No, I’m not at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), but like many of you, I desperately wish I were. Long the mecca for those ever in search of the latest high-tech gadgetry and glimpses of a brighter, cooler, more automated future, CES has also increasingly become the venue for appliance manufacturers to debut their newest wares.

Take LG, which just received a CES Innovation Award for its largest-capacity French door refrigerator—31 cu. ft.—to date, which can accommodate some 50 gallons of milk.

The accolade, however, was not for how much milk it can store and keep fresh, but for its Blast Chiller feature, which is aimed at those who like their drinks cold and fast. Pop a 12-oz. can of soda into the dedicated compartment and five minutes later, it’s ready for consumption. Have company? Two cans of soda or a bottle of wine can chill in eight minutes.

Other features include a Smart Cooling Plus system, which uses a patented Linear Compressor and Dual Evaporator, as well as sensors, to ensure optimal humidity and temperature for keeping food fresh; a Multi-Air Flow system that surrounds food with cool air; an air filter; a slim in-the-door ice maker; a four-part crisper system; 13-in.-tall ice and water dispenser; and Smart Diagnosis technology, which allows customer service representatives to diagnose and troubleshoot mechanical issues over the phone.

LG is also showing a suite of smart appliances that incorporate the company’s proprietary Smart ThinQ technology, which allows users to better monitor, say, the contents of their refrigerator or the status of a load of laundry from a smartphone or Smart TV.

Made a New Year’s resolution to waste less food and/or eat healthier? The refrigerator can help you with that, thanks to the Smart Manager, which keeps track of stored items, their expiration date and location and can recommend dishes based on what’s available.

Contents are recorded through a variety of ways: Users can select icons from the refrigerator’s LCD control panel, say the names of items—the unit is equipped with voice recognition technology—or scan receipts or barcodes with a smartphone. The system can also generate shopping lists and send them to your phone and, if you’re too busy (or lazy) to go to the store, allows for online shopping (I’m not sure how that works, though).

As to keeping you healthy, Smart Manager includes a Health Manager feature, which can suggest recipes and menus based on your age, gender, weight, height and Body Mass Index (BMI). Once you’ve settled on a recommended recipe, there’s a button you can press that will send the recipe to your LG Smart Oven, which automatically preps it to the correct setting.

Needless to say, you can monitor and set the temperature and cooking time in your oven via your smartphone. The Smart Oven also comes with an Infrared Grill, which cooks food evenly and efficiently.

Interestingly, another CES Innovator Award winner is Wolf’s E Series Built-In Wall Oven line, which isn’t new but apparently has been made smarter with connectivity. I’m not sure what that’s about, so I’ll see if I can find out more today.

Wow, writing about all this makes me feel as if I’m actually at the show. Not.

Feel free to contact me about any new appliance innovations launching at the show.

—Alice Liao

Remember this hot product from Germany last year?

It was shown at the inaugural LivingKitchen in Cologne. Maybe this video will refresh your memory:

Gaggenau’s booth at the show was mobbed with people trying to get a good look at the CX480 full-surface induction cooktop, which—you have to admit—is pretty cool. In fact, after I wrote about it in an Editor’s Note, I received inquiries about its availability in the U.S.

Well, Gaggenau’s sister brand Thermador has just announced that it will be demonstrating the Thermador Freedom Induction Cooktop on January 8 at the official press event for this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Similar to the Gaggenau product, the Freedom Induction Cooktop incorporates a natural-mapping user interface and several—48 to be exact—3-in. induction heating elements that together allow users to not only place their pots and pans anywhere on the cooking surface but also move them around while cooking.

Cookware shape and size are reflected in a 6 1/2-in. touchscreen display, which also controls power setting and cooking time.

The cooktop can accommodate up to a 21-in. x 13-in. pan and has a 4,600W maximum power output with Boost feature and a 15W minimum power output.

So when will it be available? According to the company, you’ll have to wait until July 2012. MSRP is $4,949.

—Alice Liao

If space isn’t an issue in your bathroom and you’re in the mood for a vanity with classic appeal and a furniture look, Dallas-based Cole & Co. is starting 2012 strong with 45 new designs.

They include the Marlowe Shell Chest, a curvy, silver-and-gold-painted unit that features three drawer fronts accented with shimmery capiz shells and measures 46 in. x 19 in. x 36 in.

Chamberlain is slightly wider and deeper at 48 in. x 20 in. x 34 1/4 in. and has three drawers—only two are working—lined with a wallpaper. Made of hardwood solids and veneers, it comes with two styles of pulls, both finished in antiqued pewter.

If you have space to spare but not enough for a double vanity, there’s also Lindsay, which extends 52 1/4 in. wide, 20 in. deep and stands 38 1/4 in. high. The unit comes in a surf and visage finish with antiqued mirror doors.

If you’re desiring something a little darker, Dalton features cherry veneers and a medium espresso finish. It measures 36 in. x 17 in. x 34 in.

For something a little tropical, Kona Beach is a striated design with quartered mahogany veneers and hefty dimensions of 43 in. x 19 in. x 36 in. Its four drawers—only three are functional—are adorned with aged patina pendant drawer pulls.

And if you’re needing a little emotional pick-me-up in this new year and you’re thinking a vanity may be the perfect vehicle for a dash of exuberance or funkiness in the bathroom, check out Cheshire, a 38-in. x 18-in. x 34 1/4-in. retro-inspired piece with multicolored striped doors and sides, an adjustable shelf and antiqued brass hardware.

—Alice Liao

So it’s a new year and maybe one of your resolutions is to eliminate clutter and be better organized. If so, Italian radiator manufacturer Brandoni may just have the solution for you.

Introduced at Cersaie 2011, its Allday radiator doubles as a peg board for hanging towels, bathrobes and other bathroom items. If installed outside the bathroom, say, in an entrance hall—as mentioned in the press release—it can be used to keep keys, a helmet or clothing within easy reach. The system features an aluminum plate punctured with holes for inserting magentized pins.

If Allday isn’t quite your thing or seems a little out there, Duravit’s OpenSpace should make plenty of sense, especially to those of you who are short on, well, space. Shown at ISH 2011, the shower enclosure made its U.S. debut during Duravit’s Design Week last October and was designed by Viennese design firm EOOS.

In case the following images are unclear, OpenSpace consists of a chrome frame and two doors, each of which is equipped with 8-mm-thick safety glass. When the shower is not in use, the doors can be folded back into the frame and out of the way. The enclosure is designed to accommodate wall unevenness of up to 18 mm and can be used with tiled floors as well as Duravit’s DuraPlan shower trays. It is available in a clear and a mirrored finish; with the latter, the door also acts as a full-length mirror.

—Alice Liao