The Dialog oven from Miele makes preparing demanding meals faster and simpler than with any other cooking method – and with excellent results. Even the seemingly impossible succeeds, such as cooking a fish in a block of ice without the ice melting. Details on the revolutionary capabilities of the Dialog oven are provided by Press Release No. 013/2018; further questions relating to the underlying technology are answered here. 

What happens from a technical point of view inside a Dialog oven?

For the first time, this new product uses electromagnetic waves at changing frequencies which respond intelligently to the texture of food (M Chef). But these are never used in isolation; they are always combined with conventional radiant heat such as in the Roof and Floor Heat or Fan Oven settings.

In what way does this differ from a microwave oven?

Whilst a microwave above all is used for defrosting and reheating, a Dialog oven is a sophisticated tool which rises to the challenges of cooking. Admittedly, food is heated in both cases using electromagnetic waves. The Dialog oven, however, applies much lower levels of power, uses a broad frequency spectrum instead of just one single channel – and constantly measures how much of the transmitted energy has actually been absorbed and adjusts the process accordingly. Also, the waves emitted by the Dialog oven penetrate deeper into the food than microwaves. This also contributes to food being cooked very uniformly or, as we say, 'volumetrically'.

Which frequencies does the Dialog oven use?

It operates in a frequency range around 915 MHz. This is the same range as is used in Europe by mobile phone companies. However, the machine is designed in such a way as to prevent any interference with mobile communication networks. This is particularly evident in the specific design of the door.

'Gourmet Units' and 'Intensity' – Is there a need to relearn how to cook?

These two parameters are indeed new: Gourmet Units stand for the amount of energy to be introduced into food (1 Gourmet Unit = 1 kilojoule), and 'Intensity' defines how fast the food should absorb this energy. Experience and recipes from a conventional oven can easily be adapted using the following rule of thumb: Combine the operating mode from a conventional recipe with M Chef and, about half-way through cooking, check the degree of doneness. Often, first-class results have already been achieved by that time without having to bother about Gourmet Units – and usually the pre-set intensity is perfectly sufficient.

How much faster is a Dialog oven? 

Here are some examples: A marble cake requires 37 minutes in a Dialog oven compared with 55 minutes in a conventional oven; potatoes au gratin are done to perfection in 35 minutes as opposed to 60 minutes; and pulled pork, everyone's favourite, needs only 2 hours and 20 minutes instead of 8 to 16 hours (at least 70% faster). It is also possible to gently defrost frozen ingredients and automatically cook them to a T.

Who is the target audience and what does a Dialog oven cost?

The Dialog oven addresses the needs of ambitious hobby chefs but also impressed professionals during initial presentations. In Germany, the market launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2018. The price will be around € 7,990 (RRP).

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