Appliances of the Future
Faster, easier, and coming soon to a kitchen near you

 By Susan Hampton

 Mike Castor of Mike’s Appliances wants you to know that new kitchen technology, astonishing as it sounds, is nothing to fear.

From induction cooktops that boil water in seconds to rapid cook ovens that can cook your entire Thanksgiving dinner in an hour, today’s modernized kitchen is streamlined for busy families. 

Visit Mike’s Appliances in Prescott Valley and he will demonstrate the Diva Induction Cooktop, which is the diva of the new suite of kitchen appliances considered “green.” Green kitchens are designed to work fast, use less energy, produce less heat and require less maintenance.

“This is the simplest way to cook your food thoroughly, control your results, you can’t overcook it and you can’t burn it,” Mike said.

Diva pioneered the technology thirty-five years ago and miniaturized it to accommodate a residential kitchen. Today, you will find Diva induction cooktops in commercial kitchens all over the world.

“Unlike thermal heat, induction is like a low frequency, it does not modulate up and down, it stays level,” Mike explained. Likewise, temperature changes are instantaneous, since all heat is created by the reaction between the magnetic field and the cookware. There is no special cookware to purchase; most of your standard cookware will do as long as it contains ferrous metal or iron.

Induction works by generating a magnetic field that creates instant heat inside your cookware, instead of applying thermal heat, like a traditional gas or electric cooktop does. You can warm chocolate, cheese fondues or fragile sauces hours in advance on the lowest simmer, and five hours later they are creamy and ready to serve, without skimming or separating. Even bacon cooks almost instantly and without spitting. Cleanup is equally simple, because the cooktop is scratch resistant and wipes clean.

Builders and homeowners are opting for induction cooktops – Mike carries several other brands besides Diva – despite the higher ticket price. An induction cooktop starts around $2250 at builder’s cost, yet it is an investment that pays off with low maintenance, efficiency and a long life span.

“This is the fastest growing cooking technology in the U.S.,” Mike said. Sales have already quadrupled in four years.

Customer Sanford Cohen and his wife Terry loved their Diva induction cooktop so much that they named their black standard poodle “Diva.”

“It really does fit into our lifestyle well because it requires minimal cleaning and it cooks fast, like a dream,” said Sanford. “Saving time cooking and cleaning are very important to us.”

When it comes to oven cooking, the latest breakthrough is the TurboChef, a “speedcook” oven that utilizes microwaves and high velocity air speed to cook up to fifteen times faster than a traditional oven.

“Anything you would ever conceive doing in an oven, the TurboChef does it better than anyone in the world,” Mike said.

Sound like a tall order? Only TurboChef hold the patent on the Airspeed Technology that powers it. Every single recipe programmed is designed to give five-star restaurant quality. A perfect Baked Alaska in one minute, or a rack of lamb in five minutes seems impossible, but Mike is happy to demonstrate in person in his TurboChef test kitchen.

The TurboChef is pre-programmed with over 500 recipes tested to give perfect results, plus includes a USB port for more recipe downloads. When you cook your favorite meal in the TurboChef, it gives you the option to check it for doneness and tell the oven how it should continue to cook. TurboChef remembers that information for the next time you cook that recipe.

Both these new kitchen appliances have the added benefit of significantly lower energy usage – a hallmark of green kitchens. The Diva is 90% efficient, compared to a gas stovetop at 50%. The added investment in premium appliances can pay off as much as five times the purchase price when you resell your home, Mike said. That helps make the $8000 pricetag of the TurboChef a bit more palatable.

Mike’s Appliances is located at 8330 E. Pecos Drive in Prescott Valley, 928-772-7678.

Published in Prescott Woman, October/November 2007