Given that I come from a family of four boys, it's probably no surprise that I only have passing familiarity with that 70s icon of girlhood, the "Easy Bake Oven." Though I never got to operate it, I did stand awestruck as my friend's older sister removed a pan of fresh brownies from this miniaturized appliance. What I didn't know at the time is that the Hasbro Toy was likely inspired by Joe Colombo's very grown up appliance, the Minikitchen.

Minikitchen. Original Design by Joe Colombo. New Version in White Corian Manufactured by Boffi.

Re-Visit Convenience with Joe Colombo's Minikitchen for Boffi

Originally debuting in 1963 (coincidentally, the same year as Ronald Howes' prototype for Easy Bake), the current incarnation of the Minikitchen is a re-release by manufacturer Boffi, now realized in vibrant and durable Corian. But just like Colombo's versatile appliance, the new version of Minikitchen is an infinitely transportable monobloc appliance on rolling castors, or, a movable kitchen... "in the form of a large trolley with kitchen functions."

Said functions more than trump those of the single-minded Easy Bake, as they include a ceramic glass cooktop with touch control; a 50 liter capacity mini fridge; a solid teak chopping block/prep surface;  360° swiveling castors with block brakes; and a bevy of drawers and hidden storage for kitchen accessories. That last feature facilitates the roll-in, roll-out utility that made Minikitchen such a hit in 1963.

Just so, the very same transportability makes the Minikitchen newly attractive in the new millennium, as our appliances continue to vie for limited space. Minikitchen thus provides a convenient and compelling solution for multi-use rooms, not to mention a super-cool addendum to full-fledged kitchens, as Minikitchen provides the flexibility to, say, roll the entire digs outdoors in order to prepare a poolside six-course meal-I can already envision the Top Chef challenge...

About the Manufacturer: Since its founding in 1934 by namesake Piero Boffi, the manufacturer of the same name has become synonymous with excellence in the interior designs of kitchens and baths. Working with some of the world's top designers, Boffi has a history of authoring iconic designs that steered the course of A&D. Among such fruitful collaborations bearing the Boffi banner, one finds the Series C Kitchen by Asti, Favre and Boffi (1954); the Minikitchen by Joe Colombo (1963); and the K10 Kitchen by Norbert Wangen (2002).