On September 12, Rational—a market and technology leader for the thermal preparation of food in professional kitchens—celebrated the first birthday of its SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency, a cooking appliance that has revolutionized large-scale and commercial kitchens all over the world.

It replaces almost all appliances traditionally found in a professional kitchen; saves space, time, and energy; and, above all, is intelligent.

Being able to cook without having to stand over the stove constantly and having more time to spare for guests and creative thinking was a dream that became reality for many chefs a year ago with the introduction of the SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency from Rational.

The unit automatically determines, sets, and monitors the optimum cooking sequence. The chef simply enters his desired result at the push of a button and then forgets about the food until it is ready.

Whoever is preparing the food—whether it is meat, fish, side dishes, or bakery products—the results are always uniform.

Rational has produced nearly 40,000 SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency units in just one year since the market launch.

“Our daily kitchen practice has become easier. We now have less work and the quality is even higher,“ says Matias Martinez, chef at the Banyan Tree luxury hotel, Macau, China.

The unit is also economical and uses up to 70 percent less energy than a traditional kitchen without a combi-steamer, for example.

The SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency can even bake.

“We never even think of using another appliance for our croissants. They are light and soft inside, crisp on the outside, and, above all, each one looks as good as the next,” says Mohamed Osman, managing director of the Fair Maison bakery and restaurant chain in London.