<b><b>The kitchen is still the most important room in the house - and what goes into it is becoming more high-tech. Tim Palmer looks at the kitchen appliance market, and finds that new cookers and fridges will soon be ordering the food and creating their own recipes - at a price</b></b><br><b>&amp;"Staying in is the new going out.&amp;" Ric Lyon, Belling's built-in and trade manager, neatly sums up why housebuilders should continue to concentrate hard on their kitchen offers. &amp;"Entertaining is definitely in. It's well recognised that when purchasing a new home it's the kitchen that evokes most reaction from consumers. Other rooms may have that &amp;"ooh-aah&amp;" effect but the kitchen is nearly always the room that clinches the sale. </b><br><b><b>High expectations</b></b><br> &amp;"Turn the TV on and you'll see cookery - this has a definite impact on the sort of amenities on offer from manufacturers - consumers expect features such as multifunction ovens, wok burners, griddles and warming zones.&amp;" <p></p><p>A recent study suggested that only 25% of people are resistant to using products that incorporate some form of advanced technology (see box,below). Neff's Alice Portnoy agrees: &amp;"There is no doubt there is growing interest in high tech appliances and less resistance …