Our crew on the ground at IFA, though not exactly master chefs, still know a good kitchen appliance when they see one. And they were very impressed by a demo of the Philips Robust Collection, five premium kitchen appliances fashioned from modern materials such as shockproof glass, plastics and metal die cast, with couplings made of Zytel plastic, a light metal replacement used by BMW and Mercedes for their sports cars. The result is a blender, food processor, hand blender, juicer and mixer that Philips says proved virtually unbreakable in drop tests, as well as looking good in any modern kitchen.
Two and a half years in the making, Philips is so confident the Robust Collection will live up to its name, it has backed all pieces with very long warranties and service packages.
The Collection’s Blender, Juicer and Food Processor have massive 15-year warranties covering their motors, while the smaller Hand Blender and Mixer offer three-year protection. All products are designed with smooth, easy-clean surfaces and dishwasher-safe parts to make cleaning up quick and convenient.
The two-speed Food Processor has rimless surfaces and its sturdy patented bowl coupling system gives the bowl a larger volume than other processors. This appliance is designed to process the toughest ingredients while remaining easy to clean. It has newly-developed tools for kneading (up to 2kg or 4.4lb of heavy dough less than a minute), whipping and chopping.
The Blender has a revolutionary dual-blade system that, combined with the 2-liter, shatter-proof, scratch-proof oval jar and counter-rotation, creates an optimal flow of ingredients. It collects less air while blending - and eliminates the need for a spatula - by guiding ingredients closer to the blades, moving them around the blender for continuous flow and optimal results. The stainless steel blades can cope with everything from raw vegetables to ice cubes.
The two-speed Juicer features the new patented ‘coriolis ribs’ – a micro mesh sieve that extracts even more juice from fruit and vegetables. Featuring the largest feeding tube on the market, the juicer can accept whole fruit and hard vegetables.
The three-speed Mixer can whisk, whip or knead the toughest ingredients with a unique stainless steel twisted wire beater that creates optimal air distribution and can produce super light mixtures, or process even the toughest dough. Philips says the Robust Mixer can handle twice as much dough than competitor mixers.
The cordless Hand blender has a one-touch release button that disconnects it from a charging base that gives the Hand blender the power to ‘mix it’ with corded power models.
The cost of each products is: Food Processor - EUR€399 (USD$581); Cordless Hand blender – €219 (USD$319); Mixer – €149 (USD$217); Blender – €299 (USD$435); and Juicer – €349 (USD$508) - all approx. at time of publishing.
Check with Philips online to ascertain availability in your country.