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When I was little, I was afraid of our fridge. It creaked and groaned and every night during TV-time a fan or generator of some sort would kick in that was so loud and so jarring it didn’t just force my brother or I to get off the couch to turn the volume up on the TV, but was so loud and jarring it literally made me jump. It was a beast. An ogre right out of one of my storybooks. And it was brand spanking new. To say that appliances have come a long way in the past few decades is an understatement. Today, not only does technology make household appliances a whole heck of a lot quieter than they used to be, but it makes life a whole heck of a lot easier as well. All you need to do is look at Samsung’s range of appliances to see how.

Samsung-Range.jpgAn oven that is two ovens in one

If you’ve ever watched one of the many home improvement shows on TV, you know that a “chef’s kitchen” often means a lot of granite, a lot of counter space, and two separate ovens. For that kind of a kitchen, you need a lot of space. Well, Samsung’s Flex Duo™ technology gives you the luxury and convenience of two ovens in just one package. Yup, that’s right. With an oven like Samsung’s 30” Slide-In Induction Range, you can bake cookies and cook a casserole at the same time, in the same oven, at different temperatures. All you need to do is insert the range’s removable metal Smart Divider and voila, you’ve switched between a single-cavity and a dual-cavity oven. How efficient is that? Whether you’re hosting a dinner party and have multiple appetizers to heat, or need the whole oven cavity for an epic Thanksgiving turkey, Flex Duo™ technology has you covered.

A built-in culinary assistant

Being able to cook more than one item at a time in the same oven is awesome, but when you add Samsung’s Chef Bake and Guiding Light Control technologies to the mix, you are one step away from being the next Master Chef. Ok, maybe not, but these two features certainly help you with your culinary prowess. With Chef Bake, Samsung continually adjusts heat levels during cooking to deliver a consistent oven temperature that helps prevent under or over-cooking. And with Guiding Light Control digital dashboard, you can program in your favourite recipes, control temperatures, and even set cleaning options with an intuitive step-by-step display, “lighting yourself to a delicious meal” according to the Samsung website – well put. In a nutshell, if you can read a recipe, Samsung’s technology will help you with the rest.

A car wash for your dishesSamsung-Dish.jpg

Samsung’s WaterWall technology is to dishes what the drive-through carwash is to cars, but better. The similarity is in the fact that unlike other circular jet dishwasher technologies out there, WaterWall uses a powerful spray bar that creates a sheet – or wall – of water that moves back and forth across the machine to blast dirt, food, oil, and grime off of every corner of every dish, similar to that found in a carwash. That means no pre-washing your dirty dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. Just load, press start, and WaterWall will take care of all the dirty work.

Here’s something even cooler than the WaterWall … Zone Booster. With this technology you can target certain sections of the dishwasher for added power. For example, if you have some greasy pots and pans on the bottom rack that need a little extra cleaning power, you can target them for a high-pressure wash to remove grease. Or, if you’re only running a half load through, you can target half the dishwasher, so you aren’t needless wasting water.

Samsung-Fridge.jpgA showcase for your food

Samsung’s Food Showcase refrigerator is designed with an innovative two-door system to improve the way you store your food. The narrow exterior “showcase” door gives you – or your kids – access to your favourite foods without having to dig through to the back of the fridge. I’m thinking this would be the perfect place to keep ice-cold beer, but would also work for juice boxes, condiments, and other on-the-go snacks. As I’m writing this I can visualize my sister-in-law, a mother of four under the age of 10, saying to her little ones who are begging for an after school snack – “you can have anything in the showcase.” How easy is that?

Now, this dual-door technology is cool enough on its own, but in true Samsung fashion, one aspect of “cool” isn’t sufficient. Enter Metal Cooling, which locks in cold and seals in freshness while stainless steel paneling helps maintain consistent temperature throughout the fridge. I can’t even begin to explain how jealous I am of anyone with this fridge. My fridge is “condo” size and I’m pretty sure has the same “technology” in it as does a sink full of ice. If I put food too close to the back of the fridge, it will freeze. Too close to the front, and it will go bad. Fridges like the Samsung’s 36” French Door model eliminate the guessing game of “is it still edible?” and help keep perishable items longer.

A laundry hater’s dreamSamsung-Laundry.jpg

I’ve yet to meet anyone who enjoys doing laundry. But at least with a washer dryer set like the 5.7 Cu. Ft. Top Load Washer and 7.3 Cu. Ft. Dryer, and Samsung’s AquaJet and Super Speed technologies, you can spend less time doing it. In fact, with Super Speed, a full load that would normally take one hour to wash can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. That’s 50% less folks. Let’s just say you do five loads a week, that’s 2.5 hours saved. You could drive to Seattle from Vancouver in that time. Now, you might think that your clothes won’t get as clean in half the time, but with Samsung’s AquaJet technology, detergent and water are pumped through powerful jets to create a penetrating spray for a deeper and more thorough clean. So, you can wash your clothes in half the time and get them ridiculously clean. Sign me up.

And if you’re wondering about drying time, Samsung’s Sensor Dry technology detects the moisture level of the load and adjusts drying time accordingly. So you get an efficient wash, and then a dry cycle that only goes as long as it needs to. If you ask me, that’s pretty innovative.

Technology is changing the way we live our daily lives, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. My only question is how much cooler can home appliances get? Now if only Samsung could invent a washer and dryer that folds and irons … who knows, maybe they will!

Stacey McGregor
Stacey McGregor is a marketing and communications professional based in Vancouver, BC. She has a passion for the written word, loves learning about new technology and gadgets, and enjoys sharing what she learns through Best Buy's Plug In blog.