When it comes to washers and dryers, sometimes looks can be deceiving . . .
14/05/2019
Bertazzoni gets the highest score across 138 luxury home brands
05/08/2019LOVE IT! Raise a glass to precise cuisine thanks to Bertazzoni...
Ah, these Bertazzoni household appliances. We all dream of having them at home. They are so elegant. But, as my mother would say: “Beauty is only skin deep”. Beyond their aesthetic, are these appliances from this prestigious Italian brand really high performance? From theory to practice, to know what the real deal is, the opinion of those everyday Bertazzoni users just can’t be beat. So, we interviewed Chef Patrick Delmas who offers classes at Ateliers & Saveurs, a Quebec business that is well-known for its cooking, mixology and oenology classes.
Hello Patrick, where are you from?
I’m from the South-West region of France but I've been living in Montreal for the past 25 years.You have not lost your delightful accent. How long have you been a chef?
Some twenty years. I learned my craft in France at the catering college in Souillac. I covered several areas like the restaurant industry, catering services, the hotel industry and the production of bread, viennoiseries and pastries.Why did you come to Quebec and establish yourself here?
Being French, we are lucky to be able to travel. We don’t come from a country that oppresses us. At first, I moved around a lot in Europe until two Quebecois motivated me to come to Quebec. I had hired them as interns at a Relais & Château on the shores of Lake Annecy. They used to tell me about their part of the country. It impressed me. Quebec is appealing to us as French people because we know that language will not be a barrier. I have always been curious, so I seized the opportunity.
What is your specialty as a chef?
I’m specialized in baking.What are your thoughts on Bertazzoni appliances?
We’ve been working with Bertazzoni household appliances for a few months now. I never used appliances from this brand before they were brought to Ateliers & Saveurs. First of all, they are very beautiful and I consider them to be all-purpose in the sense that they coordinate with all decors, whether they are here, in production shops, in a cottage deep in the woods or in a building’s penthouse apartment. Their refined design is pleasing.
Beyond their beauty, are they easy to use?
First of all, let’s look at the oven. As soon as you start to touch it, you’re pleasantly surprised by the graphics, the icons that support you to bring ease to your cooking. For example, you turn one knob and an image appears to show you that you are in “convection” mode. Very often, we don’t even have to read the manual since the icons provide effective guidance. It’s sounds strange like that, but it’s universal. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, you just understand.Of course, you need to program the Bertazzoni oven, but it's very easy to do. Once again, everything is clearly shown using icons that show if it’s white or red meat or fish... And from our own culinary experiences, we could enter our own data, the ones that contributed to the success of our recipes. For example, if cooking our whole chicken turns out perfectly, we enter the temperature that was taken by the probe.
When we cook chicken again, we will just have to click on the configuration that we set up and the oven will adjust itself accordingly. We will have the same delicious poultry as the one we had the last time.
What type of cooking could we obtain?
The Bertazzoni oven allows us to cook by convection or by what I call dry heat, either from the bottom, or from the top. The one that we use has a thermometer, a probe, that lets you check the cooking right to the core of a piece of meat. It's super practical, especially since we cook large pieces. Before, we were always asking that question. Was it ready? We went by feel. The oven now alerts us when the ideal temperature has been reached, which allows us to get on with other tasks. We no longer need to be constantly vigilant. Also, the oven is equipped with adjustable racks that slide effortlessly on rails. We are able to easily move our dishes to perform checks during the cooking process.“Having a Bertazzoni oven, is like having an extra person who helps us in the kitchen. ”
Do you use the warming drawer? ”
When it comes to the warming drawer, what’s great is that they should probably change its name because of all the things that you can do beyond just simply warming plates. You can use it for cooking. The temperature is adequate. Today, the trend is to cook slowly, gently. This is what will bring maximum quality to cooking. It allows you to retain flavors. The warming drawer can reach up to 80 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, we can take fish or meat dressed in a sauce, cover it all up, and place it in the warming drawer overnight.
You can’t get any better than that. You put in your preparation at night, you go to sleep and by morning, it will be ready. It requires very little work and there is no danger at all since the safety system will be initiated if its over-heated.
You can also put tortillas or nachos in the warming drawer to warm them to a very pleasant temperature for serving. You can even cook meringues in it. They will stay very white, light and crisp. It’s the full package!
What do you think of the Induction tops now?
When it comes to burners, they all sort of look the same, regardless of the brand, but from a technical standpoint and in terms of functionality, some stand out. For example, with the Bertazzoni, cleaning is incredibly simple. What I also really liked with these burners is their double cooking system. We get to use 5 rings where two are side-by-side. We can either use one or the other, or even both at the same time. Today, we know that our cookware also includes casseroles that are round or oval. It’s brilliant to be able to make use of a larger surface to cook foods evenly.“Also, you can kiss the double boiler goodbye! ”
With Bertazzoni induction burners, we get what’s called an “H” function that allows us to avoid using a double boiler. Normally we use a casserole held in a container of water when we don't want direct heat so that our preparations don't burn. Today, we have a system that is part of the cooktop and allows us to achieve a super low heat. I tried it with eggs, and with chocolate...Normally I avoid having this type of food coming in direct contact with the fire, but with the “H” function, I put the casserole directly on the burner and the melting process stays gentle and calm. Isn't that fantastic?
Have you cooked with gas?
I’m lucky to use a gas rangetop. I know that many people are afraid to use gas and yet the Bertazzoni rangetop is equipped with an excellent safety system called Thermal couple. And how it really works is if the flame goes out the gas shuts off. Even if you turned on your burner and you forgot about it, or if your child turned it on by mistake, a system will ensure that it turns off on its own.People often ask me if I prefer a gas or an induction cooktop. I tell them that it depends on what they are looking for, and how it’s installed. It also depends on the experience they want to have. On the other hand, there’s a misconception that the induction burner is much easier to clean. While it’s really easy to clean the Bertazzoni gas cooktop. In fact, all Bertazzoni gas rangetops are just as easy to clean because the surface is a once piece stainless steel and the grates and caps are removed easily for easy access.
Also, the rangetop top is equipped with an electric stainless-steel griddle. Before, I was skeptical because with the gas burners that I used to use, you couldn’t remove the griddle plate. With the Bertazzoni rangetop, even the greasy part, the section that collects cooking grease, can be removed. It’s the first time that I could remove this part. It’s such a joy.
