Tiger introduces innovations to kitchen appliances

Who has not heard of Tiger?

Even in my much younger days, Tiger was already a household name. The veritable Tiger lunch containers and water bottles were very well known and if you lugged one around your school, it was almost like a kiddo's status symbol of quality and durability.

Fast forward to the present.

Some of my SoMoms friends and I had the chance to sit down with Lorraine Go-Munoz whose family has long been the exclusive distributor in the Philippines of Tiger products. We had an opportunity to sit down and hear a little bit about the company and some of its product innovations.

Tiger is a Japanese brand that has a 90-year history. It's best known for thermal wares and cooking devices. At present, it enjoys a 23.5% market share in Japan.

Tacook Rice Cooker

I'll never see rice cookers the same way again after seeing the Tacook rice cooker of Tiger. It is the first of its kind in the world and features synchronized cooking. You can cook the rice and side dishes simultaneously, programming it so that they both finish cooking at the same time. No need for the side dishes to grow cold while you wait for the rice to finish cooking.

How the Tacook rice cooker looks closed

The inner pan is where the rice is cooked. On top of it goes an orange plate for cooking side dishes.

The cooking plate of the Tacook is very different from the usual steaming plates available in other rice cooker brands. Most other brands have a steaming plate only with holes around the plate. The Tacook's steam hole openings are just around the rim so that you can cook other side dishes without the juices falling into the rice below. Here's a slide showing the difference.

Look at some of the different ways you can cook side dishes together with your rice.

The electronic front panel of the Tacook has different settings. Press "Synchro-Cooking" and it will time the cooking both your rice and side dish. When your rice is done, so is your side dish.

Front panel showing the electronically controlled features including synchro-cooking

Tiger Toaster

The Tiger Toaster works pretty much like other brands with some differences. The tray is wider than most that I am used to seeing. Underneath the solid tray is a detachable grill net, making it so much easier to clean than other brands.

Tiger Cordless Electric Kettle

At first, I was a bit surprised that this kettle cost more than usual electric kettles. But after studying its features, I now know why it is superior to ordinary electric kettles.

It has a double wall structure with inner container and outer body

It's cordless! Charging is via a base that this kettle is inserted into.

A safety lock valve prevents accidental spillage in case kettle falls on its side.
To open you'd have to press on both sides

Here are the rest of its safety features.

A cup of water only takes 60 seconds to boil and the kettle emits 70% less steam than other types.


Tiger Electric Grill

The electric grill caught my eye besides the Tacook. I think I can reduce cooking with oil if I had one like this. Its got a far-infrared-ray pan with non-stick fluoropolymer coating (non-toxic). The pan itself can be placed atop a cooking range. Or put it on its own base and use electric current for cooking. A BBQ pan, with half of it bearing grated lines, seems great for cooking dishes like bulgogi on the grated side (to allow the juices to run) then moving it to the flat side once cooked. A glass cover top allows you to see what's cooking without having to lift often to check.

PRICES

Toaster - PhP 2,500
Tacook rice cooker (5 cups) - PhP 4,799.75;  (10 cups) - PhP 5,499.75
Cordless kettle - PhP 3,199.75
Electric grill - PhP 5,999.75


WHERE TO FIND TIGER

You can find Tiger at the following places:

SM Department Stores: Aura, Bacoor, Cubao, Fairview, Las Pinas, Makati, MOA, Manila, North EDSA, Ortigas, San Lazaro, Sta. Mesa, Baguio, Bacolod, Cebu
Landmark - Makati, Trinoma
Robinsons Dept Store - Galleria, Ermita, Magnolia
Metro Gaisano - Market! Market!, Alabang, Ayala
Ansons Makati
Fishermall
Rustans Makati
Tiongsan Harrison Baguio City
Ling Chao Merchandsing, Tel # 244-0344
Republic Emporium, Tel #244-0370
Fair and Square, Tel #241-3272
Worldwide, Tel #241-3447
AEY Commercial, Tel #244-0135
Community Commercial, Tel #733-6372
Friend Ann Merchandising, Tel #734-4300
J and R Appliance, Tel #242-1576
New Sin Kian Heng, Tel #733-2129