Celebrity Chefs

5 Kitchen Gadgets You Probably Don’t Have But Should

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Kitchen survival

To budding chefs, cooking shows like Chopped, Iron Chef, The Barefoot Contessa and Everyday Italian are a source of inspiration and excitement. Who wouldn’t want to have the culinary acumen to turn sea urchins, rhubarb and cough drops into a delicious, restaurant-quality dessert?

But as much as they would like to transfer what they learn from those TV shows into their own kitchens, these hopeful cooks can be stymied by the dizzying array of kitchen gadgets and doo-dads those TV chefs always seem to have at hand.

I mean, seriously, a soft serve ice cream maker? Not exactly something you’ll find in every home. But before you start shopping for a liquid nitrogen vendor, consider these more moderate kitchen gadgets that can make your dishes easier, tastier and more fun to create:  [Read more…]

Originally posted on October 17, 2013 @ 2:50 am

Tips for Creating a Functional Kitchen

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Having a great kitchen is the dream of many couples and single people who love to cook. For them, the kitchen is the star of the house and they make it as functional as possible.

Indeed, this particular area in the house where you prepare and cook food can serve many purposes. It can also be a place to dine and enjoy conversation with family members and can even serve as a study area for the kids.

While not all families can have their dream kitchen, it’s still possible to create one that best suits your lifestyle by doing some renovation work. For those building a new home, however, it’s always best to plan well the layout of the room to ensure you have enough space where you can prepare, cook and serve up meals to your loved ones.

Basically, the most important sections of a kitchen are the cooking area, storage area and the cleanup area. Many of today’s modern kitchens follow a work triangle layout to make it easier for the cook or head of the family to go back and forth between these areas. The triangle needs to have just enough space and not too big or too small. [Read more…]

Originally posted on June 28, 2013 @ 9:09 pm

Make Your Kitchen Look Luxe for Less

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Still: Kitchen

Your kitchen is the heart of your home—the place you cook, eat, entertain and bond with your family. You want this important room to be beautiful and luxurious, but you can’t spend your entire nest egg on renovations. Thankfully, you don’t need a massive budge to create a fabulous kitchen. All you need are a few dollars and these five creative ideas. [Read more…]

Originally posted on April 24, 2013 @ 1:27 am

Lighting Tips for an Awesome Kitchen

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Being an important room in the house, any kitchen should have the proper lighting to ensure that those who use it can see everything clearly even at night. There are tricks in lighting a kitchen and it’s not actually enough that only a single light is installed on the ceiling.

Having only one ceiling-mounted lighting fixture creates a glaring effect and causes shadows which is a no-no in the kitchen, according to interior designers. To create a well-lit room, blending and layering four types of light is most ideal. Depending on what you want to achieve in your kitchen, all four should be taken into consideration but you can also choose to use only two of them if you’re after practicality.

kitchen lights

Task lighting is the most important of all and this is one placed above a person’s head and the countertop (work surface). This provides sufficient illumination when preparing ingredients and reading recipes whether from a book, magazine or an iPad. Ideally, this kind of light should be installed below the overhead cabinets.
[Read more…]

Originally posted on May 11, 2013 @ 1:09 pm

Small Changes to Revolutionize Your Kitchen

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kitchen_backerboard1
It used to be that a kitchen was a utilitarian space used only by the person cooking a meal. Nowadays, though, kitchens are often the focal point of a home and the main gathering place for friends and family. Whether you’re enjoying a quiet conversation over a glass of wine with a loved one, having a coffee date with a friend or helping the kids with their homework, your kitchen should reflect the kind of lifestyle you want to maintain.

A few things you can do to make an old kitchen look new again include:

Change the countertops

Switching from an old scratched laminate counter to granite will not only give your kitchen a completely new look, it becomes more utilitarian. Granite is heat- and scratch-resistant, so you can place items directly on the counter while cutting and dicing. It’s also easier to maintain. A simple wipe with a damp cloth will do the trick for spot-cleaning. Granite is available in many different colors, so your kitchen will have a whole new look. [Read more…]

Originally posted on March 26, 2013 @ 12:47 am