“…Definitive kitchen components. Made by hand.” – Sub-Zero/Wolf
I have always been taught not to judge a book by it’s cover and for good reason. In doing so, a person could misjudge a person or misinterpret a situation. But I have found that old adage holds true to certain aspects of life and not so much in others. Take, for instance, the Caesarstone countertops in the kitchen of the Rocky River Green Home. Caesarstone’s decadent “book covers” are a masterful glimpse into what this kitchen holds within its pages.
While most modern countertops are made from granite or marble, Caesarstone counters are comprised of 93% quartz – a highly renewable source in our environment, blended to an immaculate finish. The sleek white counters not only brighten the RRGH kitchen but provides a wide-open feel for creating culinary magic. Caesarstone’s countertops are highly resistant to stains and scratches ensuring the investment made in these counters will be a long read.
Like the counters, the appliances in the RRGH kitchen only add to the plot with the cornerstone of almost every kitchen being the refrigerator. The fridge is the go-to spot for every kitchen, so why not make it as efficient as the rest of the house? Most refrigerators today offer a wide range of standard features – water and ice dispensed right through the door along with built-in water filtration systems. For the Fischbacks, standard just wasn’t enough. These appliances needed to think smarter than their predecessors so the environment didn’t have to work harder. They took the phrase working smarter to heart and found a company with a similar vision in Sub-Zero – a Madison, Wisconsin-based company who’s been manufacturing premium refrigerators for over 70 years. In looking at Sub-Zero’s collection of models, the Fischback’s felt the BuiltIn Refrigerators were exactly what the RRGH needed to achieve maximum quality and freshness while using less resources to do so.
The BuiltIn refrigerator looks at past refrigeration and improves the weaknesses. Refrigerators of the past used a single compressor that cools both the fridge and the freezer, causing a mixing of airflow while using twice as much energy. The BuiltIn fridges use dual compressors to create two different climate types on either side of the refrigerator. On the freezer side, the air is glacial and dry, essential for keeping frozen goods fresh without the burn. On the fridge side, the air is cool and humid, perfect for keeping veggies farm fresh.
If dual air compression wasn’t techy enough, then would you believe Sub-Zero went to NASA to incorporate an antimicrobial air purification system? The purification system cleans the fridge’s air flow of “mold, bacteria, viruses, and ethylene, a gas naturally emitted by foods such as apples that hastens spoilage,” according to Sub-Zero’s website.
If the BuiltIn refrigerator is on the tech-savvy side of things, then the Sub-Zero wine storage unit is definitely on the suave side of life. With a 78 bottle capacity, the in-wall mini cellar keeps wines chilled with the use of a digital thermostat which controls the temperature of the cooler and it’s three food storage units independently. Being able to control temperature down to the single Fahrenheit keeps any wine at it’s peak without the risk of spoilage. Protecting against temperature fluctuation isn’t the only hazard the Sub-Zero wine storage unit fights against. What a lot of us don’t realize is humidity, vibration and exposure to light are all hazards as well. Tinted glass, shock-absorbing shelves and oxidation control are all threats Sub-Zero have taken into account, without the help of NASA.
As there are always two covers to every book, so is the same with the kitchen. The one side keeps things cool while the other, heats things up and no one knows the heat of a kitchen better than Wolf. Wolf has been the leading expert in kitchen equipment for close to 70 years (sound familiar?), which is why they can be found in restaurants and hotels around the world. One of those kitchens just happens to be the RRGH.
The Wolf company name can be found on everything in the RRGH kitchen from the 5-burner cooktop system to the 30” E-series wall oven that circulates air around the oven for an even, balanced cooking experience. But the bestseller in this kitchen is Wolf’s Wall Convection Steam Oven, combining the best features of a typical convection oven and the power and precision of steaming.
The power of steaming is beginning to catch on with some of the biggest chefs today and why keep something so good a secret? Wolf has made steaming as easy as regular cooking but with Michelin Star-style foods and has brought it to Rocky River. These culinary contraptions cook meat and fish to perfection without drying, keeps nutrients inside veggies and can create beautiful looking deserts and bakery-style breads. It even takes the microwave out of reheating leftovers.
“It is really all we use now if we need the oven,” rejoiced homeowner Beverly Maloney-Fischback. “(We) absolutely love the way it cooks fish dishes.”
Caesarstone, Sub-Zero and Wolf have all stood the test of time, figuratively and literally, and the proof is in their products. Fusing sleek, simple design with technology good enough for the space program, these companies are today’s Hemingway’s of the modern day kitchen.