Town & Apartment Living
“This new demand is stimulating sales at both ends of the market, driving growth for premium as well as budget appliances,” she comments. Balestrazzi says that the cooking market has undergone considerable growth in the past 12 months, increasing by 5% in value sales, which, in part, can be attributed to the introduction of more compact appliances at the mid and premium points of the sector. “A much more affordable cooking solution for young professionals living in high-rise accommodation, the new series of 46cm compact appliances are offering multipurpose, space-saving cooking solutions, providing conventional, fan and grill functionality as well as microwave or steam power. With generous gross capacities of up to 44 litres, such appliances are now suitable for use as the main household oven, coming equipped with a range of intelligent features for the time-poor professional.”
COVERING ALL THE BASES
De Dietrich’s Walker says his brand’s 45cm DOS1180X multifunction Pyroclean oven with steam functions, touch-control and animated display is “ideal” for smaller kitchens.
AEG PROTEX PLUS HANDLES DELICATE GARMENTS WITH TLC With a ProTex Plus machine consumers can now wash even their most delicate silk and woollen garments with peace of mind. Featuring the only wool programme on the market today that has a ‘cool down’ phase at the end of the wash, this machine protects fabrics from the shock of a cold water rinse at the end of a cycle to prevent shrinking. The ProTex Plus is so gentle that it was recently awarded the highly-coveted Woolmark Gold certificate for its delicate handling. With AEG’s steam function users can refresh a suit and remove creases as an alternative to dry cleaning. The ProTex Plus washing machine generates steam at a lower temperature of 70°C for extra gentleness, making it ideal for dry clean only garments. Trade Sales: 08445 610651 www.aeg.co.uk
De Dietrich compact 45cm combination microwave oven and 45cm Pyroclean oven with steam functions
“Combine this with a 45cm DME1195X touch-control combination microwave with animated display and the consumer has every possible cooking option available today, from two compact ovens.” The popularity of steam cooking is gaining traction in the UK as consumers come to realise that steaming is not just for fish or vegetables and steam technology has advanced and is now available at different levels of the market. The perception that steam is not a suitable method for cooking the Sunday joint is also being dispelled as technology now provides options such as those seen on the Electrolux CombiSteam multifunction oven, which offers all of the functions expected on a top-of-the-range model, with the addition of three programmes that use different combinations of steam and hot air: CrispSteam (25% steam) for roasting poultry or meat; SoftSteam (50% steam) for creating a crisp crust on breads and cakes and for reheating foods without further browning or drying them out; PureSteam (100% steam) for dishes such as rice or vegetables. Combination cooking appliances are the natural choice for small kitchens, according to Smeg’s Joan Fraser, Product Development & Training Manager: “They are so flexible that there may well be no need for a full sized oven.” For those already embracing the growing trend for cooking with steam as a healthy, quick and flexible option, Fraser suggests that the new Smeg SC45VC2 ‘Linea’ compact combination steam
oven with grill is the “perfect all-in-one alternative” to a full-sized oven as it can be used either as a steam oven or traditional oven or both in combination. She adds that the new Smeg FME120, a microwave oven and grill suitable for building into a wall unit, would also fit the bill for small kitchens, as would the larger capacity SC45MCSG2 compact combination microwave oven with grill, which is available in 4 finishes.
NEAT AND NIFTY
“With limited living space being a real problem for a lot of today’s consumers, one advantage of a multifunctional product is that only one appliance is needed, so a lot of kitchen space is freed up,” says Samsung’s Lana Sanleandro, Head of Marketing – Digital Appliances. “The Samsung Smart Oven microwave is the perfect example of this as it not only has all the benefits of a microwave oven, it also features SlimFry™ technology for healthy, crispy chips, a dough proving mode for fresh homemade bread and a yoghurt-making function.” Smeg’s Joan Fraser asserts that the “perfect” small hob-top cooking solution to complement the all-important oven choice is the Domino hob, an appliance which, says Baumatic’s Balestrazzi, is now designed to fit new-build flats as it comes in a compact 30cm size so can be fitted alone or as part of a set to create a dynamic and versatile cooking solution. She adds that compact induction hobs are proving particularly popular for small galley-style kitchens as they help prevent AUGUST 2013 GET CONNECTED
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