It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks in my little “kitchen designer world”. Earlier this month I made a quick trip to the World of Whirlpool in Chicago to learn, in depth, about their premium Jenn-Air line of appliances. Jenn-Air has been around a long time but has recently been reinvented to compete with the luxury brands. Overall the line is very impressive and I could go on and on but today I thought I'd share with you my top 3 favorites. Jenn-Air appliances are all made in the USA, other than that I was interested to learn what sets them apart from the competition. What I found out is, for cooking, many of their appliances lead the pack when it comes to power and variety of power. For example, a high BTU like 20,000 will give you hot quick high heat and a low one like 650 gives you excellent simmering capability. The Jenn-Air cooktops whether gas, electric or induction have you covered.Jenn-Air is also a pioneer in downdraft technology (since the 1960s). It used to be that you couldn't use down draft ventilation unless your house was built with ductwork in the slab under the floor. No more! The JX3 downdraft cooktops can be purchased with a duct-free accessory kit. When you consider that the average family expels 1 gallon of cooking grease into the home every year, ventilation becomes an important consideration.The buzz around induction and steam cooking continues and these appliances impressed me enough to make the top 3. If you know me you know I predict induction cooking will rule the world (almost) in the next decade or so. Induction means cooking with electro magnetic energy so the pot, not the cooking surface, is your heat source. It is 90% efficient and you won't get burned! Surprisingly electric cooking is only about 65% and gas is last with 45% efficiency. Your pots are probably not going to be a problem. If a magnet sticks to the bottom you're good to go. This cooktop is also modestly priced compared to the competition and retails for $2,199.ooThe Jenn-Air appliance I would want the most for my kitchen would be the steam and convection oven. It's a lot of cooking capability packed into a 24" oven! Steam cooking is not just for veggies but also great for cooking eggs, bread, meat, desserts and heating leftovers. The best thing is that you can combine steam and convection cooking so that things like meat and bread brown on the outside. If you just want to bake you can use convection bake mode without the steam. Convection gives you uniform cooking, a must for baking.No plumbing hook up is needed. The reservoir on the right holds the tap water you'll need to get steamy. You also won't need a 220 outlet, 120 is all it takes. Another impressive fact is you can cook several different foods together such as salmon, green beans and creme brulee' with no flavor transference! See more photos and commentary from my trip at Kitchens for Living On the Road and thank you Jenn-Air for the royal designer treatment :)

Sometimes my job comes with perks. I cannot lie. This week I had the pleasure of attending the annual Thanksgiving “lunch and learn” hosted by Florida Builder Appliances, the dynamic go-to resource for all types of appliances from GE to the uber high end including Subzero-Wolf, Miele and even La Cornue. This little gathering for us peeps in the business is quickly becoming an annual ritual we look forward to.

We get to experience the amazing Chef Rachelle Boucher in action. She has cooked for the rich and famous including Catherine Zeta-Jones and George Lucas among others.

We enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving fare including turkey, stuffing and cranberry relish, served each year with a new culinary twist. In addition we learn all kinds of interesting expert tips.

Chef Rachelle recommends the “butterfly method” where she actually spreads the turkey, breast down for cooking. This is so that the white meat retains moisture.Perhaps the most impressive take away this year was learning about the combi-steam oven. You know I tout the induction cooktop as the future of cooking, now you can pair that with the combi-steam oven. This gem combines steam cooking with a convection browning/roasting function.Everyone knows you can steam vegetables to retain flavor, nutrients and moistness but you can also reheat pizza in this bad boy!! Yes, and you will enjoy a crispy perfectly browned crust. The 14lb turkey at the top of this post was cooked entirely in a Thermador Combi-Steam Oven. It was steamed for one hour and 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes on browning mode (no basting needed) and voila'!Commercial combi ovens have been used for years in the restaurant industry. Now the same technology is available for your kitchen. In addition to Thermador, you can get your combi oven from Miele or Wolf. Bosch makes one too but it's not available in the US :(If you're eager to sample the benefits of steam convection cooking but don't have the space or funds to invest in the high end brands, you're in luck. Williams- Sonoma sells a smaller counter top model for around $300. It looks small but can hold a whole 5lb chicken or 12" pizza. Next up: Is your kitchen tired, decrepit and outdated? You can refresh, renew and update without reinventing the wheel.

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