Celebrity Kitchen - Rihanna’s Kitchen - Pacific Palisades Home, California.

Courtesy: HGTV

The spacious kitchen features a center island with an eat-in bar

Kitchen of the Week

Appliances Review - Compact Microwave Oven

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If you are running late for work and need a quick breakfast or if you just got home and have to get some food on the table fast, a compact microwave oven is a great solution for your dilemma. These versatile appliances are great for college students, busy parents and just about anyone who needs a hot meal or beverage and doesn't have the time or space for elaborate cooking.

Compact microwave ovens are smaller and have less power than full-size units, coming in at around 700-800 watts. However, these appliances are definitely useful to have on hand. Many countertop microwaves offer a number of preset options for cooking specific items, and they also are handy for defrosting frozen foods before cooking. If the kitchen in your house is small, if you live in a dorm room or if you keep a snack area in your den, a compact microwave oven could make a tremendous difference in your life.

These helpful appliances allow you to prepare healthy, hot meals and snacks in a short period of time. Though larger microwave ovens often provide more color and style selection, the features and options available on these compact models are worth investigating.

Compact Microwaves: What to Look For

There are several common features in the top countertop microwaves we reviewed. Some of these include how easy it is to use, the program settings and the overall design of the product. All of these traits are important to consider when you're purchasing a microwave oven that will last for years, even with daily use. Here are the main features and options we considered in our reviews:

Program Settings
Trying to decide how much power to use for a set amount of time is a difficult guessing game at best. The testing done on the compact microwave ovens in the manufacturing plant helps eliminate some of the uncertainty. Countertop microwaves that provide practical preset programs for various foods are quite useful.

Ease of Use
If a compact microwave isn’t easy to use, it can’t be considered a labor-saving device and is just taking up counter space. We checked for easy-to-read buttons and programmability. To get the most out of your appliance, make sure there aren’t any aspects that will drive you crazy the week after you buy it.

Design
For many people, having a choice of colors is an important feature. If your kitchen is entirely decorated with white appliances, a black one would stick out like a sore thumb. Compact microwave ovens are generally available in three colors: black, white and stainless steel. We also took into account the overall layout of the buttons in rating a compact microwave for usability and attractiveness.

Help & Support
Although you probably won't have any trouble with these quality microwaves, it's good to have help available just in case. Warranties as well as help and support are important for appliances that you plan to use often. Make sure you feel comfortable with the available help and support as well as the warranty coverage before purchasing any product.

Whether you're searching for the perfect birthday gift for your college student or you just need something compact that fits on the end of the counter our detailed reviews will help you identify and compare best compact microwave oven to fit your needs.

Appliances Review - Double Oven

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Double ovens offer dual functionality and flexibility for home cooks. They enable you to cook two dishes simultaneously at different temperatures. They are also smaller than conventional single ovens, so they take less time to heat up. Freestanding, built-under or built-in double ovens enable you to time your meals perfectly and cook for large groups of people.

Double Ovens: What to Look For

Double ovens come in several different configurations, from double wall ovens to slide-in gas double ovens. The type of double oven you should choose depends on several factors, including your kitchen setup and how often you cook and entertain. They can also range greatly in features and price. To begin your search for the right double oven, consider these three primary determinants:

Energy Type
A major deciding factor when it comes to the right double oven for your kitchen is the type of fuel your home already runs on: natural gas or electricity. Double ovens come in both varieties, and if your home doesn’t already have a natural gas connection, it can be costly to run a new line. Gas ovens are also more expensive and not as widely available as double electric ovens. However, they tend to be more energy efficient and thus provide greater long-term energy savings.

When it comes to performance, most people find that electric double ovens distribute heat more evenly and preheat quicker than gas ones.

Style
Beyond energy type, another major factor to consider in double ovens is style. The style of a double oven refers to how it fits into the configuration of your kitchen. Double ovens are available as built-in wall units, slide-in ranges and freestanding appliances. Unless you are in the middle of designing a new kitchen or remodeling your current one, you may have little choice in which style fits the available space.

Capacity
To accommodate two separate ovens in a single appliance, the capacities of a standard-size double oven are smaller than that of a single one. Typically, double ovens have a larger oven on the bottom and a smaller one on top. However, some higher-end double ovens have two full-size ovens, either stacked on top of one another or side by side. These ovens are professional-grade and more expensive than standard-size double ovens.

Consider the size of your family and how often you cook large meals. A standard-size double oven will likely work for most home cooks, but you should consider one with full-size ovens if you entertain often or host large holiday meals.

A double oven enables cooking with versatility, efficiency and precision. With two ovens instead of one, you can cook different types of food at the same time and host meals for large groups.

Appliances Review - Food Steamer

Health, great flavor and convenience are the most compelling reasons for buying a food steamer. Steaming cooks your food without unnecessary added fats, so it reduces the amount calories in your food. Cooking with steam also helps your food retain more nutrients than other methods of cooking, such as boiling, sautéing, or frying. By steaming, you get more vitamins and minerals in your meals which provide better fuel for your body. You can also add spices to the water to boost the flavor and diversity to your steamed dishes. There is the classic stovetop steamer pot, but many food steamers these days are electronic, with some doubling as rice cookers. In addition to steaming vegetables, you can steam many foods, including meats, seafood, chicken, small game and rice.

Food Steamers: What to Look For

As you look for the best vegetable steamer for your home, consider the following elements:

Size
Food steamers come in sizes measured by quarts, usually three quarts or more, and have one to three tiers which you can use to stack food or steam larger quantities or larger sized foods. If you buy a combination rice cooker and food steamer, the size is relative to the number of cups of rice the cooker makes. The larger the rice cooker, the larger the steamer basket will be. Smaller steamers are great for cooking a single dish, while a three-tiered food steamer can cook a whole meal.

Versatility
Dedicated food steamers can accommodate a variety of foods. If you are generally include rice in your meal, it makes sense to get a rice cooker and food steamer combo. However, this typically limits the variety of food you can steam because it is contained in a single unit and only has one basket for steaming other foods. Still, if your meals are composed of grains in addition to meats or vegetables, this is a perfect way to cook without having to do anything more than putting your food in the steam cooker and turning it on.

Ease of Use
Food steamers come in electronic and stovetop varieties. Electronic steamers have timers, so you can set them and do other things while you wait for your food to cook. Stovetop varieties need some monitoring, so you have to keep an eye on water levels and perfect your timing to make sure you food is cooked the way you want it. The best steamers are dishwasher safe, so there are no pots to clean.

Food steamers are a great way to prepare healthy, delicious meals without adding extra calories. They are easy to use, and you can cook many different varieties of foods with them, including vegetables, seafood, meat and more. You can cook a single dish or a whole meal. For nutrition, flexibility and easy cooking, a food steamer is a great tool in the kitchen.

Appliances Review - Electric Range

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When searching for a new electric range, take into consideration your cooking and baking habits and look for an electric range that can handle the quantity and frequency of the meals you make every day. The best electric ranges have burners that boil liquids rapidly, ovens with plenty of room inside and broilers that allow you to adjust the temperature. Look for a cooking range that has these features and includes additional conveniences, such as automatic shutoff or a keep-warm function. We researched and compared the stoves in our lineup to the following criteria:

Range Design
All electric ranges, while designed to fit in a standard 30-inch space, are not created equally. Look for a stove that is close to the height of your countertops, and is deep enough to fit the amount of pans you want to cook. This is where the cubic feet of capacity comes in to play. If you consistently cook for a family of four or more, you will want to consider getting a cooking range with over 5 cubic feet of oven space. This will ensure that you can cook multiple dishes at once and that the oven can fit anything large such as a holiday roast or turkey. We also looked for electric ranges that come in multiple colors, so you can pick the one that best matches your other appliances and decorating style.

Stovetop Features
Another important consideration should be the stovetop features, such as the number of and type of burners the range has. The standard sizes found on the majority of electric ranges are 6-inch and 8-inch burners, but the best electric stoves usually have at least one larger burner, if not more. We looked for ranges that have strong burner wattage and multiple-sized burners beyond the standard sizes.

Six-inch burners are better for smaller pans and use less wattage, making them perfect for simmering items such as your favorite pasta sauces. Large burners can deliver more power, enabling you to cook with higher temperatures and boil more rapidly.

Dual-burner radiant elements allow you to choose whether to utilize a small or large burner. This gives you more flexibility with pan placement and use. Look for a dual-burner range if you constantly find yourself wanting another large burner while you cook.

Oven Features
Besides having an oven that can handle multiple and large dishes, the temperature consistency and range is an important feature to consider. The higher the bake and broil wattage, the quicker the oven can heat up, reducing the amount of preheating time needed. It is also important to look for an oven that has many oven rack positions, as this allows you to correctly bake and broil foods at the right distance from the heating elements.

User Conveniences
We looked for ovens that had additional user conveniences to make your meal preparation more enjoyable. Some of these features include a digital clock and timer, lockable digital controls and lights that will indicate when the stovetop elements are in use or still warm.

The best electric ranges are self-cleaning. We found that the majority of ovens use extremely high temperatures to burn away food residue and spills, but a few of our top-ranked ovens use a form of steam cleaning to help make it even easier to clean the oven.

Other important features you may want in an electric stove include a keep-warm function and a cook or delay timer that automatically turns on or shuts off at a designated time. These conveniences allow you to set and forget, making it possible to come home to a warm meal at the end of your day, or if you are working in a different part of your home and can't hear the timer go off.

Warranty & Support
We considered how long each manufacturer's warranty lasts for the electric ranges on this site. We also took into consideration how easy it was to find answers to our questions. A good manufacturer is prepared with the answers you need even before you contact them and usually posts a list of FAQs on their website.

When shopping for a new electric range, don't just pick the first one that catches your eye. Use our research and criteria to determine the best electric range that will fit your needs. Look for options that you want to make your meal preparations easier and enjoyable and you'll be on your way to whipping up some delicious dishes and sweet memories in no time at all.

Appliances Review - Gas Range

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When it comes to stove-top cooking and baking, many consumers tend to go with electric ranges. These are reliable and typically cost little for the unit itself. But when it comes to quick-response heating, heat retention and just cooking s’mores from the convenience of your kitchen, gas ranges reign supreme. The design of ranges using gas is quite different from the standard electric range and its smooth top. The gas range still utilizes a grate with slits for open flame to emerge and heat food.

While stainless steel gas ranges are most often associated with professional cooking, they offer many benefits that benefit in-home chefs. You can more easily gauge a gas range’s heat level by the color of the flames, which can save you from cooking food too hot or putting food on the burner too early. In addition, ranges more easily facilitate quick-to-low heating rather than stubbornly retaining heat like electric models.

Gas Ranges: What to Look For

When it comes to the type of gas ranges to consider, stand-alone models will always be a consumer preference. Few kitchens separate the burning element from the oven component, instead offering a space in the countertop to slide the range right in. Freestanding ranges are much easier to install, maintain and replace, ultimately saving you more over the long-term.

Features
Most slide-in gas ranges are 30 inches wide, though some of the more decorative and expensive models can reach sizes of up to 36 inches. The typical range includes four burners, with the wider models capable of fitting five or six for even greater multitasking. Electric ranges earn much of their popularity through smooth-top ranges and digital displays, whereas gas varieties retain the large knobs and rugged grates.

Burners
Rather than picking the best gas range for you based on BTU, which only measures gas used versus heat generated as opposed to performance, focus instead on the types of burners offered. Varying types of ranges will include anywhere from four to five burner racks of varying sizes to facilitate large or small pots. The standard among ranges is to include at least one high-powered or quick-heating burner for quickly cooking food.

Oven
While picking the best slide-in gas range is based largely on the range itself, units come with an oven component to create a fully rounded cooking device. If you’re big into baking or often use the oven to broil food, ovens play a critical role in the kitchen. Some models come with a dual-oven feature to facilitate cooking multiple meals at varying settings. The best ovens will include a convection functionality for more even cooking results and better heat control.

You’ve likely seen gas ranges in use by professional chefs. However, this type of range isn’t relegated just to the pros, as it offers you the same results when cooking. If you want better control over gauging burner heat and cooking food, this type of range is worth consideration. High-heat burners, combined with a reliable and modern oven, create a well-rounded product that will serve any kitchen well.