| Salesman: "This machine will cut your | | | | toaster ovens, sandwich grills, pasta |
| workload at home in half!" | | | | makers, ice cream makers, yogurt makers |
| Housewife: "In that case, I'll take | | | | and the like. This reached a zenith with |
| two!" | | | | the advent of the food processor. Seen |
| An old joke, but as the 21st century | | | | as a sort of companion to the home |
| unfolds, it becomes truer than ever. | | | | computer (a.k.a. the "word processor", |
| Compared to previous generations, people | | | | since nobody could think of any other |
| today can find working in the kitchen | | | | use for a computer in the days before |
| easier and even fun. The gadgets that | | | | the web), these kings of the counter top |
| compete for precious counter space in | | | | combined blender, grater, masher, |
| kitchens across the country are ready to | | | | slicer, dicer and a few more things all |
| slice, dice, peel, blend, bake and grill | | | | in one package. |
| in ways that would have amazed the | | | | Right on the heels of the food processor |
| great-grandparents of their owners. | | | | was the bread machine. As the nation |
| A century ago, the idea of kitchen | | | | longed for a healthier, more natural |
| appliances simply didn't exist. There | | | | diet, something that could mix, knead |
| were hand-operated vacuums, and many | | | | and bake a staple foodstuff such as |
| homes had only an icebox, a washtub, and | | | | bread was seen as ushering in a new way |
| a sink with cold water, usually operated | | | | of thinking about what we eat. |
| by a pump. Often the pump was outside | | | | Unfortunately, while many homes have |
| the back of the house, or in the street | | | | bread machines today, few actually get |
| for communal usage. With the advent of | | | | any use. The loaf pans are smaller than |
| electricity, the idea of labor-saving | | | | commercially sold loaves, the mix makes |
| devices slowly took hold. Fifty years | | | | the bread much more expensive, the |
| later, iceboxes were replaced by | | | | machine needs cleaning after each loaf, |
| refrigerators, which did away with | | | | and nobody wants to actually have to |
| having ice delivered. Toasters became | | | | slice bread anymore. So not every step |
| one of the first devices anywhere in the | | | | forward has been fully embraced by the |
| home to use power. One early counter top | | | | masses. |
| machine seen in many homes was the | | | | The future for kitchen appliances |
| electric can opener. Seen at the time as | | | | however, looks brighter than ever. In a |
| a frivolous novelty, nowadays it's hard | | | | world where the can opener looks quaint |
| to imagine opening cans without them | | | | alongside the modern no-stick grill, the |
| (especially since nobody can remember | | | | next big revolution will be the |
| where the old-fashioned hand crank | | | | interconnecting of all these devices to |
| opener is). Following close behind it | | | | a home intranet. By the end of this |
| was the coffeemaker, taking over from | | | | century, most western kitchens may be a |
| the percolator that used to sit on a | | | | network hive of activity, as devices |
| burner of the stove. And its close | | | | share information between themselves, |
| cousin, the teakettle. Machines like the | | | | larger equipment such as the oven and |
| blender were first developed for | | | | fridge, and even across the Internet. No |
| commercial use, and quickly found their | | | | doubt new machines will be introduced, |
| way into domestic service. | | | | some bizarre hybrids of what we already |
| The next big advance in kitchen | | | | have, some as unknown to us as a |
| technology was the microwave oven in the | | | | microwave would have been in 1907. Our |
| 1970's. It was to kitchens what the VCR | | | | great-grandchildren will chuckle to |
| was to the living room - revolutionary | | | | themselves as they ponder all the effort |
| in itself, it can now be seen as the | | | | we put into buttering our toast or |
| beginning of a whole wave of gizmos to | | | | stirring our coffee each morning. Are |
| be lined up beside the sink. Soon | | | | you ready for the kitchen of the future? |
| afterwards, the market exploded with | | | | |