I’m a food culture junkie. I have a permanent stack of cooking magazines under my coffee table, a season recording of Top Chef set up on my DVR, and I visit the grocery store at least three times a week. With so much of my brainpower focused on all things food, I’ve noticed there’s a lot of buzz around new food technology. Sure, we’re still largely making the same things in the kitchen, but—thanks to gadgets like induction ranges, silicone pans, and fancy fruit and veggie slicers—nowadays we can cook our dinner, lower our utility bills, and be done with all of it by the time our favorite shows come on. After checking out a bunch of these items and chatting with food industry experts, I devised a list of what I see as the new kitchen standbys. Whether you’re a traditionalist or a gadget junkie like me, it’s hard to deny that we’ve come a long way since sliced bread.
1. Professional grade stovetops
European and commercial kitchens have been using this type of range for a while now, and they’ve recently begun gaining popularity in homes across the U.S. What makes these ranges so cool is that they offer a high degree of temperature control, don’t emit a ton of excess heat (so your kitchen won’t turn into a sauna while you’re grilling burgers), and are extremely energy efficient. Plus, they’re super easy to clean. Traditionally gas, newer ranges come in electric and induction. “They’re great for people who don’t have the option of gas, but are looking for that energy efficiency and control,” says Jane Crump, public relations manager at the Viking Range Corporation. Plus, the heat stays really focused on the pot or pan you’re heating—not the rest of the stovetop. This means if you spill a little while you’re sautéing, it’s simple to quickly swipe it up without getting burned or worrying about scraping it off after it hardens.
2. Easier (and fancier) peelers and slicers
“The mandolin makes slicing a lot easier,” says Lindsay Pendleton, a prep cook at a Berkeley-based catering company. “Once you get used to it, you can slice things super thin and fast.” Originally from Japan, the mandolin consists of a small board with a razor and gap on one end of it. A separate piece has a grip for your hand on one side, and divots on the other that latch onto whatever you’re slicing, like an onion. You slide it back and forth on the board and—voila!—perfect, identical slices fall through the gap. Some even let you set the desired thickness of your slices. I’ll take that over hand chopping any day. Another of my favorite alternatives to the old cutting-board-and-knife routine is the apple accessory, which peels, cores, and slices apples into a fancy corkscrew shape—all with the simple turning of one lever. I made an apple pie out of my fancy corkscrew apples, and it looked like something purchased from a gourmet bakery.
3. Steam ovens
These combine the healthful aspects of steaming and the speed of stovetop cooking. “It’ll give you the juicy, flavorful meats and veggies you’d usually get from steaming, but a whole lot faster,” says Crump. You won’t need the usual steaming devices—pan, lid, steamer, etc.—and the oven-produced result has much more flavor than you would get from a traditional, dry-heat cooking. Leaner meats come out juicier, since the steam keeps them moist and packed with their original vitamins (which are sometimes lost in traditional cooking techniques). And, on top of healthiness and flavor, a steam-cooked meal is done quicker since the steam circulates around all sides of whatever’s in there.
