Here
they are: the appliance stars for 2007. They clean, chop, cool and
cook. They enhance our homes and make our lives easier. And among the
lineup are the latest (and greatest) “green” machines, featuring
energy-efficient technologies that go easy on our planet while we go
about our business.
GAGGENAU MODULAR COLUMNS
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photo courtesy of Gaggenau
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Go
gaga over Gaggenau with these eco-friendly, stainless-steel works of
art. This is Gaggenau’s entry into the modular concept, where
refrigerator and freezer come in separate columns that you can mix and
match and place anywhere in your kitchen. The columns are recognized by
ENERGY STAR, meaning they help to protect the environment and save you
money on your electric bills. Of course, no self-respecting kitchen
would be without the matching wine storage columns, either.
The
modular columns can be fully integrated with your cabinetry. Or, they
come with stainless-steel or aluminum doors. And there’s no such thing
as too much stainless steel. Visit the Servco Home and Appliance
Showroom to open the door on these columns and you’ll find stainless
steel on the inside, too. The stunning interior does more than just
look good; it also helps prevent bacteria growth and maintain a
hygienic environment.
Gaggenau
technology treats your food just right, with precision controls and
designs that deliver optimal temperatures and humidity levels. Features
include easy-access doors and freezer drawers, a motorized glass shelf
and a temperature control drawer with individual settings for delicate
produce such as fish or poultry. Treats ’em nice.
Gaggenau
refrigerator and freezer columns, MSRP starting at $3,500; wine storage
columns, MSRP starting at $6,200 at Servco Home & Appliance
Showroom.
BULL BRAHMA GRILL
No
bull. BULL grills are pure stainless-steel muscle. Professionally
crafted from the finest quality materials, the BULL range can get the
backyard enthusiast grilling like a pro.
The
Brahma is the big daddy of the BULL range—it gives you a spacious,
760-square-inches of cooking area, plus an infrared rotisserie that can
handle up to 20 pounds of succulent meat.
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Photo courtesy of Island Grills & Outdoor Products.
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Grab
this BULL by the horns and you’re getting five cast-brass burners and
the infrared burner—for a combined 90,000 Btu of oomph!
Island
Grills & Outdoor Products has harnessed these beefy grills into its
custom-designed barbecue islands. The islands, which can be built
around any brand grill, allow you to create your own outdoor cooking
space—complete with entertainment station, storage space, bar areas and
sinks. They feature colored stucco, rock or brick veneers and come with
a Sunbrella-fitted cover. Grill on, my friend.
BULL 38-inch Brahma five-burner grill with rotisserie, $1,900 at Island Grills & Outdoor Products.
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| Photo courtesy of Green Enterprises Inc. |
WILMINGTON GRILL CAPE FEAR DELUXE
With
304 stainless-steel, 16-gauge thick construction and cast
stainless-steel dual burners kicking out 40,000-Btu of power, this
backyard conversation piece won’t end up in the landfill anytime soon.
The
Cape Fear Deluxe is the ultimate stainless-steel gas grill, says Phil
Green at Green Enterprises Inc. It has the ability to convert to a
steamer or smoker or the chef can place pots directly on the burners.
It also features Wilmington’s exclusive seven-sided top and a bottom
pan that is concave. The result is a grill that cooks as evenly on the
bottom as it does on top. And the chef won’t need a rotisserie.
Wilmington Grill Cape Fear Deluxe, $1,525 at Green Enterprises Inc.
KÃoePPERSBUSCH INDUCTION WOK
The
first woks appeared when the mighty Kublai Khan and his invading army
used their small round shields to prepare fast and easy meals on the
march. If only Khan could see what Küppersbusch has done with the wok
today.
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Photo courtesy of Küppersbusch.
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This
sleek cooktop and induction wok by Küppersbusch at Snaidero Hawaii uses
21st century electromagnetic energy. When turned on, the coils produce
a high-frequency, alternating magnetic field. This energy field
stimulates the molecules in the wok to move rapidly back and forth,
thus creating friction, which creates heat to cook.
Induction
cooking is catching on in this country, winning chefs with its speed
and safety. Unlike traditional cooking surfaces that heat up and stay
hot long after the meal has been prepared, the concave black
glass-ceramic surface of the Küppersbusch Wok stays cool to the touch.
What’s
the result? The wok is extremely energy efficient, delivering 90
percent of the energy that it uses directly to the pan, compared with
electricity at 65 percent and gas at only 55 percent.
Küppersbusch Induction Wok, $3,910 at Snaidero Hawaii.
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| Photo courtesy of Viking. |
VIKING PROFESSIONAL SERIES HAND BLENDER
Meet
your new sous chef. This newest addition to Viking’s culinary range can
blend, chop, puree and mix. With a professional-grade 300-watt motor,
the Viking hand blender makes quick work of everything from soup to
coffee beans.
The
two-speed pulse switch allows the machine to automatically turn off
when touch is lost from the buttons. A pulse feature helps prevent
overprocessing of your ingredients and is great for crushing ice.
There’s also a 5-foot electrical cord, which gives the chef the ability
to maneuver from countertop to stovetop.
Sure,
it has all the strength, but Eric Inouye at Northstar Pacific also
likes the looks of this handy kitchen tool. The no-slip, ergonomic
stainless-steel design has all the hallmarks of its Viking pedigree.
The
hand blender comes with standard accessories, including a
stainless-steel blending attachment, stainless-steel whisk and a
35-ounce mixing cup with lid.
Viking Professional Series VHB Hand Blender, $120; optional chopping attachment, $30 at Northstar Pacific.
VIKING PORTABLE INDUCTION COOKER
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Photo courtesy of Viking.
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Viking
is more than just appliances, it’s a lifestyle. Its cooking classes and
travel ops helped make it one of Fortune magazine’s 10 Breakaway Brands
last year. Needless to say, the company’s avid followers are also mad
about the appliances, which are built big and brawny and beautiful.
Viking
continues its innovative ways with a portable induction cooker that
brings great flexibility to one of today’s most modern cooking methods.
This
portable single-burner unit provides convenient countertop cooking
wherever and whenever you need it. It’s perfect for small kitchens and
great for tabletop shabu-shabu or bata-yaki.
The ceramic surface makes it a cinch to mop up the drips and the compact size means you can tuck it away when it’s not in use.
The
portable cooktop offers Viking’s hallmark commercial-grade technology.
The MagneQuick induction power generator uses magnetic energy for
superior power, responsiveness and efficiency.
Viking Portable Induction Cooker Professional Series, $500.
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| Photo courtesy of Miele. |
MIELE HONEYCOMB CARE LAUNDRY COLLECTION
Miele
gleaned a few things from the bees for its brand-new line of
super-large-capacity washers and dryers. The drums in this system
actually resemble a bee’s honeycomb—and this design results in a
laundry system that sounds like a dream.
With
the push of a button, the German-engineered washer will give special
care to everything from whites to towels to dress shirts. It’s tough,
so it can handle grass-stained jeans. But it’s also got the soft touch;
it will launder those delicate fabrics that were previously hand-wash
or dry-clean only. The Honeycomb washer even extends the life of
clothing by a factor of four.
The
Honeycomb Care tumble dryer is an Earth-thoughtful machine. The
Touchtronic microprocessor monitors everything from moisture levels to
drying temperatures and makes adjustments to prevent overdrying and
overheating of fabrics. The result? More uniform drying and
significantly reduced creasing—and less ironing. You can spend all that
saved time thinking about how you’re saving the environment, too: every
Miele washing machine qualifies for the ENERGY STAR program. Danke
schön, Miele!
Miele Super-Large-Capacity Honeycomb Care washer, MSRP starting at $1,699; tumble dryer, MSRP starting at $1,299.
DACOR EPICURE DUAL-FUEL RANGE
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Photo courtesy of Dacor.
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Want
to sauté, sizzle and sear? Dacor’s Epicure ranges promise the
quintessential professional cooking experience in your own kitchen. The
chic looks of the Epicure ranges come packaged with new technological
precision features. You won’t scorch your chocolate using its special
melting feature, and you won’t spend ages waiting for the pot to boil
with the new SimmerSear Burners.
The
range features eight cooking modes, including the Dacor Pure Convection
system, which reduces cooking times and provides more even heating. The
system even prevents flavor transfer, so you can roast the Thanksgiving
turkey and bake cookies at the same time.
A
nifty design touch is the front TiltVue panel, which swivels upward for
easier viewing and navigation of the 10-key touch pad. When you’re
finished, the panel slides back flush with the range. Easy as pie.
Dacor Epicure 36-inch Dual-Fuel Range, MSRP $7,745; 48-inch Dual-Fuel Range, MSRP $10,799.
SUB-ZERO PRO 48
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| Photo courtesy of Sub -Zero. |
Who
needs art in their kitchen when they have a refrigerator like this?
With its 800 pounds of stainless steel, inside and out, the Sub-Zero
PRO 48 is dubbed a “monument to food preservation.”
It’s
so beautiful inside, Sub-Zero even offers a model with a classy glass
door. Open those doors and you feel like you’re lost in space; there is
nearly 30 cubic feet of roominess inside.
“Gorgeous”
is how Steve Pak at American Cabinetry describes this fridge/freezer.
Along with those stunning looks, he likes the way it’s organized so
things don’t get lost in all that space. The crispers, for example,
have their own separate drawers underneath and come with adjustable
dividers that allow you to separate the lettuce from the radishes.
You
get peak performance, too, with two compressors and three evaporators
that give both the fridge and the freezer the conditions they like
best. It’s hard to believe, but with all that, the PRO 48 uses only the
energy of a 100-watt light bulb. It achieves this feat thanks to a
brainy microprocessor that provides energy-saving controls, plus
magnetic door gaskets that keep the cold air sealed in tight. Now
that’s efficient!
Sub-Zero PRO 48, MSRP $13,649 at American Cabinetry.
MITSUBISHI MR. SLIM DUCTLESS AIR CONDITIONER
Beat
the heat with Mr. Slim, an air conditioner that is the
quiet-but-powerful type. Mitsubishi is an industry leader when it comes
to split-duct air conditioning.
Unlike
window units, the Mr. Slim systems allow you to keep the aesthetics of
your room. It can be installed without ductwork and requires only a
3-inch opening in the wall or ceiling.
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Photo courtesy of Air Source Air Conditioning.
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Mr.
Slim does the ozone layer a much-needed favor by utilizing
enviro-friendly R-410A refrigerant. Kristi Nishimura at Air Source Air
Conditioning also likes the Mitsubishi’s inverter technology, which
gives extra energy savings while delivering a precise and consistent
room temperature. Another plus: the units have anti-allergy enzyme
filters that minimize germs, bacteria and viruses.
Mitsubishi M-series installed systems, starting at $2,295 at Air Source Air Conditioning.
