From House To Home

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It is known throughout the kitchen and bath industry--and the real estate industry--that updating your kitchen will not only enhance the beauty of your home, but it will also increase the resale value come selling time. New cabinetry, a countertop face-lift, or stainless steel appliances are all huge pluses in a kitchen upgrade. "If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then kitchen appliances are the heart of the kitchen," says Don Silver, CKD, certified chef and owner of Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind.

One kitchen appliance in particular that has hit the ground running lately is the cooktop. Customization and the utilization of restaurant-grade technology are driving cooktop usage. Innovations in cooktop technology allow users to cook, simmer, and fry with greater confidence and allow for ingenious ways to use your kitchen floor plan, giving you that anticipated island flexibility, for example. "You really need to perform a needs assessment. How do you function as a chef? How do you function as a family?" says Lori Dolnick, spokesperson for Miele. But ultimately, "cooktop choices come down to volume, and the number of seats in your dining room is what tells you the maximum volume for which your kitchen should be designed," says Silver.

Cooktops 101

Always shop for cooktops that emphasize function rather than form. Bells and whistles are nice, but beware of the gimmick product. Some things to consider:

• Cooktop burners. How many burners does the cooktop offer? Always research the cooktop's burner power and efficiency. How many Btu per burner? With multiple burners, what is the center-to-center measurement?
• Gas vs. electric vs. induction. Gas is the preferred cooktop among professionals; gas heats the cooking surface faster, and you can see the flame, controlling it instantly. Electric is cleaner--no gas fumes. Induction is gaining ground in the market; units are energy efficient and easy to clean.
• Recovery ratio. According to Silver, recovery ratio refers to the time it takes for the fat or liquid in a pan to get back to the temperature it reached before adding the food to be cooked. The slower recovery ratio of your cooktop, the greasier your food will turn out. The recovery ratio aids in cooking a product that nutritionally is better for you.
• Control location. Controls need to be strategically located so to not interfere with the cooking area. Electronic controls give you better cooking flexibility.
• Compression and expansion. The cooking space needs to compress to cook for one or expand to handle a party of 15, for example. In other words, the cooktop needs to compress and expand to accommodate a given space for a given time for a given need.

Hot on the market

Teppanyaki cooktops are all the rage this year. "Picture yourself at a Japanese hibachi restaurant where the chef prepares seared meats and vegetables on a blazing hot cooktop in front of you. It makes for delicious, healthy cooking and can be used to prepare meats, vegetables--whatever you enjoy eating," says Jason Leiberman, brand marketing manager for Gaggenau.

Teppanyaki is a heated stainless steel surface that provides unmatched sautéing results. The secret is the intensive contact heat surface that seals in juices. Teppanyaki is equipped with two separate heating circuits that can warm vegetables on the rear while simultaneously searing fine fillets on the front. The new Miele CombiSet line boasts innovative new products, including an induction unit and a Japanese teppanyaki; a slightly larger width dimension of 15 inches offers small-space chefs room for large pots.

Customization and the utilization of restaurant-grade technology are driving cooktop usage.

Gaggenau has two teppanyaki cooktops--a 15-inch model and a 12-inch model. The heating element is sandwiched between stainless steel, providing up to 480 degrees of easily controlled heat. "Cleanup is a breeze: simply throw an ice cube on the cooktop to deglaze the surface and wipe down with lemon juice," says Leiberman.

Induction junction

Another "hot" buzzword in cooktop nomenclature is induction heating. "I predict that in the next 20 to 30 years, based on consumer inertia, induction heating will be the key cooking unit," says Silver.

"Induction cooktops are indeed the way of the future--they heat faster, are more easily controlled, and are safer than gas or electric cooktops. Induction cooktops utilize electromagnetic technology using charged magnets to heat only the bottom of the pan while the rest of the cooking surface stays cool to the touch. This allows for extremely efficient cooking--both in terms of how quickly water comes to a boil and energy usage," says Leiberman. Remember, with induction cooking, the need for induction cookware arises. Unlike traditional cooktops, magnetic induction surfaces do not have the direct heat source such as a flame or coil. In certain parts of the country where gas is unavailable or not as effective, such as in higher altitudes, induction is a no-brainer. And in the South or warmer climates, induction is a cooler way to cook.

Mix & match

Miele CombiSet modules are perfectly matched to one another in terms of their design and functional characteristics, so consumers can mix and match to form their own personal cooking space. Every imaginable combination of individual elements is available from induction, gas, or electric to an indoor grill or teppanyaki.

With appliances such as Gaggenau's Vario series, for example, consumers can mix and match appliances according to their families, lifestyles, and favored cooking methods. One could pair a two-burner gas cooktop with a grill and a steamer, or someone into Asian fusion-style cooking could combine a gas wok, teppanyaki, steamer, and deep fryer.

Also, check out Capital's totally unique 24-inch Power-Wok range top, which features a cast-iron, two-piece wok grate that accommodates stockpots and has a 30,000 Btu Power-Flo burner.

Island Flexibility

Cooktops offer the homeowner added countertop space, convenience, and kitchen flexibility. What is the shape and size of your kitchen, how many people are cooking at one time, do you have children, how do you cook, where is your refrigerator placed, and where is the sink? You could set up a specific island station for a certain method of cooking. Keep in mind, with any island cooktop, (cross)ventilation issues need to be addressed. Luckily, ventilation technology has been developed alongside island configurations. Also with island installation, kitchen traffic patterns and the optimization of movement fluidity need to be addressed.

Did You Know?

Reports from the NKBA show that nearly 18 percent of all homes in the United States were built between 1970 and 1979, and another 16 percent were built between 1980 and 1989. Many of these houses have yet to be remodeled and, therefore, have kitchens and baths in need of remodeling. And electricity and water, mostly used by consumers in a home’s kitchen and baths, will become more expensive during the coming years, driving a new need for remodeling using more efficient fixtures and appliances.

This optimistic outlook is good news for the kitchen and bath market, with $118 billion projected for kitchen and bath projects in 2008.

According to the Market Forecaster Report, published annually by K+BB magazine, 6.9 million kitchen jobs and 8.5 million bath jobs have been projected for 2008, with $80 billion and $38 billion in projected spending, respectively. Compared to last year’s kitchen and bath jobs, partial remodeling in the bathroom will grow by 22 percent, and kitchen remodeling will increase 1 percent over 2007.