The coolest thing I've seen in ages is this sink, but you do kind of have to see one in person or watch the videos to understand the awesomeness. (website has sound, if you're at the office) I know I've mentioned it a couple times, but it's just such an awesome idea for smaller spaces I can't help but throw it out there again.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Galley Sink

YOWZA! That Galley thing is awesome. Kohler stages, eat your heart out! Except I'm not grooving at a plug-in portable induction burner running literally on top of the sink.

I also vote for the crumb vac pullout drawer beaglesdoitbetter posted.

This is an old gadget whose time has come around again.

The old Nutone Food Center was a power base that ran all kinds of attachments: blender, mixer, meat grinder, chopper, food processor (and now Coffee Grinder)

My parents have one of these things and the problem is that the post that the stuff fits on rounds over, and at one time they could not be replaced. But basically you have one motor set into the counter and the container parts are the only thing you have to wash and store.

It works best in kitchens where you have one smallish prep space anyway rather than a wide area you can spread out to, since it tethers you to that spot. (Because of this there was a thriving eBay market for old parts since lots of travel trailers and RVs have them) They are cheap enough you could have two motors in different locations too.

Anyway TCC Kitchen Center reintroduced it, and I think it is has great applications.
{{!gwi}}

Marcolo: we thought that was kinda dumb, and a little scary, too. On the other hand, those cutting boards are boss. Our sink is sitting in the garage right now, so getting out the accessories is all the fun I've gotten to have so far. I am by no means a weak little lady, but I have to move them with two hands. Very, very sturdy. The few people we know who have the sink also have "normal" cooktops or ranges as well. That's what we're doing.

Palimpsest (great handle, btw), that is such a great idea for smaller spaces. Wish I'd seen it sooner!

I don't know what the overall impact will be on day to day cooking, but Sous Vide (super slow cooking in water of food sealed in vacuum bags) is intriguing, and now there is a home unit. The thing is that some meats easily take 8-10 hours and ribs can be cooked for up to 72 hours. Not very spontaneous.

I love that sink too by the way. I don't think I am afraid of the induction units. Maybe.

Sous Vide cooker
{{!gwi}}

I love that galley thing, too. I might have considered that if I'd known. Cool as heck.

In Europe and Canada, they have zone-free induction. I wish all induction here worked like that.

And, for those of you old enough to remember a broken record, I am now going to do my imitation of one. French door wall ovens! An old idea that should be new again. Currently only available in brands I cannot afford.

Ginny, I hear you on the french door wall ovens. I wanted one SOOOOO badly, but not for what it's selling for here in the US.

I also love Kiffgirl's Eye-vac. isn't it tied to central vac? Anyone have the link?

You can do either a central vac or a standalone unit under the sink. It's in an active thread now somewhere.

Sous vide--I hope not. I stopped eating sous vide short ribs and such in restaurants. I have chef friends. It is perfectly safe if done correctly, otherwise Not. And honestly, I didn't think it was any more tender than if it had been cooked at a normal low oven temperature.

That TCC thing is great. I remember the old Nutone version. I think the problem, though, is the same as the one for a lot of these innovations. Am I willing to commit to that hole in my countertop or whatever? Will I be able to replace it?

But it really helps solve the problem of being able to actually use all the kitchen cr*p you buy.

Sorry to double-post: I had this window open and forgot to link anyway.

That's a patent from James Dyson, as the article calls him, the "British King of Suck," who wants to develop modular appliances that all sort of click together so they don't take up as much room on the countertop.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dyson all-in-one appliance kit

Dyson is such a genius. It doesn't surprise me that he is tackling small appliances... his vacuums are wonderful.

I saw the video for the Galley sink, and was impressed.

vitamix with soundproof cover like in starbucks but with designer finishes.

i love my counter top vitamix but its a loud, unsightly behemoth, though my most used appliance.

Holy sink, Batman! What doesn't the Galley do?

We rented a house during college that had the Nutone Food Center. It was really neat. Some of the attachments were missing, but it did a great job of mixing up cookie dough and such.

Re: sous vide. I love sous vide. I rigged up my own sous vide contraption using a temperature controller and a crock pot. Marcolo, the point isn't so much that the dishes will be more tender than conventional. Instead, sous vide has two and a half strong points. The first is cooking things like lamb shanks or short ribs, as you point out, but keeping them from getting overcooked while at the same time getting them tender. (You can have a tender short rib done medium rare, still showing pink. Yum.) The second strong point is cooking, say, a rare steak. You can cook it entirely rare, with no chance of overcooking it, and no worries about timing. Then just brown the outside, and you have a delicious steak that is 90% rare, and still has the wonderful browned outside part. A rack of lamb cooked for 8-10 hours at a medium-rare temperature is divine. The "half" part is just the ease of not having to worry about timing. You can start cooking your scallops anywhere from 3 pm to 6 pm, and the timing matters essentially zero. Cook the rest of your dinner, then pull out the scallops when everything else is finished.

I made the recipe below last New Year's, and it was pretty manageable due to the insensitivity to timing. My guests thought is was the best meal they ever had, and still say so 7 mos. later.

Here is a link that might be useful: sous vide lobster

Kaismom, a regular member, Lauren, first posted about the Galley.

Don't expect a good example from me. I'm thrilled with my Foley Food Mill. Elbow grease, anyone?

Here is a link that might be useful: Foley Food Mill on eBay

Sous vide has a significant risk of giving someone botulism poisoning without producing any of the "off" smells that normally warn people about spoiled foods. It requires very precise temperature controls not only during cooking but before and after, as well. A friend was a chef in NYC when the health department shut down all the sous vide service in the city--his stories didn't give me a lot of confidence in the process even though now they're supposedly all certified there or something. There are no such checks anywhere else that I know of, certainly not in the home kitchen.

The downdrafts available in Europe -- and, actually the wide range of range hoods as well -- are something we don't see here. They certainly are pricey, but very cool.

Here's a YouTube video of the Guttman Futura;
Gutmann Futura
Interestingly it's featured with an in-line/linear cooktop, which also doesn't seem to be available here, at least not the induction variety, either.

Elica also has an almost sculptural downdraft: the Seagull. You'll need to scroll down a ways in this blog to see it. The blog also mentions the Gaggenau zoneless induction that's been mentioned in GW before (in the Appliance forum).
Elica Seagull

I doubt this is a new idea, but I'm fascinated!
http://www.cook-n-dine-usa.com/en/built-inRECTANGULAR.html

Sous vide sounds wonderful . . . except for the cooking in plastic part. Ick.