
Hitachi has launched a stunning line-up of premium fridge-freezers in time for summer, majoring on sumptuous glass finishes and cutting-edge food preservation technologies.
Hitachi Europe is driving style and innovation into UK kitchens this summer with a stunning new range of premium refrigerators, available now through Euronics retailers across the UK.
From traditional 60cm wide fridge-freezers to the flagship four-door kitchen centrepiece model, the range offers stylish coloured glass door fronts, the latest cooling technologies to extend the life of chilled foods, and class-leading energy efficiencies throughout. The new range spans five models covering a traditional two-door fridge freezer with the freezer at the bottom, and a three-door side-by-side model with dedicated high-capacity vegetable compartment. The top-of-the-range trio are four-door models packed with features including Selectable Zone cooling, touch opening doors, automatic ice makers and Hitachi’s innovative Vacuum Compartment (depending on model).
Suggested retail prices start at £999, rising to £2599 for the flagship four door model.
As a leading refrigeration brand in Japan, Hitachi has built its reputation for kitchen appliances on innovation, high quality engineering, and stunning design; key factors that it has brought through to its new UK line-up.
Style with practicality
All five models feature glass front doors, giving these appliances a unique high-gloss, easy to clean finish in a range of colours, including a gently fading grey to black transition for the most contemporary of kitchens. The toughened glass finish is far more durable than traditional painted sheet metal doors, easier to keep clean than stainless steel, and enables touch controls to be seamlessly embedded into the glass. The mirror-flat door fronts, crisp angular corners, and unique colours (black, grey, white and gradation grey), offer a stand-out look that becomes a real centrepiece of the kitchen.
At the heart of Hitachi’s refrigerator range are energy-saving Invertor Compressors and dual-fans to increase the efficiency of both fridge and freezer compartments. The engineering behind the system delivers exceptionally stable cooling even in the hottest of kitchens. The result is very even and uniform cooling without the large swings in internal temperature typical of traditional compressors, keeping food fresher for longer while using less energy. Combined with Hitachi’s Vacuum Insulation Panel (VIP) insulation, food will also stay fresh in the event of a full power-cut for up to 15 hours.
Vacuum preservation
The hero feature of Hitachi’s UK refrigeration range is the innovative Vacuum Compartment.
This unique refrigerator drawer seals air-tight when closed and then extracts air out of the compartment automatically. Not only does this dramatically increase stored food longevity through reduced oxygen in the drawer (slowing the oxidation / decomposition process), it also helps keep meat and fish moist, retains nutrients and colour in fruit and vegetables, and maintains the flavour and texture of cheeses. It is like ‘vacuum packing’ your fresh food at home every time you close the drawer. Simply lift the Vacuum Compartment handle and the a ‘whoosh’ of air indicates the drawer pressure has equalised with the room and can be opened easily.
Independent tests at the Suranaree University of Technology in Thailand showed the Hitachi Vacuum Compartment retained 97% of the DHA in fresh fish (mackerel) after three days compared to just 93% in a standard chiller compartment. In fresh fruit, vitamin levels can drop dramatically in the fridge, yet the Hitachi Vacuum Drawer retained 30% more vitamin C in pineapple than a typical refrigerator over the same three days. These benefits have a significant impact on nutrient retention in fresh food over even longer periods of storage.
Once sealed, the Vacuum Compartment maintains 0.8 atm. air pressure, which has the additional benefit of opening the texture of meat and fish, making marinading and seasoning quicker and more effective. Vacuum Compartment models also feature Hitachi’s Aero-care filtration uses a platinum catalyst to increase CO2 levels in the secondary vegetable drawer, again reducing oxygen and helping to keep fruit and veg fresher for longer.
Flexibility, touch controls, 5-year guarantee
For those looking for cooling flexibility, several models in the new Hitachi range offer a flexible cooling compartment that can be changed according to the family’s daily or weekly needs. Depending on model, this three-drawer compartment can be set as a normal refrigerator (3°C), dedicated meat and fish chiller (1°C), a standard freezer (-18 to -20°C) or a soft freeze compartment (-3°C) ideal for frozen desserts and chilling ingredients for cooking.
At the top of the range, Hitachi’s glass door fronts incorporate touch controls, touch-opening doors and LED handle and control illumination with a proximity sensor that illuminates as you approach. Ideal for when you are carrying heavy shopping destined for the fridge or freezer, a single press on the illuminated door control sees the door swing silently open. Slide your finger across the control and both doors to the fridge or freezer open simultaneously.
Other features of the new range (depending on model) include removable water tanks that supply the integrated ice and water dispensers, Hitachi’s Triple Power Filter for pure air and reduced cross-contamination of food odours, mould-proof door gaskets, easy clean tempered glass shelves, Quick Cooling, rapid Hybrid Freezing and frost-free operation across the range.
Backing up Hitachi’s 100+ year heritage in high quality engineering, all the new Hitachi refrigerators come with a comprehensive 5-year guarantee as standard.
Hitachi refrigerators are available now fromEuronicsindependent retailers across the UK.
MODEL GLASS COLOUR STYLE SRP
R-BGX411PGB1 GRADATION GREY 2-door £999.00
R-WB640VGB1 GLASS BLACK 4-door £2,299.00
R-WB640VGB1 GLASS GREY 4-door £2,299.00
R-MX700GVGB1 GLASS BLACK 3-door £2,499.00
R-WB640VGB1X MATT GLASS WHITE 4-door £2,599.00
More details on the Hitachi Refrigeration range can be found here.