Kitchen & Bath
Turn Over the Heat
Gas and electric make room for convection and induction cooking methods.


photo courtesy Miele

photo courtesy Roth Distributing


photo courtesy Viking
Modern technology has given us an Olympic-size arena of options to enhance every facet of our lives: communication, transportation, recreation, etc. When it comes to our homes, we demand the best, and the kitchen is one room that can be stocked floor to ceiling with high-end, high-design appliances like convection ovens and induction cooktops.

Kristeen Armstrong-Scott, CKD, second-generation owner of Overland Park-based Armstrong Kitchens, has seen trends come and go in 30 years of working with clients and custom kitchen design. In fact, she says people’s love of recreational and serious cooking in the home kitchen is at an all-time high, thanks to the proliferation of food-related television shows, cookbooks and gadgets. “In the last five years, items like upscale ovens and cooktops have changed from something ‘special’ a homeowner can choose to purchase, to standard operating procedure — technology-savvy appliances are good for resale,” she says.

When It’s Good to Be Full of Hot Air
Convection cooking, a staple in commercial kitchens for many decades, has been available for more than 20 years to homeowners. The concept is simple: Air is circulated by fans inside the oven during operation; the net effect is consistent temperature and balanced cooking. Cooks using convection ovens need to modify their thinking — it requires about 20 to 25 percent less time and lower temperatures than conventional cooking, and it’s user-friendly.

Allan Miller, branch manager of Roth Concept Center in Lenexa, says convection cooking ultimately makes the home chef look good with relatively little effort. “If you put your Thanksgiving turkey on the convection roast mode in a model like Wolf’s dual-convection oven, it will come out looking like a Norman Rockwell painting,” Allan notes. “The oven browns and bastes the bird and will even tell you when it’s done with an internal temperature probe in the oven’s cavity.”

The convection application produces magnificent, succulent and gorgeous roasts, turkeys and tenderloins, but it’s also efficient at baking cookies and cupcakes. Depending on the oven’s size, two to four sheets can be baked simultaneously, with the front cookies or cupcakes emerging from the oven as perfectly baked as those in the back.

Those using convection in a commercial setting rave about the technology for the same reasons a home cook loves its preciseness. Lon Lane, owner of Lon Lane’s Inspired Occasions in Brookside, is a high-end caterer who has used convection cooking in his commissary for years. He appreciates the faster, even cooking that convection offers, especially when it comes to turning out flawless food. “Convection yields successful results, whether we’re doing a dinner party for 10 or a charity event for 2,500,” he says.  He uses it at home, too, because he likes convection’s consistency.

Wolf is the only brand currently available that has a dual-convection oven. Allan says the dual technology offers even more uniform heating than the single. “I like to compare it to an automobile: You can buy an economy car or a luxury car to get you from Point A to Point B; both will get you there in about the same time. But the bells, whistles and features of the luxury car make it a far more interesting and comfortable experience,” he says.

Randy Korte, division vice president of Factory Direct Appliance, says the convection feature is standard in upper- end ovens like Gaggenau but is being   introduced in models from GE and Whirlpool. “It really depends on what the consumer wants to spend — anywhere from $800 to $4,000 and above, depending on the make and model,” he observes.

A Magnetic Personality
Randy explains the basic premise of induction cooktops: Heating a metal object via electromagnetic technology; it reacts to the pan and works efficiently. “Induction offers top-notch performance without an open flame or heated surface; once a pan is removed, the cooktop stops developing heat. Non-ferrous cookware like copper-bottomed, aluminum and stainless steel pans isn’t suitable for an induction cooktop. Iron or stainless ferrous cookware or a pan that a magnet will stick to is appropriate for induction,” he says.

Induction cooktops made a run in the market about 15 years ago, according to Allan, but the technology didn’t perform well. “About two to three years ago, induction was relaunched because the technology advanced to delivering a strong product,” he says. The two mainstays of cooktop methods — electric and gas — are still overwhelmingly popular, but induction is a great alternative, Kristeen says.

“Practicality is often the rule of the day, but clients usually aren’t ready to go back to standard electric,” she notes. “I have homeowners who have cooked with gas for years and enjoyed it but are moving to a place like a loft where the kitchen can’t be properly ventilated to accommodate it. I have others tired of the high-maintenance aspect of gas — constantly cleaning around burners and the cooktop — looking at induction for its many benefits. Both types of clients are natural candidates for induction cooking.”

While Kristeen admits that the induction cooktop will take a period to get integrated into people’s thinking, she firmly believes it has the potential to become a trend. “It appeals to not only consumers who have to buy the next new thing but also to those who like the idea of another option in kitchen cooking,” she says.

Allan agrees. “Induction blends the best of both worlds,” he says. “Like gas, you have the instant control around the heat source; it’s instant gratification, which people like in their cooktops.” He also notes the sleek surface and the absence of a heated heating element that can pose dangers for small children in the kitchen.

Wolf is a leader in induction products, but most of the familiar high-end manufacturers offer induction cooktops, including Wolf, Miele, Thermador and Viking. “At one time, the technology was too expensive to get momentum in the marketplace; the price point is more realistic today,” he says. Depending on the cooktop’s size, prices can range from $1,650 to more than $4,000.

Convection ovens and induction cooktops offer consumers the best of professional capabilities — speed, efficiency, consistency and safety — not found in standard electric, and often, gas cooking. Kristeen, Allan and Randy encourage shoppers in the market to make a list of what they want in cooking options, conduct research, attend showroom demonstrations and then make a well-balanced decision.