It's Back to the Future: We All Need a Larder Today

With rising fuel prices and soaring food costs it's important to shop less and make food last longer; a modern larder is essential.

Amana has the answer. ‘It's back to the future,’ says Stuart Frost Product Marketing Manager for Amana. ‘We have lost the knowledge of storing food properly and knowing how to make it last longer. Our grannies knew, but many of us have no idea.’

Our ancestors were very adept at storing food; they had to be as it was a necessity to ensure that they had enough food to take them through the winter using the harvests from the summer and autumn. After centuries of tried and tested methods the generations had honed food storage to perfection, so that it would last as long as possible. The family home, in its entirety, was the store. The loft was ideal for apples, the cellar for root vegetables while the larder was the place for the barrels of salt fish and pickled pork. And what were the reasons for this success? Temperature, humidity and light are all the factors necessary to extend the storage life of food. However, we can no longer use the house as the store, due to modern building methods and the advent of central heating.

The traditional larder is finding its way back in many newly refurbished kitchens but for most of us this is not reality. Luckily top class premium refrigeration expert, Amana, offers multi-zoned refrigerators that emulate the zones that our ancestors sought for food storage.

Amana refrigerators not only keep food cold, they exceed a standard level of performance and keep food fresher for longer too. Today the ultimate cooling technology utilises both temperature and humidity to store food and keep food at its very best and for longer.

And with the current trends of food producers to reduce the levels of artificial preservatives and additives and the introduction of many new food types and categories, correct storage of food is quite a challenge for consumers. The growing environmental awareness and cost of transporting food around the world means we are going back to sourcing locally - farm shops, growing food on allotments, but we need to be able to store it correctly so it lasts longer.

Amana refrigerators have up to seven individually controlled refrigerated zones with exemplary performance, and unlike a larder they command the centre of attention in the modern home with an array of haute couture finishes.

The Amana is the modern larder offering:
* Seven individually controlled preservations zones - temperature and/or humidity controlled.
* The Amana Temp-Assure™ system independently controls the fridge and freezer temperature to within 1°C, eliminating the wide temperature fluctuations assuring longer term storage with maintenance of nutritional value and texture.
* Free-O-Frost technology, patented by Amana in 1954, means every Amana fridge freezer is frost and maintenance free.
* Garden fresh crispers for fruit and vegetables with independent humidity control for maximum retention of nutritional value, texture and freshness; keeping things cool at 4 to 7°C.
* Temperature controlled Beverage Chiller™ to keep milk and drinks cooler and fresher for longer than the main refrigerator; can be set from 1 to 4°C.
* There is also a MiniChiller for yoghurt and small beverage cans.
* Chiller Fresh™ Zero degree drawer for the preservation of deli items, seafood, cold meats and chilled foods. The adjustable control keeps the contents at around 0°C. The unique airflow ensures that it is circulated around the drawer and not directly into it, to protect the contents from dehydration.

Amana refrigerators also offer:
* Flexible Spillsaver glass shelving that glides up, down, over or completely out to adapt to all growing family and changing storage needs.
* Electronically controlled ice and water dispenser not only delivers cubed or crushed ice and chilled filtered water but also indicates when to replace the water filter, maintaining water quality at all times.
* Available with or without an ice and water dispenser.
* Amana models are available as freestanding or built-in option.
* Available in three designs, Reflection, Precision or Definition and four configurations - BxM bottom mount freezer, 3D three-door side-by-side, SxS side-by-side and to complete the offering the wine cabinet.

And to top it all an Amana even knows when to defrost. The electronic control system monitors the household's daily usage pattern and defrosts when it needs doing and you never even realise it.

Stuart sums up: ‘Amana is truly the modern larder for today's contemporary home. Not only does it exceed a standard level of performance and ensure that all the foods you ever wish to store can be done so in near enough perfect conditions and therefore for longer. It looks good too and graces any kitchen or living space to become a much needed participant in the modern family.’

For further information call your Account Manager or telephone Amana on 0844 499 0101 or visit the Amana website http://www.amana.co.uk for information.