Black is most definitely back in the kitchen.
The latest adherent: Samsung Electronics America (SEA), which, just in time for the holidays, has introduced a black stainless steel finish as an added option for its premium kitchen collection.
According to Justin Reinke, the company’s refrigeration product marketing director, the finish is neutral in tone, making for a readily-matching kitchen coordinate, whether a consumer is shopping for an individual appliance or a complete kitchen ensemble.
The family-friendly finish is also fingerprint-resistant, but retains a magnetic surface, he said.
Black stainless recently began shipping and is available on Samsung’s:
- * 22.5-cubic-foot, four-door Flex refrigerator (model RF28JBEDBSG; suggested retail, $3,899), which provides a bottom-mount compartment that can be used for freezing or refrigeration;
- * its 5.9-cubic-foot, mid-hinged and soft-close dual-door electric Flex Duo range (model NE59J7850WG; suggested retail, $2,000), which allows users to divide the oven into two separate cavities than can operate at different temperatures;
- * its 2.1-cubic-foot over-the-range (OTR) microwave oven (model ME21H706MQG; suggested retail, $499); and
- * its breakthrough WaterWall top-control dishwasher with front-to-back spray coverage (model DW80J7550UG; suggested retail, $1,100).
“Samsung’s mission is to excite people and provide them with smart ways to achieve culinary excellence in the kitchen,” noted John Herrington, SEA’s home appliances senior VP and general manager. “This is especially true during the holidays, when cooking and entertaining take center stage and people want to show off their culinary skills in new ways.
“This year,” he continued, “we are delivering stylish new product innovations, strategic partnerships, and hands-on cooking experiences that will transform the holiday entertaining experience while inspiring a new generation of home cooks.”
The product innovations also include a new dual-fuel option for its Chef Collection slide-in range with Flex Duo feature (model NY58J9850WS; suggested retail, $3,299), also shipping now, while Samsung has forged a new five-year partnership with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to support the next generation of talented chefs.
Specifically, the collaboration calls for educational programming (including new CIA classes); the creation and sharing of new culinary content; and a major commitment from Samsung to help the CIA create the “Kitchen of the Future” through the renovation of the school’s main stage at its Hyde Park, N.Y. headquarters.
The kitchen will include a full line-up of Samsung home appliance products plus LCD monitors, with remodeling to begin this fall.
Separately, Samsung showcased its kitchen wares in New York this month at a Wine & Food Festival charity event sponsored by the Food Network, the Cooking Channel and Food & Wine Magazine. The centerpiece of the vendor’s participation was a Samsung Lounge space at Manhattan’s Pier 92, where visitors could sit, relax, sample snacks and view chef demos. Its majaps were also featured prominently at a “Grand Tasting” by local supermarket chain ShopRite that included Samsung culinary demos presented by MasterCard.
Proceeds from the event benefitted the hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and No Kid Hungry.
Actress Katherine Heigl prepares food on stage during a “Grand Tasting” featuring Samsung culinary demonstrations during this month’s Wine & Food Festival charity event in New York, sponsored by the Food Network, the Cooking Channel and Food & Wine Magazine. [Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for NYCWFF ]
