Signature Kitchen Suite is an appliance brand designed to offer consumers the experience and results of professional home appliances. The main goal is to simplify the processes through technology, and to encourage the use of high-quality ingredients through to the True To Food philosophy. We talked about it with Signature Kitchen Suite Marketing Manager Manuela Ricci and Food Experience Director and chef Andrea Vigna.
Signature Kitchen Suite appliances are designed for a new generation of modern cooks. Why?
Andrea Vigna: Our kitchen appliances use parameters and technologies that, until today, used to belong almost exclusively to the professional catering sector. In particular, when it comes to ovens, we have now overcome the idea that time is linked to temperature – how long do I have to keep a cake in the oven? What temperature? – with a series of pre-set programs that help to obtain constant results over time. For this reason, even if we get a little distracted while following a recipe, the machine works on a pre-set program, making the necessary temperature variation for us, adding steam, and so on.
Manuela Ricci: We are talking about new cooks because appliances that provide professional performance are not always easy to use. As a brand of the LG group, our technological DNA leads us to think that technology should simplify things, thus reaching a wider user base.
Could we say that these kitchen appliances kind of work on autopilot?
A.V.: We could say so thanks to the availability of many pre-set programs, although of course there’s still the possibility to use them manually: if I am a professional cook, or I want to give a particular twist to my recipe, I can still set all the parameters by myself.
What does it mean to be True to Food?
A.V.: True to Food transforms the need to eat into the pleasure of tasting a product that has something to tell, the result of the passion and research of a producer-slash-craftsman who creates a product with unique characteristics. The appliances of Signature Kitchen Suite allow you to transform or preserve the product you chose and enhance its value.
M.R.: Like a mantra, True to Food brings the attention back to the basic ingredients. We believe that a good recipe must start from the choice of high-quality ingredients. This is also a matter of health.
What appliances does your line consist of? What are the main elements of innovation?
M.R.: The complete range of Signature Kitchen Suite is composed of 14 appliances that allow you to create a complete kitchen. The refrigeration range is composed of freezer columns, refrigeration columns, wine columns, and the French door. An extraordinary feature is the internal water dispenser on the side of the fridge, allowing you to have fresh water without having to sacrifice space. The interior of the wine column is made of natural beech wood. In addition to that, it has an inverted linear compressor that minimizes vibration, energy consumption and noise. The French door has a convertible drawer that allows you to choose among 5 different temperature zones.
What about the "cooking" range?
M.R.: It is composed of a 60 cm oven and a combi-steam oven. The other is a 3-in-1 appliance that is oven, microwave and steam cooker at the same time. And the cobalt enamel makes it easier to clean the oven. The induction hob has five different cooking zones, various power levels from bain-marie to boost and an indicator light that shows you which zone is hot or not. Finally, there's the PowerSteam dishwasher. It is important to keep in mind that all production is in-house and takes place in our factories in Korea.
Using your kitchen appliances involves a new kind of gestures.
M.R.: By knocking on the glass door of the wine column you can turn the lights on, which allow you to check which bottles are inside without having to open the door, thus keeping the temperature constant. The door of the oven is handless, it only has a push-button.
And what happens when, after using Signature Kitchen Suite appliances, you go back to traditional appliances?
A.V.: It's like going back to the Nokia 3310: you can make a phone call, but you no longer can use Instagram and WhatsApp. I think the most important thing is to always make sure that you can turn a food into a meal. Everything that is additional helps you, makes your experience more rewarding, and supports you by allowing you to cook like a pro.
On the contrary, how to make sure during the design phase that an appliance is not too complicated to use?
M.V.: To me, the solution is scalability: the important thing is to give satisfaction to the customer even at basic levels. Even the visual language and in particular the iconographic language, for example the one offered by icons that are as recognizable as possible, guarantees greater ease of use. I also believe that kitchen appliances have an educational function to improve habits and simplify processes. Putting a little more technology in the hands of the user is a stimulus to do more, accompanying him in his evolution.