Showing posts with label Wolf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wolf. Show all posts

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Monkey in a Space Suit

The beginning of my week was spent at SubZero-Wolf appliance training. After any training you come away feeling pumped up and full of knowledge. I learned a lot and plan to share some tid bits with you in upcoming blog posts, but today, I want to talk about monkeys in space suits.


I know SubZero-Wolf would be thrilled that this story is the first thing I'm inclined to share with you after two long days of training, but some pieces of information just speak to you more than others, and the story of the monkey in a space suit did just that for me.

Back in the late 1950's, when space exploration was in full swing, the great minds at NASA decided training humans to be astronauts was too expensive and time consuming. Instead, they decided monkeys would be a better choice. The plan was to train the monkeys to flip a switch or push a button when a light flashed or a banana fell (I'm improvising here, but you get the point) while up in space. As life always goes, certain things happened upon arriving to space that were not expected.  If anything occurred that was outside of the specific training the monkeys had received, they had no idea how to handle it. They were incapable of problem solving or thinking outside the box. Obviously, every possible occurrence could not be accounted for, so needless to say, replacing astronauts with monkeys was an epic failure.

Hindsight is always 20-20, but clearly, NASA would of been better off investing in professionals who SPECIALIZED in these tasks, instead of trying to cut corners and go with a cheaper, "too-good-to-be-true" option. I know you are nodding your head in agreement, but steady your head and listen up. This type of situation/mindset/decision happens ALL THE TIME and the people at NASA are not the only guilty ones.

I can't tell you how many times a monkey in a space suit has been chosen over me.

So many people are concerned with getting the cheapest price and forget that cheaper does not always (or ever) mean better. I'm all about a good deal, but you have to understand that when you're talking about investing in your home you need guidance from people that know what their doing. During this recession companies have popped up all over the place that claim to do it all. Regardless of how good this sounds, the reality is, you can't be good at everything. The same company that cuts down your trees should not be designing your kitchen, anymore than the same doctor that cleans your teeth should be removing your spleen. People go to school and specialized trainings and have obtained experience in specific fields to better not only themselves but their ability to help you, the customer.

Just like space, kitchens and baths are not cut and dry. These spaces require a LOT of attention to detail and curve balls are around every corner. Years of experience and training equip qualified designers, contractors and builders with the ability to recognize warning signs and the knowledge to problem solve. Thus, things are less likely to get out of control, and you are more likely to have a good remodeling/building experience.

The best tool you can have is a qualified professional in your corner! Money is money, so before you opt for the cheapest option, consider that if you are unlucky enough to end up with a monkey in a space suit, the additional money required to right the wrongs of the confused, unqualified, stumped monkey brain will be far more substantial than the money you saved. By all means shop around, but keep in mind....


All photos are from google search.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Steamy Love

So, I've held out on you, Cow Spot Friends. In my last post I covered the highlights from my trip to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Chicago, but I left out my favorite discovery. The truth is, this item was not forgotten, it was left out intentionally. I knew it was too cool to just include among the other items from the show, this item and topic deserved a post all its own.

The item: The Wolf Convection Steam Oven. The topic: Steam Cooking.


THIS is Wolf's Convection Steam Oven.



Oh.My.Gosh. This appliance is TOO cool. I had heard about steam cooking, but really didn't know a lot about it. Thankfully we were lucky enough to get a pretty thorough tutorial about this product and I was blown away by all it could do. To begin, steam cooking is quick, healthy and versatile. When cooking with this steam oven, foods maintain many nutrients that are lost by other cooking methods.




Take broccoli for example, if you boil broccoli you will notice the water begin to get a green tint.

Like this....


The green tint  you see above are the nutrients that have actually left the broccoli due to the cooking process. Most of us eat vegetables like broccoli to maintain a healthy lifestyle. By cooking the broccoli in a steam unit, you will increase the amount of nutrients your body receives, compared to boiling the broccoli, where a large amount of important enzymes wind up getting poured down the drain.

As cool as this information is, I was still hesitant. For most of us, it would be a stretch to buy an appliance solely for its ability to steam veggies. Especially when you can buy a steam appliance that sits on your counter for the times you plan to steam rice, veggies or other grains. The information I found out next took this appliance to a whole new level of cool and relevant.  The bottom line...this convection steam unit can do SO MUCH MORE...

 Because this is a convection steam oven you can also bake cookies and slow roast meats. You can even place a carton of eggs inside and WAH-LAH, hard boiled eggs.







Another great way to utilize this appliance is to cook frozen foods. Frozen foods?? Yep, the appliance adds moisture then bakes the moisture off, leaving you with the perfect crispness for chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fried shrimp, etc..



Pretty cool, right? I was intrigued and I love the fact that this appliance can literally be used in place of a second oven due to its versatile nature.







If you are familiar with steam cooking and have looked at or own a steam appliances of your own, you will be interested to know this steam oven is bigger than most. The water reservoir that is usually located within the unit to one side, is actually located at the top. 


See the seam right beside the control panel? That's where the water reservoir is housed, leaving the whole cavity of this unit open for use.

Because I design kitchens, I have acquired a deep interest and appreciation for appliances, despite my limited cooking skills.  For me, boiling rice a is a great culinary fete.  Oh gosh... I better stop, I can feel you losing respect for me as we speak :)  In my job I have had to familiarize myself with the various brands and styles of products along with their pros and cons.  Over the last few years I have heard various clients talking about the characteristics of specific appliances and how they use them for various dishes. I now understand cooking is more than just something people do, it's an art. And like any art, one must have the right tools to produce the desired results. Right now everyone is about "right sizing" and I think this appliance is a perfect fit for that mindset. You get all the perks of a convection oven with the bonus of steam capabilities.

Wow, this post is making me hungry! With all this talk of food, not to mention the pictures, it's no wonder my stomach is roaring at me! I Hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any recipes involving steam cooking please share!

All photos are from google search.