TurboChef’s Speedcook technology has been utilized in the commercial space for over a decade. Yet increasingly, the fast pace of modern life has necessitated the introduction of this convenient technology into the home. TurboChef sought a strategic design solution that would bring a professional level of speed and simplicity to the home chef, without over¬riding the values of the home cooking experience.
frog sought the honest voice of the consumer audience. We spent valuable time with them in their kitchens, cooking meals and getting to know their needs and wants. We listened carefully to their personal values and priorities, their fondest memories from the kitchen, their functional and emotional desires. Listening, understanding, observing, and later analyzing these consumers was vital to our design process.
We found that consumers wanted a product that would make high quality meals and save valuable time, all while evoking memories of cooking in a simpler era. The technology needed to be there, but it needed also to remain in the background.
Additionally, we spoke with TurboChef engineers, who helped us fully understand the chemistry of cooking and how their technology would enhance this experience. The TurboChef Speedcook oven would cook meals in a fraction of the time: a rack of lamb in 8 minutes, an entire turkey in just 42. Our design would need to render this technology easy to use and approachable for the average consumer.
Our team focused heavily on harmonizing the form, function, and overall experience of the TurboChef Speedcook oven. Every detail of the oven is brought into alignment to link the past with the future. The design is characterized by rounded forms and inviting, sensual sculpting. The stainless steel exterior, touch-screen display, and revolutionary cook wheel successfully integrate the oven into the stylish modern home, while the iconic hearth shape, warm color finish, and elegant style hearken to a past in which the kitchen was the center of family life. Bright chrome accents highlight key emotional attributes of the oven, while functional elements like the large timer, simple interface, and dial–control knobs lend a more purposeful feel. This innovative blend of technology and design ensures that technology does not dominate the form, but brings a new level of elegance and artistry to the culinary field.
Simplicity of use was the driving force behind every design decision, every additional feature. A simple, ergonomic “Cookwheel Controller” was designed with seven built-in Speedcook modes – Bake, Roast, Broil, etc. – and a “Favorites” menu for easy access to frequently-used recipes. A full-color LCD screen offers 400+ meal profiles to supply cook times and temperatures, on-demand help and information screens, and a recent history menu. Researchers found that most home chefs cook only a small selection of meals with great frequency; the history and favorites menus allow users to customize the oven to their own patterns, carrying out beloved family recipes with the push of a button.
The Double Wall Oven pairs this Speedcook technology in the top compartment with a traditional convection oven below, empowering home chefs with a new ability to tailor the cooking experience to their individual needs.
The final product utilizes only the highest quality materials. The exterior of the oven and its doors are crafted from Premium Stainless Steel and come in seven optional color finishes of powder coated enamel, allowing users to customize the look and feel of their kitchens. We worked closely with TurboChef throughout the production process in order to maintain the quality of our design.
The resulting oven enables the ultimate cooking experience, merging the convenience of modern technology with the emotional appeal of the home-cooked meal.
The TurboChef Double Wall Speedcook Oven was unveiled in April 2006 at KBIS, the industry’s biggest show, to great fanfare. Since then, it has received coverage in BusinessWeek, Forbes, the New York Times, Appliance Magazine, Gourmet, and many other publications. It was also featured on several television programs, including Good Morning America, which cooked its 2006 Thanksgiving turkey in the new device.
The TurboChef oven has been endorsed by Charlie Trotter and other top chefs across the country, as well as by several commercial entities, including Starbucks and Subway.
