IN the opulent setting of the Paris Opera, Samsung unveiled to its trade partners and European press, its premium refrigeration and oven range – the J-Series – authored by Jasper Morrison, the awardwinning British designer. Jasper Morrison, who has also designed appliances and furniture for Canon, Rowenta and Olivetti, inspired Samsung with his “super normal” approach to design, the trademark of which is understated simplicity and functionality.
Samsung’s strategic rationale behind the J-Series was explained by Mr In S. Kim, president of Samsung Electronics Europe: “Today’s increasingly style-conscious consumers demand products that combine cutting edge design with great performance and functionality. No longer are these products just standard kitchen appliances. Working with Jasper Morrison, Samsung has turned the oven and refrigerator into works of art for one of the most frequently used rooms in the house.”
Cool features
The J-series refrigeration has a seamless exterior design, internal tower lighting and a 250mm tall ice and water dispenser (one of the tallest on the market). Special attention was given to userfriendly features, such as the ‘Z’ shelf to maximise space use and bottle storage, twin temperature display and a take out tray, which can be carried straight from the fridge to the table – with starters or cheeses. A distinctive feature of the series is a ‘drinks bar’ with a separate external door to the shelf with drinks or snacks, which minimises the disruption of temperature in the fridge and maximizes energy saving. There is also the CoolSelect Zone – a fridge- within-a-fridge which allows the user to change the temperature, eg during parties for cooling drinks, or for special foods, eg for defrosting meat.
The J-series incorporates Samsung’s Twin Cooling Plus technology, with a single compressor and twin evaporators controlling the temperature of the refrigerator and freezer compartments separately. This technology ensures optimal freshness of fruit and vegetables as cold air from the freezer does not travel to the fridge, maintaining high humidity of 75%. It also prevents odour transfers between both compartments. The refrigeration J-Series comes in five colours and finishes, from gloss white, through stainless steel to black.
Clever cooking
The J-series extends to dual convection ovens, which allow cooking two very different dishes at the same time – such as fish and a cake, not only without mixing the odours but also at different temperatures and time settings. The Twin Convection technology permits 48% energy savings (in comparison with other electric ovens) – claims the manufacturer, as target temperatures are reached faster. Two different temperatures are maintained thanks to an insulated dividing plate which can be flexibly positioned within the cavity. The oven also features a choice of cleaning methods: steam, catalytic and pyrolytic clean.
The Paris launch was also an opportunity for a sneak preview of yet another Samsung built-in oven, which combines the microwave technology – for speeding up the cooking process – with the conventional one – with all its benefits. Yet, there will be more on this in the weeks to come.
