Gaggenau at the Architectural Digest Show Spring 2012



Gaggenau CX 491 Induction Cooktop
State of the Art Cooking Technology

 Today is the long awaited day, the doors of New York's Architectural Digest Show will open, and all indicators are we can expect it to be a banner year for the show.

This is MCK+B's second year exhibiting, and while last years attendance couldn't compare with the preliminary numbers on this years anticipated attendance, the show was successful enough to bring us back. Let's go 2012 ! As new home starts and resale numbers are rebounding we have put extra spice into this years displays and are ready to help homeowners discover the surpirsing possibilities in new products for their homes.

In our booth we will premier the New Gaggenau CX491 revolutionary technology in "Full Surface Induction". Yes, a cooktop that will activate heating technology as it recognizes a compatible vessel (pot, pan, whatever you like) has been placed on the surface. There is no "set" burner. The heating process works through magnetically activated technology that is safe, clean and easy to use. The only requirement of the cookware you use is that it is magnetic.

Gaggenau's Sleek Line of Vario
"in Counter" Cooking Appliances

Safe you may ask? Yes part of the beauty of induction is that the top doesn't get hot. Only the pot and the contents become heated, and only to the temperature of the contents, beautiful! What this means is that its safe for homes with elderly or forgetful folks, busy people, or homes with small children. Hmmm, sounds like me and just about everyone I know!

The surface is easy to clean smooth top glass making it very user friendly, and because the top doesn't get hot! If you want to fry, saute and do other types of messy cooking you can spread newspaper over the top, lay the pan down, cook, and then clean up is as easy as rolling the paper up and taking it away.

Gaggenau is the undisputed industry leader in premium cooking technology, with an extensive selection of "in counter modular cooking devices ranging from 12" Teppan Yaki to 15" In counter fryers and steamers, there is something to tempt everyone. Fryer's you may ask, and at the same time think "isn't that unhealthy?". Well truth is there is substantial data to argue that food fried at the wrong temperature is what is unhealthy, properly done at the right temperature which is what Gaggenau delivers substantially cuts down on the fat content in your food. They offer in counter ventilation to pair with this wide selection of gas and electric modules.

Having visited Gaggenau's design center in Scotsdale last year, I can tell you that as a long time user of pressure cooking technology, what they have built into their Combi Steam Ovens is something to be reckoned with. Available in 24" and 30" widths, the technology cuts way down on cooking time, while keeping food moist, vitamin rich and flavorful. Sorry but other than for popcorn you will want to show your microwave the door!

If your in the city this weekend and want a rela treat, stop by the MCK+B Booth and preview the very best in cooking technology, courtesy of Gaggenau, prepare to be wowed!  

Thermador: Patented Innovative Technolgy



Recently back from my visit to the BSH design center in Arizona, I wanted to share some of the product features that are currently being rolled out. There are are so many, I think it's going to take a few posts to share what I saw and learned.

 As a designer I get asked regularly: “what’s better, a cooktop and wall oven combination or full one piece oven?” if

space and budget aren’t a concern the answer for me is very simple. I love the convenience of the two appliances. I recently learned that Thermador introduced the first wall oven and cooktop to the market in 1947. At that time they set a new standard for luxury and convenience in the kitchen. Prior to that all cooking was done on a central hub. The idea of separating the two functions offered the homeowner a multitude of benefits, being able to remote the oven outside the work triangle keeps the space cooler when you are running the oven for long periods of time, being able to have the oven at a height that is comfortable to the individual chef means greater ease when lifting heavy roasts in and out, it de-clutters the work area, as well a making it an attractive companion to a microwave, warming drawer or steam oven and allowing the space above the cooking to become available for a more powerful hood. And although now we have dual fuel ranges, it was also the earliest way to achieve an electric oven and a gas cooktop, something we can do today with dual fuel ranges as well.

This new category of appliances became a new standard homeowners strove for and created a influx of new appliance choices as many manufacturers joined in the competition for the more well to do clientele.



Thermador's Pro Range 48" with Oven,
Steam Oven and Warming Drawer



A year after they split the oven and cooktop up, Thermador introduced their Pro Range, and while the idea of professional style ranges for the home has actually boomed over the last 15 years, Thermador has found a way to sweeten the pot once again by offering a 48” Pro Range with a full oven, a warming drawer and a built in steam oven all in one. For those of you who don’t know much about me and steam cooking, we go way back. I began using a pressure cooker when my kids were small. I bought it as a lark at a Macy’s One Day Sale, it reminded of the old TV shows I grew up watching. Miraculously, I found it was a way I could very quickly whip up delicious healthy soups and stews and other things that would sneak veggies into my kids.





Well technology has taken this cooking method one step further, the steam ovens of today do a fantastic job of roasting, slow cooking, steaming, reheating, and baking, all in less time and with better results. In fact when you speak to someone who has used one, they actually suggest it takes the place of the main one for many who try one; much the way my pressure cooker replaced my regular pots for almost everything except sautéing and low simmering.



The Thermador Patented Simmer Top Left

 Simmering brings me to a recent test I was lucky to participate in, this is a key function on a stove for anyone who likes to either eat or make sauces. With my hectic schedule there are weeks my main family staple is a pot of homemade tomato sauce. Good sauce is all about the slow simmer.

I can thank my current range who shall remain nameless for death of at least 4 sauce pots in the last two years. As we all know, good pots are expensive, I have abandoned my trusty stainless and I am trying my hand at enamel right now, but the jury is out. Back to the test, recently four high end pro-style ranges got together for 90+ minutes with a small sauce pan, the lowest possible simmer setting and a cup of chocolate chips. The results were amazing and the only one that didn’t scorch the pot or harden the chocolate was the Thermador with the unique patented Star shaped burner and the simmer setting that allows you to control the flame in an on again/off again fashion automatically. There wasn’t even a question as to the performance; the Thermador burner was far superior.

The New Freedom Series of Mudular Refrigeration

Built in with Ice and Water Through the Door

True to their ingenuity Thermador is also poised to launch the Freedom Series of built-in modular refrigeration and aside from the clean flush good looks, superior high quality 115 degree hinging, attractive easy to clean well appointed interior, and they offer an 18” and a 24” full freezer with Ice and Water through the door. Now while many of us designers don’t prefer to see these little conveniences interrupting the “flow” of our design, homeowners want them. It’s a simple fact; it’s the recliner of the kitchen.

Thank you to Thermador for making this an option as well as so many other features in your product line.