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The home-style Wi-Fi network in Tim and Nina Zagat's kitchen serves local laptops with email and other specialties 24/7, providing a "total sense of freedom" that reminds Nina of "first riding a bike as a kid." The newly renovated kitchen has "both low and high tech," from copper pots to a dual convection oven and a "fabulous" 17-inch flat-screen LCD that "takes up no space" and lets them "watch hot news stories" while preparing meals. Tim likes the "big flames" and "satisfying experience" of using their indoor gas grill. The pair's new Miele dishwasher "does an amazing job" while running so quietly that they "sometimes check to make sure it's on." Tim acknowledges that he "may be a bit behind the tech curve" because he's "still thrilled" at the way their microwave oven reheats "these incredible ribs" that he buys from "this guy along the road" who "smokes them himself." The Zagats are "skeptical" about remotely programmable kitchen appliances for consumers, arguing that with the "revolution in restaurant and takeout options," cooking at home means "choosing to have a direct experience" with food preparation – something that tele-cookery can't offer. For commercial and industrial kitchens, though, the Zagats feel that such network control technology is "inevitable."
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Oven GE's Profile wall oven uses a combo of thermal, convection, and microwave heat to speed up cooking times. Flash-roast a 22-pound turkey in two hours. Profile Single Wall Oven: $2,800, www.geappliances.com
Coffeepot Call it java on demand. Set brew times based on your schedule via the Beyond clock radio (see page 22), then reschedule on the fly from any Web browser. Beyond Coffee Maker: $99, www.beyondconnectedhome.com
Bread Machine Scan the UPC symbol on a bread mix box with the included wand and this kneader pulls the recipe from memory or finds it online. Beyond Bread Maker: $179, www.beyondconnectedhome.com
Refrigerator Forget about hanging up the kids' scrawlings – this fridge stores and delivers text, voice, and video messages. Use the touchscreen to access the Web or watch TV. HomePad: $8,000, www.samsung.com
