Signi Fires has two state-of-the-art outdoor gas and wood-fired pizza ovens that are perfect for those balmy summer evenings spent outside.

’Tis the season to be spending time outdoors. We’re thinking of long lazy evenings as the sun goes down surrounded by family and friends. Summer means socialising away from the confines of a kitchen and enjoying an Al Fresco meal with minimal fuss and hassle.

The Cucina Wood Pizza Oven brings an authentic aesthetic to the table. This easy-to-use appliance is a wonder for baking bread and pizzas quickly and perfectly in your own home or garden. Unlike original pizza ovens that take a while to heat to baking temperature, the Cucina takes only 30 minutes to reach 400 degrees Celsius, which means more time spent doing the things that matter with the people you love. A bonus is that the Cucina is also large enough to cook two standard pizzas simultaneously. A stainless steel door allows versatility, for cooking stews, casseroles, bread and roasting meats. An insulated design allows the equipment to be placed on any combustible work surface and is available in a variety of colourways to fit in with your decor scheme.

The Nuovo Gas Pizza Oven brings a contemporary spin on the classic, with a fresh look on the traditional method. Nuovo uses as a ceramic gas burner (which doesn’t smoke) to reach optimal temperature within minutes using the twist of a knob. Installation and chimney free, this option can be used inside and out and is ideal for people who really want to simplify the cooking process and minimise effort for bread, stews, casseroles and pizzas. Completely portable, the Nuovo can be transported with ease, making it the obvious choice for the nomadic entertainer. Much like the Cucina, it is also available in a multitude of colourways and can be placed on any combustible worktop.

Whether you are a traditionalist or like the modern way of life, Signi Fires has provided the option to choose what works best for you and your plans for this outdoor festive season.

For more information, visit signifires.com

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The premium Lacanche range of cookers has, since its inception, been the central point of many families’ heritage stories. Handmade in the heart of Burgundy, France, Lacanche cookers are made-to-order using the highest quality materials and skilled craftsmanship, which make them stand out in any space.

The classic design of Lacanche cookers fuses timeless beauty with modern-day technology, bringing two to three generations together – and shifting any family’s quality time from the living room to the kitchen.

Today, with a wide variety of models, Lacanche gives its owners a variety of riches to customise in size, colour, finish and configuration. 

Designed uniquely for each owner, every Lacanche cooker is different from the last, making it a bold statement of family identity.

Years will go by and your Lacanche will remain the centre of your home – and when the next generation comes of age, the kitchen will hold multiple memories for every member of the family.

To view to the exquisite artistry of Lacanche master cookers, visit the brand’s showroom at Culinary Equipment Company, the exclusive supplier of Lacanche in South Africa. 

Or, design your master cooker online at lacanche.co.za.

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From freestanding ovens in pastel shades and a New York City tea shop to locally crafted furniture and Olympic medals made from recycled smartphones, these are top VISI picks of the week series – week 292.

1. Louw Roets’ Pareto Table

The Pareto Table by local furniture designer Louw Roets is a simple, versatile design. Named after Vilfredo Pareto, who discovered the 80/20 rule or Pareto principle (the idea that 80% of results is usually caused by 20% of the effort), the light-weight table can be used for dining or as a workspace.

Images via louwroets.co.za

2. Recycled Olympic Medals

All 5 000 medals for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, designed by Junichi Kawanishi, will be made from precious metals extracted from used smartphones and small electronic devices. The devices, which include 6.21 million smart phones, were donated by the public.

Images and video via olympic.org

3. Spiritea Tea Shop

Designed by New Practice Studio, this tranquil tea shop in New York City features a palette of light pink and blue, with a cylindrical-shaped bar as the focal point in the space. The gallery-like shop also features artworks and sculptures created by artists Kun Wei and Yafang Zhi.

Images courtesy of spiriteadrinks.com

4. Freestanding AGA Ovens

AGA’s Freestanding Ovens come in a range of cheerful pastel shades. The AGA Module comes with a slow cook oven, fan oven and grill, as well as a gas or electric hob. At only 60 cm wide, the AGA 60 is ideal for smaller spaces. It comes with two ovens and a hotplate.

Images courtesy of agaliving.co.za

5. Loop Lamp by MUT Design Studio for LZF

MUT Design Studio, namely Alberto Sánchez and Eduardo Villalón, are behind the creation of the Loop Lamp for lighting design brand LZF. Made up of a single opaque LED lens, this table lamp is ideal for both concentrated and dispersed light. Also have a look at Ilama Palm Pendants by Mash.T Design Studio.

Image credit: Daniela Trost, courtesy of MUT Design Studio

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True to form the Smeg Dolce Stil Novo built-in oven features both design and technological innovations.

The Dolce Stil Novo collection by Smeg gets its name from a 13th-century style of Italian lyrical poetry. Similarly, the ovens, coffee machines and other kitchen appliances in this collection have been designed in a style that imitates the purposeful and conscious nature of refined verse.

As part of the most strikingly avant-garde series of appliances released by Smeg so far, the 60 cm Dolce Stil Novo built-in oven represents the very best of Italian design and innovation. “One of the most intelligent features of this oven is its cooking ability, which allows the user to simply ‘set and forget’, safe in the knowledge the oven will produce the intended dish, perfectly cooked, every time,” says Steve Brookes, Managing Director of Smeg South Africa.

With 50 pre-set cooking modes and a host of features, you need to take the time to fully appreciate how the Dolce Stil Novo oven works. It boasts one of the largest capacities on the market for its size, and five adjustable cooking levels, allowing you to cook different dishes simultaneously without the flavours mingling. Smeg’s Thermoseal technology ensures a perfectly controlled cooking environment, and an impressive pyrolytic self-cleaning function works to carbonise food residue and grease to ash.

You simply set it to self-clean, come back a few hours later and voilà, the job is done! With a collection of matching appliances and either a rose gold or stainless steel trim, what’s not to love about this new oven?

Price: R24 999.

For more information, visit smeg.co.za.

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Say hello to the charming, new Victoria Range Cooker, still boasting the same instantly recognisable made-in-Italy style of the iconic Smeg Victoria design line, but now in a 90cm wide configuration that’s as roomy as ever.

You’ll be able to cook and bake all day with 165-litres of usable space across three dedicated oven cavities: a main oven with nine smart cook functions; a tall, full-length auxiliary oven with nine flexible cooking levels (perfect for batch baking) and a separate fully variable and powerful grill oven. With an intuitive air cooling system, triple glazed doors, impressive energy efficiency rating, a six-burner gas hob, plus all the chef-grade technology to match – the Victoria TR93 Range Cooker from Smeg is a great investment. It looks superb in either cream, glossy black or timeless stainless steel.

For an added dose of vintage glam and to give your kitchen the ultimate style update, pair the TR93 Victoria Range Cooker with Smeg’s newly debuted ’50s Retro Style Stand Mixer.

Every inch of this mixer has been expertly designed. Irresistible soft curves and playful personality aside, this mixer makes use of Smeg’s smart technology for total preparation precision. It comes in a selection of delightful colours, with a variety of optional artisan accessories that will make showing off your culinary flair a piece of cake.

Try this delicious and indulgent Smeg-style Pavlova recipe, specially created by celebrity chef and Smeg brand alchemist Stacey Lee Chan.

VANILLA BEAN PAVLOVAS

Makes 6 mini Pavlovas

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 300g caster sugar
• 30ml cornflour
• 2.5ml vanilla bean pods

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.

2. Using the Smeg stand mixer, beat the egg whites and salt at a medium setting until soft peaks form.

3. Add the sugar a little bit at a time before beating the mixture for a minute or so on full speed. Don’t stop the mixer to add the sugar, as it needs to be a continuous process to trap as much air as possible in the egg whites.

4. The whisking will be complete when the mixture is glossy and shiny and no evidence of sugar is visible.

5. Sprinkle the cornflour over the egg white mixture and, using a clean spatula, gently fold in the cornflour and vanilla bean pods. No more than six folds.

6. Spoon the Pavlova mix onto a lined and greased oven tray. Try not to fiddle too much, as you want to get it in the oven quickly. Speed is the trick here.

7. Bake at 150°C for 15 minutes before turning the oven down to 100°C. Bake for approximately another 30 minutes, or until it’s lightly golden. It must still be soft and marshmallow-like in texture in the middle.

8. Cool to room temperature and dress using fresh cream and fruit.

Visit smeg.co.za for more information.

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The oven’s large capacity, cutting-edge design and 20-year lifespan make it a no-brainer in our book, but the real kicker is that it will be available at virtually half the cost of Miele’s popular H5981BP 90cm version.

Even though the H5900B doesn’t have the luxury menu-driven performance of its predecessor, it still boasts fantastic quality – just as you’d expect from the legendary German company.

The oven will retail for R37,999 from Miele retailers across the country.

For more information, visit www.miele.co.za.

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