Smarter, more efficient household appliances<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
Each time Didi returned from abroad, he would have been away
\nfrom his family and from Indonesia for at least eight months at a
\ntime. He worked on a cruise ship, and his contract sometimes
\nlasted up to a whole year. It was not surprising that the moment
\nhe reached his home in Surakarta, Central Java, he would start
\ncalling every food hawker that passed his home -- sate ayam
\n(chicken satay), siomay (dumplings with peanut sauce), mie bakso
\n(noodles with meatballs), singkong goreng (fried cassava), gado-
\ngado (vegetable salad with peanut sauce), you name it. \"I've
\nbadly missed these kinds of food for months,\" he would say, \"and
\nI'm not going to wait any longer.\"<\/p>\n
Naturally, Didi's wife was the one who got the ulcer first.
\nShe knew that, after so many months of eating only \"safe\" food on
\nthe cruise ship, Didi would need some time to rebuild his
\nstomach's resilience for the kinds of food he was consuming back
\nhome. Didi knew it, too, but he was just too obsessed with all
\nthe local food that he could not help himself any longer.<\/p>\n
In the U.S. and elsewhere in the developed world, people are
\nvery careful with the food that they prepare -- especially if it
\nis to be served to others. If guests happen to develop stomach
\nproblems just after having a meal at a restaurant, for example,
\nthat may lead to lawsuits being filed against that restaurant.
\nEven at charity and fund-raising events people should follow the
\nright hygienic procedure in preparing the food that they sell.
\nEven then we still hear of cases where people have suffered from
\nfood and microbiological hazards in the more advanced countries.<\/p>\n
Here, as most Indonesians have been trained, or rather become
\nimmunized, for poorly handled food since childhood, we seem to
\nhave developed a mechanism to tackle food hazards better than
\npeople in developed countries. That is not to say that bad food
\nnever causes us problems. You may still remember numerous cases
\nin which people were sent to hospitals after consuming food that
\nwas improperly cooked by a catering service.<\/p>\n
Storing food<\/p>\n
Speaking of food safety, just imagine how food for astronauts
\nis prepared. Needless to say, having a case of diarrhea caused by
\nimproperly prepared food would be the last thing that these
\npeople would want to happen to them while floating in
\ngravitation-free outer space.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, last year, the U.S. Food and Drug
\nAdministration (FDA) updated the food safety program that it had
\nadopted almost 30 years ago for astronauts. \"Space-age technology
\ndesigned to keep food safe in outer space may soon become
\nstandard here on Earth,\" the FDA writes in its backgrounder
\nreleased in August 1999. The science-based program is called
\nHACCP, pronounced \"hassip\".<\/p>\n
The name stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
\nPoint. USDA, which is in charge of ensuring the safety of meat
\nand poultry, has also enforced HACCP as the standard procedure in
\ncompanies that provide these food products. The FDA, which
\nregulates all other foods besides these products, has been
\nactively proposing regulations requiring the adoption of HACCP
\nfor all foodstuff, both domestic and imported.<\/p>\n
In the light of the earnestness shown by the FDA in promoting
\nHACCP through education, training and other initiatives, it is
\nunderstandable that appliance makers such as Electrolux, Maytag,
\nGE, Kenmore, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Amana and others will soon
\nhave to make their products HACCP compliant if they want to
\nmaintain their presence in the U.S. market.<\/p>\n
Here in Indonesia the most popular appliances are made by
\nJapanese and Korean appliance makers, such as Mitsubishi, Sharp,
\nSanyo, Toshiba, LG and Samsung, and we probably have the least
\nregulated market in terms of hygienic requirements.<\/p>\n
New technologies<\/p>\n
Electrolux has come up with a range of refrigerators equipped
\nwith what they call SMART electronic controls that enable these
\nappliances to think. These fridges, most of which are still
\nintended for food service usage, have probes that continuously
\nfeed the data on the ambient temperature, the storage
\ntemperatures, the condenser and the evaporator. The brain of the
\nfridges will calculate the right balance and set the fridge to
\nachieve and maintain it. It will also record its performance for
\nthe last seven days, so that when something goes wrong the chef
\nwill be able to track down the culprit.<\/p>\n
Technicians also love the SMART electronics on these
\nElectrolux refrigerators, because, like the Lightpath diagnostic
\ntools on IBM servers, it will help quickly direct them to the
\nfailed components if troubles occur. Electrolux' SMART
\nrefrigerators also have HACCP capabilities.<\/p>\n
In addition to proper handling of foodstuff, environment-
\nfriendliness is naturally another important feature that
\nappliance makers have to include in their products. The SMART
\nrefrigerators from Electrolux help preserve the environment by
\nreducing their energy consumption. Defrosting, for example, will
\nbe done only when necessary, not at a regular interval like in
\nmore conventional refrigerators.<\/p>\n
Maytag makes one of the most popular refrigerators in the U.S.
\nIn fact, in its Buying Guide 2000, Consumer Reports places
\nseveral Maytag products on top of their list of recommendation.
\nMaytag has introduced a new technology called ClimateZone. The
\nidea is based on a finding that different foods fare better in
\ndifferent temperatures. Try putting mangoes, papayas, oranges and
\nwatermelon inside your fridge at the same time, and you will
\nnotice that they spoil at different rates.<\/p>\n
ClimateZone basically allows us to set the ideal temperature
\nfor separate drawers inside its new refrigerators. For example,
\nwe can set the temperature for the drawer where we keep oranges
\nto 39 degrees Fahrenheit, which will keep the fruit juicy the
\nlongest. Produce, such as lettuce, will remain crisp in a
\ntemperature of 34 degree, while meat should be kept in a separate
\n31-degree drawer. This is the coldest temperature without
\nfreezing the meat, and this temperature will preserve the meat's
\ntexture. In a ClimateZone fridge, cold air is circulated around
\nthe drawers instead of blown straight over the food, and this
\nhelps prevents food from drying out<\/p>\n
Environmental issues<\/p>\n
As preservation of the environment is a big concern, home-
\nappliance makers have also come a long way in ensuring that their
\nproducts do not contribute to further depletion of our ecosystem.
\nIn refrigerators, for example, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), which is
\nharmful to the ozone, has been replaced by more environmentally
\nfriendly refrigerants such as hydrofluorocarbons (HPCs) and
\nhydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).<\/p>\n
Washing machines are also getting more efficient. To reduce
\nwater usage and electricity consumption, appliance makers in the
\nU.S. are increasingly making front-loading washing machines that
\nhave been very popular in Europe for a long time. In this model,
\nyou open the front door and place your laundry through the
\nopening. Here in Indonesia the top loaders are the most popular
\nmodels because they cost much less than front loaders. The
\nlatter, however, require less water than the top loaders. Also,
\nbecause less water is used, energy requirement is also lower.
\nBesides, front loaders tend to be quieter.<\/p>\n
Microwave ovens have become much more efficient than they were
\na decade ago. In the old days, when you cooked with your
\nmicrowave oven, you might have gotten food that was overcooked on
\nthe outside but undercooked in the inside. New technologies
\nprevent this from happening. Panasonic, for example, uses a
\ntechnology called Inverter that enables you to have your food
\ncooked evenly. Better still, ovens with the Inverter technology
\ncan keep food warm but not overcooked by maintaining a very low
\nlevel of microwave power inside the box. Microwave ovens from
\nother manufacturers use sensors that measure humidity to
\ndetermine whether the food is sufficiently cooked or not.<\/p>\n
Designs<\/p>\n
Finally, in addition to the introduction of new technologies
\ninto our appliances, their designs have also changed. GE, among
\nothers, offer refrigerators that can be fitted with wood so that
\nthey can fit the color and finish of your kitchen cabinets. GE
\ncalls this line of fridges CustomStyle. More significant is
\nperhaps the fact that boxy shapes are going away. Even the old
\ntoaster and blender now come in more stylish designs, and they
\ncommand higher prices, of course.<\/p>\n
Just like computers, appliances come with new technologies,
\nnew levels of efficiency and new pro-style designs.
\nUnfortunately, unlike computers, we do not buy a new refrigerator
\nor a new microwave oven every three years, do we? Unless, of
\ncourse, we are living the life of Riley.<\/p>",
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