By Nicholas Anthony luxury kitchen specialists from London, UK

Dinnertime in your house: a refined and calm affair where every last detail has been meticulously planned and you glide around your kitchen in complete serenity? Or do you suddenly hit 5pm and realise you haven’t got anything ready and with hungry children tugging at your legs, haphazardly scramble something together from what you have available?

For many households, the latter is only too familiar.

Menu planning is something that sounds like a great idea but many of us simply never get round to doing it. However, the idea sounds far more complex than it is and once you get going, you will be surprised how easy it is and the peace it can bring to your daily routine.

We run through a quick guide to menu planning and how you can achieve the desired outcome with the minimum of fuss.

A plan that’s right for you

Every family has different demands and needs so it’s important to make sure that your menu planning reflects your own household.

The mention of menu planning often conjures up images of home-cooked meals which take hours to prepare but that doesn’t have to be the case.

Menu planning simply means thinking in advance about what you are going to put on the table and shopping accordingly so that you have everything prepared. Knowing what you are going to rustle up that night makes everything so much less stressful!

However, even if you lead a hectic and busy life, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy a hearty and wholesome home-cooked dinner, without spending hours chopping, stirring and baking. A slow cooker is a wonderful appliance which can save you precious hours and allows you to arrive home to the delicious smell of dinner wafting through the air.

Using a slow cooker simply means setting aside 10-15 minutes in the morning to add the ingredients and then just switch it on and go! Many slow cookers are capable of gently simmering away for eight hours, perfect for when you are at work!   Slow cookers are great for food planning.

The other benefit to a slow cooker is that because they cook the ingredients gently and over a longer period of time, you can buy cheaper cuts of meat as they will be transformed into succulent and moist meals which simply fall apart on your fork.

Use your appliances

Before you head to the supermarket, take a look around your kitchen to see what appliances you have that could help you with menu planning.

Buying in bulk and using the leftovers to create a delicious meal is one way to make menu planning much easier. Making broth or soup is a great way to use up leftovers or even make the most of the contents of a veg box. And if you have a blender, or even better, a food processor, home-made soup is an absolute doddle to make and can be ready in less than an hour!

Food processors are in fact a godsend to anyone who plans their menu as they have so many functions; it makes it easier to stretch ingredients that little bit further. Bread gone a little bit hard and stale? No need to throw it out; simply chuck it into the food processor and hey presto! home-made breadcrumbs. And even better, these breadcrumbs can be frozen for between 3-6 months and won’t need to be defrosted when you want to use them – now that is planning ahead!   A variety of food makes for great menu planning.

A rice cooker is another wonderful invention which can save you a lot of time as well as making it easier to rustle up perfectly cooked scrummy dishes. Meals like risotto are famous for needing constant attention but with a rice cooker, simply select the risotto setting, and leave the appliance to do all the grafting! You can cook complete dishes such as jambalaya in a rice cooker – a recipe which is wonderful for using up scraps! – and you can even use your appliance to cook non-rice dishes such as polenta, whole chickens, stews, fish; you also steam veg or poach fruit!

Menu planning doesn’t have to be as time-consuming as you might think. By combining it with your weekly or monthly shop, you will not just save money but also free up some time as everything will be organised in advance. Making the best use of your kitchen appliances will not just allow your meals to stretch that little bit further, but you might just find that home-cooked delights take no time at all!

By Virin Gomber

As first quarter sales dropped for the Italian-based Appliance maker Indesit, it announced plans to enter the small domestic appliances market.

The company said its revenues for the first quarter of 2013 were EUR 597.7 million (approx. US$770 million), down 3.8% from EUR 621.5 million in the first quarter of 2012, according to the Appliance magazine.

While operating profit in 1Q 2013 was EUR 13.9 million, down 33.2% from 1Q 2012′s EUR 20.9 million, the group’s net result in the quarter was a profit of EUR 4.1 million, down -62.2% from 1Q 2012′s profit of EUR 10.7.

Indesit said its revenues and net profit fell as the adverse market conditions on Europe continued. However, sales of new products have enabled the company to retain its market share.

CEO, Marco Milani, said Indesit saw continuing decline in some key markets, particularly Italy and France, while seeing slim growth in Eastern Europe, notably Ukraine and Turkey, while the International Area has also reported very positive results.

“The Group will continue to extend its offering of new products in 2013, with positive expectations for growth of the mix, and will enter the small domestic appliances market,” Milani commented.

Indesit Company’s main brands include: Indesit, Hotpoint-Ariston and Scholtes.

“At the same time, we will continue to align our cost structure with sales performance and continue to safeguard our strong financials. We still have an optimistic view of the future, considering that Indesit has the people, the ideas and the resources to consolidate its position on the domestic appliances market.”

By Virin Gomber

Leading kitchen appliances brand Fisher & Paykel Appliances has announced the appointment of Julia Morrison to the newly created role of Experiential and Alliance Manager, Australia.

Fisher & Paykel General Manager Marketing, Peter Russell, said the new role reflects the company’s focus on developing leading edge marketing strategies that highlight the company’s unique and social global branding, according to Infolink.

Morrison will oversee Fisher & Paykel’s cooking school alliance programme and manage the company’s experiential marketing activities including the Good Food & Wine Show and Grand Designs Live.

Reporting to Russell at Fisher & Paykel’s Sydney office, she brings to the company more than 10 years of FMCG marketing experience in both domestic and international environments, and has worked in major blue-chip organisations as well as prestigious brands.

Russell commented that Morrison’s creativity and project management skills will be a great asset to the wider Fisher & Paykel community.

Morrison’s prior engagement included Elizabeth Arden Australia, where she held the role of Category Eventing and Promotions Manager.

By Martin Kovacs

GE has opened a second Monogram Design Centre, based at LuxeHome in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, marking the opening with VIP preview parties, press events and public showings.

Modelled after the Monogram Design Centre in New York City, GE states the Chicago centre will include four fully designed kitchens, two of them live and staffed by a professional chef, as well as a working wet bar, dining room and lounge area.

GE stated more than 50 GE Monogram appliances will be installed throughout the centre, which will showcase a spectrum of décor styles, from contemporary to traditional.

“Building on the success of our Manhattan showroom, the design centre in Chicago is a strategic move to continue to grow our business, while also creating another major point of interest for design professionals and home owners to view and experience Monogram appliances in contemporary, transitional and traditional settings,” commented Paula Cecere, national Monogram Design Centre manager.

Monogram products include cooking and refrigeration appliances, as well as dishwashers and outdoor appliances.

By Virin Gomber

The Haier HB21FC45NS French Door refrigerator has been reported to score top position in the French Door refrigerator testing by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute.

“Our top scorer kept temps steadiest to help food last,” the May issue of Good Housekeeping magazine said, according to the Appliance magazine.

The other main benefits to the Haier fridge that Good Housekeeping noted included:
- temperatures remained steady in the refrigerator and freezer cabinets
- the pantry drawer stayed colder than rest of the refrigerator
- the digital controls were easy to read and use
- door handles were easy to grasp

Vice president of refrigeration sales & marketing, Haier America, Chuck Bryant, said, “Good Housekeeping magazine is such a well-respected publication and their labs are best-in-class.”

“This is an acknowledgment of our continued effort to provide quality products that offer features and benefits our customers really want and need.”