When high-tech is served up in high style, the result is a double treat for upscale consumers who want a cooking appliance that is sophisticated in every sense of the word. Greater convenience and more precise control over the cooking process have been the principal improvements made to many cooking appliances over the years, but lately the industry has produced a number of shining examples of taking innovation to a much higher level, producing unique appliances that stand out from the rest. The following forays are not intended to provide a comprehensive smorgasbord of everything new happening in cooking, but rather, they are meant to function as illustrative examples, a tasty sampling, if you will, of some of the hot ideas being served up by today’s appliance designers.