Healthy Cakes? No longer a day dream thanks to Miele!

If you thought that delicious cakes were off the menu – think again. Miele has come up with a way to make baking healthier – as demonstrated by chefs at Steam Patisserie - the world's first patisserie where everything is cooked with steam.

The Steam Patisserie was part of a pop up event which took place in July on Regent Street. Rachel Khoo showed off some of her super healthy patisserie techniques using Miele combination steam ovens. Proving that baking doesn’t need to be unhealthy, she cooked up a delicious selection of cakes, brioche and tarts to show just how easy it was to steam cook sweet treats.

Cooking with steam means that there’s no need for cooking oil or fat and so the resulting cakes are much lighter. This method of cooking also helps to retain the nutrients in food that some cooking methods can destroy.

In combination steam ovens like the ones used at the Steam Patisserie event, the steam comes from the humidity setting, which can range from 0-100%. There are three ways you can use it:

• Keep the humidity at zero and use it like a conventional oven.
• Switch off the ‘oven’ function and only use the ‘steam’ function – making it into a steamer.
• Use both the humidity and oven functions to get a combination steam oven.

The resulting cakes and pastries received a vote of approval from the bloggers and testers, including Su-Yin from the Bread et Butter blog (well worth a look if baking is your passion) and Rachel was keen to point out that cooking with steam didn’t result in any loss of flavour – in fact she thinks that steam cooking can actually improve their taste. She explained;

'Steam ovens are perfect for delicious patisseries and breads - anything where 'rise' is important.

'The moisture injection function helps not only to create lift and rise, but also produces a lovely thin, light crust together with the lightest pastry imaginable.'

Miele’s marketing director, Dominic Worsley added that he thought cooking with steam was a real innovation.

'Steam is a powerful tool in the kitchen and it's not just for cooking your vegetables. There's virtually no limit to what can be cooked in a combination steam oven.'

(image from http://breadetbutter.wordpress.com/)

Two Kitchens Kate?

Two Kitchens Kate?
It’s a bit of an unfair name, but Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, has been in the news lately for deciding that she wanted two brand new kitchens in both her Kensington Palace apartment and at a completely new kitchen at her and William’s Norfolk retreat
The kitchen at the majestic Anmer Hall in North Norfolk was said to be worth a pretty impressive £38,000 when pictures were posted online by the couple who installed it in the mansion six years ago. Their dream kitchen featured £17,000 worth of gorgeous hand-crafted worktops along with a fashionable inset Belfast sink, an Aga costing £11,495 and a fridge that was worth over £8500.
There was even a state of the art espresso maker in the original kitchen, and a chopping block worth an eye-watering £200. We hope they went to a good home!
Royal sources have said that the kitchen at Anmer Hall will be ‘unrecognisable’ once Kate and Wills have redesigned it.
The couple seem to have a bit of a penchant for redesigning kitchens, given that they added a completely new second kitchen to their apartment in Kensington Palace recently, after already upgrading the existing kitchen, designed by Lord Snowdon. The couple said that they wanted to have their own family kitchen just for the three of them as well as the enormous 350 square foot kitchen they would use for entertaining. We wonder if Kate uses her family kitchen for microwave ready meals and Pot Noodles and the big one for ‘proper cooking’.
It’s hard to imagine just how luxurious the Royals’ new kitchens will be, but we can pretty much assume that they will be installing state of the art appliances and that everything will be high quality and absolutely bang on trend.
If you’re thinking about upgrading your own kitchen facilities, but like most of us, your budget is considerably smaller than the Cambridges, we’d love to talk to you. We stock high end appliances from manufacturers like Miele, Gaggeneau and Sub Zero, and we can cater for kitchens of all sizes with our fantastic designs and space-optimising storage options from SieMatic.
You don’t have to have a budget the size of Kate’s to get a top quality new kitchen from Paul James Kitchen Design…

Two Kitchens Kate?

It’s a bit of an unfair name, but Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, has been in the news lately for deciding that she wanted two brand new kitchens in both her Kensington Palace apartment and at a completely new kitchen at her and William’s Norfolk retreat.

The kitchen at the majestic Anmer Hall in North Norfolk was said to be worth a pretty impressive £38,000 when pictures were posted online by the couple who installed it in the mansion six years ago. Their dream kitchen featured £17,000 worth of gorgeous hand-crafted worktops along with a fashionable inset Belfast sink, an Aga costing £11,495 and a fridge that was worth over £8500.

There was even a state of the art espresso maker in the original kitchen, and a chopping block worth an eye-watering £200. We hope they went to a good home!

Royal sources have said that the kitchen at Anmer Hall will be ‘unrecognisable’ once Kate and Wills have redesigned it.

The couple seem to have a bit of a penchant for redesigning kitchens, given that they added a completely new second kitchen to their apartment in Kensington Palace recently, after already upgrading the existing kitchen, designed by Lord Snowdon. The couple said that they wanted to have their own family kitchen just for the three of them as well as the enormous 350 square foot kitchen they would use for entertaining. We wonder if Kate uses her family kitchen for microwave ready meals and Pot Noodles and the big one for ‘proper cooking’.

It’s hard to imagine just how luxurious the Royals’ new kitchens will be, but we can pretty much assume that they will be installing state of the art appliances and that everything will be high quality and absolutely bang on trend.

If you’re thinking about upgrading your own kitchen facilities, but like most of us, your budget is considerably smaller than the Cambridges, we’d love to talk to you. We stock high end appliances from manufacturers like Miele, Gaggeneau and Sub Zero, and we can cater for kitchens of all sizes with our fantastic designs and space-optimising storage options from SieMatic.

You don’t have to have a budget the size of Kate’s to get a top quality new kitchen from Paul James Kitchen Design…

How to Pick the Perfect Fridge Freezer

Essential appliances for a modern kitchen, fridges and freezers have come a long way. No longer are you restricted to a boring, white chest freezer that needs to go in the garage, or a fridge that just keeps things a bit cold. These days, fridges and freezers come separately or combined and in such a variety of designs and features that it can be hard to make your mind up. Come and speak to us at Paul James Kitchen Design if you want expert advice on the right appliances for your kitchen…and here’s our guide to picking the best for you.

Size Matters

The most obvious consideration is – where will you put it? Most fridges will fit neatly under a work surface, or if you have a big kitchen you could opt for a tall larder fridge.  Fridge sizes are measured in litres, and the higher the litre, the more you will fit in it, something that anyone with a large family needs to think about.

Built-in or freestanding?

A built-in fridge and freezer are great for seamless looking kitchens and can be elegantly integrated into your kitchen – you could even choose a door to match your existing kitchen cupboards. Free standing fridge freezers work well for flexibility, they are easier to move about and cater for bigger families.

Features

Flexible storage, wine racks, egg trays and removable shelves are available in most fridges – just have a good look inside before you buy. Some have add-on extras too. Auto-defrosting is a must for fridges and freezers to stop ice building up and keep them working properly.

One great addition to a fridge/freezer is a temperature warning light, which alerts you if it’s getting too warm.
Jargon Buster

Deciphering the jargon on a fridge or freezer description can be tricky so here’s a handy guide.

• 4* freezer  -  this will freeze down fresh food as well as store frozen food for up to 12 months.
• Automatic defrost - this just stops frost build-up so you don’t need to manually defrost the fridge – a horrible job!
• Climate controlled zones - this feature lets you to have different temperatures within the fridge, so you can keep your meat very cold or your salad slightly cooler to keep it crisp.
• Energy rating – all fridges and freezers are energy rated, look for the lowest ratings. A++ is the most efficient and A+, A, B or C are all fine.
• Humidity controlled crisper - helps keep fruit and veg fresher for longer – just choose high humidity for vegetables and low humidity for fruit.
• Antibacterial coating - stops germs colonising your fridge and prolongs the life of your food.
• Frost free - No frost build-up, no defrosting needed.
• Air cooling -cool air is circulated by a fan for an even temperature throughout the fridge.

Take a look at our fantastic range of high quality kitchen appliances for inspiration.

Six Kitchen Tools You Need To Replace Right Now

Cooking in your own kitchen can be a great way to make healthy meals….but at the same time, the equipment used in home kitchens isn’t controlled by the health and safety laws that keep us safe from germs or other contamination with pre-cooked food. If you’re still using these you might want to consider replacing them…

Non-stick Pans

We all have a few of these in our kitchen cupboards, but did you know that heating a non-stick pan too high can release toxic fumes? OK, they won’t kill you but they can make you feel poorly. The heat needed to release the fumes is much higher than we’d usually need to cook our eggs in the morning, but older and damaged pans will start releasing fumes at lower temperatures. The solution – don’t keep old, scratched or damaged non-stick pans, and as newer versions produce less toxic fumes, if you have any pans dating back to before 2010, get rid of them, too.

Grill Brushes

It’s barbecue season, but don’t get out last year’s brush and think everything will be fine... Bristles fall off old brushes and end up in your food – not nice. Especially when you consider that bristles can puncture your throat, stomach or intestines. They aren’t exactly expensive, so just get a new one…

Plastic Food Containers

These have been under the spotlight in the media because some older food storage containers can contain bisphenol A, a compound that has been linked to all sorts of things, like cancer, heart disease and more. If your food containers are a bit old and decrepit, treat yourself to some more; experts believe that BPA can seep into your food and cause all sorts of problems. Newer containers are less likely to contain the compound.

Chopping Boards

You really do need to make sure that you replace your chopping boards regularly, whether they are plastic or wooden. Soap and water will get the surfaces clean but not the cuts and gouges that they inevitably pick up. These little crevices will be the perfect place for germs to breed, and can be very hard to disinfect. As soon as your board start looking a bit scratched, bin it and get a new, clean one.

Kitchen Sponges

The perfect place for bacteria to multiply, sponges are damp and porous.  You can try rinsing it in hot water and even blasting it for 30 seconds in the microwave, but remember to replace it regularly otherwise you’re just spreading germs around with it. Experts suggest two weeks is optimum time for sponges to be binned.

Dish Cloths

Just like sponges, these are bacteria magnets.  If you’re like many people (oops) and you also use the cloth to wipe over your kitchen surfaces, you are potentially asking for trouble. Wash them on a high temperature frequently and replace them often,

Easy Ways to Spruce up your Kitchen without Spending the Earth

When you’re on a budget, it can seem as if the interiors magazines are trying to taunt you with their beautiful kitchens and top of the range gadgets.

The kitchen can get a little neglected at times, even though it’s arguably one of the most important rooms in the house. It’s easily damaged,  tables, work tops and appliances are used on a daily basis and there’s always a kitchen designer or TV makeover show expert telling you that what’s ‘in’ at the moment most certainly isn’t your kitchen.

Don’t worry about all that – even if you can’t afford a complete redesign, there are ways to save money on revamping your kitchen. Even on a budget, you can find ways to make your kitchen look good again, and you won’t have to spend huge amounts of cash on the project.

It really doesn’t matter if the kitchen you have at the moment is retro or simply old-fashioned, modern and minimalist, rustic or just tired and bland looking. The first thing you can do to give it its pep back is give it a lick of paint.

Depending on the size of your kitchen, you can really go to town with the colour palette. If you’re feeling a little hesitant, why not try painting a coloured splash back? If you find a colour you absolutely fall in love with, paint wooden cabinets with it and give the room a completely new personality!

If you get a lot of natural light in your kitchen, you can get away with a bold, vibrant colour in a way that smaller, darker kitchens might not, so experiment away. If you have a small space, you can play with using bright white on cabinets to reflect the available light around the room and make it look bigger.

Changing the cabinets can be expensive if you have a lot of them – why not hunt around for new doors instead? You can revamp them, sand them down and/or paint them so that they look like a new kitchen! Alternatively, look for a retailer that’s having a sale, who might be getting rid of old stock, and see if you can bag yourself a bargain. As luck would have it, Paul James Kitchen Design are having a cabinet and appliance sale at the moment, so why not contact us or drop in and we’ll see if we can help you spruce up your kitchen for less?

Choosing Kitchen Appliances

While features and performance are the main thing you’ll be thinking about when you’re choosing the appliances for a kitchen, you naturally also care about how they are going to look, and might be led by current trends, too.

The old style white appliance never really dates, and stainless steel is also a classic. There are some amazing patterned fridges and freezers on offer that will give your kitchen a splash of pizazz, but you might find that simple black is all you need for your cooker.

Most cabinet manufacturers offer coordinated cabinet fronts and storage options to help camouflage appliances if you need to and with the amazing range of options available from professional kitchen designers nowadays, you can let your imagination run riot and find the appliance that suits your style, your budget and your needs.

Cooking appliances

The traditional range or stove comes in a single unit with a hob above and an oven below. These are coveted and fashionable with people who have larger kitchens, and they can be useful as space-savers too. Another way of making the most of your space is to look into modular hobs that you can add extras to like griddles, deep-fry and steamer units, grills and more. If you’re a consummate entertainer and like to be able to do everything, this approach might well work for you.

Modular is definitely popular with a lot of home owners these days, with wall-mounted ovens which are separate from hobs, double wall ovens which stack two ovens and even two-oven stoves, with one oven below the hob and the other at cabinet height.
If you’re stuck for room, built in ovens are another way forward, and easy to accommodate in most modern kitchens.

Fridges

When you’re choosing a fridge, the first question you need to answer is - how big do you need it to be? Some experts say that you should allow 12 cubic feet for two people and two more cubic feet for each additional person, but that’s not the only thing you’ll need to think about.

If you like buying BOGOFs or love to cook for family and friends, you should go even bigger, if you have the room. Side by side fridge freezers are popular but you can lose out on freezer space. It sounds obvious but you need to make sure that it can fit the kind of food you like to buy; will your Friday treat pizza fit in there?

Dishwashers

Dishwashers are made to be hidden away or at least unobtrusive; and if you can find one that helps you cut your energy costs, that’s even better. Look for a dishwasher that has internal water heating to save energy and your home’s hot water.

You can still find standalone dishwashers but these days most models are designed to be built-in. If you’re feeling indulgent, opt for a top of the range stainless steel model with electronic touch-pad, and a choice of washing programmes. Cheaper versions come usually offer three cycles: light, normal, and heavy.
If you need advice about the best appliances for your kitchen, talk to the experts kitchen designers at Paul James Kitchen Design.