Appliances
GE Appliances Launches Induction Cooktops
GE Appliances, a Haier company, continues to roll out new technology to accommodate evolving consumer demands. Its new line-up of induction cooktops builds on the benefits that owners would expect from induction technology with added connected features that make cooking on induction simpler and more precise than ever before.
One standout innovation unique to GE Appliances is Precision Temperature Control. Using a smart pan (pan rebate included with purchase on most models), this technology allows owners to decide the degree of their burner for optimal consistency and performance – from 100 to 500 degrees – instead of settling for high, medium or low. Using the SmartHQ app, owners can access different food types, such as pancakes, or cooking methods, such as sear, and their pan will automatically adjust to the precise degree for the perfect doneness each time.
The cooktops also feature Guided Cooking, which allows owners to use thousands of video guided recipes that prompt the home cook each step of the way with the next action and syncs to the cooktop for precise temperature control. Connect the smart pan to the cooktop and the burners will adjust time and temperature based on the step of the recipe.
“We are excited to expand our line-up of induction cooktops, which we believe is the future of cooking. Consumer interest and demand for the technology is growing, and our best-in-class connected features like Precision Temperature and Guided Cooking across Monogram, CAFÉ and GE Profile brands are raising the stakes,” said Rachael Schwartz, executive director of digital and built-in cooking products for GE Appliances.
Induction cooking technology utilizes electromagnetic currents which directly heat the cookware, instead of first heating the cooktop surface. This results in faster, more efficient heating and an easier to clean surface. The cooktops also offer maximum responsiveness with 11 to 19 heat settings that allow burners to adjust quickly, going from a boil to a simmer in no time.
All these technological advances come packaged in sleek, and modern designs in 30” and 36” widths. The cooktop line-up also features a smooth glass surface that is easy to clean and Glide Touch Controls that gives owners full control through effortless touch.
The induction units are also joined by 14 new radiant cooktops for a total of 28 new electric cooktops across four brands all launching this year. Each of these products will be manufactured by GE Appliances at its wholly owned subsidiary Roper Corporation in LaFayette, Ga. where a $118 million investment strategy was announced in December of 2021. The investment allows GEA to grow its cooking appliances business by expanding capacity and developing new cooking products with the addition of 600 new jobs by the end of 2024.
The induction units are also joined by 14 new radiant cooktops for a total of 28 new electric cooktops across four brands all available now. Induction cooktops start at $1,999 at retailers nationwide.
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New Products on Display at Atlanta Market
As Atlanta Market closes, here’s a glimpse of some of the new products that were showcased:
JURA (B2 8-869B) – For the latest in coffee brewing technology and innovation. The new E4 is a full-sized coffee machine focused on brewing café quality coffee and espresso – always freshly ground, not capsuled – plus it can deliver hot water on demand for Americano or tea. The new E6 for the best-loved specialty coffees at the touch of a button thanks to its Easy Cappuccino function. Stop by for a complimentary coffee. (Samples are limited).
Capresso (B2 8-869B) Reimagines some of its most popular products in a new contemporary color choice: White. The CoffeeTEAM GS coffeemaker that grinds beans right before brewing – the Infinity Plus Conical Burr Grinder that grinds coffee beans to specification – and the H2O Glass Rapid-Boil Water Kettle for tea, French-press coffee and more.
CDN (Kasperzak & Assoc. B2 8-876, B2 8-8120A, B2 8-881B) – Accurate temperature readings achieve the best culinary results – new Lollipop Thermometer. Plus, the Coffee Scale and Timer measures small quantities of coffee, tea, spices and more with unusual precision, to one tenth of a gram (0.1 g) – ideal for pour-over coffee aficionados – for bakers who know the benefit of exact measurements – and more.
Ankarsrum – (Synergy Sales Associates B2 8-837) – The aspirational choice in stand mixers adds a new color, Harmony Beige. The new Stainless Steel Beater Bowl, a new accessory for producing sky-high meringues, crispy-chewy macarons, luxurious frostings, or perfectly creamed butter and sugar for the tastiest cookies. (Samples are limited).
Fissler – (Kitchen 2 Table B2 8-891A) – Premium cookware, Made in Germany. Chef Lars Liebisch will demonstrate the difference exceptional cookware can make through Friday, Jan. 13. Liebisch will showcase a wide range of Fissler’s award-winning Made in Germany cookware, from the new innovations of Ceratal® Comfort Ceramic Fry Pans to healthy cooking made easy with Vitavit Premium Pressure Cookers – The Healthy Cooker.
EuroChef USA to Import Lofra Kitchen Appliances
Lofra Italy has partnered with with EuroChef USA as the exclusive US importer of the brand’s Italian-designed and manufactured kitchen appliances. Lofra, one of the most prestigious and well-recognized brands in the world, has been manufacturing high-quality home appliances since 1956. Designed and manufactured in the hills around the city of Padua, each Lofra appliance is carefully designed and built with the high-quality standards of a “Made in Italy” brand.
“Lofra is the perfect fit for our Italian-brand family with its superior design, innovative technology, and functionality,” explains Melissa Haber, vice president of EuroChef USA. “The brand meets the needs of any customer that is seeking unique design and impeccable performance for their kitchen appliances.” Three exquisite collections of Lofra ranges will be initially offered to the U.S. market, each with their own distinct design and aesthetics that will satisfy even the most demanding and sophisticated customer.
Lofra has been manufacturing high-quality home appliances since 1956.Located on the hills of Padua, Italy, Lofra has grown to become the market leader of freestanding cookers and built-in appliances. The brand is a global consumer reference point for the kitchen industry and is the pride of the Italian manufacturing industry. For additional information about Lofra visitwww.lofra.us.
Since 2001, EuroChef USA has been the national distributor of Italian-made professional-style major appliances. The brand is the national distributor and exclusive importer of the Verona, and now the Lofra, brand of Italian-made professional style major appliances. EuroChef’s brands offer a full line of ranges, ovens, ventilation and cooktops nationally through a network of regional distributors and specialty appliance retailers.
For more about Lofra, check out the March issue of Kitchenware News & Housewares Review. Subscribe now so you don’t miss anything!
Universal Electronics Unveils Smart Home Innovations
Universal Electronics Inc., a global leader in wireless universal control solutions for home entertainment and smart home devices, debuted its latest innovations and solutions transforming device and ecosystem control and support experiences at the Consumer Electronics Show. The company showcased how it intelligently connects, controls and supports millions of entertainment and smart home households globally.
QuickSet Cloud provides a scalable platform for simplifying onboarding and control across entertainment and smart home devices and has been adopted by many of the world’s leading brands. With a run rate of over 288 billion transactions annually, this platform has helped customers discover over 1.6 billion devices during 2022. During this period, QuickSet’s discovery and setup capabilities are estimated to have saved TV operators and their installation partners over 4 million hours of programming time by automating the device discovery and set-up process and increasing the automated discovery and set-up success rate of new devices connected to Smart TVs by an estimated 80 percent.
QuickSet is an integral component of major TV and TV operator systems and is the primary solution for easy discovery, setup and control for millions of entertainment and smart home devices. Today, QuickSet smart home services are the technology behind the Home Dashboard of LG TVs and provide a complete and simplified control experience for millions of households. The platform has continuously expanded with new capabilities including enhanced communication protocols, such as Matter, IP, Zigbee 3.0, Zigbee RF4CE, CEC and infrared.
QuickSet is a Matter Certified Software Platform. Matter, announced by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, is a new industry-unifying standard that enables smart devices to work together seamlessly. QuickSet, with the addition of Matter, will benefit from greater interoperability. Additionally, QuickSet 6.0 will bridge non-Matter devices into the Matter ecosystem and enable automation across the whole home, covering existing and newly installed devices.
The company showed its enhanced interoperability features on UEI’s white-label products such as the new UEI TIDE thermostats and its smart home gateway, Nevo Butler. In addition, the company announced the expansion of its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE connectivity silicon and module line-up with the new bare metal UE51 QuickSet Widget.
As more and more connected products are introduced and expected to work together, the challenge of onboarding, troubleshooting, and supporting all these devices inside the different ecosystems increases. To address this, the company has expanded its device and system knowledge base beyond just control and introduced several services to help consumers.
As part of the company’s commitment to providing customers with the best possible support experience, the company has launched , a turnkey white-label companion app and SDK for onboarding, troubleshooting and controlling its devices. Available as a bundled service on many UEI products, including the new UEI ETERNA remotes and UEI TIDE thermostats, this service helps customers quickly install and set up their devices.
UEI Virtual Agent, an innovative self-service support solution, simplifies device onboarding by allowing customers to seamlessly hand-off the process from a large screen (SmartTV) to a smaller one (mobile phone). With QuickSet integration, UEI Virtual Agent provides automated steps for onboarding, feature discovery and troubleshooting capabilities and is available both as a web-based application and a TV app for integration into existing infrastructures. UEI Virtual Agent, when bundled with a set of UEI NetReady services for remote diagnostics and customer support, will further enhance the support experience for millions of currently deployed products in the home.
“Our software product teams have developed next-generation software services that make connectivity work seamlessly with many platforms and standards in the consumer device industry. We are proud to showcase groundbreaking solutions for consumers and customers that eliminate the headaches associated with everyday connectivity issues,” said Arsham Hatambeiki, SVP of Product and Technology.
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Bemis to Showcase New Products at CES
Bemis Manufacturing Company will exhibit its newest and best bathroom and kitchen solutions at CES 2023, taking place Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas. This display will also include the most popular offerings from Bemis subsidiary, Bio Bidet by Bemis.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a bidet boom in the United States, and recent survey data from Bio Bidet by Bemis shows the majority of bidet owners have embraced the bidet phenomenon and want to spread the love. Sixty-two percent say that owning a bidet has inspired them to gift a bidet to others, and many are so enthusiastic about the bidet experience that they are ready to upgrade.
Bemis’ Bio Bidet products are paving the way for a sustainable future by substantially decreasing the usage of toilet paper amongst customers. Bemis also incorporates sustainable efforts into its manufacturing process and will be showcasing a range of toilet seats onsite made from recycled materials.
Bemis’ latest tech offerings are designed to bring a luxurious, convenient smart home experience to consumers. The products onsite at CES will include:
- The Grove Motion Activated Bathroom Faucet, complete with LED temperature display.
- The Discovery DLS, a luxury heated bidet seat with temperature controls, automatic open and close, and UV sterilization.
- The touchless Discovery DLX Smart Bidet Toilet, featuring ‘kick control’ and hands-free technology that allows the user to lift the lid, seat, and flush the toilet, without ever touching the unit.
- Its line of motion-activated Flow Kitchen Faucets, including SmartLatch Retraction Technology.
- A hands-on display with four functional Grove faucets, four functional Flow kitchen faucets, and five functional bidet units.
Visitors who stop by the booth can participate in a product giveaway, entering the chance to win one of four electric bidet seats, worth $300 each, and a grand prize smart bidet toilet, worth $2,699.
Bemis’ showcase will be located at booth #53752 in the Venetian Expo as part of the smart home category.
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