Gourmet warmer drawers and vacuum-sealing drawers do a perfect job in rounding off the culinary line-up of Miele’s newly launched Generation 7000 range of built-in appliances and constitute an important part of the Miele design system. Says Mercia de Jager from Miele: “In comparison to their predecessors, the technical details on these products have undergone notable improvements and boast a number of market-first innovations.”
Miele’s Gourmet warmer drawers
Miele’s range of Generation 7000 Gourmet warmer drawers are available in two sizes – with heights of 14cm and 29cm. These numbers are by no means arbitrary, notes Mercia: “A 45cm wall oven with integrated microwave, together with a smaller gourmet warmer drawer, fit snugly into a classic 60cm oven recess. The functional outcome is a highly versatile couplet of appliances that appear to come from the same design mould, offering a seamless integrated aesthetic.”
The new drawers feature attractive glass fronts and Push2open mechanisms, which are really easy to operate and gives them a supremely slick handleless finish. They also boast SoftClose mechanisms, which allow the telescopic runners to glide open gently, and then return back to their original position without shaking any crockery or dishes that may be inside, thereby preventing any spills.
All Miele’s Gourmet warmer drawers are operated using Touch Controls located under the flush glass fascia for convenient use and ease of cleaning. You can select one of four temperatures within the temperature range of the chosen mode. Timers can be set and switched off automatically at the end of the programmed time.
Separate operating modes facilitate pre-heating crockery, keeping food warm or even low-temperature cooking. On Miele’s Generation 7000 range of warmer drawers, temperature control is even more precise than on previous models – a boon for slow cooking the most delicate foods. Miele’s new Wi-Fi-enabled Gourmet warmer drawers are now linked using the Miele@mobile app. If required, the drawer can be switched on remotely, ensuring pre-warmed cups on arrival back home for example.
The app can also be used to precisely set the temperature for slow cooking operations and to pre-programme the cooking time, thereby making the process quick and easy to execute, explains Mercia: “Low temperature cooking is a professional method of food preparation, ensuring juicy and tender results when cooking meat, for example. It is also essential for sous vide cooking.”
Miele’s Gourmet vacuum sealer drawers
Although a relatively new staple with regards to built-in kitchen appliances, vacuum sealer drawers are becoming increasingly popular, largely due to the many benefits that they offer. These include:
- Food storage: Foodstuffs in a vacuum-sealed bag stay fresh for longer, without compromising on taste or quality. Vacuum sealing products also protects food from freezer burn, and contamination of smell or flavour. Miele’s vacuum sealer drawers offer a choice of three vacuuming settings for different foods – setting 3 for example, is ideal for marinated meat, while setting 1 is perfect for more delicate foodstuffs, such as berries for example.
- Re-sealing: Vacuum sealer drawers are great for resealing bags of food that have not been finished, such as chips, popcorn, pasta, rice, coffee, and so on. Sealing opened bags of food is a great way of locking in the freshness, and ensuring that there is no cross-contamination of flavours and odours.
- Marinating: By vacuum sealing meat, poultry or fish in a marinade, you can greatly intensify the taste of the marinade, as the flavours do not oxidise. Instead, the herbs and spices can work directly and in a very concentrated form on the food.
- Save time: You can save a fortune of time by pre-preparing meals in a single day, and vacuum sealing them to hold in the freshness and taste. This is also great for those who are on a diet, and need access to quick, healthy meals on the go.
- Sous vide cooking: Vacuum-sealed in a plastic bag, then cooked sous-vide – many gourmet chefs swear by this method of cooking as it ensures exceptionally fine flavours and the most tender of textures. Sous vide cooking entails the slow cooking of food over an extended period of time, at a constantly held low temperature, for an incredibly soft and tender result.
In light of sous vide cooking, Mercia says that a vacuum-sealing drawer, together with a Miele steam oven produces an especially kindred couplet: “This is a functional pairing because all Miele steam ovens sport a sous-vide setting with precise temperature controls and matching design, providing an elegant ensemble for a 60cm recess.”
Miele’s integrated vacuum sealer drawers have a vacuum chamber, equipped with seamless stainless steel sheets, which makes it even easier to clean. They too are operated using TouchControls and boast Push2Open technology like their warmer drawer counterparts.
Another benefit of Miele’s vacuum sealer drawers is that they boast a generous usable area for versatile vacuuming, notes Mercia: “Miele’s new vacuum sealer drawers are big enough to accommodate a variety of bag sizes, so you can vacuum seal small portions, all the way up to the maximum size of 250mm x 350mm and a height of around 80mm. Miele’s new vacuum sealer drawers no come with an additional component that simplifies the often arduous task of using smaller plastic bags. Miele offers two sizes of vacuum sealer bags – small (180mm x 280mm) and large (240mm x 350mm).”
To find out more, visit www.miele.co.za.
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