April 2010

• Autumnal Reading
  - Editorial
• Kiwiana Inspirations
  - Kiwiana-themed gifts
• The Power of Promotion
  - Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk
• Smart toys
  - Active Play and Mobile Accessible Play Unites Families in 2010
• Oven-to-table
  - From the oven to the table – in style
• Stationery - the Full Effect
  - Everyday stationery essentials that are turning heads

Oven-to-table

From the oven to the table – in style

Forget slow cooking – it's time to spice up the kitchen with new oven-to-table one-pot wonders that produce impeccable dishes in a fraction of the time.

VANESSA O'BRIEN REPORTS

The return to popularity of oven-to-table ware
signifies a change in the Kiwi ideology of cooking, eating and lifestyle, says E W Sinton director, Phil Sinton. He believes the gradual transformation in how Kiwis incorporate food with lifestyle is the result of European influence.

“If you look at Italians, they might sit down for an hour to an hour-and-a-half and have a meal,” he says. “As Kiwis, in the past we have tended to do the business and move on. It's happening very slowly, but we are tentatively spending a little bit more time at home nowadays.”

Enter the re-emergence of oven-to-table ware. The change may well have been spawned by the economic recession, with people eating out less and developing their culinary skills at home, says Sinton. Alternately, 30-somethings have also become nostalgic about their grandparents' lifestyles. First there was the knitting revolution, then cup cakes. It follows that grandma's cast iron one-pot-wonder is becoming the latest ‘it' kitchen ware.

Cooking a casserole in the oven for an hour isn't necessarily as convenient as putting on the slow cooker in the morning and having a meal ready when you come home. However, a whole new range of oven-to-table ware available in New
Zealand accentuates the practical in a way that appeals to down-to-earth Kiwis, says Caroline Beth, assistant manager of Stevens, The Palms. “It's the fact that you can brown your meat for the casserole on the stove element, then put it in the oven, then deliver it to the table. There's only the one pot to think about, and the products coming out now are so easy to clean too.”

The sheer range of oven-to-table ware available is staggering. Essentials at Home company director Robert Conwenberg says the recent Ambiente trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, showcased several ranges of oven-to-table ware, incorporating products heavily influenced by European designs and aesthetics. “I think a lot of people are seeking out the ‘made in Europe' tags much more readily nowadays, because European design is essentially leading the way in the cookware sector.”

This includes everything from heavy and solid cast iron to terracotta, ceramics, Teflon and stainless steel, says Conwenberg.

Cast iron is the darling of oven-to-table ware at the moment, says Sinton, and the reason appears to be quality and longevity. “If you buy a cast iron casserole dish, it lasts for a lifetime. Nothing can go wrong with it.”

The Staub range is a case in point. Some of the larger cast iron pieces are made from a mould, and then the mould is destroyed, so customers purchase an original piece each time. “It's only when you start cooking with it that you realise just how good the quality actually is,” says Sinton.

Cast iron's heat-retaining properties make it a very popular choice, but there are other cookware products cutting out a market niche too. Terracotta tajines and cazuelas made in Spain and France are a nod to natural cooking methods, in which the pot itself adds to the flavour, says Epicure Trading's Catherine Bell. They are a hit in restaurants and tapas bars that serve Spanish/Moroccan cuisine, and are becoming popular in retail as well, says Table Pride's Tauranga store manager, Andrea Keat. “Their rustic authenticity contrasts with the polished enamel surfaces of cast iron oven-to-table ware, but its organic origins are a retail point of difference.”

Another restaurant-inspired oven-to-table ware trend is the availability of mini one-pot wonders. Mini cocottes, ramekins, and cast iron rectangular/ oval dishes add a splash of dining-out glamour to dining in, and are a great addition to the range of casserole dishes available, says Essentials at Home's Conwenberg.

“The minis are available in a range of colours, but red is currently the customer's colour of choice in oven-to-table ware,” says Stevens' McBeth. “The red sells; it's simply a great kitchen colour.”

Sinton agrees that bright, bold red is the colour of ‘now', but suggests keeping an eye out for a darker version in future months. “The latest colour to come out in other kitchen accessories overseas is plum, and I think we will see it in more and
more products, like cookware.”

For the guys – a growing target market in cookware, according to Meyer Cookware NZ account manager Graeme Smith – there's classic black. “Cooking programmes with tough-guy chefs are resulting in more men venturing from the barbecue to the oven,” says Smith, “and, as a result, more purpose-designed ranges for the guys.”

The Infinite Circulon range used on MasterChef New Zealand is an example, with a durable, black, non-stick surface inside and out, and stainless steel fittings. Its chef's casserole dish is formulated to go from stove to oven to table to dishwasher, for a total non-fuss cooking experience.

The price tag is a bit heavy, but as Smith says, “Guys are willing to pay top dollar for a quality product, and most oven-to-table ware on the market is about quality and longevity. People who want value are willing to pay a bit more for it.”