Clear Appliances That Let You See the Action
5 nifty models really put on a show
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What makes these appliances standouts? The answer is clear.
In a sea of stainless, these five models use glass to dramatic—and in some cases, practical—effect, transforming steel boxes into statement-making machines, allowing you to see their inner workings.
Anyone who has beaten cake batter or kneaded a dense loaf of dough in a stand mixer has had to keep careful watch for unmixed flour clinging to the metal bowl. No more. KitchenAid’s Professional 6500 Design Series Mixer is both beautiful and infinitely practical. The glass bowl lets you see everything you’re mixing, so you can easily spot clumps of flour or ensure that all of the raisins in oatmeal cookie dough are evenly dispersed. Of course, this model happens to earn top scores in whipping, mixing, and kneading anyway, so the glass may offer little more than peace of mind. Still, we’ll take it.
If you’ve grown tired of playing toaster roulette—dropping bread into the slots only to be surprised each time by what emerges—then consider the Cuisinart View Pro Glass 2-Slice CPT-3000 toaster.
It was developed in part because of changes in consumer tastes, including a new appreciation for artisanal and whole-grain loaves, which toast differently from traditional white bread. As an engineer at Cuisinart explained, "Different sugar and carbohydrate content causes bread to brown at different rates."
This clever model solves that problem by letting you take a more active role. In addition to its glass sides, this model produces consistent results with one slice or two, plus it's easy to use and clean. Now if only it would butter your toast, too …
KitchenAid's brilliant viewing window on the KDTM804ESS dishwasher allows you to see dishes before, during, and after the cycles. The machine’s top-tier performance (which we expect to match the similar KitchenAid KDTM704ESS) will leave dishes spotless.
LG LFXC24796D
In a household with kids—or indecisive adults for that matter—you may feel like your fridge doors spend more time open than shut. LG's InstaView door allows you to see what’s stashed on the door and peer onto refrigerator shelves. The screen defaults to black, but knocking on it twice causes interior lights to turn on, allowing you to see inside without opening the door. This model is currently being tested. We just hope this clever feature is backed up by solid cooling performance.
Siphon brewers fell out of fashion years ago with the advent of automated drip machines. But recent interest in artisanal coffee brewing has caused some coffee lovers to give siphons a second look. While they’re not for casual coffee drinkers (or folks who value short brewing times), there’s no denying that they’re fun appliances that cause water and grounds to bubble under pressure before being siphoned into a carafe. KitchenAid’s Siphon Brewer delivers on theatrics, putting on a great show. But it's tough to clean and tricky to pour from.
The top-rated iCoffee RCB100-BC12 looks like a drip machine but works more like a French press, mixing water and grounds before straining coffee into a carafe. And it offers a viewing window, too. So not only does it make a delicious cup of coffee, it also looks good brewing it.
