Many functions in a small space for a concrete help in the accomplishment of most of the expected activities: small appliances have invaded the kitchen environment with their concentrate of cutting-edge technology, professional performances and multiple functions. Without giving up the appealing design, which shares in expressing styles and personalities.
The diffusion of small appliances, with original and new functions, is a trend with positive figures, constantly growing, perhaps depending on the diffused passion for the kitchen, where we spend willingly a lot of time to experiment and to cook for our family or our friends, or maybe more simply the will of expressing fancy and creativity that, especially in the kitchen go hand in hand and that the manufacturing world boosts with an endless range of smart appliances.
Accomplice has been the success of the several television programmes dedicated to the cooking activity, since they have diffused the knowledge of tools and small appliances whose existence we simply ignored some time ago.
The result is that small cooking appliances, electrically operated, have become nowadays indispensable because they complete the accessory equipment, letting us save time and providing a valid practical help, especially in the food preparation phase. From the simple blender to the orange juicer and up to the most complex multitasking robots, which are the true protagonists in the kitchen, besides representing real absolute best sellers. A compact and multipurpose household appliance that allows us to save space, time and some money, too. It encompasses, in fact, in a single appliance several functions, like centrifuging, grinding and also kneading together more ingredients for several preparation types, thanks to the accessories equipping it.
The latest models, super-specialized thanks to specific accessories, offer more use practicality because they permit to arrange in the kneading container the unused accessories without taking up too much space.
Moreover, the electronic technology has simplified their use, reducing the energy absorption and automatically adjusting the power according to the effective needs. As it happens in big appliances, several models are equipped with pre-set operation options and with an electronic programmer that defines in predefined times the switching on and off and regulates temperatures as well, according to the requirements.
Besides robots, highly successful are also the centrifuge and the brand-new juice extractor, two appliances that allow preparing, with different modalities, healthy and tasty beverages based on fruits and vegetables. The operation principles are different: in the centrifuge, the raw food is hashed exploiting the high-speed rotation of a flat blade, fixed to the appliance blade, which grinds food and pushes the juice towards a sieve with very small holes, where the pulp is stopped letting the juice exit outside; in the extractor the operation principle is the squeezing one, different from the centrifuge, which works at higher speed. The low-speed squeezing does not develop heat, in order to preserve intact all nutritional principles contained in raw vegetables, thing that does not happen at higher temperatures. The use of extractors allows also wasting a smaller quantity of food because from the same quantity of fruit/vegetables you obtain more juice than with the conventional centrifuge.
The centrifuge is powered by a motor that goes from 150 to 350 watts and is equipped with a cover with a locking system that allows the appliance operation only if it is perfectly positioned. Extractors, instead, have a power of about 400-500 watts, are silent and easily cleaned and, besides, their use is as safe because there are no blades.
In addition to these state-of-art appliances, already successfully diffused in our kitchens, the evergreens as well, like the orange juicer, the immersion blender or the food processor maintain their positions with dignity.
In time, these appliances have undergone an upgrading, not so much in terms of functions, which have remained almost unchanged, but instead from the point of view of technology and especially design.
A concentrate of technology
Silence, sturdiness, power and resistance are characteristics in which manufacturers have hugely invested to achieve better and better results for their appliances, without ever decreasing the attention paid to the safety of household appliances, expected to provide total guarantees under whatever condition.
We have asked some manufacturers what are the technological highlights of their appliances able to assure high performances.
Chiara Brandi, Senior Product Manager Ariete, tells us what characterizes their products: “Ariete products have always stood out for their geniality: our household appliances, with original shapes and colours, contribute in solving small domestic problems in simple and creative way. Like Choppì, which is not only a food processor but it also peels the garlic, or Mixì, which prepares alone all those dishes that need continuous stirring. Robomix Reverse as well grinds, whips and kneads in a single compact appliance thanks to two keys only. Our flagship remains anyway Gratì that, after 15 years, still carries out simply and automatically a task that we perform at least once a day in the kitchen: grating the cheese on pasta”.
To Stefano Delli Carri, Small Domestic Appliances Leader Italy – Whirlpool EMEA we asked to illustrate us the pluses of Hotpoint brand: “The collection of small Hotpoint appliances includes also a series of appliances for the food preparation that allow mixing, cutting, hashing or extracting the juice from foods. The power, the use versatility and the excellence of materials are the strong points on which we stake. The new Hand Blender Ultimate Collection, for instance, has 800W power and a good 5 accessories, from the whipping whisk to the disks to create any vegetable composition. Likewise, the Slow Juicer to extract juices from fruits and vegetables has sturdy and resistant metal components, which allow extracting the juice even from the hardest and most compact foods, with thick skin, such as the pomegranate. Moreover, it is possible to use frozen fruits like strawberries and lemons to prepare excellent fruit sorbets”.
According to the Bergamo company Imetec: “From the technological point of view, the extractor SuccoVivo by Imetec stands out for its efficacy (thanks to a slow extraction at 60 rpm that allows the motor never to stop, neither with fibrous foods) and sturdiness (thanks to the exclusive ultem volute, one of the hardest materials on the market, which grants the processing of all food kinds, including the hardest and most fibrous ones).Moreover, the forefront induction motor, besides being very silent and extremely powerful, grants high resistance, useful for the heaviest operations like extracting the pomegranate juice or the almond milk”.
Technology concentrate, at the service of professionals as well, for Kenwood & Braun. The brand manager Federica De Filippo explains us: “Kenwood and Braun are leader brands on a world scale in the food preparation because they supply reliable excellent-quality products. Small appliances by Kenwood stand out for being highly technological and as sound and reliable as to be used by professionals, too. An example is represented by the Food Processor Kenwood Multipro that, thanks to the innovative “In bowl drive system – direct drive motor” allows the blade group to attach directly to the motor intake without having to introduce other connection parts. This not only improves the use practicality but also the operation capacity (+ 20% compared to models without In bowl drive system). Concerning instead Braun products, one for all, the Smart Speed function of Minipimers: with a single pushbutton it is possible to regulate the processing speed, simply changing the pressure on the button, in order to vary in real time the rotation speed of blades without changing the handle”.
Innovation combined with design is, in short, what characterizes the products by the British brand Morphy Richards. Giorgio Bettiol, Business Specialist describes how: “Morphy Richards products match design and innovative technologies. Our sets of immersion blenders/mixers, for instance, stand out for the exclusive system of serrated blades, “Serrator Blade”, equipping them, which not only improve the performances but also have a 12-time longer service life than standard blades. Moreover, the line of immersion mixers Total Control by Morphy Richards is based on a cutting-edge technology that allows “controlling” the mixer speed and adapting it to the various preparations for always perfect results”.
According to Russell Hobbs, instead, the technological innovation is implemented through the introduction of some fundamental accessories and it cannot set aside the use of high-quality materials granting resistance and durability in time. “Russell Hobbs has always tried to use light and practical materials, conceived to give end users a total comfort in the use of products, intended for being durable in time. For this reason, all of our small cooking appliances are exclusively made of high-quality resistant plastic and hardened stainless steel, comfortable materials we can wash in the dishwasher. Among the technological highlights, with the innovative Illumina range we have introduced the use of luminous coloured LED to facilitate even the most inexperienced chef in handling intuitively small appliances, from the toaster to the immersion blender. It is a unique technological plus in our sector. Aura line, in its turn, perfectly matches the innovation concept thanks to the possibility of adding useful and essential accessories for the kitchen. Some examples? The blender with the grinder to process even the hardest ingredients, the compact blender Mix&Go Pro, with two portable bottles and the vegetable slicer Slice&Go Multi that, besides cutting and hashing vegetables, includes also a nice accessory to prepare desserts based on frozen fruits. Finally, among the new entries of the new collection, the NutriBoost, a revolutionary mixer that allows preserving all food vitamins, and 3in1 Ultimate Juicer, a multitasking appliance that alone replaces three products, acting as centrifuge, orange juicer and blender as well”, told us Vieri Pecori Giraldi, Marketing Manager of Russell Hobbs Italia.
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Target: simplification
From the point of view of functions, different are the ambits on which companies prevailingly focused. First, practicality and user-friendliness, granted by the appliance compactness and by the supply of specific accessories, thanks to which attaining impeccable, almost professional, results.
Everybody’s goal is to supply instruments that are useful aids in kitchen in the various preparation phases and at the same time not so complex as to discourage their use.
Aspects fully confirmed by Federica De Filippo for Kenwood & Braun: “Both Kenwood and Braun design their products to be reliable and durable in time but especially practical in supporting the food preparation every day. Kenwood succeeds in that by proposing suitable products for all requirements. Each function has been devised and designed to suit one of its specific accessories, just because the result that we want to obtain is the best possible, worth professionals even if inside home. Braun aims at offering innovative, design and high quality products, in compliance with the long-term German tradition of the brand. In this case, the focus is always user-friendliness”.
Chiara Brandi, from Ariete, told us instead what was the course followed by the Tuscany company: “Today space and time are the things that we mainly miss: therefore, we strived to develop extremely compact and space-saving products, to enter all kitchens, but at the same time able to be a real aid to simplify the preparation and to spare time”.
In the case of Imetec, instead: “We have mainly bet on two aspects: practicality and versatility, while granting a complete range of accessories”.
At Whirlpool, for the brand Hotpoint Ariston Stefano Delli Carri explained us on what aspects they have worked and what appliances they have developed: “For the entire range of small appliances we offer precise and user friendly functions and technologies for the food preparation, able to provide performance satisfying even the most exacting consumers. Concerning this, the collection consists of a Kitchen Machine that, with planetary motion, allows mixing and stirring any ingredient. The Food Processor, instead, is a multipurpose robot that, thanks to the variable technology and to the quantity of accessories equipping it, can cut, whip, blend and carry out endless other preparations”.
Granting excellent performances through the use experience is the target pursued by Morphy Richards, explained by Bettiol: “For our line of immersion mixers Total Control, we have decided to focus on the speed control function. Due to the extreme practicality of this technology that permits to process various ingredients perfectly adapting them to the various recipes, we decided to apply it also to other products, like kneading and mixing appliances, to improve their use experience”.
All practical aspects, even the most boring ones connected with the phases following the use, like cleaning, are fundamental for Russell Hobbs Italia: “The main feature that characterizes us is the use promptness of our products. Practicality is priority in all of our products, which are always simple and extremely intuitive. Each operation is easy and immediate, then we propose complete products provided with surprising additional characteristics. Our appliances are devised to be objects that help final consumers to cook but they are not required to do everything. They are real allies in the kitchen, essential instruments able both to enhance the passion of those who already like creating tasty dishes with their hands and to provide an important support for “aspiring chefs” who want to approach and to commit themselves to recipes with passion. Besides, we are proud of offering an excellent quality-price ratio that allows consumers with whatever expenditure budget to afford functional, user-friendly and especially easily cleaned products. In fact, what makes our market strategy winning is not only the user friendliness of our appliances but also the attention that we have always paid to the after-use phase, that is to say cleaning and the chefs’ need of storing products comfortably when they have ended using them”.
Iconic objects
From the aesthetical point of view, small contemporaneous appliances stand out for a particular attention paid to design and to colours and they are devised to remain in view, instead of closing them in a cabinet. If the problem is then where to store a new appliance, the sophisticated design solves it, making them so fine that they can be left in view on the worktop or on a shelf.
What are anyway the most appreciated features of materials, finishes and colours? We asked it to companies, to be able to synthesize some chromatic trends or to identify some tendencies concerning the minimal design and the hi-tech aesthetics.
“We chose the colour option many years ago, when nobody shared this choice, and we opened a market where several others have followed us. “I colorati” range was launched in 2010 and still today it is highly appreciated. Fancy, colour and liveliness are the elements that we need in our everyday life” proudly summarizes Chiara Brandi from Ariete.
Attention to trends, in order to supply appliances with which embellishing the kitchen environment according to our taste and style. “Aesthetics and design are two fundamental elements in the creation of the products signed by Russell Hobbs, for this reason we always try to conform to market trends and to follow the fashions of the time, to meet final consumers’ tastes. The colour choice is very important, generally every two years we are used to revising our collections and updating colours according to the latest trends. Design as well exerts a fundamental impact on the product, therefore we always propose appliances that, besides being functional, can also be real pieces of furniture for the kitchen, simple and fine objects to be left on show on the table or on the worktop of the kitchen. Moreover, in the research of materials we avoid excessive weights in favour of light and at the same time resistant materials, such as plastic and stainless steel”, stated Vieri Pecori Giraldi from Russell Hobbs.
Essential pure lines are the distinguishing traits of the range by Hotpoint Ariston. In the opinion of Stefano Delli Carri, “The collection of Hotpoint small appliances shows a refined distinguishing aesthetics. Among the most appreciated features, small sizes, the use of stainless steel and other high-quality materials that express the detail care”.
Design plays instead a communicative function for Imetec: “The finish and the colour of the extractor SuccoVivo communicate professionalism and sturdiness”, while for Kenwood & Braun “From the aesthetical point of view, the two brands differentiate: Kenwood features essential lines, a minimal-chic design, suitable for products that, thanks to their elegance, can survive to fashions and become “timeless icons”. Braun products as well have an unmistakeable design but their shapes are more geometrical and neat. Harmonious lines combine ergonomics and functionality in a perfect balance Braun Centrifuge, for instance, condensates in its full-bodied and essential structure the entire technology and functionality designed by Braun”.
The synthesis is entrusted to Giorgio Bettiol from Morphy Richards “Elegance in design, transparency, reliability and efficiency: they are the primary characteristics of our new lines. Table-type blenders Morphy Richards, for instance, are characterized by a glass carafe and a combined blade that grants to mix any blend perfectly. Whereas immersion mixers have a stainless steel rod, provided with the exclusive “serrator blade” system that, thanks to the serrated blade, allows grinding and mincing whatever ingredient perfectly”.
