Eat and live healthier


Kitchen Appliances Save More Time, Labor Than Ever Before

Salesman: "This machine will cut yourtoaster ovens, sandwich grills, pasta
workload at home in half!"makers, ice cream makers, yogurt makers
Housewife: "In that case, I'll takeand the like. This reached a zenith with
two!"the advent of the food processor. Seen
An old joke, but as the 21st centuryas a sort of companion to the home
unfolds, it becomes truer than ever.computer (a.k.a. the "word processor",
Compared to previous generations, peoplesince nobody could think of any other
today can find working in the kitchenuse for a computer in the days before
easier and even fun. The gadgets thatthe web), these kings of the counter top
compete for precious counter space incombined blender, grater, masher,
kitchens across the country are ready toslicer, dicer and a few more things all
slice, dice, peel, blend, bake and grillin one package.
in ways that would have amazed theRight 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 kitchenlonged for a healthier, more natural
appliances simply didn't exist. Therediet, something that could mix, knead
were hand-operated vacuums, and manyand bake a staple foodstuff such as
homes had only an icebox, a washtub, andbread was seen as ushering in a new way
a sink with cold water, usually operatedof thinking about what we eat.
by a pump. Often the pump was outsideUnfortunately, while many homes have
the back of the house, or in the streetbread machines today, few actually get
for communal usage. With the advent ofany use. The loaf pans are smaller than
electricity, the idea of labor-savingcommercially sold loaves, the mix makes
devices slowly took hold. Fifty yearsthe bread much more expensive, the
later, iceboxes were replaced bymachine needs cleaning after each loaf,
refrigerators, which did away withand nobody wants to actually have to
having ice delivered. Toasters becameslice bread anymore. So not every step
one of the first devices anywhere in theforward has been fully embraced by the
home to use power. One early counter topmasses.
machine seen in many homes was theThe future for kitchen appliances
electric can opener. Seen at the time ashowever, looks brighter than ever. In a
a frivolous novelty, nowadays it's hardworld where the can opener looks quaint
to imagine opening cans without themalongside the modern no-stick grill, the
(especially since nobody can remembernext big revolution will be the
where the old-fashioned hand crankinterconnecting of all these devices to
opener is). Following close behind ita home intranet. By the end of this
was the coffeemaker, taking over fromcentury, most western kitchens may be a
the percolator that used to sit on anetwork hive of activity, as devices
burner of the stove. And its closeshare information between themselves,
cousin, the teakettle. Machines like thelarger equipment such as the oven and
blender were first developed forfridge, and even across the Internet. No
commercial use, and quickly found theirdoubt new machines will be introduced,
way into domestic service.some bizarre hybrids of what we already
The next big advance in kitchenhave, some as unknown to us as a
technology was the microwave oven in themicrowave would have been in 1907. Our
1970's. It was to kitchens what the VCRgreat-grandchildren will chuckle to
was to the living room - revolutionarythemselves as they ponder all the effort
in itself, it can now be seen as thewe put into buttering our toast or
beginning of a whole wave of gizmos tostirring our coffee each morning. Are
be lined up beside the sink. Soonyou ready for the kitchen of the future?
afterwards, the market exploded with



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