Did you ever wonder if cooking with the best appliance brands can make your holidays less stressful? A recent U.S. survey, conducted by Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove revealed that a large majority of Americans use holiday cooking to reduce stress. You may find the results interesting and surprising:
- An overwhelming 95% of Americans find elements of cooking to be calming and soothing.
- More than 3 in 4 Americans (76%) agree that the main role of the kitchen is cooking as a form of self-care.
- A powerful 87% of Americans agreeing that an investment in the kitchen is an investment in their own well-being.
- And, when it comes to holiday cooking, nearly 3 in 4 Americans (74%) have used cooking in the kitchen as an excuse to avoid holiday interactions or responsibilities.
Unwind from Holiday Stress – Use Cooking as Therapy
With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror and more family holidays straight ahead, Clarke, New England’s Official Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove Showroom and Test Kitchen, invites you to rely on the industry’s best appliance brands to make your season calm. How can your kitchen help you create a stress-free holiday? Learn several ways here…
Buy Key Ingredients in Advance and Relax
Timing the purchase of key ingredients can be tricky. Some are in short supply during the holidays, but you don’t want to shop too early and worry about spoilage. The unparalleled food preservation system in your Sub-Zero refrigerator allows you to purchase key ingredients sometimes weeks (even months) in advance to ensure you have everything you need. Find your Food Preservation Card inside the refrigerator near the crisper drawers on the hinge side of your Sub-Zero and learn how long you can safely preserve various foods.
Wolf Appliances Serve Up Holiday Aromatherapy
Can’t find time to soak in an herbal bath or bask in the scents of your essential oil diffuser? Allow cooking to calm you. With your Wolf range, cooktop or ovens you can enjoy aromatherapy right in your kitchen. There’s nothing better than the house filling with delicious aromas from having soup simmering on the stove or cookies and bread baking in your Wolf oven. According to Harvard, when you cook (and smell) recipes that remind you of favorite holidays gone by, it actually changes your brain chemistry, boosting neurotransmitters including dopamine, which reduce stress and make you feel happier.
Mindful Cooking Promotes Relaxation
Many times, during the holidays, our minds race and cause our stress hormones to rise. Whether it’s scheduling multiple events, realizing you forgot a key gift or anticipating a challenge between guests at a family gathering, these mental ruminations can increase our stress and anxiety. Cooking can be a wonderful antidote when you allow yourself to concentrate on your food preparation, allowing other thoughts to fade into the background.
Chopping, dicing, stirring and tasting are all best done with mindful attention. Here’s where cooking with the best appliance brands becomes therapy. Take a deep breath, focus and enjoy your time in the kitchen. Preparing special meals and desserts for people we love is our gift to them. When you program your Gourmet Mode, note the cooking time and take a few of those moments for yourself. With Wolf Gourmet settings on your built-in oven, convection steam oven or speed oven, you have no worries. The oven will let you know when your meal is prepared to perfection.
Reacquaint Yourself with Your Wolf Appliances for a Stress-Free Holiday
There are dishes you serve, drinks you pour and treats you create during the holidays that wonderfully diverge from your year-round routines. This means you may not instantly think about how your Wolf Coffee System can also make delicious hot chocolate or your Wolf Warming Drawers can keep your dessert plates warm and ready for those scrumptious gingerbread cookies. There’s inevitably a Gourmet Mode on your Wolf convection steam oven that can take all the guesswork out of your appetizer menu. When you have your menu planned, take a few minutes to review all your appliances can do for you through your Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove Connected Appliance App. If you’re out shopping and realize you didn’t put your ice maker on “Max Ice” mode to boost production before your party, you can do it from your phone. This is one of the many ways today’s best appliance brands make your life easier.
Lean on Clarke for Culinary Answers During the Holidays
If you feel anxious about how to bake your grandmother’s cookie recipe in your new Wolf oven or need a refresher on the best way to cook that holiday roast, no worries! If you purchased your Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances in New England, you can always call your Clarke Showroom Consultant or make a quick appointment with a Clarke Chef to go over use or care of the best appliance brands. Clarke is here for you before, during and after you design your kitchen. Have a wonderful, delicious and stress-free holiday.
