Live, London is our flagship show and continues to go from strength to strength, demonstrating even in the wake of a major election, there is still a huge appetite for home improvement, design and self build advice,” said Media 10 managing director Lee Newton.
“We’re thrilled that our visitors keep returning and continue to enjoy the features and content from our exhibitors and sponsors,” he added.
We’re excited about next year’s event already!
07.04.2010
MAGNET HALF PRICE SALE
50% OFF ALL UNITS
Appleby 600mm base unit WAS £524 NOW £262
The Appleby range exudes Spring style. A simple, shaker kitchen with an elegant painted finish. The warm, subtle blue-green hue adds a homely yet innovative feel. This traditional kitchen design can be styled in a contemporary way using cutting edge appliances or complimented with a country style range cooker.
Other offers include:
- 50% off granite worktops. A beautiful, natural material, granite is a stunning complement to timber and gloss kitchen ranges. Also on-trend for 2010, it can be purchased in a number of colours.
- Free AEG pack, including hob, dishwasher, oven and hood. Valued at £1450.
- Free Hotpoint Openspace oven and Hotpoint ceramic hob
- 25% off installation on a ‘Uniquely Magnet’ kitchen
01.03.2010
This week Life.com reported on the top 30 dumbest inventions and we were not surprised to see that the External Turkey Roaster, 1966, made the list!
Fortunately, we’ve come a long way since then and our modern ovens are fitted with some pretty advanced technology.
Take the Hotpoint Openspace, for example. This new appliance has revolutionised kitchen design as it offers 30% more space than a typical single oven. It even comes with a dividing shelf so it can be used like a double oven.
The invention of the steam oven means that our cooking has become healthier than ever before. They offer a number of benefits including the retention of vitamins and minerals in food while cooking.
One of the hottest kitchen trends for this year is for a ‘bank’ of ovens. Rather than choose a double oven, it looks much more contemporary to install two single ovens adjacent to one another. Many manufacturers are catching on and are now designing their appliances with this in mind, and making sure that the control panels line up horizontally.
Pyroletic (self cleaning) ovens are also growing in popularity, such as the AEG B57415, which is one of Magnet’s most popular self cleaning single ovens.
25.02.2010
Cash conscious Brits are turning back the clock according to new research into the nation’s eating habits, it was revealed today.
Traditional favourites are returning to the table as we try and save money on our weekly shopping. Even the legendary money-saving dish of the 1970s, Bubble and Squeak, is making a comeback as we spend more time in the kitchen than ever before!
A nationwide study by Magnet found that a massive 70% of us now cook dinner four times a week or more at home, and almost a quarter of all Brits prepare real home-cooked food in their kitchen every night of the week! We’re completely turning our backs on take-away meals.
The survey also found that more than two-thirds of us admit that we now regularly eat leftovers. Mostly young professionals aged between 25 – 35 – are behind the movement who refuse to waste leftovers from our dinner plates and instead recycle them into new meals the following day – just like their parents did back in the Seventies.
If you’ve never tried bubble and squeak, check out this great recipe by Anthony Worrall Thompson.
