Most kitchen appliances are all about food: storing it, cooking it, and cleaning up after it’s eaten. Except for the television. But even though it fails miserably at food prep, the TV has become as common in the kitchen as any power mixer or espresso maker.

"You’re no more surprised to see a TV in a kitchen than a microwave," says McKee Patterson, partner at the Connecticut architectural firm Austin Patterson Disston. "It’s just not a big deal anymore."

In the past, TVs were too big and clunky to fit comfortably in all but the largest of kitchens. But with the advent of flat plasma and LCD screens, you no longer have to give up valuable countertop real estate. In fact, screens have become so slim — some are just 2 to 4 inches deep — that they can go nearly anywhere.

Meanwhile, falling prices have virtually eliminated cost from the equation. "A small LCD TV is about $300 — anyone can have one," says Jack Borenstein, president of Ultimate Sound and Installations in New York, which installs 10 to 20 kitchen televisions each month.

While it’s easier than ever to squeeze in a TV, there are still some design considerations to take into account. First, since the screens tend to be smaller than those elsewhere in the house, viewing distance is critical. "You have to locate it close enough for people to see it and have easy access to it," says Barbara Laughton, vice president of Front Row Kitchens in Connecticut. Small screens — say 15 inches or less — are best mounted underneath cabinets or at the end of a counter. Larger screens can be hung on the wall or recessed into cabinetry.

Also, think up-front about who will be watching. If it’s the cook, then the screen needs to be within view of the kitchen work triangle (sink, stove, and fridge). If it’s the kids, then the TV should be oriented toward the breakfast bar, dining table, or other seating area. Swing arms that attach to the wall or cabinet or pull-out swivel trays help expand the options for kitchens with multiple viewing areas.

Finally, ask yourself just how important the kitchen TV is compared with others in the house. If you or your family members plan on spending a lot of time in front of it, you’ll probably want to invest in a larger screen, high-quality built-in speakers, and even a DVD player.

Then again, you may not want to look at the TV at all. Another advantage of the new generation of flat-screens is how easy they are to completely hide from view. One of the more innovative ways is to install it behind a picture frame whose artwork retracts for viewing and covers the screen when the set is turned off. A still more customized approach is a mechanized system that allows the television to descend from ceiling panels or rise out of an island. But the most popular method of making the kitchen TV virtually invisible is bracketing a flat screen to the underside of cabinetry, so that it can neatly flip up and out of the way.

written by Angel \\ tags: Actfind Hot Products, kitchen televisions, Kitchen TV