Turbochef oven called glorious

Posted by Jacqueline Church Mar 7, 2007

Turbo chef? Is it just me or does the name of this new oven conjure images of Ralph Kramden as the doomed "Chef of the Future"? Turbo in the kitchen reminds me of someone in the marketing department at Popeil who think that the Jetsons are still the arbiters of modern.

So, there's my bias. But -- if this oven does what it is purported to do -- it could be a Jetson-ian breaktrhough. It is said to combine microwave, convection, steam and infrared technologies, to produce "glorious results." Charlie Trotter's words, not mine.

The results could be amazing. Even cooking, moistness and browning, all at high speed? What home cook would not want to achieve the perfect roast chicken in 14 minutes? But then, what do we do to speed up the rest of the dishes?

I don't think you can even open a bottle of wine and pour it in that amount of time. Oh, and I forgot to mention that all this miraculous, space age technology, comes with a price tag, hold on to your sprockets there Spacely...about $8,000.

Chef Trotter is in a much better position than I to appreciate a value like that.