Spicing Up Your Hamptons Kitchen

The average American spends about 90% of life indoors. Twenty-five years are spent sleeping and 2.5 years are spent in the kitchen. It’s no wonder we want our houses to be fabulous.

With so many excellent wineries on the East End, it’s no surprise that many homes are adding wine cellars or wine refrigerators. But a real oenophile might consider one of several wine dispensing systems for the home that are on the market. They’re fully automated, temperature controlled, and most of them can hold at least four bottles of your favorite wines. These systems allow for three customized pour volumes from taste to half glass to full glass. They’re easy to clean, come equipped with a parentally controlled locking doors and hold regular to magnum sized bottles simultaneously. Thirsty much?

Speaking of wine, have you seen these robotic bartenders? It seems like there are more and more of these hitting the market lately. Whether you’re an avid entertainer or you just like to sit back and relax with a cocktail after a long day, these computerized mixologists might be just what you’re looking for. Touchscreen interfaces allow the drinker (err…user) to search for and create the perfect cocktail out of hundreds at the touch of a button. You could even invent new drinks, add or omit ingredients to classic drinks and adjust your drink size. They’re easy to use, easy to clean, and made to fit seamlessly into your kitchen.

What do you get when food and kitchen trends converge? Steam ovens, of course. Steam adds a great deal of flexibility to your kitchen. By using moisture rather than heat, you can retain all those vital vitamins and nutrients in the fresh fruits and veggies you pick up at your local produce stand. And don’t forget about all the local seafood you could steam, too! Another benefit of steaming is that there’s no need for oils, so the fat content is kept to a minimum. Steam also allows you to reheat your leftovers without losing any moisture, texture or flavor. While most steam ovens look just like a toaster oven, in-counter steamers are now becoming more popular, giving you the added benefit of not losing any counter space. It is indeed the superior and healthiest way to cook.

Add style and practicality to your kitchen with a pot filler faucet. Mounted on the wall behind your stovetop, a pot filler faucet can save you time—fill up a large pot to cook your pasta in right on the stove—and energy—save yourself the back strain of carrying that water-filled pot from the sink to the stove. The articulated arm of the faucet allows you to compliment other fixtures in your kitchen while simultaneously saying you’re serious about cooking.

De-cluttering your countertop is a sure fire way to keep your kitchen looking fresh and clean while preserving those straight lines. A lot of kitchens nowadays are adding pull-out microwave ovens, built right into the cabinetry, usually on an island. They blend right in while you’re not using it, while remaining easy to access, especially for the kids who might want to heat up some leftovers. And while you’re decluttering, think about where you’re putting that knife block. It used to be left right on the countertop, but new trends in kitchen design build that knife block straight into a drawer.

While we have drawers on the mind, consider adding freezer drawers to your next remodel. Separate from your standard freezer, freezer drawers add extra capacity in the kitchen, but could also be added to any room in the house. Next time you’re in the home theater and don’t want to pause your movie for a cold snack you’ll wish you had one.