Probably ever since the discovery of fire, a standard prevailed, continuing until somewhere around two or more generations ago that designated what would later be known as “the kitchen” as the predominant headquarters for wives and mothers of many cultures. There, these dedicated women would industriously turn out meal after meal for their beloved families, whose only associated responsibilities would be to wash their hands and be seated around the dining table at meal time. This stereotype was immortalized by the advent of television, as portrayed by the first sitcoms and family programs broadcast on weekday engs in homes across the world. Americans were presented with TV moms like June Cleaver, Aunt Bea, Laura Petrie, AKA Mary Tyler Moore, Bewitched’s Samantha Stevens and Ruth Martin, Timmy’s mother in the series, “Lassie.” The unifying characteristics shared by these TV matrons were that they all spent the majority of their time cooking up square meals in the kitchen, and with the exception of Laura Petrie, whose trademark attire was pointy flats or low heels and high-end, dressy capri pants sets. They managed every household detail, sweeping from room to room in freshly laundered and pressed dress-up dresses–hair perfectly coiffed, fresh as a daisy and fulfilled. They managed to keep their homes spotless, run errands, tend to the children, have coffee at their kitchen tables with the neighbors, shop for groceries and all the family needs, and be ready and happy to add a few more place settings at the diner table when their loving husbands would suddenly show up for dinner with either their boss or an important client.
From Then to Now
Today’s wives and mothers handle (juggle) a myriad of important responsibilities, regardless of whether they work outside the home or remain at home to raise kids or work remotely–or both. Most days are spent scrambling to fit it all in without calamity, and the sweetest news busy families can hear is that there is a new innovation that offers more convenience, is time saving or lightens the household load in any way. And never before has a doubly-packaged wall oven combo been so useful and so needed. With its location in the wall, valuable kitchen space is made available for other uses, or for less clutter in general. By harnessing the tandem operation of a modern microwave and conventional (but technologically advanced) oven, whoever is designated to be the meal’s chef can double, and in many cases, triple the speed with which an entire meal can be ready.
A Lot Has Changed in Favor of Speed and Performance
Because these double ovens free up your time, you can tend to other life elements of your choosing. The most common configuration for a wall oven and microwave duo is for the microwave to be situated above the larger, conventional oven. If you have not been keeping up with all the latest technological advancements introduced to both microwave ovens and conventional ovens, get ready to be amazed. When it comes to both cooking modes, both have benefitted from so many effective innovations that a comparison would be difficult, if even possible. Many of these double wall oven and microwave duos come loaded with scores of delicious menu selections already pre-programmed, so you’ll never be without a recipe. Some even include options for you to add many of your own to those recipes, for safe storage where you need them.
Microwave Technology Had to Change With the Times
Today’s microwave is not your mama’s microwave! In terms of functionality, speed and power, the new models offer an advancement to true baking that fairly relegates the older microwave technology to obsoletion. At the heart of the microwave design lies simplicity, so functional improvements must be made thoughtfully and carefully. And for some reason, both microwave manufacturers and the consumers who use them have been stubbornly resistant to any changes or improvements. In response to the current down economy, microwave manufacturers are forging ahead with a concept focused on more high end innovations. Every change is aimed at enticing home chefs to turn to their microwave ovens more frequently for nicely handling a larger percentage of everything they cook. This mindset has wound up producing two very helpful microwave cooking functions for wonderful results that not only happen faster, but at the same time are impossible to distinguish from dishes cooked in a conventional oven.
Current Options Available for Upper Microwave Ovens
Steam technology has proven to be a real boon for the whole of the appliance industry, with unprecedented success in every area. You can now buy steam technology in clothes washing machines and dryers, dishwashers and ovens. The conventional ovens that offer steam options (which, by the way, are included for both cooking and self-cleaning,) tend to reflect that advancement rather assertively, in terms of price. The same degree of a price increase is not found in microwave ovens that are outfitted with the steam feature, and the models equipped with the steam function cook more thoroughly and manage to keep the food penetrated with moist, juicy flavor without the need to add fats. Several years ago, Microwave Science JV LLC, a Los Angeles based company launched a technology they named “TrueCookPlus,” which ensures that the microwave will cook any food to the ideal temperature by use of an automatic sensor. In the past, there were problems associated with users not thoroughly cooking certain foods in their home microwaves. This solves a key problem previously experienced with microwave cooking, and an increasing number of manufacturers have included it or similar technology to ensure doneness.
Convection technology delivers an exceptional performance for microwave cooking, with an even distribution of heat that cooks faster and more uniformly. You’ll find this technology in many of the newer microwave top ovens of double duos.
Halogen heating has, in one fell swoop managed to bring microwave oven technology to where it’s always wanted to be, producing crisping, golden, oven-baked results in foods that are impossible to distinguish from the same conventionally baked dishes.
Lower (Conventional) Oven Advancements
Heating Boosts: With Halogen technology, there’s no preheating the oven–you get instant heat, right away, without a wait. And some lower ovens are designed with a favorable ten-pass heating element, for unprecedented delivery of even heat to what whatever’s cooking, from a heat source that covers more surface area.
Convection: The lower ovens feature convection, with some including True European Convection, which involves the inclusion of a third fan and heating element for advanced heating.
Steam Technology: The popularity of steam is really handy for an improved baking, grilling and broiling process, and when it comes to cleaning, most people go for the steam cleaning option, to make those hard to clean oven spills just melt off.