Bora: Steps ahead of the competition
The future is bright for the kings of cooktop extraction
As you will know by now, I am a lover of all the things that make cooking at home easier. If it takes the complexity away, but still allows you to garner professional results, then I not only want to know about it, but I want to use it. Cook with it, experience it and enjoy it. It is exactly this mentality that led me to the Bora showroom in East London back in October.
Bora invited me along to see what they do, and of course to cook lunch on their range of induction cooktops. The thing with Bora is, it doesn’t just stop at cooktops. They are the pioneers of countertop extraction, with a bold new way of engineering their product to suit the every day kitchen. The key is the way they extract the smoke and odour from the food being cooked. Their ethos is to remove it all as close to the source as possible, stopping the smells spreading to clothes and filling the room. It does seem incredibly logical, as ceiling and hood mounted extractors tend to take longer to remove smoke and odours, and can often be hard to clean and bad at their job. The Bora range gives consumers not only a very efficient extractor, but also easy access to clean, with easily removed filters and covers. At this point, it is heavenly.
The Bora showroom is straight to the point. One island, three products, and absolutely zero fuss. Their range features three levels of product, which essentially caters for all budgets. All of their products work with the same goal in mind: move the air fast, and get it out. According to their website, they use ‘cross flow’ to remove the air quicker than it can rise. The speed was demonstrated by using a white LED flashlight against a pan of boiling water. This demonstrated just how quickly the Bora extracts the steam, smoke, vapour and everything else away, making it flow smoothly into the extractor in the centre, and out of the room. If it was in my house, I’d have that torch on every time I cooked, because it is impressive!
The common theme with kitchen extraction is to measure the room, and use that to gauge how much power your extractor needs. Based on that theory, if you have a large open plan kitchen diner, or something even larger, you are going to need a serious motor on your fan to get that air out. Bora do away with that theory entirely. The proof of its viability is clear to see now in Europe, as every other kitchen appliance brand has since released their own version of the Bora Basic. From Caple and AEG all the way through to Miele and KitchenAid, everyone now has one, barring Sub-Zero Wolf who, despite having a big presence in Europe, are largely led by product trends in the US, who we all know have been slower to adopt induction technology, favouring gas power.
So what’s it like to cook on? Getting rid of the air is one thing, but it’s all about cooking. In the fridge waiting for me was some mixed vegetables and three fillets of salmon: a meal I regularly cook at home. The perfect ingredients to test the Bora. I cooked on the Bora Professional, which is their top of the range product. It is sold in modules, so consumers can specify exactly what they need from their cooktop, and slot in the extraction between each one. I used the teppanyaki hot plate to cook my salmon, with the hottest temperature at the front, and the cooler at the back for the vegetables. The sizzle was on, and there was some serious stuff for the extraction to take away. It was effortless for the Bora. It truly is cooking and extraction made easy. The controls for the Bora Professional are mounted on the side of the cabinet, which does require a more involved installation process, however this is beyond worth it thanks to the look it achieves.
Bora take things a step beyond the cooktops and extractor fans when it comes to installations. They have their own production process for the ducting that removes the air. Not the most exciting part of it, I know, but it’s impressive to see that they provide diagrams of the ducting route to each client, and calculate the quickest and straightest way of doing it. The ducting itself is impressively made to a high standard. There is also the option to take a recirculation system for properties with a more difficult route to outside.
I have used the Bora Basic in the past. While it is essentially an induction hob, the circular extraction fan in the centre of it really does perform well, while allowing for ample cooking space on a four burner cooktop. As with all of their products, cleaning is easy, with the covers removing easily to give access to the filters inside, which are dishwasher safe across the board.
After just a few years in the UK market, you can now see a Bora Basic, at the very least, in the majority of mid-market and luxury kitchen showrooms. The historic issue facing kitchen showrooms was that brands such as Miele and BSH demanded a certain amount of products in a display. They would not stand for another brand taking one of their spaces. They are known to be very strict on who they give their products to, as well as having a reputation for taking an account away when they don’t do as they are told. We now live in a world where the big boys have to take notice of the new players. Bora is largely responsible for the changing attitude in kitchen showrooms. In 2018, you will regularly see their products taking the place of the competitors equivalent. They have made a statement, and everybody has followed.
So, what’s next for Bora? They have found the formula that works, and are setting the standard in the industry. They have created a market, and are quickly making themselves the name brand in countertop extraction. Since my visit to the showroom, they have released two new models. The first, the Classic 2.0 is a refresh of their Classic product, adding their intuitive sControl+ touch controls in the centre panel, allowing the cooking space to expand to take up to four 24cm pans at a time, with space to spare. In addition, automatic extractor settings allow the fan to accommodate for the current cooking conditions, keeping your focus on the food, not the fan. That’s not all. They have also launched the Bora Pure, which becomes their entry level product. The Pure also gets the sControl system, the automatic fan and the large cooking space. What it also brings to the table is customisation, which you know I’m a fan of. The centre ring which houses the extractor comes with a whole host of colour options, which can be retrofitted at any time. Colours include green, blue, orange, red and black. (I am certain that it is only a matter of time before somebody starts making truly custom versions in bronze, gold and beyond.) The centre ring also allows easy access to the charcoal filter, which is vital in the air recirculation process. No removing drawers or plinths to do simple and regular maintenance.
I implore you to consider this product for your kitchen. It is fast becoming a no brainer. Their products, brand, and marketing are steps above the competition, and that is set to continue for years to come.
