Star Kitchen: Ted Allen

Ted Allen's longtime partner, Barry Rice, dreamed up all the fun features of the space: a huge island, hands-free faucets, a ridiculously powerful ventilation hood, pullout pantry shelves, a special area for baking, even a restaurant-style cleanup zone with double dishwashers.

Ted can find anything he needs in this prep zone: It's stocked with more than a dozen knives, plus bins of tools and an industrial food processor and juicer. "I like that the tools are out, so I can grab anything I need," he says. "And guests can jump in and help: They know where the pots are; they know where the knives are."

The big island keeps the guests on one side of the kitchen and the cooks on the other. Barry chose pietra cardosa (like a cross between granite and slate) for the top: "It looks like soapstone but it's not as soft." Ted's laptop is a fixture here. "I never cook without music," he says.