So where were we? Ah yes, day 2 of my latest great adventure. Friday, after an impressive little breakfast spread, we settled in for a guided tour of the new BSH Experience and Design Center and yes it WAS quite an experience. We were outfitted in our very own custom and official looking lab coats (my first). A camera crew toured with our group so someday I expect a film or two to make its appearance.
Our first stop was THE WALLS (excellent use of hallway space, I might add). These walls illustrate through shadow boxes, the details of materials, engineering and quality control that go into a Bosch appliance. Each appliance undergoes not 25, not 250 but 2500 checks before being sent out into the world. Yes, your new dishwasher may have a couple water spots and that's why. The Bosch design philosophy is inspired by German industrial designer Dieter Ram's 10 principles of design . They are in good company. Apple Inc. is also one of the few companies designing products according to his principles.DESIGNED FOR LIFENext on the hit parade was Designed for Life-an Interactive Design Workshop. My group worked with a member of the industrial design team to design a range. We looked at things like how it could work for people that have limited mobility, are visually impaired (just had to remove my spectacles) or victims of advanced pregnancy.
It was a real eye opener and I actually did come up with some ideas. Here are my notes. From sketches and notes the design team takes it to 3D imaging on the computer where they will tweak until its ready for the prototype stage.
LISTEN TO THE SILENCEFrom vision to hearing, the next experience was all about my favorite Bosch product, the quintessential dishwasher. Bosch makes the quietest dishwasher in the industry rated at 39 decibels. I know this to be a fact from personal experience. I've been squirted a time or two from opening the door when I wasn't aware that it was running (probably didn't have my glasses on). They have solved that problem. In new models a red laser dot shines on the floor when the dishwasher is running. You can't miss it, even sans glasses. In addition to the silence these dishwashers are rated the most water and energy efficient. They are quite proud to have placed in Consumer Reports latest top ten in five categories including number one in value. Speaking of value, you will spend anywhere from $549-$1,999 for a Bosch dishwasher. The nice thing is that whether you opt for high end or entry level you don't have to sacrifice efficiency or silence. The differences are in the interior bells and whistles.
FIX AND FEAST!Time for lunch and a great opportunity to test drive all the Bosch appliances and Blanco plumbing fixtures . Under the guidance of company chef, Kyle Jacobi, we collectively prepared a feast including fish tacos, stuffe chili rellenos, bacon wrapped shrimp, Spanish rice and more!
WHAT'S COOKING?After lunch it was time to learn about induction cooking and convection ovens. If you're not cooking on induction now, you will be in about ten years. I'm not kidding. Even the glass top electric range will go the way of those coil burner types we used to use. Remember those? The cool thing is you cannot burn yourself. The heat only happens when the burner comes in contract with the bottom of the pan. It uses a lot less power too!
Convection ovens have been around a long time but I learned a couple of things about them too. True convection, as featured in Bosch ovens, has its own separate heating element. Then there is something called "Speed Convect". What that means is no preheating. Zero to 350 in no time at all! We finished the BSH Experience in some really comfy chairs learning about the Forces that Drive Innovation presented by Tim Maicher, Director of Marketing at Blanco America. I loved that he expressed that there is an emotional as well as technical component to kitchen design. I have always held that belief.THE LAST HURRAH!The final event of this two day adventure was dinner at The Cannery in Newport Beach. Here I got another glimpse of the water but for the first time the sky turned gray. (Guess it was sad we were leaving).
That's it! I have a lot more to share about new products at Blanco along with my random musings on stuff. I hope you enjoyed your personal virtual tour. I'll be loading lots more photos to the On the Road with Kitchens for Living Flickr album. I'll let you know when they're up. Ciao for now!
