In a survey conducted by the National Kitchen & Bath Association, more than 40 percent of its responding members cited that product innovation combined with a more knowledgeable consumer were driving forces in their business. Indeed, these statistics would appear to be as relevant for new-home construction as they are for remodeling, where the kitchen and its appliances have become a priority in the selection and design process.
“Home buyers are becoming more sophisticated every day,” says U.S. Home's Las Vegas design studio manager, Vivian Narssa, whose customer base ranges from move-ups to empty nesters. Influenced by the increasing popularity of television's Food Network channel in addition to the wealth of information available on the Internet and in the latest design and cooking publications, she notes, “They're more interested in commercial-type applications only found in restaurants a few years ago.”
Not surprisingly, beefy pro-style ranges are de rigueur at the extreme high end. However, Narssa—whose company has a national partnering agreement with GE—finds that most of her clients prefer cooktops for the extra cabinet space they provide as well as for their unique designs and easy-care surfaces that eliminate the notorious dirt-catching crevices—inevitable where ranges meet counters. In particular, “They like flat glass tops, high-output burners, precise simmers, and dishwasher-safe grates,” she adds.
Taking their cues from this growing appetite for style, power, and convenience, manufacturers have enhanced their offerings—both gas and electric—with numerous user-friendly features. According to Jerry Wolff, GE marketing manager of cooking products, “The trends we're seeing today are intensifying in terms of style and the consumer demand for versatility. They want to be able to boil faster, get great simmer performance, and use bigger cookware.”
To that end, aesthetics and utility are the focus of the new GE Profile offerings, which include a 36-inch stainless steel five-burner gas model equipped with an 18,000-BTU dual-flame stacked burner capable of bringing water to a rapid boil then turning down to a low cooking temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It also features a gas safety lock-out, deep spill pan, and dishwasher-safe die-cast knobs and continuous grates.
Its electric equivalent in black glass has a 3,000-watt 12-/9-/6-inch tri-ring element and melt/simmer options essential for delicate preparations such as softening chocolate.
“Our core customer wants an appliance to make their life easier,” says Whirlpool's director of public relations Audrey Reed-Granger. To comply, the company's new electric lineup features glass ceramic surfaces with dual-ring and bridge elements, and touch controls for ease of use and cleaning. Gas models in porcelain enamel feature full-width cast iron grates for pot maneuverability.
Maytag has taken a similar approach by incorporating such high-end attributes as cast iron continuous grates, precision burner controls, a Power Boost burner, and 650-BTU simmer setting into several basic gas models in both 30- and 36-inch glass and porcelain enamel.
Deluxe maker Miele, meanwhile, is catering to small spaces with an efficiently designed four-burner gas unit in high-grade stainless steel that measures a neat 23 1/16 inches by 20¼ inches. Dacor, too, brings top-of-the-line features down to size with its 30-inch all-gas four-burner cooktop that boasts the same SimmerSear burner as its popular larger model.
For the tightest installations where electric is the fuel of choice, Kenyon's diminutive two-burner Horizon Lite-Touch 2 glass ceramic cooktop is packed with one 9-/5-inch dual-ring and one single element, along with advanced infrared controls that are not affected by moisture and humidity.
FREEDOM OF CHOICEThe good news is that there's a size and design loaded with advanced cooking capabilities for every budget and preference. Some prefer a more minimalist integrated look even when space is not a commodity. Sheri Sauls, director of purchasing for the WCI Communities Palm Beach Division, especially likes the newest streamlined cooktops, such as Kenmore's European-style 30-inch, four-burner gas-on-glass with its sculptural controls, dishwasher-safe grates, and sealed burners.
“They blend seamlessly into the appliance package,” she feels, “which is far superior in our market to the bulkier versions that take up an entire island.”
Yet at the high end, the professional style shows no signs of abating. “Our clients still want that big restaurant look,” claims David Heigl, vice president of Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Orren Pickell Designers & Builders. In particular, he adds, they like the griddle and grill options.
Noteworthy introductions in this category come from several sources. The Grand Veneur from Morice, a Lyon, France-based manufacturer available through BKE Supply, spans an impressive 71 inches and can be custom configured to the customer's specifications with the likes of a French plate, high-powered gas burners and/or electric elements, an electric steamer, or a deep fryer.
Another newcomer, the 36-inch six-burner Vintage Professional in polished stainless steel, also from BKE, offers a basic package. But it does provide all the essential bells and whistles of this genre—20,000-, 18,000-, 15,000-, and 12,000-BTU burners, an ultra-low simmer, angled control panel, indicator lights, and easy-care spill pan—for under $2,000.
The Electrolux Icon brand brings this super-charged look to the electric front with a substantial stainless steel six-element, 36-inch slide-in, complete with 4,400 watts of power, large professional knobs, and concentric ring and bridge elements.
Familiar faces include Jade with a fresh 24-inch-deep flush-to-cabinet design for its 36- to 48-inch gas cook-tops, and Thermador boasting improved 15,000-BTU five-point burners providing full pan heat distribution as well as an extra-low simmer.
Upping the ante on style and utilitarian appeal—all the while echoing that semi-pro feel—Wolf's newest 30-and 36-inch gas cooktops sport a lower, sleeker profile and dual-stacked burners all equipped with a True Simmer feature.
Meanwhile, Caldera remains true to its technological expertise with its first stainless steel unit featuring grates designed for improved heat control, a safer electronically enhanced ignition system that minimizes the occurrence of annoying clicks, the ability to power up to 18,000 BTUs and down to a gentle 150-degree F cooking temperature, and an easy-to-clean glass control panel with graphics screened on the underside so they won't wear away.
BRIDGING THE GAP“Cooking enthusiasts will always choose gas [cooktops] over electric when they can,” says Brian Maynard, KitchenAid brand director, integrated marketing. “For one it is more efficient and it is more reactive. It's on when it's on and it's off when it's off.”
For that reason, KitchenAid is constantly fine-tuning its gas products with innovations such as a durable clear, protective stainless steel finish that resists fingerprints and heat discoloration. In addition, Pro Line's latest entrée bends toward more contemporary tastes with a lower, built-in profile that has been outfitted with two 17,000-BTU burners and an invertible wok ring that reverses to become a traditional grate.
Not to be outdone, KitchenAid's electric product team upgraded its radiant Ceran offering with Smart Knob control technology that provides consistent, even heat distribution and precise settings. Triple- and dual-ring plus bridge elements accommodate all manner of cookware. “It's not going to be exactly like gas, but it's closer than it has been in the past,” notes Maynard.
Likewise, Jenn-Air has improved 3,000-watt CustomControl digital dual- and triple-radiant elements on several new 36-inch glass ceramic electric models that maintain much more accurate temperatures than the standard—with near-gas-like responsiveness, the firm contends. This is due to a highly sensitive device called a thermistor under the glass that reacts instantly to temperature selection. Paired with infinite touch controls, says Jenn-Air market education manager Gary Stoner, “you have the ability to take it very high or very low and it's all temperature controlled.”
In situations where the cost and fuel source are no object, Gaggenau's Vario 400 built-in modular system fills the bill with its 15-inch mix-and-match gas and electric components comprising glass Ceran gas burners and radiant elements, a gas-fired wok burner, an electric grill, a deep fryer, and a steamer. For those who do more than take-out Asian, there's a Teppan Yaki, a two-zone flat griddle-like stainless steel element designed for high-heat searing, and a 12,000-watt induction wok (see “Induction Reignites”).
“Cooktops are increasingly popular with people who love to cook and entertain,” says Maynard. And, ultimately, it's technologies like these that are generating interest and excitement among home buyers.
Builder Narssa couldn't agree more. “Manufacturers have done a good job creating the demand through new products and their applications.”
Vintage
Thermador
Caldera. Engineered to please both cook and bottom line, the SSK-365 36-inch (shown) and SSK-305 30-inch gas cooktops are made of 304-grade stainless steel. They feature a variety of burner sizes and outputs from a powerful 18,000-BTU center burner to a gentle 6,000-BTU front burner. Full-surface grates, ergonomic knobs, intuitive controls, and electronic ignition and reignition are included. 800-725-7711. www.calderacorp.com.
Kenmore
Jenn-Air
Jade. Direct descendents of the company's legendary restaurant cooking surfaces, the new 36- and 48-inch gas cooktops sport home-friendly aesthetics such as a 24-inch-deep flush-to-cabinet design; ergonomic infinite stainless steel controls; cast iron burner caps that diffuse heat
Jade
Electrolux
Miele
Wolf
Whirlpool
Viking
Diva de Provence
Küppersbusch
Dacor
KitchenAid
GE
Kenyon
Gaggenau
Morice
Maytag
After an all-too-long hiatus (according to devotees), induction cooking is about to re-enter our kitchen vocabulary.
Favored by professional chefs as a cool, clean alternative to commercial gas burners, induction elements utilize electromagnetic energy that reacts with the iron in ferrous metal cook-ware—which includes many popular stainless steel brands—transforming it into the actual heat source. The result: instantaneous gas-like performance, plus markedly reduced heat in the kitchen and on the cooking surface because heat is created directly in the pan and does not escape into the room.
“From a convenience standpoint, induction gives the responsiveness of gas,” says Sue Bailey, Viking lead product manager for major appliances, whose company is at the forefront of the new residential units. “They can boil and hold a true simmer, and the clean-up is phenomenal.”
In fact, Bailey adds, it is faster and more fuel-efficient than gas. “It takes about five minutes and fifteen seconds for a quart of water to come to a boil on one of our gas ranges with a 15,000-BTU burner,” she explains. “To bring the same quart of water to boil on a large induction element takes about two minutes and twenty-two seconds.”
To date, induction cooktops are available in two-, four-, and five-element configurations on black glass ceramic from Diva de Provence, Küppersbusch, and Viking, as well as combination induction/radiant models from the latter, and induction wok components from Gaggenau and Küppersbusch.
Could this be the wave of the future? Custom builder David Heigl of Orren Pickell Designers & Builders believes that induction will have its effect with well-to-do clients, perhaps even in the gas-centric Midwest.