How did Indesit Co. engineers combine the functionality of two ovens into one large oven?
Indesit (Fabriano, Italy, www.indesit.com) configured the oven with a heat-insulating partition that divides the oven into two separately functioning areas, what Indesit calls the “main space” and the “small space.” The two spaces can be used at the same time to cook different foods at different temperatures, or they can be used individually, depending on user needs. When used together, cooking temperatures can regulate between 50° and 250°C (122° and 482°F), with a difference of as much as 100°C (212°F) between the two compartments. Sandra Alessandrelli, Indesit’s cooking built-in category manager, says this temperature difference proves that there is no air exchange between the two compartments. “Therefore, [there is] no flavor exchange among different dishes such as fish and cakes,” she says.
Designed for the European market, the oven fits in the region’s standard 60 x 60-cm built-in dimensions, but offers 70 L (approx. 2.5 cu ft) of capacity compared with the 58 L (approx. 2.1 cu ft) offered in most European models. The oven’s main space has three levels, which means consumers can cook up to four different dishes if both “spaces” are used.
The new oven uses several technological innovations, like the heat-insulating divider, which prevents the circulation of air between the two compartments. “In the middle is simply air—an efficient insulating device,” Alessandrelli says.
The second innovation is an electronic control that independently manages the two spaces and constantly monitors the two different temperatures to produce the ideal cooking cycle. The unit also contains a new heating element for improved heat distribution and efficiency in the ‘small space,’ and a new back panel offers “the best distribution of heat in the ‘main space,’” Alessandrelli adds.
