From March 18-21, Küppersbusch will be exhibiting their innovative kitchen products at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. The German company began in 1875 by making coal-fired domestic cookers. We’ve come a long way since then! Now recognized for their minimalistic designs and their energy-saving cooktops, Küppersbusch wants to simplify modern life–in the kitchen at least: “Imagine, if you will, an environment free of confusion and distractions, the embodiment of simplified, relaxed living…the kitchen by Küppersbusch is a new approach to the way we think about the kitchen and our personal relationship to it.” The company wants people, cooks especially, to expend the least energy necessary. This approach carries into their efficient cooktops, which get the most amount of heat going in the least amount of time, using the least amount of energy.

Induction Wok. Designed by Küppersbusch.

Their units can and should be mixed and matched, allowing you to use whatever cooking methods you prefer, from steam ovens to gas burners. One of Küppersbusch’s many award-winning designs is their unique Induction Wok. Winner of the ADEX Gold in 2009, this ceramic unit features a circular depression designed to hold a stainless steel wok (included in the price). The wok is perfectly integrated into the hob, going so far as to be equipped with automatic pan recognition. That, in part, saves energy, since the cooktop knows when it shouldn’t be cooking, but it’s the very design that is the most efficient: by using electromagnetic energy, “the concaved black glass-ceramic surface of the Küppersbusch Wok stays cool to the touch as it is unaffected by the magnetic field.” When turned on, the Induction Wok gets to work immediately: “the coils produce a high frequency, alternating magnetic field, which flows through the cookware quickly and evenly, stimulating the molecules in the cookware to move back and forth rapidly, thus creating friction, which creates heat to cook.” In comparison to traditional cooktops, this method both heats and cools faster.

Given the scientific nature of this cooking method, Küppersbusch’s Induction Wok should especially appeal to molecular gastronomists. But everyone can enjoy the Induction Wok, even those of us who failed chemistry. People concerned with saving energy will get a lot more out of a Küppersbusch ceramic cooktop. Impatient cooks or hungry guests will also appreciate the Induction Wok. Even people who treat their kitchens like show pieces, never to be used except by gourmet caterers, will love the simple, sleek appeal of the unit. The circle in the square design, the black color, the perfect edges–the Küppersbusch Induction Wok is indeed a minimalist dream.