RETAILOBSERVER.COM JANUARY 2015
10
THE CULINARY CULTURE OF
GAGGENAU
C
lose your eyes and try to picture a professional kitchen. Your
mind probably wanders to something you've seen on TV: a hive
of activity, with lots of people running around shouting
"Yes, Chef!" to the monstrous guy in charge, while flames spark in every
corner of the room. According to Sven Baacke, Gaggenau's Head of
Design, that image is a slight exaggeration, and he should know.
Sven and his team regularly visit restaurants to find out what's really
cooking, while collaborations with top chefs keep Gaggenau close to
those who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary cuisine.
It's all part of Gaggenau's mission to offer the high-quality appliances
enjoyed by professionals to culinary enthusiasts who prepare meals in
the comfort of their own homes. No other manufacturer has had such
a significant and lasting influence on the kitchen as Gaggenau, which
was at the forefront of the development of the built-in oven. "We're
trying to domesticize the professional kitchen. Take the steam oven: we
didn't invent it, but we were the first to produce it in a size that makes it
possible to use at home."
All of which sounds like a design challenge as imposing as the
steam ovens at a five-star hotel. Luckily, Sven can call on the people
who work there every day for advice. "One thing chefs always tell us is
that they like it simple. They don't want fancy things; they want devices
that are really easy to use."
This desire for simplicity translates into straightforward appliances
like the Teppan-Yaki plate, an appliance that allows users to prepare
food directly on the modular cooking surface. "When you turn the
knob, it gets hot. When you turn it off, it gets cold." Such solutions rely
on the cutting-edge technology and manufacturing processes at the
Gaggenau factory in Lipsheim. The 400 oven series is another example
of Gaggenau's ability to create products that provide ease of use and
maximum functionality with a handle-less push-to-open system. Other
brand innovations include the glass ceramic cooktop for the home
kitchen and modular refrigeration columns, the first modular system of
fully integrated cooling appliances that can be combined to form a
refrigeration wall.
Yet like everyone in the professional kitchen, technology has to know
its place. "We only include it when it benefits the user. The induction
We want to unite form and func
