RATIONAL has started the year off with a bang: the world market leader’s brand-new iHexagon is the first cooking system to coordinate steam, hot air, and microwave technology with unparalleled intelligence, yielding perfect results faster than ever — on every rack of the 6-half size appliance. Following its global success with the combi-steamer and the iVario, the company has now established an entirely new product category for the third time in its history.
Markus Paschmann, RATIONAL’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, joined forces with company R&D experts and the iHexagon project team to unveil the new cooking system through an online keynote address. The presentation, which was released in late February, focused on the new system’s most essential feature: iClimateBoost. This new cooking assistant intelligently adapts steam, microwave, and convection energy to each individual dish, which is the key to producing the best possible results in the shortest possible time.
As Markus Paschmann notes, “With the iHexagon, we have become the first company on the market to combine hot air, steam, and microwave technologies so intelligently that the energy is distributed uniformly across all six racks.” This ensures consistently excellent results from the first rack to the last and even allows users to prepare different foods at the same time. “Even we, as the company with the most cooking experience on the market, found this challenging,” Paschmann adds. “We weren’t satisfied with the quality of the results at first.” But the RATIONAL product development team soon found a solution— namely, the most powerful convection technology the company had ever developed. This proved successful at balancing out the microwave energy. A fresh steam generator supplies yet another type of heat, and the cooking system regulates the three with the intelligent precision necessary for tender, juicy, perfectly browned results. “It fills me with pride to unveil such a technological masterpiece and bring it to market,” the RATIONAL executive declares. “The iHexagon demonstrates that we understand the challenges our customers face and respond to them through innovation.”
The iHexagon is specifically aimed at customers whose business concepts emphasize both quality and speed. For one, the iHexagon is capable of producing large quantities, for example to stock buffets or prepare for the mealtime rush. For another, the blazing-fast appliance can heat individual servings in a matter of seconds, so production keeps running smoothly even during peak traffic periods— which means shorter lines and higher profits.
The iHexagon will be of particular interest to kitchens with highly standardized dishes and processes, as they can make the most of RATIONAL’s digital kitchen management platform, ConnectedCooking. Features like MyDisplay, through which cooking systems can be configured to show only the most important functions, can be set up through ConnectedCooking and then distributed to every appliance on the company network. These “one-touch” display options are especially helpful in kitchens without highly trained staff.
Rounding out the iHexagon concept: automatic cleaning with iCareSystem AutoDose. Cooking systems with the AutoDose feature have built-in storage for cleaning and care cartridges, keeping them safely locked away— no risk of chemical contact, no measuring errors. Occupational safety up, costs down.
All in all, the iHexagon is an intelligent specialist designed with specific applications in mind; RATIONAL still considers the iCombi and the iVario the ideal solutions for all other professional kitchens. This is part of the reason that the company’s sales process will include expert consultation with product and application specialists who can help customers determine whether the iHexagon is right for them.
The iHexagon is available now in Germany, Great Britain, and the US; distribution will be opened up to other countries over time.
Markus Paschmann summarized the rollout as follows: “The iHexagon is an intelligent new product category with features unlike anything else on the market. We already think of this as a whole new era.” Visit our webpage for more detailed information and to watch the keynote.
Contact:
RATIONAL AG
Brad Pector
Communication Specialist
Tel. +01 224202 1167
