By Patrick Avenell
We’ve seen this coming for a while: the popularity of cooking TV shows like MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules has spurred significant interest in gourmet cooking at home, while brands have responded with high-end, featured-packed appliances that allow home epicures to achieve more in their own kitchen.
Several appliance brands have released ‘professional at home’ style appliances to cater to this trend, often leveraging their commercial credentials in these ranges. Smeg has a the Semi-Pro dishwasher to blitz dirty dishes in record time and Miele’s new Generation H 6000 is matches the best cooking technology with a very distinctive style.
But those two brands have got nothing on Electrolux, which has took this trend to the next level at the 2013 IFA conference in Berlin.
It was here that the Swedish company unveiled its new sub-brand, ‘Grand Cuisine’.
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Starting at around AU $130,000 for a 10-appliance full kitchen integration, the Grand Cuisine series was designed in collaboration with leading chefs Alain Ducasse and Tom Aikens, and is targeted at well-minted home cooks that want to cook like a Michelin chef in their own home.
The starting point for this concept was to integrate common cooking techniques in high-end restaurants into kitchens at home.
“These technologies have influenced the way restaurants work and the food they serve, but until now have meant cooking techniques such as cook and chill and sous vide were only in the hands of the chefs with access to professional kitchens,” said Electrolux Grand Cuisine senior vice president Carina Malmgren Heander at the 2013 IFA conference in Berlin.
Carina Malmgren Heander went on to say that although the Grand Cuisine is obviously a niche kitchen due to its pricetag, the incredible growth in cooking has meant more and more people are willing to invest in this passion so they can use the best equipment possible.
“In recent years there has been a literal explosion of interest and passion for food,” Heander said, “from incredible ingredients to cutting edge techniques, culinary art is now a passionate subject of the day.
“But, until now, these techniques were only used by professional chefs and a lack of technology prevented even the most avid foodies from recreating their restaurant experiences at home.
“That’s all about to change: Electrolux Grand Cuisine is going to truly revolutionise the way we cook and entertain in the home.”
The nine Grand Cuisine appliances are: Combination Oven, Blast Chiller, Induction Zone, Precision Vacuum Sealer, Gas Hob, Sear Hob, Surround Induction Zone, Stand Mixer and Bespoke Ventilation System. The tenth appliance is the Molteni range cooker.
Molteni range cooker.
Precision Vacuum Sealer from the Grand Cuisine collection.
The Induction hob.
The Blast Chiller, a truly premium appliance for the home.