Rational


Savouring the future: how professional technology has transformed the art of cooking


While familiar brands like Bosch, Hotpoint and Neff are the choice of budding chefs around the world for their domestic kitchens, there’s another name that dominates the commercial oven market to the extent that it is used in the same way that Hoover became the default moniker for vacuum cleaners. Until recently, even avid home cooks had little exposure


to the kind of specialist appliances found in professional kitchens and catering facilities. TV chefs usually cooked in a kitchen that resembled what their viewers had at home (except with every possible ingredient and utensil to hand), and glimpses into restaurant kitchens or busy


canteens provide only a fleeting chance to appreciate the industrial looking ovens glowing within. Now, cooking thoroughly permeates entertainment in


almost all media, with an explosion in TV programmes, films and literature finding a market with food loving fans everywhere. From Boiling Point to T e Bear, kitchens have provided the stage for some of the most popular dramas and documentaries of the last 20 years, exploring countless themes in the high pressure setting of a busy kitchen. More observant viewers might have noticed that one distinctly recognisable type of oven has featured heavily in the back- ground of these shows. With their unique vertical control panels, windowed


doors revealing shelves of gleaming chrome racks, and compact, industrial design and finish, Rational’s combination ovens have carried their own unique style and distinctive features through 50 years of innovation and variation. These appliances mean business when it comes to serious cooking. While they boast a higher price tag and won’t be found in the home unless you’re living the celebrity lifestyle of a Beckham or a Kardashian, they’re less Lamborghini and more Land Rover. T eir appearance makes them instantly recognisable, but it’s


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