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Module-3- Appliances

Dima Al-Dayriyeh

dima.dayriyeh@gmail.com

Assignment-3

20th November 2016

1. Kitchen appliances in UAE:

One of the largest kitchen appliances stores in UAE is Better Life. It is an ISO 9001:2008 certified

organization. Better Life stores can be found in different emirates in the UAE including Dubai

and Abu Dhabi. It’s also found in different countries in the middle east. The main vision and

mission of Better Life is to make an easier life to the users. Now, it’s a market leader and

distributer of many European kitchen appliances brands such as Siemens, Zanussi, and Smeg. In

addition to their famous kitchen appliances brands that were established by Better Homes to

meet clients’ different tastes and needs such as Wolf Power and Euron. I have spoken to the

senior marketing executive, Johanna, and she gave some valuable information about Better Life

marketing strategies for the following top 5 kitchen appliances brands:

Siemens is a German brand that manufactured many home appliances such as stoves, ovens,

microwaves, cooker hoods, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, freezers, coffee machines,

food prep and much more. This brand is known for its durable products and details in producing

the highest quality. Beside it offers expensive products, it is also known for the high-tech and

innovative products, that attracts clients easily to have a happier and easier life. Apart of that,

what differs this brand than others is the reason behind manufacturing eco-friendly products to

protect the earth’s natural resources. For instance, they have some models such as washers

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that calculate energy efficiency. Therefore, Siemens invest around $2.4 billion a year for the

eco-friendly technology development.

“Time’s precious, enjoy it” this is the vision of Antonio Zanussi who established Zanussi

appliances. In 1916, Zanussi began making stoves in Italy, and later he started developing a

range of products that can make people’s life much easier. In 1950s, Zanussi’s son introduced

gas cookers ahead of time in terms of their performance and easy usage. In 1980s, Zanussi

became part of the Electrolux AB Stockholm. Now, Zanussi hold different appliances that

includes cooking, cooling, dishwashing, laundry and cleaning. Though Zanussi products may not

be affordable for everyone, yet it gives its consumers a longer product life span and high-

technology cooperation that force people to purchase them.

Smeg is an Italian brand that specialized mainly in ovens, hoods, hobs, wine coolers,

refrigerators, freezers, kettles, blenders, mixers, cookers, dishwashers and much more. As any

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other high-end brands, Smeg cooperated technology in their products. But this is not the only

feature the describes Smeg product. The brand focuses on design and the attention to

aesthetic, ergonomic and functionality. A collaboration with many designers, lead them to

create functional products with style. You can always refer to Smeg products as sleek and

elegant. Safety, hygiene, quality, and environment together are taken into consideration when

Smeg designers manufacture kitchen appliances. Clients that care mainly about the elegancy

and style of their appliances can choose Smeg. This Italian brand is also considered as a high-

end brand, but it is more affordable than Siemens and Zanussi.

Wolf Power is local brand that was created and established by Better Life. The reason behind

this brand is to create affordable kitchen appliances products for the clients. Wolf Power

products are also technology integrated. Products are affordable, smart, and reliable; thus, it

makes it a great choice for the customers. It started in 1999 with a line vacuum cleaners and

washing machines. Now, Wolf Power have a popular range of products include refrigerators,

cookers, air conditioners, freezers, and water dispensers. By keeping quality, price and

technology into consideration, Wolf Power aims to fulfill client’s needs and wants.

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Euron is another local home appliances brand that was established by Better Life. It also serves

the same vision of Better Life which is to create yet another affordable brand to their clients

with variety of designs applied to their products. You can notice the elegant and colorful Euron

products presentation. This brand stands out as a theme based lifestyle brand, which fill the

gap of the niche market in UAE such as wine coolers, outdoor grillers and innovative kitchen

appliances. Eurons vision is to create solutions for the clients with low prices.

2. Compare and contrast the following types of cooking: Induction, gas, electric,

and steam oven.

When it comes to choosing your desired kitchen cooking appliances, customers will find various

of options that are available in the market. In order to choose the right cook-tops, please read

the below option advantages and disadvantages of each:

A. Gas:

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Advatages:

• Low Emission: when you use gas stoves, you will experience less heat entering

the air around the stove. Heat will not be wasted, it will be only produced from

the stove itself. In other words, once you turn off your gas stove, heat will

directly disappear.

• Cooks faster: As soon as you turn on your gas stove, it will be directly heated up;

thus, it will produce better and faster cooking experience to your food.

• Equal distribution: Heat will be distributed equally to the pan/utensil.

• Accuracy: Despite other cook-tops options, it takes you 1 second to adjust the

temperature to your stove and it will take less time to increase/decrease the gas

flame that cooks your food.

• More efficient: The main advantage of gas stoves that it runs by gas and not

electricity. Therefore, a shut down in the electricity it won’t affect the stove

efficiency, and it won’t prevent you from cooking.

Disadvantages:

• Cleaning: It will require more effort to keep the gas stovetop clean from the

food spills while cooking and grease.

• Use exhausts: Because you are using gas flames in indoor kitchens, you will

need a proper ventilation and exhausts to keep the production of gas leads to

the outside without creating a harmful indoor environment.

• Dangerous: You will always need to aware of the fact that gas can leak and it

may create fire; thus, it will lead to breathing hazard. So you should always

make sure that you use gas stoves efficiently and install them properly.

• Installation: Most of the houses has electricity connection, but few that have

gas piping connection. Therefore, you need to consider a gas line or LPG that

requires refilling the gas bottle regularly.

B. Electric:

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Advantages:

• Easier to clean: Because of it smooth surface, electric stoves are easy to clean,

this include surface and burners.

• You gain more space: you can use it for cooking different dishes, while at times

when it turned off you can make usage of it, in which it gives an additional

storage space on your kitchen countertop.

• Easy to turn on: Doesn’t need a lighter to light up, you just need to turn on the

attached knob and it will quickly turn on.

• Safer: Since it doesn’t produce a flame such as gas stoves, it is inflammable; thus,

it will be safer to the users.

• Energy efficient: It preserve energy.

Disadvantages:

• Power: It relies on electricity, this means in case of an electricity shut down, you

won’t be able to use it.

• Durability: By applying heavy cast iron pots or by splashing cold water on the hot

burner, you can easily ruin it and scratch it. You will even loose it nice smooth

shinny surface look.

• More time to cool: It requires more time to cool down once you turn the electric

stoves off. You can easily burn you fingers or hands if you touch it without

noticing that its still hot ( this happened to me few times).

• Cooking: It may require more time for your food to be cooked compared to gas

stoves. But this always differs to the types of food you cook on electric stoves.

• Heat: The heat emitted is much higher compared to gas stoves. In some places it

requires you to use A/C more.

C. Induction: It uses electromagnetic energy to heat directly the applied to the surface

pots and pans.

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Advantages:

• Less wasted heat: Wasted heat are less in induction stoves as the energy and

heat are transformed directly to the cooking vessle through the magnetic field

feature that it has. Moreover, heat focuses on the steel pan on the surface; thus,

84% of the heat are used to cook your food. While if you want to compare it to

gas stoves, in which gas uses only around 40% of the heat to cook.

• Safety: The main advantage of induction stoves that they stay cool once you turn

them off. This means you can’t burn your skin anymore. This can be explained

due to the heat that only transmit when a pan is applied to the surface.

• Easy intallation: Easy to install them, and it can designed to be accessible to

handicapped people who use wheelchairs at their homes.

• Cleaning: Easy to clean it surface, escpecially spilled food won’t be cooked over

the surface because it will never interact with heat as long as it is outside of the

pan.

Disadvantages:

• Cost: It’s more expensive than electric and gas stoves.

• Cookware: You need to consider steel pots only when it comes to using

induction stoves. Some people may consider replacing their pots to make sure

that they can react to the magnet of the stove.

• Power: Unlike gas stoves, in case of power outtage, you may not be able to cook

on induction stoves.

D. Steam oven:

It use hot, pressurized steam that maintains the moisture of food without the need to

add fats or additional preserved artificial taste to your food. It is the best way to keep

your food healthy. In the market, you can find standard or convection steam ovens.

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Some models utilize water tank in which it needs for water to create steam. Check the

picture below for more information.

Advantages:

• Preserve food: It maintain you’re the raw look without adding any articial colors

or fats. All nutritions facts and vitamins will be preserved in your food. A great

choice for healthy meals.

• Decorative: It comes with a modern/contemprary styles that will definetely will

add up to your kitchen design.

• Easy to clean: The beautiful advantage of this kitchen appliance that it is easy to

clean, in which the whole dirts will be the “steam” that you need to wipe it off.

No stains or stubborn dirts will come to your steam ovens.

• Refresher: It is always a great decision to use steam ovens rather than

microwaves to refresh your leftovers.

• Fast: It cooks your food in less time, and it serves it so quickly.

Disadvantages:

• Small appliance: You would never see huge big steam ovens. You will always be

limited to a specific quantity of food to be cooked inside.

• Cost: Unlike traditional ovens, steam ovens are more expensive.

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3. What Aga stands for and why it is it important for kitchen culture?

Aga stands for Aktiebolaget Gas Accumulator. It is a heat storage cooker and stove. The

whole idea of Aga revolves around the idea of having a cast iron heavy frame that can

absorb heat from a low intensity but continously burning source. Lator on, the

accumalated hear can be used when needed for cooking. The above picture is an

example of modern Aga cooker.

History

In 1922, the Aga cooker was invented by the Noble Prize-winning Swedish physicit

Gustaf Dalen. This invention was due to Dalen’s observation when he lost his sight and

stayed at home, he discovered that his wife was extremely exhasted by cooking. So he

tried to invent something that has more than one culinary technique that is easy to use

for housewifes. In 1922, he designed one cooker, water heater, and laundry dryer to

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lessen the stress that his wife had. By adopting the principle of heat storage, he was

able to combine a heat source, two large hotplates and two ovens in one unit.

In 1929, the first solid-fuel Aga cooker that was designed from white front panels and

black top was introduced to Britain. At that time, it was the new brilliant invention to

Britain. It was known for its energy effeciancy, durability, and high cost. For this reason,

it was considered mainly for the upper class. People who used to purchase the Aga used

to place it as a focal point in their kitchens to add the beauty to the space and to make it

visible for everyone who enters the house!

Nowadays..

In the past, people loved this brilliant innovation, but nowadays the Aga cooker concept

didn’t disapear, yet it got enhanced. As you can notice the above picture, a very modern

kitchen design with a focal point of Aga cooker. It looks very classical, because

manufacturers still want to look the way it looked before. On the other hand, they

added the modern touch. This model is created by Aga living, which looks exactly as the

classic Aga cooker, but underneath lies a touch screen control panel. It’s a 3-oven model

with a new technology that allows the owners to operate it the way they want. The AGA

iTotal Control technology enables the home users to operate their cookers wherever

they are using smartphones or tablets. You can even text your Aga cooker by typing for

example “Roasting oven on” and within few minutes you will get a respond confirming

that the roasting is on now. So you only need to touch the screen in order to make your

Aga ready for action when you get back home!

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4. Who was Frigidaire?

Frigidaire is a commercial home appliances that was directed by different owners

throughout the past years and the manufactured products were enhanced from the

intial years of the company establishment. Currently, headquarters are based in

Charlotte, N.C, USA. They are specialized in home appliances such as clothes washers,

dryers, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, ranges, air room conditioners and

microwave ovens. By looking back at the history of Frigidaire, it started in the 1913

when it introduced the first electric refrigerator. In 1916, the Gaurdian Frigerator

organized to manufacture and produce mellow refrigerators. The main enhacmenet

period on the products started when General Motors purchased it as they saw the great

potential in this company. In 1918, General Motors officially baught the company and

they called it Frigidaire. During this time, mass production techniques were taken into

consideration, and people started finally noticing the improvements on the production

facilities. Sales offices were opened, and by the time Frigidaire contributed strongly in

the whole industry. By the the 1986, Frigidaire was sold to Electrolux.

I will state few of the contributions and improvents of Frigidaire throughout the years:

• In 1921, the cork insulation was sealed by the one-piece metal lining

“Hydrolene”

• In 1924, ice-cream cabinets were introduced in the market.

• In 1926, manufcaturing of all-steel refrigerators that were highly demanded by

the people, and they were highly purchased.

• In 1927, they introduced the first porcelain on steel applied on the refrigerators

exteriors.

• In 1929, the introduction of first home freezers and home air conditioners. At

this phase the company started their big hit, and they started their international

sales.

• In 1930, the first humidity drawer for fruits and vegetables called Hydrator was

taken place in the market.

• In 1931, they started using freon as refrigerant.

• In 1947, the first laundery line were added, in which Frigidaire washers had spin

dry speed of 1,000 rpms.

• In 1948, they introduced the first refrigerators-freezers as a one piece product.

• In 1965, delivering cubes to the ice saver on door using the first automatic ice

maker.

• In 1970, introducing a laundry product of a washer and dryer.

• In 1998, introduced the PureSource ice and water filtration system.

• In 2001, introduced the next generation of the refrigerators.

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• In 2005, introduced new colors such as the silver mist color that has the look of

the stainless steel, as they became more creative about the product design and

available varities to consumers.

• In 2013, Frigidaire celebrated their 95th anniversary as they introduced the high-

efficiency top load washers (HETL), laundry center, and dryers.

5. Present 3 images of kitchens with: canopy, undermouted rangehood, pull-out

rangehood. Analyze the effect of their design to the wall units.

The main purpose of having a range hood in your kitchen, is to create a proper ventilation for

the space. It removes smells, smoke, steam and heat that result during food cooking. It can also

absorb grease so it doesn’t build on your kitchen appliances and cabinets. The following are

some options of range hoods that you may consider when you decide to renovate or design

your kitchen.

A. Canopy:

Wall-mount canopy range hoods are very popular, and most modern homes nowadays

have them. As shown in the above picture that the range hood is designed using steel

and glass materials; therefore, you can notice the wide varieties and options of designs

you can select to your homes. Whether you have a tuscan kitchen or a contemporary

design, you can always find the right canopy range hood that fits your criteria.

As known, modern interiors use fine lines and fresh designs to approach modernity. The

modern designed kitchen in the above picture with such a steel-glass range hood makes

it the best choice to represent clean, pure and fresh kitchen design. The calm beige

glossy wall color creates a perfect combination with this range hood style. It is installed

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perfectly over the steel appliances such as the stove, oven and even the cabinets

handles; thus, it creates a balance between white and steel color/materials scheme. I

can see this range hood also applicable in minimalist kitchen designs that relies mainly

on steel and concrete walls.

B. Undermouted:

Undermout range hoods are a great choice for people who prefer to hide such feature

from their kitchens. It is integrated into kitchen cabinets. In the above picture I like the

combination of the hidden slightly showing the steel material on the range hood above

the steel stove. It also works well with the grey and white herringbone zigzag

splashback. Therefore, it creates a harmony between the white colored base units, and

it highlightes the cozy dark wood material on the upper wall cabinets and base unit

handles. This wall cabinet highlight is never disconnected by range hoods, since it’s the

focal point material in the kitchen.

C. Pull-out:

Pull-out range hood models have fan and light that turn on once you slide them out. It is

also a great option, because once you finish cooking, you can push them inside again to

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be out of people’s sight. In the above kitchen, we can notice the usage of neutral colors

scheme, whether using a light wood wall and base cabinets that blend perfectly with the

same texture granite splashback and countertop. The main focal point in this picture is

the rigid black colored stove top with a matching range hood. In other words, once the

range hood is pulled out, it creates a highlight over that area, as if it gives a statement to

the viewers that cooking is in action now.

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