Since the mid-1800s, people have been thinking of new and innovative ways to store food, cook food and clean up after eating. Many of these ideas were good enough to be used to this very day, yet inventors are striving to come up with new products that are more even more efficient and innovative.

Although stoves (wood fired) have been around since the 1400s, the first gas stoves were invented in the early 1850s, and by 1912, gas stoves were being challenged by electric stoves. Today, consumers have a choice between gas and electric, depending on cooking style and utility cost preferences. Recently steam injection, hot air impingement, sous-vide and microwave assist have been added to the stoves to create faster, more uniform cooking. As we are getting further into the age of innovation, I can see electric ovens that might incorporate induction into the internal oven workings as the heating source.

If the stove was the most important kitchen appliance product of the 1800s, the refrigerator must be the most important appliance of the 1900s. Although the idea of cooling foods dates back to ancient Rome, the precursor for the modern electric refrigerator was patented in 1914. Now there are hot water and coffee dispensers, ice cream makers and beer and wine taps and media centers installed in refrigerator units. As we progress, I see blast chillers and more means of inventory management being added to these food preservation machines.

The dishwasher has become an integral part of any American kitchen. While some still consider this appliance to be a luxury product rather than a necessity, the majority of American households have a dishwasher. The first patent for an appliance that resembles the modern dishwasher occurred in 1850 by Joel Houghton. Today we have new speed cycles, larger capacities, steam and special racking , and I think the future holds cold-water cleaning, ultrasonic washing and of course, the all-important fish and vegetable steaming button.

Kitchen appliances are so helpful, we wonder how we functioned before their invention, and we are eagerly await the next new thing to make our lives more hassle-free. With creative minds and the public’s acceptance, the future possibilities of kitchen appliances are endless. Who knows? A photon cooker or perhaps the Star Trek food replicator are in our near future.

Happy Retailing,
Moe Lastfogel
​[email protected]

​By Eliana Barriga
Publisher and Managing Editor for The Retail Observer

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending” – Maria Robinson

New Years is a time when we consider ways to reinvent ourselves. Re ecting over the course of the past year, it has been a rough one not only for myself, but for many close friends and family members as well. It’s been a year of facing big life changes, and contemplating intriguing questions such as: “Are you looking to make a new ending by creating exciting new beginnings?” To quote Steve Jobs, “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

Whatever you may want to change in your life, make uncertainty your best friend this New Year. Learn from your mistakes. Don’t take it personally. Raise your awareness to know that every day is an opportunity to fully comprehend that the past is gone. Those memories will never repeat themselves the same way. Old habits and patterns can’t hold you prisoner, but can encourage you to move forward in new ways, especially at the turn of the New Year when the entire planet is going through a re-boot with resolutions and plans for positive changes.

Get excited about things that have never been, by creating new dreams that encourage you to move ahead. What if the anticipation of becoming a relentless learner was the fuel you needed to become curious and enthusiastic in your new direction? Look for the people and things that make you shine. Move forward with joy and enthusiasm and surround yourself with those who bring out the best in you. New beginnings are most certainly always exciting times!

Make every day a new beginning,
Eliana Barriga
[email protected]