Product Advice:

 Cooking at the Speed of Light

Forget fast food, now you can cook more quickly at home.

Many of today's appliance manufacturers are striving to make the cooking process faster and more efficient. The latest designs in speed cooking combine the convenience of a microwave with the old-fashioned quality of a conventional oven. Developed from high-speed restaurant cooking technology, these appliances have been optimized for residential use and can reduce food preparation time by as much as 75 percent. Now you can create gourmet meals at home in a fraction of the time. Generally priced higher than conventional wall ovens ($1,200-$5,700), you may find the savings in time well worth the price tag.

Jenn-Air's Accellis oven uses microwave energy and a field of hot air to cook food quickly

The Jenn-Air Accellis 5XP wall oven uses a technology that incorporates a combination of microwave energy and a field of flowing hot air to envelop the food. This method of speed cooking allows the surface to brown while sealing in the food's moisture. Jenn-Air says the oven will bake, roast, broil, brown and crisp food up to five times faster than a conventional oven. A state-of-the-art interactive control panel has an abundance of unique yet easy to use features that allow you to program your own recipes as well as custom design your cooking preferences. There's no need to change your favorite recipes or the way you cook. The "Custom Finish" feature allows you to custom control how the food is finished. With "Intelliclean," the oven not only monitors its state of cleanliness, but also does the cleaning for you. The oven retails for approximately $3,500. (www.accellis.jennair.com)

Thermador's JetDirect oven channels small jets of air directly into food, rather than randomly in the oven cavity.

Thermador's Jet Direct is a combination electric-convection oven. The technology allows the 30-inch double oven to cook as fast as a microwave and in about one quarter the time of a standard oven. JetDirect is a convection process that channels small jets of hot air directly into the food, rather than randomly into the oven cavity. According to Thermador, this reduces food preparation time by as much as 75 percent. The CookSmart feature takes the guesswork out of converting the time and temperature of your favorite recipes. Simply program the traditional time and temperature and CookSmart will automatically switch to the correct mode and time. The lower oven features a meat probe and seven modes of cooking, including convection. JetDirect is available only as a double oven, with JetDirect located in the upper cavity and a Thermal-Convection oven located in the lower cavity. The oven will be on the market in the beginning of 2000 and will cost approximately $5,200 to $5,700. (www.thermador.com)

GE's Advantium oven uses halogen light as its energy source.

The GE Advantium oven cooks the outside of food in a similar manner as conventional radiant heat. The heat penetrates the surface so the inside is cooked at the same time. The oven uses powerful halogen lights to cook great tasting quality food in an average of one-fourth the time of a conventional oven. The Advantium oven is preprogrammed to cook more than 100 popular dishes. Simply select the dish and push a button. An easy-to-read display takes you through cooking options and lets you customize and save favorite recipes. The Advantium wall oven will be available in 2000. The 30-inch wide over the range model requires a dedicated 240V line. The Advantium can convert to a fully functional 950- watt microwave oven. It will retail for approximately $1,299. (www.geadvantium.com)

Frigidaire's Speed Bake features a user-controlled fan-assisted system that reportedly speeds up cooking time by up to 30 percent over standard baking ovens. While traditional ranges offer convection ovens controlled by a sophisticated system, Frigidaire created Speed Bake by taking its electronic oven controls and installed a switch that allows cooks to turn on convection cooking when they want it. As long as the oven control is set for "bake", the switch will activate the Speed Bake mode. Since Speed Bake does not reduce oven temperature, as most convection control systems do, the consumer should monitor cooking progress during the baking cycle. Speed Bake mechanically circulates heated air throughout the oven cavity, allowing the heat to penetrate the thermal barrier of foods sooner, speeding the cooking process, and also enhancing flavor and moisture. The approximate retail price is $649 to $729. (www.frigidaire.com)

The FlashBake 120 features tungsten-halogen lightwave technology that delivers a high degree of food quality and consistency up to 60 percent faster than a traditional thermal oven. FlashBake can bake broil, grill, brown, steam, sauté and more. Designed specifically for the rigors of everyday home use, FlashBake uses a visible infrared light to cook food in a new way. Tungsten-halogen lamps are positioned around the interior and computer controlled "thermal pulsing" selectively directs energy both into and onto the food producing a combination of rapid internal cooking and desired external finish and texture. No preheating is necessary and advanced software controls ensure consistent quality in everything you cook. The retail price was unavailable at press time. (www.flashbake.com)

-- Barbara Winfield

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