For anyone outside the restaurant industry, it can be hard to understand the nuances every type of cooking demands from a particular kitchen.

The typical assumption is just that, well, isn’t everything the same? A wok is a wok, right? As any professional knows, that just isn’t the case. And as we know all too well, it takes a special type of experience and knowledge to create kitchens for these specific methods of cooking.

Asian cooking isn’t just passion, it’s literally personal for us. So 20 years ago as a family-owned business, creating high quality appliances for Asian cuisine was a natural fit.

With the Chinese New Year celebrations behind us, and the Year of the Dog ahead, it seems a good time to revisit the goals that started us focused on helping chefs perfect Asian cuisine.

And we’re still focused on the same goal today.

Celebrating diversity

As any chef would know, the nuances involved in different Asian cuisines demand critical attention. Not just in technique, but at the product level.

Creating delicious Chinese cuisine demands appliances that allow you to create high-intense heat through a wok burner, while a Vietnamese chef might want to disperse that heat through the edges of a bigger wok. Then again – Thai cooks would want to more evenly disperse their heat to simmer and brew different kinds of sauces and dishes.

Each cuisine is unique, and poses unique challenges – and opportunities – for its chef, and its kitchens

When we started creating our Asian cooking range, we wanted to make sure we cover every single possible base. Understanding those small nuances has a real impact on our product design, and we’re always sure to keep those differences front and centre when designing – or adjusting existing designs – to new products.

So whether we’re manufacturing chimney burners, a duckbill burner or duck ovens, we understand the differences it takes to help chefs create the optimal cooking environment.

We’re not even stopping. Indian cooking is continuing to grow around Melbourne, which is why we provide products like our free-standing stockpot, perfectly suited to an Indian kitchen.

A little something extra

There’s something else, too. Working in an Asian kitchen demands adaptability. We specifically make our products customisable, so that a few quick changes here or there can turn one type of burner into another.

Space is a premium – especially in cities like Melbourne where food culture IS the culture. Being able to adapt on the fly is crucial, so we create our products with the ability to house two, or even three, configurations within the one appliance.

For instance, we can take one of our noodle cookers and turn that into a rice roll steamer. This is essential for chefs who want to be able to add variety or customisation options without sacrificing on quality – which, unfortunately, some customisable appliances may lack from time to time.

For chefs in cramped Chinatown kitchens, the power of being able to adapt on the fly is a key advantage in providing superior service.

Speaking the same language

It’s really important to us that our internal culture reflects the culture of our customers. That’s why we cover a range of different Asian languages even within our own office.

We think it’s important to keep that strong, cultural link. It’s why we got into business in the first place, and it serves as a little bit of a reminder for us: that the Asian cuisine world is a big one, and it deserves the type of attention that only comes from multiple people working together for a common goal.

We have more plans in this area. From hiring on more Chinese-speaking salespeople to reaching out to more Asian cuisine communities in specific ways, we’re proud to keep diving in to the heritage that brought us to this point.

It’s what makes us the Australian experts in Asian cuisine cookware. And it’s what will keep us here for years to come.