While many may say that the invention of the microwave oven revolutionized cooking it’s safe to say there are legions of people who feel coffee machines were a great leap forward for mankind. With the advent of the electric coffee maker it was finally possible to enjoy a fresh brewed pot of coffee of consistently good quality at home without any particular skill required other than the ability to add coffee and water and flip a switch. Today there are blogs devoted to exploring every aspect of the best coffee maker or the best ice cream and sherbet maker or the best of any kitchen appliance – it’s interesting to note that less than a decade ago certain appliances such as a single serve coffee makers didn’t even exist, let alone have an entire category or aisle dedicated to them in a retail store.
One wonders what the next kitchen appliance breakthrough might be – late night television shows are probably the breeding grounds for the next big idea on how to save time and prepare food more efficiently but it’s hard to say what the next breakout category might be. Experts have noticed that artisanal cheeses are gaining in popularity so perhaps there will soon be a home version of some kind of a cheese maker which might not be dissimilar to the electric yogurt makers popular a few years ago. Home baked breads remain popular and the bread maker category has yet to be fully explored.
Beer has many similarities to bread so it is somewhat surprising to note so little innovation in the category of home-brewing products; this may well be the next big growth area in home kitchen appliances.