MOVEABLE FEAST
AN EXPERT AT FISHER & PAYKEL DISCUSSES DESIGN AND PRODUCT TRENDS.
What are some new product trends? There’s greater emphasis on materiality that provides warmth, such as raw materials, wood, metal and stone. There are some amazing kitchen designs that have created warmth through a combination of these materials and bespoke details. People are also continuing the trend of staying in and entertaining. They care more about health, are spending more on quality ingredients, and therefore care more about food storage for preserving freshness and flavour.
More and more people seem to be installing induction. What’s the attraction for the serious cook? Induction is perfect for the serious cook – it offers the performance and responsiveness of gas cooking, with the cleanability and sleek design of a smooth ceramic glass surface, and excellent low temperature control. In a small kitchen it can also serve as extra bench space when doing prep, and the clean-up is super easy – you just wipe it down with a damp cloth. We’re also seeing a lot of projects where induction and gas are being mixed together using our combination cooktops. It’s a great solution – a high-output gas burner for wok cooking and the precise control of induction for everything from the very high temperatures required for rapidly boiling water or searing a steak, right down to subtle temperatures for melting chocolate or cooking a delicate custard directly on the cooktop – no double boiler required! We offer customers the ability to tailor products and fuel types to suit their individual cooking needs and preferences.
It seems that appliances are reducing in size and scale. What are the advantages? The real upside for the consumer is choice – giving them the freedom to configure products to best suit their individual needs and design styles. We’ve broken things down into modules (base unit sizes) that customers can add and grow- depending on their space and choices, such as combination cooktops, more than one single DishDrawer, and companion products (such as steam ovens or coffee makers) and multiple CoolDrawers.