Refrigerators aren’t just chilling–they’re multitasking.
Smarter, faster and more versatile kitchen appliances were among the latest innovations at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference held last weekend in Chicago.
Whether it’s an oven that cooks a 13-pound turkey in 35 minutes or a refrigerator that can clue you in to when the milk is expired, kitchen appliance manufacturers are courting consumers who have gourmet tastes but little time.
“Designs by kitchen manufacturers need to fit American’s lifestyles. We want to live in our kitchens,” said Katherine Flaherty, of LuxeHome in Chicago.
As a result, appliances are not only more sophisticated and high-tech but come in multiple configurations that can be tailored to how homeowners use their kitchen space–whether it’s entertaining friends or hanging out with the family, Flaherty said.
“A traditional kitchen had the cook facing the wall while at the stovetop,” Flaherty said. The explosion of modular and smaller appliances that tuck into islands give cooks more versatility, so they can stir the sauce while helping with homework or reach under the counter and into the refrigerator while doing prep work, she added.
Here’s a look at some of the cutting-edge appliances unveiled at the show. Keep in mind that most products aren’t yet in stores, and many of them are high end, so it’s unlikely you’ll find them in the aisles of your local big-box store.
Fast-food cooking: Who has time to cook these days, let alone throw elaborate dinner parties? If TurboChef had its way, we all would. The industrial ovenmaker that has made it possible for Subway to heat a sandwich in 20 seconds is bringing speed cooking to residential homes with its 30-inch Double Wall Speedcook Oven, available in the fall. The bottom oven is a traditional convection oven, but the top oven combines microwave cooking with forced air to cook food up to 15 times faster than conventional ovens. That means a frozen pizza is ready in about 15 seconds, a chocolate souffle, in two minutes, or, as Chicago chef Charlie Trotter demonstrated to a crowd of onlookers, an organic rack of lamb can be roasted to medium-rare perfection in about 7 1/2 minutes. In a conventional oven at 450 degrees, it would take about 40 minutes to get similar results, said Trotter, who has been using a commercial version of the speed oven at Trotters To Go for about 5 1/2 years. To help take the guesswork out of speed cooking, an LCD cook navigator holds 400-plus recipe profiles.
The oven, with its hearth-shaped door in six designer colors, manages to look sleek and retro at the same time–all the better to appeal to those who can afford its $7,495 price tag.
Faster cook times also was one of the benefits touted by the makers of induction cooktops, which use electromagnetism to create heat in iron-based pots and pans. Highly energy-efficient and safe (the surface stays cooler to the touch, because the heat source is the pan), induction cooking is also speedier: Water boils in less than three minutes.
Induction cooking is popular in Europe but has been slow to adopt in the United States. Better technology, say manufacturers, should change American attitudes.
“The response in Europe has been overwhelming,” said Don Loving, a district sales manager with B/S/H Home Appliances Corp., manufacturer of Thermador appliances. “Induction cooking combines the best features of gas, which is instant heat, with the easier-to-clean electric cooktops.” Thermador introduced five models at the show, available in July, in 36-inch, 30-inch and slim 15-inch sizes. Prices range from $1,500 to $2,400.
Steve Kirkley, president of California-based WindCrest, says heating components that are more compact and reliable make the technology more viable than in the early 1980s, when several American manufacturers introduced induction cooktops that fizzled after disappointing sales.
“Today’s cooktops have a depth of 3 inches, compared with 10 to 12 inches with older models,” Kirkley said. Windcrest was showing 30-inch and 36-inch induction cooktops, in stores in July, that sell for about $2,500 to $3,500.
Tuned-in refrigerators: Technology integrated into refrigerator doors allows families to leave messages, post pictures, watch TV and catch the weather on their big boxes. Plus, refrigerators often aren’t big boxes at all, but are slim, counter-depth modular columns or undercounter drawers that can be installed wherever it makes sense in the kitchen.
At the show, Samsung was exhibiting its POPCON refrigerator, a 25-cubic-foot refrigeration with a 10.4-inch LCD screen that acts as family message center–with digital schedule and calendar–and TV/radio. It also tracks the inventory of food inside and can alert a homeowner when the milk is expired or ground beef is past its prime. The wireless screen is detachable, so you can tote the TV to a nearby room or use the stylus to update the digital calendar at the kitchen table. The refrigerator will be available in August for $3,499.
LG Electronics also was displaying the next generation of its TV Refrigerator, which in addition to a 15-inch, cable-ready TV/radio in the door, adds a 4-inch LCD display that includes weather forecasts, a digital photo album and recipe bank with 100 pre-loaded recipes. The refrigerator, available this spring, will range from $3,499 to $3,699.
Homeowners who are tired of designing the kitchen around a bulky refrigerator now can mix and match refrigerator and freezer columns. Gaggenau introduced freezer or refrigerator columns ranging in widths from 18 to 30 inches, while Thermador’s columns are from 18 to 34 inches. The columns can be integrated into custom cabinetry or can stand out in stainless.
Look for Gaggenau’s columns, which range from $6,500 to $8,500, in stores in September. Thermador’s Freedom columns start at $2,699 and are due out in July.
Air control: Those living in smaller places or apartments that can’t vent to the outside have new options for clearing the air. Range hoods with slimmer profiles were shown by a number of manufacturers, including Zephyr Ventilation. Its sleek, 21-inch, ductless Om mini hood hangs from the ceiling, and the minimalist circle-within-a square design has tiny intake holes to suck in smoke and odors. Hidden halogen backlighting helps to brighten the work area, and color choices for the reverse-silk-screened glass, in black, white, orange, red or custom designs, allow a homeowner to make a design statement. The hood, in stores in September, is $3,400.
Gaggenau’s ductless backsplash island vent is made to fit either standard 36-inch or 48-inch cooktops and plugs into a 220-volt outlet. Coming out in July, it will sell for $4,500.
New finishes: If you’re worried the stainless-steel finish on your appliances are on their way out anytime soon, don’t be. Stainless steel, which leaped from the professional kitchen to the home several years ago, was everywhere at the show and is considered a go-with-anything finish, said Melissa Birdsong, vice president of trend forecasting and design for Lowe’s.
So, is there anything new on the horizon? Jenn-Air is launching an Oiled Bronze appliance suite that is meant to coordinate with earth and copper tones yet still complement stainless. Look for the new finish on refrigerators, dishwashers, wall ovens, cooktops and range hoods starting in mid- to late 2006.
Also, Milwaukee-based Perlick Corp. introduced a 72-inch undercounter multizone refrigerator cabinet, available now, in amethyst and copper.
