The kitchen is one of those frustrating places. Unlike other rooms, where
you decide what to add, the kitchen decides
for you. To be considered, well, a kitchen, a few large appliances are required that end up hogging valuable space. In the past, the appliance market didn't accommodate those of us with smaller kitchens than say, a two family townhouse, but these days you can find a compact, just about everything, that sometimes can even handle more than one job.
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Sharp Stainless Steel AX-1200S Combo Oven Convection, Steamer, and Microwave all within a 17 1/4" x 21 3/4" x 18 3/8" frame.
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Dacor Millennia Microwave In-A-Drawer, can be installed below counters or ovens.
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Kohler Karbon Faucet folds into a super small footprint.
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Deni 3 Tier Digital Food Steamer has nesting baskets and a removable base so you can easily tuck it away when not in use.
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Zanussi stylish and compact dishwasher measures 21-inches wide, so it can fit beneath sinks or on a kitchen counter.
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Sanyo ECJ-N55F Rice Cooker with a slow cook option for cooking soups, porridge, and stews.
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Gorenje Retro Refrigerator Collection, all models in this line are 23-inches wide, at varying heights.
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Morphy Richards Intellisteam can cook up chicken, fish, vegetables, rice, etc.
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Summit 39-Inch Combination Kitchen includes a large drawn sink at one end, two electric burners at the other, and a 5.2 cu. ft. undercounter refrigerator/freezer underneath.
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Danby DDW1899BLS 8-setting Dishwasher stands tall and slender, to fit into tight spaces standard dishwashers can't.
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I understand the compact appliances but thing like a rice cooker would not be a space saver. If you want to save space cooking rice or steaming veggies, then do it on the stove.
I think the rice cooker can perform the functions of a number of other pans so perhaps that is why it is considered a space saver. I fix spaghetti, casseroles, etc., in mine. It almost makes the stove obsolete. It's good for many things other than rice or vegetables and you just have to clean the inner pan, not a half dozen. That surely saves on soap and water as well. If you go on Youtube, you can find people doing all sorts of things with rice cookers. :)
I think the latest modular kitchens definitely need these types of space saving appliances. Apart from saving the space in our homes, it is also necessary to save the energy by using Eco-friendly appliances. By this, it is possible to convert our homes into an environmental friendly one.