Appliances
Panasonic Bread Maker With Gluten-Free Baking Mode
Panasonic unveiled its 2015 Bread Maker featuring a gluten-free baking mode at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week. The Panasonic Bread Maker is part of Panasonic’s expanded line-up of healthy-lifestyle small home appliances.
Unlike standard bread maker models which offer only one rise mode, the Panasonic Bread Maker offers a short-rise feature which enables users to also bake gluten-free foods using a wide range of recipes. The bread maker (SD-YR2500) will be available in September via panasonic.com and other retailers. Pricing and additional availability details will be announced at a later date.
“Leading a gluten-free lifestyle has become an increasingly popular direction for people seeking a healthier diet or managing digestive health issues,” said Denise Selman, Senior Product Manager – Small Appliances & Healthcare, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “We designed our latest Panasonic Bread Maker to offer consumers a convenient option to create fluffy and tasty gluten-free breads at home using their favorite recipes.”
In addition to the new gluten-free baking mode, the Panasonic Bread Maker delivers exceptional kneeding technology for mixing ingredients evenly – critical in ensuring perfect results. The SD-YR2500 is also the only bread maker to feature an external temperature sensor which measures ambient temperatures throughout the baking process and makes the necessary adjustments to the program to ensure consistent results regardless of the external temperature – also critical in delivering perfect results.
The SD-YR2500 features 16 baking modes – including settings for white bread, French bread, pizza dough and pasta dough – and can make large (aprox. 1.4 lbs for white bread) and extra large (aprox. 2.2 lbs for white bread) vertical loafs. A yeast dispenser adds yeast at optimal timing and a removable and washable raisin and nut dispenser distributes added ingredients evenly and at the ideal timing in the baking process.
For more information about the Panasonic Bread Maker with gluten-free baking mode and all of Panasonic’s home appliance products, visit the Panasonic CES website at panasonic.com/CES and the Panasonic USA website at panasonic.com.
Cookware Icon Stanley Cheng Unveils Expansion Plans With Hestan Commercial
Bay Area entrepreneur Stanley Cheng has announced plans to produce Hestan Commercial, a new line of premium commercial kitchen appliances designed with input from some of the world’s top chefs. The line is set to debut in February 2015 targeting professional cooks and the restaurant industry, with a residential line expected to follow thereafter. Cheng founded Meyer Corporation, the largest cookware manufacturer in the U.S., with iconic brands including Anolon®, Circulon® and Farberware®.
Just as Cheng revolutionized the world of cookware, Hestan Commercial is set to do the same for the commercial kitchen. The entire stainless steel line is “purpose-built,” in response to the challenges that chefs experience on a daily basis, including performance, cleanability/maintenance, energy use and durability. Functionality and aesthetics are top-of-mind, and the pieces were initially designed with input from some of the country’s top luminaries, including Chefs Timothy Hollingsworth, Walter Manzke, Corey Lee, Rory Herrmann, Marcus Ware and Amar Santana, to name a few.
Hollingsworth, Executive Chef/Owner of Barrel and Ashes, says, “It’s so great to be able to collaborate with a company that is both interested and invested in a chef’s perspective on functionality and usability.”
Manzke, Chef/Owner of Republique in Los Angeles, affirms, “The new Hestan French Top overcomes the issues I had with American French Tops. The center gets much hotter and the temperature range is much greater – and much more functional.”
Made entirely in the USA, Hestan Commercial is available in twelve different exclusive color finishes and customizable Marquise accents. The lineup includes freestanding ranges with sealed burners, island suites, lineups, countertop equipment, convection ovens, griddles, char broilers, French tops, hot tops, planchas, salamanders, cheesemelters, fryers, pasta cookers, and refrigerated bases.
“The culinary world is the heart of our company culture,” states Cheng. “It was a natural progression for us to dive into commercial appliance production as the next step in our growth. Our main goal is for chefs to view us as a partner in their success—that they can enjoy and depend on our products on a daily basis for many years to come.”
New Year, New Juicer for a Healthy Lifestyle
January ushers in a flood of folks keen on keeping their New Year’s resolutions, and a juicer may be just what the healthy lifestyle hopefuls are seeking. Helping such a customer will boil down to their price range, preferred ingredients and time constraints.
Electric juicers can be categorized into citrus juicers, centrifugal juicers and masticating juicers. Citrus juicers will fall on the more inexpensive side of the spectrum and feature a traditional cone reamer that is motorized to maximize efficiency. Obviously, they are only appropriate for citrus and may be best suited for the customer with access to fresh oranges, grapefruits, lemons or limes. Otherwise the amount of citrus needed for larger batches, and the cost to purchase it may negate the citrus juicer since they are only suitable for one task. However, if a customer is only looking for a fresh glass of orange juice every morning, this type of juicer is perfect.
Centrifugal juicers shred, spin and strain produce to extract juice. These machines are the fastest option and are good for harder items like apples, carrots and broccoli but don’t do very well with leafy greens. The spinning action used in this model can only extract so much juice, and there is also concern that the rapid motion causes heat and friction, leading to oxidation. A larger amount of foam is another concern. However, the price range of these types of electric juicers is typically lower to mid range, and there is debate as to whether or not oxidation of juice is actually a problem at all. Also, centrifugal juicers tend to be easy to operate and clean.
Masticating juicers operate at a slow speed and utilize a single gear or an auger with blades that turn the produce into a pulp from which the juice is extracted. The pulp yield is typically drier than with other types of juicers, meaning that more of the actual juice ends up where you want it. Since these models operate at a slow speed, they may not be the best option for a customer who is short on time, but the slow speed also results in minimum oxidation. Great for leafy greens, they also tend to be a quieter juicer. The biggest drawback of masticating juicers may be the price, commonly going for upwards of $300.
Whatever type of juicers you choose to carry in your retail space, knowing the featured benefits and differences among machines is key to helping customers select a model they will be satisfied with.
Pulp Control Citrus Juicer
Cuisinart’s Pulp Control Citrus Juicer (model no. CCJ-500) uses three adjustable pulp control settings – low, medium and high – to ream the smallest lime to the largest grapefruit, all in one handy device. The sleek brushed stainless steel citrus juicer gets out more juice more efficiently with its unique final-spin feature. Its extra-long snap-up spout easily accommodates more glasses and prevents dripping. Dishwasher safe, the citrus juicer also comes with a three-year warranty.
Suggested Retail Price: $29.95
Dash Go Citrus Juicer
Savor the unrivaled freshness of homemade juice with the Dash Go Citrus Juicer. Get the sweet taste of fresh-squeezed juice without additives or preservatives with this electric citrus juicer. The automatic on/off function makes juicing easy – simply press the fruit down to start and release it to stop. With two reamers, you can juice citrus fruits both large and small, from grapefruits to limes. The translucent pitcher is amply sized, holds a full quart of juice, and includes easy-to-read graduated measurements on the side. All the non-electric parts are dishwasher safe.
Suggested Retail Price: $19.99
Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor
The Big Mouth® Juice Extractor delivers on the juicing performance people ask for most, instead of skimping out on the nutrients they need. Equipped with a powerful 800-watt motor and extra-wide 3-inch feed chute that tears through almost anything you put in, it flawlessly performs the task of extracting the juice from whole fruits and vegetables in seconds. And that’s not all. The designers of Hamilton Beach have minimized the fuss of cleanup, making all the removable plastic parts dishwasher safe.
KitchenAid Maximum Extraction Juicer
The Maximum Extraction Juicer from KitchenAid is built with a motor that spins at 80 rpm, and is designed with an extra wide feed tube that can accommodate a variety of fruits and leafy vegetables, ranging from beets and oranges, to kale and whole cucumbers. A stainless steel cutting blade pre-slices food, reducing the amount of force needed to push them into the body of the juicer. The pre-sliced foods are then processed at a low speed, with the finished juice streaming into a separate BPA-free pitcher that sits under the juicer. The Maximum Extraction Juicer comes with a low pulp and a high pulp screen for customizing pulp levels. A third screen offers users the ability to make sauces ranging from applesauce to homemade ketchup; it can also make fruit and vegetable purees.
Suggested Retail Price: $499.99
New Vertical Juicers from Omega
Omega’s new fifth generation vertical masticating style juicing machines, the Omega VSJ843Q and VSJ843R, preserve even more of the natural taste and rich nutrition found in fresh produce. The new motor rotates at 43 RPM, approximately 50 percent the speed of the original vertical masticating (low speed) juicers. The tighter fit tolerance of the new dual-edge auger strains more juice and breaks down fiber to a palatable level for a smoother, nutrient-dense juice. The combination of the lower rotation speed, dual-edge auger design and powerful 250-watt motor gently squeezes juice keeping healthy enzymes intact; reducing heat build-up, delaying the oxidation process, and increasing the juice’s shelf life. Both models offer the enhanced features to yield the maximum amount of juice extraction from the least amount of produce.
Suggested Retail Price: $459.95
Wide Mouth Low Speed Juicer
The Wide Mouth Low Speed Juicer (JE1483) from Salton is a three-in-one juicer, smoothie- and frozen dessert-maker, transforming fresh or frozen fruit into delicious, healthy smoothies, nutrient-rich juice without added preservatives. It turns frozen fruit into healthy soft serve frozen desserts in seconds. Superior cold press technology thoroughly squeezes the juice from fruits and vegetables and reduce oxidation and juice separation, preserving enzymes and the other nutrients for longer lasting and better tasting juice. Operating with low noise volume, the chute guides pulp into a large pulp container for continuous operation. The Wide Mouth Low Speed Juicer produces up to 40 percent more juice than conventional units, and it expels a much drier pulp. That maintains up to 60 percent more nutrients in the juice.
Suggested Retail Price: $299.99
Waring Citrus Juicer – Stainless Steel
Solidly built, quiet and powerful, but without taking up too much valuable counter space, the Waring Citrus Juicer (model no. PCJ218) juices anything from small limes to large grapefruits. The item is stainless steel and easy to clean, the detachable parts are dishwasher safe. Extra-heavy base for quiet operation.
Suggested Retail Price: $99.95
This story was originally published in the January 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.
Cuisinart Receives 2014 Good Design Award for Combo Steam + Convection Oven
Cuisinart, a renowned leader in cutting-edge kitchen electrics, professional quality cookware and other culinary products, has been recognized with a 2014 Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
Cuisinart’s Combo Steam + Convection Oven was selected from among thousands of submissions from the world’s leading manufacturers and industrial and graphic design firms, representing the most important and influential corporations worldwide in the design industry from over 48 countries.
Cuisinart’s winning entry, the Combo Steam + Convection Oven, incorporates the many functions of a professional steam oven in a countertop footprint. By using steam heat, cooking time is cut by as much as 40 percent. Users have the ability to choose from nine different single and combination functions, enabling them to steam or poach any type of vegetable, fish, poultry or rice, or use steam in combination with both broil or bake functions to create roasts, breads, rolls, homemade pretzels, or donuts.
“We are extremely proud to receive this honor from an organization as prestigious as the Chicago Athenaeum,” said Mary Rodgers, Director of Marketing Communications for Cuisinart. “The Combo Steam + Convection Oven is a great example of the product and design innovation for which Cuisinart has become known.”
Now in its 64th year, Good Design is the oldest and one of the most distinguished design awards programs in the world. Founded in Chicago by former MoMa curator Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. along with such pioneers in modern design as Charles and Ray Eames and Russel Wright, Good Design honors the annual achievements of the best industrial and graphic designer, and world manufacturers for their pursuit of extraordinary design excellence.
LG to Unveil First Mega-Capacity Refrigerator With Double Door-in-Door
LG Electronics will introduce its first double Door-in-Door™ Mega-Capacity refrigerator (Model LPXS34886C) in 2015. The award-winning “door-in-door” concept pioneered by LG is among the highlights of cutting-edge refrigerator innovations to be unveiled at the 2015 International CES®.
This new model, which is expected to be ENERGY STAR® certified, has two independent Door-in-Door compartments, giving you the ultimate in convenience — better organization and easy access — while maximizing conservation of cold air. The right Door-in-Door is accessible from both the outside with a simple push of a button as well as from the inside, making it easy to load with often-used items like snacks, drinks, lunches and more. The left Door-in-Door provides additional easy access storage space via a trigger on the bottom of the door. By utilizing LG’s innovative Door-in-Door feature without opening the entire refrigerator, cold air loss is reduced by up to 47 percent to help keep food fresh longer.
Expertly crafted, the refrigerator also features contour processed, tempered glass that has been applied over curved glass. Black patterned finishing provides a stylish design that is both aesthetically pleasing and leaves the outside fingerprint and smudge resistant so it always looks its best. The refrigerator is also equipped with EasyLift™ Bins, which allows users to adjust the height of the internal compartments to accommodate large or oddly-shaped bottles.
“Our Door-in-Door has been without a doubt one of the most popular design features we’ve ever introduced,” said David VanderWaal, Head of Marketing for LG Electronics USA. “With the introduction of the new Mega-Capacity Door-in-Door, we’ve taken this popular feature and created an even better refrigerator. Organizing food takes on a whole new level of satisfaction with this model.”
The LG Mega-Capacity Door-in-Door refrigerator also offers Smart Diagnosis™, which allows call center representatives to quickly diagnose problems over the phone. LG’s Smart Diagnosis smartphone app even allows homeowners to record and analyze signals from the refrigerator for immediate advice on repair options.
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