About.com - June Recap

YOU GUYS...thank you SO much for the sweet, sweet comments on our big announcement last week. We so appreciate your excitement and encouragement, it makes the whole experience that much sweeter!

I just got back from 5 fun days in Jamaica, went to work for a day and now I'm enjoying a 3-day weekend. It's a hard life, I know....Despite all of the excitement surrounding June I have been somewhat productive and wrote 7 articles over on About.com, here's a little recap...

1. The Best Taupe Paint for Your Kitchen Cabinets

A taupe kitchen can be SO warm, inviting and chic'. Over the year's I've designed quite a few kitchens that donned the taupe hue and each and every time the results were beautiful. In this article I'm writing about my favorite taupe paint colors as wells as a few on my "to try list".

2. Meet the Steam Oven

The Wolf Convection Steam unit is truly the bomb dot com. I'm writing all about the features this little appliance has that is sure to make even the most amateur cook (cough, cough...ME! ) look like a pro. 

3. Walk-in Pantry vs. Cabinet Pantry

This comparison or "battle" may see nuts seeing as how most of us would agree that storage is storage...HOWEVER some spaces allow for one vs the other and the debate on which is better can get SERIOUS. People love their storage and over the years it's been hard to convince clients to re-think how they store their goods. In this article I talk about the pros and cons of each pantry solution. 

4. What's in a Name? Exploring Today's Most Popular Design Styles

A few weeks ago I posted about this Tuscan Kitchen Keri Perry and I designed and it got me to thinking....as designers we throw around words like Tuscan, traditional, modern and transitional all the time but what do these titles actually mean? I break down the specifics within several design styles in this article.  

5. 5 Easy Ways to Give the Standard Subway Tile Backsplash New Life

The subway tile is undoubtedly one of the most popular backsplash selections on the market today. In this article I'm talking about a few easy ways to add some pizazz to your subway tile that will set it a part and make it feel a lot more custom and considered. 

6. Is White Marble the Worst Idea Ever?

I can't tell you how many times I've been asked "is white marble the worst idea ever?" Heck, I even asked myself that same question when it came to picking the tops for my kitchen. It's a tricky question and people definitely have their opinions, both good and bad. In this article I'm sharing my honest opinion and experience regarding the tempting stone. 

7. How to Select the Best Remodeler for Your Project

Over the years I have worked with many different remodelers on various projects and I have seen first hand how important it is to pick the right remodeler for you and your project. Selecting the right team is not only crucial for the successful execution of your project but your sanity. In this article I'm full of tips and suggestions for finding your dream team. 

Well, that's a wrap on my June articles! As always I'm eager to hear from you all if you think up a topic you would like me to cover over on my About.com page. Happy 4th of July weekend everyone! 

Steamy Love

So, I've held out on you, Cow Spot Friends. In my last post I covered the highlights from my trip to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Chicago, but I left out my favorite discovery. The truth is, this item was not forgotten, it was left out intentionally. I knew it was too cool to just include among the other items from the show, this item and topic deserved a post all its own.

The item: The Wolf Convection Steam Oven. The topic: Steam Cooking.

THIS is Wolf's Convection Steam Oven.

Oh.My.Gosh. This appliance is TOO cool. I had heard about steam cooking, but really didn't know a lot about it. Thankfully we were lucky enough to get a pretty thorough tutorial about this product and I was blown away by all it could do. To begin, steam cooking is quick, healthy and versatile. When cooking with this steam oven, foods maintain many nutrients that are lost by other cooking methods.

Take broccoli for example, if you boil broccoli you will notice the water begin to get a green tint.

Like this....

The green tint  you see above are the nutrients that have actually left the broccoli due to the cooking process. Most of us eat vegetables like broccoli to maintain a healthy lifestyle. By cooking the broccoli in a steam unit, you will increase the amount of nutrients your body receives, compared to boiling the broccoli, where a large amount of important enzymes wind up getting poured down the drain.

As cool as this information is, I was still hesitant. For most of us, it would be a stretch to buy an appliance solely for its ability to steam veggies. Especially when you can buy a steam appliance that sits on your counter for the times you plan to steam rice, veggies or other grains. The information I found out next took this appliance to a whole new level of cool and relevant.  The bottom line...this convection steam unit can do SO MUCH MORE...

 Because this is a convection steam oven you can also bake cookies and slow roast meats. You can even place a carton of eggs inside and WAH-LAH, hard boiled eggs.

Another great way to utilize this appliance is to cook frozen foods. Frozen foods?? Yep, the appliance adds moisture then bakes the moisture off, leaving you with the perfect crispness for chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fried shrimp, etc..

Pretty cool, right? I was intrigued and I love the fact that this appliance can literally be used in place of a second oven due to its versatile nature.







If you are familiar with steam cooking and have looked at or own a steam appliances of your own, you will be interested to know this steam oven is bigger than most. The water reservoir that is usually located within the unit to one side, is actually located at the top. 

See the seam right beside the control panel? That's where the water reservoir is housed, leaving the whole cavity of this unit open for use.

Because I design kitchens, I have acquired a deep interest and appreciation for appliances, despite my limited cooking skills.  For me, boiling rice a is a great culinary fete.  Oh gosh... I better stop, I can feel you losing respect for me as we speak :)  In my job I have had to familiarize myself with the various brands and styles of products along with their pros and cons.  Over the last few years I have heard various clients talking about the characteristics of specific appliances and how they use them for various dishes. I now understand cooking is more than just something people do, it's an art. And like any art, one must have the right tools to produce the desired results. Right now everyone is about "right sizing" and I think this appliance is a perfect fit for that mindset. You get all the perks of a convection oven with the bonus of steam capabilities.

Wow, this post is making me hungry! With all this talk of food, not to mention the pictures, it's no wonder my stomach is roaring at me! I Hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any recipes involving steam cooking please share!

All photos are from google search.