Chef Myrna Seguismundo finds her (kitchen) match

What makes a great cook great?

For celebrity chef Myrna Seguismundo, an exceptional cook is someone who possesses a certain flair, a magic touch that elevates any food he or she prepares — whether kinilaw or ratatouille —  into a sublime culinary experience.

They don’t just rely on the best ovens, the state-of-the-art stove tops or even heavy-duty cast-iron pans to be able to whip up a feast. They depend a lot more on their senses — sight, smell, taste and how the ingredients feel at different stages of cooking.

“We know exactly — just by looking at what point a dish is cooked or baked. Using fresh ingredients is also key,” chef Myrna explained. I guess, that’s where the skills of a good chef come into play.

And so when Focus Global Inc. founder and president Stephen Sy invited chef Myrna to prepare a Thanksgiving feast for the lifestyle media in  celebration of Sub-Zero and Wolf’s 70th anniversary, she readily agreed. Well, why wouldn’t she? If her dishes left a mark on the most discriminating palates at the recent Madrid Fusion 2015 held in Manila, she was confident she’d win our hearts, too.

However, things changed when chef Myrna came face-to-face with the Wolf.

“I got intimidated when I learned how fierce this ‘Wolf’ is,” confessed the amiable chef. “My jaw dropped when Focus Global corporate chef Joyce Santos familiarized me with the features of the Wolf convection steam oven. Whoever designed this smart kitchen appliance is a genius. Imagine, he was able to translate the skills of a chef into push buttons.”

With Wolf, even home cooks could prepare everything — from cookies to rack of lamb — with the push of a button.

For the Thanksgiving dinner, chef Myrna prepared the traditional American fare —turkey — which normally takes two to  three hours to roast using a regular convection oven.

“But with the new generation Wolf convection steam oven, the turkey was done in 57 minutes. When  I handed her the turkey for roasting, chef Joyce just tinkered with the appliance and before I  knew it, the turkey was already browning,” enthused chef Myrna who confessed that she also brought cooked turkey for good measure. “Duda ako, eh.”

Once the turkey was cooked, chef Myrna took it out of the oven and compared it with the one she brought. The turkey cooked in Wolf convection steam oven looked more appetizing; tastewise, both were delish because they were prepared with so much love and passion by the lady chef.

Served with guava sauce, the turkey went well with the roasted pumpkin and cauliflower rice with chorizo bits. The white meat was  moist, tender and oozes with so much flavor.

“That texture and flavor were achieved because of Wolf’s steam feature. Food prepared in a convection steam oven stays exceptionally moist as water used to create the steam conducts heat more efficiently than hot air alone,” noted chef Myrna.

Wolf’s convection steam oven combines the power of steam and convection technology in one appliance to help discerning consumers prepare delicious and healthy meals with ease.

For each food type, the Wolf oven is designed to detect the best combination of steam and convection, sense the moisture content of the food and adjust for ideal results. That’s how smart this Wolf is.

Wolf boasts having the largest interior capacity ideal for the residential market. It can accommodate simultaneous preparation of large or multiple dishes, all at the same time. Talk about multi-taskinig.

Fish fillet and chocolate brownies can be cooked together without the worry of flavor transfer, saving precious time in the kitchen. Wolf is the only convection oven with an automatic cooking mode called Gourmet that regulates the time and temperature of individual food items according to the amount and  size of the food being prepared, guaranteeing precise and consistent results each time.

“If  you can’t hire a personal chef to cater to your every whim or odd taste, invest in Wolf instead. It basically does everything, except wash clothes,” chef Myrna said with a hearty laugh. “This Wolf definitely has the features one looks for in a chef.”

Freshness is key

The single most important reason to choose fresh food over frozen food is the former tastes a lot better.

During the Thanksgiving cooking demo, chef Myrna prepared kinilaw, a simple dish that demands freshness of ingredients and a natural instinct for flavor. This dish doesn’t use heat to cook, just a quick curing in vinegar.

For the kinilaw, chef Myrna used fresh tanique cut sashimi-style, fresh fruits, minced ginger and bagoong Balayan for added flavor.

The call time for the Thanksgiving dinner was 4 p.m. So the renowned chef was already at the Sub-Zero and Wolf showroom at the Residences at Greenbelt in Makati City by noontime to prep the ingredients she would use for the demo. Preserving the freshness of the fish was chef Myrna’s topmost priority.

“Thank goodness for Sub-Zero new generation Integrated Refrigeration. Its preservation technology is so amazing it kept the ingredients fresh longer,” enthused chef Myrna.

For 70 years now, Sub-Zero has relentlessly committed itself to advancing the science of freshness and refining the art of kitchen design. It boasts dual refrigeration which provided separate, sealed systems for the individual refrigerator and freezer.

“This guaranteed optimum preservation conditions for each type of food — chilly, humid air for your fresh foods in the refrigerator; and dry, frigid air for your frozen foods in the kitchen,” explained Stephen Sy, founder and president of Focus Global Inc., the exclusive Philippine distributor of Sub-Zero and Wolf.

Sub-Zero’s two-compressor, dual-refrigeration system also meant that no air, moisture or any unwanted aroma passes between the refrigerator and the freezer, keeping food fresh and untainted.

“In each of our showrooms, we always put a vase of flowers inside the refrigerator, and a tub of ice cream minus the lid in the freezer. We would also mark the date when the vase was placed inside. The flowers remain fresh after four weeks. The ice cream, too. That’s because Sub-Zero boasts Antimicrobial Air Purification System,” explained Sy.

Based on NASA technology, this patented system rids the air of molds, viruses, bacteria and the natural ethylene gas that hastens spoilage among produce.

With all its key preservation features, the brand makes sure it is just as impressive on the outside. Sub-Zero gives owners the privilege of completely customizing a unit to blend seemleassly with their kitchen cabinets. With integrated refrigeration being virtually unseen in a room’s space, you can go outside of a traditional kitche. Have a quick access to chilled beverages in the home theater, or enjoy yogurt in an instant in the breakfast room. Any space you have in mind, integrated refrigeration can be at your fingertips.

“Let’s face it, Sub-Zero and Wolf aren’t cheap. But then again, if we keep on talking about price, then there’s no such thing as premium brands. You can buy the cheapest watch on the market that tells you the right time. But why opt for a Rolex?” chef Myrna pointed out.

Well, just like Sub-Zero and Wolf, it’s a lifestyle choice.

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Sub-Zero and Wolf are distributed in the Philippines exclusively by Focus Global Inc.

Check out the new generation of Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances at its Metro Manila showrooms —  The Residences at Greenbelt, Manila Tower, Esperanza St., Makati City; Twenty-four Seven McKinley, 24th St. corner 7th Ave., McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig; Pioneer corner Reliance Sts., Mandaluyong City — and at The Design Center of Cebu, P. Remedios corner A.S. Fortuna Sts., Mandaue City, Cebu.