But as the world “goes green” the kitchen begins to look more like a vampire of energy use and chemical runoff than a place for us to prepare our sustenance. Thanks to our constantly running appliances as well as our questionable cleaners and soaps, the kitchen is coming under scrutiny as one of the least energy efficient places in the home. Yet there is hope for the modern kitchen in the form of the Brandt Aion, perhaps the cleanest, “greenest,” and most futuristic kitchen concept ever.

The Aion, designed by French industrial designer Antoine Lebrun, is a kitchen component like none in use today. It combines the features of a sink, dishwasher, stove and hood all in one. The sleek design resembles a command post on the Star Trek Voyager, but underneath the layers of functionality are even more surprises. The hood, a white cover that extends the length of the Aion, is used to grow plants. But unlike a normal window-box or potted geranium, these plants are specially bred for their air-cleansing qualities. Originally designed by the aerospace industry, the plants not only filter and cleanse cooking fumes that are taken into the hood, they also provide the sink with a renewable supply of fresh water and vegetable-produced soap.

But the best is yet to come. When dinner is over simply stack the dishes in the sink and close the hood. The Aion washes the dishes as well as the cooking surface using both the fresh water supply and all natural soap provided from the plants.

Originally designed during a small space study requested by the company Fagor Brandt, the Aion would be ideal for small apartments and condominiums, especially in older urban buildings where space is limited and energy expensive.

At this point the Aion is still at concept stage, but hopefully it bodes well for the future of kitchen electronics.

Photo Courtosey of Yanko Design.

The last room in the house that you probably think about when it comes to gadgets is the bathroom, but that’s just where LED faucet lights come in. The kitchen comes in second to last, of course, and the kitchen is generally considered another gadget-sparse environment. While both rooms do use devices that you could definitely call “gadgets” you don’t really think of such gadgets as “cool.” Not so with LED faucet lights. These things turn the water stream from your sink faucet a different color.

Now, why would you even want to do such a thing? Well, for starters, you have to admit, it is pretty cool–and being able to wash your hands after a late-night bathroom trip without turning on the lights would be pretty convenient, don’t you think? Not to mention the look on the kids’ faces when they go to brush their teeth for the first time. Basically, it’s a way to make your bathroom a little bit more interesting.

Just think about that for a moment: an interesting bathroom.

There is another reason that LED faucet lights are a great idea, however.

Think about safety. As an adult, you probably don’t have too much trouble checking to see how hot or cold the water from the tap is. But what about your kids? While the cheaper models of LED faucet lights are simply LED-based flashlights mounted in water faucet nozzles, the slightly pricier models are actually temperature sensitive. So, when the water is cold, it glows blue. When it gets hot, it turns red. Pretty sweet, huh? No more guessing games if you’re waiting for the water to warm-up or concerned that it might be too hot.

Hog Wild and Sector Labs both offer LED faucet lights at comparable prices with comparable features. Those prices range between $10 and $20. Both can be found at Amazon but ThinkGeek.com only carries the Hog Wild-brand.

You can also compare them at the source. For Sector Labs’ H2Glow LED faucet lights, check out the official product page

For Hog Wild’s LED faucet lights, visit their official product page.

The site comes courtesy of Kathy Maister, a former home-ec teacher from Boston. Realizing the potential of the handheld market, Maister sought to make a mobile cooking site a reality. She had to look no further than her husband, David Maister and the people who created his own site, a web design team by the name of StressLimitDesign. Working together they were able to establish a successful cooking repository that boasts over two hundred thousand visitors each month. Aside from cooking tips and recipes, startcooking.com offers a free subscription to the site’s videoblog. Available through iTunes, the videoblog has a back catalogue of over 40 recipes.

So next time you’re at the grocery store with your gadgets and without your shopping list, consider the tech-savy solution of the wireless cookbook that is startcooking.com

The Grill itself is of a vertical design, with electric grills that press against either side of the steak. This design allows the fat to drip down into a tray at the base of the unit, effectively containing the drippings and removing the fat from the steak. Also, with the fat contained at the bottom of the grill, away from the heating elements, there’s no need to worry about the smell of burning fat or the smoke associated with it. With a grill on either side this means that the cooking time is cut in half, as both sides of the steak are simultaneously cooked. The steak itself is held in place via internal springs that adjust to the thickness of the meat, from 3cm to half a centimetre.

The SteakHouse Grill is designed for your kitchen counters, measuring it at 570x345x442 mm. It also sports a luminous on/off switch and comes in a sleek stainless steel exterior. The grill will set you back about $220 but for those who find barbeques a hassle, it may just warrant looking into.

If you have ever tried to keep a cold dish cold or a warm dish warm after you have taken great pains to fix it, then you know all too well how very difficult that can be. Not any more. It is no longer necessary to cram ice around the dish or try to find a plug in for the burdensome and annoying cord to your warmer. No more cluttered and messy food set ups, thanks to the new revolutionary Hot/Cold Serving Tray.

This new kitchen gadget keeps foods either hot or cold thanks to the thermo sensitive oil that can be found inside of the tray, which is stainless steel. This oil is the key to its success in keep the food at the right temperature.

In order to warm the tray, you will need to place it in an oven set between 375 and 400 degrees and let it warm for about five or six minutes. This will warm the tray so that it will keep the food that is placed on it warm for several hours.

In order to cool the tray enough so that it will be able to keep food cold, you simply need to place it in the refrigerator for an hour or two. This will cool the tray enough that it will keep the food placed in it cold for several hours.

The stainless steel design not only helps to contain the thermo sensitive oils and makes the tray very durable, but it also makes for an easy clean up.

This tray is approximately twelve inches in diameter and can be purchase for around thirty dollars. In the long run this will probably save you money since you will no longer be buying all that ice to keep your food cold or using electric to keep your food warm. It’s the perfect gadget for anyone that prepares food from the avid cook to the “home room mom”. It makes transporting food and keeping it the right temperature a cinch.

Then, I found a better solution than tossing out perfectly good dishes. I found the “Slip-In Cup Holder”! I couldn’t believe it. It was the perfect solution for my predicament and I presume it would help many other people in my situation as well.

Trust me, this product is as simple to install as it sounds and it is just as practical. You just slide the chrome plated, u-shaped handles over the shelf at the top of the cabinet and you have the bottom shelf free for more storage. No tools are necessary to install this gadget, not even a screw. It has hooks that will hold up to one dozen cups. That frees up the space of twelve whole cups!

I know. I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it first too. But as simple and practical as this the “Slip-In Cup Holder” is it would be a wonderful gift for most anyone on your list. And the price, at around $8, makes it an even better “find” for me.