Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1211841
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 | 15 Appliances Appliances today are intuitive and help you to stay connected to your home by LAURIE JONES A t one point in time, watching The Jetsons cartoon was a childhood ritual on Saturday mornings. It was fun to see how, with the push of a button, dinner was done or how a home was cleaned with a robot that vacuumed dirt away. Welcome to the future. Today's appliances are tuned into the latest technology with custom colours and elegant looks to please even the most discerning client. THE FUTURE IS HERE Michael Gnat, director of commercial sales for Midnorthern Appliance, says there is a new focus on smart appliances and technology: "Manufacturers are all promoting their Wi-Fi and connected appliances. Brands have apps to help con- trol their appliances from their smartphone or tablet. Brands like Miele have cooktops that connect with their hood fans to activate once the cooktop is turned on." Gnat adds that one feature in particular from Frigidaire is gaining a lot of attention. "Frigidaire is offering a cycle called Air Fry. You are able to fry food inside your oven using little to no oil with a special setting of the convection oven," he says. "The Air Fry cycle uses an extreme heat to crisp food and then reduces the heat slightly to cook more evenly, without the need for added fat in the cooking." With an ever-growing eco-system of smart products on the market, Dacor easily integrates their Modernist products into daily life with the SmartThings connected platform. "Just as you can turn on and off the lights in your home or lock your door, you can preheat ovens, check the oven temperatures and remaining time on your cooking products, or adjust temperatures and icemak- ers in your cooling items all from the comfort of your smartphone," says Blair Bishop, district sales manager. "With refrigerators, the 24 inch and larger columns have a camera that will show you what is in your fridge in real time." Bishop says Dacor also launched its collection of six-burner 48-inch ranges and rangetops. "This is unique to the market as it has three 15-inch continuous grates providing more versatility and cooking space," he explains. "No more fighting for space when cooking multiple dishes. On our new ranges, you can fit multiple large stock pots at the same time and easily slide pots and pans across cooking surfaces." Bishop adds, "Earlier this year we brought out our 24-inch integrated wine cellar. The wine cellar also connects to the SmartThings app so that you can monitor your collection and adjust temperatures in three separate temperature- controlled compartments with a dedicated evaporator for each zone." This unit also features an anti-vibration mount, humidity sensors, and more. OLD IS NOW NEW Susan Ford, designer and multi-family sales representative for Coast Wholesale Appliances, says Jenn Air has really stepped up its game. "The units used to be fairly basic whereas now they decided to give their appliances a real wow factor, more so with the ranges, rangetops, and wall ovens. Jenn Air ovens have new Taking Control SmartThings connected appliances from Dacor. Frigidaire Air Fry Range available through Midnorthern Appliance