TVSquad

Windows Media Center provides a "10 foot interface" for interacting with your computer. That means you can watch television, listen to music, or browse the web from the comfort of your couch. But there's no reason your PC has to be in your living room or office to be useful.

MCEDev is working on a recipe application for Media Center PCs in the kitchen. You can use the PC to watch TV or listen to music, or you can flip to a recipe page and follow instructions for baking an Apple Pie. In addition to recipes, you'll get step by step instructions with photographs.

MCEDev is working with adnotam, a company that's selling Media Center systems built into kitchen furniture, with a mirrored display. In other words, if your PC is off you'll see a mirror. If it's powered up, you'll have a video display.

The cookbook application should be available soon.

[via Ian Dixon]

Here's the thing about microwave ovens. They promise to cook your food faster, but really they just make time seem to drag on and on. You're not stirring chopping ingredients when you use a microwave, so you're just sitting around waiting for your food to finish.

And since microwaving is faster than cooking something in the oven, you don't really have time to go watch a TV show while you're waiting for your food to finish. So you stand in front of the microwave watching the seconds counting down until your burrito is ready to eat. And man, do those seconds take a long time to count down.

Well, we've probably just put more thought into this problem than anyone else in the history of the human race -- except for the guy who designed this 1200 watt microwave with a TV built into the door.

The TV unit is 15 inches, and even includes a DVD player. While you probably won't pop a movie in while waiting for your popcorn to pop, we're all for having a space-saving TV in the kitchen. You can watch a cooking show while you cook. Or Battlestar Galactica. We won't judge, either way.

Just saw a news crawl on CNN about Rachael Ray's new syndicated talk show, which will premiere across the country on September 18. It said that Ray's show will feature "can do advice" about cooking, travel, and...relationships?

Oh, great. Dr. Phil with a spatula.

Seriously, do we need yet another talk show that gets into the relationships and personal lives of the guests? Is Rachael Ray going to show a woman in the audience how to make BLTs and then ask her, "so, were you abused as a child?" I mean, Rachael...why can't you stick with your strengths, which is making food in the kitchen that all of us can do, giving us travel tips we can use, and having some fun? Why drag relationships into the show's mix?

I still haven't seen any evidence that this is going to be the "different" daytime show that the ads have been touting.

Gordon Ramsay will unleash more of his fury on wanna-be chefs this summer when Hell's Kitchen returns to FOX. Once again, twelve contestants will sweat, cry and cower under the anger that is Ramsay. They'll learn all sorts of tricks of the trade and the best executive chef will win a position at a luxury restaurant in the Red Rock Casino Resort Spa in Las Vegas, which is not on the strip.

Hell's Kitchen did pretty well for FOX last year, winning the coveted 18-49 demographic in its time slot. New episodes begin June 12. Will you watch?