By Matthew Henry and James Wells

MELBOURNE: Samsung will parade its debut range of built-in cooking appliances and some of its new whitegoods products tonight at a trade event dubbed the Celebrity Challenge, which will be held in the Grand Ballroom of Melbourne’s Hilton on the Park.

The new cooking range was officially launched today after the company first announced its intention to enter the cooking category last May.

Samsung will bring three built-in ovens to the Australian market, two with the company’s world-first Twin Convection technology allowing consumers to cook two separate dishes in the one oven simultaneously at different temperatures.

Twin Convection technology uses a divider, which when inserted horizontally into the centre of the 65-litre oven, creates two separate oven cavities which are 30-litres underneath and 32-litres above the divider.

The company has also released ceramic cooktops and heavy duty professional gas cooktops.

Samsung claims the range fuses minimalist European styling and intelligent technology.

"Today’s kitchen is a central gathering place for friends and family, and an extension of our personal styles. Samsung’s new innovative cookware line keeps design and consumer lifestyle in mind," said Samsung senior product manager – Kitchen Appliances, Mike Lilly.

Samsung product manager, Paul Lipscomb, announced the company’s move into cooking appliances in May last year.

"Our move into built-in appliances will not focus very much on ‘me too’ products. The flagship twin convection technology follows on from our twin cooling in refrigerators and twin chamber in vacuums," said Lipscomb at the time.

"The key strategic focus will be on Twin Convection as no-one else has it and no-one else can offer it. It is trademarked and it is a world first. Our sealing dividers fully seal the middle of the oven. Once inserted, the oven automatically senses that it has been divided and then splits it into two separate cooking sources.

"This technology allows the user to cook two different dishes, in two sections, with two different times with two different temperatures.

There is no flavour transfer and food is cooked exactly the way that you want it. Users can cook a pizza with the grill on in one section and roast a chicken in the other. Once the divider has been taken out, the product automatically reverts back to a 65-litre oven."

There are four ceramic cooktops in the range available in two styles – beveled or stainless steel trim. There are two ceramic cooktops available in each style – one with four single burners and a second model which feature two single burners, an oval-shaped burner and a double burner configuration.

All four models feature touch sensor controls and residual heat indicators.

Although rangehoods will not be included in the range to be launched in August, models from an OEM supplier are expected to be sourced to complement the range.

"When consumers are looking to renovate or are looking to buy a new home, they are looking to buy a fridge, an oven, a cooktop, a rangehood and a dishwasher. We will soon be able to deliver a complete kitchen solution," Lipscomb said.

The new built-in cooking range will be on display for the public at the Sydney Home Show this month along with Samsung’s new Quatro refrigerator, multi-chamber vacuums, washer/dryer combos and audiovisual products.