Retail Observer

AUGUST 2014 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 17 Given Le Cordon Bleu's long history of excellence in the culinary space, the organization believes that there is value in providing students, aspiring chefs of all levels and loyal followers recommendations for specific kitchen appliances and other cooking tools and instruments to maximize their performance. "As a professional chef, the tools we use are just as important as the ingredients that go into each dish," notes Executive Chef of Le Cordon Bleu Yannick Anton. "So whether I'm cooking at home or in a professional kitchen, performance is paramount, and the power and precision I experienced with Dacor was second to none." Le Cordon Bleu Master Chefs recently tested numerous high-end cooking appliance brands including Dacor on myriad evaluations such as baking, convection baking, broiling and convection roasting. The tests measured the oven's speed and accuracy, evenness of heat distribution, and the quality of dishes prepared. Dacor appliances were determined to be superior in multiple categories and its premier product craftsmanship was highlighted as well. "Dacor is the first and only appliance brand to be tested and recommended by the Master Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu," notes Dacor CEO Chuck Huebner. "This alliance is the perfect pairing of two iconic brands with a rich history of celebrating culinary artistry." As part of the partnership agreement, Dacor ovens and ranges will have a Le Cordon Bleu seal of excellence insigne. Additionally, Le Cordon Bleu will feature select Dacor products in its upcoming cooking classes, demonstrations and academy kitchens. "There is no other kitchen appliance brand in the world that has received this renowned stamp of approval," notes Dacor President Steve Joseph. "Like Le Cordon Bleu, Dacor has been committed to innovation and excellence since our inception nearly 50 years ago, and it's these ideals that set the standard for everything we do today." BLUESTAR ® STAYS ON THE CUTTING EDGE A look inside the company's game-changing PowR Oven™ in the new premium Platinum™ Series range The BlueStar ® Platinum™ Series features a new PowR Oven™ technology that preheats the oven nearly 40 percent faster and provides a 30 percent increase in overall heat efficiency. Combined with BlueStar's extra-large oven capacity that accommodates full- size commercial sheet pans, unique convection oven system and professional grade 1850 degree infrared broiler, the PowR Oven™ delivers top professional-quality results. BlueStar ® is known to consistently raise the bar when it comes to high-performance, restaurant-quality ranges for the home, and its new PowR Oven™ burner, featured in the company's Platinum™ range, places the company squarely on the cutting edge. Adapting and refining technology used in commercial appliances, the PowR Oven™ burner brings convenience, power and efficiency home in a totally unique way. Plus, the Platinum's newly streamlined and more functional design makes cooking even more enjoyable. The new PowR Oven™ features a power burner that is located on the back wall of the oven cavity. This burner technology, which is widely used in commercial kitchen appliances, provides heat directly to the cooking chamber, enabling faster preheating and overall enhanced efficiency. When the power burner is running, the convection fan cycles on a low speed to promote even heat distribution throughout the oven cavity. "The PowR Oven technology depends on a blower to provide the proper air/gas mixture for combustion instead of just relying on the atmosphere," explains Ryan Stephens, BlueStar's chief engineer. "It yields greater consistency over current burners, and the initial pre- heating speed is faster than what is on the market right now." The idea was spun out of technology already present in the commercial cooking world and a staple in grills used in many popular chain restaurants. In an oven with a traditional atmospheric burner, the burner is located under the oven bottom and relies on atmospheric pressure to introduce air into the burner system. The consistency of this method is sometimes interrupted by fans, heat vents, cooling vents or even an open door. This results in a burner that is not running at its maximum efficiency. In addition, the atmospheric system works primarily by heating the metal surrounding it which in turn heats the air used for cooking. The atmospheric burner has a lag in response time since it must first heat the surrounding metal. In the BlueStar PowR Oven™, the burner is located directly in the oven cavity and relies on a blower to force air to mix with gas for combustion. This method is not affected by fans, heat vents, or cooling vents. The result is a

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